Book fare.
When I was a wee lass, one of the best times of the year was when the Scholastic Book Fair would come to my school. I'm not sure why I've always loved books so much, but I used to go absolutely bat-shit when the Book Fair would roll into town. Thinking back on it, it wasn't anywhere near as good as going to the Friar Tuck Book store in the mall, but I guess it was just the novelty of having the books come to my school... for a limited time only! And we got to get out of class to go to the Book Fair! It was like... a field-trip to the bookstore! Nerdiness and Escapist Tendencies unite to form Wooooooooo!
Well, anyways, what I'm writing about today is that my bat-shittiness has in no way, shape or form over the past twenty plus years. I love going to the bookstore today more than going to just about any store in existence, except that one on Sunset that sells all the Gentlemen's Magazines on the cheap. But wait! That's a bookstore, too! See? Could you imagine if they had a book fair that came to my work? That would be like Christmas and Chanukah all at the same time!
The books I've been reading lately are pretty wicked and they are as follows:
The Mauritius Command and Desolation Island: Fourth and Fifth chapters in the continuing Aubrey-Maturin Series, penned by the great Patrick O'Brian. He never ceases to amaze me with the depth of his wit and the breadth of his knowledge. Subtleties abound in these novels and I relish every one like a juicy peach on a hot summer day.
100 Bullets: I'm back on board the train with a vengeance here. I read The Counterfifth Detective no less than FIVE times while I was in Mexico because it was that freakin good. As soon as I could, I got my mitts on Six Feet Under the Gun and Samurai. Can you see a pattern here? If you're thinking about reading this series, start with the first book, First Shot, Last Call. It may not seem it in the beginning ,but it's cumulative, kinda like a chemistry exam. But not sucky.
The Walking Dead: I wouldn't say that this book was really bad, it's just that it wasn't really good. There's a tremendous amount of promise in a book that chronicles life in a Walking Dead World, but somehow the art and writing in this book combine to not deliver. The Walking Dead makes a point of trying to focus on the interpersonal relationships of the surviving humans, but it turns out to be a bit contrived and, hm, trite. I write this with the utmost regret, because I know the author is really trying, but maybe they're trying too hard. Create your characters and let them interact naturally. Having said that, I'm not put off enough to pass on the second book, until then, I'll write off any lack to inexperience.
Continuing my train-wreckish fascination with the Living Dead:
The Zombie Survival Guide: Boy, oh boy. Go out and buy this book. You may think you know what you'd do if the zombies came for you, but I can most assuredly assert that you do not. I can't stress enough, this book is a must-read. If you don't, if you happen to, say... personally find out why it's not a good idea to bring a machine gun to a zombie fight, DON'T COME MOANING TO ME.
Uzumaki: Japanese horror manga. Spirals are the bad guys. Yes, spirals, as in: those curly lines. First-rate stuff here. I'm not joking.
There's more, but I'm supposed to be sleeping off my cold. Night!
Wednesday, August 18, 2004
Monday, August 16, 2004
Ch-ch-ch-changes...
Well, not a whole lot has changed since I last posted, but a lot has happened. I love bullet points, so that's how I'm going to lay it out for you:
- Shipped Spider-man 2 for PS2, XBOX and Gamecube. I'm happy to report that it was reviewed very well overall and is selling like crack hotcakes.
- Visited home. While there, I saw one of my best friends from back in high school, Jessica Spissinger, get married. She looked awesome and I got to catch up with a lot of old friends. I also came to realize that I really need to start looking into planning my high school reunion. Later. It was great seeing the whole family and I was happy that I got to be there for Father's Day and my Grandma's birthday. Lots of hanging out with my sister, who is turning into a really cool chick. Mostly because she is a lot like me. Uh, except for the chick part, that is.
- Visited Mexico. Went to a city called Aguascalientes, which is directly in the center of the country. I got to meet all of my girlfriend's extended family, which was very cool. I also got food poisoning, which was very suck. We also traveled to my girlfriend's grandfather's ranch. Upon finally meeting the tough old guy, he looked at me and said something to the effect of "Oh, I already know this guy. He came around selling Sabritas ( Mexican potato chips ) about a month ago." Which was patently not true, but I wasn't going to argue with the old fella, he's the most feared lawman south of the Rio Grande. We also got to visit Guanajuato, where they have mummies, mines, cool old haciendas and student-led musical groups that guide large groups of tourists through the streets of the city, singing and telling us about the history of that beautiful city. And... last, but not least, I got to ride a real horse for the very first time. I'm so freakin proud of myself.
- Got assigned to my next project. It's a SUPER-SECRET Spidey project that's not related to the movie. That's all you're going to get out of me for now. So don't even try. ( Unless you have lots of money. ) ( Or maybe even a little. ) ( I accept PayPal. ) Ok, ok. What I can say is that it's gorgeous. You'll have to wait for more info.
Well, not a whole lot has changed since I last posted, but a lot has happened. I love bullet points, so that's how I'm going to lay it out for you:
- Shipped Spider-man 2 for PS2, XBOX and Gamecube. I'm happy to report that it was reviewed very well overall and is selling like crack hotcakes.
- Visited home. While there, I saw one of my best friends from back in high school, Jessica Spissinger, get married. She looked awesome and I got to catch up with a lot of old friends. I also came to realize that I really need to start looking into planning my high school reunion. Later. It was great seeing the whole family and I was happy that I got to be there for Father's Day and my Grandma's birthday. Lots of hanging out with my sister, who is turning into a really cool chick. Mostly because she is a lot like me. Uh, except for the chick part, that is.
- Visited Mexico. Went to a city called Aguascalientes, which is directly in the center of the country. I got to meet all of my girlfriend's extended family, which was very cool. I also got food poisoning, which was very suck. We also traveled to my girlfriend's grandfather's ranch. Upon finally meeting the tough old guy, he looked at me and said something to the effect of "Oh, I already know this guy. He came around selling Sabritas ( Mexican potato chips ) about a month ago." Which was patently not true, but I wasn't going to argue with the old fella, he's the most feared lawman south of the Rio Grande. We also got to visit Guanajuato, where they have mummies, mines, cool old haciendas and student-led musical groups that guide large groups of tourists through the streets of the city, singing and telling us about the history of that beautiful city. And... last, but not least, I got to ride a real horse for the very first time. I'm so freakin proud of myself.
- Got assigned to my next project. It's a SUPER-SECRET Spidey project that's not related to the movie. That's all you're going to get out of me for now. So don't even try. ( Unless you have lots of money. ) ( Or maybe even a little. ) ( I accept PayPal. ) Ok, ok. What I can say is that it's gorgeous. You'll have to wait for more info.
Sunday, February 29, 2004
All about EVE.
So, lately, I've been playing this massively multiplayer online game called EVE Online. It's not your normal MMO, because there's not a whole hell of a lot of running around, bowing and being social about it. In fact, you don't have a little avatar, you just have a ship and a big old galaxy to conquer with your ship.
A lot of people probably won't dig EVE because, as I already stated, it's not what we'll call a "chat-room social" game. There is, indeed, a lot of socializing going on, but it's pretty much all aimed toward business. You see, the heart of EVE is that's it's an economy simulator. Economy of cash, economy of goods, economy of space and, ultimately, economy of power. You establish business relationships with other players in order to function more efficiently within those economies.
In order to be truly effective in EVE, individuals must join into corporations. Corporations are not just loose associations, they have hierarchies, defined roles for corporation officers, voting procedures, internal security procedures and clearances, the ability to make legal 'war' on other corporations ( which I'll discuss sometime in the near future ), and even the ability to be publicly traded ( although the mechanisms for the stock market aren't yet online ). With a corporation, it is much easier to coordinate mining, refining, production and trade operations. It's also easier to mount large scale operations, like capturing and administrating space stations.
The player-formed corporations of EVE have also created another level of resolution above the corporation, called the Alliance. An alliance is simply a semi-formal collection of corporations that are working toward a common goal, such as to control a particular portion of space, or to prevent another alliance from achieving some end. For example, there is currently a player-run pirate alliance that is holding sway over large parts of the galaxy and have recently expanded their operations at an alarming rate. Their members commonly waylay and/or destroy innocent civilians who wander into their territories, or who happen to inhabit systems they have targeted for their expansionist campaigns. Thus, almost naturally, another alliance has sprung up to counter the pirate Alliance threat. As of this writing, the two large alliances are battling each other and the outcome of that battle will determine the climate in which the rest of us do business.
I used to play a game called Space Trader for my Commodore 64, back in the mid nineteen-eighties... it was a game about flying around in space and trading different goods. You could buy different ships and outfit them with different weapons, so you could go into other parts of space and trade for more lucrative items. EVE is basically a very advanced, multiplayer version of that game.
There are infinite ways in which EVE could be made more complex and compelling. The good thing is that, since EVE is an online game, the developers are able to constantly upgrading and adjusting the world for the better. For example, the last major patch ( upgrade ) added a system that allowed players to take control of certain space stations. Some of these stations are very valuable, due to their positions along certain trade routes or in certain mineral-rich parts of space. That upgrade alone added an amount of complexity to the game that is very difficult to fathom.
I know that some academics have already started to examine the social and economic dynamics within certain games. Hopefully, someone will take the time to study EVE. An analysis of its complex and evolving systems would make for a very interesting read. For me, anyway :D
So, lately, I've been playing this massively multiplayer online game called EVE Online. It's not your normal MMO, because there's not a whole hell of a lot of running around, bowing and being social about it. In fact, you don't have a little avatar, you just have a ship and a big old galaxy to conquer with your ship.
A lot of people probably won't dig EVE because, as I already stated, it's not what we'll call a "chat-room social" game. There is, indeed, a lot of socializing going on, but it's pretty much all aimed toward business. You see, the heart of EVE is that's it's an economy simulator. Economy of cash, economy of goods, economy of space and, ultimately, economy of power. You establish business relationships with other players in order to function more efficiently within those economies.
In order to be truly effective in EVE, individuals must join into corporations. Corporations are not just loose associations, they have hierarchies, defined roles for corporation officers, voting procedures, internal security procedures and clearances, the ability to make legal 'war' on other corporations ( which I'll discuss sometime in the near future ), and even the ability to be publicly traded ( although the mechanisms for the stock market aren't yet online ). With a corporation, it is much easier to coordinate mining, refining, production and trade operations. It's also easier to mount large scale operations, like capturing and administrating space stations.
The player-formed corporations of EVE have also created another level of resolution above the corporation, called the Alliance. An alliance is simply a semi-formal collection of corporations that are working toward a common goal, such as to control a particular portion of space, or to prevent another alliance from achieving some end. For example, there is currently a player-run pirate alliance that is holding sway over large parts of the galaxy and have recently expanded their operations at an alarming rate. Their members commonly waylay and/or destroy innocent civilians who wander into their territories, or who happen to inhabit systems they have targeted for their expansionist campaigns. Thus, almost naturally, another alliance has sprung up to counter the pirate Alliance threat. As of this writing, the two large alliances are battling each other and the outcome of that battle will determine the climate in which the rest of us do business.
I used to play a game called Space Trader for my Commodore 64, back in the mid nineteen-eighties... it was a game about flying around in space and trading different goods. You could buy different ships and outfit them with different weapons, so you could go into other parts of space and trade for more lucrative items. EVE is basically a very advanced, multiplayer version of that game.
There are infinite ways in which EVE could be made more complex and compelling. The good thing is that, since EVE is an online game, the developers are able to constantly upgrading and adjusting the world for the better. For example, the last major patch ( upgrade ) added a system that allowed players to take control of certain space stations. Some of these stations are very valuable, due to their positions along certain trade routes or in certain mineral-rich parts of space. That upgrade alone added an amount of complexity to the game that is very difficult to fathom.
I know that some academics have already started to examine the social and economic dynamics within certain games. Hopefully, someone will take the time to study EVE. An analysis of its complex and evolving systems would make for a very interesting read. For me, anyway :D
Tuesday, January 20, 2004
Hello again.
Back from my little Christmas break. Well, we're right in the middle of megacrunch and I'm feeling just fine. I've got an entire level to make that's due by the 26th. I've got it about a third of the way done and would probably be further, except that the world seems to be falling down around us as we speak. On top of that, I don't currently have the assets I need. But everything is seeming to work out ok, because you can't implement something you don't have and, even if you had it, you couldn't implement it... because the game doesn't work. Everything would be great if that bad ole deadline didn't keep advancing toward my position. So, I'm just polishing, polishing, polishing away until the logjam come loose.
I guess one of the most important lessons of being a game designer can be observed here: when something that you're working on goes very, very wrong, your first inclination will be to despair, complain and generally get caught up in the horse latitudes of game design. Do not underestimate the attractiveness of this option. As I may or may not have said before, the most frustrating thing about game design is when the game you're trying to design stops working through no fault of your own.
You must get over this. I'd say the best way to do this is:
1) Realize when it's happening to you.
2) Suck it up.
3) Personally make sure the right people are on the job fixing your problem.
4) Make a concerted effort to find other things to do while it's being fixed. If this takes going to your lead and explaining the situation, that's what it takes.
You being totally idle is totally useless and helps neither the game nor your morale.
All this advice probably sounds like a no-brainer, but it's harder to put into practice than you may think.
Of course, you could just despair and write in your blog, like I do. :D
Back from my little Christmas break. Well, we're right in the middle of megacrunch and I'm feeling just fine. I've got an entire level to make that's due by the 26th. I've got it about a third of the way done and would probably be further, except that the world seems to be falling down around us as we speak. On top of that, I don't currently have the assets I need. But everything is seeming to work out ok, because you can't implement something you don't have and, even if you had it, you couldn't implement it... because the game doesn't work. Everything would be great if that bad ole deadline didn't keep advancing toward my position. So, I'm just polishing, polishing, polishing away until the logjam come loose.
I guess one of the most important lessons of being a game designer can be observed here: when something that you're working on goes very, very wrong, your first inclination will be to despair, complain and generally get caught up in the horse latitudes of game design. Do not underestimate the attractiveness of this option. As I may or may not have said before, the most frustrating thing about game design is when the game you're trying to design stops working through no fault of your own.
You must get over this. I'd say the best way to do this is:
1) Realize when it's happening to you.
2) Suck it up.
3) Personally make sure the right people are on the job fixing your problem.
4) Make a concerted effort to find other things to do while it's being fixed. If this takes going to your lead and explaining the situation, that's what it takes.
You being totally idle is totally useless and helps neither the game nor your morale.
All this advice probably sounds like a no-brainer, but it's harder to put into practice than you may think.
Of course, you could just despair and write in your blog, like I do. :D
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