Blogs - KooBlu

So I was browsing the internet the other year, and I came across this mod called "Day Z" (like Jay-Z, I know!) for ARMA II: Operation Arrowhead. The premise is irresistible: Play as a survivor of the zombie apocalypse in the ultra realistic world of ARMA II. But the game itself? ... Read on.

So far, I've only played about 10 minutes worth of Day Z. My character, like everyone else's apparently, spawned on "the coast". (A message flashed across the lower right hand corner of my screen informing you exactly WHERE I was). The time of day was late evening, not quite nighttime, and I set about running (then walking, when I learned the toggle on my keyboard) to the nearest structure, a shack, expecting a typical zombie game experience set in the world of Dear Esther. I WAS WRONG.

As I approached the shack, I noticed several beings (humanoid in appearance) who appeared to be scavenging along the ground. As I approached the shack, one suddenly popped his head up and moved towards me. At first I thought he was another player (great! I'm not alone!) but as he continued moving rapidly toward me in a very odd fashion (jerky movements, very sudden) it became clear that HE WAS IN FACT A ZOMBIE.

Oh. Crap. I have no weapon, not even my fists. Left clicking does absolutely bugger all, and the zombie is joined by 3 of his "friends". Running back to the ocean, I try and lose them in the beach. When they keep coming, I quickly disconnect the game before I can be killed. Whew!

Of all the games I have played (and I have played a few) none captures the feeling of being scared out of my head like Day Z. Just knowing that once I die it is permanent, forever, gives this game a tension like no other. Even a game like Amnesia: The Dark Descent. Terrifying, for sure. But I can always just save my game and try again if I die. Not so in Day Z. Here, we have persistent characters, and dying once means just what it does in real life: Adios amigo. Bye bye. No more.

I am currently looking for people to play Day Z with. Applicants should be team players who won't shoot me (or anyone else!) in the back (or front, or anywhere else). You can be totally new to the game (as I am) or have experience. It doesn't matter, so long as you are there to have fun! Until next time, keep on gaming.

I've been in a bit of a rut lately.

I did an analysis of my Steam library, tabulating the games I have played, and the amount of time I spent on each of them, and I notice a pattern: I spend most of my time playing a handful of games, at the expense of other titles I own. (The same is true of my Desura account).

So, which games HAVE I been playing over the past year? On my Steam account, I spent the majority of my free time in 2012 playing multiplayer co-op titles, mainly Team Fortress 2 and Killing Floor. Between these two titles, I have spent over 600 hours (though not all in the past year). On Desura, I played mainly Fist Puncher, Tomes of Mephistopheles (before the game was put on hold), and UnEpic. I also played ALL of the standalone games I purchased this year from Wadjet Eye Games, an indie developer (Gemini Rue, Resonance, and Da New Guys). Of the 89 games that I own on Steam (I blame Steam sales, haha) I've only ever played about 60% of the titles. Fully 40% are games that I own and have never played.

I get quite a lot of mileage out of free-to-play games like TF2 and others, and haven't really expanded my gaming horizons, despite my attempts to do so buying quality titles. My favorite games still are epic RPG's, First Person Shooters, and turn-based and real-time strategy games like Warlock and Civilization.

If I were to have a New Year's resolution for 2013 it would be to stop buying games because they are critically acclaimed or on sale, and buy only games that interest me. It's all too easy to get drawn in by marketing hype (influencers) and what my friends are playing. This year, I'd rather have fewer games that mean more to me, than have a whole bunch of games that mean nothing.

Tomes of Mephistopheles (ToM) has gotten a lot better with the 4th and 5th alpha releases. For one thing, the game is a lot more challenging: Instead of one skeleton off by himself, there are now gangs of them roaming the dungeons. Also, instead of passively standing around while I attack them, the new AI actively engages the player. This is a heck of a lot of fun, especially now that some of the skellies cast fireballs and one is huge.

The latest ToM alpha has reworked the potions so that they deliver less health/mana and damage done by the AI has increased. Also new is a multiplayer mode, which I haven't tried yet. It appears to be direct connect as opposed to browsing a list of "servers".

... at a theater near you (just kidding). This purpose of this blog post is to describe a new game I'm playing called "Tomes of Mephistopheles" (ToM for short).

Tomes of Mephistopheles (ToM)

On occaision, I like to impulse buy a new game by a developer that I have never heard of, and Tomes of Mephistopheles (ToM) is one such game. You can buy the game both on Desura, or on the developer's website (where it is half the price, but you have to manually download and install the updates) and it runs in both 32- and 64-bit versions of Windows, as well as Linux.

The Good
There's so much I like about this game, even though it's in the early Alpha build stage right now. It might be easier to list everything in bullet-point form, so I will do that:

1. A destructible in-game environment. I've always liked this feature, and it adds a whole new level of depth to ToM. Can't find the key to a door you need to open in order to progress in the game? Have several Bombs? Problem solved. If you're willing to persevere, there are no problems in ToM that cannot be solved with a little ingenuity... and some explosives, of course. :)
2. Crash-free gameplay. This is so important, I nearly put it as #1, but since there are games that I love playing that do crash on occaision, I put this at #2. Still, kudos to the developer for making ToM rock solid right from the get-go. I run the game in 64-bit Windows, slightly above the minimum recommended system specs, and it runs flawlessly. 60-fps constant, and the graphics are gorgeous. Well done!
3. Fully interactive in-game objects. You know when you open the ubuiquitous treasure chest in an RPG? And how a windows pops-up in-game showing you what's inside the chest? Well, finally here's a games developer that gets it right: Fully interactive in-chest objects. In ToM you know what's in the chest without looking at an inventory screen because you can see it, with your own two eyes. Beautifully rendered potions, explosives (bombs), and other items (to be added at a later date) appear inside the chests. It sounds simple - and it is - but this little touch adds a whole new level of realism to the game. Just like in real life, whatever is in a container has to be able to fit inside of it too.
4. Crazy skeletons (AI). Right now, the only enemy in the game is a skeleton, but it is like none I have ever seen! Or heard. The sound they make in-game scares the *bleep* out of me... The dungeons are poorly lit (they're dungeons, what would you expect?) and the sound the skeletons make is far louder than either the game's music, or the sound of doors opening, etc. Playing the game sometimes feels like playing a part in a horror movie! As for movement (i.e. combat), the skeletons are generally slow moving, but will sometimes melt to the left or the right side while fighting. It's hard to describe, but it's very unusual and unlike anything I have seen before.
5. Customizable random-generated dungeons. Before the start of each game, you're given the opportunity to select what size of dungeon the game will generate. Choices range from "Tiny" all the way up to "Infinite". I picked "Tiny" and it's still freaking huge. I played for over an hour yesterday, and barely explored half the generated space. I wouldn't recommend clicking "Infinite" unless your time is infinite too!

The Bad
I can't think of anything "bad" to say about this game so far.

What's Next? (My Wishlist)
According to the developer, ToM will feature multiple enemy types (this is absolutely essential), outdoor environments (yes!), and a greater variety of interior environments. I'd also expect the difficulty to be ramped up. The game is great fun to play now, but not particularly challenging. You can easily strafe the skeletons, there are no other enemies to worry about, and potions replenish far more energy and health than I expend before consuming them. Right now, in fact, the challenge is casting enough spells to warrant using one of my mana potions! (I haven't taken any damage from the skeletons, and so have no need of the health potions)

Finally, the game needs a story to hold it all together. While it's not absolutely essential that it be multi-layered, I would at the very least like to know who this "Mephistopheles" guy is, and what his tomes are. Even without a story, or just a barebones one, ToM is a blast to play. If you like first-person RPG style games, have some spare cash, and are willing to part with some of it, I highly recommend giving Tomes of Mephistopheles a try. It's well-made now, and I expect it will only get better with subsequent updates.

Downloaded Lunar Flight Beta update and Fray, an alphafunding game today. I like online co-op games and Fray has a lot of potential. I like that the devs include a free CD key for me to give away as this could coax one of my friends into playing the game 8-)

I've been playing a lot of The Stanley Parable and No More Room In Hell lately. Both are Half-Life 2 mods and NMRIH (No More Room In Hell) is a blast to play online. I've played NMRIH every weekend since I installed it and have met a great group of people who also play the game. It's a really challenging game compared to what I'm used to in an FPS, and I like that it doesn't baby the player. For example: 1) In-game objects are not highlighted with the "halo" effect (i.e. soft glow) so common in games these days. 2) You don't pick-up objects by walking over them... you have to actually pick them up! 3) No More Room In Hell's maps are very dark. If you've properly calibrated your brightness settings, it's so dark that when it's "pitch-black" in the game, you can't see anything without a flashlight. About time someone made a game this way, and this is as it should be.

I'm generally having a blast playing all my new games, and I'm impressed with what's available here on Desura. If nothing else, it's great to have an alternative to Steam for some of the games I like (and I can buy things wherever the price is best :) Long live comparison shopping!

Blog Post Numero Uno!

Yesterday I downloaded a whole whack of free games, and purchased 2 games. Of the free games, Marble Arena 2 and Cube 2: Sauerbraten are both fairly good and exceeded my expectations (I downloaded a free zombie shooter last week and it was too low-res for my 1080p monitor and my eyes). Overall I'm fairly impressed with Desura as a gaming platform, and if nothing else it provides me with a viable alternative to Steam to compare games on price (it's about 50/50 for which platform is cheapest, it depends on the sales). Also, I like the Alphafunding model for helping out independent developers and playing great games. Project Zomboid (Alpha) is my favourite alphafunded game thus far.

Don't have too much else to say at this point, except that if you see me in game, drop me a line!

Best,
Koo-Blu