Ramble: Erosion and Minecraft

Aside:  I think I might finally buy Minecraft.  I don't know.  I haven't bought a full-priced game in years.  Minecraft is $27.  I know, what a cheapskate.  

The thing that makes me hesitate most is time.  I have gotten the impression that Minecraft takes a lot of time.  One brick at a time, as a matter of fact.  That bugs me.  There's got to be a better way.  I've seen some incredible things people have done in Minecraft, but how much time?  Oh how much time.  Anyhow, on to what I was actually thinking, but may never end up doing.  

 I saw a beautiful picture today --wait-- I can show you here:

 
Isn't that beautiful?  It's like, a waterfall, flowing into a pool, but the pool is sunken in from the forest floor, and it's surrounded by dense green foliage.  It's amazing!  And I'd love to recreate this in a video game, and the obvious video game is Minecraft.

Except, then I came up with another idea, and I don't know if Minecraft can do this.   How did this pool get to be sunken?  Maybe it's because the soil around it is not very dense, and thus is eroded more easily.  That seems reasonable.  It's what happened to the grand canyon, right?   Well then - in Minecraft, can you do something like this?  Can you set up a river, surrounded by a not-dense landscape, that will slowly erode away?

Wouldn't that be sweet?!!

I've always loved it when games and stories feature a developing landscape over a period of years and centuries.  It's the best!   I would love, love, love to have a game or simulator where I could start out with one design, and let time work its influence over a period of virtual years.  And then, maybe get to go futz around in the landscape, just for giggles.

It's all a matter of setting a series of timers, right?  Water flow, density of earth, wind, rain, tides.  Weee!  More water leads to more life, but cut off the water source, and things will dry.  Plants will die, different plants and animals will thrive.  You can craft stories around this and let them play out in real time.  

Anyway, that's my idea.  I'll let you know if I make any progress whatsoever on it.

-D

Humble Mozilla Bundle - Voxatron

I stumbled onto the Humble Mozilla Bundle while at work.  It appeared to me when I brought up the Google Search page using my Firefox web browser.  Google often has games linked to the search page, so I wasn't completely taken aback.  However, I had a happy moment of recognition:  this was a game from the very first Humble Bundle I ever bought:  Voxatron.

 Voxatron is a platform/shooter game that uses controls similar to Smash TV.  You move in the four cardinal directions and you shoot in those directions as well, independently of your movement.  You can also jump, which is important, though clunky and difficult.  Still, the game's style is charming, and totally worth playing.  The sound effects are cute, and the graphics are unique, built using something called Voxels, rather than Pixels or Polygons.

Similar to Minecraft, everything is designed in a very blocky style.  My understanding is that this is because it is made up of 3 dimensional pixels called Voxels.  I guess the resolution is still low on these things.  However, they make for some delightful graphical effects, as enemies melt into existence, or blocks and pillars are smashed into tiny pieces.  I gather this is much easier to do with Voxels than it is with polygons, and the results are neat-o.

Anyhow, it was a lot of fun to squeeze out a little game play at work  (shhhh)  And- if you haven't already, I recommend giving Voxatron a shot.

-D

Here's Voxatron in Action

Proteus Link Dump

As mentioned in my year in review post, 2013 was a year for non-games.  The biggest standout of which, for me, was Proteus.  And I think it came out in 2012, but, whatever.  This post is long overdue, but I have these interesting links all ready, I just have to dress them up.  This was one of my favorite games of 2013, so I think it's worth a revisit.  

Getting Lost in Proteus: An Interview with Ed Key
This nice interview with Ed Key includes pictures from his childhood backyard.  He focuses on the idea of wandering and getting lost when talking about Proteus.  He also mentions scrambling up mountains in Skyrim and getting lost at sundown in Minecraft.  He is searching, in video games, for the sublime experience of a majestic landscape.
Embedded in the interview are links to other articles about Proteus, if you are interested.  I know I am.  


Proteus: A Trio of Artisinal Game Reviews
Alright, if you somehow still are willing or interested in more info for Proteus, here is a link to a neat article by Ian Bogost, comparing three different reviews of the game.  This is heady, advanced stuff, much better than anything I can turn out.  
I like reviews 1 and 3 the most, even though I think the topic for 2 is the most immediately appealing, I don't particularly care for his take on it.


Ed Key has a lot of interesting postings in the news section of the Proteus website.  I've selected a couple of interesting ones for you here, but I encourage you to check it out if you are interested.  

Ed Key: What Are Games
Ed's response to the 'not-game' controversy.  Important to perhaps try to avoid the controversy as it's a bit of a whirlpool.

Ed Key: Seven Day Roguelike Challenge
On the news area of proteus, there is a link to a seven day roguelike challenge game by Ed Key.  The idea is that your forage in a forest and try to stay alive.  I like the idea.  Check it out.

FEZ: revisited

FEZ may very well be a masterpiece.

The attention to detail, visual design and editing really come through.  This game has been meticulously crafted, and I love it.  It's almost like a challenge just to enjoy all the fine details.  

Contrary to my first impression, I now see that the movement is consistent.  The puzzles are amazing.  How does he do it?  The learning curve is steady and challenging.  Once you learn to use the map system, the game opens up.  The little graphical details are delightful.  This is truly a love letter to 2d platform gaming with a really well conceived and executed mechanic.  Bravo!

Fez is not a clone of anything, and it is proof that the retro platformer can still be innovative.  If I were to estimate the mechanical level of FEZ, I would guess playstion 1/Saturn/Nintendo 64 era, but it's hard to tell.  The game is so dense, that I experience some slowdown at times, yet I have no problem emulating the PS1.  The number of little sprite animations is awesome, and may just be a bigger processing strain than I give it credit for.

My one nit pick thus far is that I can't control the camera zoom.  I'd like to get a closer look sometimes, but I am unable to do that.  This is a bummer.  

Also, this game brings to mind Voxels.  I haven't played with them much except for the first Humble Bundle I bought, the Humble Voxatron Bundle.  Voxatron was a fun little 3d shooter made of blocks, like Minecraft and Fez.  What an interesting developement for 3d games:  3d blocks, rather than polygons. I'm for it!

I'm playing FEZ in a little bit of a different way than usual.  Usually, I game in about 2 hour sessions, but with FEZ, I'm playing in half hour sessions.  I like it.  I find that I hit a wall at about a half hour, and rather than struggle, if I just put the game away, I will be refreshed the next time I start.  

In conclusion:  FEZ is very nearly a perfect game.  It is rare to find a game with this level of detail, few come even close.  A triumph of design and editing.  

-D

P.S.  Many thanks to Daniel Featherstone for encouraging me to stick it out with FEZ.  

BBC indie game podcast and the best indie games of 2011

If you're like me, then you may be perpetually out-of-touch with what's going on right now in gaming.  I recently went to a game stop, and I kept repeating 'Another God of War?'  'Another Bioshock?' 'didn't these games just come out?'  And if you're like me, you probably don't really mind being out of touch.  

Yet another similarity you may have to me is that you may enjoy listening to podcasts,  perhaps while in the kitchen, cooking or washing dishes.  I have a few podcasts that I cycle through; I've always got something to listen to.  However, sometimes I get bored of the same old subjects, and I go out to find something new.  My latest search was for indie game podcasts.

To my disappointment, the first few podcasts I found had not been updated in months or even years.  This seemed odd, given that I think indie games are becoming a bigger part of the entertainment discussion, not smaller.  But, then again, as I mentioned, I am perpetually out-of-touch. I decided to give one a go, and I settled on the BBC-sponsored:  99 coins podcast (not updated since July, 2012).  

I started with the latest episode, titled 'anyone can make a game.'  This is just the kind of sentiment I was looking for.  What I found was a rambling discussion of game-making tools and what an 'indie game' really is.  Nice overall tone, a little hard to catch the details sometimes.  However, the writings and programs they reference in the episode are included in the links. 

The second episode I listened to was 'favourite indie games of 2011.'  I found that this was just my speed.  If being out-of-touch can be quantified, then I guess I'm about a year and half behind the indie gaming scene.  They list of several interesting titles, and even a couple I know of: Minecraft, SpaceChem, Sword and Sworcery EP along with many other interesting titles.

One game referenced is johan sebastian joust.  A game I may never play, but does look like fun.
http://www.jsjoust.com/

Another is the Stanley Parable, a game I almost played once.  I'm going to give this another try.    -D
http://www.moddb.com/mods/the-stanley-parable


-D

Proteus: Graphics and Exploration

I'd like to start off with a nice video walkthrough/commentary on Proteus.  Just in case my gushing and images aren't enough, this walk-through will give you some idea of what it is like to play Proteus.  That said, this video is basically one big spoiler.  So if you haven't yet played Proteus... maybe just ignore me until it goes on sale (I'll let you know), and then buy it and then play it.  

RockLeeSmile highlights indie games in a series of videos called 'Indie Impressions.'

====================================================================

  
I've played Proteus through a couple times now, and I think I've made some basic determinations about this game:  Proteus is an easter-egg hunt.  No one is keeping score - and there is a complete lack of achievements.  The purpose of the game is to play it and enjoy it, the player decides how much they enjoy it.  I am one who has decided to love it.  There are others who decided not to.  That is ok with me.  But if you choose to play, you can spend your time looking around, and you will find some things that may catch your attention and interest, and possibly provide you with some delight.  

Actually, funny thing--  I have been thinking about making a game based on the causeway which connects Sacramento to Davis.   I ride over this causeway on the train all the time, and when I'm looking out the window, I have observed a lot of beauty and subtle differences.  Because I love games and thinking about gaming, I've wanted to depict this environment through gaming.

My initial idea was to make a minecraft of the causeway.  This I still may do if I come into a boatload of time and patience.  The things that I observe from out the train window are mostly:  the weather and the animals.  The causeway is sometimes foggy, sometimes clear, sometimes flooded.  Sometimes I see egrets and ducks floating in the water, sometimes I see geese in the air, and little swarms of tiny birds.  Sometimes I can see the mountains in the distance and snow on top.  Sometimes the fields are full of wheat or squash or some other plants.  The colors can be many shades of brown, or contrasting shades of bright green, blue mountains, stark-white farm buildings and bright blue sky.

As I've observed the world of the causeway through the window of a train, I've wanted to share this form of peaceful joy with the world.  And as I imagine an artistic rendering of this landscape, I've thought of doing so with a video game.  This video game would need to pay special attention to the landscape, animals and weather.  The purpose of the game would be to travel through and observe a world of beautiful sights and sounds.

Proteus has done just that.  My playing experience is akin to looking out the window at the causeway, imagining what it would be like to wander around there and take in the sights, sounds and smells.  It really is amazing to me, to capture such a sublime experience, and I am very glad I found this game. Sorry to gush.  

Two of the most outstanding features of Proteus are: the practiced restraint on the part of programmers, and the synchronization of the sound and visual space.  There are musical cues triggered by the environment in a variety of ways.  Some triggers come from being near something: the hoot of an owl, the croak of a frog.  Some are triggered by looking at something, such as the sun on a hot summer day, or a shooting star.  

Sometimes I think that Proteus is too sparse, and could use more of everything.  More birds, more bugs, more trees, more weather.  But one thing it does wonderfully is to balance what it does have into a consistently interesting gaming experience.  I believe it is through restraint on the part of the game designers, that this balance is achieved.  I would be very sad if there was a sequel or expansion to Proteus that, perhaps with a zeal to improve and expand on the game play, was to disrupt the balance so that the sense of wonder and joy were lost or significantly diminished.    

It is possible that this game can be so much more than it is, but it is also possible that what Proteus is - is the best thing it can be, and that this feeling I've gotten from playing, of so much more, is best for me to hold, and relish and used for inspiration to create something beautiful myself, rather than to demand it from the creators of Proteus or the industry in general.

I think it may be that the very sparseness of Proteus lends itself to the need for a player to explore.  For example, if I'm feeling aimless while playing, I find a good strategy is to chase a frog until I find something that catches my interest.  Sometimes this leads to finding something unexpected.  

Minecraft

I just finished playing the Minecraft Demo for the first time.  For those of you who don't know, Minecraft is a game that has garnered heavy accolades from the gaming community over the past couple of years.  I think it's safe to say that the game has become something of a phenomenon.  And after playing the demo for about a half-hour, I can go on record saying that this game is worthy of the praise.  

Something I want to emphasize is the joy I experienced just learning the basic mechanics of the game.  Exploring the world of the demo, and testing different ways to interact with it, making new discoveries--  I had a great time.  In fact, I have enjoyed this process so much, that I am willing to call what I write from here on out 'spoilers' simply because I do not want to spoil a new players experience of learning the mechanics.  So, if you think that you will play Minecraft in the not-too-distant future, I strongly urge you to just go play it.  Put in a half hour or even the ninety minutes the demo allows.  If you like games-- then it is worth your time.

So, here's a  breakdown my experience with the demo, transcribed here for my own selfish need to express myself.  Please stop reading and go play Minecraft.

One possible reason why I enjoyed Minecraft so much is something called emergent gameplay.  I like this term, and I think it relates to the creativity of Minecraft play.  I felt a strong pull to explore the possibilities within the world. In the beginning, I ran around digging at random pieces of the world, becoming stuck and un-stuck in corners, getting accustomed to the controls.  However, when nighttime first arrived, I was quickly killed, right around the time I found a neat-looking cave to explore.  I had to start over again, and then got killed again.  I got frustrated, so I ended the demo, and started from the beginning.  

This time, I took to digging with a vengeance.  I tore trenches through the landscape, sawed the tops off of trees.  Right about dusk, just as the baddies were going to emerge, I just started digging straight down for a while, and then tunneled around through the softer, easier to dig bricks.  I got lost, but didn't sweat it, and just kept right on digging. 

The critical point came when i figured out how to place items i had collected.  My first move was to block off the tunnel I had dug, thus protecting me from any roaming baddies who may follow me into my tunnel.  Then, entirely by accident, I placed a torch on the wall.  Now I could see! This was reassuring, and helped to orient me as I decided it was time to tunnel upward. 

My next great discovery was that i could jump and place a hunk of dirt directly underneath myself.  This helped me to more quickly get out of a cave i had trapped myself in, and then was even more useful when i subsequently popped out of cliff-side and fell into an abyss filled with monsters.  I took one look around and quickly launched myself skyward on an ever expanding stack of dirt.   I exited the abyss but found myself critically low on food.  Apparently all that time tunneling came with a cost.  This form of isolation kept me safe from monsters, but also locked away from any sustenance.

I hunted around for some of the non- hostile animals i'd seen earlier, and proceeded to beat a pig to death with my bare hands, and devour the raw pork inside. However, since the graphics resemble LEGOs, this wasn't really that grisly.  Still, Herbovours are sure to hate this element of the game.  Possibly you can eat grasses and plants, but this seems unlikely as the hunger meter is represented with pork-chops.

Anyhow, I resupplied my hunger meter, and then decided to take a trip to the sky on another giant tower of dirt.  Kinda like how Iceman gets around.  I rose dozens of feet above the play area,  my limited visual settings fogging the scene below.  (I sure do need a new video card).

I had one heart left of life, something I haven't figured out how to resupply, and the temptation to jump from the in-game stratosphere was very strong.  I decided against it, and began to dig my way back down from on high, one cube of dirt at a time.  When I got to about tree-height, I decided to hop off, but It looks like that was still too high a fall, and I died anyway.  Oops.  

So, that was fun.  Maybe one day I'll buy the full version, and maybe one day I'll terraform a landscape and show it off on YouTube. I don't even know what to do with all of the Minecraft culture stuff out there.  The incredible cities, monumentsand all of the creativity coming out of this game.  It sucks me in and blows.my.mind.  I have to consciously just sort of forget about all of the mountains of amazing things coming out of this game.  There's just too much of it, and the game is fun to just play, without being intimidated by all of that.  

But one thing I will do, is to link to a video of the Enterprise 1701-D being built in minecraft.  I think this one is going to be my favorite minecraft-thing.  


-D

currently playing:
Minecraft
Trilby's Notes
Sim City 4