jdodson1

Joined 01/23/2012
  Admin

I'm an Engineer and built the video game community Cheerful Ghost and text based mini-MMO Tale of the White Wyvern.

2746 Posts

Hearthstone Enters Open Beta And You Need To Check it Out!
http://i.imgur.com/euhfWQ9.jpg
"The wait is over: The Hearthstone Open Beta Test is now live in North America! If you haven’t joined in on all of the crazy card-slinging action yet, now is your chance! Pull up a chair and prepare to start casting powerful spells, summoning mighty minions, and dueling your friends in a fast-paced strategy card game for everyone."

Hearthstone is one of the best unsung new games of 2013. Blizzard took the collectable card format popularized by games like Magic: The Gathering and tossed in some love to make a very accessible, fun and rich game. Oh righ and did I mention that the game costs you nothing?

Hearthstone is one of those great pickup and play games where you can play a game in under 20 minutes. Now that the game has entered open beta you should really try it.

http://us.battle.net/hearthstone/en/blog/12440010

Stardew Valley Update: Relationships, Arcades and More!
http://i.imgur.com/drRvM2E.jpg
Stardew Valley is one of the games I am very excited about launching this year. ConcernedApe pushed the release from 2013 to 2014 and considering how big the game has become, it makes sense that happened. I appreciate that Stardew Valley isn't a game that focuses on a cosmic struggle of good and evil that spans the universe and instead is a more simple country life game focusing on growing crops and hanging out with your neighbors. I also appreciate the attention ConcernedApe is paying to the relationship "quest lines" and story. Many games tack on relationships but they are so ham-fisted and trite they aren't that compelling as great game elements.

"There are 10 “eligible” characters in the game, 5 females and 5 males (Yes, same-sex marriage/relationships are allowed!). Each one has at least 5 “events” which you’ll encounter as your relationship with the character progresses. Most of the events include conversations in which you can choose between different dialogue options. Sometimes the option you choose will affect how the rest of the event plays out. In addition to conversation options, you’ll sometimes be given a choice between multiple courses of action, which always has an effect on how the event plays out. Sometimes, choices you make in events will affect what characters end up doing in the future. Characters that you can’t marry also have these event cutscenes, but typically not as many.

I’ve been carefully going through every one of these events, adding or rewriting dialogue, new animations, props, cameo characters, settings, storylines, graphical cutscenes, sounds, music, and more! I also added a lot more cases where your choices affect how the rest of the event plays out. Additionally… while working on these events, if I encounter anything else in the game I am unhappy with I typically take a small detour and fix that as well."

Stardew Valley is a game that will primarily launch on Windows but there is some good news for Mac and Linux users as ConcernedApe has mentioned a possible Linux and Mac port of the game.

http://stardewvalley.net/dev-update-14

Why Data Caps Are Problematic for Our Digital Lifestyles
The video showcased above it titled "Why Comcast's 300GB Data Cap is Bad for Gaming" and the subtext is "An explanation of how Comcast's 300GB data cap is bad for me, you, and pretty much everyone else in the whole wide world."

A few things before I talk about data caps. First off, the video creator notes that Comcast(the ISP in question) mentions that the majority of it's user base doesn't go over 20G of monthly data. So the assertion that a data cap is bad for everyone seems a bit off. That said, the overall concept of the video is correct, data caps are not a good thing and I do want them to go away.

I haven't paid for cable TV ever and don't plan to so having a large truck-load of fast Internet is a great thing. I stream video, download games and music and play multiplayer games and all that is getting trickier with a 300GB Internet data cap. I imagine my bandwidth usage will only increase over time and I hope the caps increase with it.

Upcoming Starbound Patch Will Be Final Character Wipe
http://playstarbound.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Screenshot-2014-01-13-21.13.23.png
"Of course, there’s also the highly anticipated/possibly feared final character wipe– this patch contains a fix for save files so after this, you won’t need to worry about our patches destroying your characters or ships. This patch will wipe everything– characters, ships and worlds. It will definitely be the last time we’ll need to wipe characters or ships, and will hopefully be the last time we’ll need to wipe worlds."

Awesome bit of news. I really enjoy Starbound but don't like to have my character or ship wiped. That said this will be the last character wipe but there is also a possibility this will be the last planet wipe.

After the update are you going to dive in to the game or will you be waiting a bit longer?

http://playstarbound.com/info-about-the-upcoming-patch/

Rain World Kickstarts It's Way To Slugcat Survival
Back this on Kickstarter!
"Rain World is set in an abandoned industrial environment scourged by a shattered eco-system. Bone-crushing intense rain pounds the surface regularly, making life as we know it almost impossible. The creatures in this world hibernate most of the time, but in the few brief dry periods they go out searching for food.

You are a lonely nomadic slugcat, both predator and prey in this land. You must hunt enough food to survive another cycle of hibernation. Other - bigger - creatures have the same plan."

Rain World is a very interesting new Kickstarter project featuring Slugcat. I really appreciate the game score, visuals and overall tone of bleak world. Plus, you know, Slugcats are pretty awesome too.

The game just tipped over it's funding goal but if you want to see this game be made even more awesome, check it out on Kickstarter. Rain World is planning on shipoung on Windows, Mac and possibly Linux sometime this December.

Pulp Fiction In 8-Bit
If you have seen the Pulp Fiction film I recommend you watch the video above. Fun to see how the game might play out on the NES. I particularly liked how it went to a Dance, Dance Revolution type game with the club dancing scene. My only quip with the video is that Dick Dale's "Misirlou" doesn't really translate well to 8-bit.

Steam Controller Drops the Touchscreen For Physical Buttons
http://i.imgur.com/JNQoJBf.jpg
According a few developer attendees at Valve's Developer Days Conference the new Steam Controller is dropping the touch screen in favor of physical buttons. From the image it looks like a standard D-pad layout and ABXY layout.

I know touch is the new craze but the physical buttons seem like a good move. What do you think, do you like the new buttons or would you prefer a touchscreen?

http://www.engadget.com/2014/01/15/steam-controller-changes/

**addition**

Looks like Steam Machines will also support up to 16 controllers. Too bad, I was looking forward to 32 player game parties. Oh well.

http://venturebeat.com/2014/01/15/steam-controllers-support-16-simultaneous-connections-for-multipalyer-gaming/

Broken Age Part 1 Drops Early For Double Fine Backers
If you were a backer of the Double Fine Adventure or took part in a Double Fine Bundle that helped fund Broken Age, today you received your early access key. Double Fine has also released two trailers showing off the main characters from Broken Age. Broken Age intertwines these characters story and I can't wait to play the game and see how well they pull it off.

You should also watch Vela's trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuCErygUS_g&feature=share&list=UUQMxCuhm25CUS9MZKjZ2ihQ

Double Fine will release the concluding chapter of Broken Age later this year for everyone that purchases the game. Like all other Double Fine games, Broken Age is available on Mac, Windows and Linux.

Cowboys Vs Monsters: An Upcoming RTS Set in the Old West
Cowboys Vs Monsters is a really cool looking Indie RTS featuring... Cowboys. Still early in development, the game shows a ton of promise and I can't wait to get my hands on it. Not a ton of details have been released about the game so far, but from the video shown it looks very reminiscent of the Command and Conquer Red Alert with... Cowboys.

I am sure we can all expect a PC release and from the development blog it looks like it is running on an Android tablet as well. Wish them well and hope this game is playable in some form in 2014!

http://cowboysvsmonsters.tumblr.com/

Game/Show: Why Hasn't There Been Another Minecraft?
"We all know that Minecraft is huge! The overwhelming success of Minecraft undoubtedly surprised a lot of people given it's lo-fi graphics, fully open environment, and goal-less play. Yet, it has sold 33 million copies, and it's not just individual players who love it: it's in schools, and even the UN! The game's distinct qualities have made it a massive hit and critical darling, so you'd think it would have spawned tons of imitators. But it hasn't and we wondered why? Maybe the reason is that Minecraft isn't just a new game, but an actual paradigm-shifting invention!! Is this the case?"

As always a great video from Game/Show to start off 2014, that said I take a few points with it. First off Jamin doesn't seem to note Terraria, Starbound or Don't Starve as games that have come out post Minecraft. They also doesn't note games like Minetest that look to completely re-create Minecraft as free software.

If you look at the amount of games that have come after Minecraft, there is a clear trend to many of the elements that make Minecraft what it is. Survival and monsters coming out a night is being covered by Rust, Fortnite and Don't Starve. There are few new games where crafting and mining are the focus such as Starbound, Everquest Next and Steamworld Dig.

I sort of disagree with Jamin on this video as Minecraft has spawned many "Minecrafty" games as well as influenced other games core mechanics. Maybe none of them are as financially successful as Mojang's classic, but the genre is firmly established.