Here are my frustrations with the console market:
1. The development costs are too high
2. The console developers are accelertating the generations
3. The after-market (GameStop) is killing new Release shelf-life
4. The Price-point is too high
5. Teams are too big
6. User retention is poor past first week
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Dante's Inferno Reviews: The Washington Post
I've never made a game that tanked in both critical acclaim and sales. I don't count Janes Attack Squadron, since it was shelved, then someone else dusted it off years later and forced it onto shelves. Bad idea.
Anyway, Across all the reviews, there are the full range of critical style, from balanced pro vs. con, to the pure haters that can't get past the GoW comparisons. These balance each other out, and have indeed done so on metacritic, giving us a very average score of 74 (ick). That's no shock.
However, when I read the review at Washington Post, I shuddered. The only thing worse than hatred of your product is malaise or indifference. This reviewer acknowledges the similarity issue with GoW, promptly moves past it onto some positives, then ultimately makes the argument I fear but can totally relate to:
That argument is this (paraphrased): 'If you like hack n' slash, why not wait until GoW III, and bide your time with the generous supply of long-lasting games like BioShock 2, Mass Effect 2, or Dragon Age.'
Anyway, Across all the reviews, there are the full range of critical style, from balanced pro vs. con, to the pure haters that can't get past the GoW comparisons. These balance each other out, and have indeed done so on metacritic, giving us a very average score of 74 (ick). That's no shock.
However, when I read the review at Washington Post, I shuddered. The only thing worse than hatred of your product is malaise or indifference. This reviewer acknowledges the similarity issue with GoW, promptly moves past it onto some positives, then ultimately makes the argument I fear but can totally relate to:
That argument is this (paraphrased): 'If you like hack n' slash, why not wait until GoW III, and bide your time with the generous supply of long-lasting games like BioShock 2, Mass Effect 2, or Dragon Age.'
Isometric gaming in Flash: Test
How hard is it to make an isometric casual game in flash? Not very it seems. Got this running in about 4 hours time. Laying tile on floor is one feature in every 'make your restaurant' style game like Cafe World. You can zoom in and out, choose the tile, place the tile, gain XP, pan, and when you run out of money it has a hook for a micro-transaction.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Specks on Specks on Specks: Humanity is a beautiful fart on a breeze
The order of magnitude of the Universe really shocks me every time I see it illustrated in a relatable way.
It's easy to forget about the meta around us as we deal with our day to day lives, certainly, but when I read about, watch shows about the universe it reminds me of the unfathomable scale of the universe and how small we are in it.
We are kind of pathetic in our self-centered view. I don't mean in a mean way, or anything, and I'm absolutely including myself here...but really, when Galileo's heliocentric proof was denied by the Church, it was the first step in the still-on-going break-down of a earth-centric, or more specifically an andro-centric view of the universe. Why do we need to feel so special? Why can't we be okay with the notion that we are probably one of many self-aware entities out there? I wonder if they think that they are the only ones too. Hmm.
I really think that if we are to survive, we really need to find a unifying purpose or perspective outside Earth. I think alien contact, friendly or unfriendly could be the best, most self-defining, and necessary slope on our evolutionary fitness landscape. The most interesting aspect of this will be how theology evolves to react. Would the discovery of another sentient species be perceived as a threat to religious dogma? Or would the new discovery be folded in as proof of the wonder of god? It would be hilarious if we tried to squeeze our new celestial neighbors into our mold to make them fit by calling them angels or some shit.
It's easy to forget about the meta around us as we deal with our day to day lives, certainly, but when I read about, watch shows about the universe it reminds me of the unfathomable scale of the universe and how small we are in it.
We are kind of pathetic in our self-centered view. I don't mean in a mean way, or anything, and I'm absolutely including myself here...but really, when Galileo's heliocentric proof was denied by the Church, it was the first step in the still-on-going break-down of a earth-centric, or more specifically an andro-centric view of the universe. Why do we need to feel so special? Why can't we be okay with the notion that we are probably one of many self-aware entities out there? I wonder if they think that they are the only ones too. Hmm.
I really think that if we are to survive, we really need to find a unifying purpose or perspective outside Earth. I think alien contact, friendly or unfriendly could be the best, most self-defining, and necessary slope on our evolutionary fitness landscape. The most interesting aspect of this will be how theology evolves to react. Would the discovery of another sentient species be perceived as a threat to religious dogma? Or would the new discovery be folded in as proof of the wonder of god? It would be hilarious if we tried to squeeze our new celestial neighbors into our mold to make them fit by calling them angels or some shit.
Chabot Air and Science Museum today.
Lisa and I trekked up to Skyline Blvd in Oakland to check out the Chabot Air and Science Museum today. The surrounding area is magnificently beautiful, with trails meandering up and down, in and out of the forest.
The facility itself is modest in size, but makes up for it with a great flow, with lots of curved concrete walls and paths. The exhibits are definitely geared towards children. The planetarium is delightful, but the pseudo IMAX theater was a bust. The projection didn't cover the entire screen during the show we watched, and the speakers were clipping. Eeeew.
The best part of the trip was on the way back. We drove along Skyline Drive south from the museum, through some gorgoues houses with an unbelievable view of the bay. Ridiculously beautiful really.
The facility itself is modest in size, but makes up for it with a great flow, with lots of curved concrete walls and paths. The exhibits are definitely geared towards children. The planetarium is delightful, but the pseudo IMAX theater was a bust. The projection didn't cover the entire screen during the show we watched, and the speakers were clipping. Eeeew.
The best part of the trip was on the way back. We drove along Skyline Drive south from the museum, through some gorgoues houses with an unbelievable view of the bay. Ridiculously beautiful really.
Less animal product == Feeling Good
I've had hiccups in my plan, but 80% of the last two weeks have been successful in avoiding foods with excessive animal products in them. Cheese, I'd have to say, is the real tricky one!
So far, my favorite foods that have no animal product in them are:
So far, my favorite foods that have no animal product in them are:
- Oranges
- Bananas
- Summer Squash
- Sweet Potatoes, potatoes
- Bruschetta ( tomatoes, basil, white onion, garlic, balsamic vinegar, on toasted baguette )
- Cereal ( w/ skim milk. Soy milk is expensive yo! )
- ANY kind of fish. Having a lot of Brisling (sardines) in water lately. Sushi is god to me, more than ever
- Pho. Had Pho the other day, with tofu-filled egg rolls instead of the pork and shrimp I've always gotten. Pretty sure the egg rolls are deep fried in animal fat (unfortunately)
- Eggplant (have to figure out how to cook this in a way that doesn't involving frying but still 'firms' them up a bit
It's definitely a challenge. There is meat, cheese, or foods cooked in, preserved in, flavored by animal by-product EVERYWHERE. Jesus. It seems like being a vegetarian is like being diabetic. You have to plan ahead more.
Tomorrow is Superbowl Sunday. I'm going over my in-laws and they always put out a big ol' spread with pepporini, cheese, hot wings, pizza. UGH. I really feel like an alcoholic that is going to a New Years Eve party! lol. It will be a great test of my resolve. We're making our new bruschetta recipe, so I'll probably horde most of those. Nom nom!
Next week, I plan on folding these foods into my daily options:
- Almonds
- Yogurt
- Edamame
- Avacado
Lastly, and this is the best part...I am having a lot of fun with this. I feel great through and through, and can connect it directly to some new habits. Less food, and when I do have it, it has a better nutrition:calorie ratio.
Friday, February 5, 2010
Interactive Web Stories for casual gamers
If you've read Farenheit 451, you may recall that Guy's alienated wife spent most of her free time watching the interactive TV wall, which displayed soap operas where the characters would ask the viewer for advice about what they should do regarding their situation.
I'm contemplating such a beast for the Facebook crowd, rendered in vector art of high quality, with weekly episodic release, and a crack team of writers, voice actors and animators whipping out a new episode every week. Pretty much the South Park production model.
Anyway, it seems like the 'Mom and Sisters' demographic composes a fair share of the 75-100 million users playing very simple social games currently, and they don't have much of an appetite for games that require very complex interactions. Combine with this the apparent lack of story-based entertainment content on Facebook and there very well may be an opportunity to fold micro-transactions into a story-driven prompted-user experience seamlessly.
Draper is faced with a dilemma that must be solved. As the scene plays out, the action stops, he faces the camera and seeks your advice as the background dims. You could just pause the action and throw up the ol' response options for a dialogue tree, but I actually like what Farenheit 451 did...making it personal by having the actor break the 4th wall and look at the user. This is how the user knows a decision is near. Also, the user feels more personally involved, like they are 'there' in the room as a silent advisor.
The other level of interaction is a more passive one, where the user can play god by deciding the appearance of the protagonist (shopping / accessorizing) which may or may not have an effect on the tone of other characters' reactions, or by 'pulling some strings' on the protagonists behalf thus branching the story. This could manifest as options in the scene. What would happen if that car had never hit Draper's mother? If you could go back and change the past on his behalf would you? All of these options are where the microtransactions live. The more expensive items have a direct impact on the story, each with a branching effect on any given episode, and ideally referenced from then on out. Any two users could be talking about the latest episode:
User 1: "Isn't it tragic that Draper is still so affected by his mother's tragic loss? Ever since that's happened, he seems so distracted at work"
User 2: "I actually pulled some strings and saved his mother, so Draper's been fine. Actually he just got a promotion this last week."
The expense is the writing and voice acting assets considering the VERY complex plot branches over time. Shots can be formulated-per-set (camera locations known, with actor positions changing to some degree) and sets can actually be fairly limited and repetitive, as they are in most shows week to week. But really a vector background isn't the main expense.
Now, personally, this doesn't stoke the flames of my hard-core gamer interests, like MW2 does (easily 100 hours into that game online, almost level 70) but then again, neither does Farmville, but that doesn't seem to bother 75 million other people who use it every day.
I'm contemplating such a beast for the Facebook crowd, rendered in vector art of high quality, with weekly episodic release, and a crack team of writers, voice actors and animators whipping out a new episode every week. Pretty much the South Park production model.
Anyway, it seems like the 'Mom and Sisters' demographic composes a fair share of the 75-100 million users playing very simple social games currently, and they don't have much of an appetite for games that require very complex interactions. Combine with this the apparent lack of story-based entertainment content on Facebook and there very well may be an opportunity to fold micro-transactions into a story-driven prompted-user experience seamlessly.
Consider the following scene:
Draper is faced with a dilemma that must be solved. As the scene plays out, the action stops, he faces the camera and seeks your advice as the background dims. You could just pause the action and throw up the ol' response options for a dialogue tree, but I actually like what Farenheit 451 did...making it personal by having the actor break the 4th wall and look at the user. This is how the user knows a decision is near. Also, the user feels more personally involved, like they are 'there' in the room as a silent advisor.
The other level of interaction is a more passive one, where the user can play god by deciding the appearance of the protagonist (shopping / accessorizing) which may or may not have an effect on the tone of other characters' reactions, or by 'pulling some strings' on the protagonists behalf thus branching the story. This could manifest as options in the scene. What would happen if that car had never hit Draper's mother? If you could go back and change the past on his behalf would you? All of these options are where the microtransactions live. The more expensive items have a direct impact on the story, each with a branching effect on any given episode, and ideally referenced from then on out. Any two users could be talking about the latest episode:
User 1: "Isn't it tragic that Draper is still so affected by his mother's tragic loss? Ever since that's happened, he seems so distracted at work"
User 2: "I actually pulled some strings and saved his mother, so Draper's been fine. Actually he just got a promotion this last week."
The expense is the writing and voice acting assets considering the VERY complex plot branches over time. Shots can be formulated-per-set (camera locations known, with actor positions changing to some degree) and sets can actually be fairly limited and repetitive, as they are in most shows week to week. But really a vector background isn't the main expense.
Now, personally, this doesn't stoke the flames of my hard-core gamer interests, like MW2 does (easily 100 hours into that game online, almost level 70) but then again, neither does Farmville, but that doesn't seem to bother 75 million other people who use it every day.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Second Album: Plunge
Well, I've selected my favorite of the new 30-something songs I've written and recorded in the last 5 months. They all share a theme, which is this new 'techno-rock-Tomahawk' sound that is inspired by a lot of Mike Patton's recent albums (Mit Gas, Tomahawk, etc). I've had an explosion of song ideas lately, more than I can record. I just record them onto my Iphone as they hit me. I have about 50 something little ditties on there now. I have to stop making them and start recording them at some point.
The new sound is marked with shameless use of electric beats and synthesizer, and a lot of low voiced singing in the verses and higher pitch in the chorus. It's a MUCH higher production quality than my last record, thanks to experience and my kick-ass (and $$) new setup.
It's called 'Plunge' and should be done as of 4 /1. After that, I'm going to release a full-out rock / metal album. Whee! The hobby that defines me.
Monday, February 1, 2010
New Diet Update. One more victory, however small
Okay, so by 'diet' I don't mean "I'm going to only have carrots for 30 days" bullshit, I mean a new way of eating everyday, until I'm dead.
I promised myself that while I will not reject food prepared for me in a social context, I will NOT seek out beef, pork, chicken, or cream-based and buttery concoctions (chowder, bisque, baked goods, etc).
Last night I did something I never thought possible. And it was no big deal. I went to Carl's Jr. and got Lisa something for dinner, and got myself nothing. I brought her burger home, and prepared myself a bowl of butternut squash (okay this has a DAB of butter) and a tin of Brisling (sardines) in water. Yes, I fantasized about the $6 Jalapeno burger (fat man whine), but that fucking thing is going to kill me by 60, so it can go fuck itself.
I promised myself that while I will not reject food prepared for me in a social context, I will NOT seek out beef, pork, chicken, or cream-based and buttery concoctions (chowder, bisque, baked goods, etc).
Last night I did something I never thought possible. And it was no big deal. I went to Carl's Jr. and got Lisa something for dinner, and got myself nothing. I brought her burger home, and prepared myself a bowl of butternut squash (okay this has a DAB of butter) and a tin of Brisling (sardines) in water. Yes, I fantasized about the $6 Jalapeno burger (fat man whine), but that fucking thing is going to kill me by 60, so it can go fuck itself.
Heavy Bag Work = Therapy
Finally broke down and bought a heavy bag. I haven't figured where I'm going to hang it in the garage...hmmm. For now, it's braced on a table, in one of the corners. To tell you the truth, this is better than a free-swinging setup. If there's one thing I can do, is throw a mean fucking cross. The bag tends to fly around too much, which is frustrating when you want to do high speed reps. The corner is pretty sweet. I remember in kickboxing class back in the late 90's the people in the class would look petrified when it was their turn to hold the bag and I was next in line. "Sorry" I'd say. "It's okay" they'd say and brace themselves. Jab Jab !!CROSS!!. They'd go flying. Even knocked the 60 lb bag up and off the hook once. It's silly, but I admit it left me feeling very satisfied. Rawr (makes tiger teeth gnashing face). ;)
I forgot to buy tape though, so my knuckles are raw, bleeding. I get off on the 'man points' earned with this, but really it's counter-productive.
Having a bag in the garage to randomly beat the shit out of for 15 minute high-intensity spurts whenever I feel like it throughout the evening has been really good for me. I'm having a LOT of anger issues lately, blowing up with very little provocation. VERY unlike me. I think it's the residual emotion left from the 'anger' phase of mourning. I really am feeling a bit meaner than usual. This new low boiling point is kind of fun in that the release feels immensely satisfying, but is not constructive, especially for relationships.
I've been thinking...if you get attacked, as an animal, you respond with equal force in defense. When people get raped, they sometimes take self-defense classes...if people's homes are broken into, they sometimes buy a gun...it feels like ACTION. I think I'm having the same FIGHT defensive reaction. Natural, but needs a face or an action to channel. That's probably why beating up a 80lb canvas sack feels so amazingly good.
My lats are SO out of shape, holy shit. They're screaming, but I'm not giving them much time to rest. I want to feel alive, and muscle exhaustion and repair is the best way to do it.
I forgot to buy tape though, so my knuckles are raw, bleeding. I get off on the 'man points' earned with this, but really it's counter-productive.
Having a bag in the garage to randomly beat the shit out of for 15 minute high-intensity spurts whenever I feel like it throughout the evening has been really good for me. I'm having a LOT of anger issues lately, blowing up with very little provocation. VERY unlike me. I think it's the residual emotion left from the 'anger' phase of mourning. I really am feeling a bit meaner than usual. This new low boiling point is kind of fun in that the release feels immensely satisfying, but is not constructive, especially for relationships.
I've been thinking...if you get attacked, as an animal, you respond with equal force in defense. When people get raped, they sometimes take self-defense classes...if people's homes are broken into, they sometimes buy a gun...it feels like ACTION. I think I'm having the same FIGHT defensive reaction. Natural, but needs a face or an action to channel. That's probably why beating up a 80lb canvas sack feels so amazingly good.
My lats are SO out of shape, holy shit. They're screaming, but I'm not giving them much time to rest. I want to feel alive, and muscle exhaustion and repair is the best way to do it.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Lunch with old friends
I had lunch with the two people that I wish I could work with again, but it's not in the cards near-term. Finding people that you really want to work with three times in a row is pretty rare!
That's why I'm so amazed at my Oddworld experience. There are oodles of folks from that Strangers Wrath Team that I would really love to work with again. That team got friendlier as the tension grew, which is amazing. Usually folks are just shits when things get hectic and stressful.
That's why I'm so amazed at my Oddworld experience. There are oodles of folks from that Strangers Wrath Team that I would really love to work with again. That team got friendlier as the tension grew, which is amazing. Usually folks are just shits when things get hectic and stressful.
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