HEAVY PIXELATION

what was suppose to be a busy week for me at work of bashing some bugs [30+ bugs plus optimizing all the art] turned in crap…

monday afternoon i started to feel drained and monday night i didn’t even go to play soccer.  why?  some damn head cold/flu or something.  spent today on the couch watching Star Wars IV twice [feel asleep both times].  and when i’m sick, i turn into a black hole… i eat everything in the house.  i might have to send kate out to get some more food, but she isn’t feeling well either.

so i might go in tomorrow and grab some files to work on at home.  truth is, i could sit at work and get shit done, but i share the room with 4 other artists [all married and 2 with families] and i don’t feel like spreading what i have.

and for some game news, Xbox showed off their next big games, so head over to your favorite blog or xbox.com and don’t forget to check out the Fable 2 section…

External mini-games earn in-game gold: Lionhead Studios Ltd. provides an unprecedented experience to gamers through Xbox LIVE® Arcade. Start earning in-game currency for Fable 2 later this year, even before the game’s release to retail, by downloading and playing an Xbox LIVE Arcade title consisting of three mini-games. The Xbox LIVE Arcade title will allow gamers to purchase weapons, armor, and more for their hero. This first-of-its-kind experience can only be found on Xbox LIVE Arcade.

…hey! that’s us!

my bug count just jumped by 5x…  luckily, most are “make the text this color” and “center text on this screen”.  i had to take over for the UI artists that left, so i’m cleaning up the menus, shell, and whatever else comes up [like optimization].

personally, i like it… seeing my bug count go down, very gratifying.  can’t wait to see “0 Active Bugs“!

so i made a decision even before i bought GTA IV, i was going to play the game differently then 99% of the other GTA IV players out there; i’m going to play realistically.

well wait, the game is realistic right? you drive over people on the side of the road and the cops chase you, you kill the cops, now your in the clear. to me, that’s not very realistic and or fun. so, i’ve started to follow to rules that i made for myself…

1] drive like you’re really driving in real life

• no driving over people
• stop at red light
• don’t park the car facing the wrong way on the other side of the street
• don’t carjack for the hell of it.
• [no, when running from the cops, i will drive on the wrong side of the road, cut corners, and not stop at red lights... but i still avoid people and other cars]

2] no unnecessary killing

• no women, no children
• picking fights with random people just to kill for their money
• when i do have to kill, making sure i have planned out the kill and an escape route to ensure quick get-a-way and not to injure any innocent bystanders.
• letting people live who are not a direct threat to myself

3] do some real life things in GTA IV and not just kill! kill! kill!

• i’m going to go bowling a lot, and maybe some billiards [because that is stuff that i like to do]
• walk [not run] around the city. when i got down to Seattle to see the sites, you don’t see me running through the city like a mad man.
• go for nice long drives [so far, i haven't seen any gas stations around and my fuel never goes down] while listening to the radio

now, will i be able to beat the game without breaking any of these rules? i don’t know, but i’m going to try. and no, this isn’t a knock against Rockstar in any way, they made the game they wanted to, and i want to play the way i want to. i do know this will make the game that much longer, and i’m fine with that. sometimes, you have to stop and smell the pixels or else everything just goes by in a post effect blur.

It’s the Nintendo syndrome….  Every Mario and Zelda game have 30 minutes of tutorials before the game actually starts.  Now, every game does it this way.  But it’s a doubled edge sword…

PROS: It is a good thing for non-gamers to be slowly introduced into a game and not be frustrated early into a game, otherwise, they will just turn the game off.  Tutorial levels are very positive [most of the time, you can’t kill yourself even if you try] and rewarding; “Good Job” and other positive reinforcement.  This ensures the gamers start the game on a positive note and know what they need to know to play the game.

CONS: For people who have been playing games for 20+ years, we don’t need to know how a new game works.  Most games have one or two new mechanics they we will eventually figure out [and to most seasoned gamer, finding out new mechanics on our own is half the fun].

What these games need to do is make the tutorial level optional or allow you to skip it at anytime.  Do not put any storylines within the tutorial level and just use it as a training area.  Games need to give gamers more options and freedom.   If I want to skip the training, then let me.  If I keep dying because of it, then that is my fault and maybe I’ll go back to the training level to see what I’m missing.

CONCLUSION:  Let the gamer decide.

[this was a response i had at work on a newsgroup about the tutorial level in Okami]

i need this..

 Serve up piping-hot doughnuts in less than a minute.

The Dough-Nu-Matic automatically forms, fries and drains delectable mini-doughnuts in just 50 seconds! Great for large parties and ideal for fundraisers since this machine makes easy-to-sell treats for pennies apiece. Makes a dozen doughnuts in under six minutes. Just add dough and the Dough-Nu-Matic does the rest. Enclosed oil fryer keeps cleanup to a minimum. Dials adjust cooking temperature. Includes 90-day warranty. 14″ H x 22 4/5″ W x 6 9/10″ D.

http://www.skymall.com/shopping/detail.htm?pid=102530077

side effect of Rock Band; while listening to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs “Maps“, my right leg starts kicking like crazy…. can’t stop it.  same goes with any Rush song.

…or maybe it was a chicken.

how a football game should be played [take note EA]…

…the things you make in photoshop while waiting for an email to unblock you.

there is nothing more in the world that pisses me off then hearing so one order food by saying “i want…”

i was at costco getting a churro when the lady next to me walked up to the register and said “i want a piece of cheese pizza and a large diet coke.”

now forget the fact that the phrase “large diet coke” is  an oxymoron, but who the hell raised this lady?  she sounded like as spoiled 5 year old.  “i want”.  you never say that.  i was about to turn to my left and tell her off.

sorry, had to vent…

with all the processing power we have, game should look like this… or at least the visualizer in the 360.

Magnetic Ink, Process video from flight404 on Vimeo.

April 1st, 2008 will go down in history as the day the world got Rick Rolled. so many links/pranks have included the Rick Rolled video, it’s hard to get threw the day without seeing it…