ID:194591
 
Haven't had much time since returning from vacation (always the way), so no progress on game stuff.

However, I did recall having some success a few years back with a drawing book, Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain. Given that I'm at least doing the preliminary art for my games, and possibly the final art, I picked up the latest version of that book and have started going through it. It's pretty incredible -- in just a few days it can have you drawing at incredible levels (compelling proof at the DrawRight site gallery). Rather than teaching you how to draw, it teaches you how to look at what's in front of you such that you can draw it.

To add a toy into the mix, I picked up the Wacom Graphire tablet, which supports wireless pen drawing on the computer as well as a wireless mouse.

While I was picking that up, I also picked up a game people on the Well are nuts about: Deus Ex. This is supposed to be the most intelligent RPG/shooter ever done, and they just released a full level editor for it.

So this has all been a long way of saying that while waiting for the new release to come out, I'm gonna go play Deus Ex. I'm too tired from driving into work too early this week to do much else.
On 9/29/00 9:03 pm Deadron wrote:
So this has all been a long way of saying that while waiting for the new release to come out, I'm gonna go play Deus Ex. I'm too tired from driving into work too early this week to do much else.


Well after playing Deus Ex I decided to play with creating a new set of police icons for L&D. I think they might have actually turned out okay. I'll be interested to see what people think.

Now, can I get a preliminary version of the next level done in time for GoB?
While I was picking that up, I also picked up a game people on the Well are nuts about: Deus Ex. This is supposed to be the most intelligent RPG/shooter ever done, and they just released a full level editor for it.

Now THAT makes me mad. My brother snapped the demo CD in two by mistake (it was straddling the corner where the desk meets the floor, and he put his foot down against the crack, and...). So, I either have to keep the computer downloading overnight, or I have to buy the game then return it if I don't like it.

Grr... =P
In response to Spuzzum
On 9/30/00 12:27 pm Spuzzum wrote:
While I was picking that up, I also picked up a game people on the Well are nuts about: Deus Ex. This is supposed to be the most intelligent RPG/shooter ever done, and they just released a full level editor for it.

Now THAT makes me mad. My brother snapped the demo CD in two by mistake (it was straddling the corner where the desk meets the floor, and he put his foot down against the crack, and...). So, I either have to keep the computer downloading overnight, or I have to buy the game then return it if I don't like it.


I'll let you know whether I think it's worth it. I've only played a bit so far, and here are my impressions:

Interesting open-ended structure in which you can solve things any way you can think up, and in which you can choose which portions of a mission you want to solve.

Your decisions matter. For example, in the first mission I decided to go in the back way to get make it easier to take out the terrorist stronghold, which meant I left the hostage (a member of the same group as me) for others to save. Well, someone else saved him, but now all the people I work with are pissed at me. Not only did I not get an extra bonus, but my colleagues make snide comments about the fact that I didn't save a fellow UNATCO member as my first priority, implying they might not be willing to help me in a similar situation.

Very smooth interface. This one gets inventory handling and world interaction right -- no fumbling around trying to figure out how to press a button or how to switch weapons.

Rich skill system. You can choose to augment yourself and your skills in different ways, which lead to very different styles of play. Do you want to run into rooms with guns blazing or stay back 200 yards picking them off with a sniper rifle? It's up to you -- but you can't be good at everything.

Servicable graphics. This is low-tech compared to some things these days -- the human faces are particularly limited. But it's not a big barrier, and that's not what this game is about.

Full level-editor available. They released the tools that they used to put together levels -- so this might be fun to play with.

I don't have enough sense yet how good the gameplay is, and whether I'll get to "choose sides" as I come to inevitably find out that UNESCO is corrupt.

In other news: I'm finally making progress on the next level of L&D. If I'm lucky I'll have something for next week's GoB.

Also I got a new idea for the 3rd level. I had an idea already, but I think this is better.