Cheerful Ghost: An Awesome Community For Gamers

Summer Games Done Quick 2016 Wrap Up & Favorite Runs

While it was happening there weren't many moments where I didn't have Summer Games Done Quick playing in the background on the TV. Watching people speedrun games is a nice thing to do when you are caring for an infant and since it was going all day long, if I had to be up at 3am I could turn it on. There were so many incredible runs but I wanted to showcase a couple I liked the most.

Wolfenstein: The New Order

Blood_Thunder did a particularlly impressive speedrun of Wolfenstein: The New Order linked above. This one features a very fun prank he pulled on the audience and SGDQ itself which was hilarious to experience live. I also donated during this stream so watch it for... Read All

Battle of the NOT Mega Man games

Here's a fun look at 2 games Mighty No. 9 and 20XX

I used to love the Mega Man games, so it was fun seeing both of these *not* Mega Man games side by side and discussed.

jdodson Admin wrote on 07/17/2016 at 12:45pm

I'm still interested in playing Mighty No. 9 and maybe picking it up in a steam sale or bundle. I wonder if they will make another one?

scrypt Supporter wrote on 07/18/2016 at 03:27pm

This is a great video, not just for the comparison between the non-Mega Man games and their spiritual predecessor, but also in showing some of the troublesome nuances with Kickstarter projects and games that are Early Access. While Mighty No. 9 seems to have elements of bait-and-switch (and suffering from it), 20XX is snowballing in a more positive direction. Jack's perspective of what Kickstarter is, and how supporting projects on that platform should be approached, is spot on. It doesn't excuse tricking people into giving you money, but I get the impression that too many people (i.e. backers) view Kickstarter as a sales portal, rather than an investment portal. Contrasting that, with Early Access games, especially on Steam, there are significant warnings about what you are getting, and how it will undoubtedly change over the course of development. During that time, though, you have a thing to play, and test, and submit feedback on. You're paying the devs to beta, or alpha, test their game.

I'm not a huge fan of Mega Man. I forgot which ones I played (probably the first two), though I remember enjoying them well enough. The idea of 20XX, with it's procedural levels and roguelike play, sounds more appealing than Mighty No. 9, but I'll wait until 20XX is more polished, or finished for that matter.

jdodson Admin wrote on 07/19/2016 at 07:46pm

> I get the impression that too many people (i.e. backers) view Kickstarter as a sales portal, rather than an investment portal.

I'd say it's more like a pre-order system where you invest your money expecting the return to be the thing you put money into supporting. I know projects that simply drop a Kickstarter to handle an initial marketing push and it's not as much about money as it is about marketing and getting the word out.

jdodson Admin wrote on 07/19/2016 at 07:47pm

That said, money is an important aspect of Kickstarter for sure, it's just that maybe more than it's a huge marketing tool and place to find an audience for your game.

scrypt Supporter wrote on 07/20/2016 at 02:15am

...expecting the return to be the thing you put money into supporting.

That thing that you are supporting, though, could change drastically, or not get delivered (*9% of successful Kickstarter projects fail to deliver rewards) . That's the difference.

"We want everyone to understand exactly how Kickstarter works — that it’s not a store, and that amid creativity and innovation there is risk and failure." * https://www.kickstarter.com/fulfillment

I don't know. I don't see Kickstarter as a marketing tool, per se. In fact, it seems that projects that succeed have the bulk of their audience before coming to Kickstarter. Maybe it's the summation of a marketing push, but not the start of it. I'm sure you could use Kickstarter however you want, and people do, as you've said, but they are the outliers. The primary motivator for initiating a Kickstarter project is to get funds. That's the core of the service. If your main reason for being there is to build an audience, I think you might be using it wrong. There are probably more practical (and efficient) ways to do that than with a fundraiser (Facebook, mailing lists, etc.). Otherwise, you're kinda putting the cart before the horse.

jdodson Admin wrote on 07/20/2016 at 03:32am

Well, I don't support games on Kickstarter because more than half haven't shipped yet and some may not at all. Or way way later than anyone thought.

And I agree that the primary motive seems to be funding. That said, it's still a big way to get an audience you wouldn't have otherwise. The methods you mention work when you have people, but how do you go get them in the first place?

Its hard if your nobody and Kickstarter had lots of eyeballs to that helps a lot. The money more so.

jdodson Admin wrote on 07/20/2016 at 03:33am

I guess I should clarify, I don't back games or do early access at all anymore. I'd rather play the final thing.

scrypt Supporter wrote on 07/20/2016 at 03:28pm

The methods you mention work when you have people, but how do you go get them in the first place?

This might be subjective, but all the research I've done (I'm interested in potentially using Kickstarter for my own project) points to building awareness first through social media hubs, personal email campaigns (mailing lists), basic advertising, and so on. Campaign for your project first, then go to crowdfunding. You want people to know what you're about before asking them for money. Building toward a Kickstarter campaign months in advance gives your fans something to look forward to, and that anticipation can perpetuate interest in your project, so that, when the time comes, they have allocated funds and are prepared to invest. Exposing an audience to your project for the first time through Kickstarter, on the other hand, gives them a deadline to invest (While this was initially successful for Comcept with Mighty No. 9, it ultimately lead to buyers remorse with a lot of backers). They may stumble upon it half-way, at which point they only have 15 days or so to decide whether or not they want to support you. Then they start looking through other projects on Kickstarter to see if their money might be better invested on another project (one that is a little more polished, is closer to funding, etc). They have no preexisting interest in your thing, so they face little resistance when clicking over to another page. That's not to say that people won't find you and support you during the fundraising, but I think building steam to that end will yield a much more successful campaign.

jdodson Admin wrote on 07/20/2016 at 03:38pm

> I think building steam to that end will yield a much more successful campaign.

I agree it does, but in starting from zero, unless you do something I haven't figured out, your starting follower levels are very small and that ticks up over time really slowly. If you find something that grows that more, let me know! Having a platform like Kickstarter can really increase that level considerably, at least in terms of Wick with Starship Rubicon and other Indie games around Portland. In most of the cases I know of they went from obscurity to an actual audience and i've had conversations with local developers that have said Kickstarter is more of a marketing platform than a funding one. That's all entirely subjective experience to be sure, but it's something.

That said, i've seen some very ineffective Kickstarter campaigns that didn't do well at all and starting with some kind of following really does help a lot.

I guess really my point is, in starting from zero, in most cases Kickstarter if effective will net you more of an audience you'd get otherwise due to things i've seen and heard from the local scene. Again, subjective experience but it seems useful.

jdodson Admin wrote on 07/20/2016 at 03:47pm

Again, not saying funding isn't very important in most cases, just that the marketing part of Kickstarter and having it build your audience is huge.

Wick wrote on 07/20/2016 at 05:29pm

The picture I've started to see is that the internet isn't a big homogeneous mess that you can just "market" to -- it seems like it's more of a big ol' venn diagram of different communities. Ignoring "viral" effects where people share it to different circles themselves, you yourself can push to reach one circle of people through kickstarter. If your project is small enough, that very well could be enough (e.g. my Rubicon campaign). Setting your sights higher requires you to reach more circles (through social media, forums, etc) or increase the percentage of people reached who end up backing (by making your project better: http://bit.ly/ryan_clark_design).
Scrypt, I think you're right in saying there are pros and cons to trying to build an audience before launch versus after. I like your breakdown of both.

jdodson Admin wrote on 07/20/2016 at 05:37pm

Yeah, right good point.

scrypt Supporter wrote on 07/20/2016 at 10:22pm

That's a really interesting article, Wick. Thanks for sharing.

It's certainly nice to be able to read cautionary tales, without having to go through the process. I appreciate the input :).

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So You Want a $60 NES Remake? This Is For You.

http://media.nintendo.com/nintendo/bin/rvaGP1R78V5tN2-ig3qnxUlroQyOVrLC/MPjZT3HGVICYbOecOb7k_h9bqvPd0j7j.jpg

Nintendo is launching a NES reboot that will embed 30 classic games into one small new system. It will ship with one controller but supports up to two of them using a few options.

"You can even enjoy playing several of these games with two players by attaching a second NES Classic Controller, which will be sold separately at a suggested retail price of $9.99. A Classic Controller or Classic Controller Pro can also be used (each sold separately)."

The NES Classic also connects to your TV over HDMI which is great considering most of these old system-in-one remakes usually ship with the old analog video ports making them not work on newer TV's and also look bad.

“We wanted... Read All

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 07/15/2016 at 07:57am

Wow, Jon, I just saw this news and thought about reporting it here. You're good, man!

I don't know if I'll bite on this, but it does look interesting. There are some games listed that I'm interested in playing again, especially Dr. Mario and the Super Mario Bros. games. As for the Zelda games, I have those for the Gamecube, they came on a pre-order bonus disc I got for Zelda: Wind Waker. I haven't tried playing any of these games on the Virtual Console. Still, it seems interesting. I guess I'll just wait and see. I don't like the idea that these are the only games that the system will play, but I do like the idea that it will connect to your TV with an HDMI cable.

Here's the article I found:
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/nintendos-nes-returning-with-mini-version-includes/1100-6441801/

Travis Admin wrote on 07/15/2016 at 11:25am

I'm torn on this. I like the idea of it but at the same time I currently have two NES consoles hooked up, and I already own most of these games.

At the same time, I still kinda want it. For one, the cool factor. For two, those old consoles won't last forever.

I wonder if sometimes when you boot up the games they'll randomly blink blue/black to simulate the experience of the real deal? :D

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 07/15/2016 at 02:10pm

I'm pretty sure this is metaphorically already under my Christmas tree. I showed it to my wife yesterday and she seemed pretty excited about it too :)

scrypt Supporter wrote on 07/15/2016 at 02:33pm

Such a great lineup of games, too. With HDMI connectivity built in, this is very appealing. I love that it's priced the same as a standard new game. You could get the new Call of Duty, or a nice collection of gaming history!

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 07/15/2016 at 03:25pm

At first I was down for this, then I went through the list and saw that all but two of the games are already on the Wii U virtual console. The two that aren't are available on the wii virtual console. Given that, I think I will hold off, unless this can do something that virtual console can't.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 07/16/2016 at 12:32am

They are available there but they cost more if you buy them that way. This is a pretty good discount with the addition of a system included.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 07/16/2016 at 03:59am

Here are some extra details if you're interested, including that it has no Internet connectivity, no external storage, no additional games (other than the ones listed), and the drive bay does not open. It also begs the question of whether or not we'll see a similar product for the SNES and N64.
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/nintendo-nes-mini-cant-connect-to-internet-wont-ge/1100-6441840/

Travis Admin wrote on 07/16/2016 at 04:02am

Yeah... that's all true but people will still figure out how to hack it and put more stuff on it.

I imagine there's a small computer in there comparable to the raspberry pi, but definitely not compatible with it, that runs an emulator with the same kinds of roms we have been using for years.

And sure, there'll be encryption on them, but we're talking about nerds here. Someone will find a way around it and figure out how to get more stuff on it.

I half expect a kind of gray-market situation like the R4 and CycloDS for the Nintendo DS, where you can buy something and with a little modification, maybe soldering, play whatever you want on it.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 07/16/2016 at 04:10pm

Travis: I hope so.

Greg: SNES and 64 remakes? I'd love that.

scrypt Supporter wrote on 07/16/2016 at 07:14pm

A pocket SNES with 30+ games on it, similar to this device?! Yes, please!

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Watch Someone Play The Whole Half-Life 2 Beta

Quite a few years ago, before Half-Life 2 launched, someone hacked into Valve's systems and stole the source code for Half-Life 2 and leaked a copy online. Gabe took to the Internet and asked for help in tracking down those responsible and later with the help of the FBI the hacker was caught. I recently watched a video that shows off the Half-Life 2 beta and it's a complete run through of the game at that point from start to finish. As you can see the story is a bit different as is the gameplay and art. It's interesting to see Half-Life 2 in such an early form compared to what it was when it launched(the final version being much better in my opinion).

... Read All

Morgl the Oracle Hero Comes To Hearthstone If You Can Get a Friend To Play

Today Blizzard dropped a new Hearthstone update that added a cool new Shaman hero, Morgl The Oracle. Morgl is available to earn in game if you refer a friend to Hearthsone and they make it to level 20. After you earn Morgl and have more friends sign up you can get a free pack for four more friends.

It's a cool new system and the new hero looks really fun so if you have been thinking about trying Hearthstone hit the link below and you will get an extra free pack when you sign up!

https://battle.net/recruit/7LRFP7JLGW?blzcmp=raf-hs&s=HS&m=web

You can read the full set of patch notes below:

... Read All

Try These Two Cheap Hearthstone Warrior Decks

If you're like me you play Hearthstone but are free to play or don't spend much therefore you don't have every card. This means you need to work within a constrained gold(what you earn from dailies) and dust budget. This isn't too bad, but at times can seem like you don't have options to play with fun decks but recently I've found two decks that are really good and can be created fairly easily. The first decknis called "Disneyland Warrior" and is featured in the Kripparian video above. It's essentially a Zoo deck that only contains Warrior commons. Like many Zoo decks, this decks works becase you can keep pumping out cheap minions on curve to win. It's one of the only... Read All

Pokémon Go May Be A Significantly Important Game

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/2sj2iQyBTQs/maxresdefault.jpg

I'm sure you've all heard about Pokémon Go by now. It's the mobile game that has you going out into the world to find Pokémon.

It's pretty fun. At it's heart, it's mostly all about catching them all, less about the RPG elements of the main games of the series. If you like geocaching, this is right up your alley, it's just Pokémon you're finding instead of muddy containers. If you played Ingress you'll feel right at home. It's made by the same developers, Niantic, and all the points of interest in Pokémon Go are the same. They already had all this map data, so why recreate it right?

I managed to get up to level 6 without even leaving my apartment. This area is But alas,... Read All I'm sure you've all heard about Pokémon Go by now. It's the mobile game that has you going out into the world to find Pokémon.

It's pretty fun. At it's heart, it's mostly all about catching them all, less about the RPG elements of the main games of the series. If you like geocaching, this is right up your alley, it's just Pokémon you're finding instead of muddy containers. If you played Ingress you'll feel right at home. It's made by the same developers, Niantic, and all the points of interest in Pokémon Go are the same. They already had all this map data, so why recreate it right?

I managed to get up to level 6 without even leaving my apartment. This area is But alas, I ran out of Pokéballs. To get more, you either have to pay for coins to buy more, or go out to Pokéstops. As it turns out, I needed to run some errands today so I decided to add some stops to my trip.

Now, the title of my post was not about how fun the game is, it's about how important it is. And this is where the importance comes in.

I noticed the mall next to the store I was in had three Pokéstops and someone had used a lure to get rare Pokémon to come around. There was a little lounge area in the mall where you could reach two stops and the lure, and there were thirty people or so all gathered around chatting and getting items. Pokéstops reset every few minutes, so between resets people would walk around the mall, getting in steps to help hatch their Pokémon eggs (incubators require you to walk a certain distance to hatch eggs).

Even discounting this experience, I saw dozens of people walking around with their phones out, talking with people. A friend of mine has even made some new friends by running into groups of people playing.

So, this is important for two reasons:

First, ARGs like this have never caught on to this extent. There were a lot of Ingress players, but this is orders of magnitude higher. This seems to be the game where ARGs become an established genre.

Second, this finally fulfills the Pokémon Company's goal. For years, each new game has gotten more and more social, and more and more active. There was a step counter for one game set that let you level up your Pokémon by walking around (or attaching the step counter to your dog's collar). Finally, a Pokémon game is bringing together massive groups of people and getting people active.

I'd encourage anyone with a smartphone or tablet to check this out. Smartphones would be worlds better, because you really need a data connection for it, and unless your tablet has mobile data, the areas you can play are very limited.

And even if you haven't played Pokémon games in the past, don't let that stop you. This really requires no experience with previous games, and doesn't even play like previous games.

And join the Blue Team! :D

scrypt Supporter wrote on 07/11/2016 at 08:51pm

Go, Blue Team!

The social stimulation of Pokemon Go is one of the most interesting things about it. The gyms that I've come across, so far, have all been at restaurants, malls, and even the local YMCA, all places obviously designed for mingling with friends. As you say, Travis, they're now, all of a sudden, places for spontaneous nerd hangouts. It seems that competition, even though it's there, is largely downplayed, which seems like a good thing.

I haven't done any official mingling, yet. Most of my hunting is on my daily routes. One of the cooler features, is the window in the bottom right of the map screen, which shows what Pokemon are near you at the time. If you haven't discovered one of those, it will show up as a greyed out silhouette. I recognized one of those silhouettes as a Bulbasaur. Of course, this was at 11pm, and all I was intending to do in the game at that point was go through my backpack and transfer unwanted multiples to the Professor. I really wanted that Bulbasaur. I got up, got in my car, and drove around the neighborhood until I found him. It took a few attempts to finally catch him, but I'm really glad I did, otherwise I probably wouldn't have slept that night.

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 07/11/2016 at 09:51pm

I completely agree. I can't believe how many people I'm seeing walking around, hunting Pokemon. I've never played a Pokemon game before, but last week when I heard the term "augmented reality," I had to check it out (I downloaded it on Wednesday, when it was only available in Australia and New Zealand, so I take pride in everyone following my lead)

It took a couple days to figure out exactly what to do, but I'm learning as I go. It's been a lot of fun to hang out with friends and all collect together.

And it looks like the Westboro Baptist Church is getting trolled through PG, so that's awesome :)

jdodson Admin wrote on 07/12/2016 at 04:35am

I see kids in my area out collecting Pokemon and some adults too. One kid was really into it and that was really nice to see. It hasn't caught me yet, but from your description I really want to head out and try it when I get some time.

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 07/12/2016 at 05:11pm

Here's the thing-- I estimate I've seen about 130-150 people playing it, and that's not an exaggeration. But I've only seen one or two kids. That kinda surprised me.

scrypt Supporter wrote on 07/12/2016 at 05:30pm

I know (assume) a lot of kids these days have smartphones, but I don't know how many parents would allow traipsing about the countryside, bumping into strangers who could possibly suggest going "on an adventure together." Of course, when I think kids, I'm thinking pre-teen.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 07/15/2016 at 07:52am

My son and I are big fans of Pokemon, but since we don't have smartphones, we haven't jumped into the latest Pokemon Go craze. However, I did find an interesting article about what our Presidential candidates think about it. The Hillary Clinton camp is actually going to host an event.

http://www.gamespot.com/articles/hillary-clinton-wants-you-to-play-pokemon-go-trump/1100-6441828/

AutoCat1000 wrote on 07/15/2016 at 09:39pm

Yeah, I personally find it fascinating how the internet is reacting to Pokemon Go. If you haven't already heard, the three teams are Team Instinct (yellow), Team Valor (red), and Team Mystic (blue). Since the game is divided into teams, people online are taking it to some serious measures.

Someone wrote "Team Mystic" to deface a sign. You can see it (and the awesome people who cleaned it up) here: http://imgur.com/gallery/pXrYz

It's also interesting to see that Nintendo's stocks went up, what, $7.5 billion?

Overall I'm very glad that Pokemon go has inspired so many to get out of the house and meet people and have fun.

And yes, you should TOTALLY join Team Mystic!

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 07/15/2016 at 09:47pm

Team Mystic FTW

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 07/15/2016 at 10:16pm

I wish I could play. I'd definitely be Team Mystic! I often choose the Water type starters, just because I love that they're usually blue. Haha

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 07/16/2016 at 03:59am

I swear if Trump dressed up in an all blue suit you'd love him :D

Or alternatively you'd switch to a different favorite color!

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 07/16/2016 at 05:59am

Hahaha I'd love the suit, not him. I have no love for him. He's not on the blue team. :)

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Watch 64 Floppy Drives Play The Star Wars Main Theme

The Floppotron is an impressive creation built from hacked floppy drives and other old PC hardware to create musical tones and then made to work together to recreate the Star Wars main theme.

Can General Solo get these people a medal?

"How does it work? The principle is simple. Every device with an electric motor is able to generate a sound. Scanners and floppy drives use stepper motors to move the head with sensors which scans the image or performs read/write operations on a magnetic disk. The sound generated by a motor depends on driving speed. The higher the frequency, the greater the pitch. Hard disks use a magnet and a coil to tilt the head. When voltage is... Read All

We Finally Have A Good Picture Of What Happened To StarCraft: Ghost

http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/starcraft/images/0/0d/SC-G_Logo1.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20080508203154

Polygon has a really great article that covers the history of the infamous Blizzard game StarCraft: Ghost. Ghost was a game that was aimed at consoles and featured stealth gameplay starring the Ghost character Nova. I remember hearing quite a big of buzz about the game and as with many upcoming Blizzard games, I was really interested in playing it. Eventually Blizzard stopped talking about the game entirely and then we found out the game wasn't in active development but never properly cancelled. Up until now we didn't know much as to why the game was scrapped but Polygon has a very well written article that covers the story of Ghost from conception to it changing... Read All

Mighty No. 9 Stands Trial In The Latest Episode Of Innocent Until Proven Guilty

Recently Mighty No. 9 launched to very mixed reviews. Some Kickstarter backers didn't get the correct game codes for the platforms they pledged to and many more experienced some unfortunate game glitches at launch. In one of his latest videos, Cygnus Destroyer runs Mighty No. 9 through the Innocent and Proven Guilty courtroom and I found his verdict fair. As a fan of the original Mega Man series I had high hopes for Mighty No. 9 but I had mixed feelings about picking it up until I saw this video.