Fire Fall: Impressions and Gameplay Vid

If you read my previous entry, you know I've been watching a lot of DayZ gameplay video on YouTube - mainly by a user known as SideStrafe. But since the game is still in alpha (beta now?) and is a mod for another game you have to pay for (ARMA II), I just can't commit to it. SideStrife does post some other gameplay videos, however - one of which was for a new MMOFPS/RPG called Fire Fall (or Firefall, if you're lazy). Suffice to say, I really liked what I saw.

In fact, I liked it so much, I attempted to make my own gameplay videos for it:



One of the few things that I don't like about Team Fortress 2 is the lack of any sort of meaningful progression. You fight one round at a time or, if you're playing MvM, 9 waves at a time. Yes, you can "find" crates and weapons, but that's it as far as character development goes. Fire Fall solves this by taking the FPS gameplay, wrapping it in a MMORPG structure and giving it a sci-fi twist.

Killing baddies and completing missions gives you XP, which can then be spent upgrading your 'battleframe.' Your battleframe of choice serves as your class, with the added benefit of being able to change into new battleframes. There is a 'tech-tree' (similar to Diablo's skill tree progression) for each battleframe leading to two souped-up versions when you have unlocked the necessary prerequisites. Additionally, unlocking one skill does not lock you out of going back and unlocking any of the other options. You can then mix and match the upgrades to your battleframe (including the primary and secondary weapons) as you see fit.

The game is free-to-play, which, considering the quality of the environment and the attention to detail - down to the descriptions of your battleframe upgrades - is impressive. There is no advantage to be had in buying super powerful weapons or equipment. Instead, you can opt to purchase visual enhancements for your character. It's an interesting and potentially risky move on Red 5's part, but I hope it pays off, as nothing is more annoying than players dominating a game simply because of how much disposable income they have.

Fire Fall is currently in closed beta, but the resourceful user will be able to score an invite without too much trouble (if I can do it, anyone can). There are still some rough edges and lag issues, but the point is to help the developer find problem areas as much as it is to enjoy the game. My only major concern (major being an overstatement) is that I seem to have outpaced the story - I finished the handful of missions available in the two 'civilized' areas of the map and now find myself grinding while waiting for more playable areas and missions to appear.

There is a silver lining to the grinding, however, as I now find myself on the verge of getting my first advanced battleframe.

Outside-In: A DayZ Short Story

Pre-story disclaimer: I have not actually played DayZ; 90% of what I know came from watching gameplay videos on YouTube. The other 10% from a visit to dayzmod.com

Outside-in: A DayZ Short Story
by: Paul M. King (2144 words)

Chernarus.

The name popped up in the news a few weeks ago because of an epidemic or some kind of disaster - a lot people thought it had to be something nuclear, mainly because the name of the country sounded a lot like ‘Chernobyl.’ The level of international concern was about the same as one of those African countries that are constantly in grip of a severe famine or civil war - We feel bad that something terrible is happening, but there’s not a lot anybody is going to do to help a poor country with no oil and little potential as a tourist destination. It didn’t help that hardly anyone could find the place on a map; I knew it was somewhere along Russia’s eastern shore - on the Sea of something-or-other - but that’s about it; more than most people could tell you, I’d wager.

Eventually, the news moved on to other more interesting stories - another politician got caught cheating, a celebrity couple was splitting up, it was really hot today - and we forgot about Chernarus.

A couple of weeks passed; the only news I can recall from that distant corner of the world was about some military exercises the Russian navy was conducting that raised eyebrows in some of the Asian countries, but nothing came of it. I had other things on my mind; I was finally made full-time at the firm where I’d been doing my best to scrape by on 30-hour work weeks for nearly a year. Have you ever contemplated a memory, only to realize that you don’t really remember doing whatever you were doing when your brain absorbed the information - like it just sort of took root in your mind by itself? The human brain is funny that way.

Anyway, to help make ends meet as a part-timer, I took on a number of freelance projects. The last project I would need to take as a freelancer was for a non-profit organization with international ties. The request was for an online database with both an internal and external interface to track the need for humanitarian aid in third-world countries, places that this organization would then try to raise funds for aid and medical mission work.

At the risk of making a sweeping generalization, working for non-profits is usually a pain. They tend to have very limited resources, but require a high level of functionality combined with an equally high-level of abstraction in their online applications. But, a paycheck is a paycheck and the landlord doesn’t care where the money comes from, just that he gets his share of it by the end of the month.

To my surprise, the client was very easy to work with, they even loved the first design revision I submitted - that hardly ever happens. I continued to develop the site, all the while providing daily updates to the client, just to make sure that yes, they really are happy with the way things are progressing and, no, they don’t feel the need to make a “little change” to the underlying data structure. In fact, there was only one change I was asked to make before the site could go live; a single entry had to be purged from the database: Chernarus.

Normally, I wouldn’t give such a request a second thought, but it occurred to me that I hadn’t heard, read or seen anything about Chernarus since it was mentioned in the news a couple of months prior. I googled Chernarus for any recent mentions and came up empty; not a single mention of the country in news articles, blog posts, wikis, or social media that was less than year old.

On a whim, I did a quick search for recent mentions of Russia in the news. Since Chernarus used to be a part of the Soviet Union, I figured there might be some mention of the missing country. The only remotely interesting article I could find involved an American who had gone missing while traveling in the Ural mountains. Just another sad story.

Another couple of days and the project was finally completed; I got paid and treated myself to a night out with my friends to celebrate. On this particular night, we decided to catch a late movie, so it was nearly two in the morning when I arrived home. I hate to admit it, but I’m not as young as I used to be, I can’t pull all-nighters like I did in college just ten years ago (man, has it really been that long?). So I probably looked like some kind of brain-dead zombie staggering through the front door to the unexpected guest sitting in my living room.

It was clear he had been expecting me. He didn’t jump up in surprise or act in any way like I had caught him doing something suspicious. That’s not to say that he was completely at ease; he wore a fearful, hunted look about him - but I wasn’t the one making him nervous.

“Hey man, long time no see.”

There was an awkward moment of silence as my weary, startled mind struggled to put a name to the face.

“Pete? Is that you?” Pete and I had grown up on the same street, we graduated together, then went our separate ways in life. Last I heard - my mother was friends with his mother on Facebook - he was in the CIA.

He nodded, “You look good, life treating you well?”

“Yeah, I guess. You look …” How do you tell someone you haven’t seen in over a decade they look terrible?

Pete picked up on my hesitation. “I’ve been better.”

“What’s going on? Why are you in my apartment?”

“I need a place to lie low for the night,” he said, “Don’t worry, I’ll be gone by the time you wake up.”

“Are you in trouble? Is someone after you?” I asked.

“That’s the problem, I’m not sure,” he sighed, “And if I was sure, it would be too late.” I can only imagine my expression as he said this.

“What do you know about Chernarus?” he asked.

“It was in the news a while back, people were sick or something. And now it’s like it no longer exists.”

Pete nodded, “There’s a reason for that. The country has been quarantined - completely cut off from the rest of the world.”

“The epidemic?”

“Maybe? I didn’t have enough clearance to dig that up, but I do know something heavy is going on in that country and no one is allowed in or out.”

Pieces of memory began to fit together, “the Russian navy - those weren’t military exercises?”

He shook his head, “A blockade. And the US is providing drones to patrol the mountains that separate the two.”

I had a sinking feeling about the answer to my next question. “That wouldn’t include the Urals, would it?”

“You heard about the missing American?”

“Just that he was last seen in the Ural mountains.”

“He was an independent filmmaker, looking to make a documentary about Chernarus.”

“And he was killed?”

Pete shrugged, “All I know is that my team was assigned to go look for him. Before we even leave the states, word comes down from the top that the case is closed and ‘Here’s your next assignment.’ That’s when I started digging.”

“I get the feeling you dug too deep.”

Pete leaned in, his voice low, “People are being sent to Chernarus. Just … bundled up, dropped off and left there.”

“Why?”

“If I knew that, I could blow the whole thing wide open.” he slumped back in the chair, “Right now I’ve got little more credibility than your run-of-the-mill conspiracy nutjob. Assuming I could get to the media, I’d just be spun as an unfit agent with PTSD or some other nonsense.”

“Truth is often stranger than fiction,” I offered, “But to totally cut off an entire country? How can they expect to keep it up?”

“Look at Area 51,” he countered, “No one denies it exists, they just don’t talk about it. And if any of the crazy ideas about what goes on there are accurate, who’s going to know? How do you tell the truth apart from the rest of it?”

By this point, my brain felt like mush. “I’ve got to get some sleep. The couch pulls out and there are blankets in the linen closet.” I got up from where I was sitting and started towards the bedroom, “Assuming this isn’t some crazy dream I’m having, we’ll figure things out tomorrow.”

Pete chuckled, some combination of bitter mirth and weariness, then said, “Good night.”

The next morning, I awoke to an empty house.

The next day, I returned home from work to find someone waiting for me in the driveway. The man flashed a badge - CIA - and asked to speak with me. Despite my uncertainty at the prior night’s encounter, I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t given any thought to this scenario during the day. With all the calm nonchalance as I could muster, I invited the man inside and offered him a drink.

I sat where Peter had been waiting for me the night before while the agent sat on the couch and asked me questions about the boy who had grown up down the street from me; if I had managed to stay in contact with him, and if he might have tried to contact me recently.

Finally, the questions stopped and he stood to leave. I noticed that the throw pillow he had been leaning against was upside down, so that the zipper was showing.

“Sorry,” I said, as I flipped it over, “it’s an OCD thing - it really bugs me when people leave couch cushions upside down.”

A strange expression clouded his features for the briefest moment before he shook my hand, thanked me for my time and left.

After seeing him off, I collapsed on the couch with a huge sigh of relief. I had done a pretty good job of keeping it together; I drew comfort in the fact that, even if they suspected that Pete had contacted me - I had done nothing wrong, he was the one they were after.

It was getting late and, since I normally grab dinner right after work, I was starving. I didn’t feel like cooking, so I drove through the nearest fast food joint and made my way back home. Shortly after eating, I performed one last email check for the day and decided to turn in for the night. It’s probably telling of my caffeine consumption that I can knock back a regular-sized soda and go right to sleep - of course, being up most of the night before probably contributed. In just a couple of minutes, I was dead to the world.

My dreams that night were really weird; I experienced sounds and sensations, but couldn’t actually ‘see’ anything - like dreaming with a blindfold over my mind’s eye. It reminded me of the time I had my wisdom teeth taken out, and they put me under.

At different points, I felt like I was being carried or riding in a vehicle. The voices I heard were often hushed or muffled; there were a variety of accents and I think - at least once or twice - I heard someone speaking Russian. Not knowing a single bit of the language, it was hard to be sure.

Have you ever woken up in stages - like, your mind wakes up before your body? You’re lying there, thinking thoughts and being aware of the fact that you are awake, but you can’t move at all? Sleep paralysis, it’s called.

As I lay there, waiting for my body to get with the program, I realized that something was very wrong - I was not laying in my bed at home. I felt a fine, gritty texture against my face and hands and a cool breeze stirring above me; I heard the sound of waves and seagulls a short distance away. I was wearing clothes, but not the shorts and sleeveless t-shirt I usually wear to bed; the outfit I wore was unfamiliar to me. Finally, after a minute or two - which each of which felt like an hour - I realized I could move again.

I jerked myself upright to confirm my fears: I was sitting on a rural beach. Despite the lack of a single recognizable natural feature or landmark by which to orient myself, I knew with cold certainty where I was. Getting to my feet and stretching my aching muscles, I attempted to stop the nagging thought that kept repeating itself in the back of my head by finally giving voice to it,

“Welcome to Chernarus.”

Tales of a Less-Desperate Part-Time Developer

I have been remiss in letting you, faithful reader, know that I was hired last Friday.

I am working part-time at a web design firm learning Expression Engine, I will go full-time when I am able to handle a full production schedule ... but you don't need to worry about the details, just know that I have a job. Also, I was fortunate enough to pick up a freelance client two weeks back. I should be wrapping up with him next week. He seems pleased with my work and could lead to future side jobs.

I want to express my sincere, heartfelt thanks to any and all prayers, well-wishes, recommendations and/or attempts to find work for me. I felt like I was in limbo for an eternity, but in reality, I was very blessed to get hired as quick as I did, and to be working with some cool guys in a fancy office - above ground and with windows, no less!

Naturally, this has been a HUGE weight off my shoulders; I feel like I can almost function normally again. "Normal" being highly relative when used in regards to me.

My first order of extra-curricular business is to get some artwork done for Nevermet Press. They've been shoved aside for this whole job-hunting mess and I really want to make it up to them with some quality illustrations. Jonathan, Nevermet's big kahuna, will never know how much I appreciate him making me a part of Nevermet, his patience and his willingness to try and help me find a job.

I also need to make myself keep writing the story I started last year. It's currently sitting at 24,759 words and I am determined to finish it. Unfortunately, I haven't touched it since Jan. 20 due to all the job-related craziness. I also have a bad habit of setting projects aside when something else captures my interest, but this is one that I feel is important to finish.

I'm looking forward to an exiting new year of opportunity and finally getting some interesting content posted at least a couple times a month.

Tales of a Desperate Freelancer, part I

I think the Mayans were on to something. They knew 2012 was going to be a rough year, they just didn't know why or for whom.

Our tale of woe begins back in the Spring semester of 2011 when I took a course in Advanced Drawing. I loved it. As the semester progressed, I found myself looking forward to class and, increasingly, dreading the trudge back to my dreary little cubicle. I daydreamed about being a designer or doing art for a living. I was given a couple of HTML/CSS-related projects, but it was to implement designs from the Marketing department. I longed to create and be creative.

I made mistakes.

Two, to be exact, and my manager took me to task for them. After multiple sit downs with him, we came to the conclusion that my heart simply was not in programming. Fearing that attempting to stay in a job I could not stand would only lead to further mistakes and possibly getting fired, I submitted my resignation in November of 2011. The resignation was padded, giving me 90 days to find a new job; my last day would be January 31st, 2012 - I figured that would give me plenty of time to get hired and carry us through the holidays.

Thus I updated my personal website, tried to patch together a presentable portfolio, and began hitting up local and national job sites, looking for design positions that would allow me to do what I loved, but would not have to move. I got several calls from the DC/NOVA area, but they were interested only in programming and/or required me to be on-site. Other leads turned out to be for positions which the company already had someone in mind, they just had to advertise the opening for legal reasons.

In December, I was connected to the owner of a local design firm. We talked and he seemed eager to take someone on. Right after Christmas, I went in and spent a full day in the office, familiarizing myself with the team and their projects. The owner wanted to know when I could start working, as they had some projects coming up. I felt obligated to finish my current position (it was three weeks, versus two), but offered to spend that time learning their systems and brushing up on skills they used that I had not in a while on my own time.

Things were looking up. I was teaching myself new software, the stress of looking for work was over and, while I wouldn't be making as much initially, the potential for growth was much better than in my current position.

On Tuesday, January 17, 2012, I emailed the owner of the firm - whom I'd been staying in contact with - a interesting link. He replied by telling me that business had slowed down and they no longer had the amount of work they needed to support my position.

Reading that email, I could feel the bottom drop out of my stomach; I was devastated. What was I going to do? My last day of employment was 14 days away and suddenly I had nothing! I wanted to keep this from my wife - to quietly find a new job, then break the news to her once everything was alright. But I couldn't do it, I had to tell her. She was devastated as well.

Back to the hunt. I called up a friend of mine who said his company might have a position I could try out for - though I haven't heard back yet - I designed and printed up business cards offering services as a freelance Graphic and Web Designer. I started hitting all the local print and design and computer businesses, hoping to generate leads.

I decided to write a blog article about my experience. Maybe it would generate a lead or two. Maybe it would help someone else who was considering a move to freelance work; hopefully they can avoid the same stress that I have experienced.

How will it turn out - Will I succeed? Will I fail? Do I have the skills and ability to provide for my family as a freelancer?

That chapter has yet to be written.

DnD: Obligatory 5th ed. / D&D Next post

As per the stipulations of being a gamer and playing D&D, I am posting about the recent announcement that WoTC is working on a new edition of the game.

I've been around and heard people complain about new editions before. D&D is not the only game I play in which new editions are released every couple of years, either - Games Workshop's Warhammer (40,000) being the other edition-based game I play.

It's a business, so they need to produce new content to generate income. Additionally, no edition has been (or will be) "perfect" - there will always be something that could be tweaked or reworked to make the game better. (In GW's case, they have to shift the balance of the game to keep different armies viable, and therefore, marketable).

Personally, I don't see myself buying a whole new set of books. Rather, I would like to wait and see what works in 5e and try to incorporate that into my 4e game. I don't have any opinions about rumors that may or may not come true and the only thing on my new edition 'wishlist' is shorter, more streamlined combat. I am interested in learning about new game mechanics, though.

If I had a group that played on a regular basis, and if I weren't already stressed about a big life change (new job), I'm sure I'd have more to say and might care more - and that's fine if you do. I just don't happen to be in that place right now.

So there you go, one more inconsequential post about a new edition that doesn't really even exist yet.

Store: New Team Fortress 2 Design Available!

This weekend, I added a new design to my CafePress Store. Inspired by Team Fortress 2, "Is Credit to Team" - available in both RED and BLU flavors - lets everyone know who's got their back when the poodoo hits the fan.

Also available are:

Get yours today! I guarantee you'll be the only person wearing it.

Announcing the Kingworks Creative Store!

I've finally done it. I've done what many bloggers and web-personalities before me have done and jumped into the world of hocking t-shirts online. Okay, there's more to it than that, but the long and short of it that I now have a CafePress store done up in the style of my other website. Hence the 'Graphic Design' in the logo.

Designs for sale will include artwork seen on this blog as well as some brand new designs I'm working on. I only have two designs up right now - Zombie Bite and Brother Ptolemy - with plans to add many more, including some brand new ones designed exclusively for the store!

For your convenience, there is a new link over in the right column for Kingworks Creative Merchandise.

Feedback and suggestions are welcome.

Your support means the world to me and will allow me to continue developing as an artist and designer. Thank you.

Art: Skyward Sword

I decided to burn some nervous energy doing art (and some sort of poetry, I guess?). For some reason, despite not owning it, I felt compelled to do something related to Skyward Sword.

The clouds turned out nice.

Misc: Changing Jobs

2011 has been a year of self-discovery.

Back in the spring, I took an art course at the university where I work. As the semester progressed, I began to notice that I was really looking forward to class and really dreading the trudge back to my desk.

Things reached a head in October, when I finally put to words what I'd been feeling over the preceding months - my passion is not in programming, but the creative arts. The majority of my job was emotionally draining and required very little original creativity. Day after day, I languished in my cubicle, daydreaming about making things at which people enjoyed looking - work that inspired and endured.

So, after much prayer and discussion with my wife, I submitted my resignation. Come January 31, 2012, I will be 'sans employment.' The plan is be hired well before that. There are some hurdles, however - A modest portfolio and living in a rural area without a lot of tech-related jobs being the two biggest.

It's been eleven days - correction, it's been a long eleven days - since I gave my resignation. I've submitted several applications and even had an interview over the phone (I don't think they liked the idea of hiring someone who wanted to work from home over moving).

There are good days and bad days - times of optimism and despair. What I was unprepared for, though, was the effect all this stress and drama would have on me physically. I'm totally drained at the end of the day. It's as if I won't be able to rest - truly rest - until I know things are going to be okay. Which I kinda already believe - but I don't know how or when, and that's the distinction.

There's not really a point to this. I mainly felt like the blog needed dusting off and the recent lack of activity explained. I cannot tell you how eager I am to be in a creatively stimulating environment and getting the 'juices of inspiration' flowing again. And when that day comes - and it is coming - I will have such wonderful things to share.

Until then, send a good thought my way. If you're the praying type, I'd appreciate it if you'd offer one up for a stranger trying to follow his heart for once, instead of his thick head.

DnD: Anti-Alignment Argument or Walking the Walk vs. Talking the Talk

What Is Alignment?

Alignment, as described in the two Essentials Player Handbooks*, describes a moral stance. It is a dedication to a set of moral principles, a universal force ‘bigger than deities or any other allegiance that a character might have.’ Further, ‘picking and adhering to an alignment represents a distinct choice.’ In game-play terms, if you have declared an Alignment, your PC is always going to make choices in a certain manner … or else.

The Problem

Or else what? The handbooks don’t say. There are also no guidelines on how DM’s should treat behavior that goes ‘against’ a PC’s declared Alignment. When I was playing a little (and a I mean very little) 3rd edition in college, ‘or else’ was being threatened with negative levels for wanting to cast sleep on a stable owner so I could steal a horse that he refused to sell me - despite the rest of my party rapidly outpacing me in pursuit of some critical mission element or other. Apparently, a neutral good character would “never do anything like that.”

That example illustrates one problem (of many) with dedicated Alignments. Unless everyone agrees beforehand on the exact definitions of ‘good’ and ‘evil’ in the context of the game, they are subjective. When you have a defined element in a game system, you need also to have defined mechanics relating to that element - not so with Alignment. It simply is. How it actually affects a game - if it truly does at all - is anyone’s guess. However, the DM seems to have the most pull, by the sole virtue of his role. Besides, who else is going to enforce the proper Alignment-appropriate behavior?

Here’s another problem: what if a player wants to switch Alignments? What is required for that to happen? What forms get filled out and who processes them? What, if any, should be the penalties for Alignment-shifting? What about characters whose powers are derived from deities who themselves are aligned - Clerics for example? It seems like they would be most at risk for behavior that goes against their Alignment. Rogues, on the other hand, would be masochistic or just plain crazy to declare themselves ‘Lawful Good.’

Fixing Alignment

I see two solutions to the problem outlined above, neither of which are mutually exclusive:

First, if you are using declared Alignments in your game, when a PC makes a choice that goes against her declared Alignment - and sooner or later they will** - let them do it. Furthermore, let them get away with it. If you are going to have consequences, make them realistic. Negative levels and lost healing surges are not realistic. Getting chased by the City Watch because you stole something and end up going to prison is realistic. So are a Cleric’s prayers falling on deaf ears until he makes up for whatever it was she did to piss off her patron deity.

The second approach is more to my liking: Before the game even starts, establish with your players that Alignment is not something chosen beforehand, but develops throughout the course of the game as a result of their actions. Someone might claim to be good, and talk like a ‘good’ character - but do their actions bear that out? Do they ‘walk the walk?’

The Cleric may declare to be a follower of Bahamut, but do the decisions they make keep in line with the precepts of the order? If so, his powers should work (provided the rolling allows for it); if not, any faith-based skill checks might turn out to be harder than they thought they’d be. Maybe one (or all) of their prayers ceases to work at all. Of most interest, will the player figure out why this is happening to them - assuming you didn’t just up and tell them why.

What about the Warlock who willingly makes pacts with devils and demons, but ends up saving the kingdom from the powers of darkness? How might the source of his power be affected by acts of sacrifice and altruism? He might need to do some fast talking with his dark patrons to stay in their good*** graces.

What I like about this approach is that the players are a moral blank slate when the game starts. They are not tied down by a bunch of made-up backstory that often has little-to-nothing to do with the game and everyone is allowed to experience a path of self-discovery as both individuals and as a group.

Ripped from: http://www.likecool.com/Good_v_Evil--TShirt--Style.html

What if …?

A potential obstacle to the “no Alignment ‘till you earn it”**** approach involves the PC’s finding themselves in a situation that requires them to be clearly identified as being good or evil. This will likely not be an issue later in the game, but if the party has just started out, it is quite likely that they have not done anything to push themselves in either direction along the moral spectrum.

If such a case arises, I would have no problem telling the PC’s (via NPC’s, mystical means, etc.) that they need to prove themselves to continue.

Boom, side quest.

It then falls to the PC’s to decide for themselves if the effort needed to become good or evil is really worth it. Canny***** players may prevail with reasoning that their desire to complete the quest is itself proof of their Alignment.

Granted, if you like to run your campaign on rails, this might be more frustrating than not, and you should feel free to dispense with it.

Conclusion

A PC is not ‘good’ or ‘evil’ simply because they declare themselves as such; a PC is ‘good’ or ‘evil’ because that is how they act over the course of the campaign.

It can be quite exciting (and perversely exhilarating) to discover that the PC who thought he was a paragon of virtue actually turned out to be a greedy opportunist and fame whore - not because they had to act like that due to their predetermined Alignment, but because they chose to act that way.

* page 43 or 44, depending on which one you’re looking at.
** Especially if, like me, you enjoy throwing them into morally grey conundrums
*** Evil?
**** I really need a better name for it.
***** Or extremely lucky, depending on how their Diplomacy/Bluff check rolls out.

Video Games: Get Lost, Galactrix

The bad guy is less scary
and more boring/pretentious than he realizes.

Found another time-waster.

I loved playing Puzzle Quest on my Nintendo DS. It was intuitive, inventive and, whenever I ran into a challenge I could not beat the first time, I was excited to try it again. Eventually, I ran across a copy of the follow-up, Puzzle Quest Galaxtrix, at Big Lots for somewhere around $3.00 - a great deal, I thought. I mean, it was a "Best of E3!" pick, so it had to be good, right?

Wrong.

This game is frustrating, dull, and un-engaging. I found myself skipping through dialogue and flipping off the screen more times than I'd care to admit. So what the heck went wrong with Puzzle Quest Galatrix? How could it be so different from the addictive fun of Puzzle Quest?

In a word: leapgates.

The map of the galaxy is made up of sectors that you have to jump to using leapgates. Unfortunately, they have all been disabled by some kind of virus, so you have to 'hack' them. Hacking involves matching colored sets in a specific order before time runs out. It's similar (in concept, if not in practice) to training monsters in Puzzle Quest. The game's core play mechanic is where this becomes almost unplayable.

Whenever you make a match, there is a short animation that plays where the crystals turn to energy and zap over to the player info. New tiles then fall in and, if any other matches happen, the animation plays for them and you wait until any subsequent matches from incoming tiles are over.

During this process, the timer never stops counting down - even during the animations and new tiles appearing. You don't get any bonus time for matching regular tiles. Instead there are special 'timer' tiles scattered across the board that will give you 10 seconds if you match them; by which time you will have burned up most of your timer. Unwittingly setting off a cascade of matches - which is easy to do, since you have no idea what will be falling in - will eat up most, if not all, of your time.

Does this screen excite you? Because you will be looking at it. A LOT.

The easier gates have more time and/or less required matches, while the harder gates have less time and/or more required matches to open them. And what do you get when you open a gate? Another sector whose gates must be opened before you can proceed. And not all sectors have anything worth getting to, either - but you won't know that until you open the gate and fly your ship there. Imagine my joy at taking 20-something attempts to get a hard leapgate hacked, only to end up in a sector that nothing worth buying/mining, and no missions to take.

As I was collecting missions, I noticed a bunch of them had zero connection to the plot and required me to cross the galaxy. For example, one planet had a set - more than one! - of missions concerned with delivering food. I played every single side mission in Puzzle Quest; at least they involved people in need of a champion to right wrongs and fight evil. In Galactrix, people are literally looking for an intergalactic delivery boy. It's bad enough having to do that across one sector map, but a across ten (or more)? Screw that, man.

I don't know who was responsible for giving this game a "Best of E3!" award, but I cannot believe they played it for more than half an hour at most. I made it about three and a half.

Misc: So ... I'm a writer now?

Things have always been a bit slow around here, I will admit.

A large part of that is due to the fact that I, myself, am slow. I have a regular, 40-hour per week job that eats up most of my life, then there is family, then there are the myriad hobbies which jockey for turns in claiming the couple of hours or so I have each night before bed - a time that, like some creeping, time-gobbling glacier, inches earlier and earlier into the evening every year. Team Fortress 2 has not helped at all, and that is an understatement.

The short version is that I jump into a lot of different projects and they rarely get finished before another project comes along. At least projects offer the potential for in-progress updates and content.

What do you do when the project being worked on does really exist until it is finished? A story, for example?

I began writing what I thought was going to be a short story. Nevermet is putting together an anthology of short stories and, like with almost every other project they announce, I tried to get in on the action. But the story kept going ... and going. And going. It now currently sits at 15,467 words (shooting for at least 20k) and I think I'm halfway done with it.

I won't have the 50,000+ words publishers want to see for a novel. It will fall somewhere in or around the category of being a novella, depending on who you ask. A young adult novel, perhaps, though the content may not lend itself that demographic.

But what can I say about it? I don't want to give away plot or characters or anything that might be worth stealing - I'm paranoid like that - but I do want to draw in any potential readers' interest.

I read somewhere online (Peter Shallard or Lifehacker, I think) that if you tell people what you are working on, you are less likely to finish it. That the act of sharing some how equates to the act of finishing in our brains and gives us enough of a 'rush' that we grow bored or impatient with having to continue working on it and move on to the next project.

So why the heck am I writing this post? Have I shared too much? Does letting the few of you who know this blog exists what I've been up to put the whole story at risk?

I think (hope) it obligates me to finish.

But really, I'm writing this because, in my mind, I think I'm staying relevant. I feel like, by saying "I'm still here!" the few you who have this feed bookmarked (or whatever) will stick around to see what happens next, that this isn't just another exercise in vanity someone started and let fall by the wayside.

I WILL have something to offer. I just don't know what. Or when. So ... see you around?

VG: You Never Forget Your First(time playing TF2)

Last night I played a video game on the internet with other real live people. Not a big deal, in the grand scheme of things, since people have been doing it for years now. Just not this person. I've been so terrified of getting annihilated and verbally abused by obnoxious douchebags to the point that I avoided any serious online gaming.

Oddly enough, this fear never stopped me from accepting challengers way back when arcades existed (Ryu 4 life!). For some reason, though, playing online just seemed much more ... exposed? visible? I'm not sure what the word should be, but the idea behind it being that if/when I crash and burn, the whole world be able to see it.

So Team Fortress 2 goes free and it's simply too big, too famous, and the 'Meet the' movies too entertaining to pass up. The first two times, I relegated myself to playing Dustbowl with some Easy bots. Did okay, but was far from getting on the leaderboard during those practice sessions. Despite some of the anti-F2P sentiment I was noticing online, I finally decided to heed some advice I read on the Penny-Arcade forums and simply jump in with real players.

So I decided to go with the Medic, since I figured he's useful to have regardless of the situation. And then the most amazing thing happened ....

I didn't totally suck.

In fact, after an hour's play, I had my self a nice collection of Medic achievements - 6 or so AND I managed to kill a Spy with the bonesaw (Very nearly had a Sniper, too, but he got away)- which felt REALLY good, given the number times I was stabbed in the back.

Now, I'm under no illusions that I'm some kind of prodigy. But overall, I felt positively reinforced by the experience. Which is the point, I guess. As for the abuse, the worst I got was "Hey Medic, with the ubercharge at the end, that would've been a good time to use it."

So, if you run into me (kingworks) playing TF2 sometime, do me a favor and slow down so I can heal you already - or, if you're on the other team, hack you to death with my saw! ;-)

Art: Two Zombie Pics

A couple of recent pics done for Nevermet Press' stock art catalog, it should be up on rpgnow.com soon. These are obviously scaled down for the web, the ones available for purchase will be print quality (300 dpi). Both were done in Photoshop CS with a Wacom Graphire 4 (6x9) tablet.

Video Games: Sayonara Supreme Commander

The latest victim of my campaign against time-wasting video games is Supreme Commander.

I picked this up at Ollies' for $5 - not a bad deal at all. It looked nice, despite being a few years old, and I was in the mood for sci-fi RTS - additionally, I'm too poor to get SCII and do not yet have a high-end machine to the game justice.

So what went wrong? The problem came to a head in the third mission of the UEF campaign when the Aeon were constantly attacking my bases and denying my attempts to expand the southernmost island. It took me FIVE HOURS to beat it. Needless to say, the wife was not happy when I came to bed at 2:30 am.

The game has this annoying approach of adding to the map and mission objectives incrementally. So you think you're building towards one corner of the map and when you finally get there - Oh, by the way, you have to clear out this base way over here that you had no idea existed, because we wouldn't let you explore that part of the map.

I looked up a walkthrough online and, from what I can tell, nearly all of the 15 missions are structured that way. Assuming each mission takes four hours (benefit of the doubt), that's 60 hours of enemy forces throwing themselves against my massed banks of turrets while I slowly pick away at their defenses. Also, I was so annoyed with the talking heads continually bugging me with comments about needing to check my objectives and that there are still alien scum that need killing. I get it - I'm slow!

60 hours of game play might be fine for your average gamer - heck, it would have been fine for me in college - but it's more than I have to give these days. Especially for a setting and story I really don't have any interest in.

40k: Games Workshop has lost its [hive] mind

I should probably not write while I'm angry. I should wait until I've calmed down and assembled an articulate, organized, in-depth study on the topic. I should also quit drinking so much Mtn. Dew and get outside more.

I should do a lot of things.

It's bad enough that Games Workshop raise their prices every year. It's worse that they have decided to cut off half of the planet from ordering their products.

The straw that has broken this camel's back is the new Dark Eldar Haemonculus GW has just put up on Advanced Order.

I don't care about the new line of "Finecast" models replacing metal figures - it's just resin (cheaper for them to make, but they're going to sell them for more).

Okay, fine, whatever. It's a jerky move, but I was willing to see how things turned out ... But to try and sell A SINGLE model with NO OPTIONS WHATSOEVER for almost $20.00 !?!? My kustom Haemonculi looked cooler and cost way less to make.

Screw you, Games Workshop. I'm done.

Art: Harry Caricature

Final assignment for the Advanced Drawing class I took at work was a caricature in the style of the late, great David Levine.

40k: Paint Stirs for Basecoating Infantry

This is a quick painting tip for applying base coats to batches of infantry models: Tape them to paint stirs (I used duck tape).

 You can get the stirs for free from any paint store; the models can be turned to get at any angle you need, they don't fall over or get pushed around by the pressure released by the can and you won't get as much paint on your wrist/hands. I don't remember where I first heard this tip, but I tried it the other day on two units of Dark Eldar Wyches and I can confirm that it works.

I will undercoating all my infantry using this method in the future.

Misc: Random Update - Spring 2011

I'm still around and busier than ever. Unfortunately, that means I don't have a lot of time to put blog posts together. Here's a quick update on what's happening in my own little world:

• The semester is almost over and that means assignments, projects, papers, etc. are being assigned and coming due all over the place - even for a guy like me who is only taking a single drawing class for the "fun" of it.  It's been wearing a bit thin, lately, so I'll be glad when it's over (so will Jonathan over at Nevermet Press when I finally start submitting stuff again ^_^")
  
  
• I started writing a short story, only, I think it's growing into a full-blown novel. Have to wait and see. One of the challenges is the setting - I know very little about late 1800's France and Bavaria. I've been reading up in Wikipedia and looking for movies (especially sci-fi/horror) set in that period for information and inspiration. Suggestions are welcome.
  
  
• Warmer weather means yardwork (boo!) and vacations (yay!) - both of which are non-conducive to project advancement.
  
  
• Spiral Knights - I found out about this FREE online game from Penny-Arcade. Lovin' it so far. I'm on there as Kingworks after dinner (~8pm GMT-5/EST). Say 'hi' if you see me on there. ;-)
  
  
• Not a huge distraction at this point, but the third Humble Indie Bundle (called Frozenbyte) went on sale yesterday. I donated for the first two and have been immensely satisfied with them; so getting the latest one was a no-brainer. I will happily make a donation for quality indie games that supports charity.
  
  
• I got a Kindle 3 (the $130 Wi-Fi version) and Patrick Rothfuss' wonderful new The Wise Man's Fear (Kingkiller Chronicles, Day 2) (sequel to the equally wonderful The Name of the Wind (Kingkiller Chronicles, Day 1)) - both were immensely satisfying purchases. There is also a fun little puzzle game I got on sale for 99 cents called Triple Town. I've seen not one, but two (!) Kindle RPG's by Steve Jackson, but have yet to justify handing over $3.99 ea. for something that will eat up even more of my free time. Besides, I'm still eying the Essentials Monster Vault, Deluxe DM's Screen, and Dungeon Master's Kit (just in case anyone was feeling super generous. :-))
  
  
• At some point, I'm expecting Games Workshop to release some early photos of more new Dark Eldar models. At the top of the list of kits I hope they produce are the Venom gunship/transport and a set of 3 Haemonculi in plastic w/weapon options. Oh, that reminds me, I really need to finish painting the 2 units of new Wyches and 2 new Ravagers sitting on my shelf ... *sigh*
  

DnD: A New Approach to 4e Skill Challenges

I've read a lot of posts and tweets about making Combat more efficient in 4e; often frustrated that I didn't really have any good ideas or suggestions to offer. So I began to look at another oft-discussed aspect of the game: Skill Challenges and how to make them easier to manage for DM’s and provide a more organic, in-character experience for players.  

I am very interested in any and all feedback from DM’s and players concerning this approach.

Handling a Skill Challenge

A Skill Challenge is a discreet event that occurs within a role-playing session. They have a beginning, operate across a series of turns until a predefined end-state has been reached; at which point the consequences of the players’ performance is determined. I propose that this structure exists primarily for the benefit of the DM; helping them stay focused and organized as they direct the game.

But what about the players? Frankly, I feel that announcing the start of a structured experience - such as a Skill Challenge or Combat Encounter - takes the players out of the game. Handled carelessly, it is tantamount to saying “Okay, we’re going to stop role-playing now and start rolling dice.” Not only does that interrupt the narrative flow of the game, but I think it tends to put players in a meta-mentality and hurts spontaneous in-character role playing that might have otherwise occurred. (Feel free to disagree with me in the comments)

Consequently, I would not recommend announcing when you begin a Skill Challenge. Simply let the party know that there is a goal or objective that needs to be achieved, and that they will be using their skills to do so. If there is someway to impart this information to the PC’s through an NPC or environmental clue, so much the better.

In the same way, DM's shouldn't feel obligated to divulge every reward or penalty earned in the challenge. Obviously results that have an immediate impact on what's happening need to be conveyed to the group, but imagine your PC's surprise when an unexpected ally pops up in a dire situation due to their success in a Skill Challenge a while back - or their dismay when attempts to rally support in a village fall on deaf ears due to their inept handling of a negotiation in another region. Regardless of how a DM chooses to implement this, it needs to plausible.

Complexity

Complexity equals the number of rounds participants have to complete a Skill Challenge. Example: A Skill Challenge of Complexity 3 lasts 3 rounds; each player will make 3 skill checks. Likewise, if any opposing NPC’s or monsters are working against the PC’s in the challenge, they will also get 3 checks each to negate a PC’s individual success.

Complexity should be in direct proportion to the amount of effort or the number of smaller tasks the PC’s would ordinarily have to put forth in order to accomplish their goal. Note that Complexity is NOT the same thing as Difficulty - which is how hard a task is to complete. A Skill Challenge can be simple and hard, or complex-yet-easy to accomplish.

Skills

DM’s decide ahead of time which skills will be Primary Skills. The players WILL NOT know which skills are Primary, nor will they be given any pre-written examples of how to use a skill. Instead, a PC may use any skill she wishes. Primary skills will, naturally, be the most effective; Secondary skills are slightly less effective and take a -1 to their final score; Other skills are a bit of a gamble, but still have a chance to succeed - especially if the player using them offers a particularly clever description of what they are doing; in which case, no penalty should be subtracted.

Primary Skills	No penalty
Secondary Skills (optional)	-1
All other skills	-2

You may still wish to implement skills that auto-fail during a Challenge (which almost always seems to be Intimidate). I would recommend against letting players know how the scores are adjusted, but it is ultimately up to the DM.

DC’s (Difficulty)

How hard is it to accomplish some (or all) part(s) of a Skill Challenge?

Each skill listed as Primary or Secondary needs a DC assigned to it; the level of DC’s selected in a Skill Challenge remains the same. See pgs. 158-9 and 126 in the Essential Rules Compendium for details.

All other skills should default to a level-appropriate Medium DC, unless use of a particular skill is especially risky, in which case it should be Hard.

Accumulating Successes

There are two types of success : individual and group. Individual success occurs when a PC meets or beats a given DC in a round. Group success occurs when the majority of a party succeeds in a given round. If there are an even number of PC’s in a party, DM’s should decide ahead of time if an even split will result in a success (nice DM’s) or failure (mean DM’s). Regardless of the choice, STICK WITH IT - at the very least for the duration of the Skill Challenge; ideally for the entire campaign.

Success or Failure of the Challenge

The number of group successes needed is always two less than the Complexity, making things easy to remember. I would not recommend Skill Challenges of very high Complexities; instead, consider where it might make sense to increase DC’s.

Complexity	Group successes needed		Complexity	Group successes needed
3	1		9	7
4	2		10	8
5	3		...	...
6	4		n	n-2
7	5
8	6

Complexity 1 challenges are essentially a single Group Skill Check and thus, not included. A DM could run a Complexity 2 skill challenge, requiring one success - that might be easier to conceptualize as a Group Check with a ‘do over.’

Consequences: Success and Failure

There are four possible outcomes to every Skill Challenge:

1) Perfect: Target # of successes are accumulated with NO failures - The best possible outcome, this should be reward over and above the basic storyline goal of the Skill Challenge - perhaps with a boon or additional advantage to what the PC’s would normal get for accomplishing a Skill Challenge. DM’s may want to leave the Perfect finish off of Challenges of Complexity 1 or 2, since they are so easy to obtain.

2) Normal Success:  Target # of successes before failure - The PC’s did what they needed to do and the story may progress as they hoped it would. If any additional rewards are given, they should be to a lesser degree than they would get for a Perfect finish.

3) Normal Failure: Failing to accumulate target # of success before failing - The PC’s failed to do what needed to be done. The story continues, but now they are at a noticeable disadvantage. Additional penalties may be awarded, but - as with Normal Success - should be to a lesser extent than those awarded for a Critical Failure.

4) Critical Failure: NO successes accumulated before failing the Challenge - The PC’s blew it. Big time. Not only did they fail to accomplish their goal, but they  used up additional resources/goodwill in the process and took a blow to their reputation for it. The PC’s have additional negative results - such as damaged reputation with townsfolk, which causes prices to be higher when paying for goods and services - in addition to the now-altered story.

The consequences for failure should ALWAYS be considered when building a Skill Challenge and not put off until the moment the PC’s fail. The additional boons and penalties for particularly good or poor performance in a Skill Challenge can (and probably should) be generic and easily applicable to a variety of situations.

Example Skill Challenge

DM's Notes

Complexity: 4 (need 2 group successes)

Primary Skills (DC): Diplomacy (Med), Bluff (High), Insight (Med), Perception (Med)

Secondary Skills (DC): Arcana (High), History (Med), Streetwise (High)

* Intimidate will auto-fail

Goal: Keep the infected people on the wagon from entering the city

DM: An outbreak causing people to turn into zombies has begun to ravage the countryside. You three (PC's) must try and convince the guard at the gate to raise the draw bridge before a wagon full of plague-infected farmers crosses into the city. One of the city residents - a relative of the people on the wagon - refuses to believe that they are infected and is arguing to let them in; he will make an opposing check against one of you at the end of each round. The guard will listen for 4 rounds before making up his mind. So, PC-1, you start and we'll go around the table.

Round 1

PC-1: Guardsman! You've got to close that gate - many innocent lives will be put at risk if you let that wagon cross without verifying if those people are infected or not. I rolled a 12, add 5 to diplomacy; 17.

DM: (makes a check mark on a sheet of paper for the success) Surprised, the guard looks at the wagon. 'Really? Infected?' he asks, looking concerned.

PC-2: I climb the wall, granting me a better view of the wagon. It definitely looks like the people are unwell. I got a 16 on Athletics.

DM: (-2 since Athletics wasn't a listed skill, it’s a failure; makes an 'x' on beside the check mark) The guard looks at you skeptically.

PC-3: Sir, you must know that this same incident occurred five years ago in the kingdom to the north. If only they'd taken the extra precaution of stopping the wagon and checking the people, a village could've been saved. History check of 19!

DM: (-1 for a Secondary skill, but it still passes; DM puts a second check mark down) The guard seems to nod his head thoughfully. At this point, the man speaks up angrily.

Man (DM): Those people are loyal subjects of the crown and have every right to enter this city!' (10 for Diplomacy fails the check).

DM: You can tell the guard doesn't appreciate the man's tone. 'I need something else to go on before I can close the gate,'he turns back to the party. (2 successes is enough to win the round - 1 group success so far)

Round 2

PC-1: I can tell you're unsure, maybe even a little nervous about closing the city in the middle of the day - but this is the right thing to do! A ... 12 on Insight?

DM: (No penalty, but 12 is too low; so an 'x' is marked below the first three marks) The guard seems to have taken your words the wrong way. 'Nervous?' he asks, somewhat crossly.

PC-2: Look pal, we're trying to save this city! If you won't raise the bridge willingly, we'll make you! Sweet! Natual 20 for Intimidation!

DM: (A second 'x' mark, as Intimidate auto-fails) The guard takes a step back, but refuses to throw the lever, instead putting a hand on the hilt of his sword. 'Are you threatening me?'

PC-3: Sir, please, I am sensitive to magic and I tell you that the people headed towards this city have been infected by a dark spell! 24 for Arcana after bonuses!

DM: (Takes off -1, but it still passes; check mark) The guard takes in your attire and magical acourtrements and seems swayed.

Man (DM): Oh please! These people are outsiders to our city! Who knows what ulterior motives they have in shutting our kinsmen out like common highwaymen? (DM decides that Streetwise bets fits and rolls 19; a success - which negates PC-3's success; the PC's have been shut out this round)

DM: The guard considers the man's words and turns a cold eye on your party. 'I've nearly made up my mind,' he says, 'you've one last chance to convince me, else I let those people in and report you lot as troublemakers to the city watch.' (The group now has 1 success and 1 failure)

Round 3

PC-1: The wagon is close now - you can see how pale and sickly the people on it are! They do not look well! Perception of 22 after modifiers.

DM: (starts a third row of marks with a check)

PC-2: Have you not seen the fliers around town about the illness that has befallen the countryside? Citizens are being warned to stay in the city; this is common knowledge! Got a 19 for Bluff.

DM: (another check mark) The guard looks around the street. It does seem like an unusually small number of people have passed through the city's gates today.

PC-3: Look! In the sky! Those are vultures circling - they can smell the stink of illness and decay emanating from the wagon. You do not want that in the city. I rolled a 20 on Nature.

DM: (a third check mark) The guard looks to the birds, then to the wagon, then back to the birds. He seems to be considering your words.

Man (DM): Oh come on! Birds!? You're seriously going to consider raising a drawbridge because of a couple birds? I just came here from Gustav's stall in the market; he's not heard anything 'bout no 'dark magic' or 'infections' - and GUstav knows everything that happens around here! (natural 20 on Streewise nets the NPC a victory over one of the PC's individual successes; however, two other individual successes win the round for the PC's)

DM: The guard nods in agreement. 'You're right, I haven't heard anything about it. But,' he starts winching up the draw bridge, 'better safe than sorry! We'll check them out. If they're clean, they come in; if not, they can stay outside.' (There is no need for the fourth round as two group successes net a Normal Success for the party) The people on the wagon are checked and found to be in the process of turning into zombies! The mayor is grateful and asks if the PC's will help direct the city defenses should a horde of undead assault the city (which, of course, they will)

Follow-up:

When a large force of zombies assaults the town later that night, the PC's don't have to worry about a sudden zombie outbreak in the town; had they failed they would have been attacked from both sides.

So, there it is! I'd love to hear about any experiences in trying this approach - good or bad.