More & more 'match three' games...
So one thing I have learned about myself is I like puzzle games. I exhaustively cleared 3 Tangram app games a few years ago, and my longest running mobile games is another of this variety (PAD). That said there are more than a few out there and most hearken back to the granddaddy of the genre, Bejeweled. Now rather than every single one being a carbon copy recreation with a fresh (or semi-clean) shirt, there are some key distinctions between them:
1) how much you can move a piece - sometimes you can only swap two adjacent pieces, other times you can drag and drop a single piece all over the board, occasionally the orbs drop in free-fall and you can only clear them where 3 or more intersect, once I found a game where you has x seconds to adjacent swap as many as you could in the time.
2) number of colors (for matches) and unique orbs - usually the minimum I've seen is three colors, but I've seen upwards of 8 in different games, which tend to scale with difficulty. There are also proprietary "special" tiles that vary from game to game. Some destroy a row, column, or predefined shape among the chaos; others remove or manipulate a specific hue from the pool; others manipulate the board in any innumerable possible ways. Poison, jammer, indestructable are just some of the other varieties.
3) additional formats - this genre is perhaps so over-saturated that fresh faces have to get you with a gimmick or incorporating another style within the game itself. I'll go into one examples below, but genre-targetted apps like Doctor Who: Legacy uses skins of characters from the show (wow, that sounds dark suddenly).
So by-and-large this is one of the primary game-types I adhere to, and while I burnout on some individual versions for one reason or another, I have yet to clear them all off of my device ever.
[Marvel Puzzle Quest] (Mobile, Apple or Android; PC, Steam) 2013
I'll admit I got roped in by the Marvel skinned app and it had some familiar if fresh takes on the whole RPG team and card collecting formats that added an interesting change of gameplay for me. I'm usually [yawn] at RPG team builders unless I have a lot more control and prettier pictures (i.e FFX); I also usually skip card-based video games of all kinds, save a brief forray with Yu-Gi-Oh when I was younger on principle alone. Also upon research I see this 'fresh' take is 3 years old :P
So you assemble a group of 3 characters (enemies or villains) restricted only by them populating your painfully inadequate collection. Now the cards themselves didn't really pose a problem as I had 2 semi-rare ones when I dropped the game after playing less than 2 months. My major complaint with this game was the limited and expensive box space. They are not shy about giving you chances at cards (lots of commons, but even my first day I had 2 premium pulls ready to go), you only get 3-4 slots initially and it costs more and more to add slots until I had 2 6-slot pages and it wanted over 500 ?gold coins? (I was never told what the other resources were called) to get another.
These cards, however, have levels as well as up to three individual power each with their own nuance. The card levels were unlocked by adding and fusing additional power cards together (up to 13 cumulative points where you had to decide between 5-5-3 or 5-4-4 builds on your key players). Once the higher level was possible, you used in-app rewards Iso-8 (a Marvel staple for who knows how long) and grind them up in ever increasing quantities. My complaint here is limited to its steep loss you suffered if you dumped it into one card then chose to retire it in place of another. A common trope in these style games, but still annoying knowing not all do this.
This game also lacks any kind of roster or unlock system to further incentivize collecting the individual characters. For an achievement hound/collector in me, this is a very sad realization. Unfortunately, taking up quite a few precious card slots are full 1-star and 2-star (rarity and power based) ranked teams that are used as part of the daily incentive quest (Deadpool). Additionally you have to have "daily random character X" in order to run for additional daily rewards. These further exasperated the restricted nature of your collection box and were the primary reason I opted out of further playing.
Now I liked the idea of keeping pre-set teams as you leveled in order to clear particular content. I loved the way the app handled the variety of 3-4 game types: prologue, story events, and pvp content. Instead of everyone pooled into the single event and scrambling up invisible ladders, you could select your own (I believe of 7 possible) time slot and play (or not) to your heart's content. I finished in the top 3 on the last two events I participated in, unlocking a 3-powered Daredevil and Colossus respectively.
All in all it was a nice game and if I weren't as invested in PAD I might have considered this to be my primary game app. 8/10
Tuesday, April 12, 2016
Monday, March 21, 2016
The Return of the Blog/Playstyle
Gods, I can never seem to consistently force myself to maintain a blog for an extended period of time. Best I did was for my table top miniatures (still actively viewed). So yeah I will be back [sporadically] as I try to clear out some of my Steam(c) library and free some of my phone's memory up. Expect it to be slow, but come graduation in May I'll have a few classics I'll finally be playing thru (Mass Effect, Assassin's Creed, and XCOM series). --Hey-- No judgement,s I picked them up over the past few years in Steam sales, bundles, or free code giveaways/trades and never took the opportunity to play them.
That said, I guess I'll explain my game style. I've all over the map. I like to try new games, but rarely do so unless they're cheap/free/my group is playing them. When I actually become an invested player I join a branch of the community (i.e. Wooden Potatoes for GW2) and usually approach it with a lore- or achievement hound-attitude. That said I'm not one who commits to more than 1-2 immersive games at a time. Guild Wars 2 is filling my MMO slot at the moment so anything I'm likely to play will be stand alone titles, casual games, or just something to clear memory off of one of my devices.
Forthcoming right off the bat I've tried my hand [over the past 9 months] at a few mobile games co-workers, classmates, or family have played and I will summarize them first (cause I'm likely not playing them anymore). Anyway, sorry for the absence, and happy gaming.
UPDATE 5/9/16:
Alright so to give myself a little time between job-hunting, moving, and just general downtime I will try for monthly discussions and try to get as many games in as I play. That said they may not be new all the time and may resort to tips, tricks, or just "what I've been playing" updates.
That said, I guess I'll explain my game style. I've all over the map. I like to try new games, but rarely do so unless they're cheap/free/my group is playing them. When I actually become an invested player I join a branch of the community (i.e. Wooden Potatoes for GW2) and usually approach it with a lore- or achievement hound-attitude. That said I'm not one who commits to more than 1-2 immersive games at a time. Guild Wars 2 is filling my MMO slot at the moment so anything I'm likely to play will be stand alone titles, casual games, or just something to clear memory off of one of my devices.
Forthcoming right off the bat I've tried my hand [over the past 9 months] at a few mobile games co-workers, classmates, or family have played and I will summarize them first (cause I'm likely not playing them anymore). Anyway, sorry for the absence, and happy gaming.
UPDATE 5/9/16:
Alright so to give myself a little time between job-hunting, moving, and just general downtime I will try for monthly discussions and try to get as many games in as I play. That said they may not be new all the time and may resort to tips, tricks, or just "what I've been playing" updates.
Sunday, June 14, 2015
Mobile Games & Derivatives
So like many people I am guilty of installing a game or two on my phone and often I will hear of/see a similar game with a twist or a skin on it that makes the copy+paste game "unique" in the creator's mind. More often times than not this is more likely a cash grab situation as they churn them out as fast as possible, allowing for in-app purchases, and really don't support the game. There are entire studios devoted to this business model >> 1) What's popular? 2) Can we recreate it? 3) Can we change it just enough to avoid claims and suit? This is not the entirety of the games out there but for every game you like there's bound to be 20+ games eerily similar to it in one respect or another. Well I venture down the rabbit hole occasionally and I've found many that fall on both sides of the fence. Sometimes they provide a decent distraction for a brief interlude, sometimes they frustrate me, other times they're just sad, humorous attempts at mimicry. Here's two examples that I would call successful clones, but may or may not stay on my phone for long. (Possibly a review of them as well).
1) Star Wars Commander (similar to Clash of Clans)
Pros: Star Wars skins!
a unique functionality at the early onset of the game you can decide to support the rebels or the Empire which will determine which units you have access to for the remainder of the game.
gameplay and upgrades make 10x more sense than CoC and you can easily judge when something is under-powered. (i.e. Your base has lvl 5 HQ? Everything you have can upgrade to lvl 5)
Cons: the unique functionality does make it harder to play with friends if you chose Empire for the cooler looking units and they chose Rebels for the heroes. The "Squadrons" are limited to one side or the other and cannot cross-over. The lack of cross over ability kind of twists the knife anytime one side or the other gets something cool (I reinstalled and when light side only to find that it was not identical abilities).
As much as I did in fact enjoy the game the community was very small and not truly active. 6/10
2) Doctor Who: Legacy (similar to Puzzles & Dragons)
Pros: Doctor Who skins, companions, enemies, storyline, etc.
a (somewhat) story that progresses through the dungeons
enough minor changes from PAD that you fell like it successfully makes its own niche (including no stamina)
amazing community and dev-support
Cons: The story is [sadly] weak and usually skipped
The lack of limiting factors like stamina means you unconsciously play yourself out of it most times
Leveling up allies alters their powers at level 5 such that some of them with powers you liked 1-49 now trigger something entirely different at 50.
7/10
1) Star Wars Commander (similar to Clash of Clans)
Pros: Star Wars skins!
a unique functionality at the early onset of the game you can decide to support the rebels or the Empire which will determine which units you have access to for the remainder of the game.
gameplay and upgrades make 10x more sense than CoC and you can easily judge when something is under-powered. (i.e. Your base has lvl 5 HQ? Everything you have can upgrade to lvl 5)
Cons: the unique functionality does make it harder to play with friends if you chose Empire for the cooler looking units and they chose Rebels for the heroes. The "Squadrons" are limited to one side or the other and cannot cross-over. The lack of cross over ability kind of twists the knife anytime one side or the other gets something cool (I reinstalled and when light side only to find that it was not identical abilities).
As much as I did in fact enjoy the game the community was very small and not truly active. 6/10
2) Doctor Who: Legacy (similar to Puzzles & Dragons)
Pros: Doctor Who skins, companions, enemies, storyline, etc.
a (somewhat) story that progresses through the dungeons
enough minor changes from PAD that you fell like it successfully makes its own niche (including no stamina)
amazing community and dev-support
Cons: The story is [sadly] weak and usually skipped
The lack of limiting factors like stamina means you unconsciously play yourself out of it most times
Leveling up allies alters their powers at level 5 such that some of them with powers you liked 1-49 now trigger something entirely different at 50.
7/10
Thursday, May 28, 2015
Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns PvE Beta
A brief mention as I did participate.
It was very lack-luster and kind of a disappointment. I am aware it was a stress test and am in no way slanted negatively towards them, but I was very underwhelmed in my experiences (~3 hours over 2 of the blocks). The root cause imho was a combination of the UI and the new systems implemented therein.
1) Story
While I wasn't expecting a great arc the sad, single quest with 4 sub-parts would take ~20 minutes to do solo unless your system crashed. Mine did twice but only once during the quests, so I had to start all over. The story chose the two decisions for you, railroading you in your script instead of presenting the options they're so proud to brag about in HoT. The events, day/night cycle, and outpost events were interesting but gave little to no indication of what you were supposed to do. 3 times I failed objectives when no enemies appeared, no interactive material spawned for us to 'deliver' and took a long time for use to figure out the 'to do'
2) User-Interface & Integration
So they bragged we would experience some of the new systems, masteries, and abilities for the new expansion. 3 hours in and a few rare people had figured out how to actually add points to their system. I ended up with 5, but I couldn't figure out how to actually spend them even though the mastery page said it was already full. To be honest gliding was the one thing I wanted to try and see how it went. No one was explaining anything in chat to assist other gamers and the vast majority of people didn't get to from what I've discussed with guildies and read in the forums.
3) Instructions
This was possibly the most heinous mistake that occurred and you';ll see the vein in the other points. There was no instruction. There was no intuitive design to implement any of these new systems as such leaving many people more unimpressed than I was. As I mentioned I had 5 mastery points, I had 8 or so tracks "open" to me to view, but everything was either grayed out and locked or already said I was fully trained and locked (1/1, 3/3, etc). I tried the classic double-click, went key-by-key down my board, even the drag and drop ability which left nothing accomplished. I hope they hold another one with better us of their players time. After I explored as much of the map as I cared to I just swapped to normal play and left the Beta with a sickening, empty feeling that didn't sit well for all the hype and attention this has been getting.
All grieving aside it looked pretty. That said in an age where anything sub-photo-realistic is considered retro, stylized, or cheap. I think no more than what I had with the teaser trailers thus far: it has potential but will likely be very small in comparisons to similar expansions [in other games] in both scope and newly accessible areas. This may be a glimmer at what is to come with a fuller-engrossing Season 3 Living World. This could rework a masterful overhaul to the game world we already know. There are too many unknowns and too many theories and speculation about where it all is going.
I previously had the experience the PvP map Conquest. This looks promising but a lot more play will be needed to understand all the new features going on in it. For it ~ 6/10
Still hopeful if a little less optimistic for HoT. 3.5/10 for the limited Beta
**Full Release Update** 5/10 was alright just way too small and limited to be taken serious as a MMO contender. ArenaNet will really have to step it up to keep its population, because everything I've seen and heard in chat and on forums (even from major content creators like Wooden Potatoes) has been steadily declining in favor because they're not keeping the audience entertained between content and they back back-pedaling more and more on their promises.
It was very lack-luster and kind of a disappointment. I am aware it was a stress test and am in no way slanted negatively towards them, but I was very underwhelmed in my experiences (~3 hours over 2 of the blocks). The root cause imho was a combination of the UI and the new systems implemented therein.
1) Story
While I wasn't expecting a great arc the sad, single quest with 4 sub-parts would take ~20 minutes to do solo unless your system crashed. Mine did twice but only once during the quests, so I had to start all over. The story chose the two decisions for you, railroading you in your script instead of presenting the options they're so proud to brag about in HoT. The events, day/night cycle, and outpost events were interesting but gave little to no indication of what you were supposed to do. 3 times I failed objectives when no enemies appeared, no interactive material spawned for us to 'deliver' and took a long time for use to figure out the 'to do'
2) User-Interface & Integration
So they bragged we would experience some of the new systems, masteries, and abilities for the new expansion. 3 hours in and a few rare people had figured out how to actually add points to their system. I ended up with 5, but I couldn't figure out how to actually spend them even though the mastery page said it was already full. To be honest gliding was the one thing I wanted to try and see how it went. No one was explaining anything in chat to assist other gamers and the vast majority of people didn't get to from what I've discussed with guildies and read in the forums.
3) Instructions
This was possibly the most heinous mistake that occurred and you';ll see the vein in the other points. There was no instruction. There was no intuitive design to implement any of these new systems as such leaving many people more unimpressed than I was. As I mentioned I had 5 mastery points, I had 8 or so tracks "open" to me to view, but everything was either grayed out and locked or already said I was fully trained and locked (1/1, 3/3, etc). I tried the classic double-click, went key-by-key down my board, even the drag and drop ability which left nothing accomplished. I hope they hold another one with better us of their players time. After I explored as much of the map as I cared to I just swapped to normal play and left the Beta with a sickening, empty feeling that didn't sit well for all the hype and attention this has been getting.
All grieving aside it looked pretty. That said in an age where anything sub-photo-realistic is considered retro, stylized, or cheap. I think no more than what I had with the teaser trailers thus far: it has potential but will likely be very small in comparisons to similar expansions [in other games] in both scope and newly accessible areas. This may be a glimmer at what is to come with a fuller-engrossing Season 3 Living World. This could rework a masterful overhaul to the game world we already know. There are too many unknowns and too many theories and speculation about where it all is going.
I previously had the experience the PvP map Conquest. This looks promising but a lot more play will be needed to understand all the new features going on in it. For it ~ 6/10
Still hopeful if a little less optimistic for HoT. 3.5/10 for the limited Beta
**Full Release Update** 5/10 was alright just way too small and limited to be taken serious as a MMO contender. ArenaNet will really have to step it up to keep its population, because everything I've seen and heard in chat and on forums (even from major content creators like Wooden Potatoes) has been steadily declining in favor because they're not keeping the audience entertained between content and they back back-pedaling more and more on their promises.
Saturday, May 16, 2015
The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot (2015)
The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot (2015*)
Ubisoft Montreal
PC
Arcade, Multi, Free2Play
Short one today as I attempted to grab an older title that I thought I'd played sufficiently and would require little refresher and I'd have it reviewed and could move on. At very few if any points in this transaction did any of that happen. Let me start off by assuming that I was in some kind of beta or early access for this because I remember playing it a bit in late 2013 or mid 2014 so the February 2015 date listed on the Steam page is incomplete or outright wrong. This makes no sense to me. The game from what I can gather has also changed drastically in the interval I was not playing to the point I am level 20 and have nothing in my castle but the starter resource nodes (x2). Previously I'd bought or hired traps, creatures, bosses to keep my loot safe and my many other nodes in working order. I couldn't figure out how to manage my lack of resources and the UI has a poor interface that lets you do nothing you want to where it would seem logical, everything must be selected, them toggled what you're doing, then proceed. Clunky does not even begin to cover it and I was so hoping for something a bit better. I guess I should say the reason I came back is in a game code trade I got a pet or something and decided to try it out. Well it follows me around and 'helps' but I have a semi-large, empty castle and now you apparently have to craft or summon the items using mats I did not have nor any idea how to get them. The game had just changed too much and was not being of any use for me to 1) rectify it or b) begin anew so I could learn again. Possibly I will try again on my smurf account (non-standard, usually just for extra storage or extraneous attempts at similar circumstances.
3/10
That said let me tell you why I wish it was better. The comical cartoons and the art style are very nice and approachable. It gives the impression od a Clash of Clans style game without (previously) all the strategic management of resources. I acquaint the minor sarcastic humor to the similar 'kid at heart' jokes present in alot of animated films and kids' shows you see today (I have younger cousins, some of my friends have kids, etc I HAVE seen some recent kiddie programs). There is nothing endearing me to attempt any further progress on my main account as it is free to play anyway so until I get around to doing this, "au revoir."
Ubisoft Montreal
PC
Arcade, Multi, Free2Play
Short one today as I attempted to grab an older title that I thought I'd played sufficiently and would require little refresher and I'd have it reviewed and could move on. At very few if any points in this transaction did any of that happen. Let me start off by assuming that I was in some kind of beta or early access for this because I remember playing it a bit in late 2013 or mid 2014 so the February 2015 date listed on the Steam page is incomplete or outright wrong. This makes no sense to me. The game from what I can gather has also changed drastically in the interval I was not playing to the point I am level 20 and have nothing in my castle but the starter resource nodes (x2). Previously I'd bought or hired traps, creatures, bosses to keep my loot safe and my many other nodes in working order. I couldn't figure out how to manage my lack of resources and the UI has a poor interface that lets you do nothing you want to where it would seem logical, everything must be selected, them toggled what you're doing, then proceed. Clunky does not even begin to cover it and I was so hoping for something a bit better. I guess I should say the reason I came back is in a game code trade I got a pet or something and decided to try it out. Well it follows me around and 'helps' but I have a semi-large, empty castle and now you apparently have to craft or summon the items using mats I did not have nor any idea how to get them. The game had just changed too much and was not being of any use for me to 1) rectify it or b) begin anew so I could learn again. Possibly I will try again on my smurf account (non-standard, usually just for extra storage or extraneous attempts at similar circumstances.
3/10
That said let me tell you why I wish it was better. The comical cartoons and the art style are very nice and approachable. It gives the impression od a Clash of Clans style game without (previously) all the strategic management of resources. I acquaint the minor sarcastic humor to the similar 'kid at heart' jokes present in alot of animated films and kids' shows you see today (I have younger cousins, some of my friends have kids, etc I HAVE seen some recent kiddie programs). There is nothing endearing me to attempt any further progress on my main account as it is free to play anyway so until I get around to doing this, "au revoir."
Thursday, May 14, 2015
Khet 2.0 (2014)
Khet 2.0 (2014)
BlueLine Games
PC
Single/Multi
Arcade
This is a relatively new addition to my collection and without a doubt a byproduct of some Steam sale or various bundle offer recently. That said, it's actually not that bad at all. I was expecting something akin to a clunky crossword or sudoku interface I've seen a dozen or so times in assorted incarnations and formats, but this went fairly smooth. Re-watching the trailer I think I got hooked by the puzzle aspect of it and the clincher--LASERS! Of yeah, you're playing a distinct, technologically superior Egyptian chess with laser-beams! Dr. Evil would be so proud. :)
Like most novice (or better) gamers I dove headfirst into it without consulting rules, instructions, or tutorials (not sure if it has any tbh, but I was in the mood to game). The learning curve is't that steep--use your turn to position or rotate a single piece while attempting o destroy you'r opponent's pharaoh. Mirrors will reflect in the 90-degree direction they are angled to. Anubis (2x each) require to be hit on their side or back to destroy. Scarab pieces can override/replace lesser pieces from your opponent's side otherwise they are locked where you place them. Just over an hour played so far and I felt so giddy I decided to throw a few lines down. I have yet to find a way to destroy scarabs, but I seem to be about a 50/50 W/L on medium difficulty.
Its a fairly involved little puzzle or strategy game with enough variations that it could very easily be applied to a mobile app or such. The back-and-forth gameplay is not timed so this could easily fit in a similar niche to 'Words with Friends' or even the early precursor online chess bouts. For the completionist in some of us there are Steam achievements, cards and therefore badges. It may not be something for everyone but it's a fairly inexpensive (on sale) game that casuals and strategy junkies could appreciate.
7.5/10
Upon reviewing their Steam product page apparently it won a few awards including a Mensa Select recognition. So yeah play this game and feel smart!
BlueLine Games
PC
Single/Multi
Arcade
This is a relatively new addition to my collection and without a doubt a byproduct of some Steam sale or various bundle offer recently. That said, it's actually not that bad at all. I was expecting something akin to a clunky crossword or sudoku interface I've seen a dozen or so times in assorted incarnations and formats, but this went fairly smooth. Re-watching the trailer I think I got hooked by the puzzle aspect of it and the clincher--LASERS! Of yeah, you're playing a distinct, technologically superior Egyptian chess with laser-beams! Dr. Evil would be so proud. :)
Like most novice (or better) gamers I dove headfirst into it without consulting rules, instructions, or tutorials (not sure if it has any tbh, but I was in the mood to game). The learning curve is't that steep--use your turn to position or rotate a single piece while attempting o destroy you'r opponent's pharaoh. Mirrors will reflect in the 90-degree direction they are angled to. Anubis (2x each) require to be hit on their side or back to destroy. Scarab pieces can override/replace lesser pieces from your opponent's side otherwise they are locked where you place them. Just over an hour played so far and I felt so giddy I decided to throw a few lines down. I have yet to find a way to destroy scarabs, but I seem to be about a 50/50 W/L on medium difficulty.
Its a fairly involved little puzzle or strategy game with enough variations that it could very easily be applied to a mobile app or such. The back-and-forth gameplay is not timed so this could easily fit in a similar niche to 'Words with Friends' or even the early precursor online chess bouts. For the completionist in some of us there are Steam achievements, cards and therefore badges. It may not be something for everyone but it's a fairly inexpensive (on sale) game that casuals and strategy junkies could appreciate.
7.5/10
Upon reviewing their Steam product page apparently it won a few awards including a Mensa Select recognition. So yeah play this game and feel smart!
Wednesday, May 6, 2015
Incomplete Games
So as I mentioned with KF2, I'm involved in what has to be my first or second "early access" game I've ever had. I was aware things would change, but I wasn't 100% prepared for how limited it was. Let's be fair and honest for a moment, I'm a full-time grad student, part time employee and I just shelled out $40 for an incomplete game. I'm the kind of cheap bastard gamer that buys hoards of games on the Steam sales, bundles, or just naturally waits for prices to go down. The last game I bought at launch was Borderlands 2 and I never doubted my decision there as my 500+ hours will attest to--for the record, no I've still never beaten it 100% or maxed a character yet.
Getting your "money's worth" is something that always comes up in these discussions because let's face it--you, me, us and the rest of the 99% don't always have all the money we want for all the things that interest us and rarely if ever have the time to enjoy them as much as we would like. Therefore it's a very personal question on whether and how much something is worth to you. I believe upon completion I will be spending well worth my money in game with friends or on my own in the future, I support what they're doing as a game developer, and I have a better than chance they WILL complete this game. Oh yeah, if you weren't aware, all these Alpha/Beta versions, early access, or pre-launch games are never guaranteed. You find them on Steam and sites like Kickstarter and IndieGoGo trying to come up with funds that they don't have or try to drum up interest in games to justify whatever financial support that are getting. I assume Steam vets them sufficiently, but there's 0 accountability on crowd-funded projects to ever be published. It's more of a gamble, one I've participated in a couple of times, but usually only after them meet their requested goals and I'm personally satisfied with what appears to be coming out of there. Two I can readily recall are Banner Saga & Star Citizen. Banner Saga was made by a start-up developer in Austin, TX and this was to be there first big release. I remember being captured first by their artwork and style, this hook led to me watching the video where they showcased a lot of the game already completed (another thing to consider as it can take years to develop games depending on where they are in production). They laid out clear points they wanted to achieve with this money they were asking for and I took the gamble. I enjoyed it and will likely review it at some point, even met one of the lead writers at PAX South earlier this year. Star Citizen is the newest brainchild of the man who most flight simulator or sci-fi games will know by name alone: Chris Roberts. This guy is behind some of the most best selling series in early PC gaming: Wing Commander. His presentation was a testament to what he WANTED to do, very little was flushed out at the time beyond concepts and some very primitive set-ups. But he was making the game regardless and shelled out more informative updates as their project flew thru record-breaking pledges. This baby, whenever it does come out will need me to upgrade to a new rig so I'm not having to run it on minimum settings, but looks jaw-dropping amazing.
Timetables are another thing I briefly mentioned, but are VERY important this day in age with all the instant gratification we've come to expect with the many facets of our lives. Some of these games are completed and just need a bit of polish and fine tuning. These early access period give development teams a great opportunity to stress-test their equipment and play-test their game as a whole. Forums and communities that stem from these experiences are always a mixed bag, but you can usually find quite a few people WANTING to help make the game a better thing. Other projects are just at the treatment or early-on in a design phase, this will take a considerable amount of time to complete and you need to at least be aware of that when you join in--money you're giving away NOW may not get you anything for months or even YEARS down the line. Usually a good team will keep the patrons and backers regularly hyped with updates or teases and announcements with what they're working on. The best ones will give you a calendar that you can follow--even if it changes as the process advances, just knowing they have a measurable goal is a comfort to those of us waiting in the virtual lists.
Beta-testing is a whole other circumstance altogether. For the record I have been involved with 3 closed betas. I was very big into League of Legends and a few years ago a company premiered a new MOBA-style game at QuakeCon entitles SMITE and asked me to be one of the many people trying it out. Many virtual forms were required and had to fill out reports and check lots of tedious little things there, and I didn't really enjoy the game anyway. So after a couple of weeks I filed my last report and moved on. The other one I wish to speak of is a mass-beta event, these are a lot more common closer to a launch. I got into the Elder Scrolls Online with a newsletter all-call to gamers who were interested in trying it out before launch. Only certain portions of the game were available with quests or travel points specifically bugged or left incomplete to keep everyone corralled where the developers wanted us. I participated in 3 of these weekends and filled out a single, short form each. There are some lucky bastards who get paid to play games and critique or identify flaws in the industry. I am not, nor have ever been. I also don't like quite a few genres so I probably wouldn't enjoy it as much as I might think.
If anyone has anything related they'd like to talk about, ask away. These discussion posts are just that to see if there's any interest.
Getting your "money's worth" is something that always comes up in these discussions because let's face it--you, me, us and the rest of the 99% don't always have all the money we want for all the things that interest us and rarely if ever have the time to enjoy them as much as we would like. Therefore it's a very personal question on whether and how much something is worth to you. I believe upon completion I will be spending well worth my money in game with friends or on my own in the future, I support what they're doing as a game developer, and I have a better than chance they WILL complete this game. Oh yeah, if you weren't aware, all these Alpha/Beta versions, early access, or pre-launch games are never guaranteed. You find them on Steam and sites like Kickstarter and IndieGoGo trying to come up with funds that they don't have or try to drum up interest in games to justify whatever financial support that are getting. I assume Steam vets them sufficiently, but there's 0 accountability on crowd-funded projects to ever be published. It's more of a gamble, one I've participated in a couple of times, but usually only after them meet their requested goals and I'm personally satisfied with what appears to be coming out of there. Two I can readily recall are Banner Saga & Star Citizen. Banner Saga was made by a start-up developer in Austin, TX and this was to be there first big release. I remember being captured first by their artwork and style, this hook led to me watching the video where they showcased a lot of the game already completed (another thing to consider as it can take years to develop games depending on where they are in production). They laid out clear points they wanted to achieve with this money they were asking for and I took the gamble. I enjoyed it and will likely review it at some point, even met one of the lead writers at PAX South earlier this year. Star Citizen is the newest brainchild of the man who most flight simulator or sci-fi games will know by name alone: Chris Roberts. This guy is behind some of the most best selling series in early PC gaming: Wing Commander. His presentation was a testament to what he WANTED to do, very little was flushed out at the time beyond concepts and some very primitive set-ups. But he was making the game regardless and shelled out more informative updates as their project flew thru record-breaking pledges. This baby, whenever it does come out will need me to upgrade to a new rig so I'm not having to run it on minimum settings, but looks jaw-dropping amazing.
Timetables are another thing I briefly mentioned, but are VERY important this day in age with all the instant gratification we've come to expect with the many facets of our lives. Some of these games are completed and just need a bit of polish and fine tuning. These early access period give development teams a great opportunity to stress-test their equipment and play-test their game as a whole. Forums and communities that stem from these experiences are always a mixed bag, but you can usually find quite a few people WANTING to help make the game a better thing. Other projects are just at the treatment or early-on in a design phase, this will take a considerable amount of time to complete and you need to at least be aware of that when you join in--money you're giving away NOW may not get you anything for months or even YEARS down the line. Usually a good team will keep the patrons and backers regularly hyped with updates or teases and announcements with what they're working on. The best ones will give you a calendar that you can follow--even if it changes as the process advances, just knowing they have a measurable goal is a comfort to those of us waiting in the virtual lists.
Beta-testing is a whole other circumstance altogether. For the record I have been involved with 3 closed betas. I was very big into League of Legends and a few years ago a company premiered a new MOBA-style game at QuakeCon entitles SMITE and asked me to be one of the many people trying it out. Many virtual forms were required and had to fill out reports and check lots of tedious little things there, and I didn't really enjoy the game anyway. So after a couple of weeks I filed my last report and moved on. The other one I wish to speak of is a mass-beta event, these are a lot more common closer to a launch. I got into the Elder Scrolls Online with a newsletter all-call to gamers who were interested in trying it out before launch. Only certain portions of the game were available with quests or travel points specifically bugged or left incomplete to keep everyone corralled where the developers wanted us. I participated in 3 of these weekends and filled out a single, short form each. There are some lucky bastards who get paid to play games and critique or identify flaws in the industry. I am not, nor have ever been. I also don't like quite a few genres so I probably wouldn't enjoy it as much as I might think.
If anyone has anything related they'd like to talk about, ask away. These discussion posts are just that to see if there's any interest.
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