Tuesday 15 January, 2008

Just lost internet connection as sending re-writing but finished before midnight

**GamePlay

After playing for a bit more time I have accomplished the simple yet effective needs of the game. Simple things like chopping wood or mining and more inclusive needs such as killing monsters with weapons created from metals that I got after mining. There have been a few good parts, and I haven't lost interest. But all-in-all there is the strange feeling of simplicity to it.

Some parts have become a bit more fun now that I can easily manuever and talk to people. Others are still strange and unsettling to me. But in the last few hours (less than 3) I can now blow kisses to people while running in circles and talking to them. Before most of this was not comprehendable. It is not easy to interact with other users who can actual play the game (real life people sharing the world with me) and many of them choose not to trade. But the computer based people just stand around waiting so as they teach me things I'm practicing with their characters.

I do enjoy the game in that it allows another wordly view to most regular occuracnces in my actual day-to-day life. But at the same time the lack of originality is making me rethink what each part might have been inspired from and where I know it all to be connected to. Still, working on a few quests has allowed me to learn how to use my chracter, the world and my surroundings. But I don't feel like there's much more for me to learn. It will be a lot of the same actions to accomplish different goals within the quests.

**Design

I think the overall design of the game is fair, not exciting but not horrifically old. The people are not realisitic, but their clothes, skin and hair work on masking that quite a bit. Howeverm the outside world (forests, pools of whatever, fields etc) are very limited and similar with a lack of originality and a copy-paste kind of feel to the lack of originality. The only times anything slightly differs in a rock or among flowers is when it is needed for a quest or it is an object to be used, no variations to the majority of surroundings. I felt a very strong urge of the King's Quest series as I played and almosted wanted to switch games.

What made me what to switch to something else is the lack if tangiable (and related) challendes. While there are many different quests. There is no overall goal. Not a story plot to explain why everything can be done. No final outcome to complete. Just a bunch of seperate and unrelated quests with seperated missions and tasks. There is motivation in the need to finish for some. But I can easily see others giving up mid game after just one or two quests are done as opposed to working on everything.

This is pretty decent and acceptable GameLog. Your gameplay sections are good, and your design section is a little basic, but fine. The bit at the end about the lack of tangible rewards is interesting, and might be something to keep thinking about as you play games. Rewards in games is an important subject, and something that does bear thinking about.

However, I would like to note that we'd like to have a design section in each session, not just a cumulative one for both. Please keep that in mind writing your next GameLog.

Amy Leek (grader)

Wait, my apologies, I was misremembering the requirements about summary and design. Your entry is perfectly fine, please keep it up. So sorry about the mix-up, please don't think it will effect your grade.