Blogging the experience of gameplayhttps://www.gamelog.cl/gamers/GamerPage.php?idgamer=603https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3164GAMEPLAY Hmmm, the second time around I got a little bit better at playing. I've kind of gotten the hang of this whip, and it has become more fun to face the challenging enemies (now that I can face them). But I still feel like some aspects of the game rules are still hidden from me. As a basic example, I was completely avoiding the water until I got to the forest stage, when I accidentally fell in an realized that you can go in the water safely as long as you jump out again before you sink. I suppose this didn't greatly affect my gameplay, but I do feel a little gypped for some reason, as if there are still a lot of things about that I don't know about this game, actions that I could be doing right now that I just don't know how to perform. The game does a poor job of teaching the player how to play. On another note, I really appreciate Castlevania IV's "pump-you-up" factor. The remixed music of the old themes is super-infused with energy. What can I say--the songs are catchy and, appropriate to the tone of the game, make you wanna slay monsters. Overall, my second gaming session was fun, but I feel like I'm missing out on some of the fun because of the steep learning curve. DESIGN Castlevania IV pulls off some mechanical feats that are pretty cool and kind of tricky to design (as I learned from GameMaker). I like the particular jumping style the designers employed--staying in the air for a second instead of rising and falling seamlessly. This suspended air time is a highly specialized feature of this game; the player wants that air time because it allows him/her to whip things at jumping level. This becomes even more crucial when you have to start grappling to rings with your whip and swinging to platforms. The grappling mechanic is another really cool feature (and another thing that I wish I knew how to do well in GameMaker), and it brings up discussion of the player's control over the whipping direction. The directional control you have over the whip is not absolute, but it is pretty good for its time. You can whip in eight directions, again making certain allowances for player behavior like whipping bats coming at you from an angle and latching onto rings to swing over obstacles. I mentioned before that some things about this game frustrate me. First of all, I would have designed the status indicators differently; there are too manny things to keep track of. Your health, enemy health, block power (?), hearts, score...and I still have no idea what the P stands for. Besides being complex, it is counter-intuitive: Why do I have to collect heart to be able to throw daggers? Why can't I jump to a platform from directly underneath it? I would change all these things about the game, but that would leave a very different game. I've had more fun playing other 2-D platformers. (This entry has been edited2 times. It was last edited on Thu, 06 Mar 2008 02:11:41.)Thu, 06 Mar 2008 02:08:22 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3164&iddiary=5880https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3164SUMMARY In Super Castelvania IV (SNES) the player controls the character of Simon Belmont and guides him on a mission through 2-D side-scrolling levels to ultimately defeat Dracula. Armed with a whip, the player also faces many other enemies along the way. There are several items to be found (weapons, health, etc.) that help the player along the way. GAMEPLAY At first this game was kind of frustrating. It took a while to figure out the full controls. For example, the controls for swinging your chain around in a circle are counter-intuitive to me, so I didn't realize you could do this, even though it is necessary to perform in order to get past the early levels. Also, the reward/punishment system was too confusing. Sometimes I would find an item and not know if it helped me or hurt me when I picked it up. Nonetheless, the jumping and killing monsters part was just as fun as any other 2-D platformer. In terms of the narrative clarity, I am again disappointed. I know the plot from watching older Castlevanias, but maybe I skipped an intro cut scene or something because there seems to have been no backstory presented so far in this one. I will assume that the gamer's experience will rely more on the level design, boss challenges, etc., than on the narrative progression. After all, this is just the Dracula story told over again. I hope there are still more controls for me to find out about this next session so that I'm entirely bored. (This entry has been edited2 times. It was last edited on Thu, 06 Mar 2008 02:12:21.)Thu, 06 Mar 2008 02:07:57 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=3164&iddiary=5879https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2770GAMEPLAY I really love the graphical style of SMW: exaggerated and goofy. In fact, the graphics contribute to the mood much like the music does. The simple graphic style and bright colors makes SMW very cartoony, which, like the comical death-riff, limits how "seriously" I play the game, even if only subconsciously. SMW is an excellent example of good flow in a game. There are speaker boxes that Mario can bump into that explain how to play more or less, and even give the player hints. Even as the game progresses, there are still boxes to be bumped into, which just illustrates that the game forces the player to build a repertoire of skill over the course of the game (rather than learn everything in a tutorial at the beginning). Moving through the different worlds (I'm in the Vanilla Dome now), the foes and puzzle are becoming harder, and that seems to be the only significant change in gameplay since last session (besides the new visual and audio theme of the Vanilla Dome). The most difficult challenges I face at this point are finding the alternate exits to secret levels. These secret places to unlock keep the game interesting even to someone who has played the game before. DESIGN When I started a new game (before writing the last log entry) there was a certain identifiable theme with the levels. The game utilizes spatial segmentation on multiple levels, so there are several themed worlds within the game and each has many levels consistent to the theme of that world. This consistency makes the gameworld feel more engaging and is vital to the smooth flow of the game. Besides presenting players with a gameworld that is consistent and absorbing, SMW keeps players interested with the reward system. One-ups are distributed relatively generously throughout the gameworld. If you get hit by an enemy and become the smaller Mario, there will no doubt be a mushroom or item nearby. Additionally, the game does a great job of keeping players (even experienced players who have beaten the game several times) coming back. Players like these and who exhaust the gameworld will be directly rewarded because there are certain bonus stages and secret levels that can only be found by completing a level an alternate way (finding the alternate exit). Ultimately, I'd say that the simple gameplay makes this game easy and fun for anyone, but the vast gameworld keeps people playing. Oh, one last comment, on music design (the effect that the music has on the player is particularly interesting to me). Lots of people agree that SMW is really fun, but also agree that the source of fun is hard to pin down. I think the music has more to do with the gamer's experience than it is normally credited for. In the case of SMW, the main music is happy and moves rather fast. By making such upbeat and whimsical music, music designers can "trick" players (in the sense that they are affecting players subconsciously) into taking the game less seriously and, in turn, allow the player to have more fun. At least, this is the purpose I believe Koji Kondo had in mind when writing the score.Wed, 20 Feb 2008 22:35:26 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2770&iddiary=5184https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2770SUMMARY In Super Mario World the player controls Mario and moves him through many smooth-scrolling platform worlds. The object is to rescue Princess Toadstoal from Bowser, and this is done by first defeating Bowser's minions who are spread throughout seven smaller worlds within the game's larger overworld and ultimately defeating Bowser. The primary game mechanic is running (or walking) and jumping, which the player must become skilled at to progress through the levels, defeat enemies and bosses, and solve puzzles. GAMEPLAY This game is so much fun, especially considering the relatively limited controls that the player has. You can move left and right, jump, squat, run, and spin, which is not that much compared to the many elements of control that are present in modern interactive games. I think this simple gameplay style, however, is what makes the game fun. Thinking back to when I first played Super Mario World, I now know why I was instantly addicted--there is little that you have to know from the start to get going through the levels. Also, I consider it a plus that Nintendo didn't create a long cut scene at the beginning to introduce the storyline. You get a minimalist background that you must save the princess and then you are placed in the gameworld; the rest is self-explanatory, if not intuitive. In terms of how I felt playing, I didn't get anxious or tense like I do when I pay an FPS. SMW gives off a more cheerful vibe, even merry. The music really contributes a lot to this mood. For example, the main theme that plays throughout the game and right when you begin in the first level is that super catchy, upbeat, ragtimey tune. Of course, the music does change appropriate to the level--it gets darker and in the castles, for example--but all the while maintains an air of sillyness. Even when you die, for instance, a short quick (and almost comical) riff plays that takes away a lot of the gravity of the death. I feel like this music affected me (the player) subconsciously by exuding a certain lightheartedness that I came to feel about the game.Wed, 20 Feb 2008 22:30:33 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2770&iddiary=5183https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2579GAMEPLAY By now I should be used to how absorbing Super Smash Bros. is once you get wrapped up in it, but it still surprises me. It's simply addicting to get good at a certain character's skills (I still prefer Link). It can also be fun to explore a wide range of characters. The game creates a highly competitive atmosphere. But despite the "battle arena" goal, the different levels can give the game different moods. For example, I find that it's almost hard to take the game seriously when played in the Kirby level. This isn't a bad ting--I just think that particular level gives the game a sillier, lighter mood. On the other hand, when we play the Starfox level, things can get intense outside the TV screen. Maybe it's because each level has it's own music, which really sets the tone of that particular round. The point is, the freedom that players are given to customize each game round (by their choices of characters and level) makes Super Smash Bros. super fun. DESIGN Super Smash Bros. employs emergent gameplay more than progressive, and consequently the level design is not the most important aspect of this game's design. In fact, the levels are all small, 2-D floating platforms. But they don't need to be large, because the fun emergent in this game comes from the actions that the players can take. A key element in Super Smash Bros. is that, depending on which character each player picks, they will each have a different set of actions possible using the same controllers and the same possible buttons. Players build a repertoire of skills as they learn combo moves and unique button sequences for their character. Each player requires a slightly varied fighting style (Kirby may spend a lot of time in the air and pounding other players, while Link will probably stay more on the ground and fight with his sword or other weapons.) Another key aspect in the design is the limited number of lives. With a small number of times that players can die, it keeps the games to a relatively short time-span (with the exception of the occasional seemingly endless battle between two or more really experienced players, which can actually be drawn out a long time). This, along with the fact that there is always action on some part of the screen, leads to a fast-paced gameplay. Although some may argue that it interrupts flow in the game, I like this fast-paced system. It means that, even if you are eliminated from a round quickly, it will not be long before you can play again with a clean slate in the next round. Nintendo was smart to design a game that caters so perfectly to audiences with short attention spans.Sat, 09 Feb 2008 05:04:23 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2579&iddiary=4900https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2579SUMMARY Although Super Smash Bros. for the N64 can be played in single player story mode, I only played in multiplayer battle mode. The goal of this battle arena style fighting game is to outlive all other players. Each player picks a character to play as, and each character has its own qualities (attacks, defenses, and special powers) that may help the player to defeat the other players. Each player is given a set and equal number of lives, and once the player has died (by either falling off the edge of the platform or taking too much damage from other players) enough times, they are removed from the battle. The last remaining player wins the match. GAMEPLAY This game really keeps players engaged, and it does this mainly by the large repertoire of skills that the players can possibly build up. Once you've played as a certain character for a couple rounds, you can get proficient at that character's special moves, which boosts the fun of the gameplay experience to a higher level. I found I do well playing as Link, but it's also fun to try out all the different characters' moves. The falling items also present lots of cool gameplay. Key to this is the variety of items that fall from the sky. Some are better to pick up than others, but a lot depends on player style--I like to pick up Pokeballs, because the monster that comes out is a surprise every time, but other players may not waste their time on them. If an unquestionably desirable object falls (like the hammer, for instance), many players will run for it. The game tends to get much more exciting than one may expect at these moments.Sat, 09 Feb 2008 05:02:18 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2579&iddiary=4899https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2244GAMEPLAY During this gaming session, I tried playing single-player. The missions, although fun, can have vague instructions. I couldn't figure out what to do at the very end of the mission and, consequently, accidentally failed by walking out the wrong door. Too bad there is no save point within the level; it would have been easier to not have to go back to the beginning of the mission each time the character dies or fails the mission (or maybe I'm just bad?). Oh well, it was still pretty fun cruising through the levels fighting different people. I think that's where most of the fun in the mission levels resides--picking which weapons you want to use against which foes. I find the multiplayer mode to be more rewarding. My friend and I eventually settled on playing ten minute rounds, each one with a different weapon selection and a different level. This way, no matter how badly one player may be losing, and no matter how much of a role the other player may be on, the tables may easily turn around at the end of ten minutes when a new round begins. For me, this is the most attractive feature of the game--being able to start a new game, play for a short while, and leave without having made any progress toward a larger game goal. It's a small commitment, as opposed to a long game of progression, like Link to the Past, and it makes Goldeneye a fun game to play when you don't want to get involved in a long story. DESIGN A key design aspect that makes this game fun is the amount of control players have over the game. Before each round, players choose the level, their character, and (more unique to Goldeneye) the game end definition. We experimented with different types of "round-ending" or "game-ending" scenarios, such as rounds defined by timers (round ends after 10 or 5 minutes), or rounds defined by lives (first to die 5 times loses, or first to kill 10 times wins, etc.) This level of control lets players customize their gaming experience. Choosing the weapon selection for each round is another source of fun and contributes to the uniqueness of each game round. Maybe you've played all the levels, and maybe you've tried all the different weapon selections, but have you tried each weapon selection in each different level? There are a lot of possibilities, and some are better than others. Proximity mines are fun to use in the Complex (a level that has lots of similar rooms), and grenades are my favorite in the Caves. There are so many possible games to play within multiplayer opponent mode that you can easily spend hours experimenting within that mode.Sat, 26 Jan 2008 01:19:37 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2244&iddiary=4262https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2244SUMMARY Although Goldeneye can be played in several different modes (single-player mission, multiplayer team, multiplayer battle), for this first session I only played in multiplayer battle mode. Each player controls a character whose goal is to outlive the other characters. This is done by eliminating the other players, facilitated by the use of weapons distributed throughout each level of the game. GAMEPLAY This game is one of the better games I've played when it comes to keeping the players' interest. It does this by putting players in a high-adrenaline state. I think the level design has a lot to do with that. The size of the levels--the fact there there is a lot more level than people exploring it--gives the players a good amount of area to explore, meaning longer gameplay before the level gets too boring. At the same time, however, a lot of the places in a level look similar to other places in that same level. Since you can always see the other player's view as well as your own (in your peripherals), this gives rise to a funny psychological occurrence. Sometimes it will look like your enemy is in the same room as you, or approaching the same destination from different parts of the same hallway, which can make a player more alert and excited. The classic 007 music also contributes to player anxiety, keeping the players engaged in the game.Sat, 26 Jan 2008 01:19:08 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=2244&iddiary=4261https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1742GAMEPLAY I found that the more progress one makes in the game the more exciting it becomes. There still isn't much development of characters; Link is just Link. But that's one thing I like about this game: there is very little I need to know as a player before I can go out slashing monsters. Actually, this kind of becomes tedious--while perhaps good for their time, the monsters score pretty low in the originality department. Blobs are fun to shoot for only so long. In terms of social interactions, there were lots of directions from my onlooker friends--which door to go into, who to talk to, etc. Also, there is down time that allows for uninterrupted social interactions between watchers and players; it doesn't take that much focus to run around from place to place on the world map. DESIGN Sidescrolling is the design feature that gets immediate attention from the player, especially one familiar with the original Zelda. It feels like, I don't know...NOT Zelda. But I can make no criticism on that subject other than the fact that it takes away from the recognizability of the game. Another general criticism: I'm a little disappointed with the battle mode now--after playing for a while I can still only shoot magic and attack with a sword, which feels limited. In Zelda II there are no cutscenes. No background or story history is explained during gameplay. Townsfolk will tell you hints, but nothing that reveals the backstory. This was probaby never a problem--even when the game first came out, players were most likely already familiar with The Legend of Zelda and knew what to do. Today, it is even less of a problem; the basic premise has been recreated so much that I'd argue no explanation is necessary. In fact, I kind of like this about the game because it lets you go right into the action. Another plus is the music. The Zelda theme takes every fan back to their early days.Tue, 15 Jan 2008 02:32:50 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1742&iddiary=3755https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1742SUMMARY In The Adventure of Link the player controls a boy named Link in the fantasy world of Hyrule. Link is destined by prophecy to save Princess Zelda, so that's the ultimate objective. However, this main goal is achieved through many subquests, and even the subquests have subquests, and so on. Most of the gameplay is sidescrolling, but takes place in a larger birds-eye view world map. In towns, gameplay is mostly dialogue with townsfolk; outside, battles with creatures. You must solve puzzles and find keys hidden within castles, and ultimately expand your world map. GAMEPLAY Okay, so I started out playing Donkey Kong for NES, but quickly decided that I couldn't take an hour and a half of that. Zelda was really fun because it was a long adventure. I'm still obviously far from done, barely beginning actually, but I'm already engrossed in the game. Battles are exciting, as you balance mana and life. Also, talking to the townsfolk (seeing what everybody has to say) is fun because they each tell you a clue about your environment and how to progress somehow ("Don't go south without a candle.") Then again, this is basically every Zelda game. My friends watched as I played--apparently it is fun for bystanders to watch and follow Link's story. There were cheers to LOOK OUT! or ATTACK! and there were sighs when I died. There were a lot of sighs. Luckily, even in a Game Over instance, the game lets you restart at the beginning but with all your attributes saved. Tue, 15 Jan 2008 02:28:52 CDThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=1742&iddiary=3745