Escapist Podcast: 058: Layoffs at PopCap & Dragon Age 3 Leaks
- Thread starter The Escapist Staff
- Start date
I'm sad to always hear the same complaints about motion control. Not because they're not 100% accurate, but because it means we are not learning. We keep making the same damned mistake over and over -- trying to fool the brain by fooling the body.The Escapist Staff said:
Our bodies are incredible, super-complex information gathering systems. Each sub-system has redundancies, those redundancies have redundancies, and the little dude behind the controls (the brain) gets a non-stop feed of information from myriad sources. Trying to use a remote to fool the brain would be like trying to break into NORAD by putting a crudely made cardboard cutout in front of one security camera.
And sure, we could use all kinds of top-shelf equipment and clever trickery to fool each of the dozens of security measures individually... but wouldn't it be easier and more effective if you could just bribe someone on the inside?
Traveling back from this over-extended metaphor, we can't fool the brain by trying to imitate what the body does during an activity. Swinging my arm is just not similar enough to swinging a sword for my brain to buy the illusion. We can fool the brain by imitating what the brain would do during this activity... and we do that by removing bodily awareness from the equation.
When I'm trying to use the Kinect, I'm very, very aware of my movement. That's "brain RAM" not being used on the game. But when I'm playing Arkham City on a 360 controller, and I'm neck-deep in a combo chain, I'm not aware of my hands at all -- I'm thinking about my Batman avatar and what he (me) is doing. My brain is being bribed by awesome, so my body is not a factor.
(Also, when talking about Southern pecan pie, you can't pronounce it "peh-CAHN." In the South, they make us all say "PEE-can.")
Where can I see the Space Muffins shirt design? Was it posted and I'm just not looking close enough?
I'd love to report myself as present and accounted for on the space muffin T-shirt. But my wacky foreigner-bucks have all fled me, or will have to go to more important (and boring) ends. :<
Otherwise, I'd so be on board!
Otherwise, I'd so be on board!
I honestly think Bioware could have saved itself a lot of grief by naming Dragon age 2, Dragon Age 2: Hawke's tale or something (I guess the two is necessary so people didn't think it was an expansion like awakening.) It would have said hey guys this isn't a direct sequel its a tangential story. And for the record I liked Dragon Age 2 but I also game like 3 years behind the curve so I knew what I was getting.
Motion controls need some form of physical feed back like the vibration in the controller, just enough of a physical signal to say something was going on.
For a crazy dangerous idea, an electrical shock that is enough to tense all the muscles in your arm if your sword hits something so your arm actually stops moving.
The only time i liked the sword fighting in Skyward Sword was during the training bit with the trees otherwise it added nothing to the game-play and terrified the cat.
Motion controls need some form of physical feed back like the vibration in the controller, just enough of a physical signal to say something was going on.
For a crazy dangerous idea, an electrical shock that is enough to tense all the muscles in your arm if your sword hits something so your arm actually stops moving.
The only time i liked the sword fighting in Skyward Sword was during the training bit with the trees otherwise it added nothing to the game-play and terrified the cat.
So, I worked at Nintendo when the Wii was still cool. There is a VERY simple reason that I am shocked that as gaming journalists you don't know about for the Wii remote being called the Wii remote. The name Wiimote was trademarked by somebody else first. It sounds obvious now that you know but it really is that simple. They wished they could have used Wiimote but legally they can't.
I've grown up in Texas since birth and it's always been "cahn" not "can."Susan Arendt said:
Unless you're in East Texas. We don't like to talk about them.
Actually, I have a serious question. A few casts back you guys talked about not meeting famous people you like because the illusion of grandeur they may have could be spoiled. Does this mean I shouldn't talk to you guys at the Expo?? 
Space Muffin T-shirts?
Consider this head counted
Seriously, I work too much overtime to not spend it on things like this (same reason I'm counting the days until my limited edition Ouya shows up)
Consider this head counted
Seriously, I work too much overtime to not spend it on things like this (same reason I'm counting the days until my limited edition Ouya shows up)
Team Podcat, you all rock! Thank you so much for the awesome shout out! For all of you who want to see the design, here it is: http://backseat-menagerie.deviantart.com/#/d5criqr
I personally also like for there to be a sort of progression for my RPG characters, as if they learn something throughout the game. That stops them from becoming a cardboard cutout, since real people also sometimes vary beyond their own character traits.
Furthermore, for as far as marrying narrative to mechanics goes, I'd like to nominate Fallout 3 as an excellent example in the RPG genre, simple because of the perks and the way that S.P.E.C.I.A.L. interacts with your skills, which are ways great way to shape your character to taste. And it constantly forces you to make choices about the character's development, not only with regards to the mechanics but also concerning their personality.
P.S. Would love to buy one of those T-shirts (and many others the Escapist has to offer), but unfortunately I have moral objections.
Furthermore, for as far as marrying narrative to mechanics goes, I'd like to nominate Fallout 3 as an excellent example in the RPG genre, simple because of the perks and the way that S.P.E.C.I.A.L. interacts with your skills, which are ways great way to shape your character to taste. And it constantly forces you to make choices about the character's development, not only with regards to the mechanics but also concerning their personality.
P.S. Would love to buy one of those T-shirts (and many others the Escapist has to offer), but unfortunately I have moral objections.
Alright, this was a tiny, almost throw-away comment that was made during your podcast but it is causing me endless pain!
Susan stated that the 360 would be getting the NFL (59:45 mark)...
All I can find on the interweb is info about when the ESPN service was introduced in 2011 but nothing about the NFL coming to the 360.
Can you pretty please with sugar on top tell me that this was not a whoops and it actually is happening (unless you want to see a grown man cry, in which case tell me it's not happening)?
Susan stated that the 360 would be getting the NFL (59:45 mark)...
All I can find on the interweb is info about when the ESPN service was introduced in 2011 but nothing about the NFL coming to the 360.
Can you pretty please with sugar on top tell me that this was not a whoops and it actually is happening (unless you want to see a grown man cry, in which case tell me it's not happening)?