Monthly Archives September 2008

Finished GTA4

Martin · 15 years

That's not to say that I'm done playing around with the game necessarily, but I finally made my way through the final mission of the game today. I'm writing this as I listen the music during the credits (which have been going on for at least ten minutes now, with no end to the stream of names in sight).

The last mission was, appropriately, one of the missions I had to play more than a few times to get right, and had enough good cinematics and explosions in it to make it a worthy final mission for the game.

Overall, I've enjoyed Grand Theft Auto 4, and I think that many of the complaints people have had after the initial flurry of praise, about the game being a disappointment, were mostly unfounded. Grand Theft Auto 4 was the next logical step for the series, and I think that it was a great success in taking the franchise into the next generation of cpu/gpu power.

My biggest complaint was that the final mission, and the jobs leading up to it, just never had as "epic" a feeling as some of those from the other games, like GTA: Vice City or even the first itteration of the game to go 3D, GTA 3. When Rockstar went to such great lengths to make the city alive and full of detail, I would have liked to have seen the story get so out of control that at the end the entire city sees the destruction and carnage as it happens between Niko and his enemies. Something like the end of the Matrix, where Neo and Smith virtually destroy the world (pun intended).

Still, the ending was good, I enjoyed the game from start to finish, and I liked just about everything that Rockstar has done with the game. There aren't too many games I've played that represent the real world so well that, when you see little things happening in the game that reflect life so perfectly, you can't help but smile. I'm sure I'll continue to do that as I play through it some more and uncover the secrets I missed while playing through the main story.

For now though, I'm set to finally beat Phoenix Wright as well (I put it off for a long time, huh?), and I'm also considering picking up a used Game Cube to scratch a Mario Sunshine itch I've been having lately. For about the same price as an Xbox 360 game I can buy a Game Cube, Mario Sunshine, and a memory card, so I'm totally tempted.

I've got to work on my competition entry some more too, probably... so we'll see. In any case, I've finally scratched at least one of the games off my backlog now. So the summer wasn't a total bust, I suppose.

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I've decided to take a slightly different approach with my YYG Competition #4 entry, and post semi-regular progress updates as things move along. I'm not quite ready to unveil my master plan for the game, but I will reveal more as time goes on (and as time allows). I'm still trying to decide which aspects of my ideas will be able to make it in under the deadline while still allowing me enough time to make sure the game is fun and thoroughly polished, so at this point, it's hard to say what the final game will be like anyway, or whether or not I will even be able to finish it.

That said, progress is good so far. The game is going to have a focus on driving, and the driving engine is virtually done, save for collisions and all the extra stuff I have to add onto it later. Here are some screenshots of the game as it looks now. Textureless and a bit empty. But fun to drive around in!

Hopefully I have something more substantial to show next time... for now, enjoy the stills!

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Back From Vegas

Martin · 15 years

And back to the grind of the working life.

My girlfriend had some business to do in Las Vegas this weekend, and I tagged along for the trip. It was my first trip to Vegas, and definitely won't be my last; I had a great time, and even made it out with only a small gambling debt.

I flew out on Friday and met my girlfriend at the hotel, a small-ish but nice place only a half block off the strip, which proved to be a great location for refuge after a lot of walking in the desert sun. I was surprised to see the rows of slot machines inside the airport terminal - it seems one can gamble from the moment his or her plane arrives to the moment it leaves again.

That night we went out to take in some of the typical tourist stuff: the local hotels, casinos, and the sights around them. The Bellagio was probably the nicest spot, with the amazing fountain show out front (synchronized to the tune of Chicago's "All That Jazz"), the glass ceiling in the foyer, and the beautiful fall conservatory display (which was sadly under partial construction at the time).

Caesar's Palace was also pretty incredible. We wandered around the indoor casino sections, clubs, restaurants, shops, and other faux sky covered venues 'til our feet hurt.

The next day, my girlfriend had to a work event in the morning and afternoon, so I spent a good deal of time just walking around, looking at everything. After we grabbed an awesome breakfast at Paris, I hit the Miracle Mile Shops, and then the Vegas strip. I ducked into the odd casino here and there to cool off (it was hot outside), and before my walk was through, I'd finished off two sodas and a bottle of water. I got to see some more great stuff, like the Venetian gondolas and the pirate ship at Treasure Island, and of course, I did a little gambling on one of my breaks from the street. Throughout the trip, I only gambled about $40, and though I did have small winnings here and there, I lost it all in the end. I had a good time doing it though, so I have no regrets.

After getting some much-needed rest in the hotel, my girlfriend arrived and we went out again. We had a great dinner at Pampa's in Planet Hollywood, and then took an impromptu limo ride over to the MGM Grand to catch Kà, one of the handful of Cirque du Soleil shows in Vegas.

Kà is the second Cirque show I've seen, and though I imagine it's quite hard to be as blown away by the wonder of a Cirque show as the first one you see, it was an absolutely amazing show. Through a series of performances which expertly mix theater and acrobatics, the tale of two siblings and their travels to re-unite is told. This show's signature is a moving platform which serves as floor, wall, and everything in between as the performers run, climb, fight, bounce, and slide over it. It's hard to describe it in words without giving too much away, but I highly recommend seeing Kà if you're even in Vegas and have time to see a Cirque show. It was truly incredible.

My girlfriend and I finished off the night with a quick walk over to New York New York, and just barely made it onto the roller-coaster there. It was fitting to end the last night of a whirlwind trip on a whirlwind ride.

On Sunday, we got up early, had one final breakfast (a champagne breakfast!) at the Caesar's Palace buffet, gambled a few more dollars, and then headed to the airport. A fun weekend for sure. Hopefully we can visit Vegas again someday when we've got a little more time to play around.

YoYoGames Competition #4

Martin · 15 years

Once again, <a href="http://yoyogames.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">YoYo Games</a> has announced a game-crafting competition, this time following the "green" theme "save the planet."

I'm actually quite excited about the theme selection this time around. It presents an argument rarely seen in video games, and could spawn some pretty interesting creations. Not only will I be looking forward to seeing what aspects of environmental awareness can turn into successful games, but I will also be ready for the more off-the-wall games, since the wording of the rules has left things a bit open.

From the official announcement:

These days our planet seems to be in a constant state of peril, together we ride the unicycle of fate atop the high-wire of self-destruction. Our busy little lives seem to be warming up the planet, and no one really knows where that will lead us. Worse, global warming isn't the only green problem: pollution, acid rain, over-crowding, starvation and drought, and extinction threats are all waiting in the wings.

We’re often told that the only solution to these collective problems is mass action - the message must be spread to as many as people as possible if our own environmental compromises are to count for anything. Computer games are a great way to reach people and get them interacting with these important debates. What we’re looking for in the next competition are games with a message, games which encourage the player to get involved.

Politics: Most of us at YYG believe there's something to this global warming idea, but we're not out to indoctrinate our gamers, or game makers. Whatever you believe, it cannot be denied that the debates themselves are important, decisions made here will affect all our lives. If you firmly disagree with the green message then feel free to make a game where the world must be saved from a bunch of crack-pot environmentalists.

Finally, we’re still on the hunt for the perfect casual game. The most important thing is that the games are fun. Don’t get too carried away with the theme at the expense of gameplay.

As with previous competitions judging will be conducted by YoYo Games and Prof. Overmars, with community response taken into account.

P.s. Yes, we are aware of the irony of using energy-hungry computers to communicate a green message. Better this than 300 games about saving princesses.

The contest will end on January 4th, 2009.

The announcement at the GMC brought about the usual slew of questions about what fits within the rules and what doesn't, but thankfully most concerns were laid to rest when our friendly YoYo Games admin dropped in. Hopefully we won't be seeing a lot more "does _____ fit the rules?" questions for a while now.

Though I'm starting to have a strange feeling of déjà vu about all this, I think I'm going to try to enter this competition. I've got a pretty decent idea for a game right now, even though I'm not sure if it completely fits IGDA's description of "casual," and I think that if I can pull it off, it'll be a pretty fun little app. I'll post more news on this later though, as I make some progress beyond the basic engine.

Since I never really got around to programming the whole thing, and I kind of left it on a cliffhanger here at the blog, I thought I'd share my idea for my last competition entry now. My idea, a puzzler which never really came to fruition, was to create a game where the user is presented with a side-scrolling course full of obstacles and tasked with moving an object (a water capsule) from one side of the course to the other (to a fire). To do this, the player is given a limited amount of robots that can be placed anywhere on the course, and then programmed by dragging one of a limited number of "scripts" onto them, which would tell them which direction they could throw the water capsule. A number of courses with obstacles of different type would be included, and as the player moved through each level, the game would put more emphasis on using each robot and script to its fullest to traverse the obstacles.

Maybe I will continue this one day... I've already got much of the level graphics and base programming finished. But for now, it's on to the green-er pastures of competition #4.

So, who else is entering?

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The Software Ninja Returns

Martin · 15 years

As you probably heard, Apple recently announced a new version of iTunes, iTunes 8. The new version adds a feature called "Genius," which is sort of a Pandora's Box/Last.fm rip-off that recommends more iTunes purchases based on your past iTunes purchases. The new update also serves to further bloat the iTunes + QuickTime package, to the tune of about 4mb, though I'll admit I don't quite remember how big prior iTunes + QuickTime downloads have been. 75mb seems excessive for a music player and a media format I care nothing about, though.

Oh, and don't forget about the pre-checked Safari in the "New Software" box. Nice try (again) Apple.

But wait, there's more! After my install, Apple Software Update re-checked for updates, and now it wants to add further garbage to my computer:

MobileMe Control Panel? What?

I don't own an iPhone or an iPod Touch. Why would I want (or need) a MobileMe control panel on my computer?

This is even further baffling because after the last iTunes update, I had MobileMe Control Panel installed in my Windows Control Panel, and I had not been informed or let alone, agreed to, any sort of MobileMe software installation. Now it has been covertly removed from my computer, and then added to the Apple Software Update utility.

Maybe other people share my feelings and don't like Apple sneaking their software onto my computer? Is Apple trying to assimilate my computer by adding small bits of it's software here and there, until one day I turn on my computer and I find I'm running Mac OS?

Either way, Apple is quickly overstaying its welcome on my computer, and I don't appreciate it. The next time I find random Apple software floating running in and out of my computer all willy-nilly, I'm uninstalling iTunes and using WinAmp.

Oh, and when I closed Apple Software Update, I we met with this gem:

Icing on the cake.

I've tried not to watch any of it, but by chance I caught a bit of the Republican National Convention this evening, while trying to relax after work. As you've probably guessed from the title of this post, I am completely disgusted by the whole thing.

I try to stay away from the topic of politics here for the most part, but the tiny bit of the convention that I happened to see (Mitt Romney's portion of the show) made my blood boil, and I simply have to say something about it.

During my brief viewing, Mr. Romney continued beating the desparate drum of nationalism and fanning the flames of divison and hatred between countrymen. Over and over, he stated in so many ways that the Republican party is the party of patriotism and love for country, and that to be anything else is anti-American, supporting terrorism, ad naseum.

I'm tired of this utterly stupid stance. It's a pathetic attempt to appeal to your fears of the unknown, and it makes me sick that anyone in any political party would find need to wield this ridiculous argument against his fellow American.

We all want this country to be great. We all want this to be a good place for our children. We want the U.S. to be a prosperous country where anyone who's willing to put in the work can make something for themselves. That is the "American Dream," is it not?

To suggest that someone who strives for the same things as you, but by slightly different means, is completely against the U.S. and ideals that drive it is completely insane. I'm perfectly happy sharing this country with others who have all sorts of different ideas from mine - that's what makes the world work, after all. Working together with people who don't share the same thoughts as me helps me grow as a person, and helps us all accomplish many otherrwise impossible goals. Anyone who has any sort of relationship with other people can recognize that compromise is the corner stone of progress, and yet instead of encouraging people to work together and help maintain unity during these trying times, the Republican party would rather see the nation's citizens bicker amongst themselves.

Demonizing one party or the other for striving to make this country great in a different way than you accomplishes nothing but create divisions between neighbors, relatives, and friends. It makes people look upon others with fear, and it prevents people from enjoying life.

Neither party wants bad things to happen to this country. Neither party is helping terrorists. Neither party is any more patriotic or "American" (whatever that means) than the other.

Let's stop this shit once and for all. Whether you're liberal, conservative, or somewhere in between the two, I urge you to look past all this superficial patriotism garbage, and look at the real issues. The people who use this rhetoric are crooked liars, and you are a fool if you fall for it, no matter which party is pushing it at you.

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