OW Demo 1 + Review - Disney's Christmas Carol

I've finished the first demo version of my game, Orphan Wars! It's about an hour and a half long, with a complex RPG-style battle system, almost completely original artwork, and a handful of original songs (I'm working on writing more). If you want a copy, find out how to get one here.

I'd also like a post a small review of the new Christmas Carol movie with Jim Carey. Rachel and I went with Nick and his parents to see it on Friday night. The theatre was filled with young families and children. After all, this is a Disney movie! And didn't the trailers look so inviting and fun?

The movie itself was a different story. The new Christmas Carol can be compared to The Nightmare Before Christmas in many ways. Both deal with Christmas, while also having scary Halloween-like elements such as ghosts. Both have their little moments of humor and fright.

But where Nightmare succeeds, Carol fails. Nightmare is essentially light-hearted and fun. It has music and cute stylized characters. They live in their own fascinating, make-believe world. But Scrooge lives in the real world, in a real time and a real place. The people there look like real people (despite some rather eerie caricaturization). So when the ghosts appear and begin haunting Scrooge, it's hard to see them as friendly, if somewhat misunderstood, as they might be in Nightmare. Instead, they are legitimately frightening. There are a slew of very loud, sudden noises and things leaping out of the screen, which made younger kids cry and made the parents of older children lean over to ask "Are you okay? Are you sure?" When things aren't jumping out at you, everything is silent and tense, which didn't exactly fill me, a 19-year-old, with warm fuzzies. The odd balance between realism and cartoon comes off as eerie. A few of the more frightening images of the movie are when Marley's jaw becomes unhinged in a fit of fury, the Ghost of Christmas Present decays in front of your eyes, and the Ghost of Christmas Future sends Scrooge down a deep hole into an open coffin, beneath which a sinister red light glows. Even without these things, there are some longer passages of dialogue at the beginning, including a little foul language, that would either bore kids or put them to sleep.

So now you're thinking, this doesn't sound much like a kid's movie at all. And you're right, it's not. If it hadn't been Disney, and if it hadn't been rated PG, and if it hadn't been obviously marketed toward kids, this would all be fine. I will admit, it was a powerful movie and did justice to the traditional story we all know and love. But the problem comes from the fact that it's supposedly a kid's movie. Even within the movie, there are silly little moments that were obviously inserted for children and made me want to roll my eyes. Scrooge gets shrunk down to the size of a mouse at one point and of course, his voice becomes high and silly-sounding. But this is happening while he's being chased by a shadowy, skeletal figure on a chariot with red-eyed Hell horses. Some of Jim Carey's signature humor breaks through Scrooge's character, but instead of breaking the tension at too-intense moments, it seems vastly inappropriate and poorly balanced.

My overall impression was that the movie couldn't decide what it wanted to be. It was too silly for adults, but far too frightening for kids, leaving me wondering what kind of audience is going to enjoy everything about this movie. I can't think of one.

Review - Scribblenauts for DS

I saw some videos of this game a while before it came out and I was fascinated. Write anything? Really? Finally, a world where pirates can wear jet packs and you can make a dragon square off with a zombie. So I bought it the other day, and I'd like to give everyone a little heads-up as to what this game is all about.

Concept: 10/10
The core concept of this game is simple--get Maxwell, our Scribblenaut, to the Starite, which is exactly what it sounds like. You can do this by tapping the notepad in the top right-hand corner of the screen and typing in objects. They can be any objects, with the exception of copyrighted material or content inappropriate for a rated E game. Use these objects to help Maxwell achieve his goal. Simple enough, right?

Where it becomes really interesting is how these objects can interact with each other. Place a campfire next to a block of ice and it will melt. Then get a hose and spray some water on the fire to put it out. Bring the firewood to another fire and it will light again. Bakers will automatically pick up rolling pins and attempt to an oven. You can also ride vehicles (car, UFO) or animals (horse, pterodactyl) or attach ropes to loose objects and pull them or to cliffs and climb up.

Living objects also have emotions, ranging from "protective" to "scared" to "aggressive." These feelings will affect how they interact with other objects. A criminal is naturally aggressive to most things, but write in a policeman and he'll run away. A dog will chase and attack a cat, while the cat will attempt to eat a mouse.

Experimentation is often rewarded, as the word library is remarkably expansive. You can tell the makers of this game were super nerds when words like "Large Hadron Collider," "Rickroll," and "LOL WUT" yield results. I have found myself much more limited by my own capacity for imagination than this game's word library.

Gameplay: 6/10
Don't get me wrong--I love this game. But while I think the concept is perfect, its execution can be a little rough at times. One of my main dislikes is that nearly everything is done with the stylus. You control Maxwell by pointing. I expected this to be like Zelda: Phantom Hourglass where Link runs in the direction you are pointing and then stops when you let go. But in Scribblenauts, your character will run to that spot. He jumps automatically where necessary. But what happens if you tell him to jump on something slightly too tall or run up a steep slope? He'll keep trying. Over and over again. This, of course, makes the camera shake all over the place, making it hard to pick another destination and get Maxwell to stop.

Objects are also controlled with the stylus. When you write in a new object, it will hover in the air until you "click" it (for lack of a better term) and drag it where you want it. If the object is overlapping with something else or doesn't fit, it will show a big red X and be unusable until you move it to a better spot. This is much nicer than keeping it locked into space where it fits, like some similar games do. But what happens when you have a small object, like the end of a rope? If you miss with your stylus, it means Maxwell will move, often jumping off of whatever cliff he's standing on. If he's busy trying to jump or run somewhere he can't and the camera is moving all over, it's even harder to get a grip on any object and move it to where you need it to be. Usually the end result of this is falling in a pit of lava or back over the edge of the wall you just spent ten minutes carefully scaling. This can be extremely frustrating, especially when you know your selection of objects will work but little mechanical issues keep getting in the way.

So you might be asking yourself, what do the buttons do? Well, the D-pad and the ABXY buttons both do the same thing--move the camera. L and R rotate objects when you select them. This makes it great for left-handed gamers, since the DS essentially becomes symetrical. But in light of the problem with movement/object selection, I would have liked to see an option where Maxwell's movement could be controlled by the D-pad and the stylus used only for object manipulation. For left-handers, the ABXY buttons could be given this job. But there are no options for movement or control at all.

And also, when you move the camera over to see something far away, it will snap back to Maxwell after a short time. I know the game is only trying to be helpful, but this results in more falling-off-cliff problems when you write a new object and go to click it... but suddenly the camera moves. I would have liked to see a little icon on the edge of the screen with an arrow pointing to Maxwell's position, so we'd know where he is without having camera issues.

So while manipulating objects can be lots of fun, the game can become frantic and feel out of control in critical moments. But during slower times, the layout is simple and easy enough to navigate. Other pros worth mentioning are the option of playing as different "avatars" (and cool ones, like a robot or a pirate) and a level editor.

The game is also quite long--there are over 200 stages, divided into ten worlds with 22 stages per world--11 "Puzzle" stages and 11 "Action" stages. Each stage can also be replayed three times through using new objects each time for more rewards. Puzzle stages require simpler tasks, like giving a desert traveler something to "refresh" him (I gave him a watermelon) in exchange for the Starite. Action levels are much more challenging. You are shown where the Starite is and you have to retrieve it somehow. Starite is breakable, so using dynamite to blow up every obstacle won't always work. You may find yourself using the same objects again and again, though--some useful ones for me right now are jet pack, fishing rod, and tractor beam.

Visuals: 7/10
Most objects in this game look as if they have been cut out of colored paper and fastened together at joints with those brass pins you used to use in elementary school. It's very fitting for this kind of game. Straight lines are purposefully messy and tilted. The colors are bright. It's all quite inviting.

The only criticism I have is that things seem somewhat pixelated. When objects move, there are sharp edges where it looks like a single pixel is traveling down a line, or something similar. While graphics usually aren't the most important factor for me, I'm fairly sure the DS is capable of slightly smoother quality.

Audio: 8/10
The music mostly consists of bright-sounding flute-like noises or other woodwinds, record scratches, and cute little "ey!" "ah!" and "oh!" samples--think DJ Kirby. Again, it fits well with the style. I find myself singing along to my favorites.

Story: N/A
Sadly, non-existent. This game is mainly a toy, something you can get into right away. It tells you the name of your character and that he's a Scribblenaut, but then it sets you free to do puzzles. I would have liked to see a story of at least Pokémon quality, with a few other characters (Maxwell's girlfriend, a rival Scribblenaut, etc.) and stages requiring collaboration or special goals rather than simply "get the Starite." But as a toy, this game is still very fun and doesn't really need a story to be entertaining.

Value: 9/10
With over 200 stages that can each be solved three different ways and a huge word bank, you've got quite a bit of replay value here. I bought the game for only $30, when the going rate for big-name games is $50. I think it was well worth my money. The only thing that might keep me from playing this game as much as, say, Pokémon or Super Mario World is the controls. They're a little too frustrating for my liking, but I'm willing to put up with it because there's always something new to do. I think this game will give you as much as you put into it--setting goals, like refusing to use a jet pack or some other item you regularly rely on, might help make the experience new every time.

Overall: 40/50

Snowman Story

I just found something creepy, you guys. It's a blog totally written by someone other than me, and there's some weird stuff going on... See for yourself!

Snowman Story

Two

I finished the new draft of Chapter 2. Next step is to revise. There's one major thing I need to work out... where to have Zidaiku accept the blame for "what happens" (those of you who have read it will know what this is--I don't want to spoil it for anyone else, just in case). Right now, the acceptance of blame kind of happens twice, but each is different. Just after "it happens," Chameleon gets into Zidaiku's head and tells him it's Zidaiku's fault. Then later, when Rusk is yelling at everybody, he turns on Zidaiku and blames him for it. Zidaiku then tells Angel that he agrees with Rusk and feels at fault.

Thinking about it now, it might be okay to keep both of these, at least in essence. I think the timing of Chameleon's accusation is perfect--it's delivered at a time of maximum weakness for Zidaiku. Obviously a few hours later in the day is still a vulnerable time, but things have cooled off slightly by then. But Chameleon telling Zidaiku these things and then him verbally accepting them are two different ideas, right? I would just have to go in with this separation in mind as I revise. Chameleon says stuff to him and he doesn't want to hear or believe it, but later, after Rusk yells at him, he tells Angel that he does believe it, and that's how the chapter ends. One is Chameleon giving Zidaiku input, but only later does the same output come from Zidaiku himself.

I need to read through the chapter as a whole in one sitting, then decide how I feel about it. I think that's what I'll be doing tomorrow. I'll see if I can keep both, but I need to be brutally honest and go with my gut feelings. If one of them just doesn't work, I'll drop it. Chances are, if only one survives, Chameleon's will be the one. I may be able to drop the other scene altogether, to be honest. It includes some character and world development, but it's nothing absolutely vital. We'll see.

Study

I've been thinking a lot. Here's a summary:

• Getting a degree in English is not going to help me write books.
• A Bachelor's in Game Art and Design is a definite possibility, but the only places I can get one are too expensive.
• The library decided to hire someone else.
  
• Living here is oppressive, despite everyone's good intentions.
• The world is far too expensive.

Um... I think that covers it.

The other day, I took a Myers-Briggs Type Indicator test and discussed the results with a career counselor lady. "Author" was never listed, but the report danced all around it. That's because being an author isn't really a job. It's self-employment, product-oriented. You write a book, a publisher buys it, you get paid. If you don't write, you don't have anything to send to publishers. It's as simple as that. It doesn't take degrees or education. The only criteria is "can you write a book that will sell?" If you answer yes to that question, you're good. Write away, my friends. Everything else is merely secondary.

Instead, the report said I should do something in the art field. She mentioned graphic design, or even--gasp!--game art and design. I've always loved games. The industry is exploding, as far as I know. I mean, has one year gone by since 1980 where there hasn't been some giant leap in the video game industry? Only twenty-five years ago, we were stuck with 8-bit consoles. Music was beeps and blips. 'Graphics' came down to who arranged the same 16 colors in the most recognizable way.

Fast forward to today. We don't need wires. Graphics are so life-like that it's almost sickening. The music can be fully orchestrated and sometimes as beautiful as any symphony. Every year at E3, there seems to be some new outrageous concept that gets everyone excited. Gaming is moving very quickly, I'd say. Nintendo is doing its share of widening the market, while guys like Sony are really pushing the limits of graphics. Square Enix continues to amaze with their careful artistic creations. Microsoft is doing great things with their XBox Live. New motion-sensor devices are more precise, making way for cool concepts like swordfighting where you can actually control the 3-dimensional aspects of a character's arms. I mean, what about gaming isn't being constantly improved upon?

The problem with getting a degree in Game Art and Design is that the places that offer it right now in the Salt Lake area are too expensive. Digipen, one of the nation's leaders in Game Art and Design and based in Washington in the very same building as Nintendo of America, is just as expensive. I can't afford $7,000 a semester for four years, however badly I want it. One option would be to get an Associates in something, land a higher-paying job, and save up, but that might add up to four more years until I get where I want to be, depending on a few factors. That's not the end of the world, but surviving in the meantime will be the hard part.

That's one path I'm considering. SLCC offers an Associates in Graphic Design. I figure it can't hurt my Game Art and Design coursework, either. But the Director of the Visual Arts program said that even with a degree, graphic design jobs are hard to come by... which brings me back to the start. How can I make money doing something I like to do? Do I go the traditional way and push myself through schooling? Or is there another way, something a little more independent?

Anyway. My keyboard is running out of battery. Good night.