ID:104982
 
Keywords: anime, motivation
My habits have deviated very far from game development as of late. Should I get back on that wagon in time, hopefully I'll have something to submit for the Cartridge Challenge II. However, starting this late, clearly it's going to be down to the wire. For some odd reason, I tend to put things off until the very last minute.

Latest distractions include:
  • The DC Universe Online beta - it's under NDA (even as weak as those are when they let anyone who pre-orders in) so I can't describe the game at all. However, I will say I really like the game... but feel a monthly subscription model isn't right for the kind of experience it offers, and hope they reconsider that before it harms the game.
  • A ton of anime. My current favorite would have to be The World God Only Knows, not so much because of the premise as much as because it's extremely well done.
  • Prototype - A well-built, triple-A blockbuster title centered on a major city going to Hell while you run amok with incredible superpowers: as solid a game concept as you can ask for. Finished the story mode in two days, that's probably all the time I'll spend on it, but it was fun.
In my own game development thoughts, I keep coming back to online RPGs, probably because they're excellent platforms for escapism. However, I'd like to try to do this without resorting to the Skinner's box. I hate the Skinner's box because I've played too many CRPG that force you to endure monotony to reach the fun.

As coincidence would have it, "Extra Credits" (an excellent series for aspiring game designers) recently spoke about the Skinner's box and how many games rely overmuch on it. He says there's a difference between that and a genuinely compelling game.

So, basically, I want to make a genuinely compelling online RPG. To an extent, I think we can already see an example in Space Station 13. Not that I'm seeking to copy that game, as I'm thinking in terms of a mutable environment that doesn't need to be regularly reset.

Sounds like a worthy goal... first, however, I just have to get back in the habit of making games again. Habit is the right word for it, I think: I'm just not making the time to do it. I rather like game development, it's a great occupier of the mind, but that doesn't matter when I never start.
I don't see Panty & Stocking on that anime list. It's probably the only decent anime show currently airing new episodes right now.
I've seen a few episodes of that. I like the artistic style, sort of like Invader Zim, but it's a bit heavy on the toilet humor for my liking. Panty is basically a walking brothel, and an episode in which the protagonists aren't getting covered in shit or flashing people is an unusual one.
That's kinda the point. It's made by the same team who made Gurren Lagann, which was also one of the few good anime shows in recent times. It's off the walls crazy shit with amazing artwork, pretty much any screenshot from the show can be used as a wallpaper.

There are cameos, in-jokes, and all sorts of stuff like that sprinkled into each episode. The Transformers episode in particular had so many little details.

Really, it's the perfect show for anyone who's sick of the moe blobs currently dominating the Japanese animation industry.
Heh, that is a nice Transformers parody, takes me way back.

SuperAntx wrote:
Really, it's the perfect show for anyone who's sick of the moe blobs currently dominating the Japanese animation industry.

This I'll agree with, Panty & Stocking W/ Garterbelt does indeed provide a breath of fresh air in this regard.