www.sunsetwine.blogspot.com
This is a fictional blog I am writing. I am a woman gong to school in Berkekely when zombies attack. I haven't quite reached the point where zombies attack however, but I think my next post will start to hint a little more at zombies.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
wikipedia article: Divorce your Car!
My completed wikipedia article Divorce your Car! is up and running.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Wikipedia page from scratch
I created a wikipedia article on a book entitled Divorce your Car!
The article gives a basic description of the book and then discusses the arguments presented in the book, there is also a short bio on the author.
The article gives a basic description of the book and then discusses the arguments presented in the book, there is also a short bio on the author.
Monday, July 16, 2007
Major Wikipedia edit: Sugar House
I did my major page edit on sugar house. There was no information on the impending construction and redevelopment so I first added a section about the history of redevelopment, including information about when "the commons" was built, and then talked about the current construction.
I also did some minor editing throughout the page, it seemed like someone had gone through and added funny but irrelevant details, such as in the first sentence which said "Sugar house (also sometimes seen as Sugarhouse) and known as SUGARHOOD!!!"
The page is entitled Sugar House, Salt Lake City, Utah. In the history section my edit can be found at 6:35, 17 July 2007 Sordan.
I also did some minor editing throughout the page, it seemed like someone had gone through and added funny but irrelevant details, such as in the first sentence which said "Sugar house (also sometimes seen as Sugarhouse) and known as SUGARHOOD!!!"
The page is entitled Sugar House, Salt Lake City, Utah. In the history section my edit can be found at 6:35, 17 July 2007 Sordan.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Wikipedia edit: Easter Eggs (virtual)
I edited the Wikipedia article Easter Eggs (virtual). In my edit, I added an example of an easter egg and I also tidied up a section, adding some bullets and paragraphs. In the history page it says my name, Sordan, and the time it says is 05:22, 12 July 2007.
Monday, July 9, 2007
10 Wikipedia rules:
1. Neutrality: All sides of an issue must be presented with equally important supportive evidence (if available).
2. Civility: Don't use wikipedia to prove a point or pursue an agenda. Politely edit pages. Don't use it as a forum for opinion.
3. Consider the other editors when making an edit. Take into consideration the previous posts and their relevancy.
4. Avoid irrelevancy, only include information that is pertinent to the topic.
5. Refer to the talk page and the edit history before making an edit.
6. Information supported by previous research.
7. Sources should be cited and should originate from reputable places.
8. Don't recklessly change the titles of articles.
9. Don't recklessly create new articles.
10. Often small changes and minor edits are better than completely new creations.
2. Civility: Don't use wikipedia to prove a point or pursue an agenda. Politely edit pages. Don't use it as a forum for opinion.
3. Consider the other editors when making an edit. Take into consideration the previous posts and their relevancy.
4. Avoid irrelevancy, only include information that is pertinent to the topic.
5. Refer to the talk page and the edit history before making an edit.
6. Information supported by previous research.
7. Sources should be cited and should originate from reputable places.
8. Don't recklessly change the titles of articles.
9. Don't recklessly create new articles.
10. Often small changes and minor edits are better than completely new creations.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Wikipedia article
The Starcraft 2 Wikipedia article is accurate and representative of everything Blizzard has revealed about the game so far. However, it seems to be a little bit short. There are several additional units that are not mentioned in the article and the ones that are present are lacking any detail.
In general, I think Wikipedia can be a great resource for finding accurate sources, but it alone, like any encyclopedia, probably shouldn't be used as a source for scholarly papers. The power of Wikipedia is it's availability to anyone with an internet connection. Stories can be updated immediately and it is a great source for up to date information. Additionally, the sources and citations that are listed on Wikipedia are often primary sources that could be used as a reference for a paper.
I was thinking about the idea that a group of amateurs is as fallible as a single amateur, and I think it is flawed. As a psychology major, I have learned about a phenomenon where groups seem to be much better at solving problems, not because of their combined power, but because the larger the group is, the more likely there will be a really smart person in it. This argument applies tenfold to Wikipedia and Youtube. The chances of having a really talented, knowledgeable person increases dramatically as the group increases in size.
In general, I think Wikipedia can be a great resource for finding accurate sources, but it alone, like any encyclopedia, probably shouldn't be used as a source for scholarly papers. The power of Wikipedia is it's availability to anyone with an internet connection. Stories can be updated immediately and it is a great source for up to date information. Additionally, the sources and citations that are listed on Wikipedia are often primary sources that could be used as a reference for a paper.
I was thinking about the idea that a group of amateurs is as fallible as a single amateur, and I think it is flawed. As a psychology major, I have learned about a phenomenon where groups seem to be much better at solving problems, not because of their combined power, but because the larger the group is, the more likely there will be a really smart person in it. This argument applies tenfold to Wikipedia and Youtube. The chances of having a really talented, knowledgeable person increases dramatically as the group increases in size.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Glitching through the years
Home consoles have been around for decades, allowing people to explore digitally rendered worlds in their own living rooms. For as long as there have been consoles, however, there have been people who push the limits of games, finding holes in the code that produce odd, surprising and even humorous results. This process of intentionally seeking out programmer errors and exploiting them is known as glitching.
Mario, perhaps the most recognizable gaming icon of all time, consumed my days as a child. I would play often, and when I wasn't playing I was discussing strategy with my friends. Once, in the third grade, my friends and I were engaged in an esoteric conversation about the benefits of shooting fireballs at turtles, when a fifth grader approached us. He looked down and explained in his mighty voice that fireballs were for weaklings. Why use fireballs, he exclaimed, when you could walk through walls, become invincible, or even warp to the final level?
After a lengthy discussion and several jaw dropping revelations, the fifth grader agreed to come to my house where he would show my friends and me how to delicately circumvent the rules of the game and emerge victorious. Among the tricks he taught us was one where the player could gain 100 lives, enough to complete the game with ease, by jumping on a turtle at the right time and place. Another glitch involved walking through a wall to reach a hidden area where the player could warp to the final level. At the time I was surprised that a person could break the rules of seemingly intact games, and this newfound power thrust me into the world of glitching. I have actively pursued programmer errors ever since.
As I grew older, games became more advanced and glitching ascended to higher levels. No longer was I limited to walking through walls on a side-scrolling game like Mario, I could now explore 3D environments and exploit the physics and computer behavior of games to achieve amazing results. In the game Rush 2 my friend and I discovered that it was possible to escape from certain levels by gaining speed and hitting a well placed jump or ledge. While this glitch didn't benefit us in any way, it was fun to discover the limits of games.
I got my Xbox when I was in high school and was thrilled to be playing games like Halo, a first person shooter. My friends would come over to my house and we would spend hours competing against each other, sometimes playing one vs. one, or upping the stakes and engaging in a team battle. While this was fun, we were limited to one TV screen, one Xbox, and ourselves. However, Halo 2 came out several years later and was equipped with online capabilities. Now I could sit in my basement and battle with my friend across the internet as he sat in his basement.
As we began to play online we soon discovered that our proficiency at glitching gave us an advantage over other players. We could escape to building tops and wreak havoc on the opposing team, to their dismay, or carry extra weapons and unload clip after clip of ammo into enemy forces. By taking advantage of subtle errors in the code we were able to win almost every game. This didn't last long however, and the developer issued a "patch", or an update for the game that fixed many of the problems, as well as a warning that threatened to ban glitchers. Despite developer efforts, gamers are constantly discovering new glitches and developers are continually updating games to prevent them.
Ever since then I had refrained from glitching in online games for moral and selfish reasons (namely, that I didn't want to be banned), but in a recent game of Halo 2 I managed to take advantage of a glitch (for research only, of course) and reach a very high building with the sniper rifle, where I could kill opponents at my leisure. To me they looked like little dots far below, running in circles, but I could zoom in and have a wide open opportunity for a head shot. After several minutes of carnage and a score of 25 to 4, my opponents weren't very pleased and had this to say:
Opponent 1: "Oh my gosh, check out the glitch whore."
Opponent 2: "Yeah, that's so lame, anybody who needs to do that to win is just... lame."
Opponent 1: "Gosh!"
Opponent 3: (whiny child) "Gaaaawd. This sucks."
Opponent 1: "Every time I re-spawn I just die. Dude, you suck, I hope you die today. Go fuck yourself!"
After that last sentence the opposing team left the game within seconds, taking a loss and giving my team a win. Based upon my research, and having had been in their shoes countless times before, I am more aware of what a problem glitching can be in multiplayer games.
However, glitching is not an intrinsic evil. Like any new knowledge it can be used for whatever purpose it's discoverer intends. With that, I leave you with an example of fun and harmless glitching. This appears to be a secret that the developers implanted into the single player mode of Halo 2 on purpose, and it requires glitching. On the level "Metropolis" there is a hidden weapon with vast power located far above the regular level on a building that is not accessible unless glitching is implemented. In this case the player has obtained the overshield, making him resistant to damage. He then sets the warthog on a bridge, hanging the front wheels over the edge. By standing on the corner of the warthog and firing a rocket launcher at the ground the player is blasted up into the air, far higher than is allowed by the game physics under normal circumstances.
Mario, perhaps the most recognizable gaming icon of all time, consumed my days as a child. I would play often, and when I wasn't playing I was discussing strategy with my friends. Once, in the third grade, my friends and I were engaged in an esoteric conversation about the benefits of shooting fireballs at turtles, when a fifth grader approached us. He looked down and explained in his mighty voice that fireballs were for weaklings. Why use fireballs, he exclaimed, when you could walk through walls, become invincible, or even warp to the final level?After a lengthy discussion and several jaw dropping revelations, the fifth grader agreed to come to my house where he would show my friends and me how to delicately circumvent the rules of the game and emerge victorious. Among the tricks he taught us was one where the player could gain 100 lives, enough to complete the game with ease, by jumping on a turtle at the right time and place. Another glitch involved walking through a wall to reach a hidden area where the player could warp to the final level. At the time I was surprised that a person could break the rules of seemingly intact games, and this newfound power thrust me into the world of glitching. I have actively pursued programmer errors ever since.
As I grew older, games became more advanced and glitching ascended to higher levels. No longer was I limited to walking through walls on a side-scrolling game like Mario, I could now explore 3D environments and exploit the physics and computer behavior of games to achieve amazing results. In the game Rush 2 my friend and I discovered that it was possible to escape from certain levels by gaining speed and hitting a well placed jump or ledge. While this glitch didn't benefit us in any way, it was fun to discover the limits of games.
I got my Xbox when I was in high school and was thrilled to be playing games like Halo, a first person shooter. My friends would come over to my house and we would spend hours competing against each other, sometimes playing one vs. one, or upping the stakes and engaging in a team battle. While this was fun, we were limited to one TV screen, one Xbox, and ourselves. However, Halo 2 came out several years later and was equipped with online capabilities. Now I could sit in my basement and battle with my friend across the internet as he sat in his basement.
As we began to play online we soon discovered that our proficiency at glitching gave us an advantage over other players. We could escape to building tops and wreak havoc on the opposing team, to their dismay, or carry extra weapons and unload clip after clip of ammo into enemy forces. By taking advantage of subtle errors in the code we were able to win almost every game. This didn't last long however, and the developer issued a "patch", or an update for the game that fixed many of the problems, as well as a warning that threatened to ban glitchers. Despite developer efforts, gamers are constantly discovering new glitches and developers are continually updating games to prevent them.
Ever since then I had refrained from glitching in online games for moral and selfish reasons (namely, that I didn't want to be banned), but in a recent game of Halo 2 I managed to take advantage of a glitch (for research only, of course) and reach a very high building with the sniper rifle, where I could kill opponents at my leisure. To me they looked like little dots far below, running in circles, but I could zoom in and have a wide open opportunity for a head shot. After several minutes of carnage and a score of 25 to 4, my opponents weren't very pleased and had this to say:
Opponent 1: "Oh my gosh, check out the glitch whore."
Opponent 2: "Yeah, that's so lame, anybody who needs to do that to win is just... lame."
Opponent 1: "Gosh!"
Opponent 3: (whiny child) "Gaaaawd. This sucks."
Opponent 1: "Every time I re-spawn I just die. Dude, you suck, I hope you die today. Go fuck yourself!"
After that last sentence the opposing team left the game within seconds, taking a loss and giving my team a win. Based upon my research, and having had been in their shoes countless times before, I am more aware of what a problem glitching can be in multiplayer games.
However, glitching is not an intrinsic evil. Like any new knowledge it can be used for whatever purpose it's discoverer intends. With that, I leave you with an example of fun and harmless glitching. This appears to be a secret that the developers implanted into the single player mode of Halo 2 on purpose, and it requires glitching. On the level "Metropolis" there is a hidden weapon with vast power located far above the regular level on a building that is not accessible unless glitching is implemented. In this case the player has obtained the overshield, making him resistant to damage. He then sets the warthog on a bridge, hanging the front wheels over the edge. By standing on the corner of the warthog and firing a rocket launcher at the ground the player is blasted up into the air, far higher than is allowed by the game physics under normal circumstances.
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Glitching through the ages (not final)
Home consoles have been around for decades, allowing people to explore digitally rendered worlds in their own living rooms. For as long as there have been consoles, however, there have been people who push the limits of games, finding holes in the code that produce odd, surprising and even humorous results. This process of intentionally seeking out programmer errors and exploiting them is known as glitching.
Pac-Man on the Atari was a controversial game that displeased many fans because of it's rushed production and poor quality. However, that didn't stop people from finding a glitch that allowed a player to beat the game easily, locking the ghosts in the portal permanently.
Later, when the Atari had lost out to the next generation of 8-bit consoles, like the Nintendo, games offered a new world of glitching. Super Mario, perhaps the most popular game icon of all time, had several glitches in it's first sidescrolling rendition, Super Mario Bros. The ones shown in this video are representative of the types of glitches that were common for many Nintendo games, including walking through walls and defying death.
The Playstation, released in America in 1995, was the first console able to create complex 3d environments and as a result glitching ascended to ever more complex levels. The Playstation 2 improved upon the graphics of the PS and glitching became more entertaining as fairly realistic environments were demonstrated to be nothing but computer code.
As video games became playable over the internet and it was possible to compete with anyone, glitching took on a new role. Glitches allowed people to gain an advantage over their opponents in matched games. By finding a shortcut through a wall in a racing game, escaping to an unreachable section of a map in a shooter game, or taking advantage of physics glitches to attain invincibility, players were able to defeat their opponents unfairly.
In a recent game of Halo 2 I managed to take advantage of a glitch (for research only, of course) and reach a very high building with the sniper rifle, where I could kill opponents at my leisure. To me they looked like little dots far below, running in circles, but I could zoom in and have a wide open opportunity for a head shot. After several minutes of carnage and a score of 25 to 4, my opponents weren't very pleased and had this to say:
Opponent 1: "Oh my gosh, check out the glitch whore."
Opponent 2: "Yeah, that's so lame, anybody who needs to do that to win is just... lame."
Opponent 1: "Gosh"
Opponent 3: (whiny child) "Gaaaawd. This sucks"
Opponent 1: "Every time I re-spawn I just die. Dude, you suck, I hope you die today. Go fuck yourself"
After that last sentence the opposing team left the game within seconds, taking a loss and giving my team a win.
Based upon my research, and having had been in their shoes countless times before, I am aware of what a problem glitching can be in multiplayer games. As a result of the widespread use of glitches to gain an advantage, game developers have resorted to updating games with patches that fix problematic glitches. These "patch" up the faulty code, preventing people from gaining an unfair advantage over their opponents, and are required to play online against real people.
However, glitching is not an intrinsic evil. Like any new knowledge it can be used for whatever purpose it's discoverer intends. With that, I leave you with an example of fun and harmless glitching. This appears to be a secret that the developers implanted into the single player mode of Halo 2 on purpose, and it requires glitching. On the level "Metropolis" there is a hidden weapon with vast power located far above the regular level on a building that is not accessible unless glitching is implemented. In this case the player has obtained the "overshield", making him resistant to damage, after which he utilizes the warthog and a rocket launcher to blast himself into the air.
Remember. Please glitch responsibly.
Pac-Man on the Atari was a controversial game that displeased many fans because of it's rushed production and poor quality. However, that didn't stop people from finding a glitch that allowed a player to beat the game easily, locking the ghosts in the portal permanently.
Later, when the Atari had lost out to the next generation of 8-bit consoles, like the Nintendo, games offered a new world of glitching. Super Mario, perhaps the most popular game icon of all time, had several glitches in it's first sidescrolling rendition, Super Mario Bros. The ones shown in this video are representative of the types of glitches that were common for many Nintendo games, including walking through walls and defying death.
The Playstation, released in America in 1995, was the first console able to create complex 3d environments and as a result glitching ascended to ever more complex levels. The Playstation 2 improved upon the graphics of the PS and glitching became more entertaining as fairly realistic environments were demonstrated to be nothing but computer code.
As video games became playable over the internet and it was possible to compete with anyone, glitching took on a new role. Glitches allowed people to gain an advantage over their opponents in matched games. By finding a shortcut through a wall in a racing game, escaping to an unreachable section of a map in a shooter game, or taking advantage of physics glitches to attain invincibility, players were able to defeat their opponents unfairly.
In a recent game of Halo 2 I managed to take advantage of a glitch (for research only, of course) and reach a very high building with the sniper rifle, where I could kill opponents at my leisure. To me they looked like little dots far below, running in circles, but I could zoom in and have a wide open opportunity for a head shot. After several minutes of carnage and a score of 25 to 4, my opponents weren't very pleased and had this to say:
Opponent 1: "Oh my gosh, check out the glitch whore."
Opponent 2: "Yeah, that's so lame, anybody who needs to do that to win is just... lame."
Opponent 1: "Gosh"
Opponent 3: (whiny child) "Gaaaawd. This sucks"
Opponent 1: "Every time I re-spawn I just die. Dude, you suck, I hope you die today. Go fuck yourself"
After that last sentence the opposing team left the game within seconds, taking a loss and giving my team a win.
Based upon my research, and having had been in their shoes countless times before, I am aware of what a problem glitching can be in multiplayer games. As a result of the widespread use of glitches to gain an advantage, game developers have resorted to updating games with patches that fix problematic glitches. These "patch" up the faulty code, preventing people from gaining an unfair advantage over their opponents, and are required to play online against real people.
However, glitching is not an intrinsic evil. Like any new knowledge it can be used for whatever purpose it's discoverer intends. With that, I leave you with an example of fun and harmless glitching. This appears to be a secret that the developers implanted into the single player mode of Halo 2 on purpose, and it requires glitching. On the level "Metropolis" there is a hidden weapon with vast power located far above the regular level on a building that is not accessible unless glitching is implemented. In this case the player has obtained the "overshield", making him resistant to damage, after which he utilizes the warthog and a rocket launcher to blast himself into the air.
Remember. Please glitch responsibly.
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Home consoles have been around for decades, allowing people to explore digitally rendered worlds in their own living rooms. For as long as there have been consoles, however, there have been people who push the limits of games, finding holes in the code that produce odd, surprising and even humorous results. This process of intentionally seeking out these programmer errors and exploiting them is known as glitching.
Pac-Man on the Atari was a controversial game that displeased many fans because of it's rushed production and poor quality. However, that didn't stop people from finding a glitch that allowed a player to beat the game easily, locking the ghosts in the portal permanently.
Later, when the Atari had lost out to the new generation of 8-bit consoles, like the Nintendo, new games offered a new world of glitching. Super Mario, perhaps the most popular game icon of all time, had several glitches in it's first sidescrolling rendition. The ones shown in this video are representative of the types of glitches that were common for many Nintendo games, including walking through walls and defying death.
The Playstation, released in America in 1995, was the first console able to create complex 3d environments and as a result glitching ascended to ever more complex levels. The Playstation 2 improved upon the graphics of the PS and glitching became more entertaining as fairly realistic environments were demonstrated to be nothing but computer code.
As video games became playable over the internet and it was possible to compete with anyone, glitching took on a new role. Glitches allowed people to gain an advantage over their opponents in matched games. By finding a shortcut through a wall in a racing game, escaping to an unreachable section of a map in a shooter game, or taking advantage of physics glitches to attain invincibility, players are able to defeat their opponents unfairly. As a result, game developers have resorted to updating games with patches that fix problematic glitches.
Pac-Man on the Atari was a controversial game that displeased many fans because of it's rushed production and poor quality. However, that didn't stop people from finding a glitch that allowed a player to beat the game easily, locking the ghosts in the portal permanently.
Later, when the Atari had lost out to the new generation of 8-bit consoles, like the Nintendo, new games offered a new world of glitching. Super Mario, perhaps the most popular game icon of all time, had several glitches in it's first sidescrolling rendition. The ones shown in this video are representative of the types of glitches that were common for many Nintendo games, including walking through walls and defying death.
The Playstation, released in America in 1995, was the first console able to create complex 3d environments and as a result glitching ascended to ever more complex levels. The Playstation 2 improved upon the graphics of the PS and glitching became more entertaining as fairly realistic environments were demonstrated to be nothing but computer code.
As video games became playable over the internet and it was possible to compete with anyone, glitching took on a new role. Glitches allowed people to gain an advantage over their opponents in matched games. By finding a shortcut through a wall in a racing game, escaping to an unreachable section of a map in a shooter game, or taking advantage of physics glitches to attain invincibility, players are able to defeat their opponents unfairly. As a result, game developers have resorted to updating games with patches that fix problematic glitches.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Traditional source: Next in Child Prodigies -- the Gamer
By Michelle Slatalla, New York Times
"On one hand, studies show there’s no doubt that exposure to violent games contributes to aggression in young children... But on the other hand, other factors — like warm relations with parents, good grades and plenty of friends — can eliminate the risk."
"Me: “Sweetie, get back on that console. You need to spend another 45 minutes mastering your Half-Life 2 gravity gun moves.”
Academic Journal Source: The effect of video game violence on physiological desensitization to real-life violence
By Carnagey, Anderson, Bushman, Journal of Experimental Social Psychology
"Participants who previously played a violent video game had lower heart rate and galvanic skin response while viewing filmed real violence, demonstrating a physiological desensitization to violence."
Online Source: Graphic Violence
Wikipedia
"Critics such as Dave Grossman argue that violence in games hardens children to unethical acts, calling first-person shooter games "murder simulators"
Non-Traditional Source: Video Game Violence
By ashes4eyes, Youtube
"video Game violence and the supposed affect violent video games have on teenagers today. Ya know.... The crap about where if a normal teen plays Mortal Kombat he grows extremely aggressive...psssht....yeah."
By Michelle Slatalla, New York Times
"On one hand, studies show there’s no doubt that exposure to violent games contributes to aggression in young children... But on the other hand, other factors — like warm relations with parents, good grades and plenty of friends — can eliminate the risk."
"Me: “Sweetie, get back on that console. You need to spend another 45 minutes mastering your Half-Life 2 gravity gun moves.”
Her: “Please, Mommy, can’t I take a break and do my math homework for awhile?”
Me: “We’ve been over this before. How do you expect to get into a good college if you don’t reach Level 27?"Academic Journal Source: The effect of video game violence on physiological desensitization to real-life violence
By Carnagey, Anderson, Bushman, Journal of Experimental Social Psychology
"Participants who previously played a violent video game had lower heart rate and galvanic skin response while viewing filmed real violence, demonstrating a physiological desensitization to violence."
Online Source: Graphic Violence
Wikipedia
"Critics such as Dave Grossman argue that violence in games hardens children to unethical acts, calling first-person shooter games "murder simulators"
Non-Traditional Source: Video Game Violence
By ashes4eyes, Youtube
"video Game violence and the supposed affect violent video games have on teenagers today. Ya know.... The crap about where if a normal teen plays Mortal Kombat he grows extremely aggressive...psssht....yeah."
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Game I Life
A blog I read often is Game Life, which is one of Wired magazine's many blogs. It's focus is on video games, and includes information about new releases, online flash games, business, recalls, anything game-related that is interesting. I'd guess that the people who read that blog include serious gamers, probably between the ages of 20 and 40, game developers, and maybe even business people who own stock in game companies. Most of the posts are about gaming news, such as what games are coming out and when, as well as game reviews. The only reason I think developers and business people might also read the blog is because there are also posts about which games are selling the most and which companies are doing the best.
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Conversation: Wired Blog-- GameLife (Re-Write)
Original Post:
(The opening post initiated the conversation by reporting on an incident and then including personal opinion. Bill Gates, and Microsoft in general, are known for either buying-out the competition or copying it, and when Bill Gates said that he would like to have a technology that could simulate the swing of a bat, Chris Kohler (the author) points out that there is already such a technology, the Wii, and it happens to be made by Nintendo, a competitor of Microsoft. I personally think that the Wii has met with success because it dared to depart from the traditional archetype of consoles and has reached out to a wider audience. It is currently beating the Xbox 360 and the PS3 because it is cheaper and appealing to people outside of the traditional gamer demographic.)Bill Gates: One Day, Video Games Will Let You Swing a Tennis Racket
From Bill Gates' and Steve Jobs' joint presentation at the D5 conference, some ruminations from the Microsoft big cheese about the future of motion-sensing video games:
He went on to explain that he's talking about video recognition -- a camera that watches you swing an actual tennis racket, then translates that imagery into game data. Then again, what's the difference, really, besides the fact that one of those technologies already works and the other one doesn't?Gates: Software is doing vision and so, you know, imagine a game machine where you’re just going to pick up the bat and swing it or the tennis racket and swing it.
[the moderators say he's describing the Wii]
Gates: No, that’s not it. You can’t pick up your tennis racket. And swing it.
Comments: (6)
Obviously, Bill's really talking about the EyeToy from Sony, rather than the Wii.
(This post is defending Microsoft in response to the attacks that were made on it in previous posts. By suggesting that Microsoft's "video recognition" would be more accurate and responsive than the Wii currently is, the author is validating Bill Gates' comments. I suppose it would be possible, in a couple decades, to have amazingly accurate video recognition, but currently, and for the forseeable future, the Wii is the best movement recognition out there.)ummm... not really, because if microsoft's video recognition really does work, it will be able to simulate somewhat exact movements. when the wiimote only detects movements, and can't translate the movements into the game.
Please hurry up with this new tennis software. I can't run anymore because of arthritis. I love the game and wish I could play again. I can't wait!
RCR: If anything, I'd say that the Wiimote is far more precise than camera technology is likely to be. The Wiimote has every little bit of data -- the force applied to the controller via the X, Y, and Z axes over time, and can also read absolute position. Of course it can translate these movements into the game, it's just a matter of a game designer doing it.
I eagerly await the day when a camera can do the exact same thing just by eyeballing someone's off-the-shelf tennis racket...
Ms. Jean: Buy a Wii!
I hope tennis rackets and baseball bats are equipped with *very* strong wrist straps in the future.
Monday, June 4, 2007
Conversation: Wired Blog-- GameLife
Original Post:
(The opening post initiated the conversation by reporting on an incident and then including personal opinion. Bill Gates, and Microsoft in general, are known for either buying-out the competition or copying it, and when Bill Gates said that he would like to have a technology that could simulate the swing of a bat, Chris Kohler (the author) points out that there is already such a technology, the Wii, and it happens to be made by Nintendo, a competitor of Microsoft.)Bill Gates: One Day, Video Games Will Let You Swing a Tennis Racket
He went on to explain that he's talking about video recognition -- a camera that watches you swing an actual tennis racket, then translates that imagery into game data. Then again, what's the difference, really, besides the fact that one of those technologies already works and the other one doesn't?Gates: Software is doing vision and so, you know, imagine a game machine where you’re just going to pick up the bat and swing it or the tennis racket and swing it.
[the moderators say he's describing the Wii]
Gates: No, that’s not it. You can’t pick up your tennis racket. And swing it.
Comments: (6)
I like how Microsoft have gone from slyly copying other's ideas, such as Firefox's tabbed browsing, and passing them off as their own without much fanfare, to actively trying to steal another's ideas with just the simplest of embellishments in a public forum and then openlly deny it. It you chopped the handle off a racket and replaced with with the Wiimote you have exactly the experience Gates is talking about.
Obviously, Bill's really talking about the EyeToy from Sony, rather than the Wii.
(This post is defending Microsoft in response to the attacks that were made on it in previous posts. By suggesting that Microsoft's "video recognition" would be more accurate and responsive than the Wii currently is, the author is validating Bill Gates' comments.)ummm... not really, because if microsoft's video recognition really does work, it will be able to simulate somewhat exact movements. when the wiimote only detects movements, and can't translate the movements into the game.
Please hurry up with this new tennis software. I can't run anymore because of arthritis. I love the game and wish I could play again. I can't wait!
RCR: If anything, I'd say that the Wiimote is far more precise than camera technology is likely to be. The Wiimote has every little bit of data -- the force applied to the controller via the X, Y, and Z axes over time, and can also read absolute position. Of course it can translate these movements into the game, it's just a matter of a game designer doing it.
I eagerly await the day when a camera can do the exact same thing just by eyeballing someone's off-the-shelf tennis racket...
Ms. Jean: Buy a Wii!
I hope tennis rackets and baseball bats are equipped with *very* strong wrist straps in the future.
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Halo, Writing from Observation (Rewrite)
Steve sits in the chair after having turned on the TV and the Xbox 360. Bill is sitting on the corner of the bed, facing the TV. Both have a controller in their hands. Halo loads up and Steve navigates through the menus and enters a game entitled "4v4 Slayer" on the map Sanctuary. Once the game has loaded, Steve and Bill are on opposite sides of the map. On screen an opponent crosses in front of Bill, and Bill says "Hey buddy" before going after him. Suddenly Bill is sniped from across the map, sending his body flopping down to the ground, and he screams "What the bastard! I thought I was red!".
Meanwhile, on the other side of the map, Steve has acquired the Battle Rifle and is walking towards the center of the map. The noise of a nearby grenade is heard and Bill tells Steve to "Watch out!". The grenade explodes, blasting shrapnel, fire and smoke outwards, but Steve is unharmed because he turned a corner. Steve continues towards the center of the map and says "Watch this shit" before moving out from behind his cover and shooting at an opponent with the Battle Rifle. Another opponent appears and after Steve has killed the first, sending his body sprawling over the edge of a bridge, he attacks the second, then pulls behind the wall to let his shields charge. Once his health is full, Steve darts out and surprises the same opponent who had become engaged with another battle, killing him. Steve turns around and begins walking towards the edge of the map along a bridge, his field of vision swaying back and forth across the map.
On Steve's screen there is a signal indicating that his teammates are under attack, he begins to make is way to the battle when the horrifying swoosh of a sword is heard. Steve quickly turns around and backs up while throwing a plasma grenade. An opponent has just appeared around the corner, pursuing Steve with the shiny and deadly sword, and the grenade sticks right onto his chest. When he explodes Steve shouts "Yeah! Got the sword douchenator!" Bill then chimes in, "I'd like to have the sniper rifle, I'll tell ya why, Reed, In the game of Spiderman, I mean Halo, --" Stops talking and chases an opponent, then kills him with the shotgun while shouting "Ahh! there's a dead one -- Bitches!" Soon afterward, another opponent attacks Bill from behind with the Carbine, a weapon that shoots green bursts of energy. Steve says "I'm coming" and starts running towards the battle, but is too late and Bill is killed.
As Bill waits for his avatar to respawn, his cellphone buzzes, signaling an incoming text message, and he looks down to read it. On the TV screen, an opponent runs by and assassinates Bill's avatar, who is standing still, facing a wall; he looks up from his cellphone and says "Dammit". He redirects his attention to his cellphone and begins texting back, using his thumbs to type.
Meanwhile, Steve has acquired the sword and is pursuing a group of opponents. He rounds a corner and sees them all shooting at a distant enemy. He leaps up and kills the first one with a single swipe. The other two turn around and start shooting but Steve is already on the second one, killing him. By now, Steve's shields are low because of the enemy fire, and before going for the final opponent, Steve yells "Oh ho!" and as he kills the last one, he is shot at from the other side of the map and is killed. He yells "Shit!". Meanwhile, Bill has finished texting, has focused back on the game, and is gathering weapons. He looks out into the middle of the map and sees an opponent on a machine gun turret. He throws a plasma grenade high into the air in the direction of the gunner and yells "Come on far stick!". The blue grenade sticks on the opponent and explodes, sending the body flying through the air into a wall. Bill screams "Yeah!" and Steve lifts his hand up for a high five while saying "Oh boy, fucking awesome".
Steve is running around on one side of the base and kills an opponent with an SMG, a rather weak gun that the player starts with when spawned, then says "He's not the greatest". He then goes on to kill another opponent with the Battle Rifle and gets a "double kill" award, but takes heavy damage. He then says "whew, almost died", and hides behind a wall to allow his shield to charge. Bill is in the center of the map and runs by a doorway. In the corner of the screen, inside the doorway, are several opponents shooting across the map. Bill throws three grenades in and kills the two opponents. With these two kills the game is over. Steve says "yaaay".
The results of the game are not even close, Bill and Steve have many kills and their teammates have even more. The opponents have more deaths than kills and didn't receive as many medals as Bill and Steve. It is a glorious victory.
Writing this without any commentary or explanation was rather difficult and I feared that some of the more exceptional moments would not be fully appreciated without interpretation. During the whole game, the microphone wasn't attached, so none of the opponents could hear what Bill and Steve were saying. I suppose it would have added some interesting dialog if there was communication between the two teams, but Bill and Steve's comments were directed solely at each other, me, or aimlessly into the universe.
When Bill threw the plasma grenade across the map and stuck the opponent on the turret, that was an awesome event and one that is quite rare and cause for celebration. Another sweet moment was when Steve got a triple kill with the sword, laying waste to three opponents, but alas, dying soon afterward. The sword is perhaps the most versatile and powerful weapon in Halo 2, and in the right hands can be devastating to the opposing team. It was for this reason that Steve reacted with such vigor after killing the opponent with the sword who was chasing him.
I missed out on a fair amount of the action because I was trying to focus on both of the players and the details of their exploits, and so while I wrote about Steve's attack with the sword, I don't even know what I missed on Bill's screen. Overall, though, I think I was able to describe the general flow of the game and some of the outstanding moments.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the map, Steve has acquired the Battle Rifle and is walking towards the center of the map. The noise of a nearby grenade is heard and Bill tells Steve to "Watch out!". The grenade explodes, blasting shrapnel, fire and smoke outwards, but Steve is unharmed because he turned a corner. Steve continues towards the center of the map and says "Watch this shit" before moving out from behind his cover and shooting at an opponent with the Battle Rifle. Another opponent appears and after Steve has killed the first, sending his body sprawling over the edge of a bridge, he attacks the second, then pulls behind the wall to let his shields charge. Once his health is full, Steve darts out and surprises the same opponent who had become engaged with another battle, killing him. Steve turns around and begins walking towards the edge of the map along a bridge, his field of vision swaying back and forth across the map.
On Steve's screen there is a signal indicating that his teammates are under attack, he begins to make is way to the battle when the horrifying swoosh of a sword is heard. Steve quickly turns around and backs up while throwing a plasma grenade. An opponent has just appeared around the corner, pursuing Steve with the shiny and deadly sword, and the grenade sticks right onto his chest. When he explodes Steve shouts "Yeah! Got the sword douchenator!" Bill then chimes in, "I'd like to have the sniper rifle, I'll tell ya why, Reed, In the game of Spiderman, I mean Halo, --" Stops talking and chases an opponent, then kills him with the shotgun while shouting "Ahh! there's a dead one -- Bitches!" Soon afterward, another opponent attacks Bill from behind with the Carbine, a weapon that shoots green bursts of energy. Steve says "I'm coming" and starts running towards the battle, but is too late and Bill is killed.
As Bill waits for his avatar to respawn, his cellphone buzzes, signaling an incoming text message, and he looks down to read it. On the TV screen, an opponent runs by and assassinates Bill's avatar, who is standing still, facing a wall; he looks up from his cellphone and says "Dammit". He redirects his attention to his cellphone and begins texting back, using his thumbs to type.
Meanwhile, Steve has acquired the sword and is pursuing a group of opponents. He rounds a corner and sees them all shooting at a distant enemy. He leaps up and kills the first one with a single swipe. The other two turn around and start shooting but Steve is already on the second one, killing him. By now, Steve's shields are low because of the enemy fire, and before going for the final opponent, Steve yells "Oh ho!" and as he kills the last one, he is shot at from the other side of the map and is killed. He yells "Shit!". Meanwhile, Bill has finished texting, has focused back on the game, and is gathering weapons. He looks out into the middle of the map and sees an opponent on a machine gun turret. He throws a plasma grenade high into the air in the direction of the gunner and yells "Come on far stick!". The blue grenade sticks on the opponent and explodes, sending the body flying through the air into a wall. Bill screams "Yeah!" and Steve lifts his hand up for a high five while saying "Oh boy, fucking awesome".
Steve is running around on one side of the base and kills an opponent with an SMG, a rather weak gun that the player starts with when spawned, then says "He's not the greatest". He then goes on to kill another opponent with the Battle Rifle and gets a "double kill" award, but takes heavy damage. He then says "whew, almost died", and hides behind a wall to allow his shield to charge. Bill is in the center of the map and runs by a doorway. In the corner of the screen, inside the doorway, are several opponents shooting across the map. Bill throws three grenades in and kills the two opponents. With these two kills the game is over. Steve says "yaaay".
The results of the game are not even close, Bill and Steve have many kills and their teammates have even more. The opponents have more deaths than kills and didn't receive as many medals as Bill and Steve. It is a glorious victory.
Writing this without any commentary or explanation was rather difficult and I feared that some of the more exceptional moments would not be fully appreciated without interpretation. During the whole game, the microphone wasn't attached, so none of the opponents could hear what Bill and Steve were saying. I suppose it would have added some interesting dialog if there was communication between the two teams, but Bill and Steve's comments were directed solely at each other, me, or aimlessly into the universe.
When Bill threw the plasma grenade across the map and stuck the opponent on the turret, that was an awesome event and one that is quite rare and cause for celebration. Another sweet moment was when Steve got a triple kill with the sword, laying waste to three opponents, but alas, dying soon afterward. The sword is perhaps the most versatile and powerful weapon in Halo 2, and in the right hands can be devastating to the opposing team. It was for this reason that Steve reacted with such vigor after killing the opponent with the sword who was chasing him.
I missed out on a fair amount of the action because I was trying to focus on both of the players and the details of their exploits, and so while I wrote about Steve's attack with the sword, I don't even know what I missed on Bill's screen. Overall, though, I think I was able to describe the general flow of the game and some of the outstanding moments.
Monday, May 28, 2007
Halo - Writing from Observation.
Steve sits in the chair after having turned on the TV and the Xbox 360. Bill is sitting on the corner of the bed, facing the TV. Both have a controller in their hands. Halo loads up and Steve navigates through the menus and enters a game entitled "4v4 Slayer" on the map Sanctuary. On screen an opponent crosses in front of Bill, and Bill says "Hey buddy" before going after him. Suddenly Bill is sniped from across the map and screams "What the bastard! I thought I was red!".
Meanwhile, Steve has acquired the Battle Rifle and is walking towards the center of the map. The noise of a nearby grenade is heard and Bill tells Steve to "Watch out!". The grenade explodes and Steve is unharmed. Steve continues towards the center of the map and says "Watch this shit" before moving out from behind his cover and shooting at an opponent with the Battle Rifle. Another opponent appears and after Steve has killed the first he attacks the second, then pulls behind the wall to let his shields charge. Once his health is full, Steve darts out and surprises the same opponent who had become engaged with another battle.
After killing him, the swoosh of a sword is heard and Steve quickly turns around and backs up while throwing a plasma grenade. An opponent has just appeared around the corner, pursuing Steve with the sword, and is stuck by the grenade. When he explodes Steve shouts "Yeah! Got the sword douchenator!" Bill then chimes in, "I'd like to have the sniper rifle, I'll tell ya why, Reed, In the game of Spiderman, I mean Halo, --" Stops talking and chases an opponent, then kills him with the shotgun while shouting "Ahh! there's a dead one -- Bitches!" Soon after, another opponent attacks Bill from behind. Steve says "I'm coming" and starts running towards the battle, but is too late and Bill is killed.
Bill's cellphone buzzes, signaling an incoming text message, and he looks down to read it. On screen, an opponent runs by and assassinates Bill, he looks up from his cellphone and says "Dammit". He looks back down to his cellphone and begins texting back, using his thumbs to type. Meanwhile, Steve has acquired the sword and is pursuing a group of opponents. He rounds a corner and sees them all shooting at a distant enemy. He leaps up and kills the first one with one swipe. The other two turn around and start shooting but Steve is already on the second one, killing him. Before going for the final opponent, Steve yells "Oh ho!" and as he kills the last one, he is shot at from the other side of the map and is killed. He yells "Shit!". Meanwhile, Bill has finished texting, has focused back on the game, and is gathering weapons. He looks out into the middle of the map and sees an opponent on a machine gun turret. He throws a plasma grenade high into the air in the direction of the gunner and yells "Common far stick!". The grenade lands on the opponent and explodes, killing him. Bill screams "Yeah!" and Steve lifts his hand up for a high five while saying "Oh boy, fucking awesome".
Steve is running around on one side of the base and kills an opponent with a weak gun then says "He's not the greatest". He then goes on to kill another opponent with the Battle Rifle and gets a "double kill" award, but takes heavy damage. He then says "whew, almost died", and hides behind a wall to allow his shield to charge. Bill is in the center of the map and runs by a doorway. In the corner of the screen, inside the doorway, are several opponents shooting across the map. Bill throws several grenades in and kills the two opponents. With these two kills the game is over. Steve says "yaaay".
Meanwhile, Steve has acquired the Battle Rifle and is walking towards the center of the map. The noise of a nearby grenade is heard and Bill tells Steve to "Watch out!". The grenade explodes and Steve is unharmed. Steve continues towards the center of the map and says "Watch this shit" before moving out from behind his cover and shooting at an opponent with the Battle Rifle. Another opponent appears and after Steve has killed the first he attacks the second, then pulls behind the wall to let his shields charge. Once his health is full, Steve darts out and surprises the same opponent who had become engaged with another battle.
After killing him, the swoosh of a sword is heard and Steve quickly turns around and backs up while throwing a plasma grenade. An opponent has just appeared around the corner, pursuing Steve with the sword, and is stuck by the grenade. When he explodes Steve shouts "Yeah! Got the sword douchenator!" Bill then chimes in, "I'd like to have the sniper rifle, I'll tell ya why, Reed, In the game of Spiderman, I mean Halo, --" Stops talking and chases an opponent, then kills him with the shotgun while shouting "Ahh! there's a dead one -- Bitches!" Soon after, another opponent attacks Bill from behind. Steve says "I'm coming" and starts running towards the battle, but is too late and Bill is killed.
Bill's cellphone buzzes, signaling an incoming text message, and he looks down to read it. On screen, an opponent runs by and assassinates Bill, he looks up from his cellphone and says "Dammit". He looks back down to his cellphone and begins texting back, using his thumbs to type. Meanwhile, Steve has acquired the sword and is pursuing a group of opponents. He rounds a corner and sees them all shooting at a distant enemy. He leaps up and kills the first one with one swipe. The other two turn around and start shooting but Steve is already on the second one, killing him. Before going for the final opponent, Steve yells "Oh ho!" and as he kills the last one, he is shot at from the other side of the map and is killed. He yells "Shit!". Meanwhile, Bill has finished texting, has focused back on the game, and is gathering weapons. He looks out into the middle of the map and sees an opponent on a machine gun turret. He throws a plasma grenade high into the air in the direction of the gunner and yells "Common far stick!". The grenade lands on the opponent and explodes, killing him. Bill screams "Yeah!" and Steve lifts his hand up for a high five while saying "Oh boy, fucking awesome".
Steve is running around on one side of the base and kills an opponent with a weak gun then says "He's not the greatest". He then goes on to kill another opponent with the Battle Rifle and gets a "double kill" award, but takes heavy damage. He then says "whew, almost died", and hides behind a wall to allow his shield to charge. Bill is in the center of the map and runs by a doorway. In the corner of the screen, inside the doorway, are several opponents shooting across the map. Bill throws several grenades in and kills the two opponents. With these two kills the game is over. Steve says "yaaay".
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Kotaku = sweet gaming blog
A blog I frequent often is Kotaku (www.kotaku.com). It is a gaming blog that has all sorts of updates on gaming news, and also has humorous and interesting posts that are gaming related, such as posts about fan made videos, cakes, art, etc. and even goes into detail about the business behind gaming.
Starcraft 2, Perfecting Perfection (re-write)
Starcraft and it's expansion, Brood War, are hugely popular and have sold 9 million copies since their release in 1998. Considered by many (including me) to be the best RTS (real time strategy) game ever, it has recieved numerous awards, and is consistently rated among the best games ever, such as on IGN's "Top Games of All Time". Nearly 10 years later, Starcraft is still going strong, and is practically the national sport of South Korea, which has televised matches complete with screaming fans. Despite it's success, or maybe because of it, Blizzard has not released a sequel. Recently however, rumors of Starcraft 2 have been swimming around the internet. It is believed that Blizzard will make some sort of announcement about a new game in the coming days, could it be Starcraft 2? Various bloggers think so, citing the countdown on the Blizzard website that coincides with the announcement date. But is there any way that Starcraft 2 could hope to live up to the reputation of the first? The balanced gameplay, fluent controls, compelling storyline, and easy to use multiplayer would be difficult to match, much less surpass.
The first time I played starcraft was on a dark and rainy morning in 1999 when I was 14. It was at my friends house and he showed me what to do one step at a time. I didn't even notice the thunder as I collected minerals and pumped out zealots. While playing through the campaign missions I had no idea that I was participating in a game that would become a phenomenon. After returning home I ran to Media Play with my hard earned allowance and walked home with Starcraft in my hands. A few days later, in my basement, when I first played Starcraft online against actual humans, my friends clustered closely around the screen and watched as I suffered a humiliating defeat. My friends made similar attempts and failed miserably. Everyone online was so good at the game, creating enormous armies that I couldn't hope to defeat. After hours upon hours of play and countless losses, I learned to make more than one gateway, mine vespene early, upgrade my units, and slowly my record began to improve, I now had several glorious victories under my belt. I remember being surprised that each of the three races were equally powerful and that I had an equal chance of victory with any of them. Whenever I had an hour of freetime, or even if I had homework to do, I would play Starcraft. Even after several years the multiplayer was still fun and challenging because the other humans I was playing against were as good or better than I was. As I grew older and became busier I played less and less and now I only get a game in every couple of weeks or less.
However, the possibility of an imminent Starcraft 2 announcement interests me. I really, really want it to be an exceptional game if and when it comes out. Starcraft is a tough act to follow, but if any team is capable of creating a new masterpiece, its Blizzard.
The first time I played starcraft was on a dark and rainy morning in 1999 when I was 14. It was at my friends house and he showed me what to do one step at a time. I didn't even notice the thunder as I collected minerals and pumped out zealots. While playing through the campaign missions I had no idea that I was participating in a game that would become a phenomenon. After returning home I ran to Media Play with my hard earned allowance and walked home with Starcraft in my hands. A few days later, in my basement, when I first played Starcraft online against actual humans, my friends clustered closely around the screen and watched as I suffered a humiliating defeat. My friends made similar attempts and failed miserably. Everyone online was so good at the game, creating enormous armies that I couldn't hope to defeat. After hours upon hours of play and countless losses, I learned to make more than one gateway, mine vespene early, upgrade my units, and slowly my record began to improve, I now had several glorious victories under my belt. I remember being surprised that each of the three races were equally powerful and that I had an equal chance of victory with any of them. Whenever I had an hour of freetime, or even if I had homework to do, I would play Starcraft. Even after several years the multiplayer was still fun and challenging because the other humans I was playing against were as good or better than I was. As I grew older and became busier I played less and less and now I only get a game in every couple of weeks or less.
However, the possibility of an imminent Starcraft 2 announcement interests me. I really, really want it to be an exceptional game if and when it comes out. Starcraft is a tough act to follow, but if any team is capable of creating a new masterpiece, its Blizzard.
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Starcraft 2, It's Official.
I just got back from the bar with my chum Hannah and flipped on my computer. I quickly did a Google news search and discovered to my delight that Blizzard officially announced Starcraft 2. It apparently uses a new 3D graphics engine, based on the screenshots at IGN, and there are several new units for each race. Wow, this is so exciting, there is also a leaked video on youtube. It's a little bit hard to imagine any RTS game achieving the perfection that Starcraft managed, but certainly, none has a better chance than Starcraft 2. I noticed, while perusing the screenshots, that the interface seems quite similar to the original one. Hey, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
I wonder if the balance between races will be as equal in the sequel. One of the beauties of the original SC was that any of the three races had an equal chance of defeating the others. Each unit had a counterbalance. And at the same time, the three races had drastically varying units, tech trees, and strengths. I imagine that with the inclusion of new units, new abilities and new tech trees, it would be very difficult to balance everything so that each race is equally powerful. There have been rumors that a fourth race might be included in Starcraft 2, such as a hybrid or even the xel-naga but there was no obvious evidence in the pictures that Blizzard released. While no release date has been given, I'm going to be as anxious for Starcraft 2 as a seatbelt bound child with a full bladder would be for the restroom.
I wonder if the balance between races will be as equal in the sequel. One of the beauties of the original SC was that any of the three races had an equal chance of defeating the others. Each unit had a counterbalance. And at the same time, the three races had drastically varying units, tech trees, and strengths. I imagine that with the inclusion of new units, new abilities and new tech trees, it would be very difficult to balance everything so that each race is equally powerful. There have been rumors that a fourth race might be included in Starcraft 2, such as a hybrid or even the xel-naga but there was no obvious evidence in the pictures that Blizzard released. While no release date has been given, I'm going to be as anxious for Starcraft 2 as a seatbelt bound child with a full bladder would be for the restroom.
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Starcraft 2, Perfecting Perfection??
Starcraft and it's expansion, Brood War, are hugely popular and have sold 9 million copies since their release in 1998. Considered by many (including me) to be the best RTS game ever, it has recieved numerous awards, and is consistently rated among the best games ever, such as on IGN's "Top Games of All Time". Nearly 10 years later, Starcraft is still going strong, and is practically the national sport of South Korea, with televised matches and screaming fans. Despite it's success, or maybe because of it, Blizzard has not released a sequel. Recently however, rumors of Starcraft 2 have been swimming around the internet. It is believed that Blizzard will make some sort of announcement about a new game in the coming days, could it be Starcraft 2? Various bloggers think so, citing the countdown on the Blizzard website that coincides with the announcement date. But is there any way that Starcraft 2 could hope to live up to the reputation of the first? The balanced gameplay, fluent controls, compelling storyline, and easy to use multiplayer would be difficult to match, much less surpass.
The first time I played starcraft was on a dark and rainy morning in 1999 when I was 14. I didn't even notice the thunder as I collected minerals and pumped out zealots. While playing through the campaign missions I had no idea that I was participating in a game that would become a phenomenon. A few days later, when I first played Starcraft online against actual humans, my friends clustered closely around the screen and watched as I suffered a humiliating defeat. After hours upon hours of play and countless losses, I learned to make more than one gateway, mine vespene gas early, upgrade, and slowly my record began to improve. I remember being surprised that each of the three races were equally powerful and that I had an equal chance of victory with any of them. Whenever I had an hour of freetime, or even if I had homework to do, I would play Starcraft. Even after several years the multiplayer was still fun and challenging. As I grew older and became busier I played less and less and now I only get a game in every couple of weeks.
However, the possibility of an imminent Starcraft 2 announcement interests me. I really, really want it to be an exceptional game if and when it comes out. Starcraft is a tough act to follow, but if any team is capable of creating a new masterpiece, its Blizzard.
The first time I played starcraft was on a dark and rainy morning in 1999 when I was 14. I didn't even notice the thunder as I collected minerals and pumped out zealots. While playing through the campaign missions I had no idea that I was participating in a game that would become a phenomenon. A few days later, when I first played Starcraft online against actual humans, my friends clustered closely around the screen and watched as I suffered a humiliating defeat. After hours upon hours of play and countless losses, I learned to make more than one gateway, mine vespene gas early, upgrade, and slowly my record began to improve. I remember being surprised that each of the three races were equally powerful and that I had an equal chance of victory with any of them. Whenever I had an hour of freetime, or even if I had homework to do, I would play Starcraft. Even after several years the multiplayer was still fun and challenging. As I grew older and became busier I played less and less and now I only get a game in every couple of weeks.
However, the possibility of an imminent Starcraft 2 announcement interests me. I really, really want it to be an exceptional game if and when it comes out. Starcraft is a tough act to follow, but if any team is capable of creating a new masterpiece, its Blizzard.
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(This comment agrees with the original post and adds additional reasoning. I agree with this, and believe that Gates is trying to steal the thunder of Nintendo.)