What I'm playing: 6/18/2010

League of Legends:

I dig on MMOs.  I love RTS games.  Then along comes Riot Games, combining the 2 genres into a multiplayer, PVP-driven game.  I should probably also mention that the game is free.  There is no excuse for me to not play this game, and oh boy do I play it.  In 5 short months LoL has become the #2 most played game on my xfire profile.  I'll talk more at length about LoL in a future blog.

Phoenix Wright Justice for All:

I really enjoyed the first game and finally got around to pick this up on Goozex recently.  Justice for All reuses much of the graphics, characters, and gameplay from the first game.  It's more of the same and that's exactly what I wanted.  It does add one new mechanic that enables you to break through some of the lies being told to you while you are investigating between courtroom battles.  My lone complaint from the first game was the investigations became boring over time, and this change makes them much more interesting (and provides a means for you to refill your health meter).

Lord of the Rings Online:

I finally pulled the trigger on a lifetime subscription a few months ago.  Knowing this, one might think I should be a little upset at Turbine's announcement that LotRO is going free-to-play.  I'm really not though.  Free players are getting a gimped LotRO.  Maybe if I were new to it I wouldn't mind playing a scaled-down version. 

Modern Warfare 2 (multiplayer):

Sometimes I love this game and other times I hate it.  My love/hate is directly proportional to how well IWNet is working/not working at the time.  I'll probably never play this game as much as say a Left 4 Dead or Team Fortress 2.  Though when it plays the way it should (no hackers or poor connection issues), it's one of the more enjoyable multiplayer shooters in my library.

Age of Empires 3:

One of my favorite RTS games.  Trying to polish off the rest of the campaign right now.  I've always adored the physics in this game.  Slamming my enemies colony with cannon fire never gets old.

The most wonderful time of the year

E3 is a magical time of year for many gamers for obvious reasons. Here is a quick list of the top 5 games featured at E3 I'm most looking forward to:

5. Metal Gear Rising
4. Portal 2
3. Donkey Kong Country Returns
2. Star Wars The Old Republic
1. Dead Space 2

Creation Complex

I find myself at a crossroads at the moment. Multiple paths are open to me and deciding which one to embark upon has me paralyzed. These options are simply ways in which to spend my free time at the present, but have the potential to make some changes for the better in my life down the road as potential careers. I'll outline my options:

Create a webcomic

I may or may not have mentioned that I am an out-of-practice artist. It has been years since I've drawn regularly.  Wait, let me be more clear:  I was in middle school the last time I drew anything frequently.  Were I to pursue this course of action, much rust would need to be knocked off of my drawing hand.  Vacuums and brooms would need to be in arms reach at all times.

All rust having been sucked, swept, and otherwise removed; I'd want to shoot for a serialized story rather than a gag-a-day comic. There are a few ideas making the rounds inside the duct-work of my head that I could use to manufacture a comic from.  The writing would need to be really well done which will necessitate a good bit of prep work ahead of time to get it all down.

Depending on how my work flow ends up I would like to have the comic updated 2 or 3 times a week. Therein lies my biggest concern:  maintaining the discipline to keep up with it and make sure the new comics get posted on time.  This means ignoring the inevitable invites to play "one more match" of League of Legends when Drawing Time comes.

This option is appealing because it can be done from home and I already own all the tools necessary to get started.  Though to be fair, my graphics tablet is very small and I would look for a much larger replacement the further along I got.  Big tablets ain't cheap.

Level design 

It's no secret to readers of this blog that I am interested in level design. I've posted at length about various level design projects that were begun and never completed. Among the wreckage you'll find a couple of Counter-Strike maps, half a dozen Team Fortress 2 levels, and 3 or 4 abandoned Left 4 Dead concepts.  Aside from a few small set pieces and small scale contest entries, I have never taken a level design project to completion. 

I enjoy the idea of level design as it compares to other forms of creation: the ability to place the viewer in an environment. No other form of media I create in will achieve the level of immersion inherent in level design. If I were to ever take a level design concept to a finished product the level of personal satisfaction would be pretty damned high.

My biggest concern here is the length of time involved in any level design project.  I always go into a venture gung-ho, but my desire to muster on rapidly diminishes as the clock ticks forward.  Were there a way to maintain the level of excitement present in the opening minutes throughout the entire endeavor I can only imagine the cool shit I could produce.

The biggest obstacle with this option is it's the least likely to ever to become a career.  Level design jobs are hard enough to come by for those of us without university training.  Never mind the fact that eastern Tennessee is hardly a hot spot for game companies.  Realistically I would only be free to move elsewhere over my wife's dead body.

Writing 

I have been interested for a very long time in writing short stories or perchance even a novel. I've made notes here and there for story ideas, but never an attempt to put anything together. The idea of telling a story that can inspire real emotion in the reader is very attractive to me.  The writing process in general is something I really gravitate to (the last few months notwithstanding dear readers).

Any story I tell will likely be set in fantasy or sci-fi. I could see myself writing something in the real world only if it involves zombies, but I fear the undead have already been done too much in all forms of entertainment media.   Horror is definitely a genre that I would like to traipse about in. Zombies or not.

My biggest concern again is the length of time involved and my ability - or inability - to see it through to completion.  The benefits of this choice are obvious:  work can be done at home and no investment other than time would be needed.

So which path do I take? That's what I'm still trying to figure out. 

-Van out

She still got it

I'm coming back soon for real. These video posts aren't cutting it I know, but I couldn't pass on sharing this one.

Neo Geo 4 Life

A cool video I rediscovered this morning. Always wanted to own one of those sweet red cabinets.

Video Games | ScrewAttack | Four Bright Buttons & Two Joy Sticks HD

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

Let's talk turkey

Too many games to play right now. No mapping. No blogging. Must be time for another playlist!

Left 4 Dead 2

My experience with the demo was just the tip of the iceberg. L4D2 takes away all of the 'cheapness' of the first game (corner/closet camping) and forces players to experience L4D the way it was meant to be played. The new infected and crescendo events are game changing. You better get your head right, because what works in L4D will get you killed fast in this game. A whole new approach is required to be successful.

Valve didn't just 'fix' the basic gameplay and call it a day. The new levels set a higher standard in level design. Of course the visuals look stunning, but the atmosphere is like nothing you have experienced before: The constant bombings by the military in The Parish. The interactive games in the Dark Carnival. Opening the elevator doors to discover the whole floor is engulfed in an inferno, an inferno that you must traverse to safety in Dead Center's first level. Coming out of the safe house in Hard Rain to discover the rain has turned into a full-on thunderstorm. Then when you're out in the open the real storm hits.

After decapitating an infected with a fire axe you may never want to pick up a pistol again.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

Infinity Ward has mastered the single player FPS experience. Great gameplay, interesting storyline, and stunning visuals abound. Too bad it's over in 5 hrs.

Dragon Age

I really liked this game from the word go. A few hours into it and I'm starting to get antsy. My party wipes nearly every battle, and the frustration is starting to catch up and overwhelm my enjoyment of the game. Only through carefully planning my battles am I able to make it through unscathed. By "carefully planning" I mean hitting the pause button every 2 seconds of play to issue commands. It's getting old fast and I worry that the party members and skills I chose are the reason for my joy being held prisoner. I'm not so far into the game that a restart isn't out of the question, but my fear is that I'll not want to play the game again after doing so.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving and I hope to have some mapping updates for you after the holiday!

V out.

Tour de force

Work has progressed at a good pace on my Left 4 Dead campaign project. The first level is fully blocked in now and merely awaits a few fixes - some major and others minor - and should be on deck for some real testing soon.

I started my first WIP (work in progress) thread on a public forum this week. I've exposed my work before, but baring my work to the critical eye of a much larger electorate than what I enjoy at this url is another beast altogether. Fortunately, my skill tree has many points invested in the moderator proficiency at the heretofore linked site and am not against annointing someone's captious brow with a healthy does of ban should the situation require it.

Kidding aside, if you are at all interested in the virtuous hobby of level design as it pertains to L4D, I strongly encourage you to register at the site linked above. Knowledgeable chaps, good feedback, and a strong desire by most to help out new recruits to our venerable field a good mapping website makes.

I've come to realize over the past few days my mind has subconsciously boycotted any further play of Borderlands. The continued lack of PC support after the consoles were patched within a week is annoying at best, infuriating at worst. The announcement of DLC for the console owners (in the form of zombies! no less) with nary a word whispered for the PC is equally egregious. There are other games more worthy of my time investment at this time of the year.

In stark comparison Dragon Age was obviously designed for the PC and is a tour de force of solid story and excellent gameplay. If only for the reason it lets me say things like 'tour de force' - and mean it- does Dragon Age deserve my love and commitment. If you even remotely like RPGs, give it a look.