Biggs' Zone

A Geek's Cogitations, Conjectures and other Cortical Experiences

Tag: Gaming

It’s Not As Cool As You Think

By

On December 7, 2011

In Gaming, Programming, Technology

I have been playing PC games for quite a while, and before that I was big into console games. I have beaten just about every Mario game that exists. I have stayed up all night playing Half Life. I have gotten my butt kicked playing Quake at LAN parties. I know a lot of people that are really good at playing video games. I often hear these people say, “dude, it would be awesome to make video games. I am going to learn how to do that!”

I have over ten years of experience developing software, none of which were video games, and heed my warning, it is not a glorious profession. Please make sure that you are doing it for the right reasons. Just because you are really good at video games isn’t a qualification for pursuing a career in developing them but a passion for video games is crucial. The stress of deadlines, defects and users is overwhelming; and that’s from developing any software. You probably want to multiply that by 10 when you are developing video games. For example lets use the grief the players constantly give Blizzard developers every day for the bugs and delays players encounter. Would you be able to handle that kind of criticism and negativity on a daily basis?

Let’s say you can. Now you have to know how to code, regardless of whether you are UI design or you are writing business logic. You have to be aware of CPU usage, memory allocation, storage capacity, memory leaks, ease of installation, user friendliness, and that’s just to name a few. If you want to do graphic design, you should probably consider taking a few courses, or even getting a degree. You will need some understanding of math, science, physics, vectors, splines, etc because if its not believable or somewhat realistic, then it won’t keep the players’ interests (games like Minecraft are a phenomenon, not a standard to be compared to).

I want to end on a high note, because I sound like I am trying to discourage people from pursuing a career in developing video games. That is simply not true. My goal with this post was to try to advise you as to what you will be in for mentally should you choose to pursue the career. Don’t get me wrong, the frustration, long nights, no sleep, stress and emotional break downs will pay off. It can be a very rewarding career and you have my unwavering support should you decide to do it.

Cheers!

SWTOR: The Home Stretch

By

On December 7, 2011

In Gaming, MMORPG, SWTOR

Well the SWTOR beta testing has ended and now all of us have to sit and wait for the live release of the game. I really enjoyed my time in the beta, although I stopped logging in when Bioware did the big beta weekends. I decided that since I had been in the beta since April that I would give up my spot on the server for someone else who hasn’t had as much time as I did. I’m sure it helped a little bit considering all of the queuing issues they had.

I’m thinking about putting together a tips and tricks post about the gameplay for some people, maybe it will help improve their gaming and leveling experience. If I come up with enough content I think I will do that.

The soothsayers are predicting the fall of WoW because of this game. I hardly think that will happen. Blizzard has enough money by now that even if they lost half the accounts they could still keep the game going for many years. The predictions, at this time, are still under 2 million. As far as my plans are concerned, I will be playing both games. I know many of my friends are insisting that I won’t be able to keep up with two games. While I appreciate their advice, I grew up on console games; splitting allegiances is second nature to me.

So for now we are playing the waiting game. Only a week now before the first day of the preorder early access and the question still remains … will I be “sick” on the 15th? 🙂

Cheers!

Gamers Are Adults Too

By

On November 30, 2011

In Gaming, General Cogitation, MMORPG

There is an old fashioned perception that seems to still exist that video games are the pastime of children. The demographic today has changed. Yes kids still play video games, but adults are playing too. In fact according to an article posted on CNET, the average gamer is 37. The thing I find most interesting, from the article, is the reason most adult gamers are still playing is because they are playing the games with their kids.

I remember a big movement that was circling, and maybe it still is, that was trying to bring back family game night. I remember when I was growing up it was common for my family to play games together at least one night a week. I can appreciate the concept but with the technology we possess today, board games are almost too old fashioned. I think it’s important to maybe keep one or two board games around for nostalgia purposes, but if you really want to engage your children I think getting involved in a game they enjoy as well will have more success.

This is why I think so many gamers are so much older now. I know my kids will be just into video games as my wife and I are. If they are not then they can’t be my children because they obviously don’t have my genes. I think a lot of software companies are starting to recognize this as well which is why some have been tailoring the games toward the more casual gamer. Gamers with families are not going to be able to commit to the hours that they use to 5-10 years ago.

My last statement leads me to my final point. I have noticed lately that many gamers, especially those still playing WoW, constantly whine about how simplified the game has become from its earlier years. Sorry folks, but most of us have families and lives now. You are now the minority so buck up, Sally! If you don’t like it then play something else and stay off the forums. You have zero control over the content of the game so whining about it only gets your ignored.

So while some adult gamers don’t act like it, the rest of us appreciate the effort by the software companies to design games that better meet our lifestyle.

Cheers!

Why Are Gamers So Angry?!

By

On October 31, 2011

In Gaming, MMORPG

I’m sure all of you are familiar with the term “nerd rage”. It often occurs when something happens in a game (more often in MMOs) that doesn’t go the players way and they throw a fit. I often akin it to a 5 year olds temper tantrum. It can also happen when the game developers change something about the game or introduces some new feature. It clearly stems from the fact that they have absolutely no control over the situation and the anonymity of the Internet. The fact that they cannot change the outcome or stop the implementation of something they disagree with compels them to rant and rave. It’s so childish it makes me want to nerd rage.

So where has all this hostility come from? Why are gamers so negative about the games I thought we all loved? Yes, developers will make changes to a game that we may not necessarily agree with but we shouldn’t be too quick to judge. After all they made these changes for a reason. Perhaps it’s industry trends, perhaps it’s an emerging pattern in the predominate player base, it could also be in response to majority player feedback. Just because you don’t like a new feature or the next expansion doesn’t mean the rest of us won’t. The game is tailored to the majority because the developers know that they can’t please everyone and they certainly won’t change their mind because you recorded yourself deleting all your characters.

Personally, anyone that actually makes the effort to record themselves nerd raging, or posts condescending or negative remarks on the forums about features you haven’t even tried yet, I don’t want you in my game. Go play the new My Little Pony game, something that matches your maturity level. Stay off the forums too because nobody cares why you decided not to play anymore, we’re just glad you’re not playing anymore.

So that’s my nerd rage 🙂

Cheers!

SWTOR: Don’t Think I’m a Clone Now

By

On October 20, 2011

In Gaming, SWTOR

I have been following along all the reviews of SWTOR as it makes its circuit to all of the gaming and geek conventions. Knowing what I know from being in the beta it’s fun to see what speculation and theories people craft from the morsels of details they glean from short demos and time boxed test drives.

I really don’t get some of these impressions and comments that are suppose to be taken in the context of “negative reviews”. Some are claiming the story is poor. How can one make that assertion from a short test drive. I have been playing the beta since April. I have tried nearly every class and a couple classes I have played through their starting zone a couple of times. I can tell you that the story is NOT weak! Don’t believe these half wit neophytes that know nothing about the lore. The character stories for all the classes are rich and engaging. All the quests and the dialog is extremely well written. Granted there are some dull quests, but the dulls ones are the ones not linked to the story, they are just XP fodder.

Don’t believe the critics that say the story is weak, it’s simply not true!

Ok, now that I have that out of my system, let’s talk about the thing I keep seeing more and more as a negative mark against SWTOR. Some critics are calling it a WoW clone.

Now I’m not saying it is a WoW clone, but for the sake of argument let’s say they’re right … But why is that a bad thing?? WoW is six years old and still has over 10 million subscribers. If you are going to model yourself off of something, why not pick the one with the best results? I understand wanting to differentiate yourself but that may now always guarantee great success. I mean, look at all the other MMOs released recently where that approach has worked …

So here is my reason why it’s not a WoW clone. Yes, you start at 1 and level, chronologically, up to 50 by picking up a quest and completing a quest. Yes, you get talent trees and you have gathering and crafting professions. That’s about all they have in common and in my opinion (with the possible exception of talent trees) those similarities exist because they are basic MMO mechanics. By the way, the fact that you have class specific quests throughout the leveling experience differentiates this game enough from the questing mechanic in WoW.

Professions barely qualifies because the process of crafting is very different in SWTOR. The work is done while you are questing. You don’t have to stand at a forge for 15 minutes with 25 cloth bracers queued up. You put your companion to the task and you go out and quest some more. Also, I think the third type of profession, mission, is quite interesting and can be very useful for leveling and increasing your dark/light side points.

Ok, so time to end this rant. SWTOR is not a clone of WoW. It shares a few basic mechanics but it has plenty of its own “special modifications” to make it unique.

Cheers!

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