How games remain just the same as they have always been.

Although I will use FPS as an example in this article, I realize that Resident Evil: 5 is not one. I compare to that genre because AI need is often strict, as are graphics (closer adjusted view = higher GPU requirements, texture fidelity, etc.) and large levels to keep pacing. Also, FPS games (for some, like myself) offer more immersion, (first person = me, not some puppet I control) yet, many will submit that they can cause motion sickness or sometimes feel like they are ‘looking out a window.’ Many sub-genres have been done ‘FPS-style’ a few times with muted success, but I still personally find little to be immersed into when staring at any 3rd person character’s butt (or even over a shoulder).

What I will be discussing here and critically pointing out is gameplay fundamentals that have not changed. This translates to elements that remain exactly the same as when the very first games were conceived.

Graphics
Graphics can be pretty, people are wowed over them. Reality-wise, only a minimum of feedback is required in this area to perform or achieve any desired effect. Graphics have become like the too popular big breasted girl syndrome – offering mass cleavage but no personality underneath. The true requirement graphics must meet falls into feedback, but is typically delivered via beautiful texture mapping or special effects.

Primary purpose of Graphics = player feedback.

Artificial Intelligence
Sad to say – there is no such thing. “A.I.” actually refers to the illusion of intelligence, created by commands telling animated objects to go through a command set like “If this = this, then, go do that.” As complicated as pathfinding (pre-placed game world paths for “AI” to follow) can be, it is remains just a set of commands that those objects follow to ‘search’ for the player. Game AI has changed very little since the very first video games were created… thats nearly 40 years.

Primary purpose of Game AI = Direct opponents, followers or objects of rescue or protection.

Manipulable objects
These give the player the illusion of having control over and interaction with the game world, whether they are merely objects to destroy (like mushrooms in centipede) or bricks to bump (Super Mario) or statues to move for some reason (like Resident Evil).

Primary purpose of Manipulable Objects = player interaction.

Sound effects
Audio can be important, interesting, intriguing, haunting, scary, thrilling and heart pounding. Yet, sound effects primary purpose is to reveal information to the player and deliver feedback so game play can proceed.

Primary purpose of Sound Effects = player feedback.

Controls
Well thought out control systems (like ease of comprehension in button use & placement) universally connects players via immersion into the the game world, promoting the ‘illusion of actually being there.’ Bad controls force difficulty, frustration, impede and obstruct any effort on the players part to try and enjoy, destroying any possible seamless interaction in said world.

Primary purpose = game world connectivity.

Arenas and areas: linear hallways or free form, open worlds
Open areas containing places to go, things to see, interact with, use as cover, etc. From a simple open rectangle having only a few squares, to the most realistic 3D map, the principle remains the same, it is the area in which game play takes place. While some are confining & claustrophobic, others are open, freedom promoting vistas.

Primary purpose = game world & environment.

Music
Music can provide feedback and foreshadowing, yet as a rule should not be forced upon the player (like Halo). Ideally, the player will be offered choice to allow or eliminate, and therefore the game will have a separate ambient track, if such elimination is chosen.

Primary purpose = immersion into game world & environment, and setting of feeling and ‘tone’.

Story
This is usually the reason to play, the tale, the main characters story, what causes interest, or the backdrop for the game. It is not necessary to pay attention to the story, as many stories can be ignored and still enjoy the game; yet it still provides a base framework around which the game is constructed, no matter how simple.

Primary purpose = backdrop.

The typical videogame generally will have all these elements in some amount and variety, from the most simple to the most complicated. These are the elements I am speaking of when I discuss gameplay fundamentals, as they do not have to be complicated in order to exist. They can be created and utilized in very simple and creative ways, and nearly every successful video game that was created before games that are now being published had these elements too.

The story of one character’s trip across the wastes…

Imagine for a moment – a book that writes itself. All you would need to be is that character, be placed in that world, have it be an interesting setting that you can interact with on many levels, and the ‘story’ would flow from that point. Fallout 3 is that ‘book’. Sure, you can follow the quests (whether main or side), but you don’t have to - there is tons to see and do aside from that. You might still stumble into the occasional quest that starts suddenly, but you can always back off – no one is forcing you do it, or even complete them.

I have played quite a bit of Fallout 3, and I suppose now is a good time for a review, although – maybe a bit late. I have also played Fallout 3 as a “good guy”, “bad gal” and a “neutral guy.” Bear in mind, I have had no experience with previous Fallout games, so I will not be making any sour whining noises about that, and how ‘it does not meet my sex fantasy expectations of what a dream game needs to be’ – blah, blah, blah.

Backdrop
Fallout 3 is a wasteland, filled with blowing sand and burning seeps, radioactive areas that are dangerous, leaking barrels killing or damaging the unwary. There are also lots of rocks, big shelves and walls, caverns, & cliffs to sneak around or get to the top of so as to see better, to get a vantage point or just protect your back. Many buildings are rubble, others you can explore. It just takes investigation, and curiosity – and sometimes that’s half the fun.

The story’s backdrop, we have all heard about – 1950 science fiction nuclear aftermath. Giant radiated movie ants and roaches, and even a mini game of ‘whack a mole’ (short – part of a quest, pound 10 moles with a stick). Everything that seems like debris adds ambiance, is dangerous or, is something actually useful – if you can just find out for what. But there is plenty of funny 1950′s childhood retro fear here on tap, so feel free to enjoy it. Typically, (for me) 1st person view was the most fun to play in, but I tried 3rd person too, as it is good for running and skipping sneaking all the time, which does eat up a lot of REAL time by the way.

Similarities
Also, I have taken the time and looked previous fallout games over somewhat, and can see there are differences, such as what monsters didn’t make the cut, number of weapons, plot, perspective of play (1st/3rd, overhead) and other various nuance. Granted, Bethesda does have a certain way of doing things, and Fallout 3 is a fine example of that style. I would not say that it is “Oblivion with guns” because that game had a lot of sword-based ‘club-bashing’ of monsters. Not like real swordplay, but kind of. If you play Fallout 3 in that way (melee) you will probably have a similar experience, play wise. Other similarities include dialog interaction with NPC’s, as that is identical.

A final similarity would be ‘dungeons’ that look increasingly similar to each other after about 40 – 50 hours or so. This game at least leaves the player with a better rational of why opponent characters are in those areas, but not always. “dungeon” areas begin to all look a lot alike after awhile though, and that is part of what brings on a sense of boredom, along with similar monsters being there, and similar various stuff to collect. Once one hits the level 20 cap it’s pretty much dullsville incorporated, unless you start really toying with the game.

Many folks complained about travel in STALKER, as anywhere you wanted to go it was walking. Well, the same applies here, with an exception that once you have been there, you can always fast travel back to shortcut your time to a mere load screen. There are dangers, of course, like the occasional enemy in the immediate area who jumps you, but that does not always happen. This is also a similarity with Oblivion and Morrowind, although Morrowind referred to it as “teleporting.”

Gameplay
Game play is not at all like your typical shooter, except the barest comparison. Most FPS games (Halo, COD for example) have enemies that attack in hordes, and are all very twitch based, meaning – your reflexes and quick aiming ability account for much of ‘actual gun skill.’ Not so here, as Fallout is an RPG, so you play a character that must learn to use guns (or whatever) just like in real life, and that takes time to master. While this can leave something to be desired at some levels, by level 20 you will have a pretty tough character. So, although you might get some armor, you will be relying on health packs and good old fashioned brains to fight most of your battles.

This of course, brings up what is so very great about Fallout 3 – it is no cheesy hallway run, where your only reward is some ammo, or finishing the game. You can attack from many, many different directions, and possibilities exist for one who is strategic, creative and patient. Wide open spaces means maybe you can attack from above, below, either side, with an enlisted follower, by setting traps, sneaking, head on, big guns, small guns, melee, or even leading a different enemy into their ranks by trickery. “Dungeons” (buildings, caves, metros, etc.) are not so different, as finding an enemy to trick into attacking them isn’t always available, yet do often have turrets that you can hack and manipulate to your own ends. It’s a rare game where you can be truly devious in an attack.

What else is different from a typical FPS? To start, there is food. There is many, many types of food, and drink. (I have found more than 4 types of booze already… and it can have good effects and bad, that are useful… but risky…). Food like: Squirrel stew, iguana on a stick, iguana bits, insta mash, mirelurk cakes, sugar bombs, to name but a few (so, squirrels survived?). All help your health, and add a bit of radiation (except for a few). Not exactly damage, but it will be over the long term, if you get enough of it (500 rads or so). Food helps your health when you are shot up, as can many other things like water (dirty or purified) but it takes quite a bit if you are really shot up. Stimpacks are more like healthpacks – for ‘no radiation’ health, and there is an area in the interface/Pipboy where you must add it to limbs, head and/or torso too, when you get really shot up and become crippled. You can easily choose which, and, stimpack effectiveness is delivered by medicine skill level.

Junk, weapons & skills
Junk in Fallout 3 can be used to build things if you possess an appropriate schematic, using about 4 items of what could only be considered crap, you can make something of worth (a weapon) that can be used, repaired or sold. Small gun skills are very useful, as is repair, because ammo is hard to come by, as weapons have damage levels that repairing them will increase, which adds effectiveness. Big guns do great damage, but are harder to come by, and use ammo up quick. All ammo has NO weight, so you could always collect it anyway and just sell it. Small guns are plentiful, and have more of a sniper aspect, whereas big guns require more personal exposure for lesser accuracy, and sometimes take awhile to “wind up”.

Melee weapons can be a hardship. because not all enemies get in your face – some either run away, or stand off at a distance and peck at you or just rail gun you. Some love to throw grenades at you too. Try advancing on a robot with a flame-thrower and you will see where the sneak skill and a stealthboy (temporary invisibility) comes into play. So, obviously, unarmored fists can be a challenge too. The game has a particular level of hardship from around level 5 to about level 8, not sure why, but it gets really tough. If it gets too tough for you, well, just use the interface and set it easy mode, ya crybaby whiner. I suppose that is the part of the game where they teach you about “running away.” (Do I get experience points for that?)

Repair skill is a very worthy skill to have. Not only does it help you keep a weapon working well, it brings it to a maximum damage efficiency (according to your skill). It is also good because you can do field repair when needed (if you have another weapon or armor like it with you, it works by combining two similar items), and that also saves weight and makes the items you carry worth more… that is, less to haul back to sell.

There are many, many guns, assuming you have the skill to use them… sniper rifle, hunting rifle, assault rifle, SMG, shotgun, flamethrower, minigun, gatling gun, missile launcher, railspike, minikuke, various ‘nades, mines and some ‘homemade’ stuff. (really nasty stuff) But, not something you would want to waste, (made from junk you find). Oblivion made you work at becoming skilled at something, and here – you just assign points for ‘surviving’ to the next level, as it is all automatic. Much of the junk you found there was just that. Junk.

Luck has a part to play in creating a character, but it is a subtle thing. Where Strength allows more weight to be carried, and power (like punching), Perception means you detect enemies earlier than they do you, if it is high enough. Endurance affects health (hit points) amount, Charisma seems to have almost no effect, except in quests with speech and challenges. Intelligence affects number of skill points at level up, Agility affects how many points you get in VATS. All of those give bonuses if high, and supposedly actually affect your character in tangible ways (like Agility effects movement) but I have not seen that in all of them. So, in this way, Fallout 3 departs from Morrowind and Oblivion in a major way. Luck, as I have observed, might effect battles and hits, but I have experienced something else… more intriguing. Luck affected what my enemies went through to get to me once it was high enough. Funny as heck to watch, too.

Case in point: When my luck was low, I had many encounters with Talon merc’s, and they were always waiting for me, outside some doorway or on the other side of some entrance or exit. When my luck became a 9, I noticed a subtle shift of them getting reamed by other enemies long before they ever got near me. Poor idiots. So, Luck did change game play quite a bit, but bear in mind – I was sneaking at the time.

Sneak skill is also a mixed bag…I mean to say, many enemies will not see you sneaking in the dark, but many still will. It helps some, but it will not make you invisible to all. I have seen the entire wasteland, and made plenty of effort sneaking around enemies I didn’t want to deal with. It’s a mixed bag. Sometimes I could sneak past, sometimes I ran like a chicken, sometimes they saw me, sometimes one brutal shot convinced them it just wasn’t worth it.

Perks & VATS
Certain perks are good if taken right away, like Educated and Comprehension. You will probably find at least 35 books…so, double the points will be nice, as there are about 300 to find. Perks have been discussed in many other reviews, and so has character building, so I will dwell on other things. Weight, for example, and how you much can carry, is based on Strength (even average). my character is a 6 strength, so I can carry 210 lbs, which is a large amount of stuff early on. For ‘ease of use’ reasons, ammo weighs nothing, as do many ‘drugs’ and a few other items. Drugs that boost health, boost damage, intellect, perception, charisma and other needs to ‘get ‘er done’. Typically very addictive, of course.

VATS is interesting, and several perks make it FAR more useful. Initially, it might feel like a cheat when you hit an enemy in the face several times and all they do is flinch, or you just plain magically miss. It is more effective at close ranges (later in the game – medium range too) but you will still spend plenty of time finding ways to ‘interact directly’, say, with a grenade or land mine. Some enemies will also recognize a land mine when they see it – so be prepared, not all Scorpions are dumb as a brick.

A.I.
AI isn’t bad – I have found that enemies will sometimes chicken out and run off when attacked, and some will flank the long way, showing up unexpectedly. They also often change their mind about running away. Keep in mind that the game will be very gruesome and gory, perk or no perk. Generally, any AI is on patrol of an area; which isn’t so bad, as many animals are territorial and do about the same. Scorpions are a ‘get in your face’ type, like raiders, only really fast. Centaurs are a bit slower. Although many enemies are ‘in your face’, like Oblivion, some are not, some flank, some retreat… you will see varied differences in speed, approach and handling. Some enemies hate fire, others hate plasma, some hate melee, some are armored, some are perceptive. It takes awhile to figure out what’s best for who, but just about anything works by level 20.

Animation
Some animations in the game are not great, as Oblivion’s animations were not bad, per say – but there were times when a dog trying to go down a hill just wasn’t able to do it on the slope. So, the walk staggered the drop, looking very, very fake, dropping 3 or four feet at a time just to go down the slope (invisible stairway!). Well, dogs here have the ‘stagger’ too. Aside from any battles – your dog can just “sit and stay” if that is what you wish. But, he also runs off and finds crap if you ask, like chems, guns, ammo, etc…which does make him quite useful. I lost my dog – was too greedy I suppose. I sent him off to get stuff when I didn’t need it one too many times. Eventually, he did return, but it seemed like forever – I thought he was long dead. Also, sometimes stuff floats, (like chairs, tables, etc.) and enemies will float away (rare, but it happens).

The animations in the beginning of the game are just horrible. The vault had characters without expressions, and they basically just stood around, and some animations look, well – cheesy. All in all it’s not reason to abandon the game, but sometimes it just doesn’t cut it and can be jarring. “Oh, yeah – video game”. Sometimes the AI is ‘ice skating’ when off in the distance. but, But, Oblivion has that too. There are better physics to make up for all of shortfalls, I suppose. And, you don’t see enemies facing the other direction when they shoot at you, like say, in GRAW. Add to problems – the ‘occasional’ texture pop in when you turn your head to look another direction. It slowly fills, and looks strange. I have experienced a few other weird glitches that were video related, but I reloaded and they went away.

The “vault” aspects sort of left me with a “what do I do?” feeling, but – eventually, I would just save and experiment. Interestingly, it put me well on my way to “vault martyr”. I did dig around some, and steal as much as I could before I left (lets see other martyrs try that!). After leaving the vault, I finally found Megaton…which was also slow. Even tried to bang the hooker, but it seemed like all she did was relieve me of my caps (money). I didn’t even hear any fun noises. Irritated, I reloaded the game file, and did something else. I was just curious anyway, but could get the same treatment from someone at J-lube.

Something you might want to try – and that is sneak. Not only does it give critical damage if enemies are not aware of you, but it also allows to to listen in on conversations you might not normally hear enemies make. Some of them are hilarious to be sure. I recall tossing some ‘nades down onto some raiders who couldn’t locate me, and one said “Oh, SHIT!” Then the grenade exploded, and he groaned. His buddy replied “You deserved it, dumbass.” I just about laughed myself ill on that one. Super mutant conversations are also somewhat entertaining…

Assessment
So. The ‘Oblivion’ trees are gone, and so are long load times. There is still loading, but it is shorter, and the frame rate (at least on a 360) is pretty decent, especially when installed to the hard drive. Very little water to be seen, maybe a river and a few radioactive ponds. So, I have seen the entire wasteland, and it is a big place. I finished the main quests and side quests, but I see a 200 hour game potential if one is in no hurry, however, the main quest will probably tap at about 15-20 hours, max. For $60 or so you can go out and write your own (although imperfect) adventure,…. so, what’s stopping you?

———————

With all of that in mind, here is an example of the book that I mean, in my own words, following my actions, early on in my game. Your experience will likely be quite different (I mean, aside from the shooting – but hey, you can always run away).

My characters story….
I headed off into the wastes looking for some adventure, and a scrap. I pointed myself via one of the little arrows on the compass, just to see how the feature worked. Checking my map, I had been to a few of them. But one steered me to an old broken freeway overpass, and from my concealed rock-ledge perch, I saw some raiders at the entrance of the overpass, and so I snuck along a lower rock line so as to not be seen in my ambush. I crept right up to the side of it, keeping low, to the overpass edge. Suddenly – one of them heard my steps – but, my back was covered, and so was my right flank. Hidden from my view, she came along the wall, turned and ran up to me in the open with a bat, and I let her get in close and – BLAM! - shotgun says no way.

This alerted another raider, and he came running with an assault rifle – big mistake – he also got in too close, and my shotgun said so. This in turn alerted another raider (or – already was) who ran up with a knife. Well, you know what they say, ‘bring a knife to gunfight’, and all that. I crept up the bridge after resupplying via their ammo cans. I figured that higher on the overpass was a probably great place for a guy with a sniper rifle.

I got up a ways, and daybreak began to dawn, a bit too quick for my tastes, breaking cover, I ran up to a big semi truck to grab for use as protection, but was seen. Poor Mr. Ballbat didn’t have a chance. BOOM! Another raider tried to flank me left, and – hey – I was right! He had a sniper rifle. Didn’t do him much good, I forced him into a close up scuffle, and shotgun beats sniper at 4 feet any day. I saved, took a few steps and saw more raiders up ahead. One came running with a flame thrower, one with a bat, one with a knife. I set a mine and threw a grenade – somehow, the flame thrower guy skirted around, but the other guys got mowed. He cornered me next to the truck, and had just enough distance where I was getting real cooked, as he was real quick with that fire tosser. Yeeouch!!!

Taking damage, I threw 2 more ‘nades – the first one killed him, the second was a waste. Then, the supposedly protective truck next to me exploded, damn near killing me. Dang! I forgot about that. I had just one little health bar left – I was almost dead, heart pounding in my ears.

Curious, I reloaded my game and tried it differently. I ran up quickly and set a mine right at a pile of planks that crossed a collapsed section of the overpass, where ‘Ol flamey would be forced to cross. He saw me, and I tossed a grenade, which missed. I threw another, it also missed. He hit the mine, and that was a big boom – body parts flew everywhere. Yuck!

But… the other guys were gone! I couldn’t figure it. I looked around, and thought… hmmm… wonder if the force of the grenade blast knocked them off the bridge… ??? I walked back across, and down under the bridge and searched where I thought they might be. I found one – obviously the fall killed her. I never did locate the other guy. Poor rat bastige.

Got me another sniper rifle tho, and a number of rounds. Ugh. What a mess.
–

FPS games try to create “Artificial Intelligence” but, in general, do a very lousy job of faking the experience. Although F.E.A.R. goes farther than most, the main concept is still “creating the illusion of intelligence” (via sound cues) not by actually making an intelligence simulation.

HALO

Halo did a fair job of of getting a bit closer, as even a tiny insect will exhibit a reaction of fear when threatened. In order to better fake an ‘AI’, one would need to analyze (and exhibit) many ‘intellect-like’ behaviors, including audio cues for behavior when the AI gets in a ‘buggy’ loop and begins acting odd (such as a shell shocked repeating of some funny phrase to at least add humor when stuck in a movement loop). After all, humans can forgive some very odd behavior, if it makes us laugh.

Fear
During Halo, It felt very real to players for the grunts to chicken out and run away, and it was also very funny. Anybody taking a few bullets would not ‘just keep coming’ when they were obviously losing – they would run or at least take cover. Retreating when hurt is not an unusual behavior; although – typical AI avoids this by always pressing on and making a direct path to the player (thereby piling up bodies, stupidly). Consider even a ‘small’ intellect (such as a bug) has more to do during a standard day than most of us believe, as the search for food can be time consuming, and require some thinking outside the box for a creative solution, which FPS ‘AI’ has no method of delivering. ‘AI’ does not ask questions, or arrive at conclusions based upon possibilities, it does not generally even review a few options (such as turning over stones or leaves to find food). It is strictly “if this = then that” in a chain of procedure, which, after a small amount of time appears very predictable – especially in a fight. GRAW, anyone?

One would think someone trying to simulate an ‘AI’ would at minimum study various wasps & spiders and their predatory natures. Maybe I am fighting military units, but all in all – the predatory aspects are what we are taking about, along with defensive, military or not. An AI might flank me, but again, – it never felt like they outsmarted me – it always feels like they can ‘see me’ through virtual walls…. because of the way it happened. Most AI these days might even take cover, maybe scratch their butts – but they fail in too many areas; behaviors which most animals and insects exhibit. Wikipedia, BTW, defines the ‘testing of intelligence’ (birds) as ‘based on studying the responses to sensory stimuli.’

Inter-communication
Many animals have predatory calls. That is – communication between 2 or more creatures to confuse prey, and let each other know what they are up to. Typical FPS games make the mistake of generating information only for the players sake, which tends to dampen realism. Although informative, and helping in gameplay, Half-life 2 did go some distance with this, (Hunters) but they did not carry it as far as it might be, as typical FPS’s use this in varied (if very limited) respects, although, more to warn players that there is an enemy, rather than to identify an enemy with intellect, and create fear in the player, due to feeling hunted themselves.

Distraction
Certain predatory birds (for example) use teamwork while hunting in pairs; and they have been observed as using a “bait and switch” technique, where one bird will distract the prey while the other moves in for the kill. What is missing in typical FPS games is the feeling like (we) the player are the prey when we go up against many enemies. Specifically, there is simply no current method to challenge an army (or platoon) solo without being superhuman, which would imply (realistically speaking) massive superiority (like godhood) or even cheating. So, typically, we will still feel like we are superior and that we are the predator. We do not get smart enemies to fear or dread, we instead get hulking 900 hit (do it exactly right!) arcade action bosses left over from Robotron, or some other 80′s arcade game. The other offer is of course, the typical onslaught of ‘bots numbering in the thousands, to generate some form of victorious feelings on our part in a ‘close up fight’. Yet, at some point, we may even ask ourselves if, after some improved physics and graphics, “what has really changed – beyond the first person perspective?”

Basically – the focus of the typical FPS game is so narrowly aimed at the ‘quick action payoff’, that any genuine “AI” gets bypassed for the sake of ‘action.’ There are no real tactics necessary, as quick pacing forces players to funnel through corridor rat mazes “to get the cheese” makes quick deaths of what might have been smart AI – so, ‘why bother?’ In other words – we instead receive 10,000 ‘AI’ bots that are dumb as a rock in an steady onslaught, (which makes them seem difficult and challenging, i.e. – ‘smart’) instead of 20 tactical brains that made us really think our way through a fight, and even derive some benefit aside from a spastic wrist.

An in depth and advanced look at the ‘words beneath the words’ in real life & the movies.

The difference between ‘US’ and ‘THEM’.
Or; identifying useless enemies for the lower classes to hate.

As a scriptwriter, you are eventually going to need to ‘jazz up’ your crappy scripts to add interest where there just isn’t any. This can be easily achieved by the use of distraction, plus a decent sprinkling of manipulation of a generalized or specific character obsessed with hatred and blame, possibly focused on Gov’t or
corporate entities.

More specifically, document and broadcast language usage differs in reference from individuals to corporations and other large faceless entities, which ultimately minimizes any easily seen evil, probably due to the fact that large corporations are indeed, very, VERY evil. But, it remains that giant bugs & hideously deformed demonic-nazi terrorist- zombie-space monsters are still far, far more exciting, easy to hate, and action filled, not that different from a gas station twinkie. Just with more ‘oomph’.

Assignment:
Locate news examples from television or newspaper, including any corporate or government documentation, i.e., bills, receipts, etc.

Notice & reflect upon the difference in language usage aspects in relation of ‘US to THEM’, i.e. – the common man (‘US’; typically referred to as a ‘consumer’) to the corporation or government entity, or, even the wealthy (‘THEM’). Language is altered from one phrase to another to extract and imply vague innocence of the corporation, government. or obviously amoral individual, but specifically identified and clarified when discussing the ‘consumer’ individual, typically of middle to lower class society.

Here are some established language use ‘relocation’ examples for reference to better comprehend the equation:

US: Theft, stealing, robbery, crooked, cheating, piracy.

THEM: ‘Price increase’, ‘Fluctuation’, ‘Market peak’, ‘Market Demand’, ‘Overcharge’, ‘Surcharge’, ‘Spike’, ‘Refund exemption’, ‘One-time-fee’, ‘Connection fee’, ‘Mandatory fee’, ‘Price Fixing’, ‘Duplication Fee’, ‘Printing Fee’, ‘Fee Calculation Fee’, etc.

US: Lying, Deceit, Dishonest.

THEM: ‘Misspoke’, ‘Mistake’, ‘Non-factual’, ‘Typo’, ‘Retraction’, Error’, ‘Misrepresented’, ‘False advertising’, ‘Stretched truth’, ‘Forgetfulness’, ‘Parkinson’s', ‘Non-admittance of guilt’, etc.

In your search for inherent evil, be ever aware, apprised and vigilant that corporations have rights and you (as a mere consumer dirtbag, depending on your financial status) don’t, further exemplifying differences, and adding potential plot interest (should you choose to thinly disguise your characters and plots using monsters and zombies, because well, obviously, truth telling would never get past the corporate owned censors).

Remember: A plot concerning killing evil space monsters is about a freedom fighting hero. Inversely, a plot about mass killing corporate CEO’s is about homicidal mania, and will most likely prevent future employment.

You have now completed “Scriptwriting for Hollywood” section #2. Congratulations.

Elaborates on the aspect of writing about boring subjects and making them interesting enough to sleep through.

“Based on a true story” these are movie ‘adaptations’ (read: fabricated exaggerations) that actually have only the thinnest grain of truth, which are re-told and rewritten to “enhance excitement & interest”,
altering characters, details, or any facts not considered pertinent to the roller-coaster ride of a 1 & 1/2 hour plot. Rethink ‘non-fiction’ to ‘adapted non-fiction’. Note: This method can also be adapted and adjusted for any movie format, such as fiction.

In this way, all movies are essentially similar, having a connected heritage that possesses little actual difference from fiction to non-fiction (since they are ultimately all fiction), but remain somewhat entertaining, at least until a commercial…

Examples:
Adapted Movie plot: Cujo (Horror movie, or something like it)

The actual true story: A Chihuahua barked at a young boy who was traumatized, retelling a slightly embellished story years later.

Movie: Killer Bees Attack! (TV movie, budget)

Movies advertised ‘hook’: “One man’s tale of survival against nature gone horribly wrong”.

Revised, adapted plot: Thousands of killer bees attack a city, killing thousands of people, wrecking havoc and destruction. causing massive explosions, etc.

The actual true story: During summer and ‘swarming’, 10 bees accidentally enter a residence through the fireplace, and get sucked up by a vacuum.

Basic pattern:
Substitute Tyrannosaurus Rex for a small cockroach (or spider); or, a giant, genetically altered raging mongrel pit-bull (whatever) for a Yorkie, etc.

ANY situation can be adapted for excitement!
(These plots were published as fiction)
Children racing grocery carts in store isle = ‘Dukes of Hazzard’
High school mockery, resentment and carried grudge = ‘Carrie’
Lizard seen at zoo = ‘Jurassic Park’
Trip to relatives house in south = ‘Dawn of the Dead’
Caught first fish in lake as a child = ‘Moby Dick’
Losing temper over parking ticket = ‘The Hulk’

Here are some real true-to-life examples of actual fictional published works.
Substitute “True story” for “Based on a true story”, & proceed.

(Published as non-fiction, multiple movie plots can be extended, as they can be based on a single true story!)
Bored in bathtub = ‘stuck in middle of ocean’ flick
Broken “ducky” sinks in bathtub = ‘sunken sub’ flick
Water pipe breaks while bathing = ‘flood’ flick
Slip and fall while exiting bathtub = ‘drowning’ flick (or, ‘death by fate’ flick)
Trip to hospital to x-ray spine = ‘emergency’ medical flick
Threatening water shut off notice from leak = ‘end of the world’ flick
Unusable bathroom causes rumbling colon = ‘Earthquake’ flick

You now possess the knowledge to start writing your own Hollywood blockbuster, or, at least grind out some unpalatable pap for afternoon TV. Good luck!

Soon, crazy people will be hitting the streets.

(UPI) The Government has reported in a national warning, “All of our public use loony bins are now full”, as told by a top official, Ima N. Ocrasi. Ms. Ocrasi went on to say: “Most soft walled bins only hold about 10-20 people, maximum. It’s not like the old days when you could forcefully stuff in several hundred. We now have fire regulations to observe.” The bins, which by law are expected to allow some minor comforts of life for the modern loon, are equipped with all sorts of modern luxuries, such as easily smearing Gov’t cheese, televisions and automated medication dispensers; oddly enough looking not too different from modern work cubes, but with far, far more luxury.

“Now that the Government bins are full we will need to find other locations, and seek other resources to place individuals who lack the ability to ‘function normally’ in our oblivious, nutball society. Currently, we are considering electoral options, as we have previously utilized this method with a specific individual on a 8 year trial basis.” Said Ms. Ocrasi.

A moderate review of Bad Company, and critique of current FPS’s.

When I first started playing single player Bad Company, I suppose I was really looking for something a bit more… innovative, which it is not. It offers modern physics and real world destruction, but the plot remains not too different from an old Soldier of Fortune (+ 5 other games, & stir) rehash with some buddies (COD2, anyone?). About 1/2 the game is fighting in small towns, with some forays using vehicles, like a boat. Then come obligatory ‘change it up because it’s getting boring’ tank level, ‘helicopter level’, ‘no buddies level, etc.
Lets not forget the oh-so-typical boss battle at the end, which in my opinion IS a direct rip from Soldier of Fortune Double Helix.

There are many things in Bad Company that are standard in FPS games nowadays; vehicles, swapping weapons, outdoor areas, etc. This does add to the ‘do it your way factor’, which was innovative with Halo…. like the vehicles (because it was done well). Outdoors FPS games has already been (the ‘no corridor’ aspect) done well with Far Cry… so, how to innovate? I mean to say – why do developers always fall back upon platforming and arcade games of old instead of coming up with new ideas? Just rehashing some old methods for an FPS does not make a great game, it does refine a good game, which is what Bad Company really is – refined.

I suppose jumping, repetitive bot onslaughts and boss battles (COD4!) are what many FPS games are made of – but, play that a few times, and you have seen it all before. Half-life 2 made tremendous leaps in innovation, and ‘thinking out of the FPS box’, doing traps, gravity gun, physics puzzles, odd enemies… just too many things to mention that innovated the genre. This makes many games coming after that… well, wanna-bees or copycats…. merely due to a lack of innovation.

The challenge of course, is finding new ways to making running/driving/boating/flying & shooting fun, keeping the action moving (not everyone wants to use their brain, apparently) and pushing the plot forward (assuming that there is one).

Examples of cheap FPS tricks.
Spawning a bot in your face (GRAW!)
Hidden enemy that is revealed suddenly (like a tank in a garage, Bad Company!)
Platforming – jumping onto crates, maybe falling to your death (Half-Life!)
Boss battles, like helicopters or giant monsters (Painkiller)
Bot onslaughts in place of better or decent AI (COD4)

While it might be more challenging to have a tank with the ability to be able to see me through any walls, it certainly isn’t FAIR. This makes flanking pointless, because the tank ALWAYS knows where I am. So does any other crappy AI that can see through walls. My criticism of FPS games boils down to AI. Want a better game? Make better AI. AI that can’t always see me, and doesn’t always know where I am. Halo had that. Where did it go? Many modern games offer flanking, but the bots can see through walls even at a massive distance. That is called Cheating. (GRAW, I am talking to you and your crappy Co-op bot battles.) At minimum, in GRAW they are predictable in spawning behind you – example: they will ALWAYS be ‘to the left’ if you turn your view/scope right, (or the opposite) and they will consistently dodge your targeting scope like caffeinated squirrels, magically knowing you are zooming in on their tiny heads. (But, hey. I digress from the ‘great game play’. Ugh.)

Bad Company (single player) handles this aspect with distance. The AI can typically only recognize you at a certain distance, as you need to start shooting first when farther away, in order for them to start shooting back. Close up – well, they will often engage first. What has always puzzled me has been the idea of ‘smarter AI vs. more AI’. More AI implies dumber bots to keep the action moving, (i.e. – “harder” and maybe have more health) because they are in reality, still just cannon fodder. Smarter bots would require some effort to get past, and just a few of them doing smart things (as opposed to seeing through walls!) would provide the challenge, not unlike a chess game with guns. Ok – maybe it is tough to be a hero unless you ‘fight an army’… but the victories are pretty damn hollow after awhile. I suppose one way to ramp up the intensity is to choke all human thought. Fine.

Exploring online ——————

The online portion of Bad Company at least addresses this problem (barring the many deaths you will experience there. I mean, it IS battlefield!) to some degree with team play, and a lack of brainless “Yawn. I’m just standing here waiting for a bullet in my skull” AI. Granted, I have long since tired of hearing people whine into the microphone about something they feel I should have done differently, but they did not see what I experienced (spawn sniper, etc.) and, there is no way to quickly explain it. While I have seen some interesting tactics that people useI have seen major cheats too – like the damn spawn killers at a main base. The radar appears to work like Halo’s, i.e. – you drop off of it when you stop moving; and snipers generally have to deploy ‘motion sensors’ in order for the small overhead map to really be effective.

There are basically 5 kits to play with, including specialized unlocks, which do not unbalance the game (kudos here) but do extend play in each class: (unlocks will arrive as you play)
Assault (semi auto rifle with grenade launcher)
Specialist (silent semi auto, grenade, and tagging device for tagging vehicles)
Demolition (shotgun, RPG which can ‘home in’ with tagging)
Recon (sniper rifle, motion sensor, pistol)
Support (SAW, med packs, vehicle repair ‘drill’)

One interesting tactic has been far flanking by snipers who use the ‘not on map aspect’ to their advantage, by creeping up the map and then facing the other way in a bush. Unless they are marked red on the map, you often don’t even know they are shooting your guys, because they are facing the opposite direction; and at a distance, sometimes it is hard to tell what’s what, and who is shooting what. Although, it must be said – some folks (like myself) shoot because we don’t see blue. Sometimes… that lag means team kills. The info is often just milliseconds too late, as team names can pop up slow. So, in a game as well balanced as Bad Company, lag can ruin any chances a good player has, and screw up play something serious.

I would add a lot concerning ‘team spawning’ too – because it sucks, and is a cheap way to die. IF you don’t have an awesome ping, you always get fragged; because there is such a thing as “spawn on your squad”. This basically means: Wherever you are, three other players (from a ‘side’ of 12, i.e – 3 sets of 4 – as it is a 12 against 12 battle) will spawn in with you (next to) when the timer allows.

What often happens in game is that you might just get that ‘close up and personal’ kill, and the game cheaply steals it by having the 3 teammates of the player you just killed spawn in (typically behind you) and finish you off, depending on where you were standing. No one can reload THAT fast – so, that’s a real rip off. And, depending on your ping – it really makes a difference on who gets the drop on who, because games are typically laggy, as EA servers are Laggy. I cannot emphasize this enough. This becomes all too apparent when you can watch someone else (at their home) who has great ping (and a lessor player than yourself) get kill after kill after kill, seemingly without any effort.

Since you will often have 3 guys ‘spawn in’ on you (a squad is made of 4) inversely, if you are a sniper up in a tower, and your teammates are not, and the action is some distance away, they will spawn in your face, (as players can either chose spawn at the ‘main base’ or spawn with team = ‘squad’) and maybe they will be pissed because you are at the top of that tower, and far from the main battle. Enough for a team kill. Talk about needing some work!

Then, other BC games can play great without any problems whatsoever, despite no players communicating at all. A friend of mine (for example), sometimes spawns as a sniper and then snags a different kit, like a specialist, using the cover it affords for close up sneaky work. Another favorite trick has been to steal an enemy tank (or whatever!) and use it against them, as it is not always identified as an enemy until it is too late. However, that tactic can get you killed by either team.

It is an intense game – too frantic, as frantic is all there is. There is really very little team cooperation, as everyone typically picks what they want (read: are good at) and starts killing and trying to take the base/’gold crates’, and there is not that much strategy in any typical game I have seen. Do squad leaders discuss strategy? Never! More like ‘team based death match’! And the whining about choices you might make that squad members may not like?

Damn! I finally disconnected my headset.

This is an example ‘break apart’ layered image of an album cover, using various images I have located on the web. It uses blending, blurring, masking, and layering. Although I did not strictly follow the path I am laying out here, it is always best to build up an image from bottom to top. This is not exactly a ‘tutorial’ per say, but more of an ‘analyze the image’ and how it was built situation. Tutorials make you dependant on them in my opinion, and I prefer to look at other peoples work and break it apart in my mind, so I hope this can help you get started on that path. At some point, it will become elementary as to what another artist did to build that ‘awesome image’.

Download the included files before you proceed, and open them in photoshop.

A quick look at the image cover tune.jpg will reveal the primary images that I used to create the final, as the other elements in question are easily and quickly created in photoshop without much effort. Use these images to compare against the layered images, and you will get a better understanding of what took place in the layered .psd file.

This image is created for demonstration purposes only, the images are owned and remain copyrighted by their prospective owners.

(1) The bottom layer – the Sun. This was just a shot I found, and it was perfect for the purpose I had in mind, untouched and unaltered.

(2) (Next layer) Sheet Music scan. I edited this somewhat, removing titles and authors, adding some blur for effect, and to push the music in to a more ‘general’ format. I set this on multiply, to drop out the white background. I also dropped the opacity to 42% to prevent dominance.

(3) (Next layer) Keyboard. This is a shot of a piano keyboard at an angle, which I duplicated and flipped vertically, placing it at 63% opacity (transparency) and at linear burn to maintain some of that sun and music background, and the light in the sun image.

(4) (Next layer) Synth. This image is set at 68%, and set to lighten, as color dodge is just too severe. Maintain the light without going overboard with contrast and color, and there is room for more imagery. The image drops nicely onto the keyboard, which also blends and fades quietly into the background.

(5) (Next layer) Bird/sun. Although somewhat out of character for the imagery, it does add moodiness and light. The reeds pop up like chinese lettering, and the bird is only there if you really look, lending a jazz feeling, at this stage. Color Dodge, 100% for bright color.

(6) (Next layer) Color gradient. This is a light brown to white color dodged at 64%, removing some of the static feeling to the image, and giving the light a direction to flow.

(7) (Next layer) Color gradient 2. Same element but to a far lesser degree, a red brown to a red brown/yellow tone, color dodge at 42%. This removes some of the blue cast to the image, while helping some elements to fade, and others to come forward.

(8) (Next layer) Sound waves. This is just a quick cropped image, with a wave file snapshotted from soundforge or other sound editor. I dropped this in, and removed the background (after changing
color) by setting the image to screen, forcing the black background to drop away. It’s not overpowering, so I did not lower transparency.

(9) (Next layer) Guitar shadow. In order to push the guitar out just a bit, I added a slight shadow created from the guitar, by duping the image, selecting it, filling with black, moving it somewhat and then selecting / using the top guitar image – deleting what interfered. (60% transparency)

(10)  (Next layer) Guitar image. This is a duplicate of the top image of the guitar, but changed to a different lighting/blending type to bring out the guitars color while adding transparency. 53% color burn was sufficient.

(11) (Final layer) The guitar (top). The original guitar image had a wood wall backdrop, which I masked away, using a detail oriented method. The main element was the shape preservation, and then I blurred the mask somewhat before I deleted the backdrop, leaving the edges somewhat blurring into nothingness. I set this at 42% opacity, because I wanted a somewhat transparent look to the top layer, because it would need for the elements below to ‘shine thru’ it somewhat, evidenced by the synthesizer text.

The layering choices have a similar ‘painting’ effect of color mixing & blends – for example, the music notes do not stay black as they weave through the image.

In this modern society in which we live, much is made of violence, fingers are constantly pointing as to “the cause”. Many people have long shouted (angrily) concerning world peace, but easily maintain belief that all stories (book, movie, legend, religion) actually require conflict. Add to this the concept that many individuals are also somewhat insulated from bludgeoning their own food, and have managed to forget a very troubled earth history involving thousands of wars, and the discussion takes on a somewhat pointless tone.

What is ignored in all of this is that humans are violent, and prone to somewhat hysterical views when we are determined to get our way. As a race, we often resort to force to accomplish our goals, and justify our methods using whatever necessary means to accomplish those ends. Consider that it’s just a bit odd when humans can coexist with an idea that peace can be forced on others. Add to this the knowledge of there not even being a ‘Constitution’ (or Declaration of Independence for that matter) if we as a nation did not have the military strength to sufficiently create or protect it; be that from each other, or other nations.
Violent video games allow a player to interact with violent situations, and experience a small portion of how reality ‘might’ turn out, were they able to experience a situation that actually involved that. Most simulation games do not simulate all that well, but what an FPS game can simulate to you is that when a bullet kills you, you are simply dead. There is no ‘restart level’ in real life. Conversely, violent video games also remain more cartoonish like ‘Tom & Jerry’, ‘Popeye’ or ‘Bugs Bunny’ than most would like to admit. Elmer Fudd ran around blasting a shotgun, Popeye beat the crap out of Bluto, and in the next scene, everyone was always ‘Ok’…. restart a game, and you have the same exact effect. Excluding of course, the sacredness of child oriented colors and hand drawn artwork, which somehow manages to sanctify the 1940′s violence. Of course, unless appropriately explained, children can be confused by these concepts – primarily, that real life has only “one life”.

Video games can also represent more than entertainment, and the violence currently in them is merely a cheap way to insert fast action and adrenaline, to keep it all moving. This is a tactic long used in hollywood and books, primarily because no individual has yet found a different method of creating excitement of the same level. Add to this that humans like conflict, and many children will tell you that “you need a bad guy” in order for there to even be a story. Consider also that newspapers (and all TV, including sports & sitcoms) rely on conflict, just to exist.

Any discussion about video game violence therefore falls to a specific group’s constant search for a scapegoat, instead of facing the real problem. Reason it through: Primal man did not play video games. Genghis Khan did not play video games. World War II was not about video games. See a pattern forming? Religious people are often long winded concerning the ‘sin of violence’, quickly forgetting the scriptures they use to make a argument contains a long history of killing, often sanctified by the very god that they worship. Pacifists often get very angry concerning war and violence, and maintain that “mankind needs to rid himself of it”, also forgetting that nearly all activity in the universe involves some level of violence, to something. Legislate that away, Ok?

For a moment, let us examine an extreme world without conflict, and see a few results: No bug or vermin killing, that is violence. So is tree trimming and even eating vegetables, that is violent at its core. No weather, no storms, no hot sun or cold winters, no ocean (all dangerous – death or conflict with nature!). Essentially, the moon is probably the best example of a ‘conflict-free’ environment, (excluding the asteroids). So, at some point, people must begin to realize that life is conflict. ‘World peace’ of course is a wonderful ideal, however, somewhat unlikely when many humans appear unable to have amicable relationships with their own family or neighbors.

Exposure of children to observed violence (as opposed to personal experience) is another discussion entirely, but it remains common historically. We as a nation have only ourselves to blame, more for consistent running away from truth, rather than the facing directly of it, accurately. As much as some folks would like to believe that life is a 1940′s happy ending movie, it isn’t. Add to this that few people have the courage to bring up the subject of bullying, probably because it is socially sanctioned. Advertisers bully us into product purchases, peer groups bully us into behavior, and many of us were (or are) bullied at a school we attended. Our Government bullies other nations, just as the news media subtly bullies us into the opinion they believe that we should maintain. Suffice to say, being physically bullied will cause far more violent anger in a person than a video game could ever hope to.

As personal experience, my own history involves the receiving of a lot of physical bullying. So much so that at one point in my teenage life, I reached for a gun to create a solution, merely because I was so tired of the constant abuse. He thought I ran into the house to escape, but I did not. Luck was with him that day, because someone else was home that stopped me. That was in the late 1970′s, and I had yet to even see a video game. Interestingly, if I were to listen to the psychologist of today, more than likely I would be diagnosed as the guilty ‘problematic’ party, and all of the abusers involved would be given a clean bill of socially approved-of health. We as a nation can discuss all of the so-called “video game violence” situations that we want to, but none of these will be complete examinations without looking at who bullied who, which means physical, emotional and verbal abuse including social ostracism.

No discussion of violence would be complete without bringing the violent gladiatorial nature of ‘sports’ the forefront, the sacred cow everyone worships and loves to protect. How is it that people can compare a few instances of potential “linked” video game violence” (including Columbine) to thousands of proven (filmed) instances of sports violence? Hundreds of people have been killed or wounded in sports riots (or thousands in games, circa Roman empire) for years worldwide, but that is always somehow conveniently forgotten. This of course ignores the general suffering of game play violence (broken arms, legs, etc.) to the players, including the angry brutal violence from over competitive parents and coaches involved in little league type games. Unlike the few instances of video game violence (where many of the guilty were proven mentally unstable) these sports attendees were ‘perfectly sane.’ History will show that the Roman empire had no more or less national violence than we do, we are just far more arrogant and forgetful as a nation, trumpeting our “civility” as we drive to a match of Hockey, Boxing, Soccer, or Kickboxing, etc.

As a race that has experimented with so many types of Government (with questionable functionality and outcomes) are we so sure that we can use the words ‘wrong’ & ‘violence’ in the same sentence so ‘knowingly’? What about a discussion of exposure with positive psychological outcomes? This would include players overcoming their fear of violent people, (via participation) or even ‘exorcism’ (expenditure of emotions or frustration) by playing violent games. Also, games are simply a safe way to resolve a competitive nature, because real people do not generally get hurt in them, unlike a ‘real life’ game of Hockey.

Historically, several nations have existed which determined that forcing every person to “act correctly” was the best of all ideals. Of course, I am hinting about ‘Nazism’ here, which, in a nutshell translates to Governmental decision or legislation of who has the right to choose, and if ‘predisposition to violence’ is on the table, that could be you. At what point did Democracy become about handing over my freedoms to another person and letting them make my choices for me? Yet, this is exactly what is becoming more and more of an issue with some people, who are all but demanding that the government step in and force their opinion and will upon others.

Some brave new world.