High Concept

Ian Bentley, Tyler Baum, Jon Luoni, And of course Jeff Harman

well here it is.......

Palling ‘Round with God is a 4 player epic adventure of three heroes who are looking for the all-powerful, radiating orb of infinite shenanigan wisdom…which is covered up by gold coins and $20 bills in a steamer trunk hidden somewhere in the world.  The one lucky buck that gets to play God must defend the treasure at all costs.  Sadly, it’s all that’s left worth saving.  The housing market’s crap nowadays.  Television hasn’t been good since 1959.  And your son hates you.  He had the nerve to stay in bed all day on his birthday last year just to spite you and your festive holiday party plans.  Screw ‘em.  You’re the boss.  Your t-shirt says so.  You guide gloomy buffer angels, dirty devil demon crawlers, and a mega-giant of massive meanness to stop a trio of bumbling schmucks from getting your stash.  The three searchers are lost in a vague world.  Slowly proceeding over an empty landscape where untold riches (actually just about $8,020.17) or fierce tooth-to-toe battles await just around the corner.  Movements are direct and the mission is clear.  Steal God’s thunder fund.  Memory and luck will reward the patient, but be careful of your teammates in this quest.  They can choose to revive a fallen comrade as they lay bruised and confused on the path ahead or they can take an extra long step over the carnage, give a thumbs up sign, smile, and keep on looking for that confounded treasure box thing.  And always remember, far, far above - God’s watching it all.  Reveling in the squabbles and near misses with the loot.  One of the heroes walks mere centimeters away from the loot?  Should God have said anything?  Maybe.  Maybe not.  It’s up to God.  But remember, as the result of an old football injury, he can’t move the heavy treasure after initially putting it down.  It’s there forever.  And once it’s discovered - the great big gig’s up.  It’s been fun palling ‘round with you, God, but I’ve got to go!  (fade-up distant angry thunder, wait for electricity to go ou-------  -

Pal around with god!

Ok so this is our video for this highly entertaining game we have started to make. So far we are in the design phase but its gone really far we have an idea of how it works and have played it and had a blast. watch our video and give me your thoughts. any questions just comment. Now enjoy........

Our first game check it out!!!!

                          School Days!!!!

1. Roll to see who goes first. Highest goes first.
2. What you roll is the number you move.
3. If you land on a dot - get card and follow instructions.
4. If you go to detention - you need to roll the same # twice to get out.
5. Win by finishing school.
6. If you get detention - move to the detention square.

items Needed to Play

Dice, 5 "Reward" cards, 4 "Go to Detention" cards, coins, stick of gum, fake lobster claw
 

Free Play

Toribash is a interesting little fighting game.

Question 1

 was the game fun?

It was ok I would not classify this game as fun or not fun it was extremely challenging and I found it hard to grasp the basic tools to do anything worthwhile. But for some strange reason I want to keep trying which is very frustrating at times cause you keep failing. You fail a lot multiple times and its just hard. you do not get a lot of instructions at first so it is kind of tough. But they do have a fight training which is cool it teaches you.

Question 2

Does the game have replay value?

Yes it does I did not hate the game and it is a very open game to begin with and there is a lot of possibilities for moves and just fun. The open concept of the moves is what makes it have such a good replay value. Many fighting games give what feels like a set of  simple moves that can be chained together to make new stuff but this game moves each section of body so that you can make your own.

Question 3

Story or game play driven?

The game is game play driven. There is no story to this game it is just fight this person and that's that. the game just is simple and fun it is not supposed to be a story kind of fighting game.

Question 4

Presentation?

The game is presented well the graphics are pretty cool. The games graphics are different there is nothing that special but they are very cool simple feel the camera can be rotated around the player 360 degrees so its completely 3d so it is very cool. The game is graphic with blood and what not and the blood has the big dots kind of like a lego feel.

Question 5

The controls?

Well the games controls are clicking the mouse. But the clicking and pointing just is to simple for the complexity of the game. There is a lot of things that can take place with just one click and it is hard to really grasp everything in the little simple clicks and movement. The game seems more complicated even with just using the clicks at first. But as you play it gets easier and makes it seem fluid but i do not know if it is because I am used to it or it really is.

Question 6

special features?

The special features are multiplayer which is cool as it adds like a cool concept to the fighting style. I if did not play but when you do you have to really think a lot for your next move and try and counter someone else's. Then there is the shop where you can customize your character and that is really cool it you get money from beating people online and what not so it is something i did not get to use.

Question 7

Change one mechanic?

Well if I could change one mechanic id change the ability to have like preset moves like jump and simple not combat moves. this would make things a little easier to actually do moves and stuff. Which is my main complaint about this game. Changing this would make this game a little more simple to play and in my mind fun.

Question 8

I'd give this game a 7 out of 10 shenanigans. This is I feel that the game could be a little easier to just pick up and play. The game needs better rules to make it a lot more accessible to everyone.   I do not think it is horrible so I do like it.

Chapter two book work

Question 1

Ok well The three games are Starcraft 2, Mass effect 2, and Pacman. Well for starcraft  2 I feel was a technology driven design process. I feel this way because well in the book it talks about making a sandbox kind of style at first . This is while you have the ability to decide so the level is laid out the way the designer wants then the rest is yours.  Mass effect is a big story driven game while yes it does look good. The game has very large scope to it you get attached to your character and what is going to happen. to me that is what makes a good story driven game the ability to feel for the character as if they are a friend or something. Pacman is definitely a game play driven design. It is a fun simple game and it seems that it was just made to be just that. It does not have impressive graphics or cool visuals even for the time some later versions came out but it stayed in this simple easy to play and fun game.

Game Play and Control

Well I think I'm going to chose a game most people have played it was called Phoenix. It was for a graphing calculator and I must say I spent many a day blowing up little pixel space ships instead of listing to my teacher talk about the Egyptians and how some kind of math. Well anyway the game is very fun for being a calculator game its got a feel of space invaders and if you going thinking its that its definitely what you would expect. The controls are so easy a caveman could do it so its actually fun. But the big plus about the simple controls you could do it very ninja like so the teacher would never be the wiser. This game goes well with algebra or calculus what ever is your preference it feels like the people who made it wanted it simple so it didn't give an overwhelming feel to it. So if you really want to kill some time in a math class check out Phoenix and don't make my mistake and play in a English class.

Game Design Document

OK well I completely agree about the importance of these documents. They kind of give a basis of whats going to happen. They are the basic bread and butter of what makes the game good or not whether it be a board game or a video game. To me by what the article says makes them seem like the script of a movie and without a good solid script you get the Blair witch project. Which I did not find of any use other then a good Frisbee from time to time. But as for board games it makes perfect since its like getting your ideas and compiling everything you have had and puts it in a nice little fun sized package. It is a lot of work but I feel the pros out way the cons.

Ch 1 question 3!!!

     Well the game I particularly did not find to fun was gears of war 2. To me the game was good looking but as far as fun goes at times was very lacking. The levels themselves were at times had a feeling of being really linear. The game is for the most part set were your character does not know how to get where they are supposed to go. But they just seem to be strolling along knowing exactly which way to go like this was their child hood stomping grounds or something. Then when you got to the enemies it was like just mini versions of their game type horde were its just wave after wave. which at first you are like "chainsaw yeah take that!!!" and what not but after about an hour its turned into a silly repetitive routine. Now for something I have got to say the weapons were not balanced. when you got one It was like a kid with a magnifying glass on a cloudless day and you are the ant. You would just have to chalk one up for a lost on that.
     As for fixing these problems well the level feeling linear is a tough little cookie iv figured to fix. But to me what might do it is make it more of a players choice they have at times were you split up and you chose which path you the player will go. maybe if that was incorporated to say you can go down one way and even if they both eventually led to the same place. Just having that one break were its like "wow I really do not know where to go". that feeling of being lost or just you actually deciding I think would really get rid of that feeling. As for the enemies and the wave after wave Maybe making them come as more of a sporadic thing instead of hey here is a place to get ambushed queue the dramatic music. Maybe give the player the feeling like they could strike any moment since you are invading their turf. Have the points be more random and just make the enemies stronger or more fierce. As for the weapons I really do not know what goes into making it feel that everyone has a equal chance not just who ever got lucky and got there first. I would not want it to be like everything is like shooting the same I just do not preferably like a god weapon. But I really do not know how that would be fixed maybe just lowering ammo so it is not so devastating making it more like a it will get one or two just not team.

My review of Pokemon pearl

During my childhood I grew up like a few of you playing Pokémon. Well I got my hands on Pokémon pearl for the DS which was from their new series and I gave it a whirl overall I’m going to give this game a 7 out of 10 shenanigans. I’ve broken up my reasons for this score into Gameplay, Graphics, Sound, Story, Learning Curve, and Control Scheme. So here it goes enjoy my review.


Gameplay/Story

Well the game play is on the elementary level of understanding. See the goal is to become the greatest trainer in the world and as the song goes catch them all that’s Pokémon or pocket monsters as they are also known. Well you are also tasked professor who seems to be in a lot of places all the time with the leveling of these little trouser snakes. You accomplish this by running around and picking on people and beating up there Pokémon and in some places getting a badge of honor that you can shine up in the DS versions. But that’s not all in this Iliad of epics you also encounter a very sketchy group that I am unable to name at this time but will continue to research. Well this little group of heathens run around with a talking cat which I must say is very strange. Well you eventually get into with them because they wanted your pocket monster and you were all “no” and preceded to battle royal it like no other. Eventually you can go to this club house but the only way to get in is if you have eight of those honor badges. Well lucky as I was I got them and proceeded into this little club house. Well in this club house you find its ruled with an iron fist by these people called the elite four which I must say weren’t very elite. So you being the good Samaritan decide you will take down these “elite” four. Well with the royal finished and the not so elite four and there sprawled behind you a very vampire looking gentleman comes creeping out and is not to chipper about what happened so he decides to start a ruckus with you. Well after you humiliate him he surprises you with the keys to the place and says “hey you’re the champ” well now all these elite four and Mr. Vampire are your little peons that you can come smack around whenever you want.

Graphics

Well I came into this I was skeptical as what I should expect from a game based on pocket monsters. But I got to say it turned out not half bad. They had a nice cartoon kind of feel which brought me back to eating cocoa puffs and arguing about who was watching TV first on Saturday mornings. I felt the Pokémon could have been a little more animated the water gun move at time looked as if the Pokémon was taking a leak but that’s up for your own interpretation. It was ok though because at times it made me laugh as it would be a good technique because if you win the fight marked the territory already. The only thing I really didn’t like was the way it didn’t seem as they updated really the look as much as they could have done with the DS think iv seen a lot better looking games on it but im picky so id take a look.

Sound

Well nothing much to say here other then the fine gentleman put in charge of picking music for this game does not need to be in charge of that anymore. Its like a constant repetitive blur of annoyance it’s the only really thing I can say is a failure on there part honestly I don’t understand they can make more of these little creatures then you can count but we get ding ding techno junk. Ok well I got that out the sound was bland on a better note it just wasn’t like it should be music and sound is important watch jaws in mute what do you get? A nice, pretty, and peaceful ocean scene were nothing is happening. Its important and should have been look at more.

Learning curve

The learning curve wasn’t too bad at the begging when you are in m night shyamalan the village-esque town you live in were everyone is scarred of the tall grass. Your shown the ropes by some punk friend of yours who seems to be on speed. Well you get your Pokémon and within what seemed like an instant were thrown into a starter battle with wild aggressive Pokémon mine were bird like creatures so I must have been near there nest. But you are shown the technique by pounding these little pigeon wannabes into the ground. So I must say it was an easy game to pick up and easy to learn very fun.

Control scheme

The controls were simple very simple you have like two buttons and a directional pad simple. It’s a very easy game to learn because of the ease it is to play with the controls and there was even customization of the controls “uhhhhhh ahhhhhh!!!” it was nice. They even tried to use the touch screen but take it from me don’t touch it. For me it was very temperamental and I must say I got into a verbal altercation with it a time or two so use it at your own risk. Overall the controls were easy.