darthbator

Speaking of race Are we all at least in agreement that the art direction in this thing is brain melting incredible? There is so much aggressive detail packed into everything it's absolutely absurd.

I don't feel like this game is going to have the same kind of thematic sticking power the first one had. I'm not sure how to really have that discussion without spoilers. I really like the game but I don't necessarily think it's as relevant to video games as a whole as the first one was. This feels like much more of a safer traditional shooter. A really super well presented one with a fun story but still [shrug]

I'm pretty sure that the entire "frat boy" comment is based on a comment Ken Levine made about the box art when it was announced (http://kotaku.com/5966896/bioshock-infinites-box-art-is-for-frat-guys-or-people-who-arent-informed).

Was that Nolan North? nope http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troy_Baker huh... He was certainly doing a good Nolan North impression....

I may be going out on a limb here but wasn't one Mr. Steve Gaynor a designer on infinite at that time? I remember hearing him talk about how they found the telekenesis was one of the least used powers in the initial games and how he was let down cause it was one of his favorites. I wonder if some of the prominence of the tk stuff in the older demo was his design influence which diminished after he left the team? TK isn't even in the game anymore! That sounds like a more conventional end to a less used power in the previous games.

Modern games do a really poor job at simulating the effect that the hyper adrenal state has on the body, specifically on fine motor functions. Shooting guns under any manner of stress is ridiculously difficult (hand guns especially). Crazy things start to happen to your perception of reality in this kind of state. I spent some time doing some "full contact stick fighting" in my early 20's and in the worst throws of adrenal rush I would lose all perception of color. I guess it's pretty common, the brain just stops processing some of that sense data. In my mind it's something "sacrificed for reaction speed" but that might not be the reality of it. I'm also stupid enough to enter into a situation where someone is swinging a stick at me trying to harm me so I don't know if I would really listen to my opinion of why the brain is doing what it is.... I've spent a lot of time in my adult life thinking about ways that video games could communicate "combat stress" to their players. Not a lot of games even make an attempt. MGS4 is maybe the last game that I can think of that tried to implement it as a mechanic. Even as an aesthetic element it's rarely expressed. The reality of most game combat is that it's giving you not only the camera's perspective of the action but also the camera's observer experience. I can't think of many games that make an effort to actually communicate the experience of the combatant inside of the situation, which is intense, disorienting, rhythmic, and largely frustrating.

I mean as long as you realize that bolded statement basically is nuts I get you. I would have liked for them to cater more to my desire to walk around and just listen to people talk about this strange world rather then just blow all their heads off. Using the combat more sparingly could also have allowed them to put more weight behind it as a plot device. Really the biggest complaint I can see leveraged against all the combat is that they didn't design any way to facilitate the explorer experience without having to engage in all the murder on a personal level. An alternate path through or even mechanics to facilitate a less then lethal play through would have been a crazy scope bomb. At least they do their best to couch the madness of it all inside the game world. They do their best to not make DeWitt the Nate Drake "everyman wise cracking serial killer".

I beat Bioshock infinite twice over the last few days. I'm starting to participate in the general discussion thread here (as I think there's lots of cool stuff to talk about in that game). But I figured I would post it in here as well in broad strokes. I really loved that game a lot. It's the most "fun" I've had playing a big AAA game in a long time. However something odd did happen as I was playing through. A few times I felt almost guilty for enjoying it as much as I did. It's like I was betraying some kind of ethic for the player focused choice heavy games I am normally much more into. Really I feel like it was nice for me for a lot of the reasons that lots of other people are complaining about it. I enjoyed how it was a traditional explosion heavy set piece first person shooter. After years of largely writing off that sort of game it was really nice to sit down and realize "oh I can still REALLY enjoy games like this".

Actually better then I really expected. I think the time when it's 100% ok to throw stones is when they have it for sale in retail channels in I believe July. if they can't have their core software sorted by then...

I mean I know you talked about EVE but games like that are IMO the most interesting. Since sub time in eve is an in game item it gives their in game currency a direct correlation to money in the real world. This acts IMO as a sort of "silent motivator" to not just race to the bottom of your pockets. I think that's one of the keys to economic modeling in video games. The currency in game worlds often has only endogenous value. Other then banking on the fact that there is better stuff to get later in the game experience there is really no motivation to hord the currency. Once you give the currency some manner of exogenous value by doing something like letting you cash it into bitcoins or use it to buy items that can also be acquired for real cash the players entire relationship to the in game currency changes. In a game where the currency has only endogenous value players behave like a visitor in a country where they cannot exchange their currency on exit. They spend to broke more often then not. IMO if you're looking to do economic modeling inside of games you need to look at or design a currency that has a relation to real world currencies or else you're not going to be getting "true human" behaviors. People are not going to treat that particular digital doodad like real money.

I'll toss a quick RIP to the old Lucas Arts in here. As with most that linger on passed their time, what passed was merely a shell of what it was. Sad none the less.

I'm rather interested in this general idea. I should lead by saying I am not one of the people that is "off put" by how much of a traditional first person shooter this game is. I didn't have any real preconception that I was going to be doing anything other then shooting people in the face. Getting back to the point at hand there does seem to be a vocal section of the community saying things like "I wish this wasn't a shooter" or "To much violence!". However it's not really like that game has a lot of other things to stand on. This game basically has art direction (I'll roll story/VO etc into art direction) and combat. It's not like irrational has shown a lot of competency (any) building games that aren't basically first person shooters. I will admit I could have done with a little more exploring with Elizabeth guns "down". That's just because most of those sections are spent wandering around the equivalent of a minefield of combat starters. My issue isn't really with the frequency of combat but rather the predictability of it. Any map you enter with a gun out can be accidentally turned into a combat zone by walking in the wrong place. I just wonder where this leaves "core" games. I mean this is probably one of the better examples of a "core FPS" that we're going to see. It's not about army men and it actually has a story that attempts (IMO succeeds) being heady and relevant while also satiating the "core gamer" shooting mechanics well. Is this just the internet complaining about absolutely everything? Maybe in my older age I am just setting my expectations more realistically but infinite really delivered on everything I thought it would and then some. I also think it's worth talking about that the games "accessibility vector" to most people is actually through the violence. I did my first play through on normal mode in about 16 hours. I played at what I would call "columbia tourist" speed. I listened to every conversation and hunted for every voice recorder. I saw most of the games twists and etc coming due to how clearly foreshadowed they are in the non critical path stuff. The next day some friends came over and wanted to play. So we started a normal game and started passing the controller around. They missed everything not on the critical path. They didn't listen to recordings, didn't do side quests. It was almost like clinical FPS playing, pushing the game forward at a break neck pace. We plowed through he entire game in around 7-8 hours and they where completely blindsided by every single plot twist. They where in love with the brutal executions and the combat. They where also totally enthralled with the story even though they weren't actively engaging it the way I would. That's pretty good design in my book. They serviced 2 very different types of player with the same general experience. People with an urge to explore and people with the urge to destroy.

I believe they have said that last light will not include the bullet currency mechanic (or it will offer an option to just switch it off). I really loved that particular mechanic in 2033.

hmmm regarding the race discussion. Also the save system in this game is complete BS. The level select screen is actually a load menu? There is no manual saving? lolwut?

Hey fellow thumbs! I know we have a few developers on here and I was wondering if anyone else here was headed to GDC next week? Maybe we could have a little quick thumbs meet up or something after one of the days? I'm only doing the expo floor (so the last 3 days of the show). I love talks, but I just couldn't afford that this year . Really one of the only reasons I'm heading up is to try and hunt a job (also I haven't been to SF this year yet, what's up with that?).

BTW booker totally takes fall damage. The only time he doesn't is when you're dismounting a skyway.

I'm the one not in the picture. Or I'm a ghost. Either way works for me really.

Are any of you guys in the indie games micro postmortem right now? I took cards from everyone and left them back at my buddies place this morning on the way out.

Hey look at these guys! Awesome hanging with you all. I had an amazing time.

I'm the guy on my computer working on his game in the park =P HOW IS THERE WIFI IN THIS PARK!?! I AM AMAZED!!! I am slighty worried I am on the wrong "side" of the park. If no one shows up I'm programming in a beautiful park so I'll be here for a while I'm sitting on the We have a wizard sign. This is great.

Local edition sounds good to me. I tend to end up drinking at Dave's a lot when I go to conferences up here (hmmm that doesn't actually sound positive after typing it). I could really use to expand my knowledge of downtown SF bars! I'll be out in Yerba Buena Gardens at 6:30 after to con today to see all you wonderful folks.

I stopped Jake in the IGF area just to say what's up. I then proceeded to be super super awkward. So we're on for meeting up at 6:30 at the park on "top" of Moscone North and then heading out to get drinks somewhere?

Hey guys it's super imperative that someone tell me where I can find delicious food around this convention center! Also here's a picture of me so you all know me if you happen to see me running around. Don't hesitate to run up to me and hug me out of nowhere in a totally ridiculous manner. This just in, I think I'm losing more hair by the second.

Sounds like a plan to me! We'll all meet up in the park and synchronize our decoder rings and then venture forth.

Thursday seems like the best night for everyone yeah? Now we just need to decide on the location!