Biggs' Zone

A Geek's Cogitations, Conjectures and other Cortical Experiences

Blogging Has Been Humbling

This website is the only place I really blog about anything. I was thrilled when I actually found out that someone other then my friends had read something I wrote (see Don’t Think I’m A Clone Now). I thought that perhaps if total strangers found that post interesting that maybe I would be able to write something else interesting as well.

I should qualify myself by saying that I am not a professional writer by any means. I’m just a gamer, computer geek and a programmer. I only post blogs because I like the mental exercise of writing. I feel like its a workout for my brain, much like doing sit-ups or push-ups. I became defensive from some of the comments that people left from my last post, but instead of getting upset, I turned their constructive comments into a lesson in writing.

My last post I wrote quickly and on a whim. It was something rattling around in my brain that I decided to whip out in 20 minutes and post it. What I learned was that I need to spend more time thinking about what message I am trying to convey to the reader. If I leave out key components that link what I’m trying to say to my main point then I think readers will lose the meaning of the post. It isn’t anything the reader is doing wrong nor is it a reflection on their comprehension skills; it’s my fault, as the author, for not making the message clear.

I really appreciate the fact that friends and complete strangers read the things that I post and I hope to improve my composition skills in future blogs. I encourage people to continue to leave their thoughts and comments so that I may continue to learn from their feedback.

Thanks and Cheers!

It’s Not As Cool As You Think

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

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

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!

The Chuck Norris ..er MMO Times

Issue 22

Hello Gamers! I hope all of you had a great Thanksgiving. Here are some of the postings I found during my various opportunities to peruse the internet during my holiday. I hope you enjoy.

F2P DCUO Pays Off

I find the shift to Free-2-Play paradigm fascinating. Some of the games that have converted to F2P were met with failure, recently Lego Universe suffered this fate. Recently Sony decided to take DC Universe Online Free-2-Play and it looks like it paid off. I’m glad to hear that this worked out well for them. I found an interesting read at Venture Beat.
Venture Beat article

Chuck Norris Commercial

Blizzard aired a new WoW Commercial during the football games the Sunday before Thanksgiving. Yes, the newest celebrity to don a World of Warcraft character is the iconic Chuck Norris. Below is the video but for the e-mail I have a link to the WoW Insider post that contains the video for you to watch. Iconic, yet a bit corny. Enjoy.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arKpdxjHamI[/youtube]
WoW Insider post

Mists of Pandaria Talent Calculators

Blizzard unveiled the Mists of Pandaria talent calculators. I suspect WoW Head will have theirs updated to match the official talent calculators. I haven’t been able to look at them too much yet but its exciting to get to play around with them early.
WoW Insider post

TORHead Beta

One of my favorite websites for World of Warcraft is WoW Head. I love the information about all the loot and the talent calculator. Last week the beta of TORHead went live. It also has talent calculators, item details, crew skills, all the stuff you would expect it to have based on WoW Head. I’m very excited.
TOR Head website

WoW Patch 4.3 Live

The final patch for the Cataclysm expansion hit the live servers this week. The final raid, Dragon Soul, is now available to raiders. This is the final showdown with Deathwing. Players will also receive Transmog, Void Storage, three new instances as well as a few other goodies. The post from MMO-Champion has an excellent summation. WoW Insider has the official announcement from Bashiok.
WoW Insider article
MMO-Champion post

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Giving Thanks

So I’m sitting here with my in-laws on the eve of Thanksgiving. We’re just chatting, watching random stuff on TV and it does occur to me to think about what I am thankful for, so here is a post about that very thing.

Foremost, I am thankful for my wife. She makes me a better person everyday.

Obviously I am thankful for my family. The ones I’ve always had and the new family I have had going on four years now. All of my family is amazing and I’m very fortunate to have them and I’m also very fortunate that we all get along. I know there are some families out there where that isn’t the case. Therefore I’m thankful for even the small things.

After family I’m very thankful for my friends. Although in quite a few cases its hard to distinguish between family and friends but I feel friends still deserve to be singled out. I wouldn’t be who I am today or where I am today without my friends. They have been there through hardest of times and the joyous of times. I couldn’t have survived high school, college and life without them.

There are many other blessings I am thankful for and the Lord knows what those are but I don’t feel like going into much more then family and friends.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

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