Gamersthetics

After a most enjoyable 4-day LAN Party (hooray for Easter!), I’m now moving into my seventh week of college. I had intended to update this blog more often, but to be honest I’ve lacked the motivation to do so. I’m going to try and change that.

One of my subjects this trimester is “Principles of Design”, which covers many basic ideas related to design as well as Photoshop and Illustrator skills. It has been a rather odd subject so far, as I’ve always thought of myself as an artist rather than as a designer, and although there are a number of skills in common between the two roles, there are also some key differences. As an artist, my first priority is to the quality of the final work, but as a designer my first priority is to the effective communication of the key principle. It’s a mindset which is somewhat alien to me, I don’t think I could ever work as a Graphic Designer.

For this subject, we had to choose an “industrial” object and write a 1,000 word essay on its design. Now for our second assessment, we have to redesign that object. When faced with the problem of how to redesign the Supermarine Spitfire, possibly pinnacle of design at its time, I realised that there would be no point in trying to refine or perfect the air-frame - many people who know much more about avionics than myself have already gone through that process, culminating in the Spitfire Mk XXIV. Instead, I chose to focus on more aesthetic concerns than pragmatic ones.

So here’s a snapshot of my work-in-progress Supermarine “Steamfire” - a steam-powered Spitfire. There’s still much to do:

I’m nearing the end of my second week of college now, and am just starting to get on top of things (though I’ve now been floored by a cold). I only have three subjects this trimester, as I was granted an exemption from the “Communications” subject (which essentialyl covers the essay-writing skills that I learned back in Year 11 at High School). This trimester I am studying Fundaments of Drawing, Principles of Design and Audio & Video Production.

But the truly exciting news is that the college has seen fit to award me a scholarship, which is good not just from a financial perspective, but also from one of morale.

Yesterday was orientation at college, which was rather exciting in a “holy crap, this is really happening!” kind of way. The college is wonderfully well resourced, and my fellow students seem to be a pretty good crowd. We met a few staff members, but they were mostly admin, so we won’t be meeting most of our lecturers until class begin on Monday.

My timetable is looking rather light for this trimester, with one day off per week, two half days (9am-1pm) and two full days (9am-5pm) with a long break in the middle of the day. One of the subjects, however, is basic communication skills (essay writing, referencing etc.) so I’ve applied for advanced standing since I’ve already completed a University degree - if successful that will replace a 9-5 day with another day off. Score! Realistically, of course, it probably just means freeing up more time in the labs.

Monday morning we begin with drawing - which I think is an excellent way to kick off a digital animation course.

Bah. There just weren’t enough numbers, so I’ve transferred over to Animation. I still expect to learn a lot and thoroughly enjoy the course, but I’m still a little disappointed.

This week I became the proud owner of a pre-owned X-Box 360 (after getting so frustrated with Oblivion that I ended up selling it on ebay). So far I only have one 360 game - Mass Effect - but already I feel like the purchase has been justified. Truly a masterpiece of interactive story-telling.

What is it about The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion that makes me keep on giving the game another chance? It has always been a disappointing game - there’s not much good in letting the player roam freely around a large seamless world if there isn’t really much to do in that world. The characterisations were shallow, the world bland and the plot uninspired.

Yet I keep on giving it another chance.

Perhaps I’m hoping that my memories of the game have become jaded with time, and that it’s really more fun than I recall. Perhaps I’m hoping that the 1 gigabyte’s worth of mods I’ve downloaded may redeem the game. Perhaps I’m so damn desperate that I’ll play anything right now.

I handed in my application for scholarship this morning, all I can do now is wait. It’s not easy to write 400 words on the subject of “why you should give me free money”.

It would appear that not enough people are enrolling in the Game Design course at QANTM to justify it running this year. I’ll try to switch to animation, if absolutely necessary, but Game Design is really my one true love - so if you’ve ever contemplated enrolling in such a course, now is the time to do it! I’m hoping that the lack of numbers is indicative of awareness rather than interest - this is the first time that the Sydney campus has tried to run the course and people may not know that it’s an option.

QANTM will be running a national open day on Saturday, the 19th January, so check them out!

Neverwinter Nights 2 was something of a mixed blessing. Though generally hailed as superior to its predecessor in terms of gameplay and mechanics, it was still plagued by gameplay choices which made the solo campaign feel patchy and shallow. The story was a fairly standard fantasy fable, the characters were varied but generally unengaging, and the confounding ending left many players feeling a little robbed after all the hours they had poured into their character. It was a great achievement, but still a disappointment.

Thankfully, however, someone at Obsidian Entertainment has been listening to the fans.

Mask of the Betrayer, the first expansion pack for Neverwinter Nights, seeks to rectify many of these problems with a new story, new characters, new features and various gameplay tweaks which return the player to the oldschool RPG days of Baldur’s Gate and Planescape: Torment.

STORY

You begin by importing your character from the official NWN2 campaign, or by creating a new one and immediately leveling them up to level 18. As the story opens, you find yourself in a cave, hundreds of miles away from where NWN2 ended. The silver shard which played such an important role in the previous story has been cut out of your chest, your companions are gone and you have no idea how you arrived here.

Beyond that, it’s difficult to describe the story without dropping spoilers, but as the plot unfolds it becomes clear that something is terribly wrong with you, and that you are going to need all the help you can find if you hope to survive.

The story is Mask of The Betrayer is, in many ways, narrower and more focused than that of NWN2. Rather than yet another tale of an ancient evil rising, with yourself as the only one who can stop it, this story is intensely personal – painted with shades of grey rather than black or white. Your decisions matter, even those which may seem insignificant at the time.

In tune with the game’s narrower focus, there are fewer companions to travel with this time, but each of them is rich, engaging and firmly intertwined with the main story. Instead of the usual D&D clichés – the burly dwarf, the spunky rogue, the arrogant mage and the self-righteous paladin – these characters are unique, flawed and magnificently realised. They will respond realistically to your actions, potentially turning on you if you manage to make them suitably angry, and your relationships will have a powerful impact on the course of the story.

And this time, thankfully, Obsidian remembered to add an ending. Not just one ending, but many, reflecting the multitude of choices you must make during the game, tying up the fates of your companions from both MOTB and the original NWN2 campaign.

GAMEPLAY

Since the story of MOTB is set after your experiences in NWN2, Obsidian have raised the level cap from 20 to 30, adding countless new epic spells and feats. By the end of the game your party of four will feel like an army of titans as you cut a swathe through ancient vampires with astonishing ease. But that’s not to say that the game lacks challenges, you will need to keep your wits about you if you want to survive the key encounters. Thankfully, MOTB is free from the endless dungeons with hordes of monsters which made NWN2 drag on at times. Like the story, dungeons are now focused and challenging instead of massive and dull.

A welcome addition to the game is an enchantment system which grants the ability to imbue any item with magical properties using various essences which you collect throughout the game. Whereas the recipe system for crafting in NWN2 was convoluted and left you carrying around a ridiculous amount of ingredients, enchantment in MOTB is simple, straightforward but full of possibilities. It is now possible to make any item powerful, making it easier to play the way you want to play.

But my favourite tweak to gameplay has to be the new rest system. NWN1 was designed with multiplay in mind, and the resting system reflected that – it involved simply sitting down for five seconds, after which you would be fully healed and all your spells would be ready again. MOTB returns to the days of Baldur’s Gate. It now takes eight hours to rest, and if you are in an unsafe location there is a chance that you will be ambushed in your sleep. This, combined with the fact that the passage of time becomes an important factor in the story, means that you now need to think carefully about where and when you want to rest, further enhancing the game’s roleplaying elements.

 
PRESENTATION

To reflect the new story and gameplay, NWN2 has been given a bit of a facelift with this expansion pack. Visually the game is now gorgeous, with new shaders making each environment feel unique. The new areas have been meticulously designed, and can be both beautiful and breath-taking. Obsidian have really pushed the Aurora 2 engine to its limits with this title, and shown us just how powerful it can be. The new customisable camera settings give you much greater freedom in how you view the world, overcoming another weakness of the original game.

The music for MOTB is completely new and a significant improvement. The music for NWN1&2 had a tendency to be intrusive and repetitive, but the music in MOTB is subtler and better suited to the story and the settings. The voice acting is also excellent, with each actor seeming to genuinely understand and relate to their character.

CONCLUSION

Ultimately, the real test of a role-playing game is whether it actually encourages and rewards you for role-playing, and by that measure MOTB is a huge success. By creating a rich, unique and thought-provoking story with engaging characters and an intriguing setting, Obsidian has reminded us of what makes this genre so great. MOTB had me emotionally invested in its characters, and is full of extraordinary moments and ideas which will linger with you longer after the epilogue.

It’s that time when everybody starts posting their “Best of” lists, and I’m not so proud that I won’t follow a trend. Of course, I have not played every game released in 2007, but here are the titles which I feel are worthy of praise.

Innovative Approach to Story-telling - The Witcher

The Witcher is a RPG filled with moral ambiguity and unforseen consequences, giving us a remarkably malleable story which is less concerned with good and evil than it is with actions and consequences. The Witcher raises the standard for interactive story-telling.

Character development - Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer

 Though MOTB did little to change our perceptions of the RPG genre, it did remind us of how powerful and effective the genre can be. With memorable characters and a very strong plot, MOTB is the best D&D game since Baldur’s Gate 2.

Innovation in gameplay - Portal

Though packaged as an extra along with the long awaited Half Life 2: Episode 2, and Team Fortress 2, Portal has succeeded in gaining the most attention and praise. Though short and limited in terms of replayability, it’s unique gameplay makes it a breath of fresh air in an increasingly stale marketplace.

Atmosphere and Immersion - Bioshock

‘Rapture’, the underwater utopia of Bioshock, is one of the most impressive environments ever seen in a game. Every building serves a function, every room has a story. Audio diaries tell a chilling tale of the city’s collapse into anarchy, and the game is so beautiful that it can, at times, feel like walking through a living gallery.

The “Woah!” Moment - Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

There’s much that can be said in praise of CoD4. It does little to push the envelope of gaming, but stands out simply because it manages to get everything right. The combat is sharp and responsive and the multiplay nears perfection. However I’m giving CoD4 the “Woah!” Moment for one particular scene at the end of the first act (minor spoilers follow). Killing off one one the playable characters was, in itself, a bold move, but to then give the player control of that character during the last moments of his life as he limps out of his crashed helicopter in the aftermath of a nuclear explosion is quite extraordinary. The player’s slow, torturous movements, the surreal sight of the city crumbling into ruin as the sky turns white hot, and the bodies of the player’s comrades… it all combines to create an incredibly haunting and memorable scene.