Not Sleeping Well, Playing More Games.

  Still trying to clear out my Steam backlog.  But at least I've been doing paperwork for my projects.

  I was asked earlier why I cancel/postpone my projects when a similar game is released, that it doesn't matter if I make a clone because everyone does it.  Well, my answer would be "if a similar game is released... I'd be playing that instead".  I'm not trying to make a game to make some money - I'm trying to make a game so I can play a game.  If my goal is a new type of tech platformer and some I Wanna Be the Guy remake does what I wanted then I'll play that instead.  But then I get hypocrisy back,  "Then why are half your game projects literally described as game clones?"  This is the other side of the coin here.  There IS no modern equivalent of Lode Runner or CastleQuest (that I am aware of).  While it's true I could play my NES versions, I've maxed them out so many times the need to make a new one is there.

  Let's go back in time to before Team Fortress 2 was released/heard of.  I might have looked at Team Fortress Classic and said "Well, we need a new team and class based FPS" and started work on one.  Then Team Fortress 2 was released and the need to create was no longer there.  Well, ok, it's not the best example, but it should be close enough.  I suppose a more apt example would be Civilization.  I prefer playing Settlers of Catan, but I like the basics so I might have started work on "Civ with a hex grid". Civilization V filled that need.


Current Projects

  I've mostly been working on level design for Rock, Paper, Scissors...  I need a better name.  I think I said RPS earlier, but that sounds more like a genre shorthand than a game title.  Character design is primarily done (except on bosses) unless I hire an artist and they wanna take things in a new direction.  The Paper World and Rock World are easy to plan for... but I still have no idea what a Scissor world might require.  I've thought of wiping them out as part of the backstory (I think I mentioned this months ago, I don't remember).

  I've been challenged to release "something, anything, I don't care, just do it", but I don't really work like that.  Epilepsy Man was going to be THIS something.  Frankly, all I want are 4 stages, one boss (Dr. Strobe), one mini-boss graphic (no fight) and some minor graphics and a soundtrack and it's good to go.  I really want to finish it, but I'm just not a passable digital artist...  all my paper doodles for the game are good IMO.

Other Projects

  There's been increasing interest in that Pinball game I mentioned, but I'm finding the physics difficult to do in GameMaker.  I thought of using the paths tool to map curves, but it's not really working.  How hard could it possibly be to note start position, start speed and start angle to calculate exit position, exit speed and exit angle on a curve?  Well, paths don't work that way.  I want to work on this some more before giving up and just using increments of 12.5 degree block facings (angle of deflection on a flat surface is easy).  Side note, path tool still works well for drop ramps where the start, finish and speed would be constant.

  All my other projects are graphics pending.

Gaming

  Mostly the UbiSoft sale backlog.  Doing it alphabetically for the most part.  Did Trackmania first though.  It's one of the best racing games I've ever played... I regret not buying it when it was on sale, but I couldn't get even ONE SINGLE REVIEW of the game or even a Metacritic rating to warrant a purchase.  What's wrong with the internet these days when you can't even get information about things any more?  After that I started on Assassin's Creed.  It's ok.  It freezes a lot though.

  I also played Inside a Star-filled Sky.  I thought it would be better.  The nuances are good, but the core play is hindered by poor-ish controls.  It plays like a DSS, but uses only the mouse which also controls the camera IE: You can only see what you're shooting towards.  Slightly realistic; yes, but harmful in this style of game.

  Been "trying" to play Thunderscape, but I need better MS-DOS settings or something.

  Also been playing One Must Fall 2097.  This is how a fighting game should be.  Since damage doesn't typically flinch you have to balance power Vs. exposure to counter attacks.  In most fighter's I've played recently once you flinch someone you've basically won.


Other

  I'm losing more weight, yay.  But I'm also not sleeping well.  The gaming website I most frequent has drastically reduced the amount of actual gaming conversations making it far less appealing.  If no one is talking about games, how am I supposed to know what exists?  The advertisements are complete failure, only advertising games I've already heard of like World of Warcraft.  Word of mouth?  You guys are the mouth!  Less QQ, more Pew Pew.

Also, why hasn't there been a good Star Wars game since Balance of Power?

Anyways, Lok.