Post Nanocon Impression pt.2/3

And … back!

Before I go on with Nanocon weekend, let’s wrap-up Friday night.  The evening saw the game project groups present the three titles currently under development.  Mami was represented by all but one member, and had a crowd around our trial program for the entire hour of show.  We brought a Xbox controller along to give moving our character around that way a chance.  It was interesting, but more exposure is required.  Enough of that, though.  On to Saturday!

Saturday morning had me drive the IDiG speakers to a lovely breakfast at a local diner.  In waiting for all of the party, I met Steve Amm, a quality assurance manager currently based in China.  I personally thank him for his long travel!  But after meal with Mr. Amm, Chris Pruett, Jacob Butcher, Elyze Rozelle, and Chris Totten, talks resumed with Pruett, Totten, and Butcher giving excellent presentations all.

Once Mr. Butcher wrapped up, the group dispersed into Nanocon proper to play games and try new things for the rest of the day.  I was pulled into a game of Twilight Imperium, a game well worth 8 hours of play (we quite early so I could get off to bed; 5:30 am wake up).  Twilight is immensely fun, and it has been way too long since my last game.

Saturday also saw me attempt my first game of Diplomacy ever; 2 hour turns, subterfuge, and general back-stabbing were the terms of the day.  I was doing well until I attempted some illegal maneuvers (curse my ignorance of the rule set!).  My England got soundly trounced by France, but the whole experience was superb.  Simple premise, historical context, readily usable rules, basic commands, and long turns dictated by the actions of the players are just a few points that make Diplomacy great.  Really, look it up!

I’ll save Sunday for the next post.  Expect a torrent of posts after that, since I looked it up and Blogger doesn’t allow for direct file download linkage with what I have available.  See you soon!

UPDATE 11-12-11
Read part 3!

Post Nanocon Impression pt.1/3

Nanocon – oh, what a weekend.  To convey it all, where can I start?

Well, how about when Nanocon official setoff for myself.  A friend of mine and I had our experience begin last Thursday night, as we drove to pick-up the first of a long line of speakers at the airport.  When we arrived at seven, we got the call that the flight was delayed until nine, when another speaker was arriving.  So, a two hour trip turned into five.  It couldn’t have been better.

The two speakers were Jacob Butcher - an English major who specializes in studying the horror narrative in games -, and Chris Pruett - a veteran game designer, programmer, and champion of Chris's Survival Horror Quest.  On the drive back, Jacob discussed with Chris the workings of horror games and the game industry.  The numbers and past experiences expressed by the two, as seen through the context of a student, really instilled in me that I need to focus on Indie studios, not the game industry giants.  Making AAA games is really hard!

In the morning, the horror-themed IDiG (still not sure how IDiG is associated with Nanocon; we're figuring it out) set-off with two presentations from professors here at school.  After their run, Bernard Perron - a pioneer of video game theory - was supposed to speak, but he had unexpected complications arise.  His slide presentation was a stop-and-go between one of the professors and a panel of the other speakers, but it was really deep in terms of obvious content.  In summary, a great list of points on making an effective game was compiled.

I’ll continue with more in pt.2 since the weekend has barely started, but I’ll try my best to figure out how to put up my notes on the speakers in an easily downloadable format.  Off to Blogger’s help page!

UPDATE 11-9-11
Read part 2!

Nanocon is Upon Us

OK, everyone.  The title says it all.  It's been what I've been preoccupied with all this past week, and what I'll be doing all weekend.  www.nanocon.us has some of the info, but I'll hit the specifics later ( and finish my review of Killzone 2 ).

Have a superb weekend, and expect to hear from me soon!