I've talked before about how terrible I am at games and how I believe it doesn't matter. That's not entirely accurate. It does matter, because I'm the kind of person who only has fun when he's winning (whining?). I also subscribe to the idea that everybody has a plateau for every possible talent and skill that cannot be crossed. I often feel that I've reached my plateau and can no longer improve.
I started thinking about why, exactly, I suck at games so hard. While I'm as of yet unable to put the theory into practice to fix my playing habits, I'd like to share it anyway.
I believe in four main skill sets that make up a gamer's ability to play a game: input proficiency, genre familiarity, game familiarity, and attitude/mental fitness. Missing one of these means you're not going to be a pro, but if the rest are strong, I believe you can still be very competent at a game. Having all four and honing them means success in a particular game.
Input Proficiency - This refers to the control method that the player is using. If you're unfamiliar with a mouse and keyboard, you're missing a key skill. If you're very good with a mouse and keyboard, errors in judgment can be compensated for by quick reflexes and instinctive actions. Knowing your way around your input device means you'll hit the button you want, when you want it. This puts you head and shoulders above someone who has to look down at a controller.
Genre Familiarity - This refers to a player's ability to understand the basic mechanics of a game through analogy. "Counter-Strike is like Half-Life" is an example of the mental process that may take place within 10 seconds of playing Counter-Strike, assuming you've played Half-Life 2 or any FPS before. The controls may be slightly different, but to an extent, any skill you have with previous games that are similar to your current game will carry over. This is the biggest point of contention with people who believe you have to begin each game from scratch. You may lack the subtle knowledge of a game's nuances, but you've got a leg up on people who have never played this kind of game before, so your initial skill will be much higher.
Game Familiarity - This refers to a player's ability to play a specific game. This leads to genre familiarity, in some form or another, with all other games related to it. For example: if I was a solid Street Fighter II player, and that was the only fighting game I ever played, I may not be as good at Fatal Fury Special if I jumped into a match. I have genre familiarity with FFS, but not specific game knowledge, so I wouldn't know how to perform a Desperation Move. Many argue that game familiarity the most important skill. Learning maps, moves and nuances is considered the ultimate goal of a pro gamer.
Attitude/Mental Fitness - This refers to a player's ability to combine all of the previous skills into a skill set. If your attitude is poor, like mine, you can't use your full range of skill. If you're tired or haven't been keeping mentally fit through practice, every other skill degrades in varying degrees. I would argue that this is the most important skill for any gamer, as the ability to approach a situation positively is what allows the other skills to be possible.
If I applied this to my situation with any given game, I could rate myself like this:
Input Proficiency - High (Medium for mouse and keyboard)
Genre Familiarity - High (Medium for RTS, racing and sports titles)
Game Familiarity - Medium (for any given game that I've spent a few days with)
Attitude/Mental Fitness - Low
The conclusion I can draw from this is that my poor attitude is what keeps me from developing the other skills to a proper level. I can't "Play to Win" because I don't believe I can, and I'm wired in such a way that winning is my goal for playing games.
Unfortunately, how to fix a poor attitude is beyond my understanding at this time. I can identify the problem, but various solutions I've attempted don't seem to work.
In any case, if you find yourself struggling with a particular game, try rating yourself loosely based on these four criteria to find where your problem area lies. That may help you improve as a gamer over time.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Being Realistic
Let me get this out of the way: I'm a terrible martial artist. I can barely throw a punch and my ability to take one is minimal at best. In a real fight, I would get utterly destroyed. I suffer no delusions about my skill.
However, there's a common misconception in our society that martial artists are somehow invincible, or at the very least harder to kill. This is flat out wrong, in my opinion. All martial arts training gives you is a better chance at avoiding injury. If you train for a long time, your chances of avoiding injury may be huge. However, if the dice roll doesn't come up in your favor, or if you make a mistake, you can be taken down by a 5-year old with a butter knife.
I bring this up because of an incident that happened here in Edmonton on Sunday morning. A man sitting on a concrete divider was sucker punched, fell off, and walked away. Several hours later, he was a quadriplegic. One punch paralyzed this man for life.
Now, I don't know if Darren, the victim, had any martial arts training. A good martial artist would have sensed what was happening, or at least would have been wary enough as the men approached to get off of the divider and stand in a natural posture. Maybe he would have been conditioned enough to take the hit. Maybe his ukemi (ability to take a fall) would have allowed him to hit the ground safely. Or maybe, that martial artist would have been distracted or drunk and would have shared the same fate as Darren.
The point is to recognize the value of your training, but not to think of it as some kind of shield. Everyone dies. Everyone is vulnerable. Martial arts helps you cover weaknesses, but you're still human. Your dice are slightly loaded, but even loaded dice come up snake eyes sometimes.
However, there's a common misconception in our society that martial artists are somehow invincible, or at the very least harder to kill. This is flat out wrong, in my opinion. All martial arts training gives you is a better chance at avoiding injury. If you train for a long time, your chances of avoiding injury may be huge. However, if the dice roll doesn't come up in your favor, or if you make a mistake, you can be taken down by a 5-year old with a butter knife.
I bring this up because of an incident that happened here in Edmonton on Sunday morning. A man sitting on a concrete divider was sucker punched, fell off, and walked away. Several hours later, he was a quadriplegic. One punch paralyzed this man for life.
Now, I don't know if Darren, the victim, had any martial arts training. A good martial artist would have sensed what was happening, or at least would have been wary enough as the men approached to get off of the divider and stand in a natural posture. Maybe he would have been conditioned enough to take the hit. Maybe his ukemi (ability to take a fall) would have allowed him to hit the ground safely. Or maybe, that martial artist would have been distracted or drunk and would have shared the same fate as Darren.
The point is to recognize the value of your training, but not to think of it as some kind of shield. Everyone dies. Everyone is vulnerable. Martial arts helps you cover weaknesses, but you're still human. Your dice are slightly loaded, but even loaded dice come up snake eyes sometimes.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Credit where credit is due
Yesterday, I posted an email that I sent out to some Microsoft executives about the problems I've been having re-licensing my content for use with my replacement 360. In what amounts to be the biggest surprise I've had in months, I received a call today from a very nice Microsoft employee named Michael.
He explained to me what I needed to do, and I explained right back at him that tech support had already told me numerous times what to do; the solution wasn't working. I'm more than happy to do what they request, but Marketplace errors kept me from doing it.
Here's the scoop: turns out all of those Marketplace errors (codes 8000ffff, 80004004, and 807b01f4) have not been rectified yet, contrary to that Major Nelson would have you believe. Still, my situation seemed to be "an anomaly."
I was instructed to try re-purchasing some of the content I already owned. If it charged me for it, I would be refunded the points, but Michael wanted to see if that would fix it. Sure enough, the downloads went through, though they only appeared to be asking for payment. I couldn't purchase anything higher than what I had on hand for points, but luckily, I had enough to "buy back" my 400 point items.
What this amounts to is problems with Marketplace not syncing with other XBL systems. By "buying" the content I already had over and over, I was able to force the system to reload my licensing information. This information would stay active for a few downloads, allowing me to download my higher-priced content, but then the Marketplace would lose it again.
It was a painful process, but I re-licensed all of my content, and I'm pleased with the attention I received. I had to basically threaten to close my wallet for good to get that service, but I got it. Michael even told me he would call me on Friday to check in on how things were going. Some of my confidence has been restored. Unless something unacceptable occurs again with no explanation and through no fault of my own, I'll continue supporting the 360.
He explained to me what I needed to do, and I explained right back at him that tech support had already told me numerous times what to do; the solution wasn't working. I'm more than happy to do what they request, but Marketplace errors kept me from doing it.
Here's the scoop: turns out all of those Marketplace errors (codes 8000ffff, 80004004, and 807b01f4) have not been rectified yet, contrary to that Major Nelson would have you believe. Still, my situation seemed to be "an anomaly."
I was instructed to try re-purchasing some of the content I already owned. If it charged me for it, I would be refunded the points, but Michael wanted to see if that would fix it. Sure enough, the downloads went through, though they only appeared to be asking for payment. I couldn't purchase anything higher than what I had on hand for points, but luckily, I had enough to "buy back" my 400 point items.
What this amounts to is problems with Marketplace not syncing with other XBL systems. By "buying" the content I already had over and over, I was able to force the system to reload my licensing information. This information would stay active for a few downloads, allowing me to download my higher-priced content, but then the Marketplace would lose it again.
It was a painful process, but I re-licensed all of my content, and I'm pleased with the attention I received. I had to basically threaten to close my wallet for good to get that service, but I got it. Michael even told me he would call me on Friday to check in on how things were going. Some of my confidence has been restored. Unless something unacceptable occurs again with no explanation and through no fault of my own, I'll continue supporting the 360.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
My Email to several Xbox Executives
I thought I would post this here to make good on my promise. I doubt anything will come of this, but I'm too frustrated to be quiet about it.
Dear Sirs,
I hope you'll pardon the direct email, but the xbox live support site is a convoluted mess that only deals with hardware issues, and I've yet to find someone who can understand my problem when I call the tech support line.
My 360, purchased in 2006, finally gave me the Three Red Ring error two weeks ago. Though it was a hassle to get it sent out for service, my system was replaced and the new unit shipped to me in record time. Kudos on an efficient delivery system. However, while the service was free, I'm now paying far more than I realized.
Because I was given a new system, I have to now re-sync all of my downloaded content and transfer the license. For over $200 (conservative estimate) of content, this is a pain to do, but I'm more than willing to go into my download history and click on each item. In fact, I began that process this morning. I got through less than 25 items before the network stopped recognizing that I had purchased the content in my download history, and now, the Marketplace is charging me for content I have already purchased the license for.
Now, I understand that the license is only for use on the original console, and I wouldn't be bothering you about losing $200 in downloaded content unless I felt I was being treated poorly. I did not ask for a new system. I asked for my system to be repaired. If my system is under warranty, and it's replaced with a new system, shouldn't I still have access to my content? Why am I losing out on an arrangement I did nothing to provoke? As-is, I can only access it from this new unit when I'm connected to Xbox LIVE, and this isn't always possible for me. I've essentially lost access to most of the content that I've purchased a legitimate license for due to a system swap that, while I'm grateful for, I did not request. I did not misuse my 360 in any way; I simply enjoyed it as intended for two years. Ignoring the fact that my 360 had the shortest lifespan of any system I've ever owned, having to lose money in the process through no fault of my own is nothing short of ridiculous.
The entire process of dealing with support staff, trying to navigate the website, spending hours on the phone and generally wasting my time trying to get my system repaired and back to normal has been difficult and unnecessary. This isn't something a 1-month Gold card can fix. I've been an avid Microsoft supporter since Windows 3.1, up through the Xbox, and through to my 360. Because of this incident, I've lost all faith in the Xbox brand, and will no longer continue to support it. I'll also be advising my friends, family and anyone I happen to strike up a conversation about games with to avoid Microsoft products due to my negative experiences. I've stood up for your products in the past, and I've jumped through numerous hoops to enjoy them, but this is too much. This whole ordeal has become more expensive than initially indicated, and if I knew it would cost me this much, I would have found someone to repair my old system so that I could retain access to the content I rightfully paid to access.
Never before have I been so frustrated with a piece of consumer electronics. I've been told that Microsoft doesn't care about its customers, and that any communications I send you will fall on deaf ears. I may be wasting my time, but I wanted you to add my voice to the collective of dissatisfied customers who bought into your ideal and are now suffering for it.
If you end up reading this, thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Michael Rousseau
Dear Sirs,
I hope you'll pardon the direct email, but the xbox live support site is a convoluted mess that only deals with hardware issues, and I've yet to find someone who can understand my problem when I call the tech support line.
My 360, purchased in 2006, finally gave me the Three Red Ring error two weeks ago. Though it was a hassle to get it sent out for service, my system was replaced and the new unit shipped to me in record time. Kudos on an efficient delivery system. However, while the service was free, I'm now paying far more than I realized.
Because I was given a new system, I have to now re-sync all of my downloaded content and transfer the license. For over $200 (conservative estimate) of content, this is a pain to do, but I'm more than willing to go into my download history and click on each item. In fact, I began that process this morning. I got through less than 25 items before the network stopped recognizing that I had purchased the content in my download history, and now, the Marketplace is charging me for content I have already purchased the license for.
Now, I understand that the license is only for use on the original console, and I wouldn't be bothering you about losing $200 in downloaded content unless I felt I was being treated poorly. I did not ask for a new system. I asked for my system to be repaired. If my system is under warranty, and it's replaced with a new system, shouldn't I still have access to my content? Why am I losing out on an arrangement I did nothing to provoke? As-is, I can only access it from this new unit when I'm connected to Xbox LIVE, and this isn't always possible for me. I've essentially lost access to most of the content that I've purchased a legitimate license for due to a system swap that, while I'm grateful for, I did not request. I did not misuse my 360 in any way; I simply enjoyed it as intended for two years. Ignoring the fact that my 360 had the shortest lifespan of any system I've ever owned, having to lose money in the process through no fault of my own is nothing short of ridiculous.
The entire process of dealing with support staff, trying to navigate the website, spending hours on the phone and generally wasting my time trying to get my system repaired and back to normal has been difficult and unnecessary. This isn't something a 1-month Gold card can fix. I've been an avid Microsoft supporter since Windows 3.1, up through the Xbox, and through to my 360. Because of this incident, I've lost all faith in the Xbox brand, and will no longer continue to support it. I'll also be advising my friends, family and anyone I happen to strike up a conversation about games with to avoid Microsoft products due to my negative experiences. I've stood up for your products in the past, and I've jumped through numerous hoops to enjoy them, but this is too much. This whole ordeal has become more expensive than initially indicated, and if I knew it would cost me this much, I would have found someone to repair my old system so that I could retain access to the content I rightfully paid to access.
Never before have I been so frustrated with a piece of consumer electronics. I've been told that Microsoft doesn't care about its customers, and that any communications I send you will fall on deaf ears. I may be wasting my time, but I wanted you to add my voice to the collective of dissatisfied customers who bought into your ideal and are now suffering for it.
If you end up reading this, thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Michael Rousseau
Monday, June 29, 2009
Leigh Alexander needs your help!
Re-posted from SVGL:
Hi SVGL readers! Many of you saw my Tweet last week asking about the ways you used to play pretend about video games with your friends as kids, and I've gotten some great responses from you guys.
But I need more, so here's the deal: When you were a wee game fan, did you used to play video game-related imaginary games about the stuff you were playing? Search drain pipes for Mario, hold Mortal Kombat matches at recess, fight over who got to be Ryu? Attach to certain objects, toys or places because they reminded you of video game levels? Did you write books, draw comics, et cetera? Did games give you weird ideas about how the world works? (What? You mean there are no turtles in the sewers?) If video games inspired your childhood play and lots of happy memories and silly stories, I need 'em.
Email leighalexander1 at gmail dot com with subject heading GAMING CHILDHOOD and share some of your memories, will you? Come on, I showed you my embarrassing emo Phantasy Star II novelization from third grade.
Even further, I'm interested in how those memories of play shape your relationship to games today. Are any console titles that launch today that immediately evoke young memories of playing previous installments Back In The Day? Learn anything about games or yourselves? Does your current station in life -- job, leisure time, relationship with kids -- have any relationship to the way you imagined play as a kid?
This is for an article, so if you write in, please include how you want to be cited. Responses from working game developers and journalists are especially welcome -- you can use your full name, part of it, your company name, your internet handle, or be wholly anonymous, really, whatever you'd like. Link this inquiry to your friends, reblog, retweet, whatever you like, spread the word!
Thank you as always for supporting the stuff I do, and hopefully you'll dig the result.
Hi SVGL readers! Many of you saw my Tweet last week asking about the ways you used to play pretend about video games with your friends as kids, and I've gotten some great responses from you guys.
But I need more, so here's the deal: When you were a wee game fan, did you used to play video game-related imaginary games about the stuff you were playing? Search drain pipes for Mario, hold Mortal Kombat matches at recess, fight over who got to be Ryu? Attach to certain objects, toys or places because they reminded you of video game levels? Did you write books, draw comics, et cetera? Did games give you weird ideas about how the world works? (What? You mean there are no turtles in the sewers?) If video games inspired your childhood play and lots of happy memories and silly stories, I need 'em.
Email leighalexander1 at gmail dot com with subject heading GAMING CHILDHOOD and share some of your memories, will you? Come on, I showed you my embarrassing emo Phantasy Star II novelization from third grade.
Even further, I'm interested in how those memories of play shape your relationship to games today. Are any console titles that launch today that immediately evoke young memories of playing previous installments Back In The Day? Learn anything about games or yourselves? Does your current station in life -- job, leisure time, relationship with kids -- have any relationship to the way you imagined play as a kid?
This is for an article, so if you write in, please include how you want to be cited. Responses from working game developers and journalists are especially welcome -- you can use your full name, part of it, your company name, your internet handle, or be wholly anonymous, really, whatever you'd like. Link this inquiry to your friends, reblog, retweet, whatever you like, spread the word!
Thank you as always for supporting the stuff I do, and hopefully you'll dig the result.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Tetris Friends, minus the Friends
I decided to check out Tetris Friends this week after a post on Destructoid tipped me off about it. Since then, I've been playing about 30 minutes a day, and it's started me on one of my many infamous Tetris kicks.
The site, branded as an official Tetris product, is a browser-based collection of Tetris game modes for play on virtually any computer. It offers ten variations on traditional Tetris, with only one of the games really sticking out as unpolished and inconsistent. The no-frills N-Blox, developed by interactive designer Paul Neave, is a basic version of Tetris with some odd control issues and an overly minimalist aesthetic.
However, like all of the Tetris games on the site, N-Blox allows you to accrue tokens that can be used to purchase new tetronimo designs and ghost patterns for use in most of the game modes. Beyond alleviating boredom and giving you limited goals to work towards, these new designs will presumably show up on other user's screens in multiplayer games.
This is where Tetris Friends tips its hand and makes you wonder if the site name is something of a misnomer. The site allows you to create an account, choose an avatar, and add in a status line, which leads you to believe that Tetris Friends has social network components. However, there is no option to add users to your friends list, or even to search for users in any way. The only contact you have with other people on the site is by using the Leaderboard function to view top replays in each game mode.
In fact, there's no multiplayer component available whatsoever, which really makes the "Friends" moniker seem erroneous. Joining a Battle or Sprint game matches you instantly against "players" with random names and avatars, all at your exact skill level. Each one plays roughly the same - almost as if each player was AI-controlled. Suspicions are confirmed when you realize that you have the ability to indefinitely pause a "multiplayer" game, or when you find you can click "Finish" to see the rankings as soon as you've completed your goal in Sprint games. When I finish at 2:37 and click instantly on Finish, only to have the game tell me it took my opponents around 5:40 to complete the game, I wonder if I'm supposed to believe that browser-based Tetris is capable of temporal displacement.
I feel somewhat deceived. The fact that Tetris Friends goes to such great lengths to imply that there is a multiplayer experience to be had here seems dishonest when the product doesn't deliver on that implication. As a single-player game, Tetris Friends is still a fun, well-designed product, perfect for brushing up on Hard Drops and T-Spins at the office. I only hope that when the site leaves its Beta status behind, it picks up some social networking and multiplayer features in the process.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
The Nerf Maverick Rev-6
When I was a kid, Nerf wars became pretty epic. Diving behind couches and stalking hallways became commonplace. Hoarded ammo led to cease fires where empty arms were trained for ammo, allowing us to continue the fight but giving our opponents a new means to launch hot foam at us. It was war, and it was serious.
As good as the weapons of my era were, I wish I had the Nerf Maverick Rev-6 with me during those hectic battles. It does just about everything I could want a Nerf gun to do.
The first thing you notice when you pick up a Maverick is the weighting. An ergonomic grip counters the front-heavy design, leaving you with the ability to quickly acquire targets and run with ease. The semi-auto slide cocks the gun, and pressing the trigger cycles the barrel, chamber, which doubles as the barrel. You get a good 20ft or so of distance out of a single shot, and while I would have liked to be able to rapidly fire off shots, cocking in between rounds isn't a big deal. The only caveat is that quickly slamming the barrel back in place has a tendency to cause misfires, and if your darts aren't chambered all the way, the gun won't fire at all. Small gripes overall.
Furthermore, the gun is easily to modify. From modifications that let the barrel roll out at a 90 degree angle for rapid loading, to the removal of air limiters and substituting springs, I've yet to see a Nerf gun that has this kind of aftermarket customization with such little effort. The Nerf Crossbow has officially been dethroned.
With how much I've been gushing about this thing lately to friends and coworkers, I almost wish I was being paid to talk about it, because it sure sounds like I am. Now I fit in with the majority of the blogosphere.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
