Cantousent

I can still play Ultima IV from start to finish. I can't say that of any other Ultima game. About a year ago, I did play a game of it start to finish. It's clunky, old, and "quaint" by today's standards. It's still an awesome game.

A lot of the folks online around here seem quite interesting. Gromnir has always been someone I'd like to meet for a beer, just to see what the hell he's like in person. Mr. Chu has grabbed my interest simply because of his tastes in games. Really, I'd like to meet everyone here in real life, but the point isn't to make a long list. It's to state the one person you'd like most to meet. Capelworth doesn't come around here much any more. Hell, neither do I. ...But, if I had to choose one person, it would be Cappy. Not because I'm curious. ...And not because I have anything important to say. I'd just like to buy the guy a beer and sit down for a discussion. So, who would you most like to meet in real life? Why?

I've been playing City of Heroes myself. Unfortunately, my coursework is a bear, so I haven't had the time to play as much as I'd like. It's also my first MMORPG. I consider it Role-playing, no doubt. Crimson Skies rocks. I went through the packaged campaign three times, which isn't bad for an xbox title, and then I've played some multiplayer games.

You'd think the guy who runs the show over there would get a better tag than "developer." You know, maybe something like "uber-developer" or "Jeffe in chief" or something like that. ...Not that I'm complaining.

I might be wrong, but Fable didn't appear to have any dialogue at all. Now, in the demo, the character only ran around chatting with random villagers, but no dialogue. Instead, a little icon would appear over the head of his conversation partner. In the case of the women, it would be a heart if he were trying to impress them. The character also had the opportunity to buy gifts for the target of his desires. These gifts ranged from teddy bears to a house. Alas, I spent most of my time with Jade Empire. I don't really hate romance in CRPGs, but it's not like I was going to go out of my way to seek one, so the area of Fable I did play was all about combat. I didn't think the combat was all that bad. There were a variety of interesting modes, such as magic, melee, and range (including sniper mode). It was quite easy to switch magic and melee back and forth, which is what I did to wipe out a series of skeletons... and some big skeleton bosses at the end of the area. I dunno, I'll wait to see more, but Fable didn't capture my interest quite as well. It had its good points, I'll own up to that, but I expected more. Apparently, at least for the weak willed (like me), it's best not to have high expectations these days. I didn't think I'd like Jade Empire and it was fun.

Do it. They can't be nearly as expensive to make as other genres. I still play adventure games. It's the only genre my wife and I have finished together. Come on, Mr. Chu, think of the fans. THINK OF THE FANS!

I used to have to basically live out of hotels. One week, when I was sick of not sleeping in my own bed with my wife, I decided to commute to a project down in San Diego. It was 108 miles one way every day for a week. I would often be on the road for over 2 hours in the evening. Is it worth it? Well, I decided to pursue my love of classics rather than work as a district trainer.... Plus the pay wasn't all that.

Yeah, if you were driving between LA and Orange county, you had it bad. You work as a programmer, Tri, were you there?

I've recently heard that it was really a fan event. That must mean that a lot of folks just didn't hear about it. That's kind of good, since it meant that there were plenty of machines to use for playing the demos. ...And it was after hours so no swarms of sweaty geeklings. I mean, I wasn't really sweating, but I was definitely a geekling. No swarm, though. You guys should pipe in with support of the promotional idea. It might not make a difference, but it can't hurt if folks suggest that they'd like it.

I was thinking, recently, about promotions. You know, gamers are geeks. Sure, some aren't geeks. Some are nerds, goofs, or dweebs, that's true. Me? I'm a geek. Now, being a geek, I know something about geeks. That's why I've decided to share my insight. Oh, I know.... someone will say this isn't feasible. Some will say that things of this sort have been tried in the past. Fine. Just hear me out and then decide. Okay, you guys are in Irvine, right? That's not such a bad location for selling the sequel for a best selling xbox title. In fact, a lot of your fans live in the area. Now, you guys could put something in the game for a collector's edition package, and that would be all well and good. Include the usual collectors' odds and ends in your collector's edition. I pre-order collector's editions when I think I'm going to really love the title. I've been happy with the product every time I've ordered a collector's edition. The thing is, don't just have a collector's edition. Have a "release party" sale. What's that? Well, you don't sell the game. You sell tickets to a release party. The game is part of the sale's price. Only accept credit cards for purchase. That gives you a way to back out if the plan doesn't work. NO charge on the card means no refunds. Most folks will use email, so backing out won't be a huge deal. However, it could actually sell very well. When sales for the "release party" tickets (including a t-shirt and the usual collector's stuff) hits critical mass, you secure a location for the event. Make it some place with a bar for the older crowd, but respectable enough that moms and dads won't have a problem with their teenage kid driving there. (geeks are suckers, trust me) Most of the gaming geeks who will attend will be in their late twenties. There will be a sizeable number of us thirty somethings. Hey, I'm confident that we'll get folks forties and older. Sure, the reality is a bunch of you will have to draw straws to see who has to babysit the sweaty geeks, but it will be worth it. Have some folks there to sign the inevitable poster you'll include. Make sure the folks who go will be patient enough to answer questions. Include the chance to win door prizes and just reflect that price in the ticket. What the hell, you can wrap up a ton of promotional stuff in one thing. Give a free ticket to the party to print and electronic media and you've got free coverage. ...And that can only augment the coverage you'll get just for the name on the title of the game. Here's the last bit, to entice folks who might balk at the added price of the "release party" ticket, just put on the advertisement that you'll have exclusive information about your latest upcoming title at the party. Then include some tid-bits that will satisfy the more rational geeks. Okay, if someone has already thought of this, then I apologize. I would cite them if I'd heard of it. There are "release parties," but one set up this way sounds cool. If it's been done the way I describe, though, it's only a sign that it can be done the way I've described. If it hasn't been done, then you can pioneer the idea. Having set up training seminars in the past, I know the logistics aren't that tough. It's just a matter of getting your HR department to get on the task. Oh, and I'd buy a ticket. You can't cheat me if I know what I'm buying when I buy it. Say the normal price of the game is $50 in this area, just make it $65. *Eldar steps down from the podium and puts a large target on his back.*

Actually, could you get a good look at the planets in the footage. Some of us haven't seen it yet. I'm curious also to know if you got any idea if there were more planets or not. I did a seach, but didn't find an answer.

Aw, come on, Vol. You're the spirit of tact and diplomacy.

I used to play a lot of Magic the Gathering. I've even won a sanctioned tournament and all. I don't think Pazaak requires the same amount of strategic thinking, but maybe I'm wrong. I'm an xbox and a PC player, by the way. As far as card games go, it's not terrible. *shrug* As far as CRPGs go, it's not really the same thing. I hate being forced to play cross genre mini games. I don't hate all mini games. I just want the choice as to whether or not I play them. Answering that I have the choice about whether I play the game in the first place or not is not satisfying and I think most companies understand that. For instance, that mini game in Jade Empire is total comedy. It's like Galaga to a T. ...But you have the option of playing it or not.

Hey, as long as I don't have to play it, or at least very often, I won't care. I'm not going to play any more pazak than the game commands.

Your hostility drives you from the light side of the force, young Gruberman.... Be at peace and listen to the way of Tae Kwon Leap. Saravok's armor is also a ghastly fashion statement in the KotOR universe. You should stick with loose fitting robes and soft, fabric footwear. It's all very high tech these days.

It hinders the use of your force powers.

*tip of the hat It's not all that hard to listen. It's true. Since we're simply going to have romances in our games, no one can really argue with the idea that the romances should be well done. What the definition of a "well done" romance is remains a matter for debate. Drakron: Yep, there was a lot of romance swirling around PS:T. It wasn't in your face most of the time, but it was there.

Well, yeah. I guess that would be fair to say. Maybe a little more than that, but it's definitely backseat to the rest of the story.

Annah was boring while Fall From Grace was exciting? You're Psychotic. Truly barmy freakin' MAD!

I'm not one to get hot and bothered by video game romances. Hey, as long as the chics look like chics in the game, I'm happy. Call me a chauvanist if you must. Annah, however, was hot. The types of implicit (nods to Situationist) tension between TNO and Annah was outright sizzling. It was much better than the run of the mill over the head beating you get from video game romances of late. Annah is jealous (because of her character) of every female who even might be considered a threat. For that reason, having Annah and FFG in the party is quite pleasing. I especially love some of the dialogue in the Brothel where Annah demonstrated her jealous nature. On the other hand, these outbursts were spread far enough apart that the player didn't trip over them every five seconds of play.

The thing to remember is that it's not going to punish folks who don't like to rely entirely on reflexes. You will have the opportunity to think about moves and different styles and approaches definitely have a huge impact on combat. In that respect, it has strategy. The thing is, obviously you're not going to build a party of six characters with wildly different abilities and powers. In Baldur's Gate, the player can build a party with a Fighter, a cleric, a bard, a wizard, a thief, and ranger. ...Or the player can build a party with a paladin, two clerics, a wizard, a fighter/thief, and sorceror. ...or the player can build a party with a barbarian, a fighter, a paladin, a cleric, a druid, and a mage/thief. ...Or etc. Obviously, strategy in Baldur's Gate is different than strategy in Jade Empire. ...But strategy is different in Baldur's Gate, Knights of the Old republic, and Neverwinter Nights, right? Different requirements for the player doesn't necessarily mean something bad. Even in the small demo I played, different styles had a substantial effect on how well I did against the monsters. One part from the big demo that I found quite cool was when the main character walk near some of the baddies and overheard a conversation. He could then run around speaking with folks around the map. In that respect it's a lot like KotOR, which I take as a good thing.

It's realtime with pause. No need to worry on that front. The fighting really is, well, fighting. There are some ranged attack sorts of moves, but your enemies can be on you pretty quick. Some of them seem to require ranged attacks like that big Elephant looking thing they were fighting in the big demo. Don't count on ranged attacks in quite the same way you might have in Baldur's Gate, though. Really, I doubt if I know any more than the hardcore fans that have been following the development. Next time, Gromnir, I'll be prepared. heh heh. BIG EDIT FOR VOL: The thing about combat is that you're almost always damned close to your opponent. The camera can spin. You can get closer or farther away from your character. Your enemies can sometimes surround you. I found combat very easy, but at least one of the monsters was made easier for the demo and the character you played, no matter which one you created for the demo, had enhanced abilities as you would suspect. The lead programmer was there and I asked him a bit about the areas. He said that the areas were taken from different parts of the game. By the time the player managed to get to the last area in the demo, he (or she, if you choose to play a woman) had a whole slew of powers. That included magic fire and ice moves, crescent or dual ax hand to hand styles, and the ability to convert into a huge hulking monster. That's just the demo. I'm sure the whole game will include the special items and such that Bioware showed off on the big demo. Considering all that, I don't know if strategy in the traditional sense of building a party will be the rule. I doubt it. However, personal style and approaches will definitely be part of the Jade Empire experience. Also, what I got about Dragon Age was, "we're working on it, but I can't tell you anything about it." heh heh. Sorry Vol, I just don't have the skinny on anything. I'm not a reporter type, just a gamer.

A gamer geek gets a very small peek at E3.

"...dialogues [are] much more satisfying if they're not all caught up in the Quest for Electronic Nookie" Comedy. I like how you said platonic instead of plutonic. A plutonic relationship is one where my wife has all the money and I am a parasite.

One day you'll be able to say, "Barbie: Groovie Games was a huge influence on my work!" B) I might have to break down and buy Max Payne for the PC. I'd just like to feel like I have a choice rather than being the old dog who can't learn the new trick with xbox controllers. You're a pretty varied bunch over there. Text adventures, scrabble, FPSes, arcade style games, kids' games, and cardgames like Cribbage. What a spread. Even the dreaded *gasp* Diablo. Heh, for my sins, I enjoyed both Diablo and Dungeon Siege. I know... I know... DS is a great screen saver. Hey, when you get old, you want your games to play themselves. It's easier on you that way. I hope this isn't an offensive question, but do you think that some of these non-type games really do have an influence on your work for something like an RPG? It just sounds like there wouldn't be much there that would impact your current project. Max Payne, maybe, because the presentation and atmosphere in an FPS is somewhat similar to a CRPG. Some of the other games, though... Or is it simply a matter that games are games and you can't really tell where the influence begins or ends. Sorry to keep peppering you fellows with questions.