galactic-civilizations
Latest
Steam Holiday Sale, day 10: Skyrim, BioShock, Grand Theft Auto franchise sales and more
Have you guys ever noticed how our money and a Steam Holiday Sale are never in the same room at the same time? Like, the same way that no one has ever seen Bruce Wayne and the Batman together in the same place? It's just weird, is all; almost as if our money was somehow being removed by the sale, or something.Some mysteries will never be solved, we suppose. Today's Steam Holiday Sale offerings include 50 to 75 percent off of Skyrim, its DLC and its predecessors, 75 percent off various Grand Theft Auto games, BioShock and BioShock 2 for a collective $10, 75 percent off both Witcher games, Galactic Civilizations I and II for $6.24 and Payday: The Heist for $5.
Stardock talks staying afloat in The Great Lakes State
News of PC game publisher and developer Stardock's plans to expand further into its home state of Michigan was a bright light in what has been an otherwise gloomy series of months, seeing numerous studios crippled by an ongoing tepid economic climate. We asked ourselves if it was something in the water, though to hear Stardock boss Brad Wardell talk, we wonder if more studios may someday begin to follow suit and swim to The Great Lakes State."I definitely see the state of Michigan moving in a direction to try to attract technology companies and consumer entertainment companies – movie studios, interactive digital entertainment, etc," noted the exec. "One of the reason I suspect is simple geography -- Michigan is located in a pretty good spot for this kind of thing. The other is that Michigan is a state in transition. The state knows that it needs to diversify and it is putting its efforts to focus on an area ripe for growth such as digital entertainment."Michigan is already home to a handful of developers, including Reactor Zero, which is handling the PC version of THQ's upcoming Red Faction: Guerrilla, and Realm Online dev Norseman Games. None, however, have left a footprint in the snow nearly as deep as Stardock.
Telling stories: The next hurdle for story telling
As games have evolved, so too has the role of storytelling in the titles we play. As we turn the corner on 2008, we asked multiple industry personalities across all walks of game development on titles such as Dragon Age: Origins, Bionic Commando and Guild Wars for their thoughts.What's next for in-game story telling? In this, our final segment looking at video game narratives, our collective of industry professionals offer insight into what they believe is the next big challenge facing the evolution of story telling in the games we play.
Telling stories: The games that got it right
As games have evolved, so too has the role of storytelling in the titles we play. As we turn the corner on 2008, we asked multiple industry personalities across all walks of game development on titles such as Dragon Age: Origins, Bionic Commando and Guild Wars for their thoughts.It's rare that story tellers get all of the pieces of their narrative to fit together exactly right in any medium. But in this industry, where story shares a balance with gameplay and endings often get the short end of the development stick, weaving a complete and compelling tale must be a daunting task. Now, gifts unwrapped and bellies full, our panel of industry personalities sound off on those games that they feel were up to the challenge, delivering storytelling experiences above and beyond their peers.
Telling stories: How much is that ending in the window?
As games have evolved, so too has the role of storytelling in the titles we play. As we turn the corner on 2008, we asked multiple industry personalities across all walks of game development on titles such as Dragon Age: Origins, Bionic Commando and Guild Wars for their thoughts.Epic Games' Michael Capps recently caused quite an uproar among gamers with his suggestion to offer the conclusion to games as premium DLC rather than as part of the core experience. As the latest in our continuing week-long feature, we asked our panel of industry personalities what they thought of the proposal. Interestingly, much of the group was noticibly more tight-lipped in their responses than when answering other questions.
Telling stories: What's up with lame endings?
As games have evolved, so too has the role of storytelling in the titles we play. As we turn the corner on 2008, we asked multiple industry personalities across all walks of game development on titles such as Dragon Age: Origins, Bionic Commando and Guild Wars for their thoughts.While narrative has taken on a larger role, time and again we end up being left unsatisfied in the final moments with endings that fail to wrap up stories in interesting or compelling ways. In our continuing week-long feature, we asked our diverse collection of industry personalities why so many endings in the games we play leave us cold.
Telling stories: Balancing gameplay v. narrative
As games have evolved, so too has the role of storytelling in the titles we play. As we turn the corner on 2008, we asked multiple industry personalities across all walks of game development on titles such as Dragon Age: Origins, Bionic Commando and Guild Wars for their thoughts.How important are stories? How about endings? Over the next week this diverse group of personalities sounds off on these and other story-driven topics, starting today as we open up by asking whether or not narrative shares an equal burden as gameplay in carrying the video game experience.
Best of the Rest: Jason's Picks of 2007
Galactic Civilizations II: Dark Avatar (PC)Stardock proved that it still had its collective finger on the pulse of the PC strategy game community in 2006 with Galactic Civilizations II: Dread Lords, an amazing game that managed to usurp the 4X strategy crown from Master of Orion to become the genre's defining title. The studio did it again in early 2007 with the game's expansion, Dark Avatar, this time adding a much-welcome graphic makeover alongside a healthy collection of other improvements, such a improved AI and deepened customization options. Dark Avatar is the definitive 4X strategy game for the PC, and the most satisfying strategy game released in 2007.
PC Gamer takes on weeks-long GalCiv battle
People on the internet generally don't enjoy reading long articles. We understand. You've got places to go, people to see, episodes of Heroes to watch. Who has time to actually scroll through several screens worth of writing when there's so much to do?That being said, we heartily recommend that you set aside a few minutes and read through PC Gamer's epic account of what is likely the longest game of Galactic Civilizations 2 ever played.How long exactly? The "Gigantic" sized match has been going on for 16 days now and is just beginning to show signs of an imminent ending. Besides being routinely laugh-out-loud funny, Tom Francis' running account captures the intricacies of interstellar diplomacy, taxation, genocide, despotism, popularity rankings, and extremely foolhardy military planning in a form that even people unfamiliar with the game will find interesting. Go ahead and read it. That status report will still be there in fifteen minutes.[Via Kieron Gillen]
