Tag Archives: Gaming

Project Update! Books, Blogs, and Everything Else!

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Howdy, folks! These past few months have been downright crazy, but I wanted to give you all a heads up of what’s been keeping me away from blogging here at Professor Beej as regularly as I want to. Things are finally starting to calm down a little, and I’m able to focus more on specific projects. I thought you might be interested in knowing where the awesomeness is headed.

 

Birthright

Birthright - Final Cover

Last year, you all were awesome enough to crowdfund my first solo novel, Birthright. After a few setbacks in terms of finding an editor (and being more than a little naive when setting the delivery dates), I think we’re right on track. I’ve made my penultimate edits, and I just got back the manuscript from my final 2 polish editors, so I’m pretty confident the ebook will be ready in around 6 weeks, and the print version soon after that. For you Kickstarter backers, keep an eye out–a survey is coming to you soon.

 

Nimbus

Nimbus: A Steampunk Novel - Part 3 Cover

I can’t say I’m not shocked and amazed at the reception we’ve had for Nimbus. People seem to be enjoying our little serial novel experiment, and now that Part One is $0.99 on Amazon, it’s doing even better. Tell your friends.

Part Four is coming along well, and Austin and I hope to have this novel finished and edited within the next 4-5 weeks, too.  The holidays and a few personal issues on both our parts slowed down the release and made us lose some momentum, but we think the end of the book is going to blow your minds. If you haven’t caught up yet, you can snag the first three parts of Nimbus for your Kindle right now.

 

Geek Fitness

In case you didn’t hear, I started a new blog. Because of my phenomenal success at losing weight over the past couple of years–140 pounds!–I think I have a few things to say about the subject of fitness and health. And I mean, when my wife can tell her family that my three favorite things in the world are Star Wars, superheroes, and exercise, I think I need a fitness blog. Don’tcha think?

I’m also going out of my way to learn social media that isn’t Twitter, so I even set up Tumblr and Pinterest pages for Geek Fitness. Not to mention the Facebook page I’m still trying to learn. So if any of those are your chosen network, give me a tweet, a reblog, a repin, or a like.  I’d love for the site to blow up and do well, so share it with your friends, and hit me up if you have any ideas that could make it even better. It’s a month old, and I’m all ears.

 

MMO Gaming

And while it’s not really a project, my non-writing time has been taken up with a fair amount of MMO gaming, too.

I went back to WoW this past week, much to my wife’s chagrin, but I’m also toying around with The Secret World, Guild Wars 2, and Star Wars: The Old Republic. Each game has a lot going for it, and I have to be careful not to spend too much non-productive time online, but it’s nice to have so many quality games out there–especially so many quality games that don’t require subscriptions.

That’s what’s going on in my little corner of the world. What about you? What’s new with you folks?

 

Horizontally Awesome

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No, I’m not announcing my first adult film (Horizontally Awesome, get it?). I’m talking about why I enjoy Guild Wars 2 more than almost any MMO in the last few years: because it deals with horizontal progression, rather than vertical. I can play the game to play the game, not to treat it like a second–and maybe third–job.

When Guild Wars 2 dropped its first world event a while back, I logged on for the first time in months. I enjoyed what I had played of GW2 around launch as I PvPed some, leveled some, and generally figured out how the game works, but nothing ever really snagged me. None of the classes I played really felt like the one, nor did anything about the game make me feel like I just had to log on and play.

But during The Lost Shores event, I tried the Guardian class and fell in love. I have a gigantic sword, can AoE tank just about anything with it, and swap to a staff or scepter to immediately throw out support spells for my allies. When I say I was in love, I was in love.

So as I played further, I understood what ArenaNet was talking about horizontal progression and why it matters in games. You see, games like World of Warcraft and Star Wars: The Old Republic are based on vertical progression. That is, once you hit the level cap, you can only experience the rest of the game’s content by making your now-level-capped character more powerful by acquiring new pieces of equipment. You’re standing in one place, and growing taller. Vertical. Right? Right.

Guild Wars 2, however, throws that idea of progression out the window. Mostly. While there is a slight bit of vertical progression in the game, most of it is horizontal. You can hit the level cap, but all that level cap really does, is give you access to more areas of the game. When you go into lower-level areas, you are deleveled to where the content is still a challenge. A level 80 in a level 13 zone would be around level 13 in terms of actual power.

That means that, as a player, you are playing this game to play this game. Once you get to the level cap, the game itself doesn’t change like in traditional MMOs. There is no “endgame” because the endgame is just the game itself. The level cap basically just grants you full-access to it. You work for 80 levels for the right to do whatever you want to do.

It’s not a sandbox, but it’s pretty close to it. Guild Wars 2 is a game based on exploration and new ideas and making sure that the players get to partake in those ideas. Content is not arbitrarily gated from players.

Sure, I have to earn the right to see the new areas, but once I’ve earned that–by playing the game and having fun where I can–I get to do what I want. I don’t have to have a combat rating or gearscore. My gigantic sword doesn’t have to have a purple name to prove I’m shiny enough to enter into the Big Bad Castle of Baron Toocool Fornoobs. If I want to go there, I can. If I don’t, I’ll do something else.

In a horizontally awesome game, I can do that. There is a lot of hate out there because there is nothing keeping players around, no gear treadmill or carrot-on-a-stick forcing players to log on, and folks say GW2 will die because of it.

I don’t know what the game will look like in 2 years, nor do I care. I know that right now, it’s about having fun and letting MMO gamers–for the first time in my decade and a half in the genre–decide when and how that happens. On their terms. Not the developers’.

And if that wasn’t enough, check out the upcoming Christmas event, Wintersday, and tell me you don’t want to take part. I dare you.

[Guest Post] – 10 Of The Most Moving Moments In Gaming History

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Author Alfie Davenport works in the technology department at Ladbrokes Games. Please direct any crying, wailing, and/or gnashing of teeth caused by this list in his direction.

When your mother/beloved/work colleagues look at you quizzically next time you say you got choked up by a video game, point them in the direction of this article. In this top ten, they will see that video games are just as cinematic as a tearjerker film.

SPOILER ALERT! 

10. The Walking Dead, Episode 3

This episodic, downloadable game has choice-based gameplay. The part where you have to choose to kill the zombie-infected kid Duck, or let his father do it will have you in tears. Heartbreaking.

9. Dead Island

OK, so the trailer had nothing to do with the actual story arc of the game, but it was still hard-hitting. It’s a camcorder film showing an idyllic family holiday which is ruined by zombies. Shudder.

8. Resistance 2

A really poignant moment comes in the form of a fleeting discovery when the team are looking round the war-torn Twin Falls in Idaho. There is a bedroom where a couple have obviously given up hope and committed suicide. It’s reminiscent of a scene from the much acclaimed film 28 Days Later. Bleak.

7. LA Noire

Rockstar’s LA Noire had one of the most jarring endings to a video game ever. No happy or conclusive finale here, just a profound sense of injustice and the loss of our main character, Phelps. After uncovering the truth about corruption, you watch those same corrupt officers make a ëheartfelt’ speech at his funeral. Thought-provoking.

6. Shadow of the Colossus

Anyone who remembers Neverending Story and the moment Atreyu’s horse Artex gets swallowed up by the quicksand will appreciate the lump-in-throat moment in Colossus. Hero Wander’s horse Agro sacrifices herself as she realises she won’t make a jump en route to the final Colossus. She saves Wander and falls to her death. Weepy.

5. Final Fantasy X

After endless hours of gameplay and the development of the love between Tidus and Yuna, the end is all the more moving. Without trying to convey the complex storyline, basically Tidus has to go at the end and fades away beside Yuna with an emotional soundtrack and you really feel the sense of loss. Beautiful.

4. Metal Gear Solid 4

The part where main character Naomi Hunter dies while Otacon, who is in love with her, watches on through a computer screen, is just heartbreaking. She feels responsible for her past mistakes and commits suicide by switching off the machines that have been preventing her terminal cancer from spreading. Dark.

3. Mass Effect 3: Mordin’s Sacrifice

The third offering from the Mass Effect series sees likeable alien scientist Mordin deciding to take responsibility in creating the Genophage weapon and sacrificing himself in order to destroy it. Accompanied by soaring music and explosions, he battles his way through to the computer, humming Gilbert and Sullivan to keep up his spirits. Sob.

2. Red Dead Redemption

Having completed the game, main character John Marston goes back home to get to know his son, only to face one last stand which he has no hope of winning. He packs his family off to safety (I’ll catch up. Keep riding and don’t look back.) and faces the attackers alone. It’s his wife’s horribly realistic sobbing that gets ya! Gulp.

1. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

At the end, General Shepherd shoots you whilst you play an incapacitated, blurry-eyed Roach and then he kills arguably the coolest character ever ñ Ghost. It’s a slow, painful death where you get thrown into your grave with Ghost. Then they pour gasoline on you and Shepherd completes his betrayal by nonchalantly lighting it with his cigar. Just horrible.

Did we miss a moment? What is your most memorable gaming moment that moved you?

[Guest Post] – Best Board Game Adaptations for iPad

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Evan Fischer is a contributing writer for Download Free Games, where you can find games like Gold Miner Special Edition, Puzzle Games and countless others.

Remember the good old days, when all it took to amuse you was a night of fun provided by the game closet? Popular board games were used not only for diversion, but to teach kids valuable life skills. For example, Monopoly imparted concepts like earning, spending, and saving (i.e. counting) money, as well as the progression of purchasing and upgrading property in order to charge more for rent. And Life gave you a window into the adult world, from getting a job and buying a house to having a carful of kids.

In short, most board games offered an education in addition to hours of entertainment.

But technology has definitely gone beyond what can be offered by a simple piece of cardboard with a printout pasted to it. These days most relevant gaming occurs on consoles like the PS3 and Xbox 360, computers, and of course, mobile devices like cell phones and tablets. Luckily, some of your favorite childhood board games have been adapted for use on the iPad.

Scrabble. There are plenty of rip-offs running around out there that you can try (Words with Friends, Bananagrams, etc.), but you can’t beat the original game that gives you a limited selection of letters and then forces you to make real words out of them. This is pretty much the same deal as the board game you’re used to, except that you can now play it on the go (without the mess of physical travel versions) and your friends don’t have to be in proximity to engage in wordplay with you.

 

Monopoly. While you’ll have to settle for playing with virtual versions of your beloved avatars, you’ll still get the game you remember with a few added features. Aside from the stellar HD graphics (courtesy of the new retina display), you’ll enjoy three modes of gameplay, including a solo version that you can play against the computer (it’s a lot more fun than playing the traditional board game by yourself), as well as two options to play with friends (either remotely or in “tabletop” mode that allows you to play with up to four people).

 

 

Trivial Pursuit: Master Edition. If you’re all about trivia, then this mobile version of this classic recall game should be right up your alley. However, it comes with extras that allow you to pick your mode (classic lets you play with others with pursuit mode allows you solo fun), you can utilize the tabletop version if all the players are in proximity, and you can even up the difficulty level, set time limits, and track your stats.

 

 

The Game of Life. I have to admit that I didn’t like this game as a kid (what 10-year-old wants to think about getting a job and having kids?), but the electronic version of the game seems a lot more fun. You can now zoom in and interact with the game board (thanks to HD graphics), customize your character, and play with up to six people. And you won’t be tempted to flick your car (kids and all) off the game board halfway through.

 

 

RISK. Some of us are content to play whatever free games happen to be available on the iTunes store (no matter how crappy they are). Others are hell-bent on world domination. RISK is a game for the latter group. You can go solo, play with those in your immediate vicinity, or get your friends in remote locations to log on and challenge you. Then all you have to do is conquer the world!

 

 

What mobile board games are you playing?

 

Why You Should Try DOTA 2 (and Other ARTS Games)

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The rise of the ARTS (Action Real-Time Strategy) genre has been meteoric indeed. Earlier this month, data provided by XFire showed that League of Legends had become the most played PC game in the world, with over 1.3 billion hours played and surpassing even the mighty World of Warcraft.

For many of us though, the ARTS genre remains a mystery. There is no doubt that it is popular, but many of us just haven’t had the chance to engage with it. Where did this phenomenon begin? What’s the hype all about? And, perhaps most importantly, why start playing now?

The Mod that Started a Genre

The first commonly-accepted example of a ARTS was Aeon of Strife, a custom map for StarCraft. In the map, each player controls a hero that levels up during the course of the battle.

This concept was further refined in the form of Defense of the Ancients (DotA), a custom mod for Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos. The objective was to destroy the other team’s ancient, located in their base. Still using an RTS-style interface, each player took on the powers of a particular hero. These were based on units from Warcraft III, but the player controlled no other units–just the hero. Automated NPCs called “creeps” travelled on predestined paths toward the enemy base, and there was no base management since these “creeps” spawned automatically at set intervals. Defeating enemy computer-controlled units as well as enemy players granted XP and gold, allowing heroes to level up and purchase powerful items. The unique composition of each team and the tactical decisions made during the course of the match would determine the outcome.

The mod was intensely popular and spawned several spin-offs. One of the hallmarks of the mod from the very beginning was the emphasis placed on game balance and on keeping the game competitive. This aspect of the mod’s design would carry over to its successors and is part of what made the genre so popular.

The Genre Emerges

Demigod was the first commercially-produced standalone title in the ARTS genre when it was released in 2009, but a troubled release including bugs and server problems meant that it received mixed reception from both critics and users. In addition, while it was definitely a member of the genre, it was evident that it was trying to appear aesthetically and thematically different from DotA. It also lacked some of the highlights of DotA, like a large and varied character selection.

The first standalone game that was both a title in the genre and a spiritual successor to DotA is undoubtedly League of Legends. While Riot Games, the developer and publisher of the game, tried to redefine the genre’s name (opting to call it a MOBA, or Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) to move it away from its DotA heritage, the experience was undoubtedly based in the original mod.

Riot Games also managed to make the game a resounding financial success by appealing to their players’ competitive nature. Some heroes were free to play, but others required that you purchase them from the store in order to play them. Some heroes would have limited free periods, so you could see the hero in action before you purchased it. Though you could technically play League of Legends and spend nothing to do so, not many people did. Riot showed the world that the model worked and that the genre held great profit-making potential.

On the other hand, Riot’s monetization of hero selection was criticized by some players. The dedication to balance and a competitive environment that began with DotA was harder to maintain, since a player would need to spend money to get additional hero choices. In addition, some players claimed that new heroes tended to initially be (or to seem) slightly more powerful than older ones. Some theorized this was an attempt to encourage players to purchase the new hero to gain a power advantage.

Still, you can’t argue with results. The impact of League of Legends’ emergence had been felt, and other companies would answer.

The Next Wave

The next major title to be released in the genre was Heroes of Newerth, from S2 Games. The game featured a steeper learning curve and was less forgiving than League of Legends, and in some ways this was more in line with the original DotA mod. Active abilities were used less on creeps and more for harassment. Mana conservation was more important. Like the original DotA, there was no way to recall to your base outside of specific items.

The game did gain significant converts and showed that multiple games in the genre could co-exist if they were mechanically different enough. Though both games were undoubtedly based on DotA, they each had a niche: HoN was trying to cater to the more competitive, original DotA audience while LoL had expanded the genre and pushed it to the forefront.

Heroes of Newerth did eventually convert to a free to play model, as well–however, unlike League of Legends, the purchasable items are now mostly cosmetic and S2 has announced that in the future no restrictions will be placed on hero selection (besides early access to the hero).

Dota 2 Arrives

Dota 2, produced by Valve Corporation in association with IceFrog (one of DotA’s creators), shows promise as the next entry in the ARTS genre. As with so many of their games (see: Counter-Strike, Team Fortress 2, Portal), Valve hired the talent and worked with them to make sure they got the game that they wanted. They also went with Dota 2 as opposed to “DotA 2”, as they believe that Dota has become its own concept.

It is currently in beta, so while you can’t guarantee a free invite, you can guarantee yourself a paid one. Basically, if you buy an invite to the game via Steam, you’re paying for a bunch of cosmetic items for heroes in the game. The game is currently slated to be free to play, and hopefully will release this year, so if you wait until it is released generally you won’t have to pay anything to begin playing. You can sign up for a chance at beta access here.

And what a game it is!

Valve’s well-known talent for polish takes the ARTS experience to a whole new level. The spectating system is easy to use and allows you to learn the game by watching others play. There is a full in-game encyclopedia of all heroes and items available. It is clear to me that Valve has designed this game to be playable and user-friendly from the moment the floodgates are opened and it becomes publicly available. High-profile tournaments are held and advertised within the client itself, on the main page. The main page itself is beautiful and easy to navigate and the UI generally is just a thing of beauty. And, as a kicker, all the heroes are free.

That’s right, all of them. The purchasable items in the Store are cosmetic or fun items. Think of it much like the inventory system in TF2, except that the items have no additional effects. Valve has continued their crate metagame, wherein you can pay for a key in the Store to unbox a crate containing a random item that you may sometimes receive after a game. There are also extremely entertaining Announcer Packs, which change the default announcer’s voice to a different one. Again though, these are entirely optional.

I’ll get this out of the way right now: Dota 2, as a game, is less forgiving than League of Legends. The difficulty and technicality of the gameplay is much more in line with the original DotA than with LoL. There are critical moments in the game like during early-game gank attempts, or during mid- to late-game team fights that you’ll have trouble identifying at first. If this is your first ARTS, you will probably suck badly in your first few games.

I know I did, and I still do.

There is some learning to do if you’re new to the genre. Initially, you’ll probably struggle with some of the following: risk management, which items to purchase, how much punishment you can take, and what the other heroes around you are capable of.

That may sound like a lot, and it is, but these things come with experience, so you shouldn’t be discouraged if you aren’t an instant professional. What I recommend is finding a group of friendly people to help you along. Unfortunately, these types of games aren’t known for friendly, welcoming teammates when queuing for random games.

If you don’t have friends to play with, look for a regular group or just watch some games for a while. If you want to get used to a particular hero, you can play a practice game against bots. The bot AI in this game is actually pretty decent, too.

Having said that, if you can push past the initial frustration, there is incredibly deep gameplay waiting for you on the other side. Communication, coordination, and proper use of abilities are crucial to success. Again, I confess to be terrible at the game still, but I am starting to see the little strategies and tactics that can make a difference. The detail-oriented gamer in me squeals with glee when I see these in action.

I really think Valve’s model and their beautiful, user-friendly client are the future of this genre. World Cyber Games thinks so too, replacing League of Legends with Dota 2 in this year’s tournament. The game is amazing, and for all the reasons listed above, you should check it out. If the initial $30 for an invite and the aforementioned cosmetic items is too prohibitive, you can always wait until the floodgates open later this year.

How do you feel about ARTS games, or League of Legends or Dota 2 specifically? Let me know in the comments!