one product created by Sega, be it an buzzwords. While Freeman did useful old school arcade game or the most work to identify, formalize, and codify recent iteration of Sonic for the Wii. techniques -- and I too am a big fan of Gamers world-wide know and accept a Sega has been so ubiquitous in our his “character diamond” -- no game pantheon of gaming giants. These include: gamer world that many of us have deep- In response to “Play Within a Play” developer should expect to be able to seated emotions and vivid memories from The Escapist Forum: The find cookbook answers to the thorny and Atari – Console and software maker. about them to match their depth of “Emotioneering” slant of the article is complex issues of plot and character. Founded 1972. involvement in the game industry. interesting but let’s remember a key Nintendo – Console and software fact: The book was first published in - coot maker. Founded in 1889, but didn’t jump And it is these deep emotions and vivid 2003, and FF VII came out in 1997. onto the videogame battlefield until the memories which prompts this week’s In response to “Play Within a Play” early to mid 1970s. issue of The Escapist, “Sega!” about … The Final Fantasy team did not use from The Escapist Forum: Regardless EA – Software maker and publisher, well, Sega. Russ Pitts shares his woes of “Emotioneering techniques” per se, they of what you think of the book or the Founded 1982. battle when he took sides with just designed a great game. I point this author, this article still raises some very Sony Computer Entertainment – Dreamcast over the PlayStation 2 in that out to emphasize that excellent games valid points about what makes a good Console and software maker. The round of the console war. Newcomer and good game writing exist independent story compared to a forgettable or overly Johnny-Come-Latelies founded in 1993. Edward Moore can’t outrun his favorite of how-to texts, consultants, and cliche story. Sega game of years past, nor does he But there is one giant who predates all want to. Shawn Williams runs through of these, who from the very beginning the full history of the Sonic franchise. was about bringing electronic games to Spanner discusses his disillusionment the masses: Sega. Sega was founded with Sega through the mighty gaming originally as Standard Games, and soon giant’s ups and downs. And Gearoid became Service Games (Service Games Reidy returns to explain his sense of déjà … Sega … get it?), in 1940. Back then, vu upon his first time arrival in Japan. their purpose was to bring arcade games Find these articles and more in this to servicemen abroad. week’s issue of The Escapist. And now, after decades of developing Cheers, electronic entertainment products, I dare you to find anyone, claiming himself to be a gamer, who has not played at least The so called “emotioneering techniques” those that are love related, in which I’ll Should they instead break up their game described in the book are very valid return to specific games. While I into 15 - 30 minute sections so that it methods of story writing, that have been definitely see the pull of the RPG, I can still be played by people without a around for a long time. Freeman has usually find myself returning to strategy lot of time? I’d personally be satisfied simply given them a name and games. Red Alert 2 used to serve that just to see more games implement attempted to claim some credit for purpose, but lately it’s been Advance Diablo II’s hardcore mode. It would force pointing out what the best authors Wars on the DS. Madden has also filled the developers to make sure the game already knew. But isn’t that what most those voids for me, with the structure and could be played successfully through non-fiction books do anyway? regimented flow providing a needed without failure through intelligent regularity in stressful times. planning and execution. It caters to both To say that the final fantasy team didn’t crowds in this, because I’m sure that use emotioneering techniques would not - Dr. Wiley there are people who don’t want to deal be entirely accurate. That would be like with making a new character or starting saying that nobody ever used gravity In response to “Dunbar’s Number” over if they make a fatal mistake. before Newtonian physics gave it a from The Escapist Forum: Neat article. name. I think you would have been I liked how it summed up this week’s - TomBeraha better off pointing out that Freeman issue of The Escapist by discussing some based his book (and his newly coined really interesting findings in the science In response to “Killjoy” from The methodologies) on the techniques used of psychology. I got my BA in Escapist Forum: The core problem is by already successful storytellers like the Psychology, and I have lost my intimacy that many video game engines simply final fantasy team. with it since I graduated (even though it don’t have the room for the kind of was less than a year ago). I was glad to creativity needed to save your neck in a - Goofonian revisit the subject within another subject bad situation. There are encounters in that I enjoy. any given RPG where it’s mathematically In response to “Alone in the Dark” impossible to not take a lot of damage. from The Escapist Forum: Just like -Blaxton Get rid of those. The player should comfort foods, there are definitely games always be able to think, fight, run, talk, that provide essential distractions/ In response to “Killjoy” from The or otherwise find their way out of an interactions in those stressful times that Escapist Forum: The job of the unexpected threat. follow a breakup. I find that there’s a lot developer isn’t an easy one here, Do of stressful situations though, not just they remove quick-saves entirely? Precisely where to balance it is an issue, quicksave/load exploitation enough to but I think you’ll find more success in not remove the challenge of the game. having a variable (user-specifiable) difficulty level, so that the player always Of course such a system would probably feels no more threatened as they want only work for linear/mission-based games. to feel. Eventually they’ll realize that quick-saving all the time is boring. - te2rx - Bongo Bill In response to “Killjoy” from The Escapist Forum: I agree that designing games/levels that don’t kill you every 5 steps is the way to go, but in conjunction you need a limited save system that makes sense and isn’t exploitable. One of the most interesting save systems I’ve seen comes from Operation Flashpoint. The game has automatic checkpoint saves, but it also allows you one arbitrary savegame to use whenever you want during the course of a certain mission. It’s a nice compromise... it can be used either as a convenience save (e. g. saving after you’ve spent a lot of time setting up the perfect ambush) or a post-”omg I just did an epic maneuver that I surely won’t be able to pull off again” save, but either way it prevents We were having the office debate to end Dreamcast however, through some all office debates. programming voodoo, looked better. The lines were smoother, colors slightly Granted, debates are fairly typical, most brighter; it couldn’t bench as much, but occurring over who moved whoever’s it had legs. It also had internet cheese, what Accounting thinks about connectivity out of the box and a long Accounts Payable’s new stationery or list of launch titles. The scales, in other which team has a better chance of words, were fairly well balanced however winning what game; perhaps who’ll be you looked at it. the next to die on Lost. This, however, was no ordinary office debate, nor any Besides, the Dreamcast had an obvious, ordinary office. This was TechTV, bastion irrefutable advantage: It was currently of nerd television and repository of all available. The PS2 wasn’t due for that was holy in the world of emergent another month and would be hard to find technology media. The debate: on store shelves, we all knew, for the PlayStation 2 or Dreamcast? remainder of the year. Meanwhile the Dreamcast, which had launched the Sides were chosen, technical previous fall was readily available, as specifications examined, large words were over 100 games for it. And here’s tossed around, marketing double-talk another kick in Sony’s shins: It was scoffed at, discarded and redistributed as cheaper, too. About half of what the PS2 “accepted fact.” It was an all-out nerd would cost at launch. And yet, the war. Wide swaths of work weeks were numbers didn’t lie: The PS2 was a leveled in favor of poring over every last powerful machine. Or would be, when it detail to be dredged out of the gaming came out. press and all of the evidence was tried in the court of nerd. In the end, after weighing all possible pros and cons (real and imaginary) all that was The PS2 had beefier tech specs, a faster left were personal allegiances. Most of the processor and the ability to wrangle office, raised on PlayStation, remained almost twice as many polygons, making loyal to Sony’s second effort and praised for far more detailed graphics.