Night of the Living Dan

Out of Lives: Death in Games

2014-07-25T08:10:00.002-07:00

A friend asked me a question today that really got me thinking about games and game design. His question was "Is it possible to make a serious game about suicide?". As a subject it's a pretty dark one, and one so rarely discussed publicly; there is still a certain taboo-ness about the subject, and this is relatively understandable. Historically, culturally and religiously it is often seen as wrong or a sin to remove oneself, although not universally. In some cultures, senicide or geronticide was common practice; this means that when the elderly or infirm were unable to care for themselves or the household, especially in times of famine and drought, they were either killed or would voluntarily remove themselves from the group in order to protect them and ensure their continued survival. It is a touchy subject in today's society, especially for those who have been through the horrific experience of losing someone they know and love to it.

Games don't often cover serious topics like this, and yet the subject of death is such a common theme and simple mechanic to extend gameplay or allow players to retry sections of the game they have not yet mastered. Ryan Kuo, in his article 'Loss of Death: Suicide in Videogames' uses the example of a level from Super Mario Bros. 2, the super difficult and often frenetic Japan-only release that at one stage has the player find a warp pipe that will lead them all the way back to the very first level. This area is inescapable and the player must choose between the pipe or jumping down a hole, an action the player knows will lead to death and restarting the level. They must choose which is more preferable, death or the effort and potential loss of further lives it would take to return to this point and select a path that doesn't lead the suicide warp pipe. For most it's a simple decision to make.

A simple decision to make (Source)

Do games trivialise death then? In a sense, yes, though not in any exploitative sense. Consequences are rarely doled out for death, often simply sending the player back to a checkpoint or the start of a level. In some titles the stakes are a little higher; Kayin's impossibly difficult platform title, I Wanna Be The Guy: The Movie: The Game forces the player to restart the whole game every time she dies. To add to this, the game is unforgiving and requires repetition and twitch movement skills to complete. It is impossible to complete on a first playthrough as pieces of the environment will fall, rise, move, drop, reveal hidden traps and become an enemy itself throughout various parts of the game. Without learning where these all are and what the correct path to take is it is impossible to get through and is extremely punishing. But is this just an extreme in the same vein? Death is no less trivial, simply more frustrating than in other games.

A familiar sight from I Wanna Be The Guy (Source)

Death is not so simple in all games though, in some it is more than just an inconvenience. Jesse Venbrux, creator of the Karoshi series of games, explores using death to advance the player in his game Karoshi: Suicide Salaryman. The game is a puzzle platformer, and the only way out of each level is to find a way to kill yourself via various methods, including jumping on spikes, electrocuting yourself, ricocheting bullets off surfaces so that they hit you and much more. As the game ramps up in difficulty the player finds herself expending more and more effort to die, something we know is not encouraged in most games and so a fairly counter-intuitive operation. This action shines a light on the culture of death and violence in videogames and how willing we are to accept virtual death. Of course, there is nothing wrong with this acceptance inherently; when it comes down to it virtual death is not real, it has no consequence outside of a game and this is part of the reason we enjoy games so much, they allow us to live out fantasies, dark or otherwise, without the pain, suffering and guilt of reality that prevent us from performing said actions day-to-day. There are many games that attempt to make death more meaningful, or at least a more terrifying prospect for the player, especially roguelike-likes such as DayZ, the Hardcore mode of Minecraft (which actually deletes the world when a player dies) and many others that use perma-death as an element of play.

Eeeeep! My house! (Source)

Inner Vision, a dialogue game by Sunil Rao is one of the few titles I have come across that actually attempts to deal with suicide. The is short and simple but places the player in the role of confidant to three suicidal people. The player must talk with them, listen and select meaningful responses in order to help them find reasons to live. Every Day the Same Dream from Molleindustria deals with drudgery, repetitiveness and suicide. The player repeats the same day over and over but is allowed to make small changes to become a new person, and suicide is one of these changes, but this character's death only ends that day's dream and returns the player to their bed to repeat the day over again. The death, or attempted suicide of the game's character tells you so much about him without lines and lines of exposition, hours of cutscenes and narrative setup. Everything we need to know about this man is told in virtual silence through his actions, OUR actions in the game. So suicide and death is not just a plot point or mechanic here but a part of this person's character and this game's story.

The end? Not for this dreamer (Source)

But game designers have to be careful about how they deal with sensitive topics such as this. Many will remember the controversy over Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and its 'No Russian' level, where the player is tasked with going undercover with a group of terrorists in an airport and has the option to assist in killing innocent civilians. It is possible to skip this scene entirely as the developers knew it may cause some controversy, and it is also possible to complete without firing at a single civilian. The scene caused outcry with many and raised many questions about the role of videogames in society, their comparison to film and television and the effect of interactivity in comparison to passive forms of media. The scene was even discussed in the House of Commons in the UK and many were very upset and disgusted that the game allowed the player to take on the role of a terrorist but treated intervention as failure. The AI of the civilians was also a harrowing sight for many, watching as these innocent people tried to protect themselves and their loved ones, dragging the injured or themselves to safety as they are fired upon. It was too much for many, and I won't be discussing the finer points of the argument about violence in video games simply because I think a lot of it has already been said. But what this controversy showed is that people still retain the idea that games are toys for children. Despite the ubiquity of games and gaming there is still a sense that games are for kids and anything of a more serious, violent or mature nature should be censored, removed and buried. One point that is often raised about interactive media is just that, the interactive nature. When watching a film or reading a book, even if the reader is cast as the character and drawn into believing they are taking on the role in the words they read or the images they see they are not truly taking on that role. In a game, they are. Perhaps then, as games become more realistic and blur the lines, especially so in terms of their aesthetic representation and its level of realism, we will become more able to accept and learn from scenarios like this. The scene, in my opinion, was not entirely crafted to cause controversy, although there seems to be an element of it there. It told a story, tied together a plot and did a lot to dive into the character of Makharov, the leader of the terrorist group, and what kind of enemy the player is facing. Could it have been done in another way? Sure. Would it have been as effective? I'm not so sure. The emotional bang a player experiences in this scene is one that many didn't realise they could feel, and the fact that the game caused players to feel strongly about something is a huge leap forward from the pure adrenaline-pump that early arcade games tried to foster with high-speed gameplay and quickly ramping difficulty levels. A game doesn't have to cause controversy to make you feel, and I don't think that aiming to be controversial is a good move either but I do think that a bold move such as this will always be controversial until society recognises the role and impact that videogames can and have had.

An opening shot from 'No Russian' (Source)

GDC used to hold a regular game design challenge and in 2010 the theme of that challenge was 'Real Life Perma-death'. The challenge was to explore the nature of death, not just in games but in real life and in the context of games. The winning entry, for example, was from Jenova Chen of thatgamecompany. His idea was 'Heavenville', a social networking game where players are able to 'buy stock' in dead people who's stock value is determined by the amount of Google search results their name produces and their relevance considering the time that has passed since their death. Stock would inevitable rise upon death and fall as a person became less valuable in terms of their Google popularity. Another example was Heather Kelley (Kokoromi) and Erin Robinson's (Wadjet Eye Games) idea 'Last Game and Testament', a scaveneger hunt that makes the creation and reading of a will a more interactive and personal experience. Instead of writing a will the soon-to-be-deceased puts barcodes on their earthly belongings and puts information about who the object is being bequeathed to and why into the game. At the will reading the deceased's loved ones gather, take out their smart devices and go on a scavenger hunt, scanning barcodes and guessing who they think the item is for. Once all votes are collected information about who each item belongs to and why is imparted by the deceased and a final item is bequeathed to the person who guesses most items owners correctly. Kim Swift (formerly Airtight Games and Valve) presented her idea, Karma. This game would be prescribed to a terminally ill patient and is designed to allow them to play through their grief. The player has an energy bar and must play through the last two months of the life of a terminally ill patient. The player goes through various settings, like the character's work, home and stay in the hospital towards the end. An energy bar would determine how many actions can be performed daily and the player has the option to assist people in their life; helping a co-worker fix a computer, talking to a neighbour or mowing their lawn. These tasks are envisioned as unique minigames, each raising the overall karma of the player. Every two weeks the setting changes and the energy bar reduces to mimic the effects of the illness. Finally, as the character lies in hospital, barely able to move they are tasked with tracing a smile with analogue sticks. This is difficult as energy is extremely low but the whole game is designed to nurture a person through the pain they must be experiencing and the hopelessness they feel. Swift wished to teach people that though their time may be short there is no reason they can't make an impact in people's lives and be a positive force in all the negativity they face. We all deal with our own mortality in different ways, some like to escape into games to deal with life and this idea sounds perfect for people who use games in such a way. Although these are hypothetical designs at an annual panel that will probably go no further than that it is still refreshing to see that things like this are being discussed, both in a tongue-in-cheek way and with a more serious, nurturing perspective too. These are the kinds of discussions we need to have and the kinds of games we need to design to push our medium forwards as a device for storytelling, immersion, learning and healing. Games are capable of all this and it is in the hands of game designers to explore their own lives and deaths, their worries and concerns. Interactive, immersive media is the perfect tool for introspection and exploration of the existential as the audience is no longer passively and vicariously experiencing these questions but actively involved in the outcome.

A comparison of the rising stock of Barack Obama

and Susan Boyle in HeavenVille (Source)

I'm running through a few ideas in my head at the moment based around the concept and trying to figure out how to present it. It's a tough one but with all the examples given, and the many more I didn't mention, I think it's something that game designers are just learning to toy with. These early stages are always the most difficult and perhaps people will be more willing to accept more serious topics in games as the generations that grew up killing everything on-screen become leaders and policy-makers and as we start to see more games released with themes of dealing with the emotional side of death. Now how to implement it...

Quick Thought: What the Fuck is Metal?!

2014-07-08T16:44:00.001-07:00

I'm not what you might call a 'Metalhead'. I suppose it's fair to say my appearance might cause some to assume that I am, and in a way I suppose I am. But I tend to make a distinction between Metalheads and myself. Compared someone who identifies as a Metalhead I listen to comparatively little metal. I'm not a fan of genre, I'm a fan of music and my playlist is varied and confusing. I spent time as a youth listening to little but metal, but I have since grown out of it and realised that there is so much more. I am aware that metal, especially the heavier and more dissonant varieties can confuse and scare the masses, and so I thought I'd write this post to explain my understanding, fascination and love of metal in its many forms.

When I was growing up I looked to my older brother for social cues; he was older, therefore wiser and knew what he was doing (in theory). He grew to love Rock and Metal and the heavier and darker side of music, and as I was exposed to it I grew to love it too. I can't count how many ties I drew Slayer and Metallica logos on my notebooks all throughout my school life. After school, my brother and I would walk to Church, the place where our mother both worshipped and worked as a PA to the pastor and await her to finish work. In the meantime we would entertain ourselves with games, puzzles, toys and anything else our imaginations could come up with. Once my brother had begun to learn drums we began to play with the drum kit and bass guitar that were kept at church and started to jam songs we knew and other things we'd made up. I began guitar lessons at age 11 and never looked back. Those formative years, where I was listening to metal and nothing but, had a great effect on me. I was introduced to the darker side of things, was aware that anger, pain, fear and hatred were normal feelings too, and could be expressed just like happiness and joy.

There's always time to be Metal as Fuck (Source)

Recently, for no damn reason at all, I was reminded of a band, specifically a song, that I used to listen to as a teenager. I immediately sought the song out on YouTube and after a couple of listens had to buy the album. The song was Spheres of Madness by Decapitated, a Polish technical death metal band. I saw this song as the pinnacle of drumming ability, the apex of musicianship, the height of technical skill. I'm aware that many see metal, and especially death metal, as simply noise. I'm gonna come clean here and admit that I don't have a clue what the lyrics are to the Decapitated album, Nihilism that I purchased. I can't understand most of what is being growled. The content, or narrative so to speak, is not the thing that draws me to it though. It's the pure and simple feel; the pit of the stomach tightening, the mind darkening, the skin tingling like a bolt of lightning nearby. Metal is unique in that it allows me to travel to a place that no other music does. I can listen to Chopin's Prelude in E-Minor and feel utter sorrow and despair. Conversely I can listen to Anamanaguchi's Japan Airline and be content and happy as a pig in poop. Metal takes a unique route, it allows me to visit a place much darker than anything else. That doesn't mean I'm a violent psychopath, I simply like to channel through sound. I can appreciate what a more dissonant sound can do for the psyche, the same way people like to listen to depressing or sad music. Sometimes it's nice to let loose and hit something a little heavier.

I have eclectic tastes and love many bands and musicians but will always appreciate the technical skill and power of metal. I don't expect to change anyone's mind about it but hopefully someone will 'get it' a little more than they might have. I also listen to The Dø who I've just bought tickets to see in November, and I recommend you do too! So don't judge me as a demon worshipper if you haven't heard Finnish/French indie music, kay?

LUUG 30 and New Horizons

2014-07-05T05:46:00.000-07:00

Another month has gone by and this meant that the regular London Unity User Group meetup were due an evening of talks and networking, an invaluable tool for any designer. This month's LUUG was gratiously held at London South Bank University, but the organisers are always looking for venues (free of charge mind) so if you know of somewhere within 30 minutes or so of Central London that is wored for sound, projection from a laptop, can hold a decent amount of people and would be willing to host the LUUG meetings get in contact with the organisers on the LUUG Meetup page, they'll be more than glad to hear from you.

This is Harry the Hobo, LUUG's lead organiser, scouting for locations (Source)

The show this month featured Tom Matcham, a solo indie developer and founder of coAdjoint with a maths background, who was discussing the idea of personalised, adaptive games and non-linear narrative as a tool for creating a more involved experience for the player. Also featured was Danny Goodayle from JustAPixel, a small indie outfit who are set to release Light: The Game, a Team17 published stealth-puzzle game on the 14th of July. Danny was discussing procedural generation and the techniques and methods he had used to create terrains, water, environments and buildings.

Tom Matcham believes that games, especially AAA titles, have illusions of cinematography. This is a very true statement for a lot of reasons; games are still a relatively young medium while film is now over a century old. Games often take cues from film as the tropes are well established and any time not spent explaining things to your audience the easier, quicker and cheaper it is to create something. We are now at a stage in our society where the budget of video games is fast overtaking the budget of even the biggest movies. Bungie's latest offering, Destiny is reported to have cost $500 million to make, a far larger budget than any Hollywood movie has ever had. With such a large amount of money riding on a title it's understandable that companies want to reduce risk and appeal to the masses, and a cinematic format is a good way to do that. But as young as games are, they have proven time and time again that they are capable of presenting more than just mindless entertainment and it is certainly time to push the envelope and design games as a medium all of their own and not rely on the conventions of another medium. Tom believes that dynamic, responsive games are a step in the right direction.

Tom's background in mathematics really pays dividends in his approach to a solution as it seems to give him the tools he needs to break down and analyse his response to the problem. His method of injecting more dynamism into a gameplay experience is quite central on data collection and runtime analytics; by collecting data and using the right tools to analyse it a game can adapt and change based on certain criteria. Tom showed a demo of his software, Orbit (available on the Unity Asset store along with Tom's other contributions) which collects data based on rules set by the designer. In the example shown it was used to analyse morality of a player based on actions they chose; a player who chose to adopt a child would have be assigned a more positive morality rating, but if they then chose to rob a bank that rating would be reduced until eventually, after enough robberies, the character would be assigned a negative morality rating. This allows for a deeper morality system beyond the Infamous style binary system of "this action = bad; this action = good". Instead, each action is evaluated by a number of criteria, and while some actions are inherently good others cover more of a moral grey area and this is displayed in the data. This data can then be used to inform the structure and narrative of a game.

Tom mentioned his love of the old "Choose-your-own-adventure" books that he grew up reading in the 90s and sees non-linear narrative such as this as a way forward, and I'm very inclined to agree, though Tom does make the point that branching story lines like these books are based on decision trees, which can lead to repetition and a less-engaging experience. When an experience is new every time it is played users cant help but be intrigued as to how it twill turn out next time, what decisions they could have made to change things, and thus is the beauty of non-linear narrative. A point was raised in the Q&A after the talk that non-linear narrative is not a goal of the AAA industry simply due to the economy of game creation. In a AAA producer's mind a whole section of game that many players may not even see is not worth the time and money spent on it, and so it is avoided. But this is where the indie community can and does really shine, especially with the ease of access we now have to professional grade software. It is up to us to shape and form the future of games as a medium and creating a truly interactive experience that not only learns from the player but responds is a a great way to increase and improve player retention and interest.

I spent an entire holiday choosing my scare once,

true story (Source)

Tom goes a little deeper into the theory behind his tools and his method for modelling player-game interactions and has even written a whitepaper on the subject (And you thought maths was boring!). Tom's an intelligent man with a noble goal and it is my belief that his desire for deeper experiences through interaction modelling are a great leap forward from the usual binary morality systems we see. Combining this with non-linear narrative and the possibilities become almost endless. The issue lies in convincing larger budget developers that this is a way forward, and that is the job of the indies; push boundaries and break barriers, create amazing experiences and show the industry that games can be more than point, shoot, pretty explosion, cut to expositional scene . Just because a player may not necessarily even see part of your game due to their play-style it is not a wasted effort, as to create a more personal, engaging experience one must also create a unique experience. This inherently means that they may see parts others don't or miss parts others were able to play, but the experience is entirely their own. Doesn't sound like a bad thing does it?

What you did there, I see it... and I like it (Source)

Danny Goodayle was up next explaining some techniques he'd used in procedural generation in Unity. His discussion was more of a forum for conversation about techniques but he did go through some of the basics of what he had done. Using various methods of pseudo-random number generation, e.g. Perlin Noise he was able to produce a mountainous landscape including rolling waves and a daylight system by using noise to affect the height and position of verts and a sine wave algorithm to produce the wave effect. The demo is available on JustAPixel's website and Danny is always looking to learn and pass on his own knowledge via his personal blog and his Twitter account. Danny also showed off a piece of procedural generation that could create cityscapes by taking user-generated data about the size and shape of buildings and applying them to a map. The example he showed was of downtown Manhattan and the effect produced was great.

As always, the guys from Space Unicorn were there to catch the whole thing on video and get some exclusive interviews with the speakers so keep an eye on their YouTube channel, like the Facebook and follow the Twitter for updates on the next video. On a further note, the new horizons spoken of in the title of this post refer to my new role as host of Space Unicorn's weekly news show! So follow my Twitter and keep up with my blog for news of my first episode, which was filmed this week. There's a little teaser below so you can see how cool I look with a bit of editing but the full episode is OUT RIGHT NOW so go ahead and watch for all your gaming news needs!

"Space Unicorn, made with 100% Dan (from concentrate)"

Thanks to everyone at LUUG, speakers and organisers alike, for another great evening. If you want to attend LUUG tickets are free but they run out quickly. They are always released exactly a week before the event, so 7pm the previous Thursday. Get yours quick or miss out! If London's a bit too far or rooms of real people aren't your thing then catch Space Unicorn's coverage, usually released the week following the event. Hopefully I'll see a few new faces for LUUG 31, and remember, LUUG needs free venues! Help the cause, be a pal :)

End of an Era, Start of Libella

2014-07-03T17:28:00.001-07:00

So here I am, I've finished my final piece for the year and for my degree and now all I have to do is show up in July to collect my certificate. I achieved a 2:1 which I'm super happy with and I'm so glad it's finally over! I've been in some form of education since the age of four and now, 20 years on, I can finally say I'm done with learning organised by someone else (I am fully prepared to have that bubble burst when I start some proper work but hell, let me enjoy it for now). Now the true hunt begins though, finding a real, proper job I can turn into a career. Anyone hiring (he says with his sweetest grin)?

Sadly I am currently unable to show you my final project at the moment as it takes a bit of setup and file download and, although it worked great for the one night of the exhibition it was needed to work it has since decided it doesn't fancy it. I am awaiting a meeting with my co-designer, Francis so we can plan continued development and figure out the bugs. But not to worry! We should also be recording some footage of gameplay and taking a few high-res screens to show off to all you lovely people. Onto the show and the lessons learned.

2spooky4me guys!

First up, never put a barrier between you and your audience! For the show Francis and myself had secured a space separate from most others pieces, a double-edged sword. Being right near the entrance but not in full view of it we felt people were walking past without even stopping to look in a lot of the time. That wasn't such a big deal as we were able to grab people in by asking if they wanted to play. The problem was that initially, we had decided to hang a white sheet over our entrance onto which we stuck a Victorian silhouette of a man in a top hat. This was removed with great speed and placed on the table holding the TV. Putting that sight barrier up did us some damage in terms of foot traffic. We had assumed it would add to the mystery of the thing, make people wonder what was behind the curtain. Well apparently everyone had read The Wizard of Oz that night and figured that whatever was behind the curtain wasn't going to be any better than a fat man in a suit with a bunch of empty promises. That or they thought it was storage. Either way, that might have been ok to do had others been set up similarly and nearer to us. Line of sight is important and we broke that, didn't do enough to draw people in. The show was on the inside of the booth and really there should have been more outside of it to entice people in the first place. Hard lesson learned well!

"I can toooooootally show you a good time, don't you

trust my warm smile and happy, sunshine eyes?" (Source)

Anyway, sheet removed we soldiered on through some technical issues, got them solved and continued to show the game. We had a nice chat with Maria, a producer from Sony UK who gave us some advice on how to better present our game for a pitch meeting and the things she would like to see from us and the game, so perhaps we'll spend a little time creating a build closer to what she wanted for showing to industry types. For the course we had to design a more complete experience than what we might have made for a pitch meeting, because that's the brief we had and that's how we were marked. What Maria would have liked to see was one room where everything worked the way it was supposed to and we could show off all the important mechanics and features of the game. So there's a little life lesson for you budding designers and developers looking for funding; short, sweet, compact and dense with polished content, or as much of that as you can manage in the time frame you have.

Most of the reactions we had were very positive and encouraging, there were a few salient points we took away with us. We were aware going in that our controls weren't amazingly polished, but we'd had to do a last minute build before the show began and before we had time to make edits. This left our forward movement relatively smooth but our turning and rotation was a little clunky and slow, but that was an issue with a simple fix. One thing we picked up on throughout the course of the evening was the importance of playtesting. We had kept the project mostly under wraps, saying little and showing even less and the show was the first time anyone had played our game. We discovered so many things from people simply playing through the experience. Even though it's something I've read about and had drummed into me for years, "Playtest, playtest, playtest" it had completely slipped my mind for this one and suddenly the mystique was more important. I think there's a balance that can be achieved between secrecy and still allowing for playtesting and in this case it was tipped too far in the wrong direction. But there's nothing like an experience to teach you a lesson. But seriously, playtest!

"It isn't a storage area? Really?" (Source)

All-in-all we had some great advice, some super positive feedback and learned some really important things from the show and having people play our game. I look forward to keeping everyone updated on the further development of Libella and hopefully screens and gameplay vids will be uploaded soon. Keep your eyes here and on my Twitter feed for more in the coming months.

LUUG 29: A Feast for the Senses

2014-06-06T18:51:00.001-07:00

UPDATE: Space Unicorn's coverage of LUUG is live so head on over to the Tubes of You to check out what you missed.

LUUG, or the London Unity User Group is a mostly monthly meetup, featuring talks and discussions from indie developers and industry experts alike, all united by their love and use of Unity3D. Now being organised by Darrenlloyd Gent, a Senior Lecturer at the University of Greenwich, this months event took place at the University of Greenwich in one of their lecture rooms and featured 2 guest speakers, both with very different things to discuss, but more on that later. LUUG is a very exciting opportunity for current indies living in London and using the Unity engine, and it doesn't solely focus on games either. Any use of Unity is acceptable discussion matter and an open mic session at the end of the discussions, a 'Pitch & Putt' session an hour prior (where people are able to freely show their work to other attendees) and a drink at a local pub after all is said and done provide a perfect opportunity for discussion of your own work and ideas, along with a breeding ground of thought and intelligent discussion of Unity. It's a great place to network and even find projects and work, with most people taking the mic offering opportunities, at least at this particular event. If LUUG isn't on your radar as a London indie now's the time to turn that all around!

Is... is that what opportunity looks like? (Source)

The first talk was from Barnaby Smith, a Unity3D developer at Kwalee. His topic of discussion was some work that he'd been doing in his spare time on procedural rendering of planets and terrain in Unity. He talked about the various methods of generating noisemaps, the algorithms used and their benefits and shortfalls. One very interesting technique for noise generation is known as Fractional Brownian Motion, a technique that layers multiple frequencies of varying wavelengths, called Octaves, to create a line of random troughs and peaks, ideal for terrain generation.

There's a poop joke in there somewhere, I just know it! (Source 1 / Source 2)

Smith then had to solve the problem of mapping these new textures to objects. Standard mapping usually uses a rectangular texture that is wrapped around an object, not ideal when your goal is to create spherical bodies like planets as you run into problems with seams and polar distortion. Cube maps on the other hand deal with many of these problems for you. Smith decided to map his textures with a cube map and apply this to his planet object. Many of the mapping issues dealt with themselves as cube maps are designed to display reflections of the environment around an object, meaning seams and distortion are less likely to cause problems. Combining various techniques like the ones described, combined with vertex placement and the creation of an atmosphere using a noise map with alpha controlled by height makes Smith's planets look unbelievable and he can produce a wide array of results with the tools he has built. He wishes to work on more tools to create even more stunning environments, including erosion algorithms and climate generation and it all adds up to a very exciting bit of kit that can really take the hassle out of creating terrain and environments! He is also working to reduce the rendering times of the tools, as the tools render everything live within Unity. A 20 second render of three planet objects was demonstrated, ,which is a considerable achievement, but with optimisation Smith feels he can take this down even further. None of Smith's work is up on the asset store but he's quite open to discussion about his work and you can hit him up on Twitter if you're interested in his techniques and expertise. You can also find his slides from his LUUG talk with more detail and code snippets if you're interested in trying out some of the thing's he's discovered riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight aboooooooooooooooooooooout here.

Next up was Leonard Burton, a freelance Web Designer by trade but a VR enthusiast by night (a Batman-esque existence to be sure). His topic of discussion was VR in Unity and its potential going forward. He began with a brief history of VR, beginning with astral projection and spiritual journeys. These experiences, in a sense, are a kind of virtual reality; a spiritual and mental precursor to the technology driven VR under discussion here. The idea and feeling of being transported elsewhere is not new or recent and has been a human goal for a long time, proven in both our history of fiction & narrative and our longstanding interest and study of things like astral projection and hallucinogenic compounds. Later, in the last century, we begin to see technology evolve to accommodate VR. Stereoscopy and binaural sound are used as a spectacle, to enhance the immersion experienced by the senses and to dazzle and amaze. Later, technology is developed by the military for training and combat and, as it often does, this technology eventually trickled into the public sector. By the 1990s it had exploded and VR machines were in every arcade, with VR glasses the talk of the time. The technology still hadn't matured and was often viewed and designed for as little more than a spectacle or a show, with many VR applications featuring large amounts of movement and many even utilising hydraulics to move the player's chair. This high speed action and large amount of movement often resulted in people feeling ill and never really explored the things that really immerse a person in an experience.

"Woah, these space boobs are so real!" said nobody, ever (Source)

We are now at a stage where many of VRs past technical problems have ceased too plague us, or at least have become more manageable and affordable to resolve. With things like the Oculus Rift, Sony's Project Morpheus and the the newly announced ControlVR (which has a Kickstarter which you should totally go to right now and back because it looks fantastic), combined with the thriving indie community that is now able to get their hands on such devices, virtual reality experiences are now very possible and we can begin to explore a more personal space with it, a space someone is comfortable visiting in their own home, a more matured and deep experience. Burton views VR as a medium unto itself, and I fully agree. While the platform can and most definitely should be used to create games it can also do so much more in terms of interactive narrative and experience. Burton then discussed the Oculus guidelines for design and stated that some of them will lead to a better experience while others are rules perhaps made to be broken. As an example, a seated experience is suggested but this may not always be conducive to the experience. A group at Zurich University created a device that places the user flat on their stomach with arms outstretched and is able to tilt and roll. Combined with motors, fans and an Oculus Rift the user is able to feel like they are flying through a virtual world. Burton calls on designers to design for VR as now is the time to do it. He states that experiences should be designed for VR from the ground up, not ported later as this tends to be less convincing. He also believes that designers shouldn't shy away from problems or wait for others to solve them but should actively pursue them however they can. He also discusses the importance of 'presence' within VR, something that goes beyond immersion. One can feel immersed in a book or film but to feel present and to experience a world through ones own senses is a far greater feeling altogether.

Did someone say presents!? (Source)

Burton then discussed some interesting examples of the use of VR. Aldin Dynamics have created an Oculus experience called Trial of the Rift Drifter; the game puts the player in the role of a someone who is accused of using the Oculus Rift to travel between dimensions. The game is advanced and controlled by gestural movements; shaking or nodding one's head, looking away guiltily as one is asked questions. Sightline is a game developed as part of a VR game jam but is now finding it's footing on the internet and being turned into a much larger experience. The game revolves around using the player's line of sight and altering the environment when the player isn't looking. Paths that may have been broken will be fixed once one looks away and then returns their gaze back to it, an extremely intriguing concept. Burton urges all indie designers to break into VR and be a part of shaping its future, and I myself am currently looking into the financial viability of an Oculus dev kit and some hand and gestural tracking devices to develop some ideas. Leonard Burton can also be hit up on his Twitter if you're so inclined. Both talks were covered by my pals at Space Unicorn Productions (website pending), who will be taking on the duty of covering all the LUUGs from now on. Subscribe to their Youtube channel to keep updated with LUUG so you won't miss it, even if you can't attend. The information is invaluable and the speakers even give private interview after their talks to the Space Unicorn guys, so you're getting even more than LUUG attendees!

I have so many ideas floating around in my head now, if anyone has an Oculus they're giving away I will take the burden off your hands, and I will do it for free because I'm a real nice guy like that.

Good Things, Small Packages

2014-05-16T04:34:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: According to their Twitter, @ustwogames are currently working on new levels for Monument Valley, yaaaaaaaaay! :D

I recently saw a bit of gameplay for a mobile release called Monument Valley by ustwo studio and was instantly hooked by the visuals. The following day, with it fresh in my mind, I decided to purchase it and experience it for myself. What I found was a beautiful, perfectly balanced, relaxing and engaging experience. The look alone, the thing that initially grabbed me, is gorgeous; a 3D isometric view of your environment, mostly simple shapes and models, a soundless, almost featureless protagonist, solid, pastel colours and a slightly eastern architectural design. It's beautiful to just sit and watch for a while and reminded me of another amazing title, visually anyway, Journey from Thatgamecompany, an amazingly beautiful experience that I am not at all upset to be reminded of.

Simple, clean and a little bit gorgeous

Next, on to my favourite bit to talk about, the simplicity of its rules. Everything is so simple in this game one can learn to play simply by playing. There is little in the way of instructions except for a couple of prompts at the start, directing you to touch a point on screen to move your character. The character will then follow a path, if it is clear, to the point you have touched. Some aspects of the environment can also be manipulated, from dragging and rotating blocks, chunks, buildings and platforms to manipulating levers and handles in order to create a path to the goal. All of these things are clearly marked and introduced at a perfect pace, if I was ever a little stuck on a puzzle it was because of me, not the game. The more interesting and exciting aspect of the title though was the echocrome-like perspective puzzles. These can be difficult to explain, but essentially, as the perspective is changed parts of the environment will link up, move, connect or disconnect based on the viewing angle. This was a very exciting feature of echocrome and Fez, two titles that used their camera angles very effectively to produce some mind-bending platform puzzles.

If Escher made games... Dick...

The puzzles in Monument Valley are handled extremely well, and a couple had me really flexing my ability to visualize the spaces and consider the angles, but the wonderful thing about this game is that if you're not sure, try it out! The best way to figure out any of their puzzles is by twisting, turning, swiping, rotating and tapping until all becomes clear. As each chapter is split into a few separate puzzles most sections do not take very long to complete and aren't massively sprawling. This allows for experimentation, as a wrong step won't send you very far back or force you to complete a huge amount of steps for the puzzle again, only to fail at the same point. To use the phrase again this title is perfectly balanced; it feels like something that would be easy to pick up and play for most users, new or veteran, yet has enough to keep any fan of puzzles, whatever their status, happy and playing for a while. While not much of a gripe, the game is extremely short; my play-through lasted around an hour, give or take. It isn't much of a bad thing to say you want more of a game but perhaps a slightly more expanded experience would have been nice as the replay value is virtually nil. In saying all this, I think the price of £2.49 for the app was pretty fair but hope there is some sort of expansion or update that allows for further play.

More, more, more! (Source)

All in all this game follows the design principle I love so much, simplicity. With simple graphics, simple rules and a serene and relaxing soundtrack Monument Valley is a beautiful example of what can be done with touchscreen devices. These perspective and spacial puzzles I'm seeing is something really, frustratingly fun and difficult and stretches the mind, even in a simple form. Touchscreens are a perfect platform for games like this as they allow for a player to use their hands and physically manipulate objects in a far better way than any controller or mouse can offer and it was a delightful learning experience in the design of these puzzles to play Monument Valley. Thanks guys, keep up the good work!

A Blast From the Past at Last

2014-05-05T19:22:00.000-07:00

I was rooting through a cupboard trying to find a little USB hub (to no avail, might I add) and discovered an old notepad. I had originally used it, very briefly, to take notes at college a few years ago but then it turned into a log book for workouts. It got all full up and got put away, the workouts long forgotten, the penis doodles never to be seen again. Or so it thought...

Dun dun duuuuuuuun! (Image Source)

There was one occasion I can recall where I had the notepad with me at college. As Richmond is the last stop on the District line and also the location of my college, trains would often wait at the station until it was their scheduled time to leave. This particular day I had no form of passing the time other than the notepad and decided to whip it out and write something. It ended up being a weird poem based around the 'W' sound, using lots of words that begin with the letter W or it's sound. For some reason I cannot describe, explain or even begin to understand I have decided to transcribe it here. It has been extremely imaginatively titled 'W', that's just who I am.

W

I wish I was a washer with a wall on which to wish,
And I wish I had a waiter, waiting while I watered fish,
With a willow waving to the West and wailing in the wind,
I would wish and wash and wave and wail and whack a Will O' Wisp,
With a wizard waving wands and a willing whale or two,
I would wear one hundred worms with a witch that I would woo,
We will walk along the water while the women stop and stare,
Why do their eyes wander? Why they wuv my wavy hair!
I will whisper to a waiter when the wizard wants a meal,
And I'll whack down the willow when I want to make a wheel,
And the whale, with his wondrous wit, will have a bright idea,
"Why don't I wear the wheel and you can ride with me up here!?",
Well I wouldn't want to hurt his feelings, why don't I accept?
What ever would go wrong with a whale as my pet?
So the wizard, waiter, witch and willow, at least whatever's left,
Will climb up right away and wheel off into the wet,
"What's this?" I wailed through water, "We've left the Will O' Wisp!",
We turned and watched the water, the whale wading through the mist,
When suddenly we heard a whimper whipping through the dark,
"Woah!" I cried out to the whale and laughed a whimsical laugh,
Wandering through the wide, wet water, the Wisp was what I saw,
So I swam away, towards poor Wisp as he whimpered, pawed and clawed,
"Little Wisp! I've found you! Won't you come aboard with me?",
"Why certainly" he wailed as we climbed out of the sea,
"Whatever were you thinking when you didn't climb the whale?",
"Well I wanted to, I really did, but he hit me with his tail!",
Well it's lucky I'm a washer as the Wisp was wet and dirty,
"Not now!" I wailed at the witch, as she was getting flirty!
I washed the Wisp and watched the water and hollered to the whale,
"Whale, we should spin around. Switch your head and tail",
We went back to the beach, and I waved to my new friends,
And I went back home and went to bed and wished it wouldn't end,
When I awoke I felt so sad, but when I opened my hand,
I found a whale's whisper and a wad of cold, wet sand,
I knew my friends were happy with the wish that I had made,
The wizard, witch, whale, waiter and Wisp had really made my day.

A little late but I used the word, happy?! (Image Source)

So there it is, a poor Seuss-esque mess of W. If I could art, I would draw a scene from this though, make it really moody and awesome. Like use pastels and rounded edges, have a wheeled whale swimming the tides with a witch and wizard on his back and a dude swimming towards a glowing Wisp, pink and orange sky, slightly cartoony. Damn I wish I could art...

One of these things if you were confused (Image Source)

Tap Tap Tap

2014-04-17T09:39:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: I've had a little more time with both games and been able to form some more opinions on the features of each game. One thing I truly loathe about Tapped Out is how easy it is make a mistake. Countless times have I and others accidentally sped up a character's task with donuts, a mistake that must be rapidly rectified and is easily caused by a simple mis-tap. Family Guy solves this problem with a simple drag and drop system; players drag the task symbol onto the character's action slot, leaving little room for error. On the other hand, Family Guy lacks a important feature that Tapped Out is great for, a small box that shows all characters available to be set a task. In Family Guy you click on the actual character, a task made difficult when a character has decided to hang out in a corner of the town behind building where where they aren't visible. While characters can be picked up in Family Guy and moved, the Simpsons displays each available character in the corner of the screen and transports you to their menu and location when clicked. So TinyCo, maybe steal that feature for your game make it perfect?

I came a little late to the party in terms of the whole 'Touchscreen Revolution' that's been occurring over the last decade or so. Only in the last six months have I acquired a tablet device and functional smartphone (I owned a smartphone for years but it was old and not fully functional when I received it). Though I missed out on many of the medium's formative years it is fair to say that touchscreen gaming is now pretty ubiquitous; it's hard to go anywhere without seeing someone playing a game on their phone. I've always been a fan of small games, when I was younger we couldn't afford to get every latest console and keep up-to-date on the newest releases. We often rented games for short periods, bought consoles years after release when the prices had dropped and borrowed games from friends with more extensive libraries, anything we could to play some of the amazing games we could only hear or read about.

If I'd known these words then I would have spoken them

But one thing we always had was a PC. The same rules apply, we still didn't have all the latest releases and most of our game library revolved around Golf simulators for my dad, a couple of old adventure games and some computerised board and card games. But we had the internet, and it was great! Flash games were always my favourite, they were absolutely free and there were thousands, millions of them! Miniclip, Newgrounds and dozens of other sites that have been erased from my memory by the fog of time provided small games, single and multiplayer, that could be played any time, could be stopped and started whenever you wanted, could provided hours of joy or a simple moment's distraction while waiting for something to load or download. Smart phones and tablets have now extended this further, one no longer needs to be at a PC at home or in the office but anywhere in the world. I feel like online, independent games were the setup and now we're seeing the real deal. Mobile gaming is getting more advanced, higher fidelity and much more viable as an option for game development than ever before.

Before smartphones, there was only one mobile game

The convenience, growing technology and wide availability of these devices and games is now virtually the same as it was on those websites of old but with the added advantage of being able to game everywhere. It has also given rise to new genres and ways of playing. A very notable example is the 'idle' game. These are games that don't require a players active involvement for long periods and basically run themselves. A Dark Room is entirely ASCII and button based, with no graphics that cant be created from text and is time based. The player is tasked with collecting resources and building a small settlement in the woods, expanding and exploring as you go. The game can be left for long periods as resources build up and then they can be collected with a button press. The game allows one to explore a map and fight enemies to collect more items and resources and comes with a great narrative that will keep you tapping away for days.

ASCII art can be beautiful, just beautiful...

Games like The Simpsons: Tapped Out and Family Guy: The Quest for Stuff are also similar in this regard; players build a town including buildings and characters from the respective shows and these earn money and experience on a regular basis. The player must then return, collect their earnings and continue to expand. Games like these are perfect for the busy lives we lead; I can often be seen calculating how long a shift at work is going to be and getting Homer to complete and 8 hour task so that he's ready when I get done. I can play, or not play, whenever I choose. The game is endless, has no real goals and no defined end-point or win condition but it allows me to choose when I want to play, doesn't require a large investment in time and is something I can get friends involved in. What more can you ask for from a game? Of course, there's nothing like sitting down with my laptop for a game of Left4Dead or firing up my Playstation to go through Metal Gear Solid 4 again but my phone and tablet are a great way to stay connected to games and gaming when I don't have time to sit down for a more involved experience due to a busy period in my schedule. Small games are the future as much as they have been the past and game designers would do well to remember this, especially those with little experience. While we often have grand ideas with big, open, sprawling, 3D worlds, branching narratives and expansive quest lines we can forget that smaller games can be just as powerful, if not more so. There is still lots of room for surprises and plenty of ways of screwing with the conventions that can really push the medium forward, as it is still very young and still evolving. So don't think little, think small!

On a side note, had an awesome day day yesterday eating bubble gum sundae and going to the funfair, it's all on my twitter feed. But the most awesomest part was the random find of a game design book in a charity shop. I was walking past with my buddy and we had time to kill so I suggested we go in. I sometimes look for old Terry Pratchett books as they can often be found in charity shops and I'm on a lifelong mission to get them all from charity shops for no good reason. I went straight over to the books and scanned the shelves and there it was! Inside Game Design by Iain Simmons. Just £2 and packed with great interviews and behind-the-scenes looks at the development of a few games. Follow your instincts, you never know where it might lead! Except don't always, but do when it's stuff like go into charity shops. I'm not responsible for the things that happen to you...

"My instinct says Superman will catch me if I fall!"

Something EGX This Way Comes...

2014-04-03T07:40:00.000-07:00

EGX tickets went on sale yesterday morning. The four day event will host the cream of the crop of the world gaming industry from big publishers and developers to smaller indie teams and solo devs. You'll be able to play new releases, future releases, hear from industry industry insiders and mingle with people who love the thing you love and do the thing you do. Last years event saw 70 000 gamers come together and this years event is expected to be even bigger. Get your day or weekend tickets from the site and perhaps I'll see you there! I'll be there with the SU Productions team, taking notes as they interview some awesome people! It's a little ways away but best to get those tickets early, don't wana be late to the party.

It will be better than this. I think...

In other news, I have begun the planning stages of a new game that will be exhibited around June at my University for the final year exhibition. I don't want to say too much about it now but I would like to point to the IGCCGD conference that I attended recently. Simply being in that environment, hearing people talk about their ideas and learning about one's trade is such a valuable resource. I strongly urge any and all who are interested in becoming part of the industry, in whatever capacity (I mean you voice actors, PR people and producers), attend events! Aside from the obvious networking opportunities it is unbelievably helpful for your grey matter to be in that environment, and you'll learn more about your tools and new tools you might want to use too.

No! Bad reader! Not those kind of tools!

Even if you think you're anti-social and hate crowds, go to smaller events and talks. You don't have to run around shaking everybody's hand. Just listen and absorb. I'm not the most social penguin but by attending stuff like this I've learned so much and it's sparked so many ideas. If there aren't any events near you, have a go organising some. Meet in a local pub, talk about your latest efforts, issues with design and development, future projects, whatever! Twitter is another great tool for this stuff but you'll get so many more Twitter contacts by attending events as well as digital networking.

He's not sad because he's lonely, he's sad because he missed EGX.

So do it! Get out there, show your games, discuss your trade, hear others and develop your own ideas further. The best thing you can do is be there for this stuff. Whether you want to create something fresh, new and unique or improve on something you think can be done better these events can be key to your success, whatever your view of that is.

UPDATED: UK Tax Cuts for 'culturally British' Pantomime Dames

2014-03-27T06:56:00.001-07:00

UPDATE: The UKIE has released a PDF (download) explaining the criteria that must be met in order for a game to apply for tax relief. Projects will be assessed with a cultural test and granted points based on the criteria, which include the amount of characters and the portion of the game set in the UK or an EEA country, whether or not a game's story is based on that of a British or other European story, the amount of work completed in the UK and whether or not the creators are usually UK based. This is good news as it means that companies can't just move to the UK and start applying to tax cuts and will hopefully allow British cultural games to shine through. The PDF also explains how the tax cuts will break down over a game's cost and which companies are eligible, including a note that abandoned projects will not have the relief affected.

That's - erm - that's games in Cockney rhyming slam... Pantomime Dames I mean...

"You what guv'na?!"

The European Commision (EC) today approved a tax relief plan for the British games industry that may see up to 25% in tax cuts for games that meet cultural criteria. There is little information as to what these criteria will be as of yet but they are sure to be discussed at the upcoming event hosted by the UKIE to discuss the impact and effects of the tax relief, announced two days ago. This event will be attended by "a senior government minister" as well as representatives of the industry and the UKIE. The tax relief is thought to affect 25% of games produced in the UK and will surely bolster an already thriving industry.

So is that the future of UK produced games? Desperately strong-arming British references in there for tax cuts? It's hard to say without seeing the criteria that's being conveniently skirted over in every press release and statement. At the same time, I don't want to be a cynic. I'm not particularly patriotic but having lived in England my whole life it is the culture I know and understand, a humour I get that much of the world doesn't, a certain British-ness in the way we are, in the way the characters we create are. My concern is that what we'll see is a rise in games that contain a bunch of British stereotypes, not for the purpose of amusement, satire or affectionate ribbing but simply for the sake of tax cuts.

Then again, maybe it's time time for a second go at this?

I don't just refer to comedic characters and references, in the vain of say Family Guy (I find this particular clip encompasses so many British-isms it's like art, Seth McFarlane gets it), but even more supposedly serious characters. I don't want every game to be set in jolly old London town and be surrounded by fruit sellers, buskers singing George Formby and chimney sweeps doing delightful jigs.

This... this actually looks okay

But I have faith in British developers, faith that they won't just be out to make a quick buck and they truly want to add to the British cultural lexicon. The UK has had a massive cultural impact on the world in the past, and not just because they went round taking over every country they step foot in. We are a nation with a strong identity and mixed culture and the media we produce is often uniquely British, but the world in recent years has started to pick up on not just our fashion but our media too, a thing that was often confined to out little island as the rest of the world "wouldn't get it".

What does it all mean?!

An immediate and obvious example of this is Ricky Gervais' hit show The Office, a show that took the world by storm and became more than just a cult hit, spawning various regional versions worldwide. This was a uniquely British show with uniquely British humour; the awkwardness of daily interactions, the polite, reserved way we tend to deal with situations, the fools we suffer so as not to be rude. All of this was blown a bit wide for comedic purposes in some cases but the show was often based on real events from the writer's lives. It made it feel real and like home for me, like I could meet these people at any pub in the country. There were stereotypes but the character's were genuine and it made them feel more like character quirks and flaws. Perhaps having British culture in the hands of British developers is the best thing for it then.

And seriously, GTA: London 2 you guys! GTA: London 2!

Oculus Rift Acquired by Facebook

2014-03-25T21:15:00.000-07:00

The internet is abuzz with talk of Facebook's CEO Mark Zuckerberg's announcement yesterday afternoon that the company would be acquiring Oculus Rift for a sum of $2billion. Zuckerberg intends to explore the potential of the device as a social media tool and more besides gaming, though we are assured that Oculus' original plan will still go ahead, though at an accelerated rate. In a post to Facebook about the announcement, Zuckerberg says:

"But this is just the start. After games, we're going to make Oculus a platform for many other experiences. Imagine enjoying a court side seat at a game, studying in a classroom of students and teachers all over the world or consulting with a doctor face-to-face -- just by putting on goggles in your home."

In the same announcement Zuckerberg goes on to predict that the future of the world lies in virtual reality systems, and Facebook clearly wants to adopt the technology early. This has caused concern with some, with Marcus "Notch" Perrson, owner of Mojang announcing over Twitter that his company has cancelled plans to support the Oculus device, saying "Facebook creeps me out." He does note that a mod is available for users interested in using the device.

Just over 18 months ago Oculus Rift achieved and surpassed its goal of $250 000 by over 37 times, receiving almost $9.5million in backing on Kickstarter. It has now been acquired for an estimated $2billion, more than 200 times as much as the original Kickstarter raised. This is great news for Oculus and the huge cash injection will be sure to speed up the delivery of the system. At last week's GDC they had announced the Oculus Development Kit 2, an updated version of the first kit, for $350 and it seems this is going ahead with the device being sold now. Perhaps this is a good sign that Zuckerman's promise of the company still operating independently isn't just PR talk, at least for now.

Does the future really lie in VR? And what are Facebook doing to ensure the privacy of its users? They talk of wanting to share everything with everyone. This sharing is data which they can and have used to target adverts to people and increase the power of those adverts. How will virtual reality data be collected and used and what will the form will this virtual space take? Look out for further developments and announcements in the coming months.

Sony has also recently announced a VR headset, Project Morpheus, a direct rival to Oculus Rift. Both companies have the capital and business networks to gain market share in the games sector but it is difficult to tell what the final products of either will really be like, though reviews of both have been favourable.

The dawn of a new age in gaming or just a night of the living dead?

Holy crap, so meta bro!

The Real Thinkings

What the hell?! Facebook?! Really?!

Okay, initial outburst out of the way I'm not really sure what to think. I raged at first, then I wondered if I was the guy raging against this new fangled technology, bearing my torch and pitchfork like a seasoned pro.

"Back, oh ye purveyor of immersive worlds, oh ye peddler of fun!"

But then I called bullshit on that pretty quick because I had no problem with Rift before now and was super excited, still am! What I have a problem with is Facebook. I use Facebook, I don't like it, I use it. I'm a hypocrite, so that's out of the way now. I'm not keen on my data being collected like that, I'm not sure any of of us really are. I do understand that some of it has to be collected in order for the services I like to exist but it's when my name and picture are used to advertise stuff I get uneasy. I make a point of not liking pages, especially those of businesses, as I don't want everyone to be told "Hey, Daniel likes Akira's Used Pantie Emporium, you should too!" I mean, not that I would be liking something called Akira's Used Pantie Emporium or anything... Those rumours were never confirmed...

*cough**cough* Shameful *cough*

It's not about what I like or don't like and whether it's private or not, clearly if I didn't want people to know I liked something I wouldn't thumbup it on Facebook, and I don't do that. My beef is with this insistence that EVERY single thing has to collect data now. Analytics can helpful as balls, especially to a game developer because they can tell you so much about your game and how you can improve it, so there's a flip side to it but I don't want to have to sign my life away as a walking advert simply to communicate with friends.

I don't know if this is a good move, but I agree with Notch, this shit creeps me out! I'm concerned about the future of tech and media but at the same time I'm super excited about the future of tech and media! Oculus Rift, as of yet, hasn't changed and I still can't wait to get my hands on one and create some worlds, try and use the device in a different or interesting way. I have no idea what the future holds, it's impossible to predict with certain accuracy, but VR is definitely in it and Oculus and Facebook are going to be a big part of it.

So what's Steam gonna do? Anything?

IGCCGD: A PR man in a suit isn't always 'the Man'

2014-03-22T09:19:00.000-07:00

Sadly I was unable to attend the second day of the IGCCGD event due to a few factors but I found the first day very enlightening and wanted to note some points of consideration gleaned from the discussions and talks.

Danny Goodayle, co-founder of Just a Pixel discussed the events surrounding the development and pending release of his studio's game Light, their first effort. The game was a hit on Steam Greenlight and the developers, a small team of 2, excitedly decided to begin a Kickstarter campaign to fund their game. During the course of the campaign they were contacted by Team17 who wished to publish their game and were also Greenlit. They cancelled their Kickstarter, finished up their contracts and have been building the game since late 2013, to be shown at REZZED later this month. Goodayle discussed the difficulties and stresses of building the complex AI they had devised and his thankfulness to people they had hired into the project, even commenting that the visual design of the game was altered due to some music written by Gavin Harrison. Team17 were also given praise for their hands-off approach to their involvement, offering help where it was needed but otherwise allowing the developers to work to the beat of their own drum (with deadlines of course).

Light looking all gorgeously volumetric

Hearing of their highs and lows was an extremely interesting insight into their development cycle and Goodayle says he learned much from the experience; the value of delegating tasks and not being too untrustworthy with handing your work off to others, the fish-out-of-water feeling of suddenly being introduced to deadlines, QA tests, concerns about optimising the game for a range of systems. The game is currently in a prototyping stage and has no release date as of yet but follow the guys on their twitter feeds and check back on their site for updates.

Steve Iles gave his perspective from the PR side of things, one rarely considered and often considered too late by many designers. He stressed the importance of PR in a successful game, even an independent once. While PR doesn't guarantee success, nor does a lack of actively presenting a work deny its success, Iles discussed what a publisher can bring to the table, including expertise, contacts, experience and an existing market position in many cases. Publishers and producers can really take a lot of the work load of presenting, advertising and spreading news of your game, freeing you up to build; they know the business and will do their best to make your game a commercial success if that is your goal. He also discussed the importance of knowing your target market, knowing what they respond to and knowing how to market to them, noting the Asian mobile market as one of particular importance at the moment. Finally Iles discussed the future of games as a medium, using a term close to my heart, transmedia worlds. These are narrative universes spanning over various media, not simply retelling the narrative of the original but expanding it. Iles considers these transmedia worlds as a large part of the future of games as a medium and I am inclined to agree.

I've already talked a little about Louise James but I'll happily discuss her again. James, the young director of Generic Evil Business Inc., gave her reasons for loving Twitter as a social tool but also as a tool for finding work and making contacts. She discussed the Twitter conversations that led her to work with Dan Marshall of Size Five Games on their game Gun Monkeys and led to a collaborative relationship that they still maintain. Through Twitter James was also able to secure work with other teams, studios and developers and was able to aid others in finding opportunities. The social networking site also enabled her to boost sales of tools she had built by getting the word out of their existence across a network of individuals with similar interests and careers. These relationships built on Twitter have provided a network of contacts and client base that is invaluable and exhaustive, so give her a follow because she's a great contact to have!

Monkeys... with guns... Gun Monkeys!

James Parker of Opposable Games and Alastair Aitcheson, a solo indie developer, were both at odds in their design ideals. While Parker discussed Opposable's interest in second-screen or dual-screen games and networking players, Aitcheson was enthralled by the idea of large touchscreens with multiple players on the same device. Parker lamented the use of second-screens in gaming today, commenting that they are often gimicks that can detract from the play experience by removing vital tools from visible space and putting them on a phone. It is his studio's intent to create second-screen games that utilise both screens effectively but do not force the user to shift their focus when it is needed on another screen. In their upcoming title Salvage they aim to do this by limiting interactions to the second-screen and not forcing a user to use a mouse or keyboard or controller in addition to it. Parker also commented that though people understand the term second-screen and it is easy to use it does not mean the so-called 'second-screen' has to take second place to the 'first-screen'. They also know the audience for their game is a core audience, tech savvy and more able to set up and understand the technology. Catch the game and the guys at REZZED later in the month as well.

Second-screen? First-screen

Alistair Aitchison is a lover of the interactions between people and aims to make games that people have to be in the same room to play. He likes to foster cheating and sabotage, designing his titles to allow and encourage players to screw each other over to win. For him games are about the meta-narrative, the interactions between friends that produce fun and humour. In his latest offering, Tap Happy Sabotage, players must collect cards by tapping them while tapping other players' 'trap' cards, reducing their points. It is a mad rush of tapping and finger wrestling with some extra mechanics thrown in to make the game more competitive and fun. In order to achieve all this, larger screens are much more effective and Aitcheson said he has played his game with 10 players on a single screen. After discussing the ubiquity of touchscreen devices in the near future he went on to say that large screen games are a niche market at the moment and so designing for them now will place you ahead of the curve, though there are many ergonomic considerations for larger screens that must be considered like fidelity of movement in comparison to a smaller screen and fatigue from large, long, extended periods of movement and play.

They're certainly happy about... something

It seems the main points to take home throughout the talks was that accepting help when it's needed is never, ever a bad thing, and actively employing or seeking that help from someone who knows what they're doing is even better. Though you should try new things and make an attempt at something, even if it seems daunting, knowing when you're beat isn't a failure and neither is a helping hand, sometimes it's the difference between success and failure! But the main thing is exposure; follow up on leads, message the right people about your product and efforts, get the word out and have a presence online. People will want to search you and your game and the easier you make it for them to find that info and then buy your game when it releases, the more likely your game is to be a success. Think about marketing and press from the very start of your project and give yourself time to implement some PR. You can make your game a success and earn a living from what you do as a game designer or creator but you have to be active if that's your goal.

New Day's Resolution

2014-03-21T19:24:00.000-07:00

Too long once more! It is my New Day's Resolution (New Year's was a little far...) that I will try to update this thing at least once a week. But onward, to content!

I've been to Prague and back for a short holiday to get away from the madness and had a great time just walking around and taking the city in.

There was so much to see this guy didn't even

live to see it all!

The astronomical clock, the Charles Bridge and so much more! I took a bunch of photos and got blisters I'm still recovering from due to all the walking on cobbled streets but being alone in a new place like that was something I had to do at least once. I'm glad I did and I'm glad I didn't die. I really want to go back in the summer one day though, visit Chapeau Rouge and take a stroll by the Vltava River and see some live music in the evening. But there are so many places I must visit, perhaps I'll save my return for another year.

I've also been working hard as hell on my dissertation and second term project. The dissertation is titled 'Narratology vs. Ludology: Rules, story and their impact on design' and was extremely interesting to research (and well worth the late fees from the library which I will totally pay off soon and return the books...). I had to delve into transmedia worlds, hypertext fiction, ludological definitions and tenets and more. I think it really helped me to solidify some of my ideas about design and forced me to look a little into the future and see where game design is going. An invaluable mad rush that I would repeat any day!

The project is a game prototype I've been working on for about 3 weeks. It was the third design iteration I'd been through and none of the three designs were anything alike. The first was uninspired and rushed, a side-scrolling platformer with little substance. The second was a good idea but too vast and the territory was too new for me to feel confident in successfully completing it in time. I won't discuss that one for now because it's an idea I'm still developing and may resume work on soon. But the third is a side-scrolling shoot 'em up, filled with goo monsters, French themes and the cutest darn cat you ever saw ^^ (Simple characters, simple game, simple*3). I didn't have much time after the re-design so I put together something that's scalable but simple and hopefully fun as heck! I'm not releasing anything for now but watch this space! I intend to develop it further although the project may be a little too large to focus on completely and the design needs to be fleshed out a lot too.

The start of something beautiful?

I was at the awesome Indie Games Collective Conference for Developers all day yesterday and will be heading back there for the second day later this morning. Day 1 was informative and all the talks were a really interesting perspective on game design, development and distribution from both an indie perspective and a PR perspective, an interesting side of the process rarely considered by many devs until it's too late. There was a particularly awesome speech from Louise Adams on why Twitter is so amazing for making contacts. She seemed nervous and not particularly willing to give the talk at first but as soon as she opened her mouth she had the whole room laughing and hanging on her every word, and rarely have I heard so endearing a phrase as "I was supposed to do some slides but I panicked and made a physics engine instead".

This is how all presentations should be given.

There was a great panel at the end and and Paul Marrable had us all cracking up. Some very interesting discussions about dual-screen vs. second-screen, developing games for large touchscreens and plenty of great advice for any indie developer, new or old to the scene.

A friend of mine is producing a web show based at his university and they will be joining me at the IGCCGD day 2 for interviews, filming and some more of that great advice from industry experts and indie devs alike! So keep your eyes peeled for the vid. In the meantime they have a few news videos and coverage from a couple of events with some killer interviews so check them out at SU Productions on Youtube and Facebook, subscribe and like and share and all that malarkey, help them make it great!

I shall be back to report on day 2 of the IGCCGD and will attempt to sort through all my notes to write something at least relatively informative for once :)

Free, and that's the only reason!

2014-02-05T18:12:00.001-08:00

So, I am now the proud (?) owner of an iPhone 4. Just an old one before my sister's upgrade. So this is me begrudgingly using an Apple product because it's free. Would never have paid real earth monies for their stuff. Yet here I am... How did it come to this?

Woe betide me...

Huh?!

2014-02-02T17:31:00.000-08:00

I am watching the Superbowl... what is this?

HANDEGG!

Baffling stuff. But a little more stuff, I'm going on a little holiday to Prague for a few days so should have some interesting pictures and hopefully a couple stories. Hoping to go and see the Sedlec Ossuary if I can, super creepy place! Not sure how I'll get there but hoping to get some sort of tour bus or a cab if needs be. Pictures must be taken. Aside from that it's work and coursework and Paper's Please in-between, an amazing game that manages to do so much with such a simple premise and really emphasizes the importance of decisions made within the game.

The word 'Document' may not look like it belongs...

It does

Let's go Seahawks!

Winrars! Well done Seahawks, good hustle out there.

A Return

2014-01-15T08:21:00.001-08:00

Been a while huh? Well I'm back. Won't bother updating much on the last few months but all I'll say is 2013 was... a year. Last year of my course now and reeeeeeeally looking forward to graduating and being done with formal education. I'm also looking into being a part of an indie project in Feb. I know very little right now and wouldn't want to say too much anyway but keep your eyes and ears peeled for more.

So excite!

Got invited into the ESO beta this year! Can't say too much about that either but I'm happy to have been invited and have loved gadding about in questville lately. Can't wait for the full release! This game is gonna be a killer in terms of time management :/ But Elder Scrolls always delivers, and the fact it's an MMO means it'll update frequently and there'll always be new content and new players and newy newy newness. But there's so many amazing games coming out over the next 2 years (aren't there always?) I may have no time for life, I'll just have to quit my job, quit my education and commit myself full time to pixels.

Sweets for my sweet, sugar for my honey

Was up in Greenwich yesterday for reasons and a friend and me passed this little gem; a small sweet shop (candy store, amirite?) called Hardy's. It was small but they have what you need, trust me! American and British classics alike. And they even had a small fridge filled with cans of Tab cola, Wild Cherry Pepsi, Mug and A&W Root beer... It was a dream. I'm not a fan of American chocolate at all though, they have no idea how to make it it seems. British chocolate is so much more smooth and creamy. But some of their candy is just amazing. We ended up with some peanut butter M&Ms (mostly peanut batter and candy shell so not too bothered about the chocolate on these), Mug root beer, Welch's purple drink, Redvines (needed some straws obviously!) and a couple of other random bits. All in all a sugary night.

But the main thing I await is my new ecigarette! So many flavours, so much less cancer! I think... Anyway, hopefully more updates to follow in the near future and a couple of original songs to post soon too!

Henrietta Goodwins Student Housekeeping Tips for Boys

2013-04-10T02:59:00.001-07:00

My iron broke. For the last 4 days I have had two choices, wrinkly shirts or a saucepan to iron with. I picked the saucepan. It wasn't necessarily a mistake but I have melted one shirt and one pair of slacks. I now need an iron, a new shirt and a new pair of slacks. Not cool... Still, better to show up at work with nicely (or at least passably) ironed shirts than looking more of a total mess than usual. I feel so Victorian!

At least they had the right tool for the job though

It takes a while though, a saucepan isn't really designed for what i'm doing with it. But hey, hot thing with a handle, it does ok. So if you ever break your iron you know what to do!

The Emotional Dead

2012-10-31T04:10:00.001-07:00

I had some time to finish up my first playthrough of Telltale Games' The Walking Dead - Episode 4 and it's really been a great experience. Despite its simple 3D graphics and relatively abstract control system the game has really managed to make me feel something for the characters. This is especially true of the relationship between Lee and Clementine but there have been moments with other characters like Ben and Kenny that have really felt real. I was reading a Gamasutra article about Resident Evil 6 that really drove the point home that this game isn't like a big AAA title that took 3 or 4 years and tens of millions to develop, it's a smaller, simpler affair but still manages to have a much greater emotional impact than a premium title like Resident Evil. It says, 'there's more in a shared glance between The Walking Dead game's Clementine and Lee than in all the posturing cut-scenes and eye-swivelling dialogue of RE6.' And that's entirely true, very few games make me feel something and those that do tend to have a lasting impact upon me. Every decision I make while playing I have to ask myself, 'How will this affect Clementine's safety and well-being?'. I don't wish to spoil the story at all, and I don't think this will ruin it for anyone, but there's your warning. In one episode Lee is asked by another survivor if he would allow Clem to join their group as they are more suitable guardians to her. I felt that Lee was feeling, so many questions ran through my mind, reasons why she'd be better off, reasons why I had to keep her by my side, questioning my own selfish motives. I sure as hell never felt that way about Leon Kennedy.

The most wonderful relationship I've seen in a game

Some of the decisions I've had to make have really aided my connection to the game too, feeling like I have an impact on the narrative. It's not quite the decision engine from my last post but it certainly has an impact on the way the story unfolds and the characters that help or hinder your progress. It all adds up to drawing the player inside the tale, and the month I have to wait for the final episode is torturous. Telltale have hit the nail on the head with this game and I really hope they decide to create more experiences like this. It's an adventure game at heart but it dispenses with the usual esoteric puzzles and nonsensical solutions for a better way of telling the story, action. Choices are given a time limit, dying is a possibility (though not in a Sierra 'you have to start over' way) and at the end of it all you get to compare your decisions to every other player of the game.

My cries never seem to attract hug-hungry rabbits, funny that

This is one of the features I really like in the game, and it seems like such a simple thing to implement and that just makes me love it more. At the end of the episode your decisions are compared by the wonder of percentages to what all the other players of the game decided to do in the same situation. Sometimes it's nice to see too, as generally it seems that most players are good at heart, choosing to save other characters' lives rather than saving their own skin and making selfless choices rather than selfish ones. But there's always that little bit of satisfaction being in the lower percentile for a decision, feeling that you made the tough choice that most people couldn't bear to face.

The whole experience is well written, well executed and makes me wish I worked for Telltale. That's right, I'm jelly. But it's also taught me about how to design a game well, and I appreciate that greatly. Every game should teach you something and I've truly been taught something by this game. Now I just need Capcom to play it and hope they get the same out of it as I do. Anyone from Capcom reading this at all?

A Puzzling Matter

2012-10-29T21:03:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking about puzzles lately, asking myself what a good puzzle is and trying to remember some good experiences I've had with puzzles. I've always enjoyed puzzles of all different sorts but despite my enjoyment of them I am always flustered by them. But that's the point isn't it? Spending 20 minutes looking from every angle, trying to think outside the box and scanning your knowledge banks for an answer, ANY answer. You almost start to seethe with the stress of ignorance and then BANG! Suddenly everything is clear and the painfully obvious answer mocks you with its simplicity. Either that or you've finally snapped, given in to the woodpecker in your brain. Maybe it took minutes, maybe hours or days, but the great thing about puzzles is that they have the ability to humble even the smartest of people.

"Fuck you brain, fuck you..."

They can bring us together too. I can't tell you the amount of times a pair of fresh eyes has helped me solve a puzzle. Most of the time I'm too happy it's been solved to care that I didn't do it myself. A perfect example of this is the Professor Layton series of games. My girlfriend and I have played every one of them together and are considering getting a 3DS just so we don't miss out on the next installment of the series. It's a big thing for us and we love it, sitting up for hours at a time, trying to find a comfy position so that each of us can see the screen and losing our voices for reading out every piece of text to the other. There are so many occasions where one of us would take a toilet break or food break and return, only to instantly blurt out the answer to a puzzle that the other one of us had been poring over. At the same time, there are many puzzles where both of us have racked our brains and come up blank. It reduces us to a level of equal standing and yet the act of getting an answer right becomes a team effort. It's the same as a sports fan's team scoring a point and the fan celebrating. You become involved in an effort that was completely independent of you. You might as well be cheering on the rain or a dog for pooping.

A double whammy of awesome up in here!

So this is what I want to design, puzzles that bring people together, frustrate people but that they don't feel cheated by in the end due to the puzzle not being clear or requiring the player have knowledge outside the context of the puzzle. And I don't want to use Skinner Box style rewards either. Sure, it works and it keeps people playing but not for the right reasons. Professor Layton utilises this Skinner conditioning by making the puzzles essentially unrelated to the plot except in certain cases and only allowing the player to progress the narrative by solving a puzzle. It's a very obvious, in-your-face way of moving the plot forward. A more subtle approach is to integrate the puzzles into the narrative, it's a much more transparent method of progression. The next step up from that is using the outcome of a presented puzzle to actually determine the plot. I'll use the example of an adventure game. Let's say the player needs to gain entry to a door blocked by a bouncer at a nightclub, if the player doesn't solve the puzzle before the night club closes (or within whatever time limit is set) the player would simply fail in most games and have to start again. But what if the game took that failure and then integrated it into the plot somehow? And I'm not simply talking about branching decision trees, I'm talking about a game that dynamically reads the state of a puzzle; it's percentage of completion, what options a player has tried (multiple solutions are a must), how long it took to solve or whether they give up, and it uses that information to craft the narrative. The player didn't get into the night club? Well then the character you were trying to track has exited out the back door and gone to another location. The only way for you to find out where is to question the bouncer or attempt to sneak in when the bouncer finishes his shift and review the security footage. That's a primitive example, but it begs the question, can it be built? A Decision Engine, capable of moulding a tale based on each player's experience. Of course this can't be applied to the entire narrative, simply linking plot points together is enough to create a seamless experience but one that a designer retains some creative control over (plus a truly dynamic story engine is a little beyond the capabilities of even the most costly AAA titles).

Tom Hanks' character in Big wanted a dynamic story engine for his

comic book toy

Chris Crawford discusses something akin to this in the first edition of Richard Rouse III's book, Game Design: Theory and Practice when he discusses his Erasmotron tool. He talks of the tool being a dynamic story engine where the player controls speech and actions that affect the outcome of the game and the path to the end but this is all linked between some unchangeable plot points. It is this kind of thing I would love to design, though I feel like it may be a lifelong endeavour as opposed to a project. It's something to consider for my dissertation next year at least. I wonder if I'd be able to get a primitive version of it up and running, perhaps use it as a basis for my next game. But maybe I've bitten off more than I can chew. I'll make my mind up after Wednesday perhaps, too much else to think about now.

Humble Beginnings

2012-10-28T18:21:00.001-07:00

So, the dreaded first post. I suppose it would be best to explain my motivations for starting this blog and try to explain what it is I think I have to add to the internet. Well, it's about damn time I had some online presence to be honest. I've resisted it for so long and that's a pretty foolish thing to do. I am a student of game design and not having somewhere to post my projects and talk about aspects of the profession and industry I want to be a part of seems silly. I also feel it could be therapeutic in a way. But mostly it's the whole 'It's 2012 and you barely use Facebook, let alone have your own web presence' thing. Ok, so this isn't the place for a portfolio or a very good way of displaying my work but it's a big leap forward from the nothing I had before this. I do intend to one day create an online portfolio but I don't feel like I have enough to display on it to justify its existence. For now, a sigh and a wistful look into the distance as if trying to view future events seems appropriate.

But onward to what this blog is for. Anything I want really. I'll post random thoughts and finds, updates on any projects I'm involved in and videos and images of those things. So a little about me...

I'm a student of Game Design at the London College of Communication and am due to graduate in 2014. I love games, gaming and games and technology as art and I hope to create things I can be proud to say are mine across different mediums. I feel like I'm one of those people who's not got one thing they're particularly talented at but shares that talent across multiple disciplines, Jack of all trades, master of none as it were. As an example, I've recently become interested in open source hardware like Arduino and MaKey MaKey and the possibilities they open up for designers (but more on that another time). I have also been considering getting into Dungeons & Dragons lately, a game I played in high school once and really enjoyed but haven't had the opportunity to play since. I used to play guitar, still have dreams about my contact juggling ball, love to put heavy things on my back and squat them and will never get bored of Zombies. Aside from that though, I currently work in a pub/restaurant as a waiter and hope it won't be for too long.

Another reason it's taken so long to create this blog is my healthy respect (perhaps a little too healthy) for anonymity and solitude. While I take no specific measures to mask my identity I have always felt a little uneasy about revealing things about myself online. This is true of me in-person too. I'm not a very social creature and prefer the solitude of my bedroom and the isolation of my hobbies to a night out drinking or clubbing or some such. Odd as it may seem to some it's just the way I like things. I rarely venture out as I don't feel the need for social interaction much of the time. I'm not a complete recluse and I do crawl out of my hole now and again, but day-to-day I'm a loner at heart. It can make relationships quite a strain at times as I often don't really know how to maintain them and my joy of all things solitaire simultaneously without a drastic personality shift, not something I feel I'm capable of. But I hope people understand that about me, or that they come to understand it.

This is all getting a bit serious now so I feel perhaps it's time for a light hearted interlude. Finnish polka anyone?

So finally, what can I add to the internet and the world? Most probably not a lot. I don't necessarily subscribe to the view that originality is dead but it's certainly harder to come by these days. Perhaps then it isn't originality that I as a designer need to bring to the world but ingenuity (not that I feel I can necessarily bring that either, though I will certainly try). It seems that most good ideas in this modern era are re-toolings of existing ideas, taking something pre-made and making it better or building on the work of someone else and I for one see no shame in that. Newton himself stood on the shoulders of giants. I don't set out to change the world and anything I design I do so for me. The best I can hope is that an audience enjoys the same kind of things I do. So that's my design philosophy.

Stay tuned for updates on an upcoming project using MaKey MaKey / Arduino and some more bits from my brain.