socrossblog

Do what now?

Yes, it’s been a while since I’ve updated.  I’ve mainly been really busy!  After a year and a half working at a couple of contract gigs at Microsoft, I’m now back as a game designer at Wizards of the Coast.  I’m currently working on Magic: The Gathering, Duelmasters and some other, secret-squirrel type stuff.

I’ve also been having a blast working on a bunch of new miniatures wargaming designs.  My old friend Andy Chambers of Games Workshop fame recently moved up here with his lovely wife, and we’ve been getting together almost weekly to kick around lots of game ideas. 

I’ve also been obsessing about Napoleonic naval battles.  That’s about it, what’s new with you?

Securom gives love a bad name

I’ve been a fan of SpoonyOne for a long time – this guys a riot!  His latest video talks about a rather touchy subject – Securom… Personally, I’m at a loss to understand why any company would use this program given the amount of ire its name conjures.  Is it because these companies are so out of touch?  It seems a little unlikely, since most of them employ gamers on many levels.  Geeze guys, at least call it something else!!  Something like awesomeware, or hotchickmagnet, something with a positive spin!

Ok, I kid, but really, I wonder how many babies are being thrown out with the bathwater these days.  Is it worth the anger and potential sales loss to include this kind of software?  I can hear the masses of gamers screaming NO! but clearly companies see some sort of upside. 

I think it’s always hard when a company implements a solution that is all upside for them and little or no upside for its customers.  Normally when this happens the customers move on (as in the case of DRM for the music industry…amazon mp3 FTW!) and find what they want elsewhere, but the game companies all use some form of DRM so there’s really nowhere else for us to go.

It’s also a little perplexing as a gamer because I see less invasive methods already in the market.  In my DJ life I’ve used a program called Ableton Live – this thing is not cheap ($499) so presumably they are more worried about piracy than you might be for a $55 game.  Their method involves a one-time online registration, and allows you to use the program on up to two machines at a time per license.  They also allow you to deauthorize a computer so that you can load it up again. 

Pretty simple, non-invasive and once you do it, you don’t have to think about it again.  This program has been around for awhile, so why aren’t we seeing something like this for gaming?  I suspect that this system is harder on the company, but if you are getting paid to make games, shouldn’t you take the hard parts and leave the easy parts for your customers?

Black Tiger, Green Laffy Taffy

Growing up in Bakersfield, California, I played computer and video games every chance I got – mostly at home on my NES (or on the ol’ Vic 20), but sometimes I’d head to Howard’s Mini Mart and play whatever cabinet game they happened to have.  I remember playing a lot of Airwolf, but the game that really sticks out in my memory is Black Tiger.

I first saw this game in 1989, while trying to decide between a box of grapeheads and some laffy taffy.  Needless to say, Ferrara Pan would have to wait that day…

Thanks to my PSP, I’ve been playing it again, and it is simply amazing how I can still smell the gentle aroma of fizzy fountain drinks and tangy nerds candy whenever I fire that game up.  I’m sure that my reverence for the game comes mainly from the simpler era in which I played it, but the design had several elements that put it ahead of its time:

Exploration: This game had a great way of encouraging exploration – arrows.  There were brown arrows and red arrows.  If you followed the red ones you got through the level as quickly as possible, but if you wanted to stop and smell the roses you followed the brown ones (ironic, no?).  Coupled with mini-levels and hidden bonuses and you’ve got one seriously quarter-eating, totally replayable game.

Variety: With the exception of the first two levels, each level has a distinct look and feel to it.  And just when you think you’ve seen all the enemies… Ninjas show up!

Upgrades: I know this is tame by today’s standards, but the ability to buy upgrades to your weapons and armor was pretty advanced for its day.  I think I learned more about the value of a dollar (or a zenny) from Black Tiger than from any of my first jobs!

So while Black Tiger may not be the best game in history, it certainly shaped a lot of my early game design philosophy.  I learned a lot about replayability and what makes a game fun – what games come to mind when you think of your early gaming days, and why?

My DJ Videos

I first picked up the needle in 1991, when I worked as the sound tech for a DJ friend of mine.  I was one of six kids in my family, so I had no cash to buy that expensive DJ gear.  Luckily, Rob let me take the turntables every once in a while, and I was hooked!  I’ll never forget playing “Ice Ice Baby” when it was on brand new, glistening vinyl…

I took a break for a long time after that, but finally dove back in when I asked my friend Dave “wouldn’t it be cool if you could DJ off of your laptop?” back in 2002.  Of course, unbeknownst to me it had been going on for quite some time, so clearly it was a brilliant idea!

I started off with PCDJ, and after being mostly disappointed with it moved on to Virtual DJ.  That program is a really fun tool, with lots of bells and whistles – along with one of the most accepting, user-friendly communities I’ve ever been a part of. 

Learning the technical aspects of digital DJing wasn’t easy – I tried tons of different configurations of sounds cards, laptops and controllers.  It was a pain!  A couple of books really helped – Laptop Music Power! by John Von Seggern and How to DJ Right by Frank Broughton and Bill Brewster (thanks guys, your books are amazing!). 

Even with these amazing resources, the learning curve was steep.  After finally getting to a place where I felt comfortable with my setup, I decided to make some videos so that others wouldn’t have to work as hard for the info as I did.  Also, it’s just easier to show people stuff rather than try to type it out.  I’m proud to say that in total they got over 360,000 views as I write this, so check them out and let me know what you think!

Update

Hey all,

As you no doubt have guessed by now, I’m no longer blogging for Microsoft.  I was one of the 1400 who lost their jobs last January, and I’m still looking for work. 

Since I built this site with my own money, I figured I’d take it back!  To be clear, this site is not connected with Microsoft in any way – except for the fact that I’m typing this post on a Windows machine. 

So what will I be blogging about?  Gaming is only one thing I’m into – I also do improv comedy, and I DJ (mainly hip hop/top 40 stuff.)  So the subtitle above really says it – random opinions from one guy…

So if you’re subscribed for the PC gaming stuff, I’m sure I’ll still post about it, but the focus of the blog is changing to my personal blog.  Hope you enjoy!! 

(and if you know of any product evangelist/community management/game design work out there, drop me a line!)

Valve and DRM

Valve's Gabe Newell was recently quoted in an email to a gamer as saying "As far as DRM goes, most DRM strategies are just dumb. The goal should be to create greater value for customers through service value (make it easy for me to play my games whenever and wherever I want to), not by decreasing the value of a product (maybe I'll be able to play my game and maybe I won't).  We really really discourage other developers and publishes from using the broken DRM offerings, and in general there is a groundswell to abandon those approaches."

It's certainly great to hear this kind of talk from an industry big wig like Valve.  I think the problem with DRM is not so much the particular method used, but the attitude behind it.  It makes us feel like we're all being punished for the sins of the few.  It is also pretty clear that most DRM is not a problem for the pirates, just for the legitimate consumers.  These two factors combine to make a ton of bad feelings on the consumer side.

From the company's side, it's not hard for me to see where some of this comes from.  If someone stole from me, I'd be pretty peeved about it, and I'd want to take immediate action.  Also, the faceless nature of piracy makes it hard to go after the actual bad guys.  I think that DRM is a necessary part of our digital world.  However, the attitude behind DRM needs to shift, and that's what was so heartening about Mr. Newell's words. 

I've said it before and I'll say it again: positive reinforcement is what's needed here (i.e. "creat[ing] greater value for customers through service value").  Offering premium downloadable content for your game, or giving me cool ways to interact with the game (like GTA IV's in-game movie making tools) will add value to the legitimate consumer's experience while making the pirate jealous.

On another DRM note, GTA IV released today on the PC and does include the controversial SecuROM 7 DRM system.  Rockstar has put an interesting twist on the much-maligned software by removing the install limits that have plagued other games, though the software still installs components that can be very difficult to remove should you want them off your hard drive.  It seems like a reasonable compromise to me, but what do you think?  Is the lack of install limits enough to overlook the installation of code you can't remove?  I think the answer is yes, but the jury's still out for me.  

Connect & Win!

The gang over at Games for Windows - Live have launched a new sweepstakes to coincide with the PC launch of Grand Theft Auto IV.  They're giving away great prizes daily as well as an Alienware laptop every week.  One lucky winner will get a sweet grand prize - a trip for two to San Diego Comicon and an Alienware Area-51 m17x gaming laptop to take with you... *drool*

It's pretty simple, just register your gamertag here, then log in and connect to Games for Windows - Live titles for your entry.  You get one entry per day you log on, so there's no need to log on to all your games every day.  But hey, don't let me stop you!

GTA IV DEC 2

At long last, the PC version of Grand Theft Auto 4 will be released tomorrow - so get your trigger fingers ready!

It's hard to stay mad at Rock Star Games.  Sure, they released GTA IV for the Xbox last April, but they also made GTA Vice City, one of the best games of all time.  If that weren't enough, the PC version of GTA IV has perks that our console-playing brethren just don't have! 

First, the game will just look so much better (I know, surprise surprise.)  It includes enhanced draw distance and traffic density controls.  Second, it will include the replay editor, allowing players to record in game clips, edit them and save them to .wmv files.  I've already posted about it, but dayum, this sounds cool!  If players can find a way to make Spore naughty, I shudder at the thought of what they will come up with for this...

I've been purposefully avoiding the Xbox version to make sure my game is as fresh as I can get - hopefully in the next couple of days I can get a video up to show you!

Fallout 3 Gets Better?

Don't worry, the question mark in the title isn't one of doubt, but more like "is that even possible???" 

Bethesda announced today that they are planning on releasing the GECK creation kit and three downloadable content packs that include missions in Pittsburgh, Anchorage and the good ol' Capital Wasteland.

The GECK (that's Garden of Eden Creation Kit) will allow players full control over the game, letting them create scenarios, maps, characters and dialogue.  I've dabbled in level creation before, but it's never really grabbed me.  I have to say, knowing these tools are coming out has me planning some custom levels!

Games I'm Thankful for

It's just about that time of the year when many of us Americans celebrate Thanksgiving by visiting family, eating way too much food, and (if you're like me) sticking olives on your fingertips.  So in the spirit of this old tradition, here's a list of games I'm thankful for:

Delta Force: My first "tactical" shooter.  I got the demo for this game almost a month before it came out.  The graphics weren't that great, and the demo only had one mission, but you could use three different firing stances (standing, kneeling and prone) and the damage system was more realistic than the other shooters I had played up until then.  I must have played that mission 200 times.  The Delta Force series was pretty decent, but it turned into a gateway for much harder stuff: Rainbow Six and Ghost Recon, to name a couple.

Aliens: the Computer Game: Not AVP, not one of the many console or arcade variants, but an old game from 1986.  I had been a fan of the movie (one of the best action/sci-fi movies ever made, imho) and since I was too poor to own a computer at the time, I played it at the local electronics store until the staff told me to move on.  This game had almost no graphics, but it had sounds straight from the movies.  The levels were pulled right from the movie - I especially liked the landing sequence where you took the controls of the dropship to insert the colonial marines. 

Crimson Skies: I like the fun parts of flying, like looping, strafing and bombing.  I don't like the tough parts, like trying to take off while compensating for your propeller's torque and crashing every time.  Crimson Skies was the epitome of the action-based flying games - all the fun, none of the annoying details.  Even typing this paragraph makes me want to dust this old classic off!

Space Flight: As I've mentioned many times, my first PC was a Commodore Vic-20.  I got a book called "Stimulating Simulations" for my birthday one year, and it was stuffed with simulation games programmed in basic.  The catch was that since they were printed in a book, I had to type in the game myself, and if you made any typos the game wouldn't run.  After lots of trial and error (and a tape deck disk drive) I was able to run this little gem.  It had no graphics, just a readout each turn of your current location, your speed and your heading.  Your goal was to take your ship from point A to point B by deciding how much thrust to use and at what angle.  Sound like fun?  Probably not, but it had me hooked!  I had a pilot's log to log my flight hours, a map to track my position, and I had even made a laminated security pass - I win tons of geek contests with that little story.

So there's a few old games I'm thankful for - what games would you put on your list?