Saturday, December 25, 2010
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
DC Universe Online Beta!
Just to get it out there, I was invited to the DC Universe Online Beta about 10 minutes ago. I'm super excited right now...well maybe I would be if I weren't so darn tired.
Boss Fights: How do they work? (Pt. 1)
I'm a huge RPG fan and I do enjoy World of Warcraft quite a bit. One part of WoW that I really enjoy is the boss fights in each dungeon/raid. These enemies stand above those that surround them and slow your approach. But what exactly sets these bosses apart, besides the increase in health and melee damage? What defines a boss?
One of the most important aspect of the boss is the essential balance of uniqueness. The boss can't be so original that when it goes to use an attack, the player doesn't know what to do when it starts to attack. But there has to be some degree of mystery in each boss, so when a section of the floor lights up, you shouldn't know its a good thing or bad thing. The boss should also have some abilities that could be considered signature abilities. That's why Lord Marrowgar has Bone Storm. It makes him stand out. And the uniqueness should extend to its appearance. You don't want to fight a giant Murloc (I'm looking at you, Mutanus), you want to fight Yogg-Saron.
The next important factor that needs to be taken into account is whether the boss fits in. This includes whether or not it should be in the dungeon/raid and where in the dungeon/raid it should be placed. Does it deserve to be one of the main bosses or should it be demoted down to an optional bosses? (More on optional bosses to come) The backstory (Yes, everyone needs some backstory) must at least explain the origins of the boss. The backstory has to make sense and shouldn't feel like a stretch of the imagination. It has to be believable.
On placement of a boss within a dungeon, I have to repeat myself: It has to be believable. You wouldn't find a scientist in his lab in the middle of a jungle themed dungeon. But the scientist can be setting up a makeshift station. And it also has to make sense with the layout of the dungeon/raid. The fore mentioned makeshift station won't be found deep inside the jungle where it's likely to be attacked by the wildlife. It would likely be placed towards the beginning, in the thinner areas of the jungle. And thus, the boss will have to be weaker compared to boss found later in the instance. (I'll probably talk more about the design of the dungeon/raid in another post)
More in the sequel...
One of the most important aspect of the boss is the essential balance of uniqueness. The boss can't be so original that when it goes to use an attack, the player doesn't know what to do when it starts to attack. But there has to be some degree of mystery in each boss, so when a section of the floor lights up, you shouldn't know its a good thing or bad thing. The boss should also have some abilities that could be considered signature abilities. That's why Lord Marrowgar has Bone Storm. It makes him stand out. And the uniqueness should extend to its appearance. You don't want to fight a giant Murloc (I'm looking at you, Mutanus), you want to fight Yogg-Saron.
 |
| Lord Marrowgar |
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| Boring... |
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| F@#king awesome! |
On placement of a boss within a dungeon, I have to repeat myself: It has to be believable. You wouldn't find a scientist in his lab in the middle of a jungle themed dungeon. But the scientist can be setting up a makeshift station. And it also has to make sense with the layout of the dungeon/raid. The fore mentioned makeshift station won't be found deep inside the jungle where it's likely to be attacked by the wildlife. It would likely be placed towards the beginning, in the thinner areas of the jungle. And thus, the boss will have to be weaker compared to boss found later in the instance. (I'll probably talk more about the design of the dungeon/raid in another post)
More in the sequel...
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Dear Geoff Johns...
Geoff Johns is an American comic book writer and is currently the Chief Creative Officer at DC Comics. His past works have been with Green Lantern, The Flash, Superman, and a stretch with Teen Titans.
One of Mr. Johns's latest successes was Blackest Night, a Green Lantern arc that had Hal Jordan facing the undead forces of Nekron. Now this story introduced two new ring colors: black and white. The black rings represent death while the white rings represent life. Now, the Black Rings are pretty much out of the picture, but the White Rings are still in action, with Deadman having the only ring. But I was thinking that there is another character that could use the White Ring to redeem himself. A character that Geoff Johns created himself.
Kid Crusader!
Now, when I first heard of this character, I thought he was a good guy. But it turns out, he's not so great. And that was a little disappointing. I hate zealotry and I feel as though KC's back story could shape him into a good guy. He must be able to see the irony in his relationship with Kid Devil, one using evil for good and the other using good for evil.
What I was thinking was that Kid Crusader(real name unknown) should be given a chance to redeem himself by receiving a White Power Ring and being told to use it for the greater good. It would be a nice touch for a character with such potential. Plus, with Kid Devil dead, what does Kid Crusader have to live for?
One of Mr. Johns's latest successes was Blackest Night, a Green Lantern arc that had Hal Jordan facing the undead forces of Nekron. Now this story introduced two new ring colors: black and white. The black rings represent death while the white rings represent life. Now, the Black Rings are pretty much out of the picture, but the White Rings are still in action, with Deadman having the only ring. But I was thinking that there is another character that could use the White Ring to redeem himself. A character that Geoff Johns created himself.
Now, when I first heard of this character, I thought he was a good guy. But it turns out, he's not so great. And that was a little disappointing. I hate zealotry and I feel as though KC's back story could shape him into a good guy. He must be able to see the irony in his relationship with Kid Devil, one using evil for good and the other using good for evil.
What I was thinking was that Kid Crusader(real name unknown) should be given a chance to redeem himself by receiving a White Power Ring and being told to use it for the greater good. It would be a nice touch for a character with such potential. Plus, with Kid Devil dead, what does Kid Crusader have to live for?
Exploring Grounds: Plays (Part 2)
<Back to Plays. Also, I want to make it clear that every and anything I post on here is for viewing, not for unauthorized use. If you want to use anything I post, just let me know. We can work something out>
But plays interest me. I want to write one but it will have to be out of my typical subject matter. I will need to stick with humans/humanoids with a very tangible problem. I can't write about any monsters that are truly hideous and beyond description, because I'll need to be able to present them to an audience. Settings can't be too complicated either, because they'll need to be easily changeable.
So what I'm planning to write about is a young Dracula, before he was a vampire, exploring the world of mysticism and pursuing various forms of magic. One day, he meets a old man that has knowledge of dark magic and knows of a prophecy that the old man believes to be about Dracula, where he will be able to become immortal and possess great power. Dracula dismisses the man as crazy, but reconsiders a few days later when his mother dies. Dracula asks the old man to help him resurrect his mother but before the ritual can be completed, local authorities intrude and capture Dracula as the old man escapes. About to be hung for practicing witchcraft, Dracula is visited by the old man, who bites Dracula in the neck. The next day, Dracula is hung and buried. But he awakes to undeath and goes after the old man. Upon getting his revenge, Dracula realizes that he has fulfilled the prophecy he once denounced. As he leaves to spread his evil, Angel of Death comes for the old man, who, as he walks to the gates of Hell, gloats that Dracula knows nothing of his fate.
Very doable, not that many setting, still fictional, I think I could write it.
But plays interest me. I want to write one but it will have to be out of my typical subject matter. I will need to stick with humans/humanoids with a very tangible problem. I can't write about any monsters that are truly hideous and beyond description, because I'll need to be able to present them to an audience. Settings can't be too complicated either, because they'll need to be easily changeable.
So what I'm planning to write about is a young Dracula, before he was a vampire, exploring the world of mysticism and pursuing various forms of magic. One day, he meets a old man that has knowledge of dark magic and knows of a prophecy that the old man believes to be about Dracula, where he will be able to become immortal and possess great power. Dracula dismisses the man as crazy, but reconsiders a few days later when his mother dies. Dracula asks the old man to help him resurrect his mother but before the ritual can be completed, local authorities intrude and capture Dracula as the old man escapes. About to be hung for practicing witchcraft, Dracula is visited by the old man, who bites Dracula in the neck. The next day, Dracula is hung and buried. But he awakes to undeath and goes after the old man. Upon getting his revenge, Dracula realizes that he has fulfilled the prophecy he once denounced. As he leaves to spread his evil, Angel of Death comes for the old man, who, as he walks to the gates of Hell, gloats that Dracula knows nothing of his fate.
Very doable, not that many setting, still fictional, I think I could write it.
Exploring Grounds: Plays (Part 1)
All I usually write are stories and video game ideas. But I feel that I have the ability to write in any form of writing. And the first one I want to talk about is theater, specifically plays.
Plays frighten me for many reasons. One, there's that whole stage thing that bugs me when you think about writing them. In stories, when a character moves around the room, you have a little more flexibility with the space of the scene. Sure, it's going to have some finite structure but there's no way they can run into things without you wanting them to.
The number of settings have to be limited too. You can't have your characters traveling around the world, so that every so often, the stage crew needs to run out and move stuff around(respect to stage crew members). So you end up with the same three setting all of the time.
The stage crew is another problem of mine. I don't really enjoy the fact that, every so often, men and women in black clothing come running out on stage, trying to hide but you can still see them. That, for me, kills the feel of a performance. I love the illusion that movies provide, and that dies when you see a table being picked up and visibly moved off stage.
<It's late, so I'm going to finish this later. Bye for now>
First Post!
Hey everyone,
I've tried blogging before and that didn't work out so great. Maybe because I tried to limit myself to sticking with a single topic/subject, instead of being random, which I can be good at. So I'm going to give it another shot by blogging about the activity that interests me most: being creative!
I want to talk about ideas I have and, thanks to the fact that the internet keeps track off the originality of these posts and the time they were posted, I have my own archive. I'll also talk about anything that I think about that has anything to do with my life creatively.
Please, enjoy!
-Brennan
I've tried blogging before and that didn't work out so great. Maybe because I tried to limit myself to sticking with a single topic/subject, instead of being random, which I can be good at. So I'm going to give it another shot by blogging about the activity that interests me most: being creative!
I want to talk about ideas I have and, thanks to the fact that the internet keeps track off the originality of these posts and the time they were posted, I have my own archive. I'll also talk about anything that I think about that has anything to do with my life creatively.
Please, enjoy!
-Brennan
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