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May. 18th, 2008 02:41 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
egypturnashI wish Google Maps had a "walking" mode. That would make planning things like the trip Nick and I took out to Trader Joe's a lot easier.
Also, damn, I really miss living in Glendale where it was sunny all the time, and there was a TJ's like five blocks from where I lived. Oh, to move back to California.
Meanwhile, the past couple days have been spent in the grips of GTAIV and its hooks into parts of my brain that make me act like an addict, thanks to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
read_alicia loaning us her 360 for a bit. I keep on comparing it with GTAIII, due to it being set in a caricature of New York, and it keeps coming up wanting - sure, it's more detailed, but most of the detail is at the expense of gameplay. Zooming across a bridge, then having to brake sharply to stop and pay toll does not enhance the fantasy in the least, IMHO. The whole thing's full of design decisions like that: petty simulationalism over fun. Which, really, is no surprise after all the micromanaging you had to do of your character in GTAIIISA.
I should just hook the box up to the router, give it my cc info, and buy Space Giraffe and a few other indy games. (ooh, and it seems that Everyday Shooter is on Steam now. Better download the demo on Rik's machine, this one keeps sounding cool.)
Also, damn, I really miss living in Glendale where it was sunny all the time, and there was a TJ's like five blocks from where I lived. Oh, to move back to California.
Meanwhile, the past couple days have been spent in the grips of GTAIV and its hooks into parts of my brain that make me act like an addict, thanks to
read_alicia loaning us her 360 for a bit. I keep on comparing it with GTAIII, due to it being set in a caricature of New York, and it keeps coming up wanting - sure, it's more detailed, but most of the detail is at the expense of gameplay. Zooming across a bridge, then having to brake sharply to stop and pay toll does not enhance the fantasy in the least, IMHO. The whole thing's full of design decisions like that: petty simulationalism over fun. Which, really, is no surprise after all the micromanaging you had to do of your character in GTAIIISA.I should just hook the box up to the router, give it my cc info, and buy Space Giraffe and a few other indy games. (ooh, and it seems that Everyday Shooter is on Steam now. Better download the demo on Rik's machine, this one keeps sounding cool.)
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Date: 2008-05-19 06:56 am (UTC)As for smaller games, Aquaria is two guys in their basement, and it's completely brilliant. The days of one guy making an awesome game really aren't gone (look for the game Dwarf Fortress, it's absolutely brilliant, and it's one crazy guy using ASCII graphics) but the difference is that you can be a dedicated computer gamer and still not even hear of some of these one-man projects. You need to be specifically tuned into the indie scene, or glued to the Penny Arcade forums. One guy is likely not going to make a game that can penetrate the mainstream market, but one guy can definitely make a living off their games. See Dave Gilbert and his adventure games, or Jeff Vogel and his many hardcore Ultima-style RPGs. ideally, you have at least three or four people, like the Moonpod or Introversion guys, enough spread out skills that you can really make a reliable living,