Wumpus's GameLog

Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64) - Fri, 23 Feb 2007 13:32:36

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 13:32:36 CDT

After another session of play I am still not very far along in Ocarina of Time, however I have come to notice that the combat system blends very well into the game. Unlike RPG’s of its age and older Ocarina of Time’s combat system does not force the player into another entirely separate screen, thus breaking the realism. I will say that thus far the combat is very easy, but I would expect this being so early on into a game that I am told is fairly long. I have also been told that in addition to combat during Link’s adventuring there is a strong element of problem solving/ puzzles in future zones. I suppose the only thing that I want more from Ocarina of Time is more difficult combat, but my guess is this is to come after more extensive play. I would have to agree with reviews that this is indeed one of the greatest games of all time, it certainly was very groundbreaking in the RPG genre. To me you can see very clearly that Ocarina of Time has set standards in how 3D RPG should look, feel, and sound. You can still see some of its innovations in other RPG’s such as Neverwinter Nights, or and MMO like World of Warcraft, which in some ways look and play much like Ocarina of Time.

Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64) - Fri, 23 Feb 2007 01:40:41

Fri, 23 Feb 2007 01:40:41 CDT

Well, contrary to all the other games I have written on so far, Ocarina of Time was the first game that I was not really familiar with on a very intimate basis. I had really only played Ocarina of Time a total of maybe a couple of hours and only years ago, and hence I remembered basically nothing. One of the first things in noticed after a few short hours of play is that Ocarina of Time is a masterpiece of game design, much like a fine novel Ocarina of Time is crafted seamlessly and artfully. One of the ways in which this is done is through the start of the game, which is very introductory and immerses the player in the rules, lore and style of play to be expected in this RPG. The first several tasks are obviously designed to be a tutorial, but are seamlessly integrated, allowing the designers to skip on a tacky tutorial. By the time I was sent out of the village where I started, I felt that I had a grasp on the tools and techniques I would need to being adventuring. An aspect in which Ocarina of Time surpasses any other game of its era is in the quality of sound and audio effects. Music, and playing instruments of a classical nature is a part of my everyday life. Ocarina of Time blends its audio perfectly into the game, and in my opinion is a crucial element of a game’s ability to immerse the player within Link’s world. With a quick internet search I was able to find that the chief player in Zelda’s audio was Koji Kondo, who is obviously a master of his craft.

Starcraft (PC) - Fri, 09 Feb 2007 16:19:11

Fri, 09 Feb 2007 16:19:11 CDT

I will confess that for a period of time I was very involved with Brood War via blizzards Battle Net: I was very highly ranked on the ladder system In place at the time, so for this 2nd part of the log Ill address what I believe are the correct ways to play each of the three races in Starcraft, and brood wars. Im my opinion there is no best race, but they are certainly tailored to a style of play. Terran: Terran is a very interesting race in that many of their units are pretty crummy, especially in Starcraft, pre medic's. However, if used with precision, several Terran abilities and units can cause total havok. The first would be a player who knows how to correctly use Nuke Silo's, many people go after buildings only with nukes, but don't take advantage of what a nuke can do on the battlefield. When deploying nukes, in my opinion this is what you think Cost of the nuke + sum of units lost < Sum in resources of enemy buildings + units lost. If that equation holds, your nuke is successful, rinse wash and repeat. Terran also has a few units which are exceptionally destructive, these would be the Siege tank, and Battle Cruiser with Yamato gun. Again Both units have amazing destructive power, and can be with precision to take out specific targets. So the moral of the story for terran is this; You are not fast enough to race zerg, nor durable enough (in most cases) to go toe to toe with Protoss, so use precision to create tactical advantage. Zerg: I think anyone who has played Starcraft realizes that the primary advantage zerg has is speed in unit creation. The hatching system, as opposed to the building and warping (which are essentially the same thing), gives Zerg the ability to rebuild it's armies much faster and with a smaller and more compact infrastructure than the other races. For this reason when I play zerg I am always on the attack, the reason being is I know I can customize my units to better counter what my opponent has, faster than he can do to me. Hence zerg is about using speed to your advantage; stay once step ahead of your oppenent, keep hitting him with waves of units, eventually he will lose balance. Protoss; Honestly, in my opinion Toss is the easiest to play. Though there is a ton of depth I could go into, I can sum up my easiest and most effective toss strategy in 1 sentence. Build a large well diversified army and wait for the opportune counter attack.

Starcraft (PC) - Fri, 09 Feb 2007 15:27:54

Fri, 09 Feb 2007 15:27:54 CDT

Last week I decided I would reinstall, and play from the beginning one of my personal favorite strategy series, Starcraft. Unfortunately I have only been able to play for a couple of hours, so I have yet to hit the expansion set Brood Wars, so this diary reflects solely content from original starcraft. Upon replaying Starcraft I found that I was not nearly as pleased with the gameplay as I was when the game was released. This is not to say that the level design, balance, and strategy involved in Starcraft is poor, but rather it is not amazing but more standard stuff. However! What makes Starcraft important is the social ramifications and the amazing story-line it brings to the table. The story line is far more than you would expect from a strategy game. It is full of hero's, friendships, betrayal, and immensely surprising plot twists. I believe in many ways Starcraft is very influential in that is sets a very high standard for Storytelling ability of a strategy game. Of course, in many ways this makes sense being as how the developer is Blizzard, one of my personal favorites. The reason blizzard is an excellent game maker is due to the fact that every game they make is rich with a deeply developed plot, and state of the art (for their time) cinematic cut scenes to enhance the plot. I have enjoyed playing Starcraft thus far because the plot has drawn me in.

Super Mario 64 (N64) - Fri, 02 Feb 2007 00:54:10

Fri, 02 Feb 2007 00:54:10 CDT

Super Mario 64 gets much harder as so most games the further in you get. The complexity of the levels is far higher later in the game. They really nailed the 3d platformer concept here.

Super Mario 64 (N64) - Tue, 30 Jan 2007 16:03:13

Tue, 30 Jan 2007 16:03:13 CDT

Play Super Mario 64 again was a very unique experience being as how this time when I was playing I was observing the game more than just playing it. Though you would consider Mario 64 to be a platformer, just one with a 3d cardinality of play, when I went back I was felt almost as if I was playing an Action/adventure game, something like Neverwinter Nights a game created much later than Super Mario 64. This game being one of the first truly 3D gameworlds has had a huge impact on any game designer who work in a 3D world. Super Mario's game world however it tuned much more towards a platformer than it is an action, this is visible in the standard platformer obstacles and terrain choices. However you can see things that the Designers of Super Mario 64 pioneered in their gameworld that still exist today. One classic example is the concept of immovable shrubs and plant life to create segmentation within each level. In real life these plants would of course be movable or you could just walk right through them, but in the gameworld players must simply accept them as a wall. You can still see such tools used by todays game designers. Super Mario 64 is probably one of the most influential games in the domain of 3D level design. As far as the gameplay and progression of Super Mario 64 the first thing that popped out to me was the difference in style of the beginning levels as opposed to the levels much deeper into the castle. The designers to much care in making the first levels of play wide open spaces where players can accimate themselves with both the game controls, but also the rules and physics of the Super Mario 64 game world. If the designers had chosen to make the first level include stepping stones over lava that rock with mario's mass and have waves of lava pouring onto them, I believe the overall experience would have gone down. Another thing that the Super Mario 64 team did, was to take the concept of a dungeon/instance that is within, yet separate from the overall game world, and finalize for future designers the method for differentiating the two. In my opinion the "paintings" on the walls of the castle is still the most unique and best way I have ever seen to "zone in" to a dungeon. The gameplay in Super Mario 64 is fun and full of all sorts of classic platformer obstacles, as well as some new ones, yet has this hint action/adveture. However, I don't think it is considered classic as much for it's gameplay, but moreso in the many ways in help to evolve and redefine many aspects of game design.

Super Smash Brothers (N64) - Thu, 18 Jan 2007 15:29:04

Thu, 18 Jan 2007 15:29:04 CDT

Soooooooooo Super Smash. There are lots of great things about smash bro's that I could say here. First, its one of the best "games for all ages" around. I can brutalize some folks older than me as they try to figure out the controls, have a foul mouthed all out brawl with some college friends, or even get asked to play by my little sister; regardless of the situation everyone has fun and enjoys the experience. Super Smash allows that fun kick your ass combat aspect of video games that so many of us are drawn to... in a happy, silly, fun arena. These aspects alone, at least in my opinion make the game great. As far as design, I will comment on the multiplayer aspec, because after unlocking the bonus characters and levels who really goes back to play the single player content? I guess its neat, but it not nearly as engaging as the multiplayer. Super Smash is just an awesomely crafted game in many ways. The levels are all fun to play, and more importantly are designed from intimate 2 player size to levels designed more for 4 players. Personally My favorite level Is peaches Castle. I think its a sweet place for two good players to duke it out. There are several design elements to the castle that make it functional and unique. First is the sliding platform at the bottom. That makes a predicable randomness that skilled players can watch and use to their advantage. It should also be noted that the moving platform is one of the only surfaces that your characters will not grab onto when falling back onto the play surface, which is neat. Peaches castle is also pretty small but allows enough room for skilled players to work their %'s up pretty high, ensuring that the rounds are not over to fast. The two floating triangular ramps on the sides of the play surface make will generally help to contain your character at low %'s. As far as the random spawning of items, the ability to change exactly what will spawn and its frequency. I personally have a set of items that I keep on, and a set that I turn off. Unless I am playing with some little kid that likes to have all the powerful items like the hammer and such on. I like to turn off items that I find to be an autokill if the players are skilled, for example Fox's gun. I also turn off the heart to keep things moving along and just because I didn't really like the concept of "healing" in Super Smash. The characters are also all pretty well matched. Sometimes I will call a certain character crappy, however If my friend Shyam is around, he will tear me apart with that character. My best character is Link, because... well I don't know. I suppose he is the one I started on and play the most. Link is a powerful ground and ranged character. His attacks make him very durable and Forward A is one of the stronger hits in the game. He also comes with two ranged attacks which is nice, being his boomerang which is awesome for crowd control, and the bomb attack which is a good, however low damage, way to interrupt your opponent, or attempt to prevent them from getting back onto the play surface. Links shortcoming is his arial combat. A skilled player can do just fine, especially since you an always pull out is Up B in the air to make an easy, low skill attack. However, if Im playing a good player using Captain falcon for example, a character who is awesome in arial combat, I will keep my feet on the ground.

World of Warcraft (PC) - Thu, 11 Jan 2007 14:30:38

Thu, 11 Jan 2007 14:30:38 CDT

Alright, well after more naxx raids and continued playtime perhaps it is best to address how World of Warcraft handles its economy. Generally I think this is one of the largest downfalls in MMO design. On a broad view WoW does a fairly good job of building and regulating an economy. However on a more from a more microeconomic view, there were some seriously stupid decisions made. Ill go into more detail on at least one of those decisions later. Another important aspect of any MMO economy is how the developer addresses the issue of third party companies attempting to turn an REAL LIFE profit via farming gold, items, and resources and selling them on the web for in-game delivery. WoW does a pretty poor job, as to most of the MMO's at this. However, the Bind on equip/ pickup system is one of Blizzards best decsions on helping to regulate the economy and the strongest tool against the third parties. This makes the third party unable to sell very many useful ITEMS, not to be confused with their ability to sell gold. The farmers / gold sellers occasionally find loops in the system and find a way to dominate the economy, but generally its pretty short lived due the fact that blizzard will close the loophole with the next patch. But enough about that. One of the huge flaws in game design can be found in profession known for being good at making money . . . Herbalism. Why is Herbalism good? because it can farm dreamfoil. Dreamfoil is a endgame herb that is pretty much used in every single potion a caster in WoW will want to use, not to mention its used in all of the Greater "blank" Protection potions. So when I go out to pick my herbs, I don't ever go to a zone where I can't find dreamfoil. As a druid, the rate at which I will go through the stuff is crazy. Here is a list of some of the most popular consumables a healer would want to use on a hard raid. Major Mana Potions* Greater Dreamless sleep potions* Mageblood potions* Flask of Distilled Wisdom* Major Healing potion* Greater (fire,frost,poison) Protection potion* Dark rune Greater mana oil Some food that will give you a buff Alright, consumables marked with a * are made by alchemists, who are the people that use 95% of the herbs in the game. Of those marked, here is the ones that need dreamfoil to me made Major Mana pots Greater Dreamless Sleep Mageblood Flask of Distilled Wisdom So as you can see dreamfoil is nearly everything that I would make for personal use on a raid. That is unnecessary, and has lead to nothing more than an increase in the prince in G it takes to raid. I hope there is not an equivalent to dreamfoil or mistakes in other professions in the upcoming expansion. Fixing these issues would really help the overall economy of WoW.

World of Warcraft (PC) - Wed, 10 Jan 2007 12:43:49

Wed, 10 Jan 2007 12:43:49 CDT

Well, to open this up ill preface by saying I play this game a lot, to much really, but whatever. On my primary WoW account, (we won't go into the others, because it just makes me look even more devoid of a real life), I have three level 60 Toons, which until Jan 16th, is the max attainable level. Undead mage ~ 74 days played Undead priest ~ 19 days played Night Elf Druid (current toon) ~ 52 days played Totaling 146 days x 24 hrs/day for = 3504 hours logged on three toons. ----------------------------- Our first naxx boss kill, roughly a 4 hour raid before the boss died. My alliance druid is part of a reroll guild, so we just this week began to venture into Naxxramus, which for those who don't know is the hardest raiding content in currently in WoW. Contempt (my guild's name) looked to kill Anub'rekan. Anub, is an pretty easy boss by naxx standards, there is also, as of now that is, pretty much only one viable overall strat on how to do his encounter. Basically, from my experience in the encounter, and the research we did beforehand there are several critical elements. During the encounter the raid has to deal with Anub'rekan who is basically a huge beetle/spider thing, 1-2 of his minion spiders, 100's of little tiny scarabs which come of dead bodies, a conical AOE (area of effect) impale from anub, and a giant poisonous cloud of insects and Anub spits out. They way we killed him was by killings his adds (minions), which can only sorta be tanked. THen using our mages to frost nova the scarabs, kill them, and finally with any remaining time before anub spit out his his insect swarm DPS him before the tank has to move him around to avoid the poison. You basically rinse, wash and repeat this cycle as many times as you need to DPS the boss down. All told it took us 13 attempts to get him dead, so in the end the raid was a success. Problems we had, and how we solved them: Initially, I had assigned (I and the 3-4 other officers, who make our strats) our better healers, druids, priests, and paladins, to watching the MT who was tanking anub'rekan. However we kept having the DPS'ers covering the add groups and scarabs dying. You can't have that, because the more bodies on the ground the more scarabs you have to deal with each cycle. To solve this problem we changed the healing scheme around a bit. I moved our lesser healers to cover the MT, who really wasn't taking very much damage. Then put a pally + a okayish priest on each add group, and finally had our three best power healers, 2 druids (myself being one) and a priest, to cover the four dps groups. This healing scheme made mana last longer, and resulted in few deaths. The rest of this fight is basically getting the pattern down, eventually it clicked and we killed him. My Job on Anub'rekan: Being a 51 pt resto druid, my job is always healing. On this encounter myself and two other good healers watched 20 people, and make sure they didn't die. I also made sure I had a HoT (heal over time) on our MT as he moved across the room with Anub'rekan chasing him. Basically my job was pretty easy, because save some random spike dmg from a crit cleave on a leather armor, or a impale, I could pretty well Keep everyone I needed to keep alive with low ranks of healing touch, or my HoT, which ticks for 535 unbuffed atm. My thoughts: Off all the content I've played in WoW, I think Anub'rekan is one of the more fun encounters. Why? Several reasons. Firstly it teaches, and forces everyone to work on the move due to the nature of the poison cloud. Working on the go really helps to keep things interesting. Also, the element of the 100's of scarabs really adds a sort of chaotic presence throughout the encounter, the trick to anub is really taking all the elements and controlling (if thats the right word) them into a form of organized chaos. It way more enjoyable than a tank and spank encounter like most of MC/BWL, and its a nice break from the huge amount of LoS (line of sight) encounters that blizz loved so much in BWL. I also detest AQ 40, so its nice to be raiding Naxx instead of AQ.

World of Warcraft (PC) - Wed, 10 Jan 2007 12:22:52

Wed, 10 Jan 2007 12:22:52 CDT