Blogging the experience of gameplayhttps://www.gamelog.cl/gamers/GamerPage.php?idgamer=1941https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=6657In my third session, no real new mechanics are introduced. Instead I find myself climbing towers to open up new areas, which always merks different kinds of quest, collectibles, or challenges on the map. Most quest involve killing a specific orc, and finding a specific item, which more often than not, is found inside a orc camp.The story is told my well-made cut scenes, yet I find the story a bit confusing. Different groups exist around the map which individually are fighting the orcs. We can join them and fight the orcs together - yet for some reason the story leaves me rather cold. I do not feel invested in the characters or the main story line. The gameplay, however, does keep me still invested. It does feel good to get better at fighting, which mostly depends on good timing. Once good at the fighting mechanic, a player can easily defeat very large groups all alone. As mentioned in my previous session, I believe that the nemesis system probably is the most interesting aspect of this game. Without it, this game seems a bit boring and repetitive. Yet the system of having randomly created enemies which benefit from the players actions, is a truly interesting game mechanic. What I found interesting is that a player can die to a certain orc multiple times, which will make that specific orc more powerful and raise in mordors ranking system. Once that specific Orc is high in power and ranking, I can kill him and get a powerful reward, or I can “dominate” hime and gain a powerful supporter. I am nor sure if this is intended, because I probably should not be of the players benefit to die multiple times to create a powerful Orc. I wonder, would this be considered cheating, or just using the games’ provided mechanic...?Thu, 29 Mar 2018 09:30:10 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=6657&iddiary=11805https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=6657In the second gaming session of Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor, the gameplay loop developes and stays pretty much the same. I run around on the map, find large groups of Orcs and kill them, while getting better at fighting them and using the special attacks. What makes this ganmeplay loop interesting is the mechanic which creates random “boss-orgs” which spawn randomly in camps and attack. They seem to have specific strenghs and weaknesses, which I should adapt to, if I want to beat them. Interestingly it seem as though if I die by their sword (or boe, or knive, or whatever else) the become stronger. This creates a sort or relationship with my enemy, and keeps the fighting interesting. It is unfortunate however, that more often while I fight a group of orcs, not only one names Boss appears, but multiple. The difficulty then is quite harsh, and I regulary die. This system however, I found that it is calles “nemesis system” has it strenghs and weaknesses. One Orc has become very strong now that he has beaten me multiple times, which he has always suceeded at by bow shooting me while I was fighting others. Again, I am a bit surpised by the mechanic of “Mindcontrolling” the enemies to gather intel. While doing it, I did not feel inherintly bad for doing it, yet I was wondering what Kant would say to this. This seems to be the purest form of using someone as means, yet the fact ofthem not being human, and maybe not even having a soul - would this change Kants assumption?Wed, 28 Mar 2018 20:27:07 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=6657&iddiary=11781https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=6657The game begins, similar to the movies, with a dark screen and a female speaker describing the story background. The atmosphere instantly is very similar as well... very well captured. We are then introduced to our character, who seems to have died somehow. It appears to go back in time and here starts the tutorial where we learn basic fighting mechanics.The animations seem very smooth. The intro switches between two different timelines- now suddenly we find ourselves fighting orcs. I am a bit confused what is happening during these first minutes. Nonetheless, I fight and beat all enemies. We are then told that we are "banished from death" from a mysterious voice. I wonder what that means... The introduction continues to jump between different timelines. I guess we as players are experiencing the past when all was good, what we as player have lost? We are then forced to watch out family and ourselves being executed by Uruks and a mysterious guy talking in some language- this seems to setup a story of revenge. We are then transported in some "ghost dimension" inside Mordor. It is explained that we are banished, and to relieve the curse we need to kill the "black hand of sauron". I must say, even if a bit confusing, the introduction does set up quite an interesting story. We are now, finally, thrown into the world. Instantly we are in battle. The fighting feels very smooth and organic. We are being introduced to some more game machines. Especially interesting is that we are taught to torture? We are able to torture enemies to get information about our goals. That is quite a interesting mechanic considering that torture is normally considered to not yield in good intel and is generally frowned upon, even in games. I guess here in this game, the setting in Mordor and the enemies being non-human, allows torture to be morally alright? l wonder how the game will continue using this mechanic... Am I able to use this on human enemies - if they exist? The world opens up, and I spend the next hour or so running around and killing Orks, dying quite a few times, and having fun encounter with some "special" named orcs. It seems fun, yet I am not sure if this gameplay will keep being interesting after several hours... We will see.Tue, 27 Mar 2018 09:04:17 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=6657&iddiary=11744https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=6585Part 3 So, I called my bosses and take a taxi to get to the Dojima Family headquarter. I wonder what awaits me there? Once I arrive the "lieutenants" of the clan await me. In another long sequence we learn the real issue behind the person who got killed. It seems that there is a plot of land in the middle of a popular area which the Yakuza want to get their hands on. However, because a person died there, it has become significantly more difficult for them now. And they are blaming me? They do not believe that I did not kill that man, even after I clarify that I only "ruffed him up". I am beginning to understand the issue here; the story seems to be more deep and complicated as I would have expected after the first part of the game which seemed like a fun "beat 'em up" game. One thing, which again is interesting to note, is that a gun seems to have been in play, which seems to be bigger deal than we would expect coming from the U.S. It seems that guns are very rare, and hard to get your hands on. After I learn that the person who took me in as an orphan (a higher ranked Yakuza I believe) will be made responsible for my "failure" my character decides to leave the Clan. After the plan is hashed out, I make my way to the boss of the Clan to tell him personally. On the way to him I fight numerous bad guys, where at its end I meet the Boss. I am allowed to leave the family, and one of the other bosses also leaves for a reason which is not entirely clear to me. As a sign of leaving Yakuza he cuts of his little finger, which I for some reason am not asked to do. I have the feeling I will meet that guy again, probably not in a peaceful manner though. This game is setting up quite the interesting story. What I find interesting is that until now I was not able to choose any specific path, so the game is making me play a specific way. There is no way to resolve a conflict through talking or without beating anyone up for example. This is interesting because that means the creators of the game are in full control setting the game up under their ideas of what is right and wrong. Then - because I will fulfill the actions I have to, I will then experience the reactions to it, which the creators have invented, which should in some way reflect their own moral compass. An interesting game, yet it appears to take quite some time to really start. Thu, 15 Feb 2018 08:40:39 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=6585&iddiary=11673https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=6585Part 2. Once done with showing these guys who the strongest is, a guy appears. Nishirki. He seems to be an old friend. A quite long sequence begins, where we are introduced to him, and we learn about their relationship. It seems that he is a old friend, and quite possibly the closest we have to a brother. We learn about how the image of one self is very important to Yakuzas. The display of wealth (cars, jewelry) is especially important, so that people look up to the Yakuza. This is an interesting thought, I wonder if the writers of this game took this idea from reality, or if it is a rather sly social commentary masked as a characterization of a Yakuza? After another fight, we meet a weird foreigner, who wants me to fight for him or something like that? It is not really clear, nonetheless he teaches me some new fight moves. The game continues to show me various parts of the game, including a Karaoke mini game? As we sit and eat Ramen later that evening, something important seems to happen. A TV journalist reports about a guy who was killed. That guys seems to be the person we beat up in the alley in the first moments during the opening sequence of the game. I am honestly surprised about how the main characters are reacting to this. Is a guy dying such a big deal? We have been punching and kicking our way up till now, but now it is a huge deal that this guy is dead? It does seem that the underlying idea is that the murder of a "civilian" is an atrocity. This is an interesting moral perspective which may be used as a Framework here. It puts the player in this situation where he has to believe that murdering a civilian is not allowed, and against all rules of the Yakuza. I wonder if this is reflected in the Japanese underground as well, or was this chosen to create a specific experience for this game? Anyhow, the main character (us) is very worried about this and decides he needs to speak as soon as possible to his Yakuza bosses. I wonder how this will work out...Wed, 14 Feb 2018 20:03:20 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=6585&iddiary=11652https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=6585Yakuza 0, in a not very surprising manner (considering the Title) starts with violence. The game begins with a well made cut scene introducing us to the main character who violently beats a man, and kicks him on the floor before he takes what we can expect to be money from him. The scene changes and we watch a small man talking fresh to some young women before he gets pushed aside by our "Hero". The little man becomes angry and follow him, taps him on the shoulder before his friend signals him that the guy he is tapping on the shoulder might be the kind of guy that can become dangerous. If this is us the player, we seem to be quit the Bada$$. With a bloody, and cold face our character leaves the scene (without beating the guy). We then watch out main character have a mysterious discussion with a loan shark, it seems like we do jobs for him, and he encourages us to join him, which we decline because we are YAKUZA. Alright then, quite the intense introduction to this game, especially because it is all in Japanese with english subtitles. Atmosphere seem interesting, although quite dark. We continue watching our Hero walking through the streets of the city, until we get a page. This is where Chapter 1 begins, and we begin to control the main character. We walk for a couple of meters, where we then get involved in a street fight. We talk to the bad guys and decide to take them out, they do not respect out turf it seems. The game uses this situation to teach us the fighting mechanics... simple enough and quite brutal. Faces get smashed, and heads are hit against concrete walls. It is interesting to analyses how this game deals with such moral problems as violence and murder. As we discussed in class a game can provide the player with a moral framework, I wonder if it will also make me as a player decide if I want to do good, or if it forces me to live the live of a Yakuza, which probably would include some morally questionable instances. I am interested to see how this game deals with such questions. (This entry has been edited1 time. It was last edited on Wed, 14 Feb 2018 19:45:07.)Mon, 12 Feb 2018 20:44:31 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=6585&iddiary=11598https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=6527#3 When I got home to my base I noticed that one of the windows was broken. Neither me or Delilah know who we can suspect about this. This seems weird. Who would damage my base? Anyhow, I feel tired and sleep through the night. The next morning I am woken up by Delilah's radio call; she informs me that a storm has damaged some wires she normally uses for communication. She asks me to see if I can find the area where the cables are down. So I begin walking again. This seems to be the main mechanic of the game. Walking, talking, and wondering about what is actually happening beneath the surface. There have been little instances of what Delilah says and little items lying around which do seem to suggest that some things are currently not mentioned yet. There seems to be more than just us watching for Fire. This hidden part of the story keeps the motivation up to to continue playing for me. While trying to find the downed lines, something weird happens. Delilah asks me to hold on, but seemingly forgets to mute her microphone. I have the option to let her know or just listen. I decide to listen. She seems to be speaking to a third person, and I almost believe that I am the topic. She mentions that she doesn't think "that he is aware of it..." I wonder what she is referring to. After I ask her about who she was talking about, she reacts angrily, and stops talking to me for a while. I continue on my walk, and eventually find the downed lines... and empty beers, again. There seems to be a connection between these beers and things happening in this forest. Is it the girls again? There seems to be more about this story than it seems. I feel like this game has great potential when it comes to the story, and especially the style of it. The graphics are absolutely gorgeous, however I feel that the gameplay mechanics are a bit limited. It really is only walking and occasionally looking at object. There is not really anything more to it, so this could also just be a interactive story, not really a game in the strict sense. It is more about the atmosphere and story than anything else. Thu, 18 Jan 2018 09:56:32 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=6527&iddiary=11542https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=6527# 2 After looking around in my new home for the new couple of months, and wondering what some items are supposed to be used for, Delilah (which I learned was the name of my superior/co-firewatcher), explained to me the use of a Firewatch item, conveniently placed in the centre of my home. Suddenly, her voice tensed up, and I hear fireworks going of in the distance. Delilah tells me to go and find the people using these, for that the forest is currently very dry and such fireworks could easily start a fire. Hesitantly, I agree. I slept long, so I am not really in the mood to wander around to find these people. And I am also wondering what I should actually do when I find them. I guess, this is my job now, so I walk down from my tower and begin my hike towards the fireworks. While on my hike, I cannot ignore the absolute beauty of my surrounding. The evening light tinges the environment in a deep red light, absolutely gorgeous. I need to concentrate on finding the people who are using fireworks, and I shouldn't not get lost wandering around watching the sun set. After a while hiking, I find a camping spot, with some empty beer cans lying around. I am probably close, I am thinking to myself. I also find some fireworks, and some whisky (which I pocket for later use). While I am following these items towards a lake, I also find girls underwear, and suddenly I become a bit shy about how to react in this situation. What will these girls think I a random man just appears. Delilah makes fun of me, and tell me to continue. Just of couple of meters ahead I find the girls who we suspect have used the fireworks, swimming in the water. I turn of the boombox they had with them, and yell to them that they should not use fireworks. Not surprisingly they respond in a disrespectful manner, and do not seem to acknowledge my authority. After this successful "mission" I make my way back to Two Forks, (where my stand is). On the way I engage in chatter with Delilah, find a locked cave (later investigation), and notice a man who looks at me from a hill. I wonder what his deal is... I fall into bed, after this very tiring day. Wed, 17 Jan 2018 11:13:12 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=6527&iddiary=11490https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=6527#1 When I began playing Firewatch, the game welcomed me with a simple screen with text and soft background music. While many games choose to put the player right into the action, Firewatch seemed to go for a different direction. Numerous text clips appear on the screen informing me, as the player, of my characters' backstory by highlighting certain aspects of my life, broken apart by short sequences where I find myself in the nature - in the middle of a national park. The text sequences, with the soft musical score, introduce me to certain (important) sequences in my life and also give me certain options to choose from, as how my character reacted to them. The background story is that I meet my later-to-be wife Julia, how we go through the ups and downs of life, and eventually how we learn that she has early onset dementia. This, naturally, throws this (until then) idyllic situation into chaos. The text screens now ask me how to react to this, which becomes especially intense when I am asked to decide to either put her into a full-time facility or to take care of her myself. With a heavy heart, I choose to let specialists take care of her... Eventually Julias parents take her back to Australia (where she is originally from), and I continue my (now devastated) life, until one day I find a job offer as a Firewatch in Wyoming. I accept (without a choice). After a short loading screen I find myself in a wooden structure, surrounded by a forest, with mountains in the background. A whole lot to explore. But before this I need to reflect on what just happened. My life, as I imagined, has been completely put on it's head due to this diagnosis. Now I need to find something new to take a place in my life. Will a position as a Firewatch be the right one? While still in thought, a voice pulls me back to reality. It comes from a walk talky on a table. Let us see what this new world has to offer I think to myself...Tue, 16 Jan 2018 14:33:58 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=6527&iddiary=11452