Consequences Over Limitations

There needs to be a better balance between levels in games and the equipment I can use.

Character levels are a thing, and these days just about every video game has them. Elements of the RPG genre permeate most every title, one way or another, with a damn too common representation being the good old level wall.

I'm level 10, but that sweet sword I want to use requires I reach level 12. Fine. I get it. I also hate it, especially when set on modern weapons/items. 

Let me back up...

Fallout 76 didn't do so hot at launch (more on that in a rather positive way another time). To make up for this, Bethesda is offering - among other things - a free week for players to jump in and try the game. Like it? Buy it for $30. So I downloaded 76 and I've been playing it for a couple of days. I got a gun I couldn't use until I was a few levels higher, and that's plum silly. 

Here's how I figure: In a traditional, fantasy RPG (Skyrim, for a brand loyalty example), you can make the argument that your character level is directly related to your overall power - because it is...sort of. You could say that you can't use that higher leveled sword or robe or whatever because you lack the strength of self or arcane hoosafudge to wield it. I don't like that, but I get it cause magic. Magic tends to bend the rules. A modern, not fantasy RPG like Fallout 76 doesn't have this luxury. Why can't I wield that gun because of my level? It's sure as shootin' not because of my stats. 

Fallout makes a huge to-do about your stats, even so much as spelling it out and calling them SPECIAL. Strength, Perception, Endurance, Charisma, Intelligence, Agility and Luck. You could easily place restrictions on weapons based on any one of those stats...I'd actually love to see a weapon or armor based on your charisma! I imaging some sweet shades or a...I dunno...gold chain? Not enough strength to swing a sledge hammer? Cool. Can't use it or maybe you swing extra slow. Not enough perception to effectively use a hunting rifle? You get where I'm going with this. But no. It's just levels saying yes and no.

I sometimes equate levels to age. I know it's not a complete analogy, but hear me out. And this might be a tad dark...or very, but a five year old can pick up a gun. They might not have the stats to use it properly, but they can wield it. And so we finally come to my point: consequences over limitations. 

I mentioned the sledgehammer. Well that can carry on to most every item you come across, at least the ones you wield or wear. And it is very much the case with several fantastic games, I'm not saying anything new. I'd just like the concept to be explored a bit more. Fable did it pretty well as a start. And it can be applied to environmental interactions as well as enemies. Fewer levels. Fewer hard limitations. More consequences.

I had this idea a while back for a post-apocalyptic-steam punk-fantasy-action-rpg...Yup. The idea I kicked around was the ability to use magic/items at any level. But let's say you're not the appropriate level/you don't have the right stats. Maybe that fireball explodes not only your enemy, but blows your arm off as well? I tend to run my DND campaigns like this. Enemies who get desperate/fearful etc would experience similar. And it went the other way. Your abilities, your items etc could grow with you. Maybe that pistol wouldn't be as powerful as a legendary sword, but over time and use and becoming familiar, your character could wield it with terribly deadly skill. That level 1 sword slayed enough goblins to become Goblin Bane, giving it an inherent higher damage against that monster type and gaining a title greater than simply iron sword. Or maybe your spells improve as you use them or maybe it costs less stamina to swing your sword and so on and so forth. A game that did this rather well on a basic level was Advent Rising. Use that shield power more and more and eventually you could cover yourself in a hamster ball of protection. Extra Credits has a great episode on the subject.


Fallout 76 is a step back in mechanics. It's actually a step forward story wise in a few ways, but that's for later. And to be clear: I'm not mad about 76 and it's barriers, just bored. I'm so bored of the same old thing. No you can't use that armor. Why? Cause...cause you're 10, not 12. O...k... Fundamentally it comes down to what you want your game to be, what message you want it to send via your gameplay, your systems. Fallout 76 fails in this in my opinion because I'm honestly not sure what the central focus of the mechanics are, and really the game overall. I get the story! Again, Bethesda did a wonderful job with the story. But there are so many systems, so many options, most of which don't feel connected. It feels unfinished. Or that the team couldn't satisfy a single vision due to the constraints they undertook in a new genre. I don't know. Fallout 4 wasn't online. 76 is. And that complicates things. But what I know is that we're better than this. And I'm hopeful for the future!

Plenty of potentially incredible games are coming over the next year. Maybe Breath of the Wild 2 will be the one? My money is on CD Project Red and Cyberpunk 2077. But who knows? It's going to be an interesting year, and I truly think that 2020 will surprise everyone.

And if you like Fallout 76, I'm absolutely going to write a quick thing about what works soon.

Have the best day you've ever had.

That WOW Feeling

FULL DISCLOSURE: I planned on writing one thing. Something else sort of came out and I went with it.


There's this gamer...thing, you know it: that inability to pick what to play. Sort of like dinner, maybe more like dessert, tacos usually winning. Just me? Now replace tacos with World of Warcraft, or really any MMO. Final Fantasy, WOW... Whatever, I just want to belong to another world.

I always want to play an MMO because of that. It's another world. A tedious grind, basically a job with the amount of hours you sorta kinda need to log, but the grind generally involves romantic notions. You're a mage or a great hero, you raise the dead to do your bidding or... Actually, an aside: I would LOVE an MMORPG where you play the villain. The point is: everything becomes a grind, it becomes work, but at the end of the day you can huck a fireball. You get it? You get it.

Sounds lonely though, doesn't it? That need to escape? It is. I've also never really played those games with people, games where literal millions of people are logged on. I'm slow to make new friends and my chums have never been want to play. That ended up sounding sadder than I meant it to. But when I play I don't feel alone. I feel comforted and safe. It's only when I remember I'm playing a game, that I'm no longer having fun. When I pop back to reality I feel somewhat guilty. This isn't how I thought this post would go.

Okay okay okay... This poses a question: what at the most basic level draws me to these games? 

(30 seconds later)

Got it: The sensation I feel is the same as when I craft something. I'm a blacksmith, a writer and a sketch artist, in terms of physically creating things. Whether it comes out right/wrong or whatever, at the end of the day I have a representation for my work. A knife, a chapter, a sketch - I have something to show for my time. That is why I like MMO's.

You grind and you spend your time and you level and snatch new loot. You have a representation for the time and effort you put in. And while it may not be reality prime, it is a world that matters to many. 

I guess this shows me what I'm missing: I need to make stuff. Cool. Didn't plan on going down a self help route this post but I'm glad it went that way. I've got less to think about now. Turns out I actually am an artist. Neat! 

William Blake: I will not reason or compare, my business is to create...

FULL DISCLOSURE: That W. Blake quote is one of my favorites, and I had an art teacher who called it "The most important art school bullshit you'll ever hear." Also: This was originally going to be a short post about me being stoked for the new FF Online expansion. Funny how things take their turns.

Have the best day you've ever had.

PS. I had this sentence running through my head: "I can satisfy my physical self all day..." That's dirty. You're welcome. It was going to be an extra prose point about being "spiritually" unsatisfied for a while but... Well it turned into a masturbation joke in my head. You got that. Hey! Check out my favorite podcast: Dead Frogs. It's about comedy and dissecting what makes it such. Right. See, cause there's this analogy about comedy and dissecting a frog... [Brain jumps out of head, puts on a tiny hat and leaves for the day]

The World Next Door - A Review

Oh the places you'll go...

Full disclosure: My best friend works at Rose City Games. That being said: I was able to test this game pre-release and loved it enough to get a copy on Switch. Here we go.

You'll like this game if you are looking for a solid visual novel with characters who actually come off as real teens (see very below for more on them). You'll like it if you want beautiful artwork (Lord Gris is kinda-sorta fantastic) and you'll like it if you dig a good, chill soundtrack. I also need to point out that the battle system has all the potential to be something crazy good; properly adrenalizing a match-em-up puzzle format is no easy task.

The music is great. My dirty hipster-heart wants it on cassette. Well done, Andrew Matteson.

The art, again, is beautiful and you should be throwing money at Lord Gris (https://www.instagram.com/lord_gris/).

More stuff now:
The World Next Door is, at its core, a visual novel. There's more story than puzzle combat - though Rose City is rumored to be adding a much needed VS mode. Crazy stoked about that! You'll spend the game getting to know Jun (best girl, if you were wondering), and her cast of ephemeral homies (kids still say that, right? Homies? Moving on). Writing believable teenage characters tends to be a challenge, but Alex Atkins and their crew do a wonderful job of making honest to goodness humans...monsters...people. Anyway... 

The combat isn't perfect, while I do love it! You traverse a rune covered arena with your avatar, mixing and matching these runes to cast spells to take out your enemies, hinder them or heal. It's simple. It's good. I say it isn't perfect because some of the enemies are straight up cheese. I'm looking at you: Dirty Dirty Witch. Also: Croc-Man is terrifying. Some of the hit boxes currently need tweaking and, as I mentioned, a said to be coming VS mode is much needed. 

The Nitpick:

You meet a LOT of characters and while they're well drawn and get some okay dialogue, they tended to feel like an "almost." I'm specifically talking about the non-main characters, the bulk of the student body littered about the world. They're all well designed. They all felt a tad hollow. On the high side, they made me want to get to know them more. I never really felt like they were a proper part of the world but that's asking a lot to have each and every one of them fleshed out. There simply isn't the time and resources to create side/back stories for each of them, which kinda-sorta leads into my next critique.

Items. So what? Good gravy do the items not matter (for the most part). One of your characters is a pyro (Horace is best boy, if you were wondering). Spoiler: he gives you a lighter at some point. It does nothing. As far as I can tell, it doesn't boost your fire magic, nor does it unlock a new ending, nor does Jun (that's you) light up and take the edge off. I wager that most of the items you get are there for sentimental reasons, rather than functional, but this is a game and I have a lizard brain; item = buff or item = something else happens. Outside of the key items to progress the game, your items don't really have a function. Yes, you could argue that advancing the story of a random side character who in no way benefits you is a function. It's not. 

Aki-dearest... It was random. Kinda cute. Sure. You'll see.

There are a couple of minor differences in the endings. Yes. Plural. And they're fine. They're a bit abrupt. One makes more sense than the others. It's evident that there are plans for a sequel in one of the endings, with some sudden some-such being shoehorned in, and I have my qualms about some of the story direction here and there, but it's not enough to make me even remotely dislike the story. Mainly because I love the main characters.

And there it is: the characters. I really like the tweaks in formula for the combat. The art makes me legitimately happy. I truly love the characters. I care when they have lines of dialogue, it effects me when they screw up (and they do, boy-oh). I want to get to know them as people and see where their adventures take them. I think there's a real opportunity here for the Rose City team to expand this universe, especially if they build that universe properly around their characters. But not around Nana. You must kill Nana with fire! Thank me later. It's not that she's a bad character, it's that I swear I hear her outside of my window, beyond the turn of every corner. She's just there...waiting... But everyone else is great! I said that you don't really get to know all of the side characters, and that remains true, however what little you get does feel real, albeit short-lived. Your main characters are well thought out and believable and while I might not love everyone equally, that is simply due to not agreeing with them as characters, rather than not thinking they were well written. I still find myself wanting to know more, wanting to dive deeper into the World Next Door universe because of these characters above all else. 

I for one look forward to the continuation of this franchise. Games, music, art, especially visual novels; I'll take it all! Also swag. Gimme a mask, some pins and whatever props / plush toys you've got. This was a beautiful way to enter a fantastic new universe. 

https://www.rosecitygames.com/

This Image of Me

I have this image of me that pops up between thoughts every so often. I'm pretty sure it's my ideal self, or something similar, and I've held this image of me since mid high school. 

I'm about thirty five, I think. Maybe forty. I'm standing outside a neon lit venue (I can't imagine it's a night club... Maybe it is), my back is against the wall and I'm smoking. I don't smoke. I haven't since I was...I want to say 20. In the image I'm smoking, I'm wearing a black leather jacket with a high collar (high, not popped), I look strong and I appear sad. 

That's it.

I think about that a whole lot and I don't know why. It's not a glamorous image. It's not even all that healthy or brooding for that matter. It's just sort of emo, which I haven't really grown out of since high school. Oddly I own but a single vinyl that I have purchased. It's the soundtrack from Firewatch, a fabulous video game by the folks at Campo Santo. Check it out. 

https://www.firewatchgame.com/

Emo. Depressed. Artist. Labels are a weird thing for me. I do my best to avoid them. That's not the point of this. I guess there isn't one. And maybe that's the point.

I don't think I've ever just existed. I'm wired kind of sad and thus I tend to overthink things; most all things. It took me fifteen tries to write that sentence because I kept stumbling on the keys. I need to write more. So not existing... 

So I have this image of myself - the emo forty year old, and then I have this recurring feeling that I'm not part of the world. Like I exist outside of it but I'm wandering through it. I've got a few friends who get this feeling. I'm sure a ton of people experience it. I sort of live here. It's been a long time since I felt connected to the ground, to the sky or my work. Call it limbo. Call it whatever you'd like. It's confusing. On the one hand, you can argue that the recurring image is either an ideal me or a fantasy me or... I'm not really sure what else, but that guy sure doesn't exist. And yet most of the time I don't really feel like I do either. 

Imposter syndrome. I learned this term from a dear friend of mine who goes through similar feelings. As pretentious as it is, artists tend to I hear. I'm not special in that way. Anyway, imposter syndrome is basically like it sounds: you feel like a fraud doing the things you're good at. You feel like an imposter. I've met plenty of folks who go through it. I don't really know where I'm going with this, but it's interesting to think about so many people experiencing the same feeling. 

I don't know when I'll accept that I'm a writer. It took me a long time to claim dancer and that is a tough one for me all the time. 

And I don't have a good ending for this one. I'm sorry. The internet isn't helping, but that's a whole other thing.

How bout a quick review of Love. Death. And Robots? Do you like gore, fight club and the animated classic Heavy Metal? Also boobs, and like...a whole lot of violence like wow? Then you'll love Netflix's newest talkie: Love. Death. And Robots. I've got a whole other thing I think I want to write about each and every... Yeah, I think I'll write a rundown (possibly drunk) of each of the 17 animated shorts. For the record, almost every single short was way too short. Like...waaaaaaaaay too short. A few were waaaaaay too long and a couple just sucked. Also, basically someone bangs and someone dies and there's sometimes robots.

Here's a quickie version:

1. Sonnie's Edge - Cyberpunk indeed! Huh, backstory? Sure. Really cool monster! Holy SHIT! Oh Wow. Woah. woah. woah. Called it. Awesome.

2. Three Robots - Adorable. I like it. Cat's with thumbs. Two for two? Sweet. 

3. The Witness - If M. Night Shaymalan both didn't suck AND made soft-core murder-mystery porn. I liked it. Decent twist. Coo coo cachu.

4. Suits - I always wondered what life for Jim Raynor was like after Starcraft. Kind of a rip off of a bunch of stuff and I don't care. Liked this one too.

5. Sucker of Souls - Souls aren't the only thing it sucked. Ah haha. SPOILERS: It's a Dracula thing. You've seen it. And it's not very good. But it was the first time I'd seen Dracula shot in the dick. Why did they animate that?

6. When the Yogurt Took Over - Sure. Why not? Also: I'm pretty sure that was my man, Maurice LaMarche. Yogurt and the Brain? Don't panic.

7. Beyond the Aquila Rift - This was okay. I guess. I don't know. It needed to be a video game or a mini series or an hour long thing, but damn if that monster ain't the stuff of nightmares! 10/10 would shit my pants in fear of that thing again. 

8. Good Hunting - He's gonna fuck that fox. Wait. He's gonna build a rabbit? Fully erect fat dude. Steampunk? What the hell am I watching? Huh. Okay. Full disclosure: I hated this, but I think I would have liked it if it was an hour long. Maybe. I don't even know anymore.

9. The Dump - How is this not three minutes long? I get it. Still get it. Oh good, I saw his balls. Also there's a monster. 

10. Shape Shifters - Let's just smush Twilight and Jar Head together. Yeah? Why not? Because it's dumb.

11. Helping Hand - Next.

12. Fish Night - It's gonna be about prison. It's gonna be a father son thing? It's gonna be a beautifully animated, wondrous display of vibrant creatures?! That guys gonna die. Fuck. You.

13. Lucky 13 - The ship is alive. They show you right away. It likes its pilot. It was fine. I really liked her!

14. Zima Blue - Man, artists are fucking preten... This is rad. Okay that's a good idea. WHAT?! Are you KIDDING ME? Two different stories in my head, can't believe they went with that one. I'm okay with it. I actually laughed out loud when I saw the ending.

15. Blindspot - Man, Borderlands has really amped up their swearing! I kind of want this to be a 13 episode series.

16. Ice Age - Eric Foreman does an old ass episode of The Simpsons. It works.

17. Alternate History - What if Hitler died in six crazy ways? What would that be like? Kind of adorable, actually! I actually forgot this was a thing and had to edit the post to include it. Guess that says something.

18. Secret War - Why do people have accents when they're speaking english in things like this? It's dumb. Also there are demons in this and the ending is a big fat "who cares." This one was shit because it was longer than five minutes. And for other reasons. So many reasons.

And now I sleep. Expect a full video about this whole shebang later.

Love you.

Have the best day you've ever had. Shout out to Ray Ray and big Steve.

YouTube - First Week Back

It's been fun and easy getting on a regular upload schedule. I'm realizing how much time I have, which I've never been good at.

Want to help? Please subscribe. It helps a ton and puts no burden on you whatsoever.

The channel is starting with lets plays which, for those of you not into the nerd thang, is a lot like chillin' on the couch and playing video games with your homies... Only everyone is on their own respective couch. 

Aside from that I don't have much to say (got an hour of sleep last night), so I'll just point you to the episodes I put up this week...OBSERVE BELOW!

Have the best day you've ever had.

Andrew.

Doing Videos Again

I work too hard sometimes. Lots of times. I try too hard to make a point or change things, specifically the minds of others. Then I'll usually tell others to...not do that. 

TLDR: I'm making videos again. 

LR...DT? I actually don't know what TLDR even means. Clearly. But I know how to use it. Do you have words like that? Anyway... Longer story: I'm getting back on youtube (and other platforms that work for me) and doing mostly let's play videos and variety spots, each about 10-15 minutes in length on average. Here's why...

I plan to make a living off fandom, off celebrating the work of others so in turn I can make my own content. Being stoked on others is a strength of mine, so why not make it a career?

Here's the schedule in my head: two videos a day, all week, most of which will be lets plays and two of which will be a vlog and some kind of live action hoosafudge. There' nothing earth shattering here as everyone and their mother is using this format, but there's a reason for that. It works. It's an easy way to build your library and showcase your personality while leaving plenty of time to work on whatever else during your week.

SIDE NOTE: Here's the channel as it is... Click it! chknfoot TV 

The change - now vs. then - is that I'm open to change. I tried way too hard to force jokes and make a brand and so on and whatever. Now, I'm much more open to just doing the thing and evolving. See, the purpose is to use whatever popularity base to make something they and I want, eventually leading to a studio and business to help others achieve their dreams while I achieve mine. So it's chknfoot TV now, but maybe it's not later. Maybe our color-scheme changes, maybe I get a partner or it becomes a network. I have no idea. But I'm excited.

More on all this later. There will be a video soon all about it. Or at least more. It will be me jibbering, so it may be sorta incoherent, albeit well intentioned. 

I'm happy and driven and stoked to share. More than anything I'm really happy to have something that will teach me how to have a professional schedule. Dreams.

Love ya.

Have the best day you've ever had.

Andrew

I've Forgotten How to Play

I sure hope I'm not dead inside. Okay, that's dramatic. I'm not dead inside, I'm fearful that I've lost something important that I feel partially defines me: my love to play. I've sort of forgotten how, and I think it's been a long while now that I've been this way, and I'm only now able to admit it. First step and all that...


DISCLAIMER: This is a working things out post. It might not make a lot of sense. The sound of keys clicking helps me focus and evaluate my goings on and such.


It's such a strange thing to sit at my computer and strive so hard to find some game, any game, just because I tell myself that I want to play something. I'm forcing it, forcing play, and that's sort of crazy. I can't think of any other facet of my life that I try so hard to do. I either do or do not, I don't try or work so hard to do anything the way that I push having fun; specifically with video games. 

I know I still love them. I love my games. But I find myself skipping cut scenes, missing out on good chunks of lore, hearty bits of story that I could learn from. That worries me.

Maybe I'm unhappy? I'm pretty darn content with most things in my life, though I must admit that I feel out of sorts creatively. I've always been creative, imaginative, yet lately I feel dull. I'm boring to myself. I can't seem to create anything I'm proud of for a couple of years now. I can't seem to enjoy the work. I'm trying too hard.

It's fear. I'm afraid of failure. So why try. It's horse-nuts. Grade A. Can't fail if you never try, though you can define that in of itself a failure to live. 

I wish I never realized my mortality. I sure miss the days when I thought I was immortal, my time unending. Oh well. I'm human these days. Maybe there's something there.

I'm going to learn the piano, my first lesson in little over two weeks. Maybe that will feel good.

I am mostly happy. But this whole forgetting how to play thing has me a bit scared, and when I get scared I get sedentary. My ass hurts from sitting. My stomach hurts from devouring the work of others. I'm tired. I think I'll sleep.

Thanks for sticking with me, Brain. I feel better now. Let's get to work on letting ourselves off the hook and letting life happen. Maybe that's how we'll play again.

Processing piece over.

Have the best night you've ever had.

Andrew

PS. The universe is a hologram. Buy gold.

PPS. Or not. We're all in this together. The universe is pretty cool. And if it's a hologram, then choose to bend light and make it what you will.