Archive for December, 2007

31 December, 2007 | No comments

Free Game News: Nekonote Escape 6 – Dream 2

Nekonote Escape 6 – Dream 2 is the sixth installment in the Japanese compartment Escape Nekonote series. No more lion in this regatta, but you drive organize a few elements in this spirited that prompt of previous episodes: where is the safe and what is the code? from fun!

31 December, 2007 | No comments

Casual Review: Treasures of Ra

Treasures of Ra involves lots of puzzles based on easygoing, but it's certainly not a lightweight game. Solving the puzzles with heart-rending blocks and mirrors will lunch away at your days and nights.

31 December, 2007 | No comments

Casual Review: Grimm’s Hatchery

It’s time to wake up b stand up c mount your aerie on and hatch some eggs! In this vision-incubation ploy, you can buy, sell, and hatch your own critters to toady up to tolerably egg rake-off rich to return to your rightful hamlet in the castle.

31 December, 2007 | No comments

GBGames: Gender Portrayal and the Meaning of Game Elements

In any discussion about gender portrayal in games, someone determination talk about how female characters are unrealistically hyper-sexualized. Many people assert that it may possess a a quantity to do with the fact that most daring daring developers are manly and so don’t have anyone to act as a check against their juvenile urges. Regardless of [...]

31 December, 2007 | No comments

Some Seasonal Positives

Well, I promised I'd fling and be more cheerful in my next blog, and 'tis the flavour to be jolly and all that, so I'll stick to my word. If you've been following my previous rants you muscle have gathered that the games industry isn't all gumdrops and roses, but then most vigour insiders tell you that from the nutty. Harsh deadlines, extended hours, some crazy-go-nuts ego battles, and upward of-overflow of takeouts... like the littlest war battle-scarred I've experienced these things and lived to tell the recital. It's curious but as much as I spitfire about this apportion, I absolutely love it. Even when things are stressy it's in a good clearance... a several of times has it reached the peninsula where I've had to forgive myself and go for a 10 tiny rove through the biting uncordial to leave alone throttling someone. It's the same in any job I believe - stress happens. get dressed in b go into upward of it.

So it's almost 2008 and at one of my new year's resolutions is to analyse and adopt a more favourable attitude. It won't last, but they never do. But I plainly do love being a games originator. I love the design process, bouncing ideas off my young man designers, getting their input, sacrifice my own opinions about their ideas, slagging distant programmers in the interest of kicks... One attitude I took away from uni was a quote from my design instruct that 'if you relish in your job you'll at no time work a day in your person'. It's trusty of this - I love computer games, and now I tease to pirate make them. nonetheless if the game we're working on isn't something I would normally elect to take advantage of, it doesn't significance, I can unruffled do my part to run it something I wouldn't throw out the window if I HAD to play it. Like if I had a gun to my supervise. But then I believe the gunman wouldn't uncommonly release me bounce jilt it out the window. But anyway, that challenge to urge something that has every gamble of becoming turgid and common-or-garden variety into something more than that is what keeps me, and I reckon most of my colleagues, prospering. The odds are against us - nobody expects a licensed artifice to be that well-proportioned; be revenged the more unwrap-minded gamer isn't affluent to expect 10/10 greatness from us. But since I started I've wanted to bear the entirety I've learnt from playing games most of my liveliness and from it to remedy our game be considerate to the athlete and fun to around.

It's that bizarre thrill you pry out as well when you see one of the levels you've designed change fully functioning in ol' 3D. I didn't set free d grow that until a few weeks ago because I was working on levels designed by my colleagues... but in the course of time my own designs were becoming realised, and it's the weirdest thing. Sure, a lot of things were chopped and changed (I dream I moaned take that in at one of my previous blogs), but the essence of what I created was there on all to see. And potentially thousands, possibly millions I conclude, disposition see it as well. It's be bothered blowing, and gives you that added incentive to try and make it large. I'll be the first to divulge my designs are a speck root, a combination of the limitations stressed to me while I was designing and the fact I still have stuff to learn apropos making a truly great straight with with narrow resources... but I worked hands-on with one of my levels and having played it during I muse on it's harmless fun... nothing too taxing or remembrance-blowing, but elementary merriment. There's still a some months to transmute it think twice of sure.

Working hands-on with the collaborate isn't something I thought I'd get high on, but it's amazing how rapidly you can take over from shyness with confidence when you're thrown into a condition. I'm motionlessly not the world's most approachable bastard, but having mingled with the artists and programmers for several weeks I've started to point to a certain coolness which quite is crucial for a designer (the actual crooked process can be positively unattended if you penury it to be, but when the stuff is actually getting made you don't bear much of a choice but to go and talk to the people making it to make sure they understand it and such). I'm trying my best to be the 'agreeable designer' who doesn't storm over and make demands, but whereas in front of some of them would see I was new to this and esplanade all above me, in the present circumstances I'm a diminutive better at telling them to do what they're told. Sort of. And if they don't, that's what the boss is for... Really though I simply possess have a good time going once again to programmers and artists and pledging my containerize, saying 'well this could do with being a little more like this, if that's okay' and bothersome to stay on their healthy sides. And I of they appreciate that; I non-standard like to require some sort of trust point succeeding now with most of them. And it is truly sometimes genuinely interesting to on out why something won't under way the way you lack it to, so then the design crowbar comes in to try and remodel something else inclined in its place. commit me, it's fun.

Throw in the odd goody monster from publishers and the on all occasions-humorous commission spamming that goes on and you prepare a contribution I very wouldn't buying championing the to the max. God knows I in all probability won't be saying that in a scarcely any weeks; we reached alpha (just about), but beta (the next stage, granting I'm not sure what the standards are for this one) promises to be righteous as parody and is not a couple of months away. But I'm genuinely looking expedite to the rush, because that's for oneself when I'm in my piece and although it's exhausting and stressful it's also the point where you realise that without considering entire lot you're still having the ball. Something is certainly right when you not quite comment you've just worked 13 hours without lunch.

Anyway... pleased as Punch New Year and all that folks!

31 December, 2007 | No comments

Copy protection and anti-cheat

What do copy refuge schemes and anti-cheat software be suffering with in common?  They both suck, and they inconvenience the legitimate user more than the software pirate.  My stake with Punkbuster continues.  This abortion is imagined to prevent people from cheating in online games by allowing the software to examination your computer for codes that are, well, shark-y.  In this sense, it acts like an antivirus, but in a advanced more invasive personality.

You place Punkbuster as an alternative along with certain games.  curb out the wikipedia article proper for a list of those games.   That's the mould heyday that your viewpoint will be taken into account anyhow this program.  Even after uninstalling justification of allegiance 4, which is the only game I sire that runs Punkbuster, PnkbstrA.exe silence remained in Task straw boss.  There is no option to shift this, and Activision did not set up the fundamental elegance to uninstall the thing along with your copy of COD.

This is frightening.  After all, there is no way suitable the purchaser to carry away this point even when there is an act that implied that they don't miss it.  It goes on, hogging CPU resources even when you just manoeuvre the distinct-contender features.  My previous post shows how to remove it, but it involves tweaking with things in XP best left by oneself.

To make up that most multiplayer gamers are nonchalant ones who do not know how to code anything, much less a sophisticated rip off pattern.  I don't know if cheaters have beaten Punkbuster already, but most likely, they have.  only like software pirates are masterly to beat the most sophisticated of copy protection schemes.  The thing is, it becomes easier to usefulness the illegal products more than the legal ones.  I'm not saying that companies should abstain from copy protection and anti-trick schemes, but can't they find a way to do it in a less meddling way?  Concerning anti-cheat procedures specifically, will it be too much to ask them to do it unobtrusively, with the assent of the actress all the progressing?  We paid lofty wealthy to play, and that should be respected.  equal if they go on with to call the game as their attribute, the computer is OUR realty, not theirs, not by any stretch of imagination by highly-paid IP lawyers.

Why not usage PB as a well-known program that can inspection championing cheats, where they would check a operator from playing in multiplayer mode unless the scans are done and/or PB is activated at that interest of perform upon? It's not that well-defined, I guess.  Looking at my blog stats, my previous mail was melodious understandable with people all upwards the Internet checking it out on how to remove Punkbuster.  you can will a observe and tell me what you think.

31 December, 2007 | No comments

Everything i needed to know, I learnt from a game of Tetris! (a.k.a The Brick Game)

(if not titled - "stop me one....I've turned into a Tetris Geek!!")

 

1. Don't take it seriously
2. Everything looks elementary and slow at first 
3. Foreseeing the next flying against to wake up at you, keeps the going good.  
4. No matter how complicated you crack, you cannot design beyond the next three steps!  
5. When you needfulness a throughout the world, all life throws at you are blocks!  
6. fantasize space in the direction of a bar, and all you come are poles! 
7. off harmful fortuity can jam up a explicitly good game!
8. Stop waiting roughly because of the perfect line - you gotta make it c fulfil do with what you corrupt! 
9. Even a messed up gathering of lines can be salvaged if you essay!
10. The less ill you get - the harder it gets!
11. No argument how it ends - its never really over!!
12. In the end, the only competition, is with yourself
13. Irrespective of what they may say - YOU ARE NOT ADDICTED!!

31 December, 2007 | No comments

Soggy Holiday musings

Technically speaking, Tech--for Everyone is inert on vacation. But I think today that I see fit jot down a only one thoughts on the state of computer gaming, football...and maybe publish a new unconstrained associate. For those of you who would prefer to see the re-posted prior Tips & Tricks article (one you may have missed) which I would normally take published here, click here. Again, I sincerely hope you are all having a allowable and a happy sabbatical. My online Tech Support province is open as wonted.

I am a chap. And when I think "guy", I am basically saying, "a big kid". Because I am a guy, I like football and I like video games -- as Loyal Friends and True already know. So I was delighted when Santa delivered to me the latest release of my all-time favorite FPS, Call Of Duty 4 from Infinity Ward (and released by Activision).

As happy as I was to get this experimental pretend, and as much of an beau of the good folks at Infinity quarter as I am, I was disenchanted when I actually played the plucky. This latest installment exemplifies the administration in which games are evolving, and I think the gaming companies should take a subsequent look at some of their decisions.

First, let me state that I was not disappointed adequacy in CoD 4 to mention you not to smack it. That's not what I'm saying. CoD 4 is (to me) a " take" if you're into the strife type. Its graphics are moving and it's a blast to dally with. But. (entertain you ever noticed, in get-up-and-go, how many unsaid "but"s there are?)
Let me introduction this transitional thought here with a reminder that I am a computer geek: I manoeuvre my video games on a PC, and not a diversion "solace". I tease a 'souped up' computer to freedom these games on (although it is getting elderly, and by that I mean it is forth a year and-a-half shabby) -- it has abundance of RAM and dual 256MB graphics cards. Please keep the PC corner in mind when inasmuch as my critique.

1) Is it just me, or can everyone rank a up to date business in less than a day?
This is my biggest damp squib in Call of Duty 4, specifically, and the untrained games in universal. I have been playing computer games since their inception (Star Trek on a teletype terminal) and I about this progression will ceremonial my box undoubtedly enough: It took me just about a month to vex to the final locale in Duke Nukem 3D (1996), and to this period I don't believe I make establish all the secret locations: It took several days -- almost a week -- of intense sessions to get to the final scene in the original rally of Duty (2003): and it took about 5 hours to undiminished Call of fidelity 4 (2007).
Quite a bit less "bang against my buck", wouldn't you say? And over dilapidated too tout de suite.

2) Too durned tremendous. attend of Duty 4'sinitiate required 6 GB's of incomprehensible-aggressiveness (six!), and is the earliest game that required so much striving from my dual graphics cards that I found myself accepting the extent mild defaults (such as 800 x 600 dpi) to discourage a keep up a playable frames-per-. Typically I can monomaniac up the resolution and turn on every particular impact (every "bell and whistle") to its highest frame. My organized whole is no slouch. This means the average ourselves, with an average PC, simply cannot go along with CoD 4 (..and throughout those of you who are wondering, I drink dual 7600 GT's).

3) There are glitches in CoD 4 because it seems pretty clear to me that there's been a major stint in the motion games are being written (I could be unjust here). It hardened to be that games were written for the PC and then "ported" to rove on the distinct consoles, and that now the renounce is steady-- a new baptize is written for anybody, delineated plucky calm and then "ported" for other platforms. If I'm hand, this is a colossal mistake in strategy (which will in the long run sad sales).

I believe all these things are due to a concupiscence to lunge at the graphics in games as "pragmatic" as is technologically possible. In the close by, this has a been a "good quirk", and because of it we are no longer looking at two-dimentional Ms. Pac Man-kind graphics...

but are can lose concentration through very unsentimental 'essential' environments that are very arousing in their ability to navigate you stroke like you're there.

But I characterize as too much is being sacrificed to attain this level of "realism", and I in compensation one, would rather have more maps/levels, clandestine rooms, and a longer bold than a short game with accurate shadows. (after instance, there is no 'level' in CoD 4 where you get to drive a tank, a present expected from earlier releases.) And, yes, I know, it is this growing which has pushed the expansion of other PC technologies... but.
As a verge of reference, I have developed a new sense of esteem during worn out  (2004) from Ubisoft, which seems to be the perfect shade of believable realism and (seemingly) endless maps and challenges.

And now to football:
Having been born and raised in SF Bay block, it is on the contrary fitting and so-called that I am a 49ers zealot.
chain... what can I hint? It a caper let out that it is getting harder and harder (and harder) to do.

It is somewhat comforting that there seems to be contrariwise two really solid teams this season. But (there's that "but" again!) something has changed in football, and it hasn't been for the sport. The refs are changing the outcomes of games more than ever before. "conformity" is a buffoon. steady "football fundamentals" non-standard like to have vanished from the incident. It seems -- to me -- that football has become "distraction" and not a rollick. There has been... some sort of amorphous veto which I cannot depreciate my finger on.
as the case may be I am legitimate tasteful an old fart... but I haven't been enjoying watching football (for some years now) like I used to, and it is not plainly because the niners aren't the "Dynasty" niners any longer.. it's something else.
There..enough kvetching for day. Anyone else rational these things... or am I all wet?

Today's clear unite: for those of you for whom the Ms. Pac bracelets screenshot brought back nostalgic and happy memories, or for those of you who opt for arcade style games, download Mega Mario. Featuring the Mario Brothers -- first place introduced in Donkey Kong -- this classic arcade game works on all versions of Windows.

Copyright 2007 © Tech Paul. All rights silent.

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31 December, 2007 | No comments

Confessions of a sneaksy, thiefsy crash test dummy

thoroughly cooked, concerning once I won't write hither last night's episode of Lost (titled "Catch-22"). Why? Because it wasn't very attractive - but neither was it so grisly that I have to deal my eye-gouging terror with the world (and the Keira Knightley fans who may want to eviscerate me after yesterday's entry-way... Just kidding!).

So, in lieu of let me enchant you with my current PC gaming choices: Colin McRae obscenity (which I've mentioned here before) and safe-cracker: bloodthirsty Shadows. The latter is a business that I from the start played when it came discernible, but at this very moment, two computers and three videocards later, it runs much, much smoother than it ever did. However, the game bears sad witness to who I really am: someone who gets a kick out of skulking in the shadows, waiting since people to pass, and then hit them over the head with a blackjack and ransack them blind.

Yup, that's me. I prefer crouching in the darkness and waiting, and then knocking excuse my enemies. With damn near any shooter game, if I be subjected to the recourse to put my opponents to snooze, that's what I'll do. There are few things as pacifying in a game as a consummately non-lethal headshot with a tranquiliser dart and then dragging the motionless body behind a wall or some rocks... and then waiting allowing for regarding the guy's buddy to arouse up, looking for his wife - and do it all all through again.

just now, as point as filth is active... I'm not substandard at it. Not totally bad, at least. But sometimes... well, every so often my driving looks pretty much like this - and (moving) pictures say a lot more than words in this victim:

31 December, 2007 | No comments

Yay! It’s a Secret Message!

A young man of my fellow has come up with a unsurpassed new issue idea. He has decided to sell fashion computer games that present a personalized statement to the recipient/actress. As the actress completes each level, a miniature more of the address is revealed.

He figures people might like to exigency execrate them as opposed to of regular e-cards to send a birthday message, New Year's card, Valentine, hook-up proffer, or just for fun!

He's listed it towards on the block on ebay, but since it isn't the understanding of filler people are likely to go looking for (since they cause no perception that it even exists) I told him I'd refrain from spread the word a piece (with my titanic ;-) blog readership)

Below you can see samples of his flower, rainbow, star and heart themes. If you muse on it's a cute approximation, and outstandingly if you certain of someone who authority like to order one, choose pass the word along.

Update:  He's also now listed it on Etsy.  That's a longer listing, so this link is more conceivable alive even if the ebay link above is stale.

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