The Best Power Is The Power You Missed

Gaining power is a typical feature in games.

 Collecting more powerful equipment and learning utilitarian new techniques are obvious examples, but this concept shows up in many forms. Less obvious examples are additional inventory space or access to new areas. I have no doubt you can come up with many other examples.

I think we can all agree it feels great to pick up that rocket launcher a few moments before facing the next boss enemy. What could be better?

Yes, please.

But, wouldn't you also say finding that rocket launcher would have felt just a little bit sweeter if you could have missed it...but didn't?

I think a lot of players would agree. Maybe even most players, if I had to guess. But, a few of you might be wondering "What difference would that make?"

The reason it feels so much better to gain power you could have missed is the relativity involved. If your game is feeding you a steady and constant stream of increased power and it consistently follows this up with a challenge that's just a bit tougher than the last thing you had to face...what's the difference? You got stronger and the enemy got stronger, so aside from the aesthetics...aren't you right where you left off?

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is a great game, but players were disappointed that monsters everywhere in the game would scale in power along with the player character's level. 

Now, this approach isn't completely worthless of course. There's a lot to be said for aesthetics (I should know, I'm an artist.) And, of course, there are a lot of creative ways to challenge and reward the player. But, if you can gain optional power, power you could have missed, power others did miss, now you're growing on a curve...maybe a different curve than your enemies, even. We are talking exponential growth. Maybe your enemies can't even keep up.

Now that's real success and real success feels good.

Still Looking Great.

It's difficult to shake the feeling of disbelief that I am once again playing Final Fantasy VII for the first time.

Of course, I'm talking about the very literally titled Final Fantasy VII Remake. I was just a twelve year old boy when the original came out, fascinated with artwork and video games, and you can imagine what an impact these fantastic characters made on me at the time.

I must've drawn Cloud Strife hundreds of times.

Square has done such a great job of preserving the appeal of those classic designs and adapting them to a more realistic look. The material detail and subtleties of texture and proportion have not done away with the iconic colors, shapes, and features that helped make the cast of FFVII so beloved. Often these fundamental elements of character design are consumed by such things and lost in the stylistic transition.

Even the eyes, which can be so easily made into abstract shapes in less realistic styles, have been carefully handled in the new artwork.

It's been a great experience falling in love with these characters all over again. Even now, it's hard to resist the urge to do a little fan art. 

There was a lot more time for that kind of appreciation back then.

On Resident Evil 7

So, is it Resident Evil VII or 7? The logo says VII, but then the hashtag was RE7, and the others did not use roman numerals...anyway.

I estimate we are at least halfway through Resident Evil 7 and I am pleased to say that nearly every concern I had about the game has been assuaged. It is exceptional and probably the best horror game I have played in many, many years.

Of the essential aesthetic properties I previously discussed, only two seem to have failed to fully materialize during my time with the game thus far. These would be A) camp and B) the "spec ops vs bio-abominations" theme. Of these remaining essentials, A is very, very weakly still present and I am reliably informed via internet spoilers and certain in-game hints that B will indeed rise from the dead before the end of the game.

Interestingly enough about property A: although I think it is essential in maintaining the Resi Spirit, this game is written so well and the tone is so expertly crafted that I almost don't even miss it. In fact, when the player character Ethan eventually DOES punctuate a ghastly scenario with some gauche piece of dialogue it actually feels out of place instead of cathartic. For an RE sequel, this is truly bizarre!

Complaints not regarding it's proper conformation to the Resi Spirit are minor, entirely forgivable, and easily rectified should a similar title follow in it's footsteps. For instance, the admittedly horrifying fodder which accounts for all non-boss-type encounters are greatly lacking in variety. Even so, they are a welcome and cathartic relief to the high-stakes gameplay revolving around the more dangerous and well developed enemy characters. This is the only sort of half-complaint I can muster at this time.

If you are a Resident Evil fan, rejoice; The future is suddenly grim again.

Dead Rising 4

Dead Rising is one of my favorite games and I've been keeping up with the series since it's inception. I remember seeing early screenshots of the game prior to obtaining an xbox 360 and imagining what a game like that could possibly be like. I still remember fondly the days of playing it for the first time, in my first apartment, with whom would later become my wife. We instantly fell for the charisma of the Frank West character and enjoyed the game thoroughly. It really showed off what was capable with the gaming hardware of the time and I greatly admired it's unique and interesting game design, so much so that I remain more than willing to overlook whatever execution related flaws the game had.

I begin to think Dead Rising was surely well...dead, but lo and behold a sequel came down to us courtesy of a Canadian studio that would later become known as Capcom Vancouver. I had my concerns about what might happen with such a unique game design when put into the hands of western developers after having waded through the deluge of ignorant criticisms laid at the feet of the first game by many gamers on this side of the ocean. Would they give into these stupid complaints about the time limit and about saving survivors? Would they remove the tongue and cheek humor and ridicule?

No! They nailed it! They really, really nailed it!

Dead Rising 2 remains perhaps the most objectively polished game in the series, in fact, It's difficult for me to identify a single element from the first Dead Rising that was not objectively superior in the second. Sure, there are things I consider better as a matter of sheer preference; I happen to find Frank more charismatic than Chuck, but I really liked Chuck too, and it's only those sorts of very subjective claims to superiority on behalf of Dead Rising one that I can make.

Well, except for the jump kick. If I remember correctly, I recall that being far more effective in the first game.

Then, along came Dead Rising 3. Surely this is where things go wrong. Look at the colors! Look at the marketing! They've gone too serious!

...Nope! Dead Rising 3 was good too! No, it wasn't on par with the first two, but it did manage to open up the game to a much larger environment with out completely sacrificing what makes a Dead Rising game work. There were even some improvements; This one handled survivors the best by far. I chalked up some of the decisions made here as concessions, perhaps to Microsoft, to make the game as palatable to as many as possible.

Then along comes Dead Rising 4, featuring none other than Frank himself, back in Willamette even. With a proven track record under their belt, CapVan left me feeling confident walking into DR4. I barely even paid attention to the game prior to release, despite being set on an early purchase (I reserve this behavior for only very, very special games. I really like Dead Rising.)

And, well...I'm having fun with it so far. It's good. It even has some improvements none of the previous titles could lay claim to. But, it also seems that CapVan has finally taken that brutal axe swing at the foundation of the Dead Rising design I have been fearing since the second game was announced.

DR4 has omitted two absolutely vital elements to the DR design and weakened or confusingly altered some of the tertiary elements. The exceedingly important timer mechanic is finally removed and people everywhere who dislike Dead Rising 1, 2, and 3, and probably aren't interested in buying Dead Rising 4, can finally rejoice. Additionally, survivors have been completely removed as a dynamic game mechanic and have been relegated to a collectible upgrade for the game's new vendor system, which in itself is of dubious desirability in a game that ostensibly challenges you to make due with whatever you happen to find.

Less critically, the challenge has been significantly lessened. This is the easiest Dead Rising by far and although there is some cleverness to the way items are now handled, some functionality has been lost. Frank West himself looks very different, inexplicably so, and the new voice actor increasingly distances the new Frank from the one you'll remember. He's written a little differently too; oftentimes I enjoy the writing here, but he also makes some decisions that seem a little out of character to me. Frank was always kind of an asshole, but an asshole with a heart of gold...or at least silver. Frank actually straight up leaves a guy to his potential death and I couldn't quite tell if they were playing it up for humor or if Frank genuinely didn't care if this guy died.

I could go on for some time, but this is starting to get pretty lengthy. All in all, these sorts of decisions have arguably taken Dead Rising 4 out of the survival horror category. This is starting to sound pretty negative, but like I mentioned previously, I am enjoying it and I continue to play. I just find it striking because 1) I love Dead Rising 2) CapVan has consistently impressed me and 3) I've been worried about these sorts of changes since the second game was announced. As things stand currently, it may be my least favorite in the series and I'm a little worried about what this might mean for a potential Dead Rising 5, but it's still fun to see Frank back at it again and it's fun seeing some actual "investigation" mechanics. I'll keep going and we'll see how this one turns out.

Resident Evil VII: Return or Departure?

Resident Evil VII is coming out soon and I almost certainly will be making an early purchase. Based on everything I've seen from the demo and trailers, it's got this old survival horror vet interested and while I am highly intrigued to navigate those dingy and disturbingly brown corridors we've been teased with for the past year, I can't say that I quite feel like I'm anticipating a Resident Evil game yet.

As I see it, the Resi- design (as our cross-Atlantic cousins are fond of calling it) is composed of the following essential elements:

1. Sci-fi monster horror
2. Resource management
3. Fight or flight combat
4. Strategic exploration
5. Puzzle solving
6. Camp
7. "Spec-ops vs Illuminati" theme
8. Appealing characters

These eight elements comprise the core aesthetic identity of the Resident Evil series. They are explicitly present in the first five titles (and by definition, REmake as well.) The series was redrafted with a new perspective in the excellent Resident Evil 4, although elements 1, 4, and 5 were perhaps more weakly represented and element 3 began to lean a little more in the "fight" direction. With RE5 and RE6 this shift in elemental priorities was pressed to the point where many fans simply could not stop lamenting the decay of this once horrifying franchise into a thrill based action flick. I reckon the further you depart from a combination of these eight things, the less your game is going to come off like Resident Evil.

Capcom, surprisingly some would say, has apparently decided to cater very specifically to the desires of these critics by once again redrafting the Resi design with REVII. As mentioned above, it's certainly caught my eye, but I would be remiss as a true blooded  Resident Evil Fan if I did not confess that I am concerned that some of what I consider to be Resi's essential character may be left behind. Namely, elements 6, 7, 8, and maybe even 1 (although I expect my worries are misplaced on that last one.) Element 3 is almost certainly a pendulous reversal from the shift that took place after RE4's success, which could be fine. 

If those concerns turn out to be well founded, that means around 50% of what is responsible for creating a "Resi Vibe" has been excised from REVII.

You'll notice that I did not address the new first person perspective, despite this being the most obvious departure from previous titles. This is because my aforementioned list of eight is comprised of features that are both:

1) Aesthetically meaningful 

2) Important to Resident Evil in particular

While a FPP is certainly a substantial emotional shift, it only really threatens feature 8, and not even necessarily so. You need only consider Mr. Nukem for proof on the matter.

It does, however, make it more similar to many, many horror games that have arisen from the Indie realm over the past few years.

So, will it be good? Hopefully; things look good so far. But, while this appears to be a return to horror, I'm not yet convinced this is otherwise a return to what we originally fell in love with. Hopefully I'm wrong.

Hell of a logo, though.

Everything Is For Sale

In what strikes me as a sad turn of events, Interplay is selling off the remainder of it's intellectual property.

Interplay was a company that (in it's hay-day) was reliably interesting. I fondly remember flipping through magazines and admiring their various releases, noting how unique their catalogue seemed to be even in a time where game design was running wild in a way you no longer see.

Fallout and Fallout 2 were their finest titles in my opinion, but of course this property has long since changed hands to Bethesda. I appreciate what has been done with the property since, even if they have become dramatically different games. I hope we will see good things for the rest of Interplay's legacy as well.

Thoughts On Ryu, SFV

ISo I've had quite some time to get a feel for SFV now and most of that time has predictably been spent on Ryu.

Ryu retains most of his expected attributes, at least superficially, but you will find that he performs very differently.  All of his normals are woefully short ranged and the exceptions all come with drawbacks. For instance, his st.HK only hits standing opponents and cr.HK is easily punishable on block. St.MK is relatively lengthy, but has an exploitable start up. You will find that in every match up you will be out ranged in the normals department. If you do not accept that he cannot perform at mid range like he could in previous games, you will constantly find yourself whiffing attacks.

The fireball is a good tool, although it requires very thoughtful use. Curiously, it's hitbox begins around the core of the fireball and extends slightly downward, reducing your ability to cause jumping opponents to land on the projectile. It is easily jumped over and the "sweet spot" for fireball/dragon punch is much harder to find and hold onto for zoning in this game. Speaking of dragon punches, the dp is very risky now and gives opponents an opporunity for massively damaging counter hit combos on recovery.

On the good side, the fireball is still a full range projectile, dp is still an invincible reversal, and Ryu has received some great offensive tools in his st.mp, cr.mp, st.lk, st.hp and b+hk. His dashes are also very quick.

The result is a general strategy of using mobility and mid to long range zoning in order to pry open the opportunity to enter close or point blank range, where Ryu's strengths lie. No longer can he be relied on for an ironclad defense. Zoning is not his strongest asset in V, it is merely a necessary tool to begin a close range rush.

There is a second strategy which is less effective and difficult to make win, but may be necessary in some fights. This is to stay highly mobile and carefully build up damage through chipping with fireballs and white damage. It requires lots of focus and sound judgement and takes a long time to produce results, but is viable.

I personally find this change to Ryu a little jarring as I've always valued his ability to "fight from defense." Offense is strategically necessary, but defense necessarily precedes it, as per Sun Tzu:

 "To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself."

Final Fantasy XV Is Late

Today I watched FFXV's Hajime Tabata make a heartfelt appeal to Final Fantasy fans everywhere, asking for patience and approval on his (and I presume his superiors') decision to delay the game from September until the end of November.

Sounds good to me. "...A bad game is bad forever," after all and to be honest I had assumed FFXV would never appear in anything like it's current form (although I don't doubt it is completely different from its earlier versions.)

I have not felt passionate about Final Fantasy for many years, despite my enduring love for the original US releases of FFI, II, III, and VII, which were all formative for me. I enjoyed X and I greatly adore XII. The cast lacked the charisma of yore, but there were exceptions.

XIII will never be respected for the chances it took and the successes it achieved because it's flaws were simply overwhelming.

Despite everything, I still hope this one will make me feel that sense of wonder again. It's cast of drably clad boy band members is already inferior at least in terms of visual design, but maybe this one will really be the one we've all been waiting for.

Who knows? I'm game.

Tunnel Vision in Game Art

We (that is, artists in general) typically come into games with a soloist mind set. This is cultivated from our time as amatuers, where most of us seem to have been producing art by our lonesome, where we have immediate control and visibility over all elements of our work at once.

This entirely reasonable trend among amatuers a might change as game development is increasingly more accessible, thanks to readily available software like construct, unity, and unreal. Only time will tell.

But, once we enter into game development we typically join a team of artists, wherein we specialize in producing art for a specific family of assets; characters, environments, etc. At this point we tend to fight the same old battles we've always fought at this point, throwing our entire bag of tricks at any particular task set in front of us. When an entire team does this without considering their art's place among everyone else's assets, the final look of the game comes together looking like a mess. It is akin to every musician in an orchestra trying to play the entire score.

Of course, this can happen even if it's the project of a single artist, since you will be working on a variety of disparate assets which will only later be seen together. However, the team based nature of most game development only further lends itself to this problem of tunnel vision.

Its crucial to remember that each asset must work in concert with all the others, just as certain hues and values are regulated to certain areas of a single illustration to produce harmony.

For art leadership, it is especially important to be aware of this type of tunnel vision both in your own work and in the work of your teammates. Although it is valuable for everyone on the team to recognize this concept, it is ultimately the leadership's responsibility to coordinate everything.

The principle can be sumed up thusly:

The entire screen of a video game is the illustration, not any particular asset.

Starbreak at PAX East 2016

Some of our promo art and a pre-show photo of our environment artist L0cke and monster artist Kohyunu  giving our set up a quick test.

Promo images created with the assistance of L0cke who provided a beautiful starry sky to work off of.

Starbreak is available on Steam for free.

Silver Trash

So, it took me a while to actually play Street Fighter V, but eventually I received it as a gift from my father who was waxing nostalgic over our playing Street Fighter II Turbo during my childhood.

My time is far more limited these days and playing games is usually contingent on sacrificing an hour or two of sleep or a sufficiently fathomless nap from the kids. But, after having managed some preliminary exploration into the game, I determined that I ought to at least be able to make it as "silver trash" with minimal training. Recently I met this goal more easily than I had expected and I'm curious what it will take to get to gold.

Now, I'd heard a lot of talk about rage quitting being a major issue among SFV players. My personal experience was at odds with this, though; where were all these quitters, anyway?

Turns out they are in Silver league.

Almost uniformly the bronzies I had been playing saw their matches through to the end and overwhelmingly they chose to play out the whole set without much regard to gaming the system for points. Likewise gold players would often see through an entire set with me despite the paltry gains in points a victory over myself would have netted them. But, when I began to regularly compete with players the three silver ranks, things started to change; suddenly I understood the complaints.

Based on the quitting, the style of play, and meta gaming for points seen in Silver league, my current hypothesis is as follows:

Silver leaguers are disproportionately prideful to their actual skill level.

For the record, I take on nearly all commers. I'll finish a set with just about anyone, except perhaps the poorest of rookies who would be done more harm by it point-wise and people proven to rage quit when things don't go in their favor. If something needs to be addressed in real life, i leave the controller and forfeit the points. I never rage quit. I've received some massive blows to my score because of this, but also seen massive gains by overcoming high rankers.

Part of what is so fascinating about fighting games for me is how they reveal the personallity of players. I'm curious how Golds will behave, but for now an important lesson is that Silvers are probably very vulnerable l to trolling tactics. Repeatedly throw them or tick away at them with only light punches; being obnoxious in gameplay will likely put a silver on tilt and if you can then withstand and counter their offense you'll have yourself a win.

Proto-Wildfire

A very early concept of a character which would eventually become the Wildfire.

At this point in development, any character type could use any weapon. However, I still wanted to design characters for promotional purposes and this was going to be the character representing what we were then calling the soldier class (Think Phantasy Star Online.) A sword seemed the most appropriate weapon for him at the time. Currently, there isn't a sword in Starbreak at all!

Spriter and Character Art for Starbreak

At the Starbreak developer blog, we've made a post addressing character art. It is a brief overview of how we use Spriter.

Although this was written primarily by myself, I notice that some edits and additional sentences were added which I was unaware of.

There will be additional posts relative to Starbreak's art made in the coming weeks. I may post additional things here, too.

Starbreak is in open beta right now and you can play in your browser, no strings attached.