Commander of the War

War Commander

• + Being browser-based allows for access anywhere.
• + Millions of players keep an otherwise bleak landscape interesting.
• + The most dangerous foes are other humans.
• + Excellent point system for immediate player satisfaction. // link to Dave Mark
• - Being browser-based allows for access anywhere, any time.
• A fix: Um... as a player, have self-control?
• - Inconsiderate times for production and collection come during odd hours.
• A fix: Include a standard time during the day for collection or implement standard increments of time for the building/unit timers.
• - Ads are like bad dinner guests; always there, and have a hard time going away.
• A fix: Follow the free-to-play model, relying on micro-transactions for revenue.
• - Unbalanced roster of troop types; some are utterly worthless.
• A fix: Create a rock-paper-scissors style of unit balancing to better play to unit strengths.
• - Lack of any apparent in-game narrative to motivate the conflict.
• A fix: Put up some flavor-text or brainstormed reasoning for the 'war'; possibly open it up to the community to have input on developing a story.

I first heard about War Commander from the KIXEYE info booth at the Game Developers Conference Online in Austin, Texas.  The battles looked cool, so after the Conference, I checked the Facebook game out.  Dozens of hours later, this is what I think of the game.

War Commander is dangerous; being browser-based, I can play it anywhere.  Whether there is time to kill, or important work needs to get done, the game is always present.  The blessing is a game that requires only an internet connection; the curse lies in the self-control to prioritize.

It is a good thing that War Commander can be accessed nearly anywhere, since timing my resource collection had to happen at strangely odd times.  Production was like that too – when trying to keep the base building, setting an alarm would help greatly.  Once the morning comes, it’s time to get ready to catch the game back-up to speed.

Now, it’s a fallacy to say that the game is lonely.  +6 million registered players make this game a top-dog of Facebook games, and each one represents an in-game violent foe or temporary friends.  War Commander is very beginner friendly, with senior players acting almost as ‘bosses’.

Speaking of loneliness, I’m never ‘truly’ alone; ads are always companioning my play.  Whether it be a small icon on my home-base screen, the running sidebars on Facebook, or merely logging in, War Commander advertises both itself and others to a very high degree.

Despite it all, I keep coming back.  The resource point system the game uses is highly effective; the reasoning of which is mention in my Dave Mark blog post.

The resources garnered in game are usually quick to be spend on research, upgrades, and repairs.  The reason for this in-game struggle is utterly nonexistent.  I take that back – the conflict lies in there not being enough resources, enough space, to go around.  Sound familiar to the real world?

To be fair, War Commander doesn’t intuitively demonstrate that it is a good game for any excuse but one: it keeps players coming back.  Progression and gathering are what make this game addicting.  Give it a try; I know I will still be a ‘war commander’ anyway.

Under Promise

It has been a ridiculous school time these past two weeks.  That is no excuse for keeping up with Games of Taste.  To fix this, expect more updates this week.  There will be a spread of games that are played, but mainly, I am going to start posting on the progress the Fury Void game is making.

So, to wet your appetite, Fury Void has just entered the first of the first alpha stages.  To help Team Fury (4 of us designers/developers), please checkout the alpha v.11.  Play it, test it, enjoy it, and give feedback!  Hit-up furyvoidgame@gmail.com with any comments or suggestions; Team Fury loves feedback to make the game you want to play!

Take care, and look forward to posts hitting the web in no-time.

Welcome Back to Halo

Halo 4

• + Jaw-dropping visuals; can’t tell sometimes whether characters are cg or live-actors.
• + The flowing orchestra and epic rock scores do not disappoint.
• + Superb additions and revisions of the weapon roster.
• + Gameplay is fast and intense; battles are both grand and intimate.
• - The campaign’s too short.
• A fix: Use some of the content tucked-away in undisclosed Halo lore to extend the story (only if the team is confident).
• - Quick-time events; they can get in the way of game immersion.
• A fix: Allow the player to sit-back and relax during some of the climactic scenes.

Halo 4 is back!  It is under new management, has a slightly new look, but expounds on the game experience that has made the Halo franchise one-of-a-kind.

At the start of the game through the final scenes, I was down-right distracted at how good the game looked.  This isn’t a bad thing – such an amazing look is a winning demonstration to what games are capable of (on 7 year old technology no less!).  Epic vistas are well served by Halo 4’s rendering, making the game one of the best looking titles of our time.

Know what goes well with a pleasant view?  Good sound.  The orchestral rock plays well, changing with however the in-game situation evolves.  Classic Halo pieces are there alongside moving new scores.

Speaking of sound, weapon blasts rock the speakers with empowering ‘booms’ and ‘zips’.  The entire arsenal of Halo 4 brings new favorites and familiar classics back to equip the player.  An entire new category of Promethean (a race in the game) weapons is added to redefine, but keep balanced, the in-game experience.

Using Halo 4’s gear is a must; action hit me fast and brutally.  Some of the best combat scenarios call this game home.  Though, at times, the game dragged me out of the action for quick-time events – the things that seem to populate most FPS games these days.  Are quick-time events a plague or a necessity?  I’ll let you be the judge.

Despite the excellence of engagement, it all goes by too quickly; combat comes and goes, the story is told, and the adventure had in only a handful of hours.  Even on the hardest difficulty, Halo 4 flies by.  The game is packed with content, but that is a lot to take-in for such a short time.

All-in-all, Halo 4 is not just a solid FPS, but a pinnacle of great gaming.  It proudly inherits the mantle of the Halo universe, delivering a well-played experience.  Take care to give Halo 4 a try; save humanity with the Master Chief one more time.