A Brief Respite

I'm taking my leave for the holidays, so the next update will be in a few weeks. Hopefully by then, I can do a post on the series that inspired the look of the blog.

Hopefully...



THIS will be out.

Warframe Guide: How does one "Git gud?"

I've decided to do a new series on guides for certain games that have levels of meta-gaming so intricate, the Minotaur couldn't navigate them. And to begin, I'm starting with my favorite time-sink/abyss-that-makes-it-so-that-I-don't-have-a-life-anymore, Warframe!

To begin, the titular machines, the Warframes

Note: This guide requires at least some time in Warframe and at minimum a VERY basic understanding of the game's systems, such as movement, shooting, and melee attacks. If you are confused on any of these, you can check the wiki for further info. The most confused you will be is when you hear me refer to 'Bullet Jumping" and wall climbing and clinging. Also, there will be NO talk of any potential spoilers to the game's plot. You'll know what I mean if you get there. 

Firstly, context. Warframe has a system of customization that relies on the usage of items called mods. Your weapons, Warframes, and companions have a number of mod slots, limiting the number of mods you can gather. As you level the equipment by running missions, you gain mod capacity, which installing mods takes up. Certain mod slots have polarity, which halves a mod's capacity cost if the polarity matches. You can alter a mod slots polarity with Forma. There are also special "Aura" and "Exilus" and "Corrupted" mods, which I'll explain as we go on.

Strap yourselves in boys and girls, and get ready for Mr. Toads Wild Ride.

• Your warframe has three forms of health: Shields, Armor, and Health. 
• Shields, when you are damaged, get hit first. These can't soak too much damage, but regenerate after a 3 second interval. Your more fragile warframes will rely more on these than the tankier ones, as they shouldn't be taking too much damage too often, and have time to regen their shields. There are mods that increase this regen rate, but it's also important to know that your shields regenerate based on a percentage of their total. The more shields you have, the more each tick of recharging, well, recharges. Got that? Good. The next part should be easier. 
• Armor and Health work hand in hand. Health provides the actual number of points you have before you get turned into paste on the wall, whereas armor makes that health better, as so that you become dead less quickly. Effective health is difficult to calculate, but know that 300 armor will lead to you taking half damage. The exact calculation is on the wiki, so if you want, you can find it there. Tankier warframes rely on this stuff, so get it up quick.
• Next up, you need to know how your warframe's abilities. Certain warframes abilities will have certain purposes, such as making your warframe tankier, stunning or otherwise incapcitating foes, dealing raw damage, self buffing, and supporting squadmates. In order to make the most of these you need to understand four stats: Strength, Efficiency, Range, and Duration.
• Strength will increase the potency of your abilities. In essence, it will give bigger numbers. Those numbers include damage numbers, how powerful your buffs are, or how powerful you're debuffs are. Some abilities are not affected by Power Strength.
• Efficiency will make abilities cost less energy, and will affect every ability
• Range extends the range of your abilities. Some abilities, such as self buffs, are not affected by Range.
• Duration makes things last longer, and makes powers with constant energy drain drain less energy per second. Some abilities are not effected by Duration.
• The best way to up these four stats is Corrupted mods, which you can get from running vault runs, which requires a Orokin Derelict Key, which you get the blueprint of from the market. You will also need a Vault Key, of which there are four variants, and are obtainable from a clan Dojo. You can only equip one, and vaults require one of the variants, so you will need to work in a team, with each member having one variant. Also, each variant puts a debuff on you.
• Got all that?
• Good.
• Corrupted mods up one stat and reduce another. 
• Comparatively simple, no?
• That will form the base of your modding experience. There are two more details you need to know
• Aura mods can only be put in Aura mod slots. They provide team wide buffs
• Exilus mods give miscellaneous benefits, usually increasing mobility or giving you a radar or making you a better hacker. These can be put in any slot or an Exilus mod slot, which requires a Exilus adapter upgrade for your Warframe.

There. That's modding. But it isn't building. Building involves Forma, which, if you were paying attention earlier, alters mod polarity. In order to build your Warframe, you Forma appropriately to fit in the best mods for your build in the limited amount of mod capacity you have. 

And that's it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go sleep until next year.

Byeeeeeeeeeee *dies*

Nintendo Switch Breakdown(Pt.2): Nintendo and Innovating Consoles

Last time, I talked about how Nintendo's new Switch made such a splash. This time, I'm talking about how the Switch came about, the nature of Nintendo as a company, and about how reinventing the wheel can cause a fundamental change in an industry.

Nintendo has always been a strange company. They have a very, shall we say, unique way of innovating. Rather than innovating their games constantly and simply upgrading their consoles to be more powerful, Nintendo has always tried to reinvent the wheel and innovate their consoles constantly while their games have been lacking in new ideas, usually relying on cheesy gimmicks. This strategy has, as anyone who pays attention to the gaming industry knows, been rather hit and miss. The Wii had hit home particularly hard, especially with grandma, who, despite you telling her at least a thousand times, can't differentiate between R1 and R2. And between the square and x buttons. And just left and right in general. So motion controls were useful for her. The Wii U on the other hand, well...

That crashed so hard it made that Great Depression-level stock market crash that that astronaut saw as he was exiting out of orbit way too fast as all his systems blue-screen look like a rock dropped from shoulder height.

Too much? Too- OK it was too much. But it's true! That thing was a tablet I watched Netflix on and that's about it.

The Switch is the culmination of years of learning through this method. But one important lesson they learned was that, frankly, you NEED those innovative games. The Switch marked the return of Nintendo as a gaming giant, not only by merit of their console making, but also the sheer number of fun and innovative games that they have hammered into that console. But at the same time, the Switch made those games all the better by making them mobile. This combination is what blew the competition out of the water. And might come close to conquering the Steam sales as for wallet destruction.

HA. Kidding.

The Waiting Game

The finale of the 2 part article on the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo itself is going to be put off a week. As to prevent roving bands of pitchfork enabled hate, here's some music that seemed appropriate

For ironic reasons.

Nintendo Switch Breakdown: How Nintendo Mixes Home Consoles with Handhelds

Nintendo's new Switch has seen itself some incredible sales. After just one quarter(April through June 2017), the Switch, despite it's somewhat soft launch, managed 4.7 million shipments. And I think I've found out why. It's not obvious, especially with the console's launch titles being primarily singleplayer. Spoiler: It's not that satisfying click. It's because of how it mixes the benefits of a handheld console and a home console. Specifically, how you can take multiplayer on the go.

I figured this out while playing the demo(yes demo, I'm dirt poor) of Rayman Legends: Definitive Edition. You can play with another person, either in a co-operative fashion or in a small one on one to two on two game of soccer(or football for those of you in the sane countries). The first thing that popped in my mind was, "this would be fun to bring to school and play with others."

And then I realized that I could.

The thing is that there are three main reasons buying a home console over a handheld: the increase in performance, the TV screen, and the ability for multiple people to play on one console. That last on is the most important. The ability for multiple people to play on a single console, while on the go? That blends together both of some of the most important parts of both the handhelds and consoles. Bringing this thing to a party means that multiple people can play at once without any setup.

This is how you innovate a console, Nintendo. In fact, I should probably talk about how Nintendo innovates it's consoles.

Rant: Paid Loot Boxes. F*ck 'em.

For those of you who got the reference of the relation operand commonly used in Java as to express "not equal to," well done to you! However, if you're new here and came because of the coding joke, go read something else on the blog.

'Cause today I get angry.

For those of you who haven't been following recent gaming news, loot boxes are becoming more and more prominent in video games. Which usually isn't a problem, until I rectify my original statement which was incorrect as to build for a more dramatic effect: they're paid for. That's right kiddos; you pay you 60 dollars for your video game and then get to keep spending money to get a box that will randomly get you loot that you may or may not have wanted or already had. *Excessive and Angry Sigh*

I don't like this practice(If you couldn't tell). But the ESRB is fine with it apparently. They said in an email to Kotaku that the "ESRB does not consider loot boxes to be gambling." It's profoundly frustrating, but there's little to be done about it. Gambling is a legally defined thing, and expanding that definition within the ESRB could lead to lawsuits directed at it. However, there should be something done about this.

The nature of loot boxes are simply predatory, nothing more. But the lack of outrage is something I find worrying. The reason it should worry you is that it severely affects a game's pacing. Just like writing a book, designing a game requires attention to detail: everything must be looked at. A such, a developer who wants to input some form of a loot box system can simply tweak the pacing of the game to be a little slower so that more people are more tempted to buy loot boxes. So even if you are committed to not buying a single loot box, your game is now left, purposefully, flawed as to get you to pay more money.

There are plenty more people who can tell you a but-tonne more information about this subject, such as Totalbiscuit or Jim Sterling, but I figure that I'd give my own two cents as well. And to any readers of this-

Boycott these games. Seriously. If the practice becomes unprofitable, the developers will stop doing it. The GTA modding scandal, where thousands of players of GTA 5 gave the game bad reviews on steam as to lower it's overall score due to the producers throwing out a popular modding addon to, is proof that consumers can speak with their wallet. And no, you can't "just not buy the microtransactions." You have to make it so they lose your business. Otherwise it will still be profitable to them.

And they'll keep doing it.

Review: Overgrowth: 9 Years in the Making

I can still remember this brutal bunny brawler (mmm, alliteration) in it's early years. Just as bloody as it is now. Just as gore-geous.

For those of you who don't know, Overgrowth is a third person brawler in which you play as a bunny who bleeds like no-one's business, who fights other rabbits who also bleed like the fucking River Nile after some idiot killed everyone and threw their bodies in the damn thing, which is NOT okay Jerry! Those were potential readers! Yes, I know they probably didn't have internet! That doesn't mean you can just waste money, to then BURN more of it!

Anyway, yeah, Overgrowth is not for people who faint at the sight of blood. But for those of you who enjoy a hard brawler with parkour elements, this is the game for you! It also has Steam workshop integration, which helps with the lack of content outside the story mode. The only thing it's really missing is online multiplayer, but considering the need for precision in the combat, I can see why it doesn't exist.

But that's about it. I really don't have much in the way to criticize here. Sure, it lacks content, but it stays true to what it set out to do 9 years ago. That's a big number for an indie game. I mean, for Kingdom Hearts 3 it's fine, but whatever. We're talking about indies here damn it. And an indie game that takes 9 years is more than a game.

It's a work of love.

And you know that shit's good.

Review: Armed with Wings: Rearmed: Slippery Butter

Armed with Wings is a series that originated as a small flash browser game, and has grown into a full Steam release in Armed with Wings: Rearmed. Now we see how that Flash game experience has affected a full, retail price game.

And in short: it's not all that great. I enjoy it, but that's because the combat system is buttery smooth and it has a wave based survival mode. But the single player campaign, level design, and other irksome choices make this game a sale-only purchase.

Let's walk through it piece by piece.

1. Level Design
1. Level design in this game is, to be honest, somewhat sloppy. Especially considering the game's combat focus. It's designed as mix of combat and platforming. Where as this is more of a side scrolling 2D beat'em up, and doesn't quite have the sharp air control that would fit it, as the next point clearly illustrates.
2. No Jumping?
1. There is no jumping. It's all automatic, activating when you reach an edge. And it's floaty. Which means it can be somewhat unreliable. Now, you can unlock a jump, but it's an ability tied to an unlockable weapon system, which, in short, means that you'd have to sacrifice a different, more combat focused ability for it.
3. Invincibility Frames??
1. In combat, it's important to be able to break out of literally impossible situations, otherwise, it can feel like the game is screwing you. Of course, this depends on the situation, but in Armed with Wings: Rearmed, it can feel like it's on the game. Why?  There are no invincibility frames. Which means that enough enemies, when grouped together, can juggle you better that that one guy who is the only person you know who is good at fighting games and always brings them over whenever he visits just to rub it in your face.
1. If you are one of those people, you are literally the worst. 
4. Limiting Combos???
1. This is probably the most sinful choice made here, bringing this game pretty close to the first circle of video game hell(I think. I keep messing up one and two. Wait, which one's the one that's just the FFX laughing scene played over and over again?). The main thing that makes this game's combat good is a nice assortment of moves that you can switch between mid-combo. Unfortunately, half of every string is locked behind an extended combo ability, which means that if you're chosen sword doesn't have that, you're pretty much at a major disadvantage.

Soooo, I can't say its perfect. In fact, it's far from it. But the combat is amazing. Smooth combos occur when you combine your up attack with your neutral to two successive downs then a airborne down special. A buttery smooth combo of powerful attacks. Beautiful.

Too bad the rest of the game slipped on shitty margarine.

Review: Secrets of Grindea[EARLY ACCESS]: Slow but Steady....

You may or may not have heard of an old game called Legend of Zelda. It's an obscure one, yes, but everyone I've talked to who has played call it a "classic" or "famous" or "its one of the most defining games of the in the industry, of course I know it!"

Secrets of Grindea is a top down RPG made by Pixel Ferrets which exists in a similar vein as the original Legend of Zelda and other SNES games, but adds it's own mix of skills, magic, arcade modes and co-op features that make it stand out. I will quickly note, this game is in Steam's Early Access program at this stage, but it is already of high quality, and at the least deserves a stern looking at, as if it were your adorable new dog after it pissed in the house.

Secret's of Grindea has two modes: Story mode and Arcade mode. We'll be turning our focus to the story mode primarily, because it is the center of the game's experience, and because arcade mode is hard (like Dark Souls!(sorrynotsorry)) and I apparently suck at my only job. Yay.

The game's story centers around you, [CHARACTER NAME], as you travel to the big city to follow your dreams of being a Collector. It pretty much means that for the entirety of your life, you, [CHARACTER NAME], plan on beating the ever-loving crap out of monsters and innocent rabbits because money. However! Things are not all as they seem, and you, [MYBUTT], learn more of some of the worlds mysteries. Lucky for you, [xX_Proto_Ganist_Xx], you've got friends, you one armed father, and some rich kid who wants(?) to be your friend like in The Prince and the Popper, only he's even more of an a-hole, to help you.

So... not to complicated, at least to begin with. But what about gameplay? The game's combat begins with a basic sword and shield, and gets more complicated as you go on and gain abilities. The game rewards using your shield intertwined with combat, as you can block out of most moves, and by guarding right before an attack on you lands, you perform a perfect guard. This gives you a variety of different options, which I'll let you discover yourself. TL;DR: Combat is satisfying and offensive, rewarding your mad skillz with more opportunities to use said skillz. But thats only one way of playing. You can also be a ranged caster! Or a summoner of monsters and what-not. Which segways me elegantly to this games defining feature(at least in my humble-but-totally-correct opinion): the skill system.

Grindea doesn't use a skill tree like other RPGs, no, rather, you have a set bunch of skills, grouped into three sets of skills: physical, magic and utility. On top of that, you have "talents," which is a grab bag of passives and general improvements to your character. Every level, you gain one silver skill point and one talent point, and every five levels you gain a gold skill point. You can upgrade a physical or magic skill with five silver points and, once you do that, with five gold points. Utility skills only have three silver points put in them, because, you know screw support classes. Or the devs wanted to focus on combat and making sure that you have fun too. Probably the later one. But I digress. The genius here is that your character is always advancing. You never have to save up for a new skill, and you can work on multiple skills at once! It makes creating a build that suits you easy and fun.

In the end, Secrets of Grindea is a fun game, with fun combat, fun leveling, and fun, well, everything. It's easy to pick up, but difficult to master. It's been worked on for at least five years now (stats are hard to come by; it doesn't have a Wikipedia page yet), and shows no sign of slowing down. It's $14.99 on Steam, and I seriously recommend it. The developers have done a superb job of listening and responding to the community, and the game is very close to completion.

It may take a while, but once that dog is potty trained, he will be SO worth it.

Warframe Breakdown: Making Crowd Control Fun

Crowd control. CC. Stun your foes, drop their accuracy, throw them back or interrupt their attack. Anything that can control a crowd. It's an essential part to Role Playing Games, especially turn based ones, MMOs, and, more recently, online shooters.

Here's the thing. Most crowd control will reduce stats, or freeze enemies, or throw them back. And as much as that is fun, it doesn't (in my opinion) have the same satisfaction in those action based games. Sure, in the stuff of my childhood like Paper Mario and The Thousand-Year Door, it feels great! But in action games, it's just feels like another extra layer on top of my perfectly timed button presses.

Introducing Warframe, free-to-play online third person shooter in which you fly around the battlefield like a jet plane infused monkey, rain death on your enemies, and grind so hard you lose a third of your fingers and your ass is most likely fused to your computer chair by the time you reach the last few planets. In Warframe, you pilot strange, cyber-organic suits (aptly named warframes) which have a small set of abilities, in addition to a passive. Limbo is one of these warframes, and he has the ability to push himself and his enemies into a slightly different plane of existence. Only enemies on the same plane of existence can harm you, and vice versa. The only thing that can damage both planes at once are another warframe's abilities.

The ability to separate a crowd into two groups is a vastly different crowd control technique compared to what we normally see, and it only gets better from there. Limbo can stop time in this "rift plane." When using this, your enemies freeze and so do your bullets, but you don't. This means you can banish, freeze, set up, then when the time is right, release the time stop and destroy a crowd instantly.

The main point: "setup, setup, setup, and release" is a brilliant and satisfying way to kill a crowd, and my fingers are crossed to see more of it in action based shooters.

P.S. Before you mention the Dishonored series, yes, I know, the same argument applies. However, should any other game do this well, please tell me about it. 

A Brief Introduction

OK. You're probably wondering what this blog is about. So first off.... Me.

HI, I'm Dylan! And if you're an internet stalker, don't bother, there are several people with the same name in my neighborhood alone! I'm a young idiot who aspires to be a game developer, yet is planning to take computer security because, lets face it, that's a lot harder to get a job for if you don't have a diploma! That's about it for me, moving on! (And before you worry, no, I will not be putting exclamation marks anymore except for the sake of raw, unbridled rage. In fact, I will be surly and sarcastic for the remainder of your life, or mine, or the universe's. Whichever dies first.)

This blog is going to consist primarily of video game know-how that I have garnished from a long life of gaming, philosophic quandaries about our universe and fictional ones, and the occasional mix between the two. I will occasionally rant as well, but it won't be anything personal. We be having none of that teenage self-pity.

Let's list off some series I plan on doing.

• Reviews: That's self-explanatory.
• Breakdowns: This is where I put my game design skills to the test and breakdown certain mechanics, whether they be from specific games or the entire industry,from small tiny choices to entire genres. CRITICISM IS APPRECIATED.
• Gaming Challenges: I suggest a few challenges for you, the viewer, to attempt. Have fun playing Super Hexagon while being force fed a sandwich!
• Stories in Gaming: Sometimes, wonderful moments happen while no-one's watching. Here, I share some of mine.
• Philosophy in Media: Oh boy! Philosophy! No media form is without philosophical influence. Now, there are plenty of bigger channels with smarter people in them that do the same thing, however, they tend to tackle big questions. I intend on starting discussions on smaller questions, from some smaller series.
• Rants: There will be occasional rant, whether because a game's lazy design conveys a problematic message, or the gaming industry has decided that loot boxes in single player games is OK. However, I am a thinker, so I am going to try open up more discussion, rather than simply spew useless nonsense. I think we get enough of that already.
• Variety-Log: Sometimes, I'll want to talk about something that doesn't fit in any of these  categories. That's what this is for.

And that's all. Before I go, I'm going to list off some fantastic YouTubers and such that inspired me to do this.

• Game Theory: https://www.youtube.com/user/MatthewPatrick13
• Wisecrack: https://www.youtube.com/user/thugnotes
• Extra Credits: https://www.youtube.com/user/ExtraCreditz

And also the class blog, for it has a metric ton of content on it and is, in the end, what's giving me the time (and excuse) to do all this.

• http://alhscreativewriting2017-18.blogspot.com/

That, I do declare, is all.