lumi21

Writer's Block: I May Be Crazy

2009-08-10T19:07:36Z

What does this Rorschach blot look like to you?

View 538 Answers

Chibi vampire bat flyin' at ya!

Wheel of Time summaries

2009-04-09T20:52:36Z

I...have to share these.

GDC Conference Report

2009-04-01T00:52:12Z

GDC was awesome. Some details to follow.

Well, it certainly didn't disappoint. We were there from Sunday to Sunday (more on that later). I got the chance to visit my aunt/godmother who lives in Sausalito, and kindly showed me around San Francisco on Sunday and Friday (it being my first trip to CA ever).

We saw Ghirardelli Square (I bought...a lot of chocolate), the Embarcadero (ate at The Slanted ~~Dwarf~~ Door, and hit See's Candy to buy...more chocolate). We drove down Lombard Street (aka the most crookedest street in the world...I cannot possibly imagine living on that street, it would be a nightmare), visited George Lucas' campus at the Presidio, saw the Golden Gate Bridge from a couple dozen different angles, and, to my delight, visited Coit Tower (for the 6/7 players in the house, that's where I found the Bradshaw media storage depot with the Jennifer artifacts...it was so cool to actually go there, but sadly, I could not find the storage depot X.x). During the whole thing, I got a great history lesson about various aspects of the city.

Right, then. The conference.

Monday

Day 1 of the Game Design Workshop. Introduction to the MDA framework (Mechanics -> Dynamics -> Aesthetics). This was mostly review, but it's the sort of stuff that is well worth reviewing at regular intervals, IMHO. Also introduced the concept of "fail fast" (IOW, rapid iteration...make sure you're not getting hung up on details in early prototypes so you can quickly see what does and doesn't work, make adjustments, and move on to the next iteration). Again, basic stuff and review for most in the room, but good stuff to review.

They broke us up into three groups at that point and sent us to three different rooms, where we further broke down into groups of 6 for an exercise based on Sissyfight 3000. It was great...my group came up with a survival horror theme with a zombie horde. Then we overheard the group next to us declare that they were doing a survival horror theme with an axe murderer, so we reskinned ours to be a boy band running from a ravening horde of screaming 14 year old girls. It played out well, to the entertainment of the rest of the crowd =)

At this point we had to sign up for elective events. I chose "World of Rulecraft" for the first section, which was a sort of "Massively Multiplayer Offline Roleplaying Game". We each chose a class (Rogue, Warrior, or Mage) and went around the room challenging each other to duels (or in the case of rogues like myself, stealing from the other players =D). When we defeated five different people, we could go to the admins and level up, increasing our power.

The catch was, every couple of minutes, "the servers went down", and when they came back up, there were updated "patch notes" on the projection screen. The patch notes were determined by a seperate group of workshop attendees who were chosen beforehand as "moderators". The purpose of the exercise was to get an understanding of how to handle changes to a ruleset that occurred during gameplay. It was probably the most enjoyable part of the workshop.

The second elective for the afternoon was an introduction to the game The Three Musketeers. Pretty simple and straightforward, moderately fun. Our "homework assignment" was to find a way to improve upon the gameplay, specifically to find rulesets that accomodated 3 players, or 4 players. The bonus question was to find a ruleset that handled anywhere from 2-4 players. Harder than it sounds, believe me.

Monday night there was an RPI Alumni event at the Westin hotel a couple blocks away. I saw a number of people there, including arkineaux, one of my fellow 6/7 players, and many others. It was a great time, I ended up staying out with RPI folk until quite late. Also I got a nifty bottle opener and a pen to commemorate the event O.o

Going to take a break here, and cover the other days in a later post.

GDC

2009-03-30T04:09:47Z

More details when I'm not dead from, well, everything, but...GDC, after about 7 years of pedestal-worshipping anticipation, was everything I'd hoped for and more.

Also...Hideo Kojima? Pretty funny guy, especially with a powerpoint presentation to back him up.

Retro gamer bonus points

2009-03-05T16:52:42Z

Retro look at the stimulus package pricetag.

Poor Muncher.

GDC

2009-01-15T17:13:01Z

Will anyone else be attending the Game Developer's Conference in San Francisco this year?

Relocation

2008-12-31T07:26:34Z

It has been a... hectic few months. It will continue to be hectic for at least another month, but for now, the relevant summary is that I am moving from New York to Alpharetta, Georgia, at the end of January to take a new game designer position at Xaviant.

Life update

2008-10-24T18:37:52Z

Sort of. The short version is, "stuff happened, updates pending". I'll make up for the quiz I missed this week when I get the chance.

In the meantime, enjoy two of my friend's excellent Evil League of Evil applications: Dug and Mirandom.

Political gaming ftw?

2008-10-22T18:00:19Z

I am in zhai's debt for sharing this with me:

Best campaign log excerpt ever.

I'll take Useless Crap for 4500, Alex

2008-10-16T20:58:57Z

Here. Have some week-old answers!

By special request, there is a theme overlaying the usual categories this week. I'll leave it to you all to figure it out!

Same rules as always: NO Internet, post your submission, and highlight for the answers after I post them later.

1. To cure Desert Fever, one must acquire a Sand Ruby. Where can one be found?
2. What causes Teal'c to dream that he is a human firefighter, and has agreed to donate a kidney to Master Bra'tac (also apparently human now)?
3. Fill in the blank: "This isn't part of my program! I'm a doctor, not a ________." - Emergency Medical Hologram
4. What is the name of the chemical used by members of The Cadre that slows the perceptual passage of time, giving them superhuman reaction time? What is the primary drawback of its use?
5. Approximately how much blood does the average adult human body contain?

1. Should one be unfortunate enough to contract this affliction while crossing the desert near the oasis village of Kaipo, better hope someone is around to retrieve the Ruby from the lair of the ant-lion.
2. This surreal episode of Stargate SG-1, written by Christopher Judge (the actor who portrays Teal'c), includes a hallucination in which the organ transplant is representative of the need to share his Goa'uld symbiote with Bra'tac to survive following an ambush that leaves both grievously injured.
3. This particular permutation of the infamous Bones-Kirk exchange is notable because it is used by the EMH in First Contact. Upon activation, he is told by Beverly Crusher to "create a distraction" for the Borg drones about to break the door down, to which he replies that he is a doctor, not a doorstop.
4. Cadre members are privy to the most classified of pharmaceutical packages for their personal internal pharmacopes. The pinnacle of such chemical enhancements is called "the tick", which, while granting superhuman response time in almost any situation, has the unpleasant side effect of violent nausea and vomiting every time its effects wear off, leaving the user feeling like his or her stomach has just been through the wringer. If none of this makes any sense, I recommend Path of the Fury, by David Weber ^_~
5. The approximate volume of blood in an adult human is roughly five litres.

Good luck!

...oh yeah. THAT was definitely the reason.

2008-10-14T16:41:45Z

Uve Boll blames Tara Reid for Alone in the Dark.

Courtesy of The Escapist:

He even acknowledges that he should have "had a better script and better characters." Must...bite...tongue...

DRM in a nutshell

2008-10-13T16:07:10Z

I love flow charts.

We know who's courting the youth vote

2008-10-10T13:53:19Z

In-game advertising meets the presidential election.

As long as it's no more intrusive than existing in-game ads, I'm okay with this, I think. Certainly impressed that someone thought of it.

Holy @(#*&@!!!!

2008-10-08T20:44:08Z

I am utterly speechless. The link shows footage of player-created content in the new LittleBigPlanet for the PS3. Someone MADE that thing, and it WORKS.

Give that guy a prize. And a less cumbersome calculator.

I'll take Useless Crap for 4400, Alex

2008-10-08T17:50:48Z

Last week's answers. Enjoy!

Same rules as always: NO Internet, post your submission, and highlight for the answers after I post them later.

1. How does Princess Alena win the final round of the tournament at the castle of Endor?
2. What does an injection of promicin do?
3. James Spader:Michael Shanks::Kurt Russell:_______________.
4. In the Land of Waldos, what sets THE Waldo that the reader searches for apart from his identical brethren?
5. In Thai cuisine, what is the base ingredient for red or green curry dishes?

1. After besting all her previous opponents, Alena is set to face the mysterious Saro in the final round. However, he has inexplicably vanished! Hence, Alena wins by forfeit.
2. A promicin shot can have one of three effects. In a normal human, it will cause the development of an indeterminate 4400 ability, or death. In a pre-existing 4400, it causes nothing to happen, since the body is already producing its own promicin.
3. James Spader and Michael Shanks have both portrayed Dr. Daniel Jackson in the Stargate universe (the former in the original movie and the latter on the television series SG-1). Kurt Russell played the role of Colonel Jack O'Neill in the movie; the role on SG-1 was filled by Richard Dean Anderson.
4. What a pain in the ass this was! In an entire two-page spread of Waldos, the reader had to find the ONE Waldo who was missing a single shoe. His socks were the same distinctive red-and-white striped pattern as his shirt, which didn't help, all things considered.
5. The base for Thai curry dishes is coconut milk. Various ingredients are added from there, but it always starts with the coconut milk.

Good luck!

The controller of the future?

2008-10-08T13:47:56Z

Every fiber of my being wants this piece of technology to be everything I have always dreamed of it being, and those same fibers are quite convinced it will fall flat on its face when put into practical (gaming) application.

Anyone remember the game "Toobin'"?

2008-10-07T15:09:26Z

This has to be the coolect actual bank robbery to happen in a long time.

Nintendo DSi

2008-10-02T13:45:46Z

Looks like everyone's favorite handheld is going to see some upgrades in the future.

Japanese release in November, no word on western release, but apparently they're have a press conference in San Francisco on Thursday, so maybe we'll hear more.

Personally, I'd love it if my DS could be my new iPod.

I'll take Useless Crap for 4300, Alex

2008-10-01T19:31:53Z

Have a gander at last week's answers.

Same rules as always: NO Internet, post your submission, and highlight for the answers after I post them later.

1. (In honor my current favorite Wii game) Which was the first Megaman game to feature a) charging the Mega Buster, b) Rush, c) Beat, d) sliding, e) a weapon/power NOT obtained from a robot master?
2. In A Garfield Christmas, which member of the Arbuckle family does Garfield form a special bond with?
3. In the future city of San Angeles, what has toilet paper been replaced by?
4. In the original gothic horror novel Vampire Hunter D, what famous quote does D whisper that utterly unnerves the vampire Noble, Count Magnus Lee?
5. Who is Terry Gene Bollea?

1. Megaman firsts! a) MM4, b) MM3, c) MM5, d) MM3, e) MM (the original game featured the Magnet Beam, a "weapon" that created temporary platforms).
2. Garfield takes a quick liking to the normally sedate but strong-willed Grandma Arbuckle. In one of the more touching moments in Garfield history, he gifts her with a stash of love letters from the now-deceased Grandpa Arbuckle that he found out in the barn, on Christmas morning.
3. Much to John Spartan's dismay, he learns that toilet paper has been replaced by a mysterious trio of seashells. He never figured out how to use them.
4. The cursed prophecy declaring the downfall of vampire society, originally uttered by the Sacred Ancestor himself, the words "Transient guests are we" will throw any vampire off their guard with their reminder that despite the many ways in which they are superior to the human race, they are doomed to fall and be buried by the sands of time, while humanity remains to inherit the earth.
5. You might know him by his screen name, Terry Hogan, or by his much more widely known "stage" name, Hulk Hogan.

Good luck!

Definitions

2008-09-29T18:20:50Z

A simple poll:

Which of the following definitions do you most strongly associate with the word "ARCANE"?

1. Ancient, old, obsolete
2. Secret, obscure, mysterious
3. Of or relating to magic, sorcery, wizardry, etc.

There's obviously no wrong answer, this is just for personal research purposes.

Privacy

2008-09-29T18:17:39Z

Sometimes you have a subject that you just completely assume, for what seems like completely obvious reasons, is a private matter. And then you find out that the other party(ies) involved have a different notion of just who ought to be privy to said subject. Extremely disconcerting...

I'll take Useless Crap for 4200, Alex

2008-09-26T21:51:50Z

Get your red hot answers to last week's quiz.

(For the record, I will be extremely impressed if anyone gets question 4 this week!)

Same rules as always: NO Internet, post your submission, and highlight for the answers after I post them later.

1. What were the names of Terra Branford's parents?
2. What device was built after its inventor discovered "the holy grail of physics"?
3. What kind of creatures destroyed Clamp Centre back in 1990?
4. What is Gilly Hopkins' greatest wish?
5. What Japanese product is named after "lemonade", despite have very little actual resemblance to it?

1. Terra was the offspring of an Esper, Maduin</a>, and a human woman, Madonna, who wandered into their world. She eventually acquired her father's Magicite remains, and her mother was killed by Emperor Gestahl when he took Terra away to analyze her magical powers.
2. "The Holy Grail of Physics" is a phrase used repeatedly on the television show Sliders in reference to the massive equation on Quinn Mallory's chalkboard from the beginning of the series. Once it was solved, he was able to use it to create the Slider remote that allowed him to open wormholes between parallel dimensions.
3. Clamp Centre was completely overrun by gremlins. Fortunately, Gizmo and his Rambo costume were too much for them in the end.
4. Gilly Hopkins was given up for adoption at birth. Bounced around the system like a pinball, she wants nothing more than for her mother to reclaim custody of her. Sadly, it turns out her mom isn't the woman she always imagined her to be.
5. Ramune. No witty jokes, I just love the stuff, and have about ten empties on my desk right now, which was the inspiration for the question =)

Good luck!

Well now...

2008-09-25T21:29:07Z

...isn't this interesting? Courtesy of lux_alexander.

Have you always wanted to be Evil? Like, officially, certifiably so? Apply today!

BOOYAH!

2008-09-25T17:43:56Z

JT DISBARRED, finally.

In the words of the denizens of Arkham, "SEALED, BITCH!"

I will be throwing a party, as promised, to celebrate. Details forthcoming.

Oh so Japanese, it is

2008-09-25T14:13:47Z

Item the first: Japanese all-female acting troupe does Phoenix Wright musical. No, I am not making this up.

Item the second: Fans of Final Fantasy VI and Full Metal Alchemist should really, really watch this video. (Thanks to khyros for showing it to me!)

Item the third: For anyone living under a rock without a Wii, Megaman 9 has been released. It is made out of sexy retro sex. Go give Nintendo tenbux and play it.