rmillergame100blog

Map after battle

2010-05-19T23:22:00.000-07:00

This would be the screen save for after the battle. Although the British have turned the flank they won't be able to proceed until units are repaired and units are restored.

Sources for these images are covered in the blog post of 5-10-10 and later posts.

post battle recovery methods

2010-05-18T23:07:00.001-07:00

After this successful offensive, the British can go ahead and advance with the units which took part in the battle, but may choose to stay put until units are recovered. The two half-strength infantry units can combine into one full strength unit and advance or wait for medical units to recover the units. Repair units can also work on the Armor and Artillery to bring them to recovery. When units are in recovery mode, they must wait 2 turns before they are recovered and can move again.

The defeated German units are allowed to retreat, but the two regular infantry units are

removed, they were destroyed in battle. The damaged machine gun and air units can be given medical and repair units for recovery.

Units receiving medical assistance look like this:

Units receiving repair look like this:

Sources for the clip art of the red cross is www.fundraw.com/clipart/ clip-art/2111/Red-Cross/

and the wrench picture and hammer were blackened and shrunk to such an extent that they scarcely resemble the originals, but in any case the wrench is from www.jobsministrysouthwest.com/ Tools.htm and the hammer is from http://www.clker.com/clipart-15605.html

battle tallys for Great War game

2010-05-18T23:02:00.001-07:00

Sources of these images are on my blog for 5-10-10

Great War Manual movement strengths charts

2010-05-18T21:46:00.001-07:00

Sources for the images here are mostly covered on the 5-10-10 blog post. except for the clip art from Google image of the straight arrow from www.polyvore.com/.../ thing?id=8455532 and the fancy arrow from www.clipartguide.com/ _pages/0808-0710-2915-12... and the blasts from

http://www.clker.com/clipart-explosion.html

Manual for the Great War continued 1

2010-05-11T19:37:00.000-07:00

When you click on Great Britain you first see a world map that shows the British possessions at the outbreak of WW I, and a general idea of the layout of military units worldwide. If you clicked on one of the other countries you would see their possessions and military units as of 1914.

The player is given another screen in which he/she can choose which theatre in which to play: Western, Eastern, Italian, Mideastern, and Pacific.

If they select Western theatre they will see their units (British), as well as the other units they are aware of through direct observation or, in the case of the French, they are allies. Infantry units can move one hex in any direction, and have two strengths, with machine guns and without. The icon above the flag shows either a soldier or a machine gun. Non machine gun infantry's strength is one, with mg is two. Armor units move 2 hexes, and have a strength of three, Air units have a movement of three hexes away, but must return to the airbase at the end of their action. Their strength is also three. Artillery units have a strength of 2 and can attack over 2 hexes. German long range artillery have a strength of 4 and can attack over 5 hexes. Naval units move one hex, and have a strength against other naval units of four, and a strength of one when firing on shore defences, only Naval or Air units can attack naval units. In an attack on a naval unit an air unit's strength is reduced to two. U-Boats are only visible to the German side, until they are in an adjacent hex to the enemy, and can fire a torpedo across 2 hexes, other naval units attack adjacent hexes. U-boat movement is the same as for other naval units.

The green bar on the side of the icon indicates the health of the unit, a unit can be damaged in a battle, but not eliminated. When a unit is damaged it shows the degree of damage in red, on the bar. If half the bar is red then 1 point in strength is removed.

The second western front screen shot is from the German player's perspective. The Germans are not aware of the position of the British or French artillery, or the British naval unit. You can see the position of the German long range artillery from the German player's perspective. which the British player would be unaware of, which is why it does not appear on the British player's western front screen.

The source of the map, hexagonal grid, and various images is covered in my blog on 5-10-10

However I neglected to mention the Eiffel tower photo which is from flickr.com/photos/ pingnews/2866476536/ by D. F. Schapinsky of pingnews. The world map is a modification of a map I found at www.uoregon.edu/.../ week1class1and2.html

Game Playing Manual for The Great War

2010-05-11T18:24:00.000-07:00

After a short intro the player will see the opening screen above, in which they choose which nation to play.

Attributions for the photos:

Lloyd George www.shalligettoblighty.co.uk/ page8.htm

Raymond Poincare www.universitystory.gla.ac.uk/ biography/?id=W...

Woodrow Wilson royalromania.wordpress.com/.../

Kaiser Wilhelm https:/.../ Kaiser+Wilhelm+II+poem?f=print

Emperor Franz Josef commons.wikimedia.org/ wiki/File:Pietzner,_Car...

Antonio Salandra www.gutenberg.org/files/ 15478/15478-h/15478-h.htm photo from Bain.

Czar Nicolaus II www.artsjournal.com/ dewey21c/main/2009/07/

Sultan Mehmed V http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mehmed_V

Yamamoto Gonnohyoe ko.wikipedia.org/wiki/ 파일:Yamamoto_Gonnohy...

The flags are from Google Image

The Great War videogame cover

2010-05-10T14:26:00.000-07:00

This is an idea for the cover of the Great War videogame. The photo was from www.curriki.org/xwiki/ bin/view/Coll_Group_CRS... which further links with

http://www.historyonthenet.com/WW1/causes.htm and http://www.world-war-1.info/history/

The inset map is based on the map I traced from a previous blog entry (cited there) and a hexagonal grid

from www.rogersconnection.com/ triangles/index.html. Once again the flags are from Google Image, and the black figures of the infantryman, machine guns, tanks, aircraft, ship and u-boat are blackened-in and extremely reduced images from Google Image. Because the images are left virtually unrecognizable from their source, due to the shrinkage they lose their resolution, plus being blacked out, that I felt they didn't need further documentation. The whole map deal was otherwise done on Gimp. Oh, and the bar code is from ceoworld.biz/ceo/2009/ 11/14/best-barcode-labe....

US VS IT rules

2010-04-17T17:22:00.000-07:00

These are the rules as e-mailed to me from Dorothy K. for the US vs IT game. This is the link for this game: http://www.stonetronix.com/games/usvsit/.

Us vs It rules
as created by Russell, Hernando and Dorothy

Laser Eye:
Trigger: if a tank is within 3 squares straight ahead
damage grid: 4,3,2,1,0,0,0

Fist:
Trigger: if a tank is within 1 square (radius)
damage grid:
2,2,2
2,x,2
2,2,2

Atomic Mine:
Drop Trigger: if a tank is within 2 squares in a straight line in any direction, including diagonals
Explosion trigger: if a tank is within 1 square (radius)

damage grid:
2,2,2
2,4,2
2,2,2

Rotate trigger: if a tank is within 2 squares, rotate towards it

Move trigger: always move if a move is possible

Death grid:
1,1,1,1,1
1,2,2,2,1
1,2,x,2,1
1,2,2,2,1
1,1,1,1,1

Robot's action list:
Move
Laser
Mine
Fist
Rotate
Move
Laser
Mine
Fist
Rotate

We tried several options, the robot having 10 actions, or 5 actions, but then it lost the ability to rotate when damaged and lost an action.

Another action sequence:
Move
rotate
mine
laser
fist
(and repeat)

and:
Rotate
Move
Mine
Laser
Fist
(and repeat)

We found we could tell what the robot would want to do in a given situation, but it was tricky to figure out ways to operationalize the rules so that the robot would take the optimal action (other than moving forward, the robot was good at that).

We then modified the rotate trigger so that the robot would rotate even if no tanks were around, to give the game some variation, some surprise.

Initial ideas for game map: Great War

2010-04-08T19:35:00.000-07:00

This is an initial idea for a game map, for the period of time right after America's entry into WW I. I would want to keep the game play fairly simple and the units easy to understand and identify by the use of the flags. I would need to also include icons to indicate whether a unit is infantry, artillery, tank, or medical.

This is a trace of a map I found at worldwar1letters.wordpress.com/.../ map-room/

I modified it using Gimp and used flags I found on Google Image and shrunk down.

Sounds of the Great War

2010-04-06T19:00:00.000-07:00

This is an MP3 of the kind of soundtrack I might want to use for The Great War.

I put together various sound files from a website called Freesound http://www.freesound.org/.

The sounds I used were the sound of a thunderstorm from Erdie, the sound of warfare from Syna_Max, machine gun fire from Matt_G, and sounds of a choir from ERH_Kadel. IF YOU CLICK ON THE TITLE OF THIS BLOG "SOUNDS OF THE GREAT WAR" YOU WILL FIND TWO SOUND FILES, ONE AN MP3 THE OTHER A WAV FILE.

circuitpinballplayfield.evaluation

2010-03-12T15:09:00.000-08:00

This pinball game, Circuit, is a fast free-flowing game. It maintains my interest by keeping the ball moving into two traps which make a sound, one is shaped like a wheel in the center, the other is in the upper right corner. There are three bumpers at the top, and one on the left, which also make sounds and keep the ball moving. The triangular guard rails keep the ball going also as it bounces off them. The wheel spins when you hit it, which tells you you've scored, it adds visual interest. The flippers work well with the cursor controls so that you can easily prevent gutter balls. It keeps your interest by adding balls when you do well. The playfield is clean and easy to understand and attractive to the eye.

some new sketches for the Great War

2010-03-11T18:41:00.000-08:00

Here are some other sketches I did on March 10. for my game design idea:The Great War.

At left is a first draft of a

cover idea for the game

These are more sketches I made and scanned, based on photos from Illustrated History of the First World War, previously cited in a another entry on this blog, 3-4-10. Once again enhanced on Gimp and Photoshop as well.

pinball java games: evaluations

2010-03-11T16:31:00.000-08:00

What is "good gameplay" when it comes to pinball game design? There should be ample opportunity to score extra points and to keep the ball in play. If you consistently get gutter balls and you find it hard to control the flippers, and are fumbling with the keys on the computer that is very bad gameplay. While it is fun to have plenty of bells and whistles including spoken dialog, sometimes it can distracted to the gameplay, and it certainly doesn't serve as a replacement for good game design. The McDonald's pinball game was by far the most fun, it had clever ways to gain extra points, that involved excellent animation. It was easy to play and to do well on, which is important. I never fumbled with the controls. The Rat n' Roll and the Short Circuit games were good too. There was enough going on to keep the game interesting and the game play was smooth. On the other hand, the Pepsi game was by far the worst, it was very badly designed. It was harder to play and the graphics were boring. I wasn't impressed with Sims, Starsky and Hutch (here the spoken parts were a bit distracting). Also the tiki, Meet Dave, Illuminati, and Carnaval games weren't very impressive either. They seemed to be quick knock off's of various themes without focusing on creating a fun game.

How do pinball playfield designers create exciting experiences? By giving you chances to really whack the ball and then give the ball interesting and graphically stimulating places to go. It is more exciting when you are given more chances to score points and then have lots of lights flashing and noises when you get those points (just like in real pinball). But the bells and whistles need to be in league with the gameplay, not just thrown in regardless of how the game is going.

Sketches for Great War strategy game

2010-03-04T00:33:00.000-08:00

These are some initial sketches for artwork for The Great War a turn-based strategy game about

WW I. I began with a scan of some pencil sketches I did. Crude, and very light, but I prefer pencil because I can erase and because I can be less definite in my lines and loose in my drawing . Then I apply a filter to the drawings and crop them, using Gimp. This makes

them much more visible.

I select the part I want, perhaps to use for cover

art for my game. I then combine a picture of a

French soldier in WW I., then insert my drawing

of an artillery piece I tweek the image, especially the drawing to get the right look.

The photograph is from An Illustrated History of the

First World War by John Keegan, Alfred A. Knopf 2001

This particular photo is of a French soldier in a trench in the forest of Apremont near St. Mihiel, 30 meters from the enemy, January 23, 1915 by B. F. Bouchor.

I produced and scanned the sketches, based upon other photos from the above book, treated in Gimp (free alternative to Photoshop).

slideshow of idea for RPG videogame

2010-03-02T01:57:00.000-08:00

Videogames are sexist

2010-02-25T19:08:00.000-08:00

VIDEOGAMES ARE PROFOUNDLY SEXIST

Yup, games are crap when it comes to depicting women. If they're not trying
to save the world using only the power of their tits, they're simpering in a tower some-
where waiting for a big strong man to come and save them. Yup, games are sexist in
the extreme. Except that, perhaps they're not. But there's more at play here than old
fashioned, lug-headed misogyny on the part of game devs. The reasons for video games'
insulting female characters go much deeper than that. In fact they start way back in the
early mists of both game design and narrative structure.
David Houghton content editor at GamesRadar UK

The manner in which women are depicted in many videogames, such as
Grand Theft Auto, has it's roots in mythology and religion. These beliefs were reinforced in the late nineteenth century with Darwinism and Freudian psychology, which was reflected in the popular culture of that time, and ever since.
Other videogames, such as Bloodrayne, attempt to come to terms with misogynistic narratives,whereas Uncharted and Uncharted 2 may offer a way to avoid dehumanizing women entirely. The sexist, misogynistic narrative resonate deeply within male psyches, and games based on these kinds of stories will appeal to male prurient interests. Censorship will only increase it's appeal. It is a marketing challenge to begin telling a different story for women in videogames, but there is evidence that even men are growing tired of the misogyny that permeates our culture.
According to Jack Holland, author of Misogyny, this hatred and fear of
women began with the ancient Greek story of Pandora, and the ancient Hebrew story of Eve. In the story of Pandora, men existed before women in a kind of blissful existence in which they did not suffer greatly, or die. However, they lacked fire, and had to eat their meat raw. When Zeus refused to give men 'the secret of fire', Prometheus stole it, and gave it to men. As a punishment, Zeus gave men Pandora.

The Greek phrase used to describe her, kalon kakon,means 'the beautiful evil.'1
From her comes all the race of womankind
The deadly female race and tribe of wives.
Who live with mortal men, and bring them harm.2
The gods gave her 'sly manners and the morals of a bitch'. Pandora is presented
to Epimetheus, Prometheus' younger brother. He is enchanted....and marries her. Pandora
brings with her a large sealed jar, which she has been told not to open.....Pandora cannot
resist seeing what is inside3
But now the woman opened up the cask.
And scattered pains and evils among men.4
Since ....mankind has been doomed to labour, grow old, get sick, and die in suffering.5

In other words, we were born and died, like the animals. Women had reduced
men to animals, and yet men depended on women for their very existence. This could
be the source of the two principle symbols of women in Western civilization, woman
as Holy Mother, and woman as whore, both of which dehumanize women, Pandora
could be considered, along with Eve, as the original femme fatale, and the symbol of
the femme fatale has infected Western culture and is in evidence in today's videogames.
The story of Eve is a familiar one for anyone growing up in Western culture.
Adam preceded Eve, and Eve was created from Adam's rib. They lived in a paradise,
the Garden of Eden, within which was the tree of knowledge of Good and Evil, whose
fruit was not to be eaten. The Serpent appears and tempts Eve into eating the apple from
that tree, resulting in Adam and Eve's expulsion from the garden. After Eve's trans-
gression God had this to say:
And I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception;

and in sorrow shalt thou bring forth children and thy desire
shall be for thy husband and he shall rule over thee. (Genesis 3:16)
He tells Adam:
And I shall put enmity between thee and the woman (Genesis 3:15)
This is the source of much of the misogyny in Judeo-Christian culture. The eating of
the apple was the Original Sin, which led to guilt and shame. Adam and Eve are
suddenly aware of their nakedness and cover themselves. This story sets the stage
for centuries of shame and guilt over sexuality, and, of course, women were to
blame.
What does all of this have to do with videogames? The many narrative
structures which ultimately derive from the two I mentioned have kept the hatred,
subjugation, and fear of women alive and well, in Western culture. The latest mani-
festation of this misogynistic storyline can be found today in videogames. Grand Theft
Auto or, perhaps, Grand Theft Chariot would have been a big hit in ancient Athens.
Like the gameworld of Grand Theft Auto, Athens was filled with prostitutes.
Solon legalized state brothels, staffed by slaves and aliens...
who could be picked up for a few dollars, near the city dumps
where people went to defecate. The whore's sexuality was a
public convenience; she was viewed in terms of a sewer that
drained off men's lust.6
Grand Theft Auto III..released for the Playstation 2 on October
22, 2001...quickly sold a million copies. Aside from three or more
female characters woven into the plotline, the only women are the
prostitutes that infiltrate the city boulevards when the streetlights
turn on...the working women will catcall from the curb if they like
what you're driving. Stop your stolen car and honk the horn if you're
interested. ..You have to find a semi-secluded area, like a dirty alley-
way by the trash can...the car starts to rock up and down..the controller
vibrates. The car then abruptly stops-after one last, quick, awkward
pump. “Money”, one of your scores, goes down a few points, while
your energy bar increases. ..You could get your cash back by going after the
prostitute and beating her to death, picking up the damp green digital money
from her bloody body. Killing a series of working women might instigate a
police chase, but beating one or two will rarely get their attention. ..as more
people learned about the prostitution...the game sold even faster. Nothing in
modern entertainment history equaled the power to destroy a lifelike individual,
in a lifelike world, with your own hands...Unlike a film, no one else made the
decision to kill off the prostitute. You did.7
To a greater extent than most videogames, Grand Theft Auto has given
players the opportunity to indulge in total mayhem, to act out all manner of
sexual, and homicidal fantasies. Notice the striking similarity in emotional tone
between the account of prostitution in ancient Athens, and the account of the
gameplay in Grand Theft Auto. One can easily imagine an Athenian whore being
murdered, her body thrown into the adjacent sewer. Jack Holland noted the dual
sexual and violent meanings in the misogynistic language used by men in Belfast,
a language resembling that used in multiplayer war game chat rooms. I was also
struck by the association of women and sex with filth.
I grew up in Northern Ireland..it was a place where the word 'cunt' expressed
the worst form of contempt one person could feel for another. If you loathed
or despised a person 'cunt' said it all. The word was scrawled on the walls of
rubbish-strewn back alleyways or in public toilets reeking of urine and faeces.
Nothing was worse than being treated like a 'cunt', or nothing so stupid as a
'stupid cunt'.
In Belfast slang the verb 'to stiff' someone can mean two things 'to make love
to' or 'to kill'...'I just stiffed that cunt' can mean 'I just shot him dead' or 'I just
f**ked her'. Either way the victim is discarded, discountable, essentially
dehumanized.8

Chris Leigh, Executive Editor of the PAL Gaming Network, or PALGN, based
in Australia, has some definite opinions regarding sexism in videogames.
Are games sexist? Personally, I don't think there can be any dispute – they
almost certainly are. On one level, this is hardly a surprising revelation, after
all, games are toys made predominantly by boys for boys. In fact video games
are so obviously sexist, that a more pertinent question would perhaps be what
does discrimination mean for games, and the industry as a whole?
Lara Croft is constantly upheld as an example of progress, but she's a weak
icon, for womanhood. With her unrealistic body shape and revealing attire
Lara is a fantasy figure for males and little else, even if she does possess a
gift for handling firearms.
Gaming's best stab at a strong, independent icon of womanhood? Fahrenheit's
Carla Valenti. That is, until she ended up getting her kit off for Playboy.9
Lara Croft. Carla Valenti, Rayne, from Bloodrayne, and many other female
protagonists are attempts to come to terms with misogyny, by seemingly empowering
women by making them heroines, defeating the misogynistic bad guys. But this is
more a case of transforming women into fetish objects. In Rayne's case, she takes on
some of the characteristics of a dominatrix. It portrays the women as a warrior form of
misogyny. Women are not treated as human, but as a symbol. This can be traced back,once again, to ancient Athens and their fascination with the Amazons.
Representations of battle between men and Amazons are among the most popular
depictions of women in Antiquity...Wherever a citizen looked, his eye would
inevitably fall on a scene showing a man, sword or spear raised, hauling a woman
by her hair off a horse, or stabbing and clubbing her to death, a javelin pointed
at her nipple, as invariably her tunic slips to reveal a breast, and her short skirt
rolls up to reveal her thighs.10
No doubt the prurient imaginations of Athenian men were stirred by the warrior women
of Sparta as well, as outraged as they were by their behavior.
To the horror, and no doubt fascination, of the rest of Greece, they exercised naked,
took part in athletic games, and generally tended to be stronger and fitter.
Much to the outrage of Aristotle and other conventional moralists, Spartan women
wore short, revealing tunics.11
Undoubtedly, Athenian men daydreamed of being chopped to bits by naked, very
tough, Spartan babes. Sadomasochism has deep roots, and this attraction/repulsion
dynamic can make the identification of misogyny a confusing affair. However,
the tendency to place women on a pedestal, to transform them into warrior heroines,
is an expression of men's fear of women. Recognizing that they are at women's mercy
they seek to placate them. This is women as fetish objects. None of it truly relates
to women as human beings. Of course, women can be heroines, without being a fetish
object. How do you tell the difference? As every commentator on sexism in videogames
has noted, women with exaggerated sexual attributes, or special attention being given
to sexual attributes, such as boobs shaking at every opportunity, are a sure sign of a
fetish in full bloom. And, of course, the addition of violence feeds the fetish even
more. A good example of a fetish driving the narrative in a videogame would be
Bloodrayne. Men love this sort of thing, or do they?
Why is this game (Bloodrayne) rated M? ….because the violence and language
are carried to a nauseating low...I don't have virgin ears. But there is a difference
between colorful language being a natural part of your vocabulary and swearing
just for the sake of swearing..Do developers expect us to believe that uttering
f**k is a sign of maturity? What grates me the most though, is not the immaturity
of the developers because, after all, they're just trying to make a break by appeal-
ing to the lowest common denominator. No, the bigger whores are the professional
reviewers who are more than willing to overlook the gratuitous violence and ram-
pant sexism that is prevalent in too many of today's games, as long as they have
an enjoyable gaming experience, and don't have to struggle with the controls.
But by doing so, they continue to perpetuate the stereotype that most gamers are
drooling, addlebrained, teenagers content to luxuriate in a sea of sex and violence.
Randy Sluganski http://www.justadventure.com/reviews/BloodRayne/BloodRayne.shtm
Men may not purchase games such as Bloodrayne, because they enjoy that sort
thing, but because they feel they need it. Sexual addiction causes men to keep
turning to more intense sexual stimuli for reasons they don't understand. It is
ironic that in seeking to assert greater control over women by reducing them to
sexual servitors men have in fact surrendered their control to unconscious drives
which depend on women for sustenance, thereby giving women control over men.
Men are driven by a desire to be without limits, and without dependency, in total
control. Women serve as a reminder of how dependent, limited, and out of control
men are. However, the awful mistake that men have made, historically, is to believe
that women are doing this to men. It has more to do with a lack of acceptance of
being a biological creature, as opposed to some superhuman being. Men are not at
the mercy of women, they are at the mercy of Nature. Grappling with this problem
offers narrative structures which could push videogames into more constructive
gameworlds.
In 1905, Rosa Mayreder forsaw the problem facing women in the coming
century.
Nothing is of greater importance to women than to battle against the abstractions
into which they are constantly being converted by masculine thought. If they wish
to achieve power as real persons in the world they must battle against woman as fetish.12
Bram Dijkstra has written two excellent books exploring misogyny in
Nineteenth century (Idols of Perversity) and Twentieth century (Evil Sisters)
culture. He shows how Darwinism and Freudian psychology provided a fresh
impetus for misogyny.
The later nineteenth century used Darwin's discoveries to transform the scattershot
gender conflicts of earlier centuries into a 'scientifically grounded' expose of female sex-
uality as a source of social disruption and 'degeneration'. At the opening of the new century, biology and medicine set out to prove that nature had given all women a basic instinct that made them into predators, destroyers, witches---evil sisters.....
A 'latent vampire' lay 'concealed under thoroughly respectable inhibited womanhood,'
as William J. Fielding,..stressed in 1927 in a widely distributed pamphlet..Woman: The
Eternal Primitive.
Female sexuality had come to be seen as a degenerative disease. Women were nature's
secret weapon against manhood's valiant efforts to triumph over mortality.
Our continued , and, it would seem, even increasing, fascination with the vampire
as a creature of sexual depredation is a disconcerting indication of the renewed popularity
of sadomasochistic concepts of sexual interaction.
We need to change the nature and the quality of our fantasies before we can change
the quality (as opposed to the fetishized desire-structures) of our social environment. In the end only our imagination can change the world, for our social reality is a product of the dreams and fears we hold in common.13

Bram Dijkstra was writing about literature, painting, and film, but if he did write
about videogames he would likely agree with David Houghton, content editor at
GamesRadarUK.
If games were a pure narrative medium like film or literature, the kind of character-
ization we're frequently inflicted with would be decried, lampooned, and immolated, leading rapidly to a dead industry. But as it is, we brush it off as a temporary annoyance and then forget it as soon as we get back into the game.14

However, David Houghton does have some good things to say about some current
videogames.
Valve is a shining beacon in terms of characterization, Half Life 2 and Portal, in particular, being fine examples of mature, believable, and witty writing. In fact, it's important to note, as we have before, that despite it's silent protagonist, Portal is all about a female character using her brains to overcome adversity.15

He might also have included Left4Dead, which I have had first hand experience with.
There was a female character killing off the zombies along with the men, and she did
not have the usual, exaggerated sexual features, or any other attributes which drew
undue attention to her gender. Although there is a screaming banshee in the game, she
is not eroticized. She is more of a monster than a woman, and although she is an
example of the woman as monster storyline, this is not a compelling example of
misogyny. For reasons of space, I haven't included all of the criticisms David Hough-
ton offered concerning misogyny in videogames, but because I know he is very
sensitive to it's presence, I think it is safe to say that the games he praises are rela-
tively free of it. He sees a trend towards better characterization of women, which
enables players to relate to them as fellow human beings, instead of icons of
perversity. I believe I have made my case regarding misogyny in videogames.
There is going to be plenty more of it I'm sure, but I am encouraged by a
humanizing trend. However, misogyny cannot be ignored, it needs to be dealt
with, rather than succumbed to. I'm not sure videogames are the right venue
for struggling with a difficult psychological issue. It is challenging, but not
particularly entertaining.
To give some idea of where the videogame industry stands regarding
it's portrayal of women, I am including lists of the best and worst female
characters in videogames as compiled by Michael Moore on the Quest to
Nowhere website, just this past January 2010. In some cases, misogyny
thrives, in others, not so much. In some, perhaps, not at all. Characters may
have misogynistic attributes, without being reduced to an inhuman symbol.

Misogyny present in character. Misogyny not present in character,
Sophia (Maximo: Ghosts to Glory) The Boss (Metal Gear Solid 3)
Pandora revisited. Good characterization.
Princess Peach (Super Mario Bros.) Alyx Vance (Half Life 2 series)
Woman as stupid, helpless Woman as human being
Elena Fisher (Uncharted series) Jade (Beyond Good and Evil)
some helpless woman Good characterization
characteristics but also
a human being. Faith (Mirror's Edge)
Chloe Fraser (Uncharted 2) Fully characterized.
Femme Fatale but also
a fully developed character. http://questtonowhere.com/?p=229
FOOTNOTES

1. Misogyny: The World's Oldest Prejudice by Jack Holland. Carroll & Graf Pub. 2006
2. Hesiod: Theogony/Works and Days[elip], translated by Dorothea Wender, Penguin
Classics 1973
3. Holland, op. Citation
4. Wender, op. Citation
5. Holland, op. Citation
6. Ibid.
7. Porn & Pong by Damon Brown. Feral House 2008
8. Holland, op. Citation
9. http://palgn.com.au/7234/roundtable-sexism-and-video-games/
10. Holland, op. Citation
11. Ibid.
12. A Survey of the Woman Problem by Rosa Mayreder 1905 Trans. Herman Scheffauer 1913
Alfred A. Knopf 1996
13. Evil Sisters by Bram Dijksra Alfred A. Knopf 1996

14. http://www.gamesradar.com/f/are-video-games-really-sexist/a-2010011993623189049/p-2

15. Ibid.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Brown, Damon Porn & Pong Feral House 2008
Dijksra, Bram Evil Sisters Alfred A. Knopf Inc. 1996
Hesiod Theogony/Works and Days Penguin Classics 1973
Holland, Jack Misogyny: The World's Oldest Prejudice Carroll & Graf Pub. 2006

Houghton, David Are Video Games Really Sexist? GamesRadarUK 2010.
Leigh, Chris Roundtable: Sexism and Video Games. Palgn.com April 7, 2007

Mayreder, Rosa A Survey of the Woman Problem Alfred A. Knopf Inc. 1996

Moore, Michael 7 Best/Worst Female Characters Quest to Nowhere.com Jan. 8 2010.
Sluganski, Randy Bloodrayne JustAdventure.com March 18, 2003

VIDEOGAMES

Grand Theft Auto III

Developed by DMA Design Published by Rockstar Games Oct. 2001 PS2

Bloodrayne

Developed by Terminal Reality Published by Majesco Oct. 15 2002 PS2

Uncharted: Drake's Revenge
Developed by Naughty Dog Published by Sony Nov. 19 2007 PS3

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Developed by Naughty Dog Published by Sony Oct. 13 2009 PS3
Tomb Raider
Developed by Core Design Published by Eidos Interactive 1996 Sega Saturn PS PC

Fahrenheit

Developed by Quantic Dream Published by Atari Oct. 2005 PS2

Half Life 2

Developed by Valve Corp. Published by Sierra, Valve Nov. 16 2004 PS3

Portal

Developed by Valve Corp. Published by Valve, XBLA Oct. 9 2007 PS3

Left4Dead
Developed by Valve Corp Published by Valve Nov. 17 2008 PC XBOX360

Maximo: Ghosts to Glory

Developed by CapCom Digital Published by CapCom Dec. 27 2001 PS2

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
Developed by Konami Published by Konami Nov. 17 2004

Super Mario Bros.

Developed by Nintendo Published by Nintendo Sep. 13, 1985

Beyond Good and Evil
Developed by Ubisoft Published by Ubisoft Nov. 11 2003

Mirror's Edge

Developed by EA Published by EA Nov. 12 2008

Game evaluation from class 2-19-10

2010-02-20T19:36:00.000-08:00

GAME 100 EXPLORING GAME WORLDS – VIDEOGAME IN-CLASS APPRAISAL TEMPLATE

Student Name__________________Russell Miller___

Today’s Date___________________2-19-10____

Game Title Examined________________Left4Dead________

Year of Publication______________________2008___

Game Publisher______________Electronic Arts and Steam________

Game Developer _____________________Valve______

Game Genre (e.g. shoot-em-up, racing, sports, puzzle, MMORPG, ‘sandbox’, music sequence following game (e.g. DDR, guitar hero)

shoot-em-up first person horror survival

Type of game ‘world’ or environment (e.g. flat environment, puzzle/maze space, 3D world?)

3D world

Perspective taken by player (e.g first person, third person perspective, top down, isometric) in relation to main player controlled character.

first person

Gameplay – what does the player have to do?

as part of a team, you shoot up the zombies and other enemies, while avoiding getting killed

Is the gameplay intuitive? (i.e. is it easy to understand what to do without instructions?) describe.

yes it is intuitive

Is the gameplay patterned (game does the same thing over & over) or is it random (happens differently every time?)

random

What does the type of graphic approach used as well as the audio tell you about the limits of the technology at the time the game was published?

This is a recent game which takes full advantage of the graphic capabilities which allow for exploring a 3D environment. It includes a well developed AI for the zombies and other assorted monsters. It incorporates many helpful features, lighting up items that can be picked up, identifying other members of your team when they are out of sight, and warning signs for approaching zombies, which utilizes today's ability to multitask many different features without affecting the gameplay.

Describe your views about the game from the point of view of

ease of play after you get used to the controls which is difficult for a beginner, it plays fairly easily.

enjoyability

fun after you get the hang of the controls

c) level of engagement/immersion

high level of immersion

Had you played this game prior to this time? If so, when?

Describe other games it reminds you of. How does it do this?

Castle Wolfenstein, in that you pick up weapons and are battling monster and the mood of the game is similar in some respects

High Concept Document for The Great War

2010-02-10T18:55:00.000-08:00

at left, original drawing by Otto Dix
High Concept Document

The Great War is a strategy war game, as well as a management simulation of the first world war. It involves moving armies, fighting battles, and allocating resources for multiplayers, each player representing one of the nations involved in world war one, with the computer able to take on the role of one or more players.

The player chooses to play as the leader of one of the participating countries (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire or Britain, France, Russia, Italy, or USA.). The leaders of the other countries are either played by other persons (in multiplayer mode), or the computer. (in single-player or multi-player mode).

The genre is a hybrid between a strategy game and a management game. This game simulates the strategic gameplay used by generals (and admirals) in the actual World War I. The decisions the player makes involves strategy, not only in the military sense but in a logistical sense, and a political sense, involving the taxation of citizens (subjects), and the drafting of soldiers. Cooperative play is required between allies.

The camera mode is primarily isometric, but also includes a top-down map perspective for the overall map of the entire gameworld, with simplified icons, to gain an idea of the overall strategy. Battle scenes are cinematic sequences which the player cannot interact with, which are isometric and intended to entertain, and give some idea of what the battle would look like.

The two game modes would be the live portion in which moves are executed and battles are fought, and the static resource allocation and building phase, in which the player clicks on resources, which are paid for out of the treasury, and clicks on build icons to build trenches, barracks, roads, hospitals.

The player faces the challenge of allocating resources wisely, building where needed, using armies and navies wisely, dealing with setbacks such as lost battles, or a lack of sufficient resources. The challenge is to figure the best way to fight your opponents, not just attacking blindly at every opportunity.

The target audience would be history buffs, especially military history. Another potential audience would consist of those interested in developing managerial skills, in that a primary aspect of The Great War involves managing resources. It is just as critical as sending armies into battle. Fans of war games in general, who like a good shoot-em-up, will also enjoy The Great War. Although it is not a first person shooter game, it does contain cinematic sequences which enhance the battles, giving a sense of what the battle would probably look like from a much closer perspective. The Great War appeals to people who would like to imagine being a world leader making decisions affecting the lives of millions of people. The target audience consists more of casual players than core players.

The platform would be for the PC or iMac. There would be a single-player version on a CD-ROM as well as an online multiplayer version.

Although each player (human or computer), leads one country, allies should play in cooperation with one another. However, each player can determine the degree of cooperation, as in the degree of intelligence sharing. Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire are the Central Powers. Britain, France, Russia, Italy, and the US are the Entente.

On all levels except one, the game begins with all players except the US having declared war, and are moving armies, navies, allocating resources in anticipation of the enemies deployment. On all levels the game ends when the opponents either surrender, arrange an armistice, or all of their military units are destroyed. The player need not accept an armistice or even a surrender. The player can choose to play until all enemy units are destroyed.

The first four levels consist of armies only (air units were part of the armies in WWI). Naval units come into play in the fifth and sixth level.

First level takes place in Northeastern France, the Low countries, and Germany, west of the Rhine. This is the Western Front. Only Britain, France, the US, and Germany are players on this level. The US is played by computer and does not enter the game before 1917. (The game consists of turns, in which each turn equals one month, beginning with August 1914, therefore the US cannot enter the game until the 30th turn.)

Second level takes place in Eastern Germany, Northern Austria-Hungary, and Western Russia. It is the Eastern Front. The only players are Russia, Germany, and Austria-Hungary.

Third level takes place in Northern Italy and Southern Austria-Hungary. It is the Italian or Southern Front. The only players are Italy and Austria-Hungary.

Fourth level takes place in the Western Front, beginning with the US entry into the war in 1917. This level is only for human players playing the US. Otherwise it is the same as Level One.

This level exists for players who want to play as the US.

Fifth level takes place over all of Europe, and includes naval units. All participating countries are included in this level. The US however, is played by computer and does not enter the game until 1917.

Sixth level takes place over the entire Earth. It allows for a greater use of naval units. The Ottoman Empire has more of a role to play here than on the Fourth level, and it allows you to expand the gameplay into the various colonies held by Britain, France, and Germany. Cinematic sequences do not occur during battles on this level. The US, played by computer, does not enter gameplay until 1917.

The gameplay consists of movement of armies (which may include air units attached to them), naval units, supply, and medical units. It also consists of battles fought between opposing units (depicted by a cinematic sequence, which can be toggled out of). There is also the ability to stage artillery assaults (some of which are moved by rail), air attacks, and battles between aircraft. There is also the ability to construct trenches, makeshift hospitals, barracks, fortifications. Money is raised from taxes, loans from allies. It can be spent on resources. Weapons can be purchased from allies. More troops can be produced from the population, up to a point. Weapons can be manufactured. Icons represent each unit, or each resource on the map. The gameplay environment consists of a map of the region (except when cinematic sequences are playing). Although the US does not actively enter the game until 1917 with the arrival of American troops in France, Entente countries can pay for weapons, or other supplies from the US, and the computer will also generate US volunteer units (not very many), prior to the entry into the war.

The Otto Dix drawing is from http://www.cynical-c.com/?p=9035.

Exploring Game Worlds assign 4 art and video games

2010-02-06T18:38:00.000-08:00

I feel symbolist art lends itself quite well to videogame worlds, especially in regard to emotional tone. Many times, I feel, videogames have been too heavy-handed and obvious in conveying emotional tone. It can be very effective to evoke an emotion rather than spell it out in vivid color. The symbolist era of the late 19th century coincided with Sigmund Freud and the beginning of analytical psychology, although symbolist art concerned itself more with religion, ritual magic, mysticism, and sexuality, it is nevertheless a wellspring of psychological content as well.

Both a videogame and symbolist art deal with symbols. Symbols provide a kind of shorthand to convey complex emotions. The choice of classic themes, with a disturbing religious, sometimes sexual, undercurrent, lends itself well to our current psychological state. Today one of our primary modes of expression is through videogames. It is a way of working through our angst, the horrors beneath the surface. The effectiveness of a gameworld depends upon the players immersion into that world. If it resonates on a deep level, that will keep the player involved. Sometimes for a gameworld to truely resonate it must seem important to the player in a way that goes beyond entertainment. The overall tone of symbolist art is solemnity. This art is to be taken seriously, which is conveyed in its formality. There is an underlying tone of emotional distress, sadness, grief. The world the viewer enters when contemplating a symbolist painting is literally a magic circle, purposefully created by the artist, as a magical evocation. The same thing can be achieved with a videogame. However if, as a game designer you wish to create a gameworld which conveys the same sense of portentous, somehow disturbing, yet exhilirating, magical sexuality that symbolist art conveys, be prepared to be considered decadent, and perverse. Symbolist art taps into a disturbing area of the human psyche, the perversity (if, in fact, that is an accurate assessment) that lies within our subconscious.

In order to convey the symbolist emotional tone, pay close attention to choice of color, rich and sensual, but never losing the solemn formality (all symbolist art fits in well in a graveyard). Faces are full of emotion, but it is sometimes restrained. There is always a sense of something Biblical in importance going on, as in the book of Revelations. Give the gameworld a sexual undertone by paying attention to what is not revealed, while nevertheless drawing attention to it, with skillful use of nudity or near nudity which is not overt, but quite formal, and filled, of course, with anxiety.

Convey your gameworld as an epic event, all is large, archetypal, and often beautiful. For musical inspiration, listen to Wagner. This is an eternal, magical realm, but for your gameworld to be true to the emotional tone of symbolism there has to be something definitely wrong with your world. That wrongness is conveyed with subtlety, by use of facial expressions which show unease, by depicting nature in a way that suggests an approaching storm. Something wrong could be shown by depicting sensual scenes in a way that suggests being satiated and bored, instead of being in ecstasy. The attraction of symbolist art is a fatal attraction (is it any wonder that many of the artists were drug addicts?). There is a sense of depravity here, by the use of compelling images, which are somehow, in a way which is hard to articulate, forbidden, and therein lies it's attraction. If that tone of "entering the forbidden world to satisfy one's perverse desires" can be conveyed in a videogame world, it will work magic on the player, addicting them to that world, which seems to have many occult meanings, but none of it is explicit.

For example, if you were to create a videogame world depicting World War One, a symbolist artistic approach would work quite well. This was a time which, at the time, felt apocalyptic. The events were epic events, dark, and filled with dread, but also darkly beautiful in it's majestic, Biblical, scale of carnage. The world had never seen anything like it before. If you look at the propaganda posters of the time they have much in common with symbolist art. World War One seemed the fulfillment of the dark portents of the symbolists. The Old European world was ending in an orgy of violence, and our world is it's legacy.

Game Worlds 3rd assign: cooperative chess

2010-02-06T17:21:00.000-08:00

Balder and I first worked out an idea we called Hunt or be Hunted. It had fewer pieces than traditional chess. The pieces move in the same way as always.

The cooperative side is black. The computer or another human opponent plays white. Black has a King, Rook, Bishop, and two Knights. White has a Queen, Rook, and Bishop. The pieces can be placed anywhere in the first two ranks, so long as a black piece and white piece do not face one another along the same file.

Victory condition for black is to capture the Queen. Victory condition for white is checkmating the King.

When it comes time for black to move, there must be at least two players representing black, and all players for black have to agree on the best move, no one can arbitrarily make a move without the team's approval. This is how more than one player cooperate to achieve the victory condition.

In playing this game, Balder and I quickly discovered how white had too much of an advantage. The game was out of balance, black was put on the defensive and never ceased to be hunted. I told Balder the name for the game should be Be Hunted because there was no Hunt except for our opponent. All white needed to do was put our King in check repeatedly while arranging forks to eliminate our pieces. No Fun!!

So at the last minute, Balder came up with a different idea.

White has a King, Rook, Bishop, Knight, and Queen. They can be positioned anywhere in the first two rows. Movement is the same as always, except in this case, the King cannot move. Also white cannot move beyond the fourth row.

Black begins with only pawns, which can be positioned anywhere in the first two rows. They can move all the way to the other side of the board, and they can move in any direction except backward (side to side and forward). Balder didn't clarify the movement capability of the pawns, I quickly realised that if he had the pawns moving in the normal way it wouldn't work. It would make the victory condition for black too difficult to achieve. The pawns would have to be able to move to the side to be a credible threat. So in this respect my version differs a little from his.

Victory condition for white is to eliminate all of the pawns before they can reach their victory condition. Victory condition for black is any pawn occupying a space next to the King.

Balder added another aspect which, in retrospect. I disagree with. He wanted black to be able to get back all of it's pawns after white has eliminated them, for a second wave of attack, plus being able to add a Knight, then, after all of these pieces are eliminated they can replenish yet again for another wave, plus a Bishop, and if eliminated, can produce yet another wave + Rook, then, finally, another wave, + Queen. I feel this throws the game out of balance. It means the victory condition for white is to eliminate successive waves of pawns plus any other pieces (which I assume have all the same moves as usual). I assume that after the final wave of pawns + Queen is eliminated, then white will have won the game. I think this throws the game out of balance, making it too difficult for white to win. Of course, I wasn't clear if the pawns could capture white's pieces or not. If they couldn't, that might put the game in balance again (or possibly throw it out of balance in favor of the white side), but I still don't like the successive waves all that much. Balder did clarify that players for white could choose how many waves of enemy attack would be allowed, thereby adjusting the game difficulty.

In any case, we didn't have time to work out the bugs, or play the game to see how well it worked. But it was a lot more intriguing, and imaginative than our first idea. The cooperative aspect of the second idea entailed giving each of two players (for white), control of two pieces, and they would take turns moving. I wasn't clear if that meant white had two moves to black's one, or not. Again, we didn't have time to really work that through.

2010-02-04T19:30:00.001-08:00

Here are some Game Design links:

XNA Game Studio 3.1 - (English) Product DescriptionClose Window

Overview

XNA Game Studio 3.1 enables hobbyists, academics, and independent game developers to easily create video games for Windows, Xbox 360, and the Zune digital media player by using optimized cross-platform gaming libraries based on the .NET Framework in the C# programming language.

This release is incremental to XNA Game Studio 3.0 and contains many new features, including avatars, Xbox LIVE Party support, and video as well as enhancements to existing features. For the full list of improvements in this release, see the “What’s New in XNA Game Studio 3.1” section of the documentation once you have installed the product.

System Requirements

Supported Operating Systems: Windows Vista Service Pack 1; Windows XP Service Pack 3

Hardware requirements are identical to those for Visual Studio 2008, plus a graphics card that supports DirectX 9.0c and Shader Model 1.1 (Shader Model 2.0 is recommended and required for some Starter Kits). Zune development requires the Zune 3.0 firmware.

Instructions

If XNA Game Studio 3.0 is installed, uninstall it before proceeding.

Install Microsoft Visual C# 2008 Express Edition or Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 Standard Edition or higher.

Obtain the latest updates for Visual Studio from Microsoft Update.

Download and run the Microsoft XNA Game Studio 3.1 installer.

Follow the instructions displayed during setup.

Launch Visual Studio 2008 from the Microsoft XNA Game Studio 3.1 folder on the Start Menu.

This is available for free from the Microsoft Alliance for City College students taking CNIT courses.

There is also Virtual PC for Mac users so they can run PC software on their Mac, again for free. When you scroll through the available software for free, the Game Design software is the last one on the list.

http://msdn06.e-academy.com/elms/Storefront/Storefront.aspx?campus=CCoSF_IT&np1=112

that is the link for the free PC software.

Free game design software I found online:

http://www.adigitaldreamer.com/game-design-software.htm

http://www.yoyogames.com/make

http://www.gamediscovery.com/game-design/game-design-software.asp

http://download.cnet.com/Video-Game-Design-Pro/3000-6675_4-10759739.html

This particular software may be just what is needed and the free 14 day trial may be all we need to do our class project. Also the price isn't outrageous if you plan on being a game designer, we may be able to get student/instructor discounts as well, worth checking into I think.

http://www.smartdraw.com/specials/gamedesign.asp?id=41371

Some tools that would come in handy when doing our project, and it's free!

http://www.adventuremaker.com/

http://www.dmoz.org/Games/Video_Games/Game_Design/Development_Tools_and_Software/

The above is a list of links, I didn't take the time to check it all out, but there is undoubtedly useful stuff here.

http://www.free-games.com.au/Free_Game_Making_Software/index.html

http://www.freemmorpgmaker.com/index.php

http://www.gamemaker.nl/ another freebie for beginners in game design

http://www.engine001.com/

gamemaker.htmhttp://www.idevgames.com/ another worthwhile site for game design info in general

Atari asteroids 2nd assign evaluation

2010-02-04T16:28:00.000-08:00

GAME 100 EXPLORING GAME WORLDS – VIDEOGAME IN-CLASS APPRAISAL TEMPLATE

Student Name________________Russell Miller_____

Today’s Date_________________2-4-10______

Game Title Examined_____________________Atari Asteroids___

Year of Publication_____________________1979____

Game Publisher___________________Atari___

Game Developer ________________________Atari___

Game Genre (e.g. shoot-em-up, racing, sports, puzzle, MMORPG, ‘sandbox’, music sequence following game (e.g. DDR, guitar hero)

shoot-em-up

Type of game ‘world’ or environment (e.g. flat environment, puzzle/maze space, 3D world?)

flat environment

Perspective taken by player (e.g first person, third person perspective, top down, isometric) in relation to main player controlled character.

first person

Gameplay – what does the player have to do?

blast asteroids and space ships, avoid getting blasted or hit by asteroids

Is the gameplay intuitive? (i.e. is it easy to understand what to do without instructions?) describe.

very intuitive

Is the gameplay patterned (game does the same thing over & over) or is it random (happens differently every time?)

random

What does the type of graphic approach used as well as the audio tell you about the limits of the technology at the time the game was published?

this was a very very early vector graphic game, using the most primitive graphics and sound, reflecting the limitations of the time

Describe your views about the game from the point of view of

ease of play

very easy, except you have to watch using the thruster in that it makes the ship go way too fast

enjoyability

very enjoyable

c) level of engagement/immersion

high level of immersion

Had you played this game prior to this time? If so, when?

Yes, constantly back in 1979, and early eighties

Describe other games it reminds you of. How does it do this?

Defender, but not as hard

Atari Adventure Assign 2 evaluation

2010-02-04T16:12:00.000-08:00

GAME 100 EXPLORING GAME WORLDS – VIDEOGAME IN-CLASS APPRAISAL TEMPLATE

Student Name_________________Russell Miller____

Today’s Date__________________2-4-10_____

Game Title Examined__________________Atari Adventure______

Year of Publication____________1979_____________

Game Publisher__________________Atari__for Atari 2600__

Game Developer _________________Atari__________

Game Genre (e.g. shoot-em-up, racing, sports, puzzle, MMORPG, ‘sandbox’, music sequence following game (e.g. DDR, guitar hero)

adventure game

Type of game ‘world’ or environment (e.g. flat environment, puzzle/maze space, 3D world?)

flat environment, with some maze aspects, having to search for an object

Perspective taken by player (e.g first person, third person perspective, top down, isometric) in relation to main player controlled character.

first person

Gameplay – what does the player have to do?

find the golden chalice and return it to the golden castle, while avoiding getting eaten by a dragon

Is the gameplay intuitive? (i.e. is it easy to understand what to do without instructions?) describe.

not entirely, I was unable to figure out how to kill the dragon

Is the gameplay patterned (game does the same thing over & over) or is it random (happens differently every time?)

On level 1 it is patterned in that from the start of the game the dragon and the objects all are in the same place

What does the type of graphic approach used as well as the audio tell you about the limits of the technology at the time the game was published?

The game consists of the most primitive bitmap graphics, and the sound is very minimal, reflecting the limitations of the early Atari platform

Describe your views about the game from the point of view of

ease of play

not very easy, when it came to killing dragons, but the exploration and finding objects was very easy

enjoyability

not very

c) level of engagement/immersion

very low level of immersion because of the simplicity of the graphics

Had you played this game prior to this time? If so, when?

Describe other games it reminds you of. How does it do this?

1st assignment Batman Alien Force cartoon network game builders

2010-02-02T18:49:00.000-08:00

A) What options are available to you as a 'game designer'? You could choose your character, the goal, surfaces to walk on or fall into, backgrounds. orbs to gather, enemies to fight, obstacles to overcome

B) How are these options provided?In a menu

C) What types of elements are provided for you to use to 'build' the game? You could choose the goal, a way out, fighting enemies, collecting orbs, or both fighting and collecting. You could choose different environmental elements, some which obstructed your progress and some which helped. There were a variety of enemies, and magical aides.

D) What limits are set on the level of the game play able to be customized There is a small game world, only one level so you can't do a great deal

E) What does the process of using these game creators teach about the notion of the 'difficulty and achievement' balance? Explain using an example from your research. You learn how not to give your character too steep a gradient in which to struggle. I started off making the alien force game too easy, an easy stroll to the exit portal, that was out of balance. Giving him a disappearing enemy shooting at him and some nasty obstacles to jump over made a bit more balanced. On the other game I had a more balanced game giving my character a powers enhancement to try to get to before reaching the portal, but having to contend with a disappearing enemy as well, which presented a challenge to get past the enemy to reach the enhancement.

When you are done, trade places with another student and have them answer the following questions. I didn't get a chance to do this. He was too absorbed in his game to switch, so these are my responses,

1) Is the game level fun to play? (be honest!) It became fun after messing with it for a bit.

2) If so, why? If not, why not? It wasn't fun to play when it was too easy, or too challenging, the trick was to find the right balance

3) What could be done to improve the level? More choices, especially in the type of characters you could play as, and in the variely of enemies. I was disappointed that I couldn't play as Batman

2010-02-01T14:36:00.000-08:00

GAME 100 EXPLORING GAME WORLDS – VIDEOGAME IN-CLASS APPRAISAL TEMPLATE

Student Name________________Russell Miller_____

Today’s Date___________________2-1-10____

Game Title Examined___________________Aster Blaster_____

Year of Publication_________________2008_______

Game Publisher________________Corus Entertainment______

Game Developer _______________________Corus Entertainment____

Game Genre (e.g. shoot-em-up, racing, sports, puzzle, MMORPG, ‘sandbox’, music sequence following game (e.g. DDR, guitar hero)

shoot-em-up

Type of game ‘world’ or environment (e.g. flat environment, puzzle/maze space, 3D world?)

flat environment

Perspective taken by player (e.g first person, third person perspective, top down, isometric) in relation to main player controlled character.

first person

Gameplay – what does the player have to do?

destroy ufo's and obstacles, avoid getting destroyed

Is the gameplay intuitive? (i.e. is it easy to understand what to do without instructions?) describe.

very intuitive

Is the gameplay patterned (game does the same thing over & over) or is it random (happens differently every time?)

random

What does the type of graphic approach used as well as the audio tell you about the limits of the technology at the time the game was published?

Although this is a recent game, it uses old methods. It is vector graphics, created in Adobe Illustrator, imitating the Powerpuff Girls graphic design. The dynamics are simple, it looks like it is a Flash game, created using Actionscript. But that is my speculation

Describe your views about the game from the point of view of

ease of play

not easy, the ufos are hard to avoid

enjoyability

not that enjoyable because you can't turn around (at least I couldn't figure out how), and you get killed too easily as you are trying to figure things out

c) level of engagement/immersion

high level of immersion

Had you played this game prior to this time? If so, when?

Describe other games it reminds you of. How does it do this?

It reminds me somewhat of the flying combat games, but at least here I can keep myself aloft, but it is still difficult to manouvre

2010-02-01T14:22:00.000-08:00

GAME 100 EXPLORING GAME WORLDS – VIDEOGAME IN-CLASS APPRAISAL TEMPLATE

Student Name___________________Russell Miller__

Today’s Date___________________2-1-10____

Game Title Examined_________________Dawn Patrol_______

Year of Publication________________1994_________

Game Publisher__________________Rowan Software____

Game Developer ________________________Rowan Software for Amiga and MS-DOS platforms___

Game Genre (e.g. shoot-em-up, racing, sports, puzzle, MMORPG, ‘sandbox’, music sequence following game (e.g. DDR, guitar hero)

shoot-em-up

Type of game ‘world’ or environment (e.g. flat environment, puzzle/maze space, 3D world?)

3D world

Perspective taken by player (e.g first person, third person perspective, top down, isometric) in relation to main player controlled character.

first person

Gameplay – what does the player have to do?

shoot down the other planes, avoid getting hit, and fly the plane itself

Is the gameplay intuitive? (i.e. is it easy to understand what to do without instructions?) describe.

not at all, as far as keeping the plane in flight, I kept crashing. Knowing that you need to fire at the other planes and dodge their bullets was very intuitive

Is the gameplay patterned (game does the same thing over & over) or is it random (happens differently every time?)

random

What does the type of graphic approach used as well as the audio tell you about the limits of the technology at the time the game was published?

By 1994 graphics had improved considerably. The Amiga had a very good graphics card, and gave the game a beautiful look, the sound was more realistic. using the sound of biplanes instead of the old electronic sounds of early games

Describe your views about the game from the point of view of

ease of play

not at all easy, pretty to look at, but the plane was hard to fly

enjoyability

not at all, because of struggling with keeping the plane aloft

c) level of engagement/immersion

high level of immersion and frustration

Had you played this game prior to this time? If so, when?

Yes, on my Amiga in the eighties

Describe other games it reminds you of. How does it do this?

other flight combat games to numerous to mention, I can't recall the names. I hated all of them because of the difficulty just in flying the plane which made combat impossible. I realize they wanted to make the flying realistic, but I would have liked a game that kept you aloft without you having to deal with the actual flying, just the shooting.

2010-02-01T14:07:00.000-08:00

GAME 100 EXPLORING GAME WORLDS – VIDEOGAME IN-CLASS APPRAISAL TEMPLATE

Student Name__________________Russell Miller___

Today’s Date_______________2-1-10________

Game Title Examined________________Lunar Lander________

Year of Publication_____________________1979____

Game Publisher_________________Atari_____

Game Developer ___________________Atari________

Game Genre (e.g. shoot-em-up, racing, sports, puzzle, MMORPG, ‘sandbox’, music sequence following game (e.g. DDR, guitar hero)

simulation

Type of game ‘world’ or environment (e.g. flat environment, puzzle/maze space, 3D world?)

flat environment

Perspective taken by player (e.g first person, third person perspective, top down, isometric) in relation to main player controlled character.

first person

Gameplay – what does the player have to do?

land the lunar module before running out of fuel

Is the gameplay intuitive? (i.e. is it easy to understand what to do without instructions?) describe.

no. you have to get the hang of it over several plays

Is the gameplay patterned (game does the same thing over & over) or is it random (happens differently every time?)

patterned

What does the type of graphic approach used as well as the audio tell you about the limits of the technology at the time the game was published?

this is an early vector graphics game, using the most rudimentary structure possible, but very effective nevertheless, they were limited by the memory and graphics card available to Atari in 1979

Describe your views about the game from the point of view of

ease of play

not easy at all to play, very challenging, at least for me

enjoyability

enjoyable once you get the hang of what you need to do

c) level of engagement/immersion

high level of immersion

Had you played this game prior to this time? If so, when?

Yes, in the eighties

Describe other games it reminds you of. How does it do this?

There was a Commodore 64 game that involved landing a spacecraft and rescuing stranded spacemen which had some similarities, not as difficult to land however, can't recall the name.

2010-02-01T13:48:00.000-08:00

GAME 100 EXPLORING GAME WORLDS – VIDEOGAME IN-CLASS APPRAISAL TEMPLATE

Student Name_____________Russell Miller________

Today’s Date____________________2-1-10___

Game Title Examined______________Battlezone__________

Year of Publication___________________1980______

Game Publisher_________________Atari_____

Game Developer _____________________Atari______

Game Genre (e.g. shoot-em-up, racing, sports, puzzle, MMORPG, ‘sandbox’, music sequence following game (e.g. DDR, guitar hero)

shoot-em-up

Type of game ‘world’ or environment (e.g. flat environment, puzzle/maze space, 3D world?)

flat environment

Perspective taken by player (e.g first person, third person perspective, top down, isometric) in relation to main player controlled character.

first person

Gameplay – what does the player have to do?

destroy the tanks while avoiding getting hit

Is the gameplay intuitive? (i.e. is it easy to understand what to do without instructions?) describe.

very intuitive

Is the gameplay patterned (game does the same thing over & over) or is it random (happens differently every time?)

random

What does the type of graphic approach used as well as the audio tell you about the limits of the technology at the time the game was published?

This is an early use of vector graphics, unusual in that most shoot-em-up games in 1980 used primitive bitmap images. They were limited by the processing power of the platform, and had to use basic structures, but did well given the limitations

Describe your views about the game from the point of view of

ease of play

fairly easy to play

enjoyability

very enjoyable

c) level of engagement/immersion

high level of immersion

Had you played this game prior to this time? If so, when?

Yes, in the eighties

Describe other games it reminds you of. How does it do this?

Defender, because it too used vector graphics, and required a high level of concentration, and immersion.

2010-02-01T13:34:00.000-08:00

GAME 100 EXPLORING GAME WORLDS – VIDEOGAME IN-CLASS APPRAISAL TEMPLATE

Student Name_________________Russell Miller____

Today’s Date___________________2-1-10____

Game Title Examined____________Galaxian____________

Year of Publication___________________1979______

Game Publisher_________________Namco_____

Game Developer _____________________Midway Mfg______

Game Genre (e.g. shoot-em-up, racing, sports, puzzle, MMORPG, ‘sandbox’, music sequence following game (e.g. DDR, guitar hero)

shoot-em-up

Type of game ‘world’ or environment (e.g. flat environment, puzzle/maze space, 3D world?)

flat environment

Perspective taken by player (e.g first person, third person perspective, top down, isometric) in relation to main player controlled character.

first person

Gameplay – what does the player have to do?

shoot the alien ships, avoid being shot yourself

Is the gameplay intuitive? (i.e. is it easy to understand what to do without instructions?) describe.

It is very intuitive

Is the gameplay patterned (game does the same thing over & over) or is it random (happens differently every time?)

it is patterned

What does the type of graphic approach used as well as the audio tell you about the limits of the technology at the time the game was published?

The graphic approach is very simple using bitmap and scrolling

Describe your views about the game from the point of view of

ease of play

very easy to play

enjoyability

it is enjoyable

c) level of engagement/immersion

because of the simplicity, the immersion is not as deep as in games that engage your imagination more fully, but there is some degree of immersion

Had you played this game prior to this time? If so, when?

Yes, in the early eighties

Describe other games it reminds you of. How does it do this?

Space Invaders. It has the same basic structure

2nd assign evaluating early arcade games

2010-01-31T19:28:00.000-08:00

GAME 100 EXPLORING GAME WORLDS – VIDEOGAME IN-CLASS APPRAISAL TEMPLATE

Student Name______________Russell Miller_______

Today’s Date________________1-31-10_______

Game Title Examined_______________1942_________

Year of Publication_____________________1984____

Game Publisher_______________Capcom_______

Game Developer __________________Capcom_________

Game Genre (e.g. shoot-em-up, racing, sports, puzzle, MMORPG, ‘sandbox’, music sequence following game (e.g. DDR, guitar hero)

shoot em up

Type of game ‘world’ or environment (e.g. flat environment, puzzle/maze space, 3D world?)

flat environment

Perspective taken by player (e.g first person, third person perspective, top down, isometric) in relation to main player controlled character.

first person. top down

Gameplay – what does the player have to do?

shoot down planes, especially bombers, and avoid getting hit

Is the gameplay intuitive? (i.e. is it easy to understand what to do without instructions?) describe.

very intuitive

Is the gameplay patterned (game does the same thing over & over) or is it random (happens differently every time?)

random

What does the type of graphic approach used as well as the audio tell you about the limits of the technology at the time the game was published?

the graphics are rudimentary bitmap images, and the audio is very simple tones. The amount of memory available for gaming at that time was limited. You couldn't do elaborate graphics or complicated music.

Describe your views about the game from the point of view of

ease of play

very easy

enjoyability

It's fun

c) level of engagement/immersion

immersion and engagement is high

Had you played this game prior to this time? If so, when?

Describe other games it reminds you of. How does it do this?

It reminds me of Space Invaders only based on real historical events, they even tried to depict the planes as they really were to the extent they could with simple graphics. The structure of simple shoot and dodge, with a 2-d flat scroll is indicative of the video games of this early era.