tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50957880371009360622011-09-13T08:51:14.030-04:00Discussing and Contemplating Game Mechanicsbrandon jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08743984753382891187noreply@blogger.comBlogger291100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5095788037100936062.post-91321398204703160742009-03-03T13:23:00.001-05:002009-03-03T13:25:16.342-05:00

It has been almost a year that I have neglected this blog. Without a long personal explanation, I will just say it has been too long. My personal time will not allow this blog to be daily (or even bi-weekly), but I am hoping to at least get back into the conversations floating around in the blog-sphere and begin to work my noodle again in the contemplation of content.Some small food for thought:

brandon jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08743984753382891187noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5095788037100936062.post-78866930650154834512008-04-17T11:01:00.000-04:002008-04-17T11:02:47.171-04:00

There seem to be two standard ways that loot rewards are distributed in most RPG’s; completely random dispersals and the use of level, or progression, based dispersals. The major reason for using random dispersal seems to be that this method allows all players a chance to access all item content. Player skill and time played does not limit anyone in their ability to see and use item content. The

brandon jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08743984753382891187noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5095788037100936062.post-82654675743787559962008-04-17T10:57:00.000-04:002008-04-17T10:58:44.824-04:00

Scarcity is a fundamental part of economic value. Diminishing returns is also irrefutable when examining economic systems, and the value of certain items in any given economic system. So why is it that most players, and the games they play, try to either ignore or control these two principles? While scarcity can be controlled to an extent, diminishing returns is more problematic, yet

brandon jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08743984753382891187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5095788037100936062.post-6929986164152636672008-04-17T10:55:00.001-04:002008-04-17T10:56:54.153-04:00

I have noticed that although I own and love games of all kinds, this blog has concentrated on video games over all other types. Part of this is just due to the vast amount of information available on video games compared to the other genres, but the real reason is my own personal lack of playing anything but video games for the past year or so.This does not mean my interests only lie in video

brandon jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08743984753382891187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5095788037100936062.post-23804620781819799372008-04-17T10:44:00.005-04:002008-04-17T10:55:42.795-04:00

I have always enjoyed the side-track of crafting in most RPG’s, be it SWG or table-top D&D. As the internet becomes saturated with MMO-wiki’s the challenge for new games to create intricate and challenging crafting mini-games is daunting. How can new games give their players the ability to ‘invent’ or craft new items by trial and error? Once a recipe is ‘invented’ anyone with Google can get the

brandon jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08743984753382891187noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5095788037100936062.post-80205136153919998602008-04-17T10:40:00.001-04:002008-04-17T10:43:41.365-04:00

Traditional Class roles for fantasy adventure stories have been stagnant for almost seventy years. The old class standbys of Healer, Magic User and Warrior along with racial templates for Elves, Dwarves and Humans have been adopted by RPG’s with almost religious devotion. With little exception have these basic ideas been changed, and familiarity breeds intuitive understanding. While the

brandon jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08743984753382891187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5095788037100936062.post-36951690140152112762008-04-17T06:23:00.003-04:002008-04-17T06:25:30.195-04:00

Unanticipated events have severely limited my ability to post in the past month. While all of those events are not completely resolved, the major obstacles have been dealt with. Even without internet access, I have found myself unable to completely abandon this blog, and have quite a few hand-written posts that I will type out and post as quickly as possible. Thank you for your patience and

brandon jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08743984753382891187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5095788037100936062.post-23837601250942210802008-03-02T01:46:00.005-05:002008-03-02T01:52:05.794-05:00

A buddy of mine just reviewed 'Frontline: Fuel of War.While this game is not my normal type, I have to admit I at least tracked down the demo, and gave it a spin.

brandon jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08743984753382891187noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5095788037100936062.post-18712333981402347572008-02-24T12:02:00.001-05:002008-02-24T12:19:35.909-05:00

Leiavoia’s ‘Strategy Game Designer’s Constitution’ is one of those rare sources that I keep going back to. It is, for an addict like me, one of those rare documents that I have printed out multiple times, defacing each hardcopy with highlights and scribbled notes.The idea that strategy games should offer less variety with more choices is one of my favorite points. It sounds counter-intuitive at

brandon jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08743984753382891187noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5095788037100936062.post-86284744782639093272008-02-23T21:03:00.007-05:002008-02-24T23:13:08.518-05:00

The concept of balanced mechanics fascinates me. Core game mechanics, based on flexible yet static rules, which would react to each other in scaled perfection, are the Holy Grails of my obsession. In short, Elegance. I am well aware that blind faith, more than factual conclusions, allows me to believe that elegant core mechanics can co-exist with each other, but that does not dim my

brandon jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08743984753382891187noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5095788037100936062.post-35177727701417277452008-02-20T14:51:00.003-05:002008-02-20T15:09:40.605-05:00

All the buzz about WAR has inevitably led to discussions about it’s PvP and RvR components. The one game mechanic that has not been mentioned in all the PvP talk is instanced PvP. The success of games like Counter Strike: Source, Doom, and even WoW’s battleground PvP seem to indicate that no matter how much sandbox PvP, or RvR perpetual PvP zones, are desired, some players still want to be able

brandon jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08743984753382891187noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5095788037100936062.post-61253092321386292052008-02-15T19:04:00.003-05:002008-02-15T19:19:52.842-05:00

If you haven’t seen it yet, Scott Jennings is taking some heat from Brock Pierce’s lawyers over a recent blog post about IGE that he wrote. If all of the reports are to be believed, there’s no real legal basis for their demands, but Scott (wisely avoiding the headache of dealing with it) has complied anyway. As you can imagine, the whole exchange has stirred quite the little controversy, and both

brandon jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08743984753382891187noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5095788037100936062.post-24836299947222226742008-02-10T08:30:00.015-05:002008-02-27T22:29:37.283-05:00

Linear progression in games has been segueing into open-ended experiences in every genre. From Tony Hawk to GTA, players are becoming more responsive to non-linear narratives where they can choose how to experience their own story inside the framework of a game. This freedom is perhaps most popular in MMO’s. When the fundamental object and design of a game becomes to sustain gameplay infinitely,

brandon jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08743984753382891187noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5095788037100936062.post-90372217236198333512008-02-08T13:38:00.004-05:002008-02-13T18:28:42.758-05:00

Economics and games are becoming inseparable. From in-game virtual economies that balance risk/reward to the real-world business of game construction/consumption. As a game-mechanics addict, I have always had a disproportionate love for how virtual game economies work; and as a business owner I have always been sensitive to the capitalistic laws that shape the fledgling game industry. There is

brandon jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08743984753382891187noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5095788037100936062.post-58896913048015199752008-02-06T13:41:00.001-05:002008-02-13T18:30:00.313-05:00

The recent discussions about WAR’s intended policies towards UI Mods have sparked a few conversations with my friends and got me thinking. If you are not familiar with the overall discussions, check out Keen and Graev’s posts (1,2), along with Tobold’s. The importance of user-created content is finally being embraced by game producers, be it the inclusion of real cities in Monopoly or the

brandon jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08743984753382891187noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5095788037100936062.post-11433096354333051992008-02-02T14:37:00.003-05:002008-02-28T06:11:32.972-05:00

Where do games and stories intersect? Although there is no inherent story in a game of checkers, is the experience of playing that game a story? Could it be? Should it be? As important as the where is the question of should games and stories intersect. There is a lot of critique on the execution of storylines in games (mostly bad) and quite a bit concerning making stories into games (almost

brandon jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08743984753382891187noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5095788037100936062.post-52530514724950641282008-02-02T13:53:00.001-05:002008-02-13T18:33:15.043-05:00

Interaction - “Mutual or reciprocal action or influence.” Interactivity has become a tech-buzzword for every product, service or concept in business over the past decade. In relation to games, it is universally accepted as part of the definition. Players have to interact with something in a game, no? So can a game become a non-interactive form of entertainment, but still remain a game?

brandon jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08743984753382891187noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5095788037100936062.post-30490741700147733892008-02-01T00:21:00.001-05:002008-02-13T18:34:19.370-05:00

This blog is not meant to only discuss video games at the expense of other genres. My love of games covers all genres, except for perhaps the role-playing diner variety (but a role-playing cocktail game might interest me). Checkers, Solitaire, Football, The Sims, World of Warcraft, Shadowrun, the old hex-map version of Battletech and the original arcade cabinet version of Ms. Pac-Man all appeal

brandon jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08743984753382891187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5095788037100936062.post-82240090539200633102008-01-31T23:44:00.001-05:002008-02-13T18:35:31.563-05:00

I have given a lot of thought in the past few weeks as to why I love games so much. I am not the typical video game addict with every next-gen console and complete libraries of games to complement them. Hell, I still play Halo (one and two) on my X-box if bored. Even as a PC fan, I have never subscribed to more than one MMO at a time, and usually only buy new games if highly recommended by close

brandon jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08743984753382891187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5095788037100936062.post-25348005927632202392008-01-31T17:54:00.002-05:002008-02-13T18:37:00.655-05:00

Comments are now unlocked. I mistakenly made them accessible only to people with Google accounts, which was not my intention.

brandon jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08743984753382891187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5095788037100936062.post-11134391412688787932008-01-28T20:10:00.003-05:002008-02-13T18:41:54.466-05:00

Now that the Gerstmann/GameSpot saga is over, or at least on the stale side, what have we learned as a gaming community? For those of you not familiar with the Gerstmann/Gamespot issue, here it is in a nutshell. Jeff Gerstmann was the Editorial Director of GameSpot, which meant he was the guy in charge of all the Editorials, or Reviews. Josh Larson, a market tracking guru at GameSpot got promoted

brandon jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08743984753382891187noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5095788037100936062.post-35693500692063763642008-01-27T23:40:00.001-05:002008-02-13T18:42:40.510-05:00

As the gaming industry completes its move into corporate adolescence, changes are being made almost as fast as players can adapt. From online computer-run board games to the fact that Wizards of the Coast was able to buy TSR in 1997 after only seven years in business (and four years after the release of Magic the Gathering). Moore’s Law seems as relevant to the gaming world today as it was

brandon jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08743984753382891187noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5095788037100936062.post-34505047979104704892008-01-26T19:26:00.000-05:002008-02-02T14:31:11.472-05:00

While to many this might sound like punishment, Daniel Cook's participation in Project Horseshoe sounded like a dream-come-true to me. Catch his experiences here.I also found this piece by Clive Thompson on his site Collision Detection which has some commonalities with my last post about TPM. Catch Clive's post here. The escape from boredom and just old-fashioned wasting time are similar, but

brandon jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08743984753382891187noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5095788037100936062.post-43213087950997476682008-01-25T20:47:00.001-05:002008-02-13T18:44:06.796-05:00

The Projection Motivation (TPM) – The final motivation (assuming I have not completely omitted, forgot or ignored a few) would be the desire we have to lose ourselves in entertainment. Like TCM and TEM, TPM is universal in all Humans, it just varies in degree. The temporary suspension of disbelief found in entertainment is nothing new to Humankind. From spoken myths to modern cinema, we have

brandon jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08743984753382891187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5095788037100936062.post-82262927649322236242008-01-24T15:30:00.001-05:002008-02-13T18:44:42.440-05:00

The Evolutionary Motivation (TEM) – TEM is personal achievement, solitary and internal. At first glance TEM might appear as the inverse of TCM, but that is only a small part of what I am trying to define here. As Humans, we like to learn how to achieve positive feedback when facing a new challenge if we suspect that the challenge has a solution. By creating a structured setting for the

brandon jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08743984753382891187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5095788037100936062.post-86361535685609711182008-01-23T22:04:00.001-05:002008-02-13T18:45:33.354-05:00

Why do we play games? This is the core of what I want to examine in this blog. To do that, I want to try and nail down some of the fundamental reasons, without creating a list slightly longer than the Yongle Dadian. In order to shorten the list, I am going to make some sweeping generalizations, and lump some things together that might at first glance appear to better off as separate categories.

brandon jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08743984753382891187noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5095788037100936062.post-41484638035215631152008-01-23T21:50:00.001-05:002008-02-13T18:46:34.070-05:00

It has occurred to me that most discussions I have had about games are with people I am familiar with in real life. Our basic knowledge of each other gives us the ability to talk about theories and motives without having to construct any uniform language in which to talk about these concepts. Any point of confusion is usually cleared up with a “Ya know what I mean?” Taking these discussions

brandon jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08743984753382891187noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5095788037100936062.post-88738202014437504072008-01-19T23:01:00.001-05:002008-02-13T18:47:44.228-05:00

Since the release of Dungeons and Dragons in 1974, and release of the Atari 2600 three years later, there has been one common argument in the gaming industry. “What is the definition of a casual gamer, and what is the definition of a hardcore gamer?” The question, while personal to some, has implications for the gaming industry as a whole which mean that clear, uniform

brandon jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08743984753382891187noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5095788037100936062.post-84630538978838429972008-01-17T13:43:00.002-05:002008-02-13T18:48:47.534-05:00

Not everyone is willing to admit that video games are legitimate. They are derided as contributing to the delinquency of a minor, a fad, immature, and definitely not worthy of a college degree or career. But as Elvis, The Beetles, Ed Sullivan, The Simpsons and South Park have done, video games are proving that a new medium may scare the folks, but the kids are embracing it despite the resistance.

brandon jhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08743984753382891187noreply@blogger.com0