This is about keeping it simple.

I have a hard time with this sometimes. For example, I came up with an idea for a Gamasutra design contest they held. The idea was to create a game that would feasible in the year 2020.

“Therefore, for this competition, devise the name of a game that will be popular or cutting-edge tech in 2020, and write a description of how it is controlled, as well as its chief design concepts and innovations.”

Now, I love researching. I love looking up and reading about all sorts of things – especially when I’m trying to build something. The problem I ran into with this was that I had a really fun idea but I felt I didn’t know enough about the background of sleep studies. So I spent way more time reading about different things and complicating my idea than just doing what I should have done in the beginning – keep it simple.

With that said, I decided to unwind and present my idea the way I should of previously.

Name
Sleep Series Games

What It Is
Customizable downloaded audio tracks that trick the brain into creating specific play environments while the player is sleeping – turning normally random dreams into a playground.

Desired Outcome
People being able to use sleep as a way to become personally immersed in gameplay created either by themselves or by other people’s designs.

Description & Concepts
When the player goes to bed, audio will play that has been enhanced with precise rhythms and keywords that will trigger particular images in the player’s head. This can include playing a game of chess with your grandfather or placing yourself in first person player gameplay.

The player can create these audio tracks via an online service. You can grant it access to your photo albums, social networks, or point it to specific key words and information via Google. You can also choose from professionally designed sleep experiences. In addition, you will be able to use licensed properties that have granted permission.

After you determine what type of game you want to play and all the criteria and conditions have been set, the player can then download the track to the player of their choice. When they are ready to sleep, just hit play and the encoded audio with set up the building blocks for their play experience including a buffering audio to allow the player to achieve REM before starting.

Considering even in 2020 we have yet to figure out everything abut the human brain, it is possible to listen to the same audio and have an entirely different experience. This will allow for replay ability.

Other Notes
This was created with the idea that as we go forward, our time is going to be consumed by more and more things. If we can combine our dreams with the types of experiences we want from our games, it could be a win for all parties involved.

I loves me some drop shadow.

For some people it's lens flair, for me it's drop shadow.



Created this for my desktop at work Illustrator. Photoshop just for sizing.

Been playing with Animal Crossing again - this time on the Wii. It's familiar... possibly TOO familiar. There's not much new, and while that's not necessarily a bad thing, I think they could have chose to do much much more with it.

A huge thing could have been the way the townsfolk interact with you. Now, I've only been playing for a week... but so far it's been the same ol' behavior. Why not have them recognize when you are wearing something they gave you, or mention how they saw you at Nooks selling what they gave you, or even aknowledge when you take one animal's gift and gave it to someone else. Simple things like this might actually have a meaningful effect on how the player views these otherwise random animals.

I think they could have introduced small games that you could play against animals and could also be played against friends when they are visiting. I'm thinking checkers, connect four, ect. Hell, just throw the clubhouse games in there, Nintendo! If you couldn't give us the NES games like in the first Animal Crossing... this would have been fun too.

I do like the DS connectivity and the fact that I could download my Wild World catalog. Thumbs up for that. I spent A LOT of time in there.

I'll keep playing though to see how things go in the game (tho I have a pretty good idea). One thing that is nice about A.C. is that it is one of the best games I have that I can just relax with.

Fable II

I have a confession to make...

I like Fable II.

I say this coming off of watching the latest Zero Punctuation where Yahtzee tears into the game with his usual zest. Sometimes it's hard to argue things he brings up because he has a point – however, this time I would argue it was more personal. Like a jaded ex-lover tearing into his former's creation... still bitter over promises from the past.

Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating it a little - but there is also some truth.

I've read quite a bit of criticisms about the game and so many of them are from people who listened to Peter and what Peter promised. And even though some of them say they didn't believe him in the first place... I know they hoped... and it lead to disappointment.

Lesson? Don't pull a Peter.

I was fortunate enough to dodge him this round and I think it lead to me enjoying the game more. Also, fair to note that I did not play the first Fable so any expectations of 'x' and 'x' being improved/corrected/whatever were not there. I went in aiming to have a game that I could enjoy at whatever pace I wanted and I walked out with that exact experience.

Maybe I'll address other things later on (such as “holy crap there were a lot of bugs that made it thru but the game had to be such a biatch to test and you have to draw the line somewhere” and “why does my dog have five stars in attacking but he takes more time to smell the flowers than chomp a Hobbe”) but for now I'll leave with this thought.


**Possible Spoiler**

I read someone who had the criticism that the game peeved him off because it was lacking a huge boss battle at the end. I would like to quote T.S. Elliot here...

"This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang but a whimper."

I can understand if your years of gaming gave you a Pavlovian expectation when you neared the end of a RPG but I welcomed the change that ultimately the choice that came afterwards could be the bigger battle. Unfortunately, I think this was undermined by the fact that not everyone develops the attachment that makes this a meaningful choice. Therefore a Final Fantasy-esque dedication requirement that you can boast to your friends afterwards seems much more like a real accomplishment than “I chose 'x'.”.

In any matter, this is the first game I finished on the 360 in ages and for that I give it a lot of credit. I tend to be married to my DS and make little time to sit in front of my TV religiously and many game's endings suffer because of it.

Lionhead does have an announcement to make in a week or so regarding the game and I'll be interested to hear what they plan on doing. I'll not so secretly hope those of us who ordered the LE can still get our Hobbe.