Comments for Words on Play http://wordsonplay.wordpress.com Writing about games and stories Mon, 09 Nov 2009 06:08:05 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 Comment on Books: Emergence by Malcolm http://wordsonplay.wordpress.com/2009/11/06/books-emergence/#comment-308 Malcolm Mon, 09 Nov 2009 06:08:05 +0000 http://wordsonplay.wordpress.com/?p=145#comment-308 For an interesting example of emergent gameplay, check out Urban Dead: http://playthisthing.com/urban-dead-0 For an interesting example of emergent gameplay, check out Urban Dead:

http://playthisthing.com/urban-dead-0

]]> Comment on The Big Triangle by Game Retail Store » GameSetLinks: Seventy Nine Reasons… http://wordsonplay.wordpress.com/2009/10/12/the-big-triangle/#comment-304 Game Retail Store » GameSetLinks: Seventy Nine Reasons… Wed, 21 Oct 2009 07:56:33 +0000 http://wordsonplay.wordpress.com/?p=656#comment-304 [...] The Big Triangle « Words on Play “Oo, game mechanic triangles - fun!” [...] [...] The Big Triangle « Words on Play “Oo, game mechanic triangles – fun!” [...]

]]> Comment on The Big Triangle by KoS http://wordsonplay.wordpress.com/2009/10/12/the-big-triangle/#comment-303 KoS Mon, 19 Oct 2009 22:12:09 +0000 http://wordsonplay.wordpress.com/?p=656#comment-303 Sorry, forgot to leave a link :) http://k--o--s.blogspot.com/2009/10/big-triangle.html Sorry, forgot to leave a link :)

http://k–o–s.blogspot.com/2009/10/big-triangle.html

]]> Comment on The Big Triangle by KoS http://wordsonplay.wordpress.com/2009/10/12/the-big-triangle/#comment-302 KoS Mon, 19 Oct 2009 22:10:29 +0000 http://wordsonplay.wordpress.com/?p=656#comment-302 Hello, Malcolm. This is interesting observation. If you don't mind, I translated you post (not literally) and published in my blog. Hello, Malcolm.

This is interesting observation.

If you don’t mind, I translated you post (not literally) and published in my blog.

]]> Comment on The Secret Books of Game Design by The Big Triangle « Words on Play http://wordsonplay.wordpress.com/2008/07/30/the-secret-books-of-game-design/#comment-301 The Big Triangle « Words on Play Mon, 12 Oct 2009 01:30:20 +0000 http://wordsonplay.wordpress.com/?p=19#comment-301 [...] McCloud’s Big Triangle. For those unfamiliar with it (and if this is you, you should go read Understanding Comics right now), it is a depiction of the continuum of artistic styles between realistic, iconic and [...] [...] McCloud’s Big Triangle. For those unfamiliar with it (and if this is you, you should go read Understanding Comics right now), it is a depiction of the continuum of artistic styles between realistic, iconic and [...]

]]> Comment on On moral detachment by Malcolm http://wordsonplay.wordpress.com/2009/02/02/on-moral-detachment/#comment-292 Malcolm Mon, 20 Jul 2009 00:17:41 +0000 http://wordsonplay.wordpress.com/?p=253#comment-292 I finished the main Fallout quest ages ago and I'm now playing Broken Steel. Taking the Explorer perk, I've been checking out the (many) locations on the map that I missed on the first pass through, but the pointlessness of the killing is really beginning to wear me down. I really can't see any moral difference between my character and the raiders she is dispatching by the dozen, except that I have better weaponry. The 'raiders' in this game don't seem to do an awful lot of raiding. Mostly they are holed up in their homes, trying to defend themselves from 'heros' like me. I finished the main Fallout quest ages ago and I’m now playing Broken Steel. Taking the Explorer perk, I’ve been checking out the (many) locations on the map that I missed on the first pass through, but the pointlessness of the killing is really beginning to wear me down. I really can’t see any moral difference between my character and the raiders she is dispatching by the dozen, except that I have better weaponry. The ‘raiders’ in this game don’t seem to do an awful lot of raiding. Mostly they are holed up in their homes, trying to defend themselves from ‘heros’ like me.

]]> Comment on My Dream CRPG by A7A http://wordsonplay.wordpress.com/2008/12/09/my-dream-crpg/#comment-291 A7A Sun, 19 Jul 2009 12:10:27 +0000 http://wordsonplay.wordpress.com/?p=261#comment-291 In diablo 2 they had schematics quite nicely mixed in with the "horadric cube" where you put for example magical weapons (blue) with different crystals and misc items and made them rare (yellow)and at the same time infused them with the properties of the crystals and misc items. Not much character, but combined with the unique and set-weapons there was nothing to complain about. ;P As for junk I like the way mass effect solved that "problem"; you actually got weapons from enemies without picking them up. Sure, scavenging may give a sense of desperation to a game which fits quite nicely especially in survival-games such as Stalker, Fallout and Bioshock, but in the end it just bores the hell out of me to open box and box. For this reason I also hate how you have to walk in circles to collect experience after an enemy is defeated in fable 2. As for new ideas... I really do wish people asked me more questions in games. Characters are very much like flag posts for quests, or even flag posts for you learning about them. I would like to learn about myself through NPCs. Perhaps a game where the answers you give affect the reality in the game? Or just people who ask me questions without me being sure about the answers and what effects they may have on the characters or the game in general. Pathologic and Knights of old republic 2 did this better than any other games I've played. In diablo 2 they had schematics quite nicely mixed in with the “horadric cube” where you put for example magical weapons (blue) with different crystals and misc items and made them rare (yellow)and at the same time infused them with the properties of the crystals and misc items. Not much character, but combined with the unique and set-weapons there was nothing to complain about. ;P

As for junk I like the way mass effect solved that “problem”; you actually got weapons from enemies without picking them up. Sure, scavenging may give a sense of desperation to a game which fits quite nicely especially in survival-games such as Stalker, Fallout and Bioshock, but in the end it just bores the hell out of me to open box and box. For this reason I also hate how you have to walk in circles to collect experience after an enemy is defeated in fable 2.

As for new ideas… I really do wish people asked me more questions in games. Characters are very much like flag posts for quests, or even flag posts for you learning about them. I would like to learn about myself through NPCs. Perhaps a game where the answers you give affect the reality in the game? Or just people who ask me questions without me being sure about the answers and what effects they may have on the characters or the game in general. Pathologic and Knights of old republic 2 did this better than any other games I’ve played.

]]> Comment on Books: Predictably Irrational by A7A http://wordsonplay.wordpress.com/2009/01/27/books-predictably-irrational/#comment-290 A7A Sun, 19 Jul 2009 11:55:53 +0000 http://wordsonplay.wordpress.com/?p=356#comment-290 People are pattern finders. This is where authoratorial control enters in video games, also in game mechanics and rules. In pathologic you are shocked the first time the price of food goes up, so you assume the price will only rise more and more with the escalading conflicts, but alas, it does not always and it contributes to a feeling of fear and apathy. If a rat gets an electrical shock randomly while moving around it starts looking for patterns. Then it gives up and lies down to die. People are pattern finders. This is where authoratorial control enters in video games, also in game mechanics and rules. In pathologic you are shocked the first time the price of food goes up, so you assume the price will only rise more and more with the escalading conflicts, but alas, it does not always and it contributes to a feeling of fear and apathy. If a rat gets an electrical shock randomly while moving around it starts looking for patterns. Then it gives up and lies down to die.

]]> Comment on On moral detachment by A7A http://wordsonplay.wordpress.com/2009/02/02/on-moral-detachment/#comment-289 A7A Sun, 19 Jul 2009 07:53:15 +0000 http://wordsonplay.wordpress.com/?p=253#comment-289 Yehuda, the game you mention is probably Metal Gear Solid 3, where the only way to "clear the stage" and defeat the boss (since it's a boss fight) is letting yourself being "killed" and taking the pill that revives you from a fake death. One interesting thing to do in games is role playing characters, which in a way also leads to moral detachment if you cannot internalize the character you're supposedly playing. Or you could play a game and your character as someone specific to perhaps gain better understanding of the philosophy behind their viewpoint. Good luck with playing Kant with not killing as a moral imperative in fallout 3 though. :P For moral detachment, see this article: http://clicknothing.typepad.com/click_nothing/2007/10/ludonarrative-d.html They had something good going, though. Yehuda, the game you mention is probably Metal Gear Solid 3, where the only way to “clear the stage” and defeat the boss (since it’s a boss fight) is letting yourself being “killed” and taking the pill that revives you from a fake death.

One interesting thing to do in games is role playing characters, which in a way also leads to moral detachment if you cannot internalize the character you’re supposedly playing. Or you could play a game and your character as someone specific to perhaps gain better understanding of the philosophy behind their viewpoint. Good luck with playing Kant with not killing as a moral imperative in fallout 3 though. :P

For moral detachment, see this article:

http://clicknothing.typepad.com/click_nothing/2007/10/ludonarrative-d.html

They had something good going, though.

]]> Comment on Books: What Video Games Have To Teach Us About Learning And Literacy by Malcolm http://wordsonplay.wordpress.com/2009/07/15/books-what-video-games-have-to-teach-us-about-learning-and-literacy/#comment-288 Malcolm Thu, 16 Jul 2009 01:54:15 +0000 http://wordsonplay.wordpress.com/?p=632#comment-288 Chris Bateman offers a <a href="http://blog.ihobo.com/2009/07/games-as-learning.html" rel="nofollow">dissenting view</a> on the 'games as learning' idea on the <a href="http://blog.ihobo.com/" rel="nofollow">ihobo blog</a>. Chris Bateman offers a dissenting view on the ‘games as learning’ idea on the ihobo blog.

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