A Polar Review For Portal Two

Polar because I'm going to gush. I'm obviously late to the party anyway. The cake has already been eaten. They already used the good confetti.  Still, gush I must.

After denying myself cake for so long, I decided over the weekend to pick up the Portal bundle on Steam.  I'd been holding off for a long time.  At first, it was because it was simply a "add-on" game with Orange Box.  It's not that I didn't believe people that it was "worth it."  More that my gaming time is pretty limited (self-imposed), so I try to wait for good stretches of time before I embark on anything new.

I'm the type of gamer that, if I like a game, I can't wait to play it.  I guess we're all probably like that, but the force is stronger in some than others.  For me, it swiftly becomes a compulsion.  I spend my days thinking about the game, and plotting about the game, and playing the game in my mind.  It was this way when I was in school.  Is there any surprise that I'm still this way at work?

Needless to say, gaming compulsions are bad for productivity.  Especially with a particularly engaging game.  Thus, I've cultivated the ability to set limits for myself.  This is why MMO's work well for me (WoW in particular).  I can play at a slow pace over a long period of time.  It's sort of what you're "supposed" to do.  I don't need to do it all (there's too much to ever do it all), so I can relax a bit.  Sure, when expansions hit, I'll experience a flurry of activity, but it calms down eventually.  Point being, I try to moderate my gaming.

Then there are times when you just want to binge.  This summer has been busy, but I finally got a weekend to myself.  My reward for, you know, dealing with life is to allow myself a short gaming binge.  The whole "I'm not doing anything this weekend but gaming."  Hence, I decided it was a good time to pick up the Portal games and attempt a play-through.

I knocked off 1 quickly enough and am on Chapter 8 in 2 (one chapter from the end, I'm told).  So, I think I did a pretty good job.  Now, before you think I was unhealthy about this... I got full nights of sleep, I didn't stock up on Mountain Dew, and we still made our wedding this weekend.  (Not my wedding.  A friend's wedding.  But we have a wedding every weekend from now until, like, August.  'Tis the season...)  Thus, it wasn't a complete binge.

This is supposed to be a review, I know.  Sorry.  I'll focus on the game.  I'm a horrible person.  She already told me.

I have nothing but good things to say.  Every now and then, game developers get a great concept and then really knock it out of the park.  I must stress that I believe there are two keys to a successful game.  The first is the idea, the second is the execution.  Very broadly, if you don't execute a good idea, you won't have a good game.  The Valve team continues to hit home runs with Portal 2.

The writing is top notch.  Laugh out loud funny... pretty much all the time.  I find myself shushing anything else in the room so that I don't miss a tidbit of dialog.  When was the last time I did that?  Normally I at least have iTunes on in the background.

The story is engaging too.  It's almost subtle, if I can say that.  I mean, the game is at the base a puzzle game.  A nearly lost genre that these games have single-handedly breathed new life into.  Nothing about puzzle games generally screams "story mode."  Still, I find myself engrossed in the lore, raptly attentive as Cave Johnson ages into a cranky old man.  The time capsules in 2 are just an amazing touch.  I feel as if I'm at Disney World... there is that attention to detail.

To me, writing and story are two of the most important things.  I'm all about them.  It's sort of what I do.  I think pretty much everyone else would give the #1 slot to what is probably most important: Gameplay.

The beauty here is that Portal is so simple.  You pretty much only ever use three buttons.  Blue portal.  Orange portal.  Pick up object.  That's it.  Yeah, you have the typical "wasd" walking scheme and... zomg... a space key to jump, but the controls are minimal.  You'd have to really work to F them up.  Even so, the game feels fluid and intuitive.  They took simple and made it elegant.

On top of that, the pacing is perfect.  Just about the time I'm thinking "Oh yeah, I'm the gel master!" BAM!  Anti-gravity fields.  The mechanics keep you guessing.  No single mechanic is overused to the point where you become bored with it.  If anything, I almost find myself wanting more.  "Damn, no more lasers.  I was setting things on fire."

Finally, perhaps that most impressive feat in my mind, is the sense of immersion.  We hear about that all the time these days.  Immersion this, immersion that.  But what is it, really?  Is it 3d?  Is it motion controls?  Are we wanting full-blow virtual reality?

Games like Portal and Assassin's Creed (to name another favorite) have gone "old school" with immersion.  They're not relying on advanced technologies or new controls.  Instead, they're flipping the tables and simply providing you with a valid, logical reason to suspend disbelief.  And, oh, how it works!  I would love more developers to take this lesson to heart.  We don't need super open worlds or visor control systems or wacky crap like that... what we need, simply, is a believable excuse to get lost in your world.  In AC, they use the animus.  It provides the reason for walls and interactions.  In Portal, it's as simple as "you're a test subject."  Now they can do all kinds of contrived things and it makes sense because "hey, I'm just a rat in a cage."  Alternatively, it's what made me say "of course there is a bouncing blue gel now.   It makes perfect sense!"

Don't get me wrong, I'm as excited for a true virtual reality as the next guy.  However, there will always be a place for simple controller games so long as the developers occupy our minds.  Gamers like me, we're completely willing to forget we're wielding a keyboard and mouse so long as you give us a reason to.  It doesn't even have to be a great reason.  It can be as simple as "oh yeah, you're in a genetic memory device" or "you're just a test subject in an evil corporation in the future."  What will they think of next?

(Note to game devs: All we want is just for your game to make sense.  Generally speaking, gamers are "outside the box" thinkers.  We'll get on board with your crazy idea, so long as you get on board yourself.  Too many devs fail and flail because they're unwilling to totally commit to the illusion.)

So anyway.  Yeah.  Portal bundle.  Totally worth it.  I went with Steam and the computer platform (despite owning a PS3) simply because it seems the most reliable platform right now.  Console world has been rough lately.  I'm in no way associated with anyone mentioned above.  Want a good binge?  Buy Portal.  You won't want to put it down.  It's joyride.  The cake is not a lie.

Ever The Diplomatist

"I believe I need some air," Decedereful announces before standing up.  Valentis makes to join her, but with a simple shake of her head, she gets him to sit back down.  "Please, do not stop on my behalf."

Far more than six eyes watch the beautiful woman weave her way toward the door.  As she exits, a door opposite the entrance swings open.  Harrison Jones returns from the back.  His studies the room and then heads for the bar.

"Vhould it surprise you to learn zhat zhe Rogue vas a murderer?" Major Strasser asks after a moment.  "Zhat he killed a pair of my men for zhere papers?"

"Strikes me as a popular pass-time these days," Valentis returns.

The Goblin scowls.  "A deadly pass-time."

"And what if you track down these men and kill them?" Valentis asks.  "What if you kill all of us?  From every corner of the Alliance, hundreds, thousands would rise up to take our places.  Even Schnottzies can't kill that fast."

"Are you admitting to zhe crime?" Strasser responds, his eyes burning into the Gilnean's.

Valentis snarls.  "The only crime is what your leader is doing."

Captain Renault's eyes widen to the size of saucers.  He fears that the two are about to leap across the table at each other.  The thought is very unpleasant.  There would be paperwork, and questions asked.  Besides, there is no actual evidence that the Gilnean has made arrangements with the Rogue.  It would be far better to catch him in the act, scooping up the broker as well.  Renault needs to defuse the situation, but how?  Either way he could offend someone and shatter his carefully constructed position of neutrality.

"I don't like distrubances in my place."  The voice, of course, is Harrison's.

He has sidled up unnoticed, with a fresh set of drinks in his hands.  Casually, he slips into the seat that had recently been vacated by Decedereful.  He slides the drinks across the table even as the two would-be combatants ease back into their chairs.

"Either lay off the politics, or get out," Harrison says.  "I run a peaceful establishment."

The Goblin frowns at the club's owner, but says nothing.  Valentis inclines his head respectfully.  A pent-up breath whistles through Renault's lips.  Bless the man and his uncanny timing.

"Are you one of zhose people vho cannot imagine zhe great Commander Schnottz in zheir beloved Uldum?"  Strasser asks.

"It's not particularly my beloved Uldum," Harrison replies.

"Can you imagine us in Stormwind?" the Goblin presses.

"When you get there, ask me."

Renault jumps in.  "Hmm!  Diplomatist!"

"Vhat about Goldshire?"  Strasser asks with an evil smile.

Harrison holds up a finger.  "Well, there are certain sections of Goldshire, Major, that I wouldn't advise you to try and invade."

The Goblin leans back with a puzzled look while Renault and Harrison share a laugh.

QotD: Has E3 Coverage Made You Think?

With E3 going on, we've seen a lot of talk and news about other games in general recently. Since Blizzard only does Blizzcon, and we're in a holding pattern for 4.2, WoW is sort of taking a back seat.  I mentioned the summer slump last week, and it's already begun to color our raiding schedule.  Basically, we can expect from now until September to have at least one household away on a trip any given raid day.  This tends to hurt us more than your average raid crew on account that we have a good smattering of couples.  Thus, the absences tend to come in pairs.

Fortunately, we've not had to cancel any raids yet.  We've been able to find subs.  Which brings up the traditional question of whether to learn new bosses when you're down a regular raider, or to simply farm content with the subs.  So far, we're farming.  Changing a group make up even slightly can totally throw a new curve to old strategies.  Like Maloriak.  Hunter is on vacation, so we have no frost trap.  I suppose we didn't realize how hard it is to kite without a frost trap.  We'd had that fight down pat, but the removal of just one person saw us spending a few wipes on it.  Nothing major, but enough to be moderately annoying.  Still, I'll be extremely happy if we simply don't have to cancel any raids this summer, even if it means we don't progress very far because we're just gearing up.  If you're able to weather the summer slump, you stand a good chance of hitting the fall in full stride and closing up a lot of content.  I think we experienced that in ICC (coming off ToC during the summer slump).

Other than raid woes, WoW isn't really a full time job right now.  I think even the more casual among us have had plenty of time to exhaust the content on a single, or even two toons.  If you have a stable, you might still be working on stuff.  The one thing all this E3 coverage does, especially in a lull, is whet your desire to "see other games."

There are several games on my to-play list that I'm not sure I'll get to (our summer is quite busy with weddings and travel).  First, I'm extremely anxious about Star Wars: The Old Republic.  I plan to get in on the ground floor there.  I'd love to play with some other readers/bloggers, so when it hits, let me know what servers you're on.  Fuu and I would love the company. 

After that, Portal 2 is high on my list.  It's probably sacrilege that I've even waited this long, but I want to give the game justice if I'm going to play it.  That is to say, I need a good string of several days to immerse myself in it, because I suspect I won't want to come up for air. 

The announced Assassin's Creed expansion is supposed to come this fall.  I'll be awaiting that one as well.  I'm a huge fan of that franchise and look forward to experiencing the next part of the story.  It's another one where I'll want to have significant free time to spend with it.

Finally, right now we're actually playing a bit of Aion.  Crazy, I know, but Aion has a free 10 days going on right now.  Good timing on their part seeing as how I'm in a mini-lull.  Can't beat free for some casual play.  Fuu is loving the new pet system they put in.  I've appreciated a good smattering of added quests.  I don't think we'll be re-upping a sub, but it is nice to be able to dip your toes back in the water and see how things are.  They seem to have fixed a lot of problems since we last played.  (For example, bots seems to be all but exterminated, at least in the areas where I'm questing.  And I love what they've done with the map interface.  WoW should take some notes there). 

My experience with Aion makes me wonder: maybe MMO's should shoot to release on a smaller scale.  I think part of Aion's problem was trying to release 50 levels of polished content to immediately compete with the large games.  What if they'd just started with 10 (the initial ten levels were awesome!) and then released another 5 levels every month?  I've talked about being a fan of quicker, shorter patching.  Maybe there's a lesson there for a new kind of MMO.  Instead of large patches, what about very small, but very focused patching.  More like a "serial" story than an epic adventure.  From what I know of software development, I would think that such an approach would yield better results.  I don't know, just a random idea.

Has E3 elicited any random general gaming thoughts from you?

There is No "Acquiring Target" in Team

Ima go all Hot Topic on you guys again since, other than what's a-brewin' in the blogosphere, I don't have a whole lot to say. (a.k.a. 4.2-be-doo, Where are you?) In this case, the topic, filched from MMO Melting Pot, happens to revolve around raiding being a "closed club."  Now, I'm not going to deal with this topic head on.  Actually, I'd rather talk about the sort of side note that was brought up.  First, though, let's establish where I stand on the overall issue.

The whole "closed club" thing is, from what I can see, basically amounts to folks claiming that raiders are raiders.  That is, you could go from WoW to Rift, and the same people will be raiding.  New folks have a hard time getting into raiding.  The claims are that this is because that is how the raiders want it to be.  It's the old "No Girls Allowed" sign on the tree house door.  The people they don't want in aren't allowed passed the threshold.  Things like checking gearscores and achievements play into it. 

I'm not sure I follow the whole argument.  I've certainly never felt barred from raiding, and my group operates under some very unique circumstances.  We're completely as casual as you can get and still say you're "raiding."  Heck, most of us probably wouldn't even call ourselves raiders.  I wouldn't say we're "in" with the "in crowd," but that's the way we wanted it.  I'm not sure if that excludes us from the discussion.  Are we just talking about being a "raider" as defined by your peers?  In that case, of course it's going to seem "closed."  It's up to your peers.  That's sort of how social characterizations work.  Some group draws lines in the sand, others follow, and then the majority rules.  The majority of that group, mind you.  If the majority of raiders want to be exclusionary, they'll certainly find ways to do it. 

If we're simply talking about being able to experience raiding content, then I have to disagree.  Your experience is only, then, as closed as you make it.  I'm not the most social guy in the world, but if you poke your head around enough and put yourself out there enough, I believe you'll find some people of similar interests.  It took us probably two years to find a solid group of friends in-game that we could count on, but we did it.  You always have the option to form your own guild.  You can always start your own raid group.  I've done it in the past.  It's pretty hard work.  So maybe from that perspective it's closed too.  However, if you start to say things in life are "closed" just because they're difficult, well, we could make a really long list of "closed clubs."  To be fair, a lot of people already do.  Maybe that's just sort of how humans work.  We like having our own protected spheres.  Let the "raiders" have their title, says I.  I don't need to be acknowledged as a "raider" to feel a sense of accomplishment.

Maybe I'm over simplifying though.  After all, I didn't really want to write about the whole closed club thing, so I was purposefully trying to be brief (and probably failing).  What I did want to touch on was in the follow up that I linked above.  This has to do with raid design and is written:

"This is my current biggest problem with raiding in WoW – it seems the only way to make it harder, in the developers’ eyes, is to demand performance that is increasingly perfect, over increasingly long periods of time. Fairly trivial mechanics (“Press an ability button NOW!”, “move out of this area NOW!”) are made harder by shorter timeframes to complete them and reduced margins for error – and that’s it. Nearly all of the current raid content that I’ve seen would be better handled by a decently programmed bot, with lightning reflexes and no concentration to worry about, than by a human with the ability to adapt, improvise, and learn on the fly."

I'm totally on board with this.  There does seem to be an overabundance of individual accountability.  I'm not saying some reliance on the individual is bad, just that I've always viewed raiding as a Team Sport.  The emphasis, therefore, should be on the team, not on a collection of individuals.  It does seem, a bit, like we're slightly skewed the wrong way in this regard.  I wouldn't go so far as to say raids are broken, but I would say that future designs should endeavor to skew this back in the "right" direction.

I suppose I just feel that there are a lot of fights (early on, because we haven't gotten very far as of yet) that are heavily reliant on one or two key people.  I really do feel like a "worthless" DPS a lot.  Our success or failure almost never hinges on what I do.  Usually I don't even have to DPS well, because "burning" actually makes the fight harder.  Sure there are some "quick, burn now" calls, but those are few and far between.  They also usually indicate that something else is going to shit. 

Maybe the crux of the problem is this.  We complained previously as a community that things were too "tank and spank."  That DPS races were boring.  That tanking and healing wasn't fun.  What we got, then, was a de-emphasis on the larger portion of the team (DPS), and more responsibility on smaller parts to make them feel special.  In any given fight, you might be "the guy," which is cool I guess, but is that good for raiding?  It's not always a tank or healer, maybe you're the key interrupt as a DPS, or the kiter, or whatever.  The point is that it's generally one person, not really a group of people.  Then that one person is forced around.  Early in the fight maybe it's this person, but then, oh, it's focused on so-and-so, and now we go into the next phase where the Warrior needs to interrupt the super end-all attack.  It's basically a rotational one person show that gives the illusion of working as a team.

Let me moderate that last sentiment.  It's not all fights that are bad here.  It's just an overriding feeling of an emphasis on the individual when I believe the emphasis should be on the team.  That is no easy design feat.  I'm sure it is far easier to design a fight where you have several key points that can be passed around, but don't always involve everyone.  It'd be a lot harder, in my mind, to design a true team experience.  Yet, is there anything more frustrating than feeling powerless in a fight?  Than feeling like your goal is to be as unnoticeable as possible so as to not distract the rest of your team from what's important?  Than wiping repeatedly because the one person who has a really hard job is struggling and there's nothing really you can do to help him?

Maybe the answer, too, is that we suffer from a lack of inventiveness.  I'm sure if I pointed out specific times when I felt like this, people could counter with "but you could have used such-and-such ability."  That's probably true.  I don't claim to be "in the club," so obviously there are people with loads more experience out there than me.  Still, I can't help but agree with the expressed opinion that we're a bit too focused on the individual right now.  That individual abilities are a bit too unforgiving.  I don't want things dumbed down, but I would like to see more of an emphasis on the team.  Maybe I'm just too casual though.

I'm So Angry

I don't have a whole lot of rational thought right now. I'm just angry. Call it a bad case of the Mondays. Why? I waltzed into work after a particularly rough weekend... only to find out that the Internet Gestapo has struck again, this time blocking a personal favorite: Goodreads.

I am so horribly and utterly against internet filtering that I can't even form a coherent and reasonable line of thought when discussing it.  It's like burning books.  It just makes me so... asafldskjsdf.

I mean, I get it.  Corps drink the Kool-aid.  They think that we're all wasting time on the scary interwebz that they provide when we should be working.  They stand around the water cooler discussing it, then go out for a smoke break and discuss it some more, then shake hands over a table of discussion in a meeting room, then... oh wait, it's time to go home, enough work for one day.  Meanwhile, in the cubicles... I was at my desk, doing desk-based activity the whole time.  NO. WAI.

Sure, they need to block the pr0n.  And that's all the internet is for.  No one has ever used it for work-related purposes.

I'm getting caught up again.  I shouldn't be this mad about workplace censorship.  After all, that dude that walks around stopping at desks and engaging helpless co-workers in meaningless conversations about his divorce has been sto... [20 mins later] ... Sorry, got interrupted by That Guy.

My argument comes back to this: If you are a salaried employee, you should be judged on performance.  That is all.  If you deliver ahead of your deadlines on everything and THEN you'd like to pop in on Twitter and tell the world that you're going to be late for dinner... WHY THE F NOT?  If someone's performance is bad... then deal with that aspect.  Blanket solutions like a workplace-wide filter simply DO NOT WORK.

In lieu of something actually worthwhile to read, since you've made it this far through the rant.  I shall point you to BBB's article involving internet dragons and PvP.   Mostly because I want to use the following out of context with regards to the usage of Dragon as a solution for all life's problems:

...Surprise ambush by Rogues in the woods? Dragon. Attacked by an army of the damned? Dragon. Bar fight? Dragon. Behind in your taxes? Dragon.

It’s the best answer to any problem. Once you apply Dragon to it, it goes away.

...utility ain’t the POINT. I’m a freaking DRAGON.

To which I'd like to add:

Facing a work-place firewall? Dragon.

Rawr.

The Flower of Ramkahen

Halfway across the room, Carl and the radiant couple are intercepted by a Night Elf in a fine suit. His violet hair is neatly trimmed to hide the scars on his face. Even so, several peek out here and there, hinting at a rougher side belied by the otherwise immaculate appearance.  The Elf's demeanor screams "underground," and the smile he flashes seems tremulous at best.

"Valentis," he says in a low voice, grasping the Gilnean's hand and pulling him close.  Carl and the man's date stop nearby.  "We read five times that you were killed, in five different places."

"As you can see, t'was true every single time," Valentis replies.

"There are two seats at my table..." the man gestures.

Valentis shakes his head, still grasping the man's hand.  "No.  Ta though.  It seems we have already been claimed."

The man glances toward where the Goblin sits with the expectant Captain Renault.  "A word of advice," he whispers, "do not trust the good Captain.  He bows to the Schnottzies just like everyone else in this joint."

Valentis nods but otherwise says nothing.  The handshake is broken and Carl resumes leading them toward their table.  His date raises a questioning eyebrow, but only receives a shaken head in reply.

At the table Renault runs a hand over his thin mustache and stands.  "Good evening.  I am Captain Renault and my guest here is Major Strasser of the Schnottz Empire.  We are pleased that you could join us, Valentis.  Though we spoke on the eve before last, at that time I did not know you were accompanied by such a beauty."  He turned to the woman.  "Does this flower have a name?"

"Decedereful," Valentis answers with a poorly concealed scowl.

"Dece, please," Decedereful amends.

Renault inclines his head, scooping up her hand and lightly pressing his lips to it.  "My dear, I was informed that you were the most beautiful woman ever to visit Ramkahen.  That was a gross understatement.  It is a pleasure."

Had Decedereful been capable, she would have blushed.  "You're very kind."

"Carl, please, a bottle of your best champagne," the Captain orders.  "And put it on my bill."

"Very well, sir."

Valentis shakes his head as he pushes the seat in behind Decedereful.  "Captain, we couldn't..."

"Oh, please, monsieur."  Renault waves him off.  "It is a little game we play.  They put it on the bill.  I tear up the bill.  It is very convenient."

All except for the Goblin share a laugh as Valentis eases his way into the remaining seat.  Then, Dece speaks up.  "Who is Harrison?"

Renault replies, "Mamoiselle, you are in Harrison's!  And Harrison is..."

"Who is he?" the lady presses.

"Well, Harrison is the kind of man that..." Renault fumbles.  "Well, if I were a woman, and I were not around, I should be in love with Harrison."  He busts out with a hearty laugh.  "But what a fool I am, talking to a beautiful woman about another man."

Their drinks arrive, and silence reigns over the table for a moment, threatened only by the sound of piano that drifts through the air, the low murmur of the clientele, and, of course, that bubbly sound of champagne meeting glass.  After Carl finishes and departs, sips are shared as the new guests settle in.  Finally, Renault leans forward with a more serious look on his face.

"Last night, Valentis, you evinced an interest in a certain Rogue."

"Yes."

"I believe you have a message for him?"

Valentis waves a hand.  "Nowt important, but might I speak with him now?"

For the first time, the Goblin speaks up.  "You vould find zhe conwersation a trifle one-sided.  Zhe Rogue is dead."

Decedereful gasps.  "Oh."

Renault casually takes a sip before replying.  "I am making out the report now.  We haven't quite decided yet whether he committed suicide or died trying to escape."

Narrowed lids guard suspicious eyes as Carl returns for refills.

Demonology 4.1 Re-update

Several weeks ago, Blogger had a bit of a snafu. You may remember/have heard about it. Basically, though, a lot of posts were lost to the nether. Google did their best to restore all of these, and I got a few back, but apparently it affected one of my page updates as well. And that one didn't come back.

I figured it out later when I wanted to direct someone to my Demonology Primer, only to find that it was woefully out of date. I moved it back down to the "needs updated" area, and promptly forgot about it.

Anyway, I fixed it today. I already wrote a post detailing the small changes here, but now the guide should actually reflect them. Apologies if anyone has visited the guide in the mean time and found it in a state of crap.  Feel free to peruse and let me know if I missed something.