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Mar 5th, 2008 at 23:34:15 - Civilization III (PC) |
GAMELOG 2
GAMEPLAY:
I think that Civilization III is one of the most realistic empire building simulation games out there on the market. The strongest selling point of this game is that it allows players to rewrite history to their desires. For example, I played as Japan in which I had set all the AI civilizations as the countries that made up the allies. The game turned out into a World War II simulation in which I was allied with Germany against everyone else. After defeating all other civilizations, I built the UN and was voted as the Chairman (since only I and my ally were still alive). For me at least, being able to rewrite history as I desire is a major reason that makes this game fun to play.
I would also like to comment on the game’s storyline. Generally, there is no background story at all. There are no specific missions to complete, and there are no campaigns that tell a specific story or anything along those lines. However I would disagree with the fact that the game doesn’t tell a story. All the gameplay is recorded- everything from the completion of world wonders, capture of cities, significant battles, as well as the beginning and ending of golden ages. After the player “wins” the game, the player is able to view a histograph of all the civilizations in comparison with each other, which shows visually the changes in power/culture/score over time as the player defeats other civilizations and builds new wonders. Thus I regard the timeline of my civilization as a story in a sense. So the history of the world your civilization is in could be seen as a form of emergent narrative.
DESIGN:
I think that one of the strongest design points of this game was that it allowed for a wide array of interactions between the player and the game (usually AIs). The player can have negotiations with the AI directly, such as signing political agreements, inking trade deals, or exchanging gifts (or demanding them). Then the player can use the ingame units to indirectly interact with the AI. For example, if the player places many units on the border, this will usually make the other AI have a mood of being “cautious” towards the player. This tactic also deters any potential warmongering AI. The AI also makes decisions on it’s information that it knows about the player- for instance the AI will make decisions based on the player’s past interactions with other AIs, technology level, and military strength.
Another good point about Civilization III is that there are multiple ways to win the game. For example, the player can go along the traditional conquest route by conquering every other civilization. Or the player can choose to engage the game in a more non-violent way by being diplomatic with the AIs and forming good relations, eventually being voted as the head of the UN. The player can also engage in cultural conquest by building up a high culture and assimilating other civilizations. Another interesting way to win is to win a space race by being the first civilization to build a spaceship. In addition, the player is also able to set a few ingame goals of their own, such as trying to win the game without conflict. Overall I like the way of how the player is allowed multiple ways of winning which means that there are multiple ways of playing the game.
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Mar 5th, 2008 at 22:28:51 - Civilization III (PC) |
GAMELOG 1
SUMMARY:
Civilization III is a turn based strategy game in which the player is given charge of a civilization and competes with other civilizations by building units, expanding cities, and researching technology in order to win. Since the game has a very loose definition of “victory,” there are several ways that the player can win.
GAMEPLAY:
Civilization III is a really unique game in my opinion. There is no story, as in having a campaign which motivates the player to continue playing. The game is the story essentially. When the player starts out, he/she is able to first pick what sort of map they like to play on. Map choice has a major impact on strategy- for example if the player likes to use military conquest then they would probably prefer to have one massive land mass instead of separated small islands. The player also gets to choose which civilization they represent- they could choose this based on the civilization’s in-game strengths/weaknesses, or they could be patriotic and choose the civilization that they identify the most with.
In my view, this game really lives up to its name of “Civilization.” The game starts out with the player having a single worker and a settler. The player then builds cities, which allows the player to build additional units to expand and improve the empire. The player also has to manage individual cities and units, as well as manage the civilization as a whole. For example, the player has to decide where to move the unit, which is a small decision limited in it’s effects. The player also has to decide what technology to research next, and this decisions is broader and has a major impact on play since technological prowess enables the player to stay ahead of his/her rivals.
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Feb 21st, 2008 at 04:59:31 - Grand Theft Auto - San Andreas (PS2) |
Gamelog Entry 2
GAMEPLAY:
Overall Grand Theft Auto San Andreas is a pretty fun game. First of all there is the fact that there is so much that the character can do. Since the character can pretty much ignore the missions in the game, the player is free to explore the game world (or the city at least). Interesting enough the player can affect the character’s appearance through in game decisions, such as going to a barber shop and getting a new hair cut or getting some new clothes.
The game still keeps to its roots however. The player can still go on a rampage across the city with an assortment of weapons, jack cars, and have a fun chase with the police. I have to say that the real fun of Grand Theft Auto San Andreas comes out when the player is chased by the police. It’s interesting to see how high the player can get their wanted rating and how long they can survive in such an environment.
DESIGN:
The game designers really planned the entire game out well. First of all you have three cities to play in, and each city then has its own network of streets, shops, special locations, and npcs. This makes the game world feel much wider/freer than the previous GTA games. Each city also had it’s own distinctive style and feel. For example the city of Los Santos features many of the landmarks found in real life Los Angles. In addition the designers also made it so that the player actually had to travel between the cities through the country side as opposed to simply make it so that the player automatically appears in the other city. This further reinforces the sense of being in a wide game world.
I also found the way the designers tried to motivate the players interesting. In order to motivate players into actually following the storyline and completing the main missions, the designers made it so that after most missions the player is able to unlock something or get a new item. For example the player at the start of the game cannot leave Los Santos and head off to any of the other cities. In order to unlock those cities the player has to finish at least the main missions. This solves the problem of players ignoring the storyline and goofing off. Sure, the player can still go off and do whatever he/she wants to do, but sooner or later they will get tired to running around the same city and will want to head to another city. That’s when the reward system kicks in, forcing the player to do the missions in order to unlock the other cities.
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Feb 21st, 2008 at 04:29:08 - Grand Theft Auto - San Andreas (PS2) |
Gamelog Entry 1
SUMMARY:
Grand Theft Auto San Andreas is a third person action game in which the player takes on the role of a gangster struggling to survive in the fictional city of San Andreas. In order to advance the storyline the player has to complete certain missions- or the player can choose to ignore the missions and wreck havoc in the city by shooting innocent NPCs and driving around.
GAMEPLAY:
If you’ve ever played any of the GTA games then you pretty much know what the game’s going to feel like. GTA-San Andreas is first of all structured around a story in which the player plays as a gangster. I guess the best thing I liked about this game was how the player actually had more to do. For example in addition to jacking cars and shooting innocent civilians, the player gets to buff up their character by hitting the gym. In a nice twist there are also quite a few options in food choices for the character- eating fatty foods makes your character fat while not eating enough makes your character thin.
However I do have to say that the game isn’t very impressive graphically. In my view, the only reason that the player is motivated to play the game is either due to the interesting storyline, and or the desire to see how much chaos they can cause by shooting cops and jacking cars.
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Denn has been with GameLog for 16 years, 3 months, and 14 days |
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