Handy Vandal's Almanac

Scott Steinberg asks:

“Is Zynga Now A Video Game Company?”

Certainly. Zynga’s as much a video game company as any of the interactive entertainment field’s brightest lights. Of course, given the firm’s primarily business-focused approach to design, it’s also the devil incarnate to some. But the real irony that many people miss is that the outfit may inadvertently be one of the best things to happen to gaming since the invention of the home console.
- Scott Steinberg @ kotaku.com

It’s a big article, chock-full of interesting observations. Here’s a sample:

There’s a reason gaming’s most legendary developers continue to defect to the social space, and it’s not six-figure paychecks and lightning-quick development turnaround times alone. As Loot Drop’s Brenda Brathwaite so elegantly pointed out in her GDC rant, the industry is on the verge of a fundamental sea change as social gaming continues to explode in popularity -– even amongst those who wouldn’t consider themselves gamers –- and companies like Zynga are standing on the front lines of what promises to be both revelation and revolution, ushering in an entirely new and different (possibly better) era of game design and development.

Game developer/publisher Valve is currently working on Defense of the Ancients 2.

“Valve’s approach to Dota 2″ — according to GameInformer.com — “is unusual in that the gameplay itself is remaining almost entirely untouched.”

And yet much will be new and different — very, very different, in ways that intrigue me:

Valve is upgrading Steamworks (the company’s backend technologies for matchmaking and other gameplay and community-related things) to allow them to create in-game rewards for participating in the Dota 2 community. The idea is to have everything a player does in or out of game tie back into their online identity. Like the improvements to Source, the Steamworks upgrades will be available to third-party developers who choose to use Valve’s tools when Dota 2 launches in 2011.

At a basic level, posting useful feedback or participating in constructive discussions on the forums will contribute to your standing in the community in a visible way. Valve doesn’t have the specifics on how this will work nailed down yet. Will you get points that contribute to a visible ranking, like a Gamerscore? Will your posts need to be recommended by other community members to count for anything? What counts as a constructive discussion? These questions are all being actively explored at the moment. Valve assures us that the designers have a slew of awesome ideas for how to implement rewards in a way that’s visible to the rest of the community, but there are no details to announce yet. “When we talk about this identity that exists inside and outside the game, we don’t think we’re anywhere near it with what exists on Steam right now,” Johnson admits.

If this was just about getting points for posting comments, though, we wouldn’t waste your time by telling you about it. Dota 2 goes much farther than that. Everything from unlocking new skins for your favorite hero to getting a unique title for writing a strategy guide is on the table. Valve has ambitious plans (for which, again, there are no specifics to share) to host everything themselves and provide the best framework for the community to interact with each other. The idea is to reduce the social friction inherent in having to dig around a bunch of different fansites and wikis to find what you’re looking for.

Ultimately, two things will make Dota 2 stand out: the coaching system and interactive guides ….

– Adam Biessener @GameInformer.com

In-game rewards for community participation? Coaching system? Interactive guides?

Count me in!

“Games are an art form. I proudly wear my scarlet letter — A for art!”

– Warren Spector, keynote speaker at PAX 2010

Warren Spector is lead developer of Epic Mickey, a videogame that is “part of an effort by The Walt Disney Company to re-brand the Mickey Mouse character by moving away from his current squeaky clean image and reintroducing the mischievous side of his personality.”

Screenshots from the opening sequence: the sorceror retires for the night …

Mickey faces the consequences of his actions:

I was fascinated by Fantasia — especially The Sorceror’s Apprentice — at an early age. So yes, I’m curious what Epic Mickey has to offer.

Slashdot recently posted On Why Making a Blockbuster Game Is a Poor Goal.

From the comments:

What I take away from the article is that Bioware can make games like that because they have a proven track record of making games like that financial successes, but that a development team with a less powerful resume probably couldn’t get it done. Not because the team wouldn’t be up to it creatively or technically, but because in the current market, management/investors wouldn’t have enough faith in an unproven team to let them take the time to do it right.

– Mongoose Disciple

And:

Of the games that try to be the biggest, baddest, most epic ever, only the top X will be making a profit at all. Most will actually make a loss.

And that is something that seems to escape most people, sad to say. From people going into making games with delusions of being paid a million like Carmack, to kiddies who think that pirating a game is some kind of act of resistance to some uber-rich fatcat who’s only charging 40$ for it because of greed, to people starting some monumental epic as some mod and expecting to finish it with 5 people in a few months, to fanboys arguing that a publisher is the incarnation of pure Evil if they had an upper limit at all for budget and didn’t give the team an infinite limit on money and time to produce the perfect game, to ultimately the devs end publishers who increasingly compete only in that segment. The fact that there’s a finite amount of money to chase in that segment seems to be genuinely news to most people.

It’s not even a matter of “get off my turf” as some other poster made it sound. We have the equivalent of, say, 90% of the car makers deciding they want to compete only at the Bugatti Veryon end of the market. Or 90% of the computer manufacturers deciding they want to make only supercomputers. Sure, it’s great if you do manage to sell the next Bugatti Veryon for 1 million a pop, but there are only so many buyers who will buy at those prices. If actually all major companies, from Ford and Fiat and Volkswagen to Bugatti and Ferrari decided to make only supercars in that segment, that most _will_ make a loss. Same here. There simply isn’t enough money in the market to cover the costs of _everyone_ who wants to make the next super-game.

– Moraelin

The upcoming Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions promises four different Dimensions (distinctive game modes). I love the above screenshot from the Noir mode!

… The second dimension takes place in Marvel’s “Noir” universe, and is a slightly darker (both figuratively and literally) take on Spider-Man, using a style commonly found in pulp crime novels. The gameplay falls in line with this darker approach as there’s an emphasis on stealth, with slower and more methodical gameplay elements incorporated to encourage you to stay in the shadows as often as possible. You’ll still have access to the core Spider-Man abilities, so he’ll still be able to handle himself in a fight, but the developers tell us that sometimes it pays to remain unseen.

– Eduardo Vasconcellos @ GamePro

See Activision investor news.

I am impressed — wowed! — by Red Dead Redemption.

Okay, okay: I haven’t actually played (or seen) the game in person. But the videos look awesome!

There is a single player campaign, and a variety of multiplayer modes.

Deathmatches begin with something new: a classic Mexican Standoff.

If you are the last man standing at the end of the bloodshed, make your way to the best sniper location.

Each mode is a Western version of a classic Multiplayer game, based around a particular town or geographic feature …

- Gameplay Series: Multiplayer Competitive Modes

Single player game mechanics include Honor and Fame:

Red Dead Redemption makes use of a morality system where players have the ability to gain positive or negative ‘honor’. Some of the ways to gain positive honor include taking an outlaw alive instead of killing him, or saving a kidnapped innocent. Negative honor can be attained for committing crimes including killing and/or robbing civilians. This works along with another system, ‘fame,’ showing and governing how people react based on [the player's] honor status.

- Wikipedia

First, use Nintendo’s WarioWare: D.I.Y. to create art, rules, and music for your game.

Then play the game.

Britton Peele reviews the design process:

Start by drawing the art that will go into your game. This was by far the trickiest part for me because I’m a terrible graphic artist in every conceivable way. However, the game’s tools are easy to use, and you can also use assets from other sources, including pre-made games and a variety of stamps …. You end up creating the background and all objects that the game uses. This includes drawing separate frames for any animation you might require.

… Next, you’ll probably want to design how the game is actually played, which can be complex, yet easy to understand. Everything operates on if-then statements. For instance, you can tell the game, “If the balloon object is tapped, display the balloon popping animation.” Then, “If all balloons are popped, the player wins the game.”

You’ll probably also want to fill you game with music and sound effects ….

- Britton Peele @ The Daily Toreador

I haven’t played with WarioWare D.I.Y., but it looks like a nice little system for bringing game design — including the principles of structured programming — to the masses.

Facebook is enjoying considerable popularity as an applications development platform.

For example, Battle Punks:

Game startup Gravity Bear is unveiling its first original game for Facebook today. Battle Punks is a “3-D social game” that will debut this holiday season.

The game is set in a variety of fantasy locations, combining in-depth game design with social networking. As such, it’s one of a new generation of Facebook games that aims to deliver a better experience than the simpler two-dimensional games such as FarmVille that dominate Facebook today. Players create avatars and enter them into combat against others in a bid to become the scrappiest fighter in a kingdom.

- Dean Takahashi @ VentureBeat

This is interesting:

“The game will debut with analytics technology from SQLstream, which measures activity in an app and will allow Gravity Bear to tweak the game to suit the tastes of users.”

Major league pitcher Heath Bell uses the Wii to lose weight, improve balance, and get plenty of cardio exercise:

Playing Wii Fit — hula hoop, soccer, skiing slalom and yoga are his favorite games — was the only addition to his regular off-season workout routine, which includes running and lifting.

Mr. Bell says his on-field performance also has reaped the benefits of the videogame, which requires players to maneuver while on a balance board. “My balance is so much better than it used to be,” he says. “It shows on the mound.”

- James Wagner @ Wall Street Journal

Heath Bell @ Wikipedia