Blogging the experience of gameplayhttps://www.gamelog.cl/gamers/GamerPage.php?idgamer=1575https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=5279With all of the discussion of balance in class today, I figured what better game to review than Team Fortress 2 for my eighth game log? Team Fortress 2 is a class based first person shooter in which there are many different game modes with various different objects, all of which are team oriented. Team Fortress 2 also has many collectable items (and hats) which change the mechanics of the various characters. For the purposes of this game log, since the study of balance in tf2 is the focus, I will be playing the push the cart game mode on an only-vanilla items server. An only-vanilla item server means that the server only allows for items that were released with the initial build of the game to be used. The reasoning for this is because I and many others believe that the game was most balanced with just these items. The game’s class system is the shear definition of balance. There are nine classes: Scout, Pyro, Soldier, Medic, Engineer, Demoman, Sniper, Spy, and Heavy. The Scout is an extremely fast but vulnerable class whom uses his insane movement speed to deliver large damage at short distances. This class usually tries to assassinate squishy and vulnerable targets such as the Sniper. The Heavy class on the other hand, is an extremely slow class whom is exceptionally tanky. This class starts with three times more health than the scout does, and is a high damaging force at close range. He usually serves as his teams meat shield, standing directly next to the cart when pushing the objective. This class is most easily killed by the enemy spy, whom can cloak and disguise himself to get in close proximity for instant-killing backstabs. This class is even more vulnerable than the scout, and is countered by the Pyro, whose flames can reveal stealth. Without further need to go into detail about every class, you should notice that in every circumstance one class is countered by another, essentially rock, paper, scissors. This conceptually balances the game as the teams whom are most effectively using their classes to target their ideal target (ie Pyro kills Spy) will almost always win the game. The dominant strategy in this game is shear teamwork, which is as it should be. Valve has done an astoundingly excellent job balancing this game and it is definitely worth the try!Sun, 21 Oct 2012 22:11:07 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=5279&iddiary=9562https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=5251 For gamelog #7, I’m deciding to pick up where I left off prior on my platformer rampage. I actually preordered Trine 2 after loving the first Trine ages ago, but didn’t have the chance to play it until just recently. In Trine 2, you play as one of three adventurers: an archer, a soldier, and a wizard. At any time during gameplay, you can transform between these various identities to the one whom which best would help aid you depending on the obstacles and enemies present in the level. Each of the three classes/avatars has different mechanics which constitute different necessary in game maneuvers for puzzle solving. The soldier is a large, tanky, fat man. He has a giant shield which can be used to block incoming projectiles and additionally a giant hammer he can use to smash through volatile terrain. The archer has a grappling hook which can be used to swing across and reach high to great distances. The wizard has levitating powers which he can use to move terrain to solve puzzles. The wizard can also craft boxes and planks out of thin air which have many uses. Every character class has a skill chart and their various abilities can be leveled up, in addition to new ones being unlocked. It is important to note that every time the player changes form to another class, the new character takes the exact location of the old character. In other words, if the soldier can’t reach a high up ledge, the player can transform into an archer, grapple up the ledge, and then transform back into a soldier. Gameplay in Trine 2 is exceptionally fun and innovative. The puzzles are more skill based then they are true puzzles you need to sit down and think a while to solve. This is kind of nice in the sense that it keeps relatively fast-paced game flow. Gameplay is also significantly more fun if you play with three other friends in co-op mode, in which each of you are all playing a class at the same time. Trine has a lot to offer and comes out looking pretty strong in the realm of the indie game world. Not to mention, the game is absolutely gorgeous. I wish to give the artist one swell high-five they’d never forget. Sun, 14 Oct 2012 22:01:43 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=5251&iddiary=9530https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=5235For my 6th gamelog, I chose to continue playing a game of the top-down MOBA genre after enjoying League of Legends. I decided to give a very popular game on Steam called Magicka a try. Magicka can be played in single player, cooperative mode against AI, and even has a player versus player mode (which I didn’t try). For my playthrough, I chose to play adventure mode with one other friend in cooperative mode. Immediately I was overtaken by the game’s hilarious storyline. There are many subtle references to other media/memes player will enjoy noticing, in addition to a hilarious story narrator Vlad (who is NOT a vampire!). The game has a much appreciated “figure-it-out-yourself” tutorial, allowing new players to experiment with the spell combination mechanic which is the core mechanic and feature of the game. You use combinations of eight different elements and energy to conjure various spells which can be used to kill enemies and venture across the map. For instance, say there is a giant body of water you must cross as an obstacle, you will discover that you can use the ice elemental spell to freeze the water temporarily and use it was navigable terrain. The neatest part about the game is that despite actual spellbook spells, you have complete spell casting power at the very start of the game. However, new players won’t use powerful combos until later in the game because virtually all of the spell-casting is skill based and learned through playing experience. Even more interesting, there are combos you can do specifically with a partner in cooperative mode. For example, you can merge two laser beam spell of the same element together to create one giant destructive laser. This makes cooperative synergy feel powerful and rewarding. Overall, the game’s storyline and innovative play style made for an extremely enjoyable experience, and my only complaint is that the game was too short. There is loads of DLC available, but available for loads of additional money I shouldn't be spending!Mon, 08 Oct 2012 01:05:27 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=5235&iddiary=9509https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=5216Finally taking a break from puzzle – platformers, this week I thought I’d review one of my personal favorite games which I’ve played for almost a year now: League of Legends. This is a free to play game of the MOBA genre, which is based of the popular Warcraft 3 Mod DotA. In League of Legends, the goal is to destroy the opponents’ nexus, which is essentially a final game-ending objective at the end of many sub – objective turrets. Players control powerful characters called champions in a 5v5 match, whom become more powerful by killing NPC creeps or by killing enemy champions. The game for many people is much more about mechanics than it is narrative, although each champion has its own lore and backstory if a player seeks the more narrative aspect of the game. As far as type of play is concerned, this game appeals most to Agon (competitive play) as this game is a widely play e-sport, making it extremely competitive. Competitions for this game are frequently streamed on websites such as twitch.tv and often have competitions in which real world prize money is available. In fact very soon there is a massive tournament concluding the end of Season 2 being hosted in California with a million dollar prize pool. The sheer strategy and skill required to play League of Legends makes this uprising genre of an “e sport” possible as it is very entertaining and intriguing to watch. League of Legends will continue to thrive in popularity to due it’s own adaption of the free-to-play model many online games are taking advantage of now. The game is completely free to play and those who spend real money on the game have no mechanical advantage over one another during gameplay, however real money may buy used to purchase aesthetic skins for champions, which don’t change their functionality but rather just remodel them. This is a great way to draw a large base of players in for the Agon play style, but at the same time provide a business model for the game. I hope Riot continues to develop and maintain League of Legends so that it keeps thriving as it is currently.Mon, 01 Oct 2012 22:23:59 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=5216&iddiary=9492https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=5173I purchased Humble Indie Bundle 3 ages ago and for some reason never played VVVVVV. Having heard many good things about this game, I looked up my old Steam key to activate my bundle on Steam, and here I am now, playing VVVVVV. Immediately not very interested in the game’s story, I began my adventure rapidly spamming spacebar to get through a very long and annoying storyline. Eventually, I had control of my character, and began my way to progress through the level. This game too advantage of an integrated tutorial, meaning the game obstacles were there in place to gradually teach you how the game worked, instead of writing out instructions on what to do. I like how most games are taking this approach now, as opposed to treating the player like an idiot and making demands as to how to go about conquering obstacles. As far as actual gameplay is concerned, the game is a platformer in which you can’t jump, but can vertically reverse gravity while standing on a platform of some sort (you can’t reverse gravity in mid-air). While the concept of doing this isn’t anything unheard of or unseen in games before, this game’s level design exploited this simple mechanic and turned out to be a pretty fun and challenging game. The puzzles were plentiful and challenging, mostly relying on reflexes instead of wit. This ended up being not too terrible frustrating, as the games death system is very forgiving. There are checkpoints spammed literally all over the game, so the instant you fail a reflex puzzle you get to rinse and repeat till you get it correct. The game has a very expensive and open map, and didn’t confine you to one set path you had to follow to complete the game. At first the world seemed so large I was very confused as to what was going on, but after further exploration I gained an appreciation for how the world was laid out as in many instances you would enter the same level (room) from different ways and exit the same level in different ways which you weren’t able to do prior. All in all I think the game is worth the price, and should be a fun play through for anyone who enjoys platformers. 4/5Sun, 23 Sep 2012 15:47:56 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=5173&iddiary=9444https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=5141After recently completely Limbo, here I was left without dark puzzle-platformer, yet aching for more. As a huge indie game enthusiast, as soon as I saw “Closure” available on Steam for 10 dollars, I instantaneously purchased it. And so here I am, still currently playing through what seems to be yet another amazing indie game. Closure is a unique puzzle platformer because during gameplay, only things that you can see (ie. are lit by some sort of light source and therefore visible to the player) are actually real tangible objects or material. For instance if an orb was on a platform and the platform became unlit due to a faulty move by the player, the orb would fall into the void, never to be seen again. One thing that immediately impressed me about Closure was that there were a few quick symbols representing keyboard keys to instruct the player how to play, but it in no way, shape, or form babied the player on exactly how to go about doing things. There were initial moments of confusion in which you had to test a few things to really understand what was going on. This gave me a sense of accomplishment and made solving the various initial puzzles feel more like a game than a tutorial. I am still far from completion of this game, but I can say it has been thoroughly enjoyable thus far. I am now complete with all of the puzzles which were inserted to help educate the player of the game, and am now embarking on the harder puzzles which I may get occasionally stumped on. Nothing too terribly frustrating has come yet, though. For any indie game junkies out there like myself, I highly recommend you give this game a try, especially if you have already played and enjoyed Limbo.Sun, 16 Sep 2012 17:41:06 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=5141&iddiary=9408https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=5109The Bind of Isaac is a “Zelda – esque” rpg game with randomly generated scenarios. It is a 2d game with a cartoon - like style made by an indie developer. It is and rpg-arcade game hybrid due to its unique layout as far as genre is concerned. The premise of the game is that you are playing as Isaac, a child tormented by his evil, overzealous mother. God tells his mother that she must kill Isaac as a sacrifice to God to show her devotion to him. She responds by getting a butcher knife from the kitchen and proceeds up the stairs to Isaac’s room with intent to kill him. Isaac knows what to do and in his panic removes the carpet from the floor of his room which reveals a trapdoor into a scary basement. The game than begins as you Isaac are trapped in the basement (which is much more like a dungeon) with the intended mission of escaping his evil mother and ultimately the basement. Each room in every game you play is completely different as while room themes are consistent, all contents such as keys, treasure, enemies, and obstacles are all randomly generated. This makes the game infinitely replayable and enjoyable. The reason this works is because aside from the random generation, the content of the game is a massive and expansive list of neat enemies, treasures, and other collectables. The game is divided into five different “depths” of the basement, where you will fight a boss at the end of each level to continue on to the next “depth” which all increase in difficulty via the power of the enemies. As far as boss fights are concerned, you can expect to fight relatively easy bosses initially such as Lord of the Flies and work your way up to killing Mom and possibly a run-in with the Devil himself! This game has been made available in previous Humble Indie Bundles and is still currently available via steam, so I highly recommend it you pick it up as it is relatively cheap and definitely an enjoyable experience for anyone who loves Zelda games.Sat, 08 Sep 2012 18:46:02 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=5109&iddiary=9374https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=5062As a true indie game enthusiast, I always begin my gaming session with great anticipation when I see screenshots for a dark and eerie game such a Limbo. Only after the first 15 minutes of gameplay, you could tell that the game was trying to accomplish something much greater than just innovative platforming puzzles. Overall feel of gameplay to create an unfamiliar experience in the dark and eerie world which is Limbo was equally as important if not more to the developer. The music in conjunction with horrifying misty shading for the games interwoven parallax backgrounds created a mysterious feel only making me eager to play and explore more. This may explain why I completed the entire game in one sitting! It was simply extremely hard to put down due to the overwhelming environment. In addition to the environment driving the game, gameplay was also extremely enjoyable. The game’s puzzles hard excellent difficulty scaling and design. I have tons of experience playing puzzle – platformers and regardless this games content still felt fresh as opposed to the usual regurgitated puzzles. Even experienced platformers will get stuck playing this game and will definitely be required to think…however will (hopefully) solve eventually and will prove to be a more rewarding an enjoyable experience than a frustrating one. Many puzzles took advantage of the unique environment and after playing for a while began to logically make more sense to the player while at the same time not feeling stale. Each level (or rather segment) the game had provided for unique puzzle one-after-another. I would love to in detail go into my praise over level design individually, however I will not as I do not wish to spoil the experience for any potential readers of this. Defiantly pick the game up and give it a try. It’s only $10 on Steam and I believe has already been on sale for even cheaper in the past. It’s even been in a previous Humble Indie Bundle: “Humble Bundle V”. (Which you should ALWAYS buy…any price you want to pay, great indie games, AND money goes to charity…what more could you ask for?) So that pretty much sums everything up…great game 5/5.Thu, 30 Aug 2012 16:23:45 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=5062&iddiary=9339