Game Design Diary – The Issues With Unclear Unreal

So, I'm trying to make input work in a game that I've been building as part of an Udemy course. The issue is that it is next to impossible to find the bug. I've been redoing the same class, or lecture, or whatever you want to call it, three times now, and it always fails... Continue Reading →

2023-09-01 0

One of Those Moments – I Love Freddie

An image of five people standing, sitting and lounging on greek ruins. A dark haired woman stands in the foreground with a microphone.

So, you'll probably see a lot of these coming up the coming few weeks. I absolutely adore certain aspects of Stray Gods, and I will post about it and there will - due to the fact that the game is not very long - be spoiler-y clips. First out is Freddie, commenting on the Minotaur's... Continue Reading →

2023-08-14 0

The Issue With Mechanics

Let me preface this by saying that there’s a lot going on in my head right now. I just finished reading Edward Castronova’s Synthetic Worlds and made a lateral jump into Second Person, edited by Harrigan and Wardrip-Fruin. Because Second Person is from 2007, the ludo-narrative war is ongoing, even in these pages. The interesting... Continue Reading →

2023-08-08 0

Game Design Diary – Capturing the Magic

An image with a number of games lined up as well as passes for conferences

I’ve been doing a bunch of captures lately. I’m trying to show my process, successfully or unsuccessfully, I’m not sure yet. I’ve been playing Mad Max, and I’m getting endlessly annoyed at the slow transitions between animations and the unreal twitchiness of the prompt triggers. It’s also fun to do one of those vacuuming exercises... Continue Reading →

2023-08-06 0

One of Those Moments – Gradual Unlock of Powers

An image of a young person with a lightsaber standing in front of several other characters holding various implements.

So, it may surprise you to learn that there is one thing about Jedi: Fallen Order that I do like and that’s the gradual unlock of powers and skills. Considering how awkward the default controls are, this is a really good decision on Respawns part. What this means is that the player can get used... Continue Reading →

2023-08-04 0

Game Design Diary – The Travails of Twine and Unreal

A pile of fake coins and dice spread out over a table.

I’m seriously questioning some of the courses I’ve bought that’s supposedly teaching stuff like Twine and Unreal. Well, actually, I’m questioning what makes men think they’re good enough at teaching that people should pay for it. Most of them lack structure and a clear path forward. Some lack clarity in the scripts. So far, I’ve... Continue Reading →

2023-08-02 0