HPopper

I loved PoP 2008, but not nearly as much as The Sands of Time. Here's where I think they went wrong: They tried to make an open-world platformer. Think about it: In platformers, the core gameplay is about coordination and timing. Your job is simply to navigate an obstacle course and reach some sort of destination. Thus, the challenge comes from the obstacle course itself. Depending on how the course is designed, navigating it can range from simple to crazy-hard. Naturally, in order for a player to get more satisfaction out of conquering these challenges as he/she gets better at the game, you'll want to gradually ramp up the difficulty from beginning to end. In most platformers, this is done simply by presenting a progression of increasingly challenging levels. Even when giving you a choice of levels to proceed to next, your options usually offer approximately the same challenge: Harder than the previous worlds, easier than the coming ones. Even games like Metroid, which seem to be one seamless world, are still divided into different levels of difficulty. You can't get into the harder areas until you find the right item. By the time you've obtained this item, you have the skills necessary to tackle the challenge using it unlocks. And open-world games often have a mission structure that gets harder as the game goes on. PoP 2008 does away with all that. It gives you four huge areas to navigate through, each made up of four smaller "levels". You have to complete all of these to finish the game, but they can be tackled in any order. And there's the problem. The first course to play should be one that players who haven't mastered the game's mechanics can navigate without too much trouble, so they don't immediately give up. Which means, since they want to let you play through any of the courses first, they all have to be kind of easy. The way the four large areas are laid out makes it so that some of the smaller levels in each are not accessible early in the game. Once you play through a couple of levels, you can obtain a magic spell that lets you use a "jump pad" to do more weird platforming stuff. Using the jump pads lets you progress into the previously inaccessible areas, which, to be fair, are more challenging. However, by halfway through the game, you have access to all four of these spells, which means you have access to every level, which means that every level needs to provide the sort of challenge you'd expect when you were only halfway through a game, or less so. It never really gets harder than that until the final area, which feels almost unfair in its difficulty since chances are the level(s) you completed just prior to it was relatively simple. By trying to make it non-linear, the designers threw the balance all out of whack. Presumably, because they didn't want you to end up arbitrarily choosing a really hard level early in the game, they made everything easier, so you end up with lots of really simple levels late in the game. Other than that, I thought everything worked. The style, the characters, the platforming. It all felt fluid and polished and I had fun. But I hope, for the sequel, they abandon the non-linear thing and just make it an increasingly difficult linear adventure, like the SoT trilogy. Also, that PoP: Forgotten Sands footage made me think of .

I connected about 8 hours ago. I'm the Russians. Who are you, Joflar? PS: I think the CivStats Uploader disconnected.

I'm updating the first post.

What's your e-mail address? I'll send it to you. If that doesn't work, I will try hosting. (Though if I host, there might be a kerfuffle at some point during the game when I move.)

Okay, so let's get this thing going. The awesome toblix has generously volunteered to be the host for this first attempt, but it's going to take a bit of work before we can conquer the earth. First and foremost: Everybody who is playing needs to get Vanilla Civ4 (no expansions) installed and updated to the most recent version. Now, toblix, here's how to get this going: Run the Pitboss.exe app in your Civ4 directory (should show up if it's updated to the latest version) and it will start asking you for settings. SMTP setup is optional. Network Type should be either Direct IP or Internet. Internet requires connecting to Gamespy and finding the game there, which can get cumbersome, so if you're willing to share your IP, that might be the best way to go. Otherwise, set it up as Internet. Init Type should be New Game. You should probably put a password on it and then tell us the game name and pass so we can join. Pick whatever Game Settings you think best, but keep a few things in mind: Simultaneous Turns should be turned on so it doesn't take forever The Turn Timer should be on and set to something like 24 hours Don't pick a map too big or complicated or set the Speed to Epic or something, otherwise this will never end. The default options might be best for the first time we try this. Use your discretion. We're going to have 7 Human Players. We probably don't need any AI players, so you might want to close the rest of the open slots. And random Civs might be easiest and fairest. Again, use your discretion. [*]Start that bitch Once you get the pitboss application running, you can put in messages of the day, kick players, and save the game in case your computer crashes or whatever. And the game is afoot! To play your turn, launch Civ4, select Multiplayer>Direct IP or Internet (depending on how the host sets it up), select the game, and put in the game password the host gives us. Then you get to pick your Civ from the available ones (I think it's first-come, first-serve), add a password to protect it, and you're in. (The host can log in using 127.0.0.1 to play his turn if he's using the same computer that's running the pitboss app.) Play your turn, then just log off. Wait a day, do it again. Two other things: First, if the host goes to http://www.civstats.com/, downloads the app, and runs it alongside the pitboss app, the up-to-date details about our current match will be avaiable on the web. And if you register an e-mail address, CivStats will send you status updates to your e-mail. Not required, but probably useful. Second, on the CivFanatics forum, somebody posted a little helper program that lets you connect more easily to a host's direct IP: http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=172460 Might be useful. Anyway, here's our player list for this match as I understand it: HPopper toblix Sleepdance Wurtsi Sombre Joflar Murdoc Let's do this.

Well, there are three options here: 1) Internet Multiplayer via GameSpy - Whoever is playing needs to agree on a time and everyone connects to the lobby. Someone hosts a game, the other players join. We play for a while, save the game, and agree to meet up again at an appointed time. This would be a tough one to get too many people involved in because of the scheduling required. If it was every week at the same time it wouldn't be so bad, but this might work better with several small groups playing different ongoing games. If someone doesn't show, they're taken over by AI for that week. 2) Pitboss - One person hosts a new game and puts a restriction on how long the player has to make their move before they forfeit their turn. Then each player, in turn, connects to the Host and makes a move. This sort of game could be played quickly at times when all players are available or slowly over the course of a long span of time. This might be a way to include a lot of people, but it would take forever and someone would have to leave their computer acting as Host for the entire time. (More details: http://www.2kgames.com/civ4/pitboss.htm) 3) PBEM (Play By E-Mail) - Works like Pitboss except there is no Host, but could take even longer than Pitboss. What do you guys think? Set up a weekly "Civ night" to connect and play or set up a longer-form game? Pitboss might allow for both - play lots of turns on a certain day and then a few more spread out over the week, but someone would have to be willing to act as a persistent server.

This is out now. Anyone tried it yet? Seems pretty neat.

Touché.

It's getting sort of absurd that I've purchased every single thing they've released since 2006 and show no signs of stopping. But with this announcement, I realize why: I am apparently the embodiment of Telltale Games' target market. I looked back at some of the notable releases in 2008: Fallout 3, Fable II, Metal Gear Solid 4, Mass Effect, and Grand Theft Auto IV. Although I am interested in eventually playing these games, I don't own any of them, and I'm still no rush to do so. I'll get to them at some point. But guess what games I pre-ordered that year? Professor Layton and the Curious Village and Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney. Yeah. I'm destined to be Telltale's bitch.

Hey, me too! But yeah, I think this is a really good idea. It's basically teaching kids that video games are an OK pastime to have if you're not retarded about it: - explaining the importance of the video game ratings system - working with an adult to build a schedule that includes chores, homework and gaming - playing a game designed to boost math, spelling or other school-oriented skills - comparing games at different retailers for the best prices - install a gaming rig - play a game with a friend for one hour Let's see, it doesn't demonize video games, encourages kids to balance their time, not waste all their money (allowance), and make gaming into a social activity. Good job, Cub Scout Badge Committee.

I agree with this wholeheartedly.

Yes, geese lay by an anagram shame.

Nope, sorry. I picked up V by Pynchon, though, on a recommendation. Have yet to crack the spine... Should I dive into that one soon?

James Lipton: "Ashley C. Williams, you've had so many memorable roles in your career, but you are best remembered for the movie that started your meteoric rise to fame. I speak, of course, of The Human Centipede, for which you won the 2010 Oscar for best actress. A challenging role, to be sure. Can you talk a little bit about that?" Ashley C. Williams: "The hardest part was pretending I was eating the other guy's poop. He had to pretend to poop and I had to pretend that I was eating it, and that I didn't like it."

It's a trilogy! The third film probably has 50! I cannot believe this movie truly exists. I also cannot believe that any actors agreed to be in this. Do they think this will help their careers at all? Is anyone really going to take them seriously again? "It says here you were in a movie in 2010. What role did you play?" "I played a girl who was sewn to two other people and we all ate poop!" "Um..."

Just finished The Lost Painting by Jonathan Harr, a pretty interesting true story about a bunch of art historians and their journey to find one of several works by Caravaggio that has been missing for years. I'd recommend it if you enjoy nonfiction that explores a subculture most people don't know about (Like The Orchid Thief). In this case, the European art history world. Working right now on If On A Winter's Night a Traveler by Italo Calvino. It's a book (fiction) about reading books, really. The plot is hard to describe. It's about a reader (written in second-person) trying to enjoy his copy of If On A Winter's Night a Traveler by Italo Calvino. Except that, just as he gets interested, he finds that - due to a printing error - he (you) can't finish it. So he goes on a journey to find the rest of the book, during which time he tries to read other books but is continually thwarted just as he gets interested in those. He also meets a girl who joins him on his quest to discover why this is happening. The narrative jumps between the chapters about "you" and the beginnings of all the other books the reader cannot finish - all with completely different settings, characters, writing styles, and tone. This makes it a pretty slow read, but fascinating and totally unique. After that, I was hoping to read something funny. I'm a big fan of fiction in the vein of Vonnegut and Tom Robbins or nonfiction in the vein of David Sedaris or Chuck Klosterman.. Any suggestions?

That interview is really interesting. Reading the Bruckheimer and Mechner interviews back to back is hilarious. Mechner seems to listen to the questions and give personal responses, whereas Bruckheimer ignores what was asked and responds with vagueness and talking points that promote the movie. It's pretty annoying. I'm glad Jordan Mecher isn't like that. If so, the interview would've been pretty crap... Er... sorry.

The second season - in terms of presentation - is pretty similar to the first, but the writing and puzzles are improved by leaps and bounds. 204, Chariots of the Dogs, has one of my all time favorite gags from any adventure game:

I liked this game. The style and the atmosphere really sell it. Though I would have liked to see more puzzles that relied on lateral thinking rather than platforming, as a lot of them seemed to do. Seems like a lot of the time it was immediately obvious what to do, it was just a matter of timing the jumps of all the clones and whatnot. It was the levels that seemed simple but had like one or two hard-to-reach pies that made you come at the level from a completely different angle that really provided the "Aha!" moments. Those were much more satisfying - they reminded me of playing Toki Tori, which is always a good thing. Worth the money, though, and a good start for the developers. I'd like to see what these Odd Gentlemen do next.

CMI had softer color saturation than the earlier games, but using outlines really made things pop. They also seemed to deliberately put splashes of bold, vivid color in muted scenes (like how you can see the bright orange glow of the volcano from all over Blood Island) to make the rest of the shot not look washed out. Tales did a good job of the latter, using bold colors sparingly to make the softer tones stand out. EMI had sort of a flat look to it, and even the splashes of color were pretty drab choices. As a result, the whole image kind of smears together. The remakes sort of give me this impression, too. If they'd decided to outline, it might have helped, I guess. At least in my eyes. I'm still happy they made these remakes, though. It opens up these classic games to a new audience, which is never a bad thing. And I must admit, fully-voiced MI2 appeals to me, even though I'm sure purists would prefer the text-only version. I'm really glad to hear that you can play using the classic graphics (and more importantly, the old interface!) and new voicework. Does anyone know if there are plans to patch the SMI remake to let you do this?

Reset Generation. It's ostensibly an N-Gage game, but they've also made a fully-featured free web-based version. This game is great, especially in multiplayer. It's turn based strategy with elements of puzzle and party games mixed in. And there's a full single-player campaign. Give it a try.

The other books had more POVs to jump between. So it'd go from an action-packed chapter with Jon Snow beyond the Wall to a political intrigue chapter with Tyrion in King's Landing to an expositiony chapter with Bran in the northern wilderness and so on. The diversity of the characters, tone, and settings kept things from getting stale. Since Feast focuses on only a handful of this cast, it makes the story seem slower to me. The benefit, however, is you spend more time with each of the characters and they all seem to have pretty great arcs from the start of the book to the end. The latter half has a couple of my favorite moments from the entire series - namely, the ends of the last Arya and Cersei chapters. Hey, did you ever read/finish Cloud Atlas? I quite liked that one. It's essentially 6 different novellas wedged inside each other, Russian doll-style. All written in different styles.

That's really astute. It all fits together surprisingly well... You misunderstand me. I'm just saying it wouldn't shock me if Blow - a guy who champions minimalist games like The Marriage because they don't need pretty graphics (or dialogue, background music, etc) to be artistic and meaningful - gave Braid an aesthetic he figured people would expect to see from a game claiming to be artistic and meaningful so they didn't dismiss it out of hand. Or maybe he was simply trying to put some of his ideas for experimental game design into a project that was also commercially viable. Or maybe he just wanted the game to spark thoughtful discussion on internet message boards.

You make a lot of good points. (Although, IIRC, Winterbottom started as a graduate thesis by a team of students. It was later that it got picked up by 2K after a good showing at IGF.) And you're right, the two games are quite different structurally. But I was just using Winterbottom as an example to illustrate my argument that the window dressing in Braid was a deliberate attempt to make the game as a whole seem more meaningful to people who wouldn't have taken it seriously had it been done using programmer art or geometric shapes. It's like how Bill Murray was in all these great comedies, but he has to brood around Tokyo for two hours in Lost In Translation before someone will give him an Oscar nod. Which sort of implies that his comedy work wasn't worthy of recognition. People sometimes won't appreciate the artistic value of something unless it fits their preconceived expectation of what "something of artistic value" looks like, sounds like, smells like, etc. So... make Braid look kinda like a painting, and it subliminally gets the outside observer thinking, "Hey, paintings are considered art, right? So maybe this game could be, too!" But to me, it seems like if you want the mechanics of the game to speak for themselves, then adding in all the mysterious pictures and cryptic text (and secret, alternate text) just confuses the issue. It makes people start talking about the meaning behind everything in Braid except the gameplay and what it means to the player, which seems like the area Blow was trying to make his point. Unless, of course, he anticipated this misdirection and the tendency of players to notice the form of a game over the content was part of the statement Jonathan Blow was trying to make. In which case, if so, he's a fucking evil genius.

I like his talks because I find the subject matter interesting and he makes some good points. But you're right: it's how he conveys this information that makes him come off as arrogant. He talks down to the audience. When he presents his ideas, his tone and phrasing make it sound like he thinks he's the first and only person to think of them. I almost feel like the reason Braid comes off as pretentious is because it was designed to look and feel deliberately "artsy". The dreamlike visuals, minimalist audio, and vague text snippets would seem to make a stronger first impression than the actual game mechanics - which is what Blow actually talks about. I'm interested to know how those championing Braid as a beacon in the "games as art" debate view The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom. It's another time-bending indie game on XBLA with a unique graphical style, but the character design is exaggerated, the tunes bouncy, the text silly. It has a radically different overall tone but a similar underlying design structure. But maybe it's harder to take the designers seriously if they pointed to it and called it "art" because it stars a goofy mustachioed protagonist who steals pies using time travel. I also agree with this.