I'm still under contract with a ULA for the third round of beta testing for the new MMORPG RIFT, so I'm going to hold back on my comments for a week or so, then post my impressions of the game online. I will say that it was entertaining and enlightening to participate in the beta testing for the game, and I look forward to the opportunity to do more in the future.
They do demand that you submit lots of feedback on your game experiences and impressions, which only makes sense because I'm sure they aren't letting people create characters and log into servers just to get some excitement built up about a coming release. The computer designers for the system want to make damn sure most of the bugs are worked out before the official reviewers try their hand at their product.
Notice that I said "most" of the bugs, not all of them. I really do think that aiming for complete bug elimination is just one way to guarantee heartburn and a slew of ulcers. Fortunately, that wasn't my job in this case. I was just there to try out a new gaming world, and point whenever something broke. Or (blush), when I broke something. Heh! Not to much stuff broke while I was online, and let me tell ya, I was trying!
This does remind me of Elemental : War of Magic. I was closely involved with the beta testing forums for that launch, and much was made of the fact that the developers worked so closely with the beta testing crowd. There were some exceptions, of course. Some thought that their ideas and observations of the game weren't fully appreciated by those who were in a position to enact their suggestions, and therefore the game which was released didn't meet their hopes. But for the most part, the forums were filled with positive comments. I did see one instance where the developers should have listened to their target audience more closely. Almost all of the people eagerly awaiting the release of the game mentioned that all the proposed races looked very similar to each other. In fact, spotting differences between the different factions in the game was difficult. The qualities and physical characteristics between races was almost identical. The developers kept saying that it was their intention to have 8 options of a 'vanilla' race to choose from.
I was less than impressed.
I don't ask for extreme varieties, but I still don't see the point of giving the player an option of choosing between 8 indistinguishable races when starting a game. Ah well.
Friday, December 31, 2010
Goodbye 2010!
You know what? 2010 wasn't that bad at all. Would I say that it was kick-ass? Well... yes. Yes I would..
Monday, December 27, 2010
Stealing Syberia
So what did I get for my latest travel into Syberia?
I got some artwork. Good stuff too.
OK, I've been meaning to get back to the painting for awhile because I've had some ideas burning in my mind for a bit, and the only thing needed was some time. While Christmas brings many things, and this year it also allowed me to get some projects done, which means that it's time to dust off the old canvas and see what damage I can do.
For such a fantastic graphical adventure, there were only two images which struck me as being good paintings, at least ones that would fit for my style. I'm grabbing a bar poster from the second chapter in the Syberia saga, as well as some native sketches that are found in the bone ark. The sketches are ideal for a small canvas which I have floating around looking for a home, and the poster... well, if you've seen any of my other paintings than you'll know that I like the posters. This one has horses. Not my favorite animal to tell the truth, but I don't have a problem with them.
I was tempted to go for the logo on the side of the clockwork train, but after some consideration have decided to give it a miss. The logo is interesting, but to make in with a fitting background, I'd be using a lot of gray. Gray is a good color, don't get me wrong. But it can be a little... well... boring. I'm happy with my choices, but if I get a stirring to go back to Syberia, the train will be at the top of my list.
I got some artwork. Good stuff too.
OK, I've been meaning to get back to the painting for awhile because I've had some ideas burning in my mind for a bit, and the only thing needed was some time. While Christmas brings many things, and this year it also allowed me to get some projects done, which means that it's time to dust off the old canvas and see what damage I can do.
For such a fantastic graphical adventure, there were only two images which struck me as being good paintings, at least ones that would fit for my style. I'm grabbing a bar poster from the second chapter in the Syberia saga, as well as some native sketches that are found in the bone ark. The sketches are ideal for a small canvas which I have floating around looking for a home, and the poster... well, if you've seen any of my other paintings than you'll know that I like the posters. This one has horses. Not my favorite animal to tell the truth, but I don't have a problem with them.
I was tempted to go for the logo on the side of the clockwork train, but after some consideration have decided to give it a miss. The logo is interesting, but to make in with a fitting background, I'd be using a lot of gray. Gray is a good color, don't get me wrong. But it can be a little... well... boring. I'm happy with my choices, but if I get a stirring to go back to Syberia, the train will be at the top of my list.
Syberia 1 and 2
Games = Syberia 1 and 2
Ted Puffer's Reviews = 4 stars
Game genres come and go, but there is no disguising the fact that the 'adventure game' has been on a decline for a number of years now. Most of this is likely due to the fact that to make an adventure game, you don't need 3d modeling, multiplayer or any other design scheme that jumps off the screen. What you need is a good story, and that is something that just doesn't happen because a deadline has been set. Great stories only come about through imagination, and I don't think imagination is something budgeted in the Blizzard process flow.
But Syberia has it in spades. These two games are the products of the same studio that came out with one of my favorite games "Amerizone", which is old and grey now but still one hell of a ride for anyone who gives it a shot. The setting is similar, in fact this story builds on the same world as Amerizone. Parts of the dialog indicate that the two games are united in location, as some of the species found in the alternate-relity Amazon jungle find their way into the frozen wastes of Syberia.
Most entertaining about the first chapter is the steampunk setting. Steampunk games get overlooked for the most part when people think of the style, and that's really a shame. Syberia has truckloads of atomatons, gears, steam and general victorian style to satisfy the most hard-core enthusiast of the genre.
Where the games really shine however is in the story, and the way the puzzles encountered on the adventure resolve themselves in logical ways. It's not the case where the main character is running around doing certain tasks for no other reason than they need to be done. Right from the start, Sybera presents the player with a main goal, and every puzzle naturally falls into the story as a way to get from point A to B. The setting and backstory are worthy of being expanded upon, and although it looks unlikely that a Syberia 3 will be coming out any time soon, I for one would be eager to step back into that world. Great game!
Ted Puffer's Reviews = 4 stars
Game genres come and go, but there is no disguising the fact that the 'adventure game' has been on a decline for a number of years now. Most of this is likely due to the fact that to make an adventure game, you don't need 3d modeling, multiplayer or any other design scheme that jumps off the screen. What you need is a good story, and that is something that just doesn't happen because a deadline has been set. Great stories only come about through imagination, and I don't think imagination is something budgeted in the Blizzard process flow.
But Syberia has it in spades. These two games are the products of the same studio that came out with one of my favorite games "Amerizone", which is old and grey now but still one hell of a ride for anyone who gives it a shot. The setting is similar, in fact this story builds on the same world as Amerizone. Parts of the dialog indicate that the two games are united in location, as some of the species found in the alternate-relity Amazon jungle find their way into the frozen wastes of Syberia.
Most entertaining about the first chapter is the steampunk setting. Steampunk games get overlooked for the most part when people think of the style, and that's really a shame. Syberia has truckloads of atomatons, gears, steam and general victorian style to satisfy the most hard-core enthusiast of the genre.
Where the games really shine however is in the story, and the way the puzzles encountered on the adventure resolve themselves in logical ways. It's not the case where the main character is running around doing certain tasks for no other reason than they need to be done. Right from the start, Sybera presents the player with a main goal, and every puzzle naturally falls into the story as a way to get from point A to B. The setting and backstory are worthy of being expanded upon, and although it looks unlikely that a Syberia 3 will be coming out any time soon, I for one would be eager to step back into that world. Great game!
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