Protect Your Mecha: A Rival Wings Primer

Let's talk about the Mecha of Rival Wings.

RPG Maker Game Update

Actually playing and trying to break my own game in RPG Maker is really flexing problem solving skills I had long since let atrophy. It gives me a new sense of respect for the QA big games have to go through to get published. Think, in a fairly minimalistic sprite-based RPG, in the first two real rooms of the dungeon, I had nearly half-a-dozen game breaking bugs (using a certain skill causes a crash, saving/loading breaks event scripts, door won't reopen, etc., etc.) Imagine how much more complicated bug shooting, say, Eden Prime or the Human Noble's origin story must have been.

Tax Law: Eagle Art

Interesting tax question: Should art be valued what it is technically worth (in this case, the appraisers are right in my opinion: It is worth zero dollars since any sale of it is illegal) or what it would be valued at on the open, non-law influenced market? Several important folks came to my same decision: "Since the artwork couldn't be sold, logic dictated that it be listed as having zero value, which is what the Sonnabend family's three appraisers, one of them Christie's auction house, did."

Final Fantasy 1: Complete

 Between down time in Delaware and the train up, I've completed reading Redshirts and finished FF1. Tomorrow/later today, I'll be starting up on FF2. This is one I don't even think I started. But first, let's reflect on what we've learned from FF1. Why the delay? NaNoWriMo has done a number on my pushing through Final Fantasy.

First, the game did not age well, even with a graphics update. The dungeons start off incredibly harsh, but by late game, you can trivialize them all with usable equipment. The only resets I was forced to make were in the ice caves in random encounters against multiple dark wizards who spammed Fire 2. The actual figuring things out part was fun, but I wonder if anyone who didn't have the where-with-all to talk to everyone would be able to do it. I finished the game, on Normal, at average party level 31. A bit high, but there were too many encounters that, even with a thief, attempting to flee ended up costing too many resources if we failed.

For when it came out, the game was innovative, fun, and it gave people a chance to dabble in party creation and minor customization. The amount of character customization is going to go up (then ratchet back down later in the series), but for an NES-era game, the initial four-man choice gives it some potential. There was a time when the purist in me would want to suggest people start with FF1 for learning the series; that part of me died when I realized that, while I liked the novel challenge of managing resources and juggling potions and antidote supplies, most players will not.

Oh well, let's see what FF2 brings. Oh? Red Shirts? I approve (even if at some points it is written in present tense.)



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P.S.,

Hopefully everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving! Now that the festivities are over, if you plan on going out into the wild during Black Friday, have fun. If you can. It just seems unnecessarily hectic and crowded. Two things I do not like.

Walking Dead: Episode 4 Review

Walking Dead, Episode 4: Review (now that I've played it.) Spoilers. You will be spoiled. Do not go below the fold.

Walking Dead Game Episode 4 Trailer

Telltale's Walking Dead has a trailer up for Episode 4 (warning, below there be spoilers.)

RPG Types

Here's something that I've been wondering for awhile. Which type of RPG do I like more? There are games like Mass Effect and Dragon Age, where your hero is a poorly sketched persona that you give meaning and voice to, within certain constraints. Then, there is the Final Fantasy/JRPG type hero, who has a growth arc throughout the story. What I think people like about the Mass Effect/Dragon Age type characters is ownership, so you can play the character how you want, both in the drama of the game and the mechanics of the game. I've been tinkering around, for awhile, with a game to test that. At the outset, you would be given all of your party members as a blank canvass.

You could apply background traits to them, define relationships, set up their class/type and focus, etc. So, the up front part of building your party dynamic is all done at the beginning. Each party member has a defined story arc, but their progression through that story arc changes based on how you answer questions about their background, etc. The only issue, of course, is that you need the decisions to matter and have weight.

Either way, it is always good to get a better feel for "what sort of things do I like?" If, for no other reason, than so you have a better idea what to spend money on.

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P.S.,

If you haven't played the Phoenix Wright games, you can fix that this Fall. Also: Yes. This got the law tag.

Panels on Preserving Playing Pong

The lecture I attended today was called "Playing Pong in 2100: How to Preserve Old Video Games." There was a live stream, but I've been unable to find it anywhere online. If I do find it, I'll put the link here. Before you read below the fold, you may want to get up to date on The Art of Video Games exhibit at the Smithsonian. Luckily, I have some insights on that front already. Once you've read that and seen this wonderful squirrel a nice young woman was feeding, you can click below to get actual coverage of the lecture.

So adorable!

More on Demise of Guys

For background, go read here. Over at Ann Althouse's blog, they were discussing this article. The author says: "I can’t argue with (Zimbardo's Demise of Guys), especially in younger men. However, these behaviors are symptoms of something deeper." Guess what? You can argue with it! In fact, it behooves you to critically analyze it and see if the argument holds. This article, itself, has some serious issues with internal consistency. I noticed I had a gender in gaming label, so, let's take some time to examine this and see where the problems are in the reasoning.

Society lets Charrlie see himself in the game.

CNN Drops Ball on Demise of Guys Article

Somehow, this report slipped through the internet cracks. Go read it, then come back. I've picked on the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal for some problems, so, now let's actually focus on CNN on a topic that actually is related to one of this blog's founding topics: Gaming.

Discussion: Are Video Games Art?

Now that you've had a chance to see bits and pieces of insight on the inside of the exhibit, I think it is time to have that discussion that the Smithsonian wanted when it asked us, "Are video games art?" I don't believe I've linked to their FAQ, so here it is. Chris Melissinos described the exhibit like so:

"Using the cultural lens of an art museum, viewers can determine whether the games on display are indeed worthy of the title 'art.' Some visitors will encounter a game that transports them back to their childhood, or gain insight into how games are made. My hope is that people will leave the exhibition with an understanding that video games are much more than what they first thought. They may even be art."

Inside the Exhibit

Getting inside the National Portrait Gallery isn't that hard. It's near the Gallery Place Chinatown Metro, so you can get there without too much of a hassle. On the top floor of the building you can finally find your way to the small corner that they've relegated for the Art of Video Games exhibit. You can even get a nifty book at the museum gift shop when it is all over.

Anyway, what can you find inside the exhibit?

The Every Day Art of Video Games

First, I wish I had had the presence of mind to title my previous post "I Never Promised You a Moongate Garden." It is an oppuntunity forever missed. Also, I forgot to use the Video Games label in the last post. See what I mean by I am a bad blogger?

Speaking of which, another benefit of video games is that they let you see the world in a completely different world. For example, the Smithsonian is asking us: "Are video games art?" My first instinct is to say yes.

Precursor to Games as Art: Smithsonian Moongate Garden

I was on my way to the actual next exhibit that I was going to cover, when I came across the Moongate Garden. While the Smithsonian tells us that it "draws design inspiration from the Temple of Heaven, a 15th-century religious complex in Beijing," I couldn't help but look at it. As you can tell by the nifty new feature available from Blogger, this is near the Sackler gallery.