Recently Adrenaline Vault writer Jason Pitruzzello had the chance to fire off a few questions to David “Darkrenown” Ballantyne (pictured left), scripter and designer at Paradox Development Studio, about Heart of Darkness, the developer’s new expansion pack for their historical strategy game Victoria II. The expansion will be available April 16, 2013.

AV: I’d like to thank you for taking time out of your development schedule to give us an interview. I’d first like to talk about the crisis mechanic, since it’s probably the most awaited feature in the expansion. It looks like just about any country can help precipitate a crisis that might turn half the world’s Great Powers against one another. But what would be the difference between Greece starting a crisis about a state with Greek POPs in it, and Greece just declaring war on the Ottomans using pre-existing cores?

DB: There are two main differences in Victoria II: Heart of Darkness. First, if Greece just declares war on the Ottomans, it’s just a case of Greece and her allies fighting the Ottomans and theirs; it’s unlikely anyone else will get involved. If it were a Crisis, all the local Great Powers would get involved and there’s the potential for a major war. The second difference is that, unlike with a war, it’s possible that a crisis can be resolved without fighting. If your side gains overwhelming support, then it’s possible that the other side will back down and give you what you want without it coming to war, especially early on when the prestige cost of backing down is lower.

AV: How does the game engine determine which Great Powers initially get involved because of the actions of a smaller state? Is it just high relations between the Great Power and minor country, or do levels of influence, sphere of influence, alliances, or some other combination of factors make a difference here? Also, how much time is there between the beginning of a crisis and someone either backing down or a war starting? And how does all this play out in multiplayer when humans are running the Great Powers of the world?

DB: All the factors you mention definitely play a part. An AI nation will generally support an ally or member of their sphere, but good relations can make them support a neutral party or bad relations may make them abandon a sphere member. They’ll also consider how much they dislike your opponent, so it’s possible you may get support from someone who doesn’t particularly like you if they really hate your enemy. And once both sides have a Great Power supporter (or are a GP themselves), all other Great Powers on the same continent are invited to take part in the crisis.

It’s hard to say exactly how long a crisis takes to heat up, as various factors affect it, like random events, nations mobilizing or manufacturing war justifications against the other side, and things heat up faster for the other nations that have picked sides already. A rough estimate is a year, though.

AV: I wanted to talk about navies for a moment. I see a lot of great changes, including a torpedo technology for cruisers that lets them threaten inadequately escorted dreadnoughts. It seems like the game is now set up so that spamming dreadnoughts is no longer possible thanks to how naval bases are implemented. Will we finally see an end to the 500 dreadnought fleets in previous versions of Victoria II? And is there any balancing of prices for ships in general in the new expansion?

Related to navies, I also noticed in the military developer diary that a new war goal has been added: dismantle fortifications. The diary says this war goal will remove both fortifications and naval bases. Is this still true? And is this war goal a way for major naval powers to limit the strength of other nations without annexing half of their coastlines? And does removing a rival’s naval bases hurt their colonial ambitions?

DB: It’s still true, and yes, lowering the naval potential of your enemies or un-fortifying their borders is the exact reason for this war goal. Losing naval bases really hurts in Victoria II: Heart of Darkness because they generate naval supply points that your navy needs for upkeep. If you don’t have enough of them, then you still need to buy the same amount of goods to maintain your ships, but less of them actually reach the ships, which reduces their effectiveness in combat. You also need high-level naval bases to build the more advanced ships, so lost bases mean you can’t rebuild your navy as quickly. And finally, yes, lost bases hurt your colonial power because colonial points are generated both by naval bases and your ships themselves.

AV: I guess we can’t talk about an expansion named “Heart of Darkness” without talking about colonies. The screenshot you folks posted in the developer diary quotes Hilaire Belloc’s words about the Maxim gun, which tells me colonies are only going to get more important in the expansion. I’ve read that colonies are now established using colonial points rather than national focuses. Since other Great Powers will no doubt be using their colonial points to grab colonies in the scramble for Africa, I have to ask: how does a country generate colonial points? And how can I generate more than my opponents?

DB: As I mentioned, naval bases and ships are your main source of colonial points, so you really need a good-sized navy and the bases to support it if you want to be a colonial power. Colonies also use up some of your points for their upkeep, so you can free up points by either turning your colonies into states or dominions. Making them into states turns them into an integral part of your nation, like the states in your homeland, so they no longer use colonial points for upkeep. But to do this you need a certain amount of accepted culture bureaucrats living there. And actually turning them into states costs quite a few points, more so the further away from your homeland they are. Your other choice is to spin your colonies off into self-governing Dominions, like the United Kingdom did with Canada, Australia, etc. The downside to Dominions is you can no longer tax the people living there or harvest the resources in the area, but your Dominions are placed in your Sphere of Influence and are quite difficult for others to remove, and you can take control of their troops during wars. You’re not limited to Britain’s historical Dominions. We have added 50 dynamic nations that will take their names from the area they are formed in and their culture from the nation releasing them.

AV: The developer diaries have mentioned that there is a colonial influence race when multiple countries try to colonize an area. What actions can a player take to speed up their own colonization, or hamper the colonization efforts of others?

DB: It all comes down to how many colonial points you are willing to use in Heart of Darkness. At the most basic level, it’s a bidding war. Can you really afford to throw more and more points into this one area instead of picking up less-fought-over states? You need to decide how many points you’re willing to invest for your pretty borders. On the other hand, getting into a colonial race with someone speeds up the generation of war justifications, so you could always whip one up and then just fight them for the colony afterwards. Unlike in previous versions, the presence of troops in the area doesn’t speed up the colonization process, but it does further speed war justifying.

AV: I’ve heard that colonial races can create flashpoints for crises. This sounds like a great addition to the game, but does this mean the Congo Conference and Congo Free State decisions and events are going to be removed? And are there other flashpoints related to colonies besides issues related to initial colonization?

DB: Yes, the Congo event/decisions are gone now. Instead, colonial bidding wars generate Flashpoint Tensions, so a really heated race may turn into a Crisis if neither side can win handily or backs out. Aside from that, the only other flashpoint related to colonies is if, say, the US colonizes part of Canada and then the UK spins Canada off as a Dominion. Then Canada may end up starting a Crisis to get their state from the US.

AV: One final question for you. Since this is Victoria we are talking about and my readers would be irritated if I didn’t ask, are there any changes to the economy of Victoria II coming with Heart of Darkness?

DB: Yes, there are a few. The big one is that factories get a throughput bonus if they are built in a state that produces one or more of their input goods, which encourages local production chains. So, for example, if you have a state that produces Iron and Coal, it is a great spot for a Steel mill, which is then a good place for an Artillery factory, a Car factory, and a Tank factory. We’ve also given factories the ability to reduce their throughput on the fly if they are losing money before starting to fire workers, which gives them a safety buffer if they hit a rough spot and start making a loss. Capitalists have also been made a bit smarter and will now remember which factories have recently been shut down, so they shouldn’t throw good money after bad if a certain industry isn’t making a profit. They’ll also reserve some factory slots for the more advanced factories that are invented later in the game.

© Jason Pitruzzello for The Adrenaline Vault, 2013. | Permalink | No comment(s)

As the author of the long-running (almost decade and a half) Top Indie PC Games of the Year awards article series, I am inaugurating a new, parallel awards feature for games for the iPad. My rationale is simple: the explosion of game releases on the iPad makes the platform unique in that, unlike consoles, the Macintosh, and non-Apple mobile devices, the quantity and quality of iPad games are now comparable to those on the personal computer. Indeed, the 2012 release of the iPad retina display has stimulated an outpouring of games with improvements in graphics and gameplay.

To perform my evaluation of the contenders, I downloaded and played hundreds of iPad games with descriptions or trailers that showed significant promise. For the best of these, I then obtained and evaluated the full versions of the games so that I could see exactly what players would be purchasing. I noticed two advantages for customers of iPad games over computer games. To buy iPad releases, you pay a lot less than for most PC releases, and to play purchased iPad games, you face no pesky requirements for any form of Wi-Fi or cellular access (unlike Internet-based DRM for PC games).

I have divided my 20 winners into three categories: iPad Originals, Resurrected Classics, and Real-Life Replicas. Most of the games—which come from all over the world—were first released in 2012, although a few were released earlier but received significant upgrades in 2012. In selecting the winners, I rewarded games that have gameplay that benefits most from the special control capabilities of the iPad (most natural with tilt, touch and swipe features); and with graphics that are not significantly compromised by the compact screen real estate.

© Bob Mandel for The Adrenaline Vault, 2013. | Permalink | 2 comments

Despite the proliferation of games designed for mobile platforms, the indie computer games market continues to flourish. The personal computer—because of its openness and ubiquitous presence—remains a primary development platform. So, while many other game sites still focus their attention exclusively on conventional big-budget AAA retail offerings, or alternatively concentrate their coverage on games from a variety of hardware platforms other than the PC, for your playing pleasure I unearth the very best hidden computer treasures that indie gaming has to offer. This represents the latest in a series of annual awards articles that now has continued for almost a decade and a half, by far the longest consecutive indie games award series anywhere.

To select the dozen 2012 award winners from a competitive field, I spent many hours playing through hundreds of full registered versions to discern their overall value. Interestingly, most of the winners emerge from developers outside of the United States. Moreover, because of the presence in many casual gaming homes of multiple computers (some of which lack online access), the unreliability of Internet access globally in many situations, and the increasingly intrusive and annoying copy-protection (DRM) schemes imposed by publishers, I tested only single-player offerings that can be registered and played on a non-Internet-connected machine. Also I considered only downloadable computer games, not browser games or Facebook/Twitter games.

This year for the second time I have slightly altered the name of this long-running feature. When it first began, the title highlighted the “top shareware games.” Then, when the term “shareware” became outmoded, I changed the title to the “top casual games.” Finally, since developers have quibbled about the meaning of the word “casual,” I have changed the title again to “top indie games.” However, throughout the long history of this awards article series, I have always covered the same kind of offerings—wonderfully fun computer games by independent developers that might otherwise be overlooked.

Unmechanical

Developers and Publishers: Talawa Games and Teotl Studios (Stockholm, Sweden)

Unmechanical is a highly imaginative adventure-puzzle game in which you guide a little robotic device with a propeller on its head out of a complex underground labyrinth. The level design of the physical, organic and mechanized environments you encounter is simultaneously amazing and mysterious. As you proceed, you encounter more than 30 strange and diverse puzzles, several of which require understanding and use of the physics of movement. You acquire upgraded powers to overcome certain obstacles. When you enter a new setting, part of the puzzle challenge is that you need to find out both what you can do and what needs to be done. This reflects an excellent decision by the developers to let you figure everything out rather than guiding you through the gameplay. Your controls are simply the direction keys (you can hit things to interact with them) and the spacebar to control a tractor beam. What with the graphics powered by the Unreal Engine, everything you see is absolutely beautiful, and you become entranced with and absorbed by the unworldly atmosphere. The sound effects are brilliant, and the background music appropriately unworldly.

Vessel

Developer and Publisher: Strange Loop Games (Seattle, Wash.)

In this action-puzzle game, your role is to restore calm and functional order after the world has been taken over by living liquid machines. Although Vessel has platformer elements, this is a cerebral game, not a fast-paced twitch arcade experience. The physics of liquid motion depicted, including water, lava, and other substances, are truly amazing. You encounter bizarre creatures with distinctive abilities associated with each kind of liquid, and you solve puzzles through manipulating their distinctive talents. As you proceed, you get to upgrade your own equipment’s capabilities. You wander through and explore attractive environments in enchanting worlds, and as you go, the haunting music makes the ingenious gameplay even more immersive. Like Unmechanical, Vessel combines organic with mechanical settings, so you’re as likely to encounter man-made gears and pipes as you are natural fluids. You get to explore at your leisure and learn as you go, without time pressure playing a major role. Fitting Vessel’s cerebral quality, you are never led around by the nose, and so sometimes you have to be patient or experiment to figure things out, with challenges escalating the farther you get.

© Bob Mandel for The Adrenaline Vault, 2013. | Permalink | 5 comments

Time to roll up the carpet on gaming year 2012. It’s been a great one on all fronts, bookended by the releases of the Playstation Vita in February and the WiiU, the first shot to be fired in the upcoming next-generation console wars, in November. Our coverage leaned more towards the indie scene this year, but we still kept our toes in the AAA waters. Here are the favorite games our writers played this year (please note the use of the word “favorite,” rather than “best”). Feel free to chime in with yours. And have a happy and safe 2013!

With some reservations, which I expanded upon in a longer blog entry, I claim Crusader Kings II as my favorite game of the year. I’m still playing it after several months (a good sign). The new content has expanded the game in great ways (before anyone complains about Sunset Invasion, yes, I like that too, even if I don’t enable it all the time). I get more emotionally invested when playing CKII than I do most games out there. It is, at the end of the day, more than worth the cost. And, as I’ve been ranting about for the past few months, that’s what really matters. —Jason Pitruzzello

Trauma is a Myst-style adventure about a young woman who’s recovering from an auto accident. While you explore her dreams through a series of photographs, the photos don’t fill the screen, which leads to a great sense that these smalls scraps of film are windows into this woman’s mind. Too many “art games” seem to have minimal gameplay and inscrutable narratives. I found Dear Esther to be moving, but only in spite of its own discordant nature. Trauma strikes a great balance by being interpretive but without being vague. It’s an intimate mirror of humanity, one that reflects our fears and insecurities, but without being judgmental. When we look into it, we’re startled to see parts of ourselves, but Trauma is a comforting whisper, saying “It’s ok, I’ve been there too.” It’s an experience that has made every other game I played this year look like the time-wasting fodder it is. Now that I’ve savored this sweet, intrinsic reward, it’s made leveling up and gathering points in other games seem hollow and repulsive. Trauma‘s so good that it’s ruined me for other games. —Ian Davis

As I’ve gotten older, I find I have less time, and in some cases, less inclination to stick with a game if it doesn’t grab my attention right out of the gate and have the potential to keep it long-term. So, it must say something that only a few games reside on my hard drive right now, and only one has been there for the entire past 12 months. Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is an amazingly immersive game. Aside from the incredible graphics, the countless player-created mods that allow you to personalize your game, the enormously alive world and the character personalization, it’s the story and the different quest opportunities that turn your game into a fantasy novel that you write as you play. I’ve never played anything quite like it, and every time I return I know I’m in for something special. This is the mark of a great gaming experience, and it’s why Skyrim is my favorite game of 2012, and likely beyond. —Peter Gore

Missing out on something might be one of the only fears I have in life. How close was I to missing out on a gem such as Dragon’s Dogma? What possessed me to download the demo in the first place, and why did I eventually log more than a hundred hours in the full game? Simple: Dragon’s Dogma is everything I like about MMOs (teamwork, sprawling worlds, and scads of progression in both characters and armaments), but packaged in a distinctly Capcom-flavored single-player action setting. The only way to describe it is if Shadow of the Colossus, Assassin’s Creed and Dead Rising got together and decided to have an End of the World party over at the Elder Scrolls lodge. My experiences were organic, arcane and numerous. Forging shortcuts though caves, cursing my inept pawns for acting just like MMO players, and being floored by not only how you finish the game, but also being absolutely destroyed when I accidentally loaded (and autosaved over) my file, depriving me of the reward of DD‘s game-plus mode. Dragon’s Dogma has sat on my shelf ever since, staring at me amongst the underplayed games of years past. It craves more of my life essence, but I don’t think I can bring myself to do it. At least, not until the recently announced sequel (or until the Dark Arisen expansion) comes out. Yet even with crippling heartache as my deterrent, it’s still by far my favorite game of 2012, and I highly recommend it. —Andrew Clark

Yes, I’m making the easy choice. But of the 20 games that I reviewed this year, only Mass Effect 3 has managed to stay with me throughout the year. The journey actually started in 2007, and in the intervening years, my stalwart space cowboy John Shepard defeated scores of enemies, bedded several comrades, and united a universe against an ancient evil. Controversy continues about this game, even months after the release of the final chapter in the trilogy (and yes, I’m still perfectly happy about the endings), but this only goes to show how much passion and interest this series has generated among gamers around the world. I’m looking forward to seeing how the now-doctorless BioWare steers the franchise, and I’m pleased to claim it as my favorite game of 2012. —Michael Smith

© Michael Smith for The Adrenaline Vault, 2013. | Permalink | 2 comments

Blockbuster games are getting pretty amazing. Publishers can sink hundreds of millions of dollars into projects, confident that they’ll get their investment back a dozen times over. I mean, just look at some of the throwaway set pieces in Black Ops 2? Here’s a world, painstakingly sculpted out of pixels and wireframe, but you never touch it. It’s all backdrop to the man-shooting, because if you stop to look around and, god forbid, interact with the environment in a meaningful way, you might get bored or something. It’s clear that developers have amazing tools at their disposal. Isn’t it about time they use them?

At this point, games are pretty bad at telling human stories, and they’re even worse at telling them though gameplay. However, exploration and home-building are things that games do very well. Series with Shock in their titles have usually been banner-carriers for good narrative in first-person action games. Even if Bioshock never reached the bar set by System Shock 2 (as far as I’m concerned), it achieved something that still has us talking years later.

So that’s what I expect from Bioshock‘s true sequel, Bioshock Infinite. A fantastic world to explore and a well written story to guide me along. After the ham-fisted take on Objectivism in Bioshock, I’m tempering my expectations for a reasonable philosophical engagement, but I’m looking forward to a truly absorbing experience, something that only seems to come around once every few years. That, and it plays into all my fantasies about airships.

© Ian Davis for The Adrenaline Vault, 2013. | Permalink | 5 comments

So there I was, in San Francisco, walking down the street in 50-degree weather. It was a welcome change of pace from the 80s I had experienced during the week in my native Texas. And I was happy to be in San Francisco. Seeing the sights, eating the food, chatting with the locals, invading Brunswick, launching nuclear strikes against Italy, and examining 15th-century trade routes from India to Europe. I had been invited by Paradox Development Studio to take a look at some of their new games. I spent a number of productive hours talking to designers and looking at the games themselves.

I also spent several hours arguing with a cabbie who drove me halfway across the city for no reason whatsoever, and spent some time wondering why customers at Starbucks spill coffee on me. But I’m guessing you’d rather hear about the new strategy games.

First Look: March of the Eagles

I’ve been following the development of March of the Eagles with some interest. Using Paradox’s Clausewitz engine, this game promises to give you a tight experience of the Napoleonic Wars as any European country, large or small. Considering that Paradox’s own Europa Universalis 3 already covers the Napoleonic Wars, I was curious about what March of the Eagles might offer a strategy gamer.

The biggest difference between March of the Eagles and a lot of Paradox’s other games is this one actually has victory conditions. Each major power has country-specific provinces that give either land or naval dominance. If they can annex outright or put those provinces into a satellite state and achieve both land and naval dominance, then they win the game. Because these provinces are different per country (Britain and France each have different goals, for example), there’s an incentive for major powers to form coalitions to achieve common goals. Rather than just have a game in which everyone fights France in some kind of battle royale, there will be times when even Prussia and Austria might want to join France in a war against Russia. Since Russia owns provinces that Prussia and Austria want, it suits their long-term goals to join Napoleon for such a campaign.

Combat is much more focused than in Paradox’s other games. It’s not tactical in the Total War sense, but armies have overall leaders, flank commanders, supply considerations, technological bonuses, and troops that fight better in certain phases of combat. Armies win and lose combat, try to cut each other’s supply lines, seize forts, and all the other strategy goodies we’ve come to expect in the genre. But battles and combat also generate idea points. These are spent increasing the attributes of nations. This is the game’s tech tree, but the real trick is how many points you can generate. Losing battles tends to generate substantially more. Napoleon might be a genius who can win battles, but his enemies can learn from their mistakes.

I got a chance to invade Brunswick during the demonstration, but the real surprise was the British invasion of France. The AI was willing to attempt to attack me while I went on a conquest spree against minor powers. British naval superiority meant that I was stuck walking to Gibraltar to help the Spanish siege that important British outpost since they lost Trafalgar (again!), while the British invasion of continental France was a massacre, since British allies on the continent folded quickly against my armies. Sounds about right for the Napoleonic Wars, I’d say.

Most interesting moment: Discussing the supply situation for the French army and then looking at how far away Moscow was. I’ll have to be as good as Napoleon before even attempting it when the game comes out.

© Jason Pitruzzello for The Adrenaline Vault, 2012. | Permalink | No comment(s)

Editor’s note: The following first appeared on the Windows blog TuneUp. It is reprinted with the permission of the author.

Written by: Tibor Schiemann, co-founder of TuneUp Utilities

For the longest time, there was a chorus of gamers forecasting the death of PC gaming. But the number of naysayers is rapidly evaporating—recent reports show PC gaming is now poised to overtake consoles by 2014. And in some ways, this trend has been years in the making if you consider that, unlike consoles such as the PS3 and Xbox 360 that are based on six-year-old hardware, PCs can be upgraded and tweaked to accommodate the newest games.

In fact, recent blockbusters such as Diablo 3 and Max Payne 3 are designed to consume serious amounts of CPU resources, thrash your hard disk and give your graphics card a major beating. With PCs, you can make adjustments so that your computer can endure this, whereas consoles simply leave you with a suboptimal experience. But if you want to actually enjoy this “PC advantage,” you’ll first have to ensure that your computer is truly equipped for gaming. After all, behind software such as AutoCAD or video-editing programs, gaming ranks as the most resource-hungry application, so your PC should be prepped to handle the onslaught.

The specifics of how to ready your PC vary based on your machine, but there are nine tips that I’d recommend to nearly any gamer—no matter which computer they own.

Update Your Drivers

This should always be the first step you take when tuning your gaming PC. In fact, retail PCs—even gaming rigs—usually come with older drivers that fail to deliver full performance. For instance, I have a mid-level gaming PC, an Alienware X51, and it came with a graphics driver that was already eight months old upon purchase.

To upgrade, I’d look at what both NVIDIA and AMD are offering. NVIDIA recently released its 300 series of drivers, promising a 23% performance improvement for newer games. And for NVIDIA users looking to squeeze the last possible bit of performance from their systems, consider the company’s free beta drivers. But remember, these versions have not yet gone through WHQL, so they might be buggy or instigate crashes. AMD also offers drivers for its HD Radeon on its support website, but it’s always wise to check the company’s game blog for beta releases of the AMD Catalyst.

Another word of caution: don’t just pick the latest driver, because new doesn’t necessarily equate to best. Rather, listen to the gamer community and read forum comments to make an informed decision. Also, keep in mind that it’s not just the GPU that needs regular updating. Chipset, sound and network drivers tend to have an impact on performance, too.

Close and Get Rid of Apps

Common sense, but commonly ignored advice. The more programs running in the background, the slower your games will run. It’s that simple. Each active application consumes CPU cycles and RAM, impacting hard-disk performance. This means shutting down PhotoShop and iTunes, closing web browsers—everything. Nothing active should be in your taskbar when you’re gaming.

Also, go through the list of installed programs on your PC, figure out which of these you don’t need and uninstall them. And finally, get rid of start-up applications, which are those programs in the taskbar tray. None, even the critical ones, are needed for gaming. There are ways to turn them off using the very rudimentary “msconfig,” or there are some tools on the market that can also help with this.

Defrag or TRIM Your Disk

In Windows 8, Microsoft has integrated the TRIM command into the Disk Defragmenter — to access this, simply hit “Optimize.” Windows 7 doesn’t offer this, but make sure that the TRIM command is regularly executed. TRIM allows Windows 7 to tell a solid-state drive (SSD) which files should be deleted and completely erases the corresponding data blocks. The moment a file is deleted from an SSD, Windows 7 not only updates the file system (as it normally would), but it also informs the SSD which data blocks can be removed. These blocks are marked as free so that Windows and third-party programs can use them. To see if TRIM is enabled, open up a command prompt by clicking on the Start orb and typing “cmd” into the search bar. Right-click on the first result (“cmd”), and click “Run as administrator.” Next, type in the command “Fsutil behavior query disabledeletenotify,” and hit Enter. If this returns the result “= 0″, you’re good to go! Otherwise, TRIM isn’t supported and needs to be enabled. Try entering the command “fsutil behavior set DisableDeleteNotify 0″. If that doesn’t help, a firmware upgrade might be necessary to enable TRIM.

© Michael Smith for The Adrenaline Vault, 2012. | Permalink | 6 comments

There are very few things that’ll get me on a plane. I hate flying, I really do, what with dealing with traffic and security, then getting on a plane that has seats that always seem way too small. What few things would get me to get on a plane? Family emergencies, game conventions and big comic conventions. As luck would have it, I was invited to go to the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) this year as part of an ambassador program for Tomb Raider through Eidos and Crystal Dynamics. Putting all fears aside, I was able to visit E3 2012 on Wednesday and Thursday. The only other time I attended E3 was back in 2004, and I had a blast, so I was really looking forward to 2012.

While I’ve noticed many reviewers have criticized the show for a multitude of issues, I found it to be entertaining and informative concerning new hardware and upcoming games. The funny thing that occurred to me while walking the show floor was how many booths had set game units side by side for the attendees to play; it looked like a Las Vegas casino. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that, just a curious observation. I’m sure you don’t want to read about me going on and on and not talking games, so without further adieu, here’s what I’m I was stoked for when I arrived at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

On my way to the Eidos booth there was this little game situated across from the Square/Enix area called Star Trek. I knew this was one I had to see, but first I had to meet up at the Eidos booth and coordinate the day with the other ambassadors. Being given two hours to explore before the first showing of Tomb Raider didn’t give me a lot of time, so two of my colleagues and I took off to check things out. Our first game to visit, and also one of the closest, was Hitman: Absolution. It was a play-through with the developer taking on five thugs who looked like a throwback to Biff and his gang from the Back to the Future movies. Those who are fans of sneaking and waiting for the right time to incapacitate, blow up and/or squish, just to name a few ways of being a death dealer, are going to really like this game. Of course, you don’t have to kill, but where’s the fun in that? The game looked very good and well populated with enemies, civilians and animals, although I could’ve gone without seeing dogs humping. As it stands, with good visuals, solid-looking play and an interesting story, I’m very interested in getting it once it’s released.

Transformers: Fall of Cybertron was my next stop, with several playable units all set up. The game isn’t based on the abomination that is the Michael Bay movies, but is set in the same universe as the original 1980s series and is a follow-up to Transformers: War for Cybertron. There was absolutely nothing wrong with the graphics from the original, and the same is true here, with many returning voice actors, the inclusion of many classic Transformers (including the Dinobots), and solid-looking gameplay. This looks to be one for me and the kids to enjoy for a long time.

Just around the corner was Skylanders: Giants, and if I might steal a tag from Pokemon, I gotta collect them all. A couple of years back there was a game called Funkies. It consisted of a base and purchasable characters that would change the onscreen icons, and it had different games to play alone or online. My kids loved it until it was shut down, although I found the connectors didn’t read the characters from time to time. Once it was shut down I had to find a replacement. Jump ahead 18 months. Skylanders came out and, much to my surprise, it contained none of the annoying problems that plagued Funkies. I’ve collected almost every Skylanders figure and my sons have completed the game, so we’ve been waiting for an add-on, and what a very cool add-on Giants appears to be. We now have, as the name implies, GIANTS! The game looks good, with the same pleasing aesthetics, new characters and abilities. If you were a fan of the original but completed it, then Giants looks like it will be just what you’ve been waiting for.

Bethesda was giving away speakers. Cool. Each container held two collapsed cardboard boxes with speakers attached. One speaker had art for Dishonored and the other for The Elder Scrolls Online. Very cool-looking, but time and the line prevented me spending time with the games. This made me a very sad panda. Be sure to check out the building paintings for the Elder Scrolls Online at the end of this article. Really stunning.

Wargaming.net had a very big presence with their “World Of” series. World of Tanks, which is already available, had center stage, with two rows of units set up for people to get one-on-one time with this fun game. In the middle they also had rows of round, comfy seats facing a massive screen for team battles on World of Tanks, with two announcers giving play-by-play and commentaries. World of Warbirds was on the other side of the area, also with two rows of units set up with a flight stick for play. The entire wargaming.net area always seemed busy, with everyone appearing to be having a really good time with both games. The one I really wanted to see was World of Battleships, but it didn’t appear to be available for public display if it was at the show. This was really disappointing; if I ever do this again, I need a press pass. If you have a good Internet connection, then I really do recommend giving World of Tanks and World of Warbirds a whirl. If I didn’t have a satellite connection for Internet, I’d be playing right now.

Time was running short, so it was time to head back. We swung through Ubisoft’s area with the prominently featured Farcry 3. The lines were way too long, but I did notice the game returns to the jungle (yeah!), where the original game was set. Also, it features smooth gameplay and really good audio. My mom loves the Farcry series. I think she’s going to get a blast out of this one.

© Chip Henson for The Adrenaline Vault, 2012. | Permalink | 3 comments

Written by Alanna Hardy

Technology has done wonders for the world; it has eradicated disease, brought man to the moon (and soon Mars) and increased living standards across the globe. But its shining achievement doesn’t involve the medical sciences or space travel; it is the invention of the video game. From its earliest manifestations in the 1950s and ’60s, video games have given ceaseless joy to generations of children, who in turn pass their passion for gaming on to their children. Furthermore, the same generation that grew up with SpaceWar!, Atari and Nintendo have now borne witness to two revolutionary inventions that are changing the landscape of video-game design: the Internet and the smart device. The Internet has matured into a veritable digital arcade, where gamers can choose from countless free video games or more sophisticated MMOGs (massively multiplayer online game) such as World of Warcraft. Meanwhile, mobile gaming on smart devices – an industry worth $33 billion – is a field swelling with potential for designers. Thanks to Moore’s Law – that famous formula stating that processing power will double every two years — the nostalgic, cumbersome video game console of old has vanished, only to be replaced by the invisible sinews of the World Wide Web and the sleek smartphone.

Such advancements in size and processing power have produced a perfect storm of accessibility and entertainment in video game design. Of the 72 percent of American households playing computer or video games, 55 percent choose to play them on their phones or handheld devices. In a society obsessed with convenience and social interaction, mobile and online social games are the land of opportunity for video game designers to apply their creativity and skills.

By 2015, more than 200 million Americans – about 65% of America – will have smartphones or tablets. Envisaged as handheld game consoles rather than just mobile platforms, games supported on these devices are becoming wildly popular. In 2009, 27,000 smartphone applications were downloaded a half-billion times. Of these apps, one in three were games or entertainment apps played on such devices as the iPhone, a device industry expert Stephanie Morgan of ngmoco believes is a superior game-playing console than Nintendo’s DS and Sony’s PSP. These words mean a lot when it is taken into consideration that the iPhone is principally a phone, while the DS and PSP are solely video-game consoles.

What makes mobile games so appealing is that they don’t require an outlet, a controller, or a rulebook. They can be purchased on the fly via an online marketplace and downloaded in a matter of minutes, which makes them an incredibly versatile gaming platform. Furthermore, in this modern era of imbedded advertisements and low-priced add-ons, free games provide a handsome reward to the creators. One thing is clear: mobile gaming – an industry whose market value is projected to exceed $54 billion in 2015 – is highly lucrative for the brains behind the games. And, as the operating systems for mobile devices become more sophisticated and powerful, the sky is truly the limit for game designers, animators and developers.

© Michael Smith for The Adrenaline Vault, 2012. | Permalink | 2 comments

The following article first appeared in TuneUp: Blog About Windows. It is reprinted with permission of the author.

Author: Tibor Schiemann, President & Managing Partner, TuneUp

The resurgence in classic gaming has spurred both the nostalgic and the simply curious to explore treasures like Monkey Island (1990) or Wing Commander III (1994). Back in the old days, you could power on your trusty computer running DOS, Windows 3.x or Windows 9x and point-and-click the day away. But enjoying such classics on modern machines isn’t so easy, especially considering how much hardware and software architecture has changed over the past few decades. About 90% of the time, the good old DOS, Windows 3.x or Windows 9x games won’t even start. There are, however, some tricks for running these retro games on today’s PCs.

Most games from the 1980s and 1990s ran on DOS, lesser known as the Disk Operating System, a command-line operating system that powered most 286-,386- and 486-era PCs. DOS even lived on to be the backbone of Windows 3.x and Windows 95, so most games from that era continued to require the command line OS.

Of course, today DOS is extinct and no longer a part of Windows. And this means most games won’t run under the command line of Windows 7—and even if they did, what ran at 33, 66 and 400 MHz won’t be able to keep pace with today’s 3800 MHz CPU speeds. The way around this is using DOSBox, which emulates the antiquated operating system as well as legacy hardware. It’s capable of automatically adjusting a PC’s speed to the type of DOS game you’re running. While DOSBox is easy to set-up, it does require some command-line skills.

Here’s how it works. First, download and install DOSBox from this site. Then, copy all of your DOS-based games into a folder, for example, “C:\DOSGames,” and launch DOSBox. You’ll then find yourself in the “Z:\” folder.

Next, mount one of your local folders to a drive letter on DOSBox, since the tool has no direct access to your drives. Also, be sure to shorten all folder names, since you’ll need to type them all by hand when mounting. Here’s an example of how to do this step. Say that you’d like to put Sim City 2000 in the C:\DOSGames folder in order to mount this folder as the DOSBox drive letter “G.”

Then, you’d simply type “mount g: c:\DOSGames”, followed by the drive letter “G:” and then hit enter. Then type “Dir” to see the contents of this drive, which should reflect those in your local folder, “C:\DOSGames.”

If you’d like to then switch to a subfolder, type “CD game” (replacing “game” with the name of your games folder). For instance, in the example above, I would switch to the “SIMCITY” folder by typing “CD simcity.” Then, type “DIR” again to see which of these files runs the game. The file name typically would be the name of game with a “.exe”, “.com” or “.bat” file extension tacked on. After you’ve typed in the name of the game’s executable file, hit enter to run it. If you have problems running any game, check out DOSBox’s massive compatibility list or check forums to see if others are experiencing the same issues.

© Michael Smith for The Adrenaline Vault, 2012. | Permalink | 12 comments

When we look back, I’m sure many will agree that the gaming industry has gone through a quicker and more phenomenal evolution than any other medium. The Art of Video Games is a book that celebrates this and so much more. It chronicles the early days with those who were there, all the way up to the games we enjoy today. It’s a love letter to the industry, but also an important example of creativity despite technological limitations.

The book was put together by Smithsonian curator Chris Melissinos and his colleague (and fellow videogame fanatic) Patrick O’Rourke. From the early days of Pac-Man and Space Invaders to the likes of Mass Effect and Heavy Rain, the book charts the rapid evolution that the gaming industry has undergone during the past 30 years. The authors, keeping in line with the gaming audience, have structured the book in a way that keeps the reader engaged. The sections are divided by the particular technology by which the industry was “restricted,” from the 8-bit era all the way to the transition that led to the introduction of 3-D. There’s also a brief introduction to each technological period, giving a nice backdrop that allows the reader to see what game creators were dealing with at the time.

The topics chosen are different from RPG, MMO and other gaming genres. “Target” deals with taking out hordes of enemies for a high score. “Adventure” is about the gamer engaging with the lore and story of a game in a created world. “Action” discusses the player’s speed and skill being tested. And “Tactics” pertains to testing the player’s strategic thinking. These are far broader categories that help to better track the growth of gaming. Each game’s development is explained, as well as its mechanics or story, and we’re told how it impacted the industry and broke new ground. There are interviews with important figures from throughout the history of the hobby. They give their background and talk of how they were pulled into the industry and the difficulties, creativity and freedom they found when developing games.

The Art of Video Games is very well put together. The presentation of just the right amount of information about each game always keeps the reader alert and pulled in. It’s nice to see briefly how the concepts of the featured games came about and what impact they had on the industry. There’s a shift when you get to the interviews, as they’re longer than the game discussions, but they’re equally as informative and interesting. You learn of the hardships the early creators felt and what they dealt with at the time. What’s also interesting is seeing the relationship between the developers and the technology available to them. You gain a far greater appreciation of how they were able to use their passion to overcome serious obstacles.

The discussion of the early days of gaming really caught my eye. Before Mario, there was Jumpan; fascinating insight is offered into how the game was developed. Mastermind Shigeru Miyamoto used the limitations of technology to further his creativity in creating the basis of the red-hat-wearing plumber who has becoming a staple in entertainment. This is definitely the biggest strength of the book, as it encourages you to applaud the efforts of those who didn’t have the technology of today to help them. As a gamer, I now more fully appreciate the blood that creators extracted from stone. It has actually changed the way I look at games that have “aged badly.”

Nothing in this world can be perfect, so I must talk of some of the issues I had with the book. I genuinely loved the layout and the amount of information given on each game, but I would‘ve liked some insight from gaming figures. Perhaps having a famous designer, animator or composer talk about how a game impacted them and the industry would’ve added a needed layer of information. I wanted to learn more about Jumpan and Panzer Dragoon, as they were such important games in the history of the industry. The authors give great insight into the impact games have made in history, but hearing what Miyamoto thought of Splinter Cell or American McGee’s opinion of Zelda: A Link to the Past would’ve been very intriguing.

When writing a book of this magnitude and having to pick from so many titles, there will always be exclusions that lead one to scratch their head. For instance, I can’t comprehend how Grand Theft Auto 3 was not included. Just like Super Mario 64 and Ocarina of Time, GTA 3 changed the industry. It would’ve been a vital inclusion to document how creators transitioned successfully into 3-D, getting closer to creating a virtual world. There was also the excellent use of well known actors providing voice-over work to make the game more immersive. Also, I’m not sure why the sequels of important games were chosen over their predecessors that made a bigger impact. Mass Effect 2 was a very good follow-up, but it was its predecessor that ushered in a new way to interact with characters. Its sequel, apart from improving on combat and being graphically more accomplished, brought nothing new to the table. Praise should have been given to the first Mass Effect, with talk of how it completely changed the way designers approach the RPG genre. The first Halo is still revered in the FPS world, and many agree that its campaign was far better than its sequel. Despite being more than 10 years old, it has aged very well. So I really can’t grasp how it wasn’t chosen instead of Halo 2. Also, something that the authors failed to expand upon was the online component that Halo 2 introduced. This has to be one of the most important things to happen in the industry. It came before the Modern Warfare series, which has become hugely successful based on the online play Halo 2 brought to the console world.

There are other lesser-known games that were worth a mention. I would’ve liked to have seen something about Soul Reaver, the game Amy Hennig (of Uncharted fame) worked on with Crystal Dynamics. The Soul Reaver games still go criminally ignored, and I was hoping they would be included in the book. They transcended the mechanics of the video game. Also, it would’ve been great to have seen a discussion about how stories in titles such as Soul Reaver rival and even exceed those in motion pictures.

I heartily recommend The Art of Video Games, not only to every gamer, but also to anyone interested in technology, and especially to those who feel games are harmful and childish. Despite a few exclusions and issues, it’s a fascinating journey through time, showing how this incredible industry has become one of the most lucrative and fastest growing in the world. When next your parents ask why you play video games, just give them a copy of this book and I’m sure they’ll apologize for ever questioning your love for this truly special and important medium. Also, if you’re in Washington DC between now and Sept. 30, be sure to visit the Art of Video Games exhibit at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

Images from The Art of Video Games: From Pac-Man to Mass Effect, By Chris Melissinos and Patrick O’Rourke. Compilation © 2012 Welcome Enterprises, Inc., www.welcomebooks.com/artofvideogames

© Benjy Ikimi for The Adrenaline Vault, 2012. | Permalink | 2 comments

To understand Myth, you need to know its roots. Without question, Myth is heavily inspired by the writings of sci-fi/fantasy author Glenn Cook, particularly his Black Company series. Cook was described by fellow fantasy author Steven Erikson as being “Vietnam war fiction on peyote,” which is the most apt description you’ll find anywhere. All the glory and honor of war has been carefully drained away and stored in neatly labeled jars. Soldiers fight for self-preservation, not for any idealism. There is no good versus evil, only lesser evil versus greater. And there’s always a greater evil; it just hasn’t been awakened yet. Cook even invokes the Air Mobility Doctrine in the form of flying carpets inserting commandos behind enemy lines.

Myth‘s titular Fallen Lords are the seven sorcerer-generals who wage war across the land. They have names such as “The Deceiver,” “The Watcher” and “Shiver,” similar to “The Ten Who Were Taken” in Cook’s novels. Their leader, known as “The Leveler,” was once a mighty hero who saved the world, although now human civilization crumbles with only a handful of cities still standing.

After an awesome animated intro and a brief narration setting the scene, Myth begins with a page from a common foot soldier’s journal, talking about his orders to guard the small village of Crow’s Bridge. That’s it. From there, you slowly pick up on the big names and perhaps hear about the major forces, but you almost never see them. From your tiny perspective, Myth’s lore looks like great mountains in the distant mist. It’s difficult to overstate just how much these mission briefings and cutscenes contribute to Myth‘s foreboding atmosphere. Fans have studiously documented and archived every scrap of these briefings. Listen to these short clips and feel the dirt and blood soak into your skin.

© Ian Davis for The Adrenaline Vault, 2012. | Permalink | 13 comments

I missed the Ultima boat when it first came around. My gaming diet was all action: Doom and Tie Fighter. Even years later, after understanding that an RPG’s love is different than that of a square, I couldn’t stick more then a toe or two into Ultima‘s ancient waters. I’d print out maps, manuals and spell tomes, only to stay long enough to buy the t-shirt. When I did visit Britannia, I made sure to see the well-regarded realms of Ultima VI and Ultima VII. It seemed that nothing could have convinced me to delve into the black-and-white dungeons of the Ultimas from the early 1980s. But one day, I did travel in the past, all the way to 1981, to Ultima I. Not only did I survive to tell the tale, but I also played it all in one obsessive binge.

There are a few precautions to take before playing Ultima today. First, make an all-Rush mix tape. Second, read the manual. Not only because you want to know what’s going on, but also because it’s fabulously written. The words are the skin draped over the black-and-white frame of the game. Richard Garriott’s descriptions put color and life in something that’s primitive as a stick-figure skeleton. It’s not hyperbole to say you’d be missing half of the experience if you skip the manual.

While there’s a different action mapped to every letter key, the controls are actually easy to grasp. It helps that the combat and magic system is simplistic. Your lone hero has two options: attack or cast the single offensive spell. With no mana, all spells (aside from the random “prayer” spell) are bought from stores and cast like disposable scrolls. It’s much more playable then the early Might and Magic games, which require you to look in a manual to compare gear for each of your six party members. Ultima I‘s simplicity keeps the game within the confines of its technological abilities.

Ultima I includes some pretty odd design choices. For instance, there’s no such thing as a maximum HP score. You never heal; you just add more numbers to your current HP. You can gain HP either by buying them from a king or dungeon diving. When you exit a dungeon, you regain a certain amount of HP depending on the monsters you’ve killed. If you do it right, you gain a net profit of HP. Yes, you actually grind dungeons for HP as well as XP.

Speaking of dungeons, there are dozens of them around the world, but they all function in the same way. Monsters are randomly generated based on a monster table, which is dependent upon which level you’re on. There are no unique monsters or treasure in any dungeon, leaving all of them identical except for layout. Even this can be changed with “Ladder Down” and “Ladder Up” spells, which make handy portals. Dungeon crawls of this era tend to be tedious, but those in Ultima I are eminently approachable.

Experience levels mean almost nothing. Stats are gained by visiting certain landmarks or by completing certain quests. This system is easy to exploit. Once you visit a landmark, all the others reset. Thus, all you need to do is find two fairly close to each other and bounce between the two until they both max. Then there’s “The Pillars of the Argonauts,” which give you the next best weapon for free. This can be exploited just like the landmarks until you’re toting a blaster rifle.

Yes, a blaster rifle. Soon you find yourself soaring through outer space in a shuttle, dogfighting with tie fighters. After becoming a Space Ace, you break into castle prisons to rescue a few princesses, who then tell you how to find a time machine, which you use to travel to the past and murder the evil sorcerer before he becomes immortal. Ultima never lets any sort of seriousness or gritty realism get in the way of a kick-ass adventure.

The end result is that Ultima I isn’t a hard or long game to go through if you know what you’re doing. The exploits let you bypass most of the tedious grinding, which makes the game far more fun. While not exactly as deep a role-playing experience as the other games in the series, it’s a spiffy hack-n-slash to play on a rainy day. For best effect, enjoy on a small monitor with a clacky keyboard that sticks while playing your all-Rush mix tape.

© Ian Davis for The Adrenaline Vault, 2012. | Permalink | 2 comments

What do you get when you task Kurt Rolston (lead designer of Morrowind and Oblivion), R.A. Salvatore (acclaimed fantasy author) and Todd McFarlane (creator of Spawn) with creating a single-player RPG? An intense hack-’n’-slash experience called Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. The game’s creators promise a massively open-world experience with hundreds of hours of gameplay, serving as a precursor to their upcoming MMORPG, codenamed Project Copernicus. Most of us are jaded from countless promises of a game experience that never delivers, so what hope of redemption does Reckoning provide? Read on to find out.

Kingdoms of Amalur is a fantasy world created by R.A. Salvatore that will be brought to life through comics, novels, video games and toys. Reckoning is our first glimpse inside that world, centering on the Fateless One, previously dead, who is brought back to life through the magic of the Well of Souls. With no memory of his past and no clear destiny, the Fateless One’s future is wide open. As the Fateless One, you can choose to align yourself to a god and receive a bonus in magic, speech or combat, or you can choose the path of the godless and gain experience points at a higher rate. The Fateless One’s destiny in Amalur appears to focus on destroying the chaotic Tuatha Deohn, but I’m hoping that the game allows you to choose a side. Otherwise, is the Fateless One’s destiny really unwritten?

Reckoning’s opening gameplay is a familiar blend of “choose your name/race/powers” cut-scenes that almost all popular RPGs utilize. Each of the four playable races (two human, two elf) have bonuses (or handicaps) in areas of magic, speech and combat. The demo attempts to give us a taste of the essential types of combat without divulging anything too specific. I chose to go the way of the rogue, relying mostly on stealth and dual-wielding daggers, but the demo didn’t provide enough time to really find out how choosing this path can alter gameplay. I was still able to charge into a room full of enemies and take them out as a warrior would. I’m anxious to find out if choosing stealth would force me to be more methodical in combat, as it did in Skyrim.

In the hour or so that I played the demo, it’s clear that Reckoning is influenced by popular games in the RPG action genre. Most notable are many similarities to the Fable style of combat and storytelling. I thoroughly enjoy the Fable trilogy, so this is a strong point for Reckoning. Unique to this game, however, are its adult themes and level of violence (would you expect anything less from the creator of Spawn?). Reckoning combines RPG elements in a way that’s accessible to all gamers – not just D&D nerds – and provides mature gamers with the level of violence and storytelling that can keep the game engaging. If there really are 200-plus hours of gameplay in Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, I hope the rest of the game is a strong as the demo. From what I’ve experienced so far, I’m hooked. It appears to be what I’ve been looking for in a hack-’n’-slash RPG but was never given. Reckoning is available now for the PC, Xbox 360 and the PS3.

© Matthew Booth for The Adrenaline Vault, 2012. | Permalink | 5 comments

There was a time when I could call CounterStrike my game. I logged hundreds of hours with friends before Steam even tracked such things. I replaced my gun models, installed blood mods, and even dabbled with mapping. But somewhere along the way CS and I parted ways. Sure, CounterStrike: Source was amazing, and the Gun Game mods were a hit at every LAN party, but I just couldn’t hack the competition anymore. But now the beta test of the upcoming CounterStrike: Global Offensive has stirred me out of my single-player fever dream and brought me back into the fray. So, gather around and listen, all who have eyes to read, while I document the pain and glory to be found in CS:GO.

The beta only has two maps currently, de_dust1 and de_dust2. Both are the same classic maps that you know like your own living room, but unlike your living room, they’re getting cleaned up. Most notably in Dust 1, there’s a new passage connecting the underpass to the way above, which reduces the time it takes to mop up the stragglers towards the end of a round. Likewise, the weapons are fairly limited in the current build. A Desert Eagle (now available to teams), the UMP, the two sniper rifles, and each side’s respective rifle and starter pistol were all I had at my disposal. Both sniper rifles have received visual redesigns, and the scout has been retitled the “SSG 08.” The only change I noticed was a higher rate of fire for the UMP, which significantly improves its viability.

All the weapons feel like classic CounterStrike. This is because developer Valve is staying its traditional course and not adding the ubiquitous ADS (aim down sights) ability. This forces you to crouch, walk or stand still to control your gun. You need that control because the weapons have the same wide cones of fire. It’s easy to open up full-auto on a guy, only to have every shot go straight over his head. To compensate, the dynamic crosshairs are much improved, providing much more detail about your current accuracy than any others I’ve seen. You might not be able to hit the broad side of a barn, but at least you’ll know why.

Global Offensive introduces two grenades that add new tactics to the game. The Molotov cocktail is the easiest to understand. When it explodes, it spreads out flames that temporarily block off a passage, while the smoke provides a modicum of concealment. The Decoy has the most intriguing of uses. It makes gunfire sounds wherever it’s thrown. It’s most useful at higher-level play, where using sounds to guess enemy locations is critical, but I can’t see it being used much in casual play.

There’s a lot of cross-platform compatibility in CS:GO, but it never holds back as a PC game. In the options menu there are lots of settings for TVs, including lowering the field of view, switching to a higher brightness and moving the screen to fit your display. These settings are likely to coincide with the launch of Steam’s TV mode, which will allow for full navigation of Steam (and Valve games, apparently) via controller. While I can’t see anyone playing CS:GO with a gamepad against the average keyboard-and-mouse gamer and enjoying themselves, I can see it working well for that bloke who always lugs his 40-inch plasma to the LAN party.

© Ian Davis for The Adrenaline Vault, 2012. | Permalink | No comment(s)

The gate swung open.

Revolted by the thick scent of excrement in the chamber, Locklear hastened to the ladder affixed on the far wall and ascended its filth-slick rungs. Behind him, Gorath and Owyn reluctantly did likewise, gaffing on the noxious vapors in the shaft. “This is nothing,” Locklear grunted, shoving upwards against a grating. “All the windows in the palace are open right now. You ought to smell it in the winter.”

Darkness surrounded them as they slithered out of the privy, their only impressions of the chamber provided by the faint flicker of distant firelight. Ten yards before them the hall joined with an elaborate colonnade stretching in either direction. “Somehow I hadn’t pictured my first visit to Krondor like this,” Owyn sighed, falling blindly into step behind Gorath and the Seigneur.

Betrayal at Krondor surprised me. I expected an RPG typical of the era (it was developed in 1993 by Dynamix), complete with clunky combat and minimal story. I knew it was based on the Riftwar series of novels by Raymond E. Feist, but I expected that to be little more than a marketing tie-in. Instead, it’s an early crossbreed between games and literature.

His curiosity sufficiently piqued, Owyn popped open the half-gallon cask and inhaled deeply. Immediately his senses reeled as the heady cinnamon-like aroma assaulted him. Keshian Ale!

Krondor inundates the player with text at every opportunity (the quotes in this article come straight from the game). Whenever possible, it serves up paragraphs of it, stewed in its own fantasy world. The developers knew that they could only say so much at a time, so every sentence is full of seasoning and flavor. Nothing is wasted.

Voice acting is nice, but it reduces scenes to simple dialogue. As anyone who’s experienced Planescape: Torment can attest, the power of text is its ability to deliver so much more than speech. Every item has a paragraph detailing not just the object, but also the characters themselves, picking them up, turning them over, and telling stories about them. Everything is given far more nuance than even an advanced 3D engine ever could.

© Ian Davis for The Adrenaline Vault, 2012. | Permalink | 7 comments

Alright, strategy gamers. I finally got the chance to build a video of me playing Crusader Kings 2. Luckily, the video displays the game as it appeared on my monitor, and not what I looked like while playing it (which would be disturbing and not as much fun).

I spend a lot of time blabbing in voice-overs in these videos, but before you start watching, you should keep some things in mind. First, this was played on version 0.78 of the game engine. It’s still in beta; the current version floating around in press copies is 0.80. The game has already changed in some slight ways since I encoded this video and posted it. Second, it did have a glaring bug at the beginning, which has since been fixed. You see William the Conqueror ask Harold Godwinson of England for a white peace a few seconds after the start of the video. This kind of changes things, since the famous conqueror doesn’t even try to make good on his claims to the English throne. Aside from that, things proceed in a plausible way, but I don’t want to hear any complaints relating to William. I know he should have invaded England, the designers know it, and everyone with a high-school education in either the US or the former British Empire should know it. The AI just didn’t know it, but that has been fixed.

Oh, and don’t bother asking me why certain troop types do certain things, or why certain buildings cost a certain amount. These things are still changing, so don’t sweat that stuff. Instead, sit back, listen, watch, and then ask me intelligent things, such as “Why did the AI just send the entire Holy Roman Empire into the oblivion of a civil war?” or “Holy Machiavellian politics Batman, why did you just spend 10 years crushing your own vassals?”

The video is broken up into three separate chunks. They can be found here, here and here.

© Jason Pitruzzello for The Adrenaline Vault, 2012. | Permalink | 2 comments

Despite the proliferation of games designed for mobile platforms, the casual computer games market continues to flourish. The personal computer, because of its openness and ubiquitous presence, remains a primary development platform. So, while many other game sites still focus their attention exclusively on conventional big-budget AAA retail offerings, for your playing pleasure I have unearthed the very best hidden PC treasures that casual gaming has to offer. This represents the latest in a series of annual awards articles that now has continued for well over a decade, by far the longest consecutive casual-games award series anywhere.

To select the dozen 2011 award winners from an increasingly competitive field, I have spent many hours playing through hundreds of full registered games to discern their overall value. Interestingly, most of the winners emerge from developers outside of the United States. Moreover, because of the presence in many casual gaming homes of multiple computers (some of which lack online access), and the increasing use of intrusive and annoying copy-protection (DRM) schemes, I only tested offerings that had a single-player version that could be registered and played on an offline machine. I also considered only downloadable computer games, not ones played in a browser or on Facebook or Twitter.

The definition of the casual computer game has become quite murky, and some readers might disagree that all of this year’s award-winners belong in that category. The wide-ranging ways used to delineate casual games include the following: A low price point, a small or “indie” development team, and compact code size allowing quick downloads and having low minimum system requirements. They must appeal primarily to consumers who might often buy their games at places such as Target and Wal-Mart. They are games that stay-at-home moms play when they have a spare moment. They have low complexity and sophistication, often facilitating immediate play without having to read complex instructions. Specified game objectives should be easy to complete with mistake tolerance, hint systems, and/or the ability to exit and later continue at any point. The games should not include dark, bloody or morally objectionable material, they should have ports on mobile devices, and should include cute characters (such as cuddly creatures) or low-stress side activities (such as mini-games).

Xotic
Developer and Publisher: WXP Games (Seattle, Wash., USA)

First-person shooters have become increasingly complex, ultra-serious, and not at all aimed at casual gamers. In this context, this new item is extraordinarily refreshing: a fun, arcade-style FPS that combines shooting enemies with Pac-Man-like pickup accumulation. Instead of the typical, dreary, drab realistic shooter settings, Xotic’s gorgeous widescreen environments in its four-stage campaign are colorful, imaginative and eerily organic. Featured are “hard holograms,” a nice innovation allowing you not only to shield yourself, but also to climb to get a better vantage point or to find hidden pickups. Using an upgradable weapon with multiple firing modes, you can electrify enemies, obliterate Orb brains, trigger magnificent chain reactions and aerial combos, and cleanse the worlds of evil minions. Replay excitement escalates in this PhysX-supported game as you try hard to accumulate more points on each level.

Glowfish
Developer and Publisher: Mumbo Jumbo (Dallas, TX., USA)

Sometimes incredible games emerge that defy easy categorization, and Glowfish is one of them, although it fits somewhat into the action-adventure niche. Your goal is to explore fantastic and intricate underwater environments and try to save your fishy friends and Coralline from the clutches of the evil, menacing Dr. Urchin. Within the many dazzling levels, you and your assistants try to survive through an ever-increasing variety of obstacles and foes. One of the most creative means of attacking a larger enemy is to encircle it and cause it to shrink. The ultimate final battle with Dr. Urchin is an epic one. The music, sound effects and graphics are all excellent, cute but not saccharine, vibrant and bouncy. Along the way, you discover hidden nooks with secret surprises, along with many enticing bonuses. You can play with a gamepad or mouse and keyboard in full widescreen mode.

Capsized
Developer and Publisher: Alientrap (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada)

This outstanding two-dimensional platformer is heavily influenced by first-person shooter combat action. The backstory has your ship crash-landing on a strange planet, after which you have to make your way through untold hazards to save yourself and your crewmates. What immediately separates Capsized from run-of-the-mill platformers is the hand-drawn, mysterious, organic alien world, filled with the weirdest entities and topography you could possibly imagine. As you play, you begin to realize that beyond the visuals the designers have incorporated extremely clever use of physics so as to expand the range of ways you can accomplish any particular objective. There’s lots of exciting combat, physical puzzle solving, and modes of navigation to hard-to-access places, with the jetpack particularly noteworthy. You can play using the gamepad or mouse and keyboard in single player or co-op mode.

Naval Warfare
Developer: Games Distillery (Bratislava, Slovakia)
Publisher: Just a Game (Berlin, Germany)

I have long missed the intense whimsical fun of the old Psygnosis classic Shipwreckers, but not anymore, thanks to this highly polished action-shooter with breathtaking panoramic views of naval battles. In a raging sea war, you engage in increasingly challenging large-scale operations involving enemies and allies fighting from above and below in ships, submarines and aircraft. Between missions you can unlock new ship types (each with unique tactical advantages), as well as a huge variety of weapons and ship upgrades. Occasionally you get to command small squadrons in your relentless pursuit of victory. Using mouse and keyboard or gamepad with intuitive controls, you can play alone, or cooperate or compete with other people locally on your computer. A fascinating backstory punctuated by entertaining dialogue and hand-drawn comic-book cutscenes really keep you glued to your seat.

© Bob Mandel for The Adrenaline Vault, 2012. | Permalink | 8 comments

Click here to view the embedded video.

After you watch this trailer, I’m fairly sure you’ll agree that it looks and sounds both fresh and exciting. So, without further ado, here is what Samuli had to say about the game!

Avault: Okay, first off, a miner? Who came up with that idea?

Samuli Syvahuoko: The whole mining setting was the brainchild of Pertti Kainulainen, the Creative Director of the game. It was a theme he had been thinking about on and off again for quite a long time and the opportunity to combine it with space and gravity was just too good a mix to pass by.

Avault: What were the influences for this game?

SS: Gameplay-wise, there is a succession of excellent platformers that Rochard pays homage to. Games like Super Mario Galaxy, the various Metroids and obviously you can’t have a gravity tool without acknowledging Half-Life 2 from Valve. Theme-wise, the game draws influences from classic science fiction stories, but doesn’t take itself too seriously. I also have to add that the team loved the old Lucasarts adventure games to bits.

Avault: You mentioned your team loving the old LucasArts Games, and one that springs to mind is the Escape from Monkey Island series. Did the quirky humor and clever puzzles from those games have any impact in the way you approached your title?

SS: The Monkey Island series is certainly a staff favorite, as are Full Throttle and Grim Fandango. With Rochard, it wasn’t a matter of delivering a ton of humor and punchlines which was clearly LucasArts’ forte, and far more suited for a narrative-heavy genre such as adventure games, but rather taking an irreverent attitude towards the subject matter.

Avault: What was the most difficult aspect of the game’s production?

SS: Firsts are always hard. The game was the first one the team shipped together, and it was also the first PS3 title on Unity. Also, creating the amount of content in a tight timeframe required a major effort from the team which paid off in the quality of the experience.

© Benjy Ikimi for The Adrenaline Vault, 2011. | Permalink | One comment

In case you missed out on Thursday.

Friday

Backing up a bit to Thursday, we arrived a little late due to seating issues, but Jill and I did in fact get to jump into the Gears of War 3 panel. What I can tell you is that the graphics and sound definitely appeared to have been given a bit of an upgrade. The creators told the fans that the finale wouldn’t answer all of the questions people had, as they wanted to keep the universe a bit open, but many plot points would be resolved.

On Friday, fans were given a sneak peek of Mass Effect 3 by Legendary Pictures. The trailer was really short, and only focused on a pinned down sniper lamenting that Shepard better show up soon. The creators then brought out the screenwriter for the movie, Mark Protosevich, who has previously worked on such projects as Thor and I Am Legend. Protosevich commented that the Mass Effect universe had such a great story, it would be easy to design a film that is epic in scope. He noted further that the movie is still slated for 2012 and will only focus on the first game.

Later, Halo fans were given a few treats. There was some discussion of Halo 4, which is completely underway and will follow the continuing adventures of Master Chief. Unfortunately, the developers were tight-lipped regarding any details. The panel also showed off their most recent build of Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary Edition. For anyone who enjoyed the very first title in the franchise, this will be a treat. The graphics and sound have all been supremely upgraded so it can now be experienced in a very rich environment. Also, players can switch from the original graphics to the new ones at any point during game play with the tap of a button. Finally, it was announced that the super-charged magnum pistol would return in the new build.

And before we close the door on 2011′s con, I got to see a few seconds of Star Wars Kinect, and it looked amazing! One section I saw was for podracing where players hold their arms out and steer their pods with them. The other demo had users engaging in Jedi-fighting. Players would move their hands to use the Force, jump to leap over opponents, and swing their lightsabers in realistic motions. The gameplay seemed to focused on the prequels more than the original trilogy, but some locations from Episodes IV, V, and VI are expected to appear.

© Christopher Troilo for The Adrenaline Vault, 2011. | Permalink | No comment(s)