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Wii Warm Up: The most important feature
When playing a game, what do you look for most? Is it good visuals or tight controls? Do you think in-game events dictate the worth of a title? Is it the source material and story? When checking out a game, what has to be good for you to stick around? What's the most important feature you look for in a title?
Controlling multiple minions and how it might work
We were lucky enough to get an Azerothian ton (they're like twice the weight of normal tons, don't you know) of news about Wrath of the Lich King at Blizzard's Worldwide Invitational this weekend, and hidden in the Death Knight hands on, there's a ton of great information about the way the class' summons will work. Most of the summons seem to be in the Unholy tree -- Death Knights will not only be able to summon the ghouls we heard about earlier, but will also be able to bring down a gargoyle and summon an insect swarm. But the ghouls are what we're most interested in -- Army of the Dead is a level 80 spell (with a 10 minute cooldown!) that will summon a "legion of your best ghouls to fight by your side."And our question is: how is this going to work? Obviously the ghouls won't actually work as pets as in the way Hunter or Warlock pets work, but surely they'll have a little more control implemented than the Druid's treants or the Priest's shadowfiends, right? As far as I can remember, we've never actually controlled multiple pets before -- are we going to have one bar to control all three with, or will we mark a target as they're summoned? It would seem that with a tanking class like the Death Knight, more focused pets would be a necessity in some cases.Or maybe our ghouls will be as mindless as ever, and after we hit a button to summon, they'll just head for the closest thing that looks like it might have brains to eat. Hopefully the Death Knight's ghouls will be a bit more interesting than that (there was a rumor a while back that you'd be able to raise your fallen group members as ghouls, though I don't see that spell in the hands on), and if not, I guess there's always other Hero classes to improve upon the pet mechanics.
Funcom: "maze of challenges" ahead for cross-platform Conan
Age of Conan is not the first MMO to release on consoles as well as the PC. Phantasy Star Universe and Final Fantasy XI were among the vanguards there. Unfortunately, the existing precedents haven't made it look easy. There are a lot of issues to consider. Will Xbox Live (or the PlayStation Network, if the game ever lands on Sony's shores) download regulations prevent prompt bug patching? Will PC users be forced to use voice chat, or will 360 users be forced to buy keyboards? How does one design a user interface that will be equally effective with a console controller and a keyboard/mouse combo?According to Funcom Project Manager Jorgen Theraldsen, these and other questions have been at the forefront of the development team's thoughts since the beginning. In an interview with MMORPG, he revealed that AoC's combat system has gone through nine iterations throughout Funcom's quest to make it appealing to console users. He admitted that the team still faces "a maze of challenges." At the same time, he assured PC users that the game will not be simplified or held back to make things easier for 360 players. A fine balance, that.Choosing between the two platforms is probably easy, but many potential players only have one or the other. Funcom will have to keep them all happy if this is going to work. That won't be an easy task.
Wii Warm Up: Best use of Wiimote controls yet?
After reading Joystiq's hands-on write-up of Skate It for the Wii, we were thrown back by one particular comment: "Skate It's control is one of the best gameplay implementations of the Wiimote yet." Wow, what a statement!We were all excited about Skate It, even more so when we found out it featured Balance Board support, but now we're even more pumped to try it ourselves. But, does it tout one of the best Wiimote control schemes yet? We'll have to wait and see, however, in the meantime, tell us what titles you think best utilize the Wii's wonderfully unique controls? We'll get you started with an easy one: Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure.%Gallery-22799%
The fastest way to play Arena PvP
We've covered the topic of keyboard turners before, but Paul over on LJ has a similar distinction between control schemes -- he set up a spectrum that has clickers (or those who click all their icons with the mouse) on one end, and pressers (what he called "experts," though that's a little too biased for our tastes) on the other -- those who use the mouse to control movement only, and hit keyboard buttons to use abilities.Personally, I do a mixture of both -- some icons, especially on the top rows, are easier to reach with the mouse than on the keyboard, so I click them. But most of the lower icons are easier to just reach up and click the number buttons on the keyboard, so that's what I do with those. Still Paul isn't really interested in the ways people do it -- he's interested in what's best. In Arena, getting abilities cast and out as fast as possible is often more important than anything else, so it definitely seems like relying on the mouse for movement (and maybe even binding oft-used abilities to mouse keys) would be much faster than clicking on icons periodically. Of course, there's always the option to do both at the same time.It would be interesting for sure to see what kind of schemes and setups winning Arena teams use -- I'd imagine that they'd have to play with default interfaces, so while keybindings and macros would probably work best, they wouldn't be able to go too overboard with customization. At the highest levels, is it faster to click and press or just use the mouse for movement?
DS Daily: Getting it right
Just yesterday, we were talking about some of the worst offenders in stylus-based controls, so it's only fitting that today, we should discuss the best. But let's not focus on the obvious answers. With adventure games, for instance we expect good stylus controls; point and click isn't difficult when your method of input is a pointer with which you click things. What are your favorite other games that use primarily stylus controls? Elite Beat Agents and Ouendan come to mind; while it seems like the stylus would make rhythm games ridiculously easy, these games manage to keep it fun and challenging while presenting a great interface. We're also fond of the punishing brutality of Trauma Center, which made us swear the first time we sewed bad stitches and got lectured about it. The recent NInja Gaiden: Dragon Sword boasts stylus swordplay that is unstoppable. But that's just the tip of a very large iceberg. For as much as we complain about bad stylus controls, so many games do it well.
Using the Daily Quests as a way of supplying gold
We've been talking about this for a little while, but the always insightful Relmstein has a nice summary of what's surely one of the ideas behind Blizzard's daily quests -- they serve as a kind of "Federal Reserve rate" for Azeroth, in that Blizzard can control inflation and gold flow by routinely pouring money into the economy. Before daily quests, Blizzard had big problems with gold sellers -- raiding cost a lot of money, as did the various mounts, reputations, and everything else our characters had to buy. But really the only way to get gold was from farming and grinding, both things almost nobody wanted to do.Enter daily quests -- with just a few minutes effort, players could cash in and pick up a nice chunk of gold. And with the coming of patch 2.4, daily quests are everywhere. Do an hour of quests and you've easily got sixty gold, do even more and the gold starts pouring in. Which means the reasons for gold buying and selling are shrinking. Of course, it won't erase gold buying completely (some people will always cheat, no matter how little effort it takes them to earn the gold legitimately), but the barrier to earning more gold is lowered that much more.But, says Relmstein, the Federal Reserve's control is a two-way street. Once you start pouring too much gold into an economy, then you have to start dealing with inflation. He expects that the Sunwell dailies will start to disappear from the game as of Wrath, because if not, then Blizzard will have to go the other way to control inflation: raise prices. Think 5,000g is a lot for a flying mount? In the future, if the amount of gold in the game stays the same, it may be even more.
Details unleashed for Wii version of The Force Unleashed
GamePro had some time to check out the Wii version of upcoming Lucasarts game Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. During their time with it, they managed to sink their teeth into the robust PVP aspect (called Duel Mode, it allows for one-on-one combat between 27 different characters from the Star Wars universe) of the game, as well as provide details on how the motion controls will work. They even took time to compare the two versions of the game graphically, showing the difference in character detail and textures between them. But, who cares about graphics? The controls are where it's at, right?For the chart containing the game's controls on Wii, click here or head past the break.
A note about control options in Mario Kart Wii
Click image for hi-res version For those of you looking for a control scheme in Mario Kart Wii that does not involve a wheel or a Wiimote in any way, know that you won't be given the same love you were in, say, Smash Bros. Brawl. Instead, you're ... wait, what's this? Actually, for Mario Kart Wii, the exact same control schemes available in Super Smash Bros. Brawl are open to gamers for use. Head past the break for the full breakdown on how you'll be busting tricks and trashing the competition in Mario Kart Wii.%Gallery-4772%
Wii Warm Up: Out of control
While we enjoy the Wii's motion controls most of the time, they can ruin a game if they're not implemented properly. Have you played any games on the Wii that had horrible controls? If so, what were the worst offenders?
iPhone parental controls?
The iPhone Dev Team seems to have stumbled across a hidden feature in the next version of the iPhone firmware. The picture is reminiscent of the iPhone SDK "Organizer" that shows the currently connected iPhone. However, something that's different from the screenshots that we posted is the "Console," "Crash Logs," and "Screenshot" tabs at the top of the window. The screenshot shows a "Parental Controls" setting inside the "General" iPhone settings. It looks as though you can enable these parental controls and turn on or off: Playing explicit songs in iPod Website control in Safari YouTube control iTunes Wi-Fi Store control AppStore control According to a recent post on the Modmyifone Forum, this is a version of the firmware that was distributed with the SDK (version 1.2) which the forum post seems to believe will be re-issued as firmware 2.0. The forum post also goes on to say that the firmware is jailbroken; however, this has not been confirmed. [via iPhone Dev Team]
Wii Fanboy Review: Super Smash Bros. Brawl
I'll just come out and say it: Smash Bros. Brawl is the best game on the Wii right now. It beats Super Mario Galaxy, it is a better game than Metroid Prime 3: Corruption and it .. it's just amazing. Smash Bros. Brawl is a must-own game in the Wii's line-up and a benchmark for everything the system can do, both correctly and incorrectly.%Gallery-3347%
DS Daily: Franchise reboot
We were looking over the reviews that have come in so far for Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword and we were thinking about how that franchise rebooted itself on the DS. Now, it didn't really need a reboot, nor is it 100% a reboot in the normal way we think of reboots, but it did take an established franchise and retool it for another platform. Now, whether it was a good retooling or a bad retooling remains to be seen.But, we were wondering what other established franchises could use a reboot in this manner? What about a Crazy Taxi game on the DS that has you controlling an interactive steering wheel on the touch-screen or only turning with the shoulder buttons? What about a Sims game that allows you to control them only by barking commands through the microphone? How about a Space Channel 5 game redone with Ouendan controls? What can you come up with?
Wii Fanboy poll: Best way to play Brawl?
So, you've had more than 24 hours to play Brawl. You've unlocked several characters, took the fight online and probably spent some time gawking at your trophies. But, the real question lurking in the back of many a fanboy's (and fangirl's) mind is: which control scheme is the best to go with?%Gallery-3347%
MMOGology: Control yourself!
Another day, another MMOG canceled. In case you missed the news, Microsoft recently announced their abandonment of the Marvel-based superhero MMOG under development by Cryptic Studios. Gamespy recently posted a roundtable discussion that speculated on the reasons for the cancellation of this once highly anticipated game. During the discussion, Gamespy staffers cited possible cancellation reasons such as Microsoft's unrealistic monetary expectations (based on the high bar set by World of Warcraft), an unwillingness on Microsoft's part to develop and innovative within the genre, and an inability to implement a successful product on both the PC and Xbox 360. The element of the discussion that intrigued me most dealt with the difficulties encountered when MMOGs try crossing the console barrier. One of the prohibitive elements to a successful console implementation is the incompatibility between PC and console controls.Most major, mainstream MMOGs like Lord of the Rings Online, World of Warcarft, and Everquest have complex interfaces organized in a very flat, context-free structure. Movement, combat and non-combat functions are accomplished via the classic mouse and keyboard control combination. Most functions, especially in regard to combat, are accessed via a string of action functions located on "hot bars" or "skill bars". These functions can either be clicked upon directly with the mouse or bound to specific keyboard keys. Although there are occasional exceptions, each key has only one particular function, regardless of the player's situation within the game. Compare the large number of actions located on skill bars to the number of buttons available on a standard PS3 or Xbox 360 controller and you can easily see where basic interface design decisions just don't correlate well between consoles and PCs. It's not that one interface is better than another; they're just inherently different. In attempting to build a game that works on both PCs and consoles you've got to design to the least common denominator. If the console's controller can't support 50 buttons for different actions or can't accommodate quickly selecting actions via a heads-up-display, then you've got to streamline the experience or make it more context sensitive and intuitive. This act of streamlining an interface can only serve to benefit both console and PC gamers in the long haul.
DS Daily: D-pad vs. stylus controls
Sometimes, a game offers us multiple control schemes. Either we can utilize the DS's unique touch-screen interface, or we can navigate the tried-and-true seas of the d-pad and the handheld's face buttons. While each game is different and we can't really generalize on which is a better control scheme overall, we do have our preferences, just as you must. So, do you find yourself loving the idea of stylus controls, but often revert to d-pad-based solutions when confronted with the option? Or, do you think the precision of the touch-screen puts a skip in your step? Which do you prefer most of the time?
Tabula Rasa has another control scheme?
Have you ever played a game over a period of a few months, thinking that you've plundered the very depths of its gameplay system, only to have some facet of the game come along and smack you on the forehead? It happened to me this morning in Tabula Rasa when I was playing around with a brand new Forean clone and stumbled on an entirely new control scheme I had never seen before. It was buried in the options menu, and has completely changed the way I play. I knew I had to share it with you, dear readers, because there have to be a few other players out there who weren't aware they had this option at their fingertips.If you go into the options menu, click the key bindings tab, you can select "MMO Style" from the drop-down menu. It swaps the control bars at the bottom of your screen in a way that should completely change the way you play. Where before you had to use the toolbar to select a Logos ability and then right-click to activate it, the MMO style scheme allows you to use the ability simply by pressing the corresponding number, just as it does in other MMO titles. As an added bonus, the interact button is switched from the "T" button to the right mouse button. The MMO scheme, I'm finding, is particularly helpful for those under the Specialist tree who need quick access to a variety of Logos abilities. Saving those extra button presses is a real life-saver. If you haven't already, give it a try.
Moore talks casual, Wii focus for EA Sports
Amid talk of Facebreaker and the impact of an exclusive NFL license, an quick IGN interview with EA Sports President Peter Moore highlights the prominent studio's focus on making sports games more accessible to a wider audience. "There will be more announcements that will be ... looking at the more casual consumer that we see as a bigger force in the business," Moore told IGN. "We need to do better on the Nintendo platforms, and we intend to do that. It's a different type of game mechanic that the Nintendo Wii consumer, in particular, can play." The statement seems to indicate a continuation and upgrade for the company's Family Play initiative, which made simplified, Wii remote specific controls for games like Madden, NBA Live and Fifa. But do these dumbed-down controls end up dumbing down the gameplay? Or could sports games use a dose of simplicity? Leave your thoughts in the comments.
Turning keyboard turners around
Zg thinks, quite unreasonably, that 99% of players in the game are "keyboard turners"-- people who use the keyboard to turn their characters rather than holding down the right mouse button and moving the camera to turn. It's hardly anywhere near 99%, but given that WoW is a game that attracts casual players (a.k.a. people who aren't experienced videogame players), I wouldn't be surprised if there are more people in Azeroth than in, say, Counter-Strike, who use the keyboard to do most of their navigating.Personally, I'm one of those that come from a CS background, and so I use the mouse for pretty much all movement whenever possible-- I'll often just hold down both mouse buttons if I need to run for a short distance (and anything longer gets the run lock key from me). I also think that circle strafing is pretty much the best game mechanic ever made, but I know that there are those who disagree with me-- back when I worked at Gamestop, one of our employees there just couldn't seem to wrap his head around the fact that he should turn and move at the same time, and as a result just got dominated in our Halo matches.But habits are a powerful thing, and so keyboard turning is probably around to stay. I won't go so far as to say that fast-turning with a mouse is required to be a good player, but certainly that kind of reflex is required to be a really great player. So keyboard turners, pick up that mouse and start looking around-- you'll thank me later.
Nintendo wins another Emmy
The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences has awarded Nintendo, for the second year in a row, an Emmy® Award for excellence in engineering creativity. With a name that long, it has to be big and important, right? As you might imagine, the Wii was noticed for its motion-sensing controls, which have "attracted a broad range of nontraditional gamers and veteran players alike."Yesterday, the award was presented in Las Vegas, at the annual Technological & Engineering Emmy Awards. The new award, which follows last year's award for Nintendo's invention of the plus-shaped d-pad, brings great joy to the company, as NoA's executive vice president of operations Don James stated "We're grateful for this award and thank the academy for honoring us a second time."Congratulations, Nintendo! You certainly deserve the recognition.
