Thursday 17 January 2013

An Analysis of Pokemon

I, am a fan of Pokemon; however, I feel that Nintendo mishandled the franchise.

The series started with its humble beginnings with the Original Generation of 150 Pokemon; it was fantastic. They did a good job of introducing variety, so that players could build varied and interesting benches based on what they were interested in. Although most veteran players can agree on a choice few Pokemon that formed the "ideal" end-game bench, the cute Pokemon are what drew in a lot of players, and it does help to have a variety of units, even if not all of them are useful. The anime series was well received, and it was an overnight success.

Where I feel that Nintendo misstepped was in how they handled subsequent generations. In the second generation, they added 100 new Pokemon. The only ones that remained from the first generation were ones that had new evolutions in this version.



I feel that they would have been much better off to treat each new generation as an expansion pack for the series, rather than feeling they needed to reinvent the entire ecology of Pokemon for every generation. I would have liked to see maybe 50 new pokemon, and cycle out 50 of the less popular pokemon, resulting in a significant number of new faces, as well as a host of familiar ones, and only 50 new ones to learn, rather than having to start from square one. This also has the benefit of making it not unreasonably hard to 'catch them all', the underlying motto of the series.

In subsequent generations, they misstep again and again. They add 135 new Pokemon in generation 3 (for a total of 385), and again, reinvent the wheel. They added in Leaf Green and Fire Red, remakes of the original generation. I feel that this would have been a great time to consolidate the three generations into something manageable, as the Running Shoes alone made the remakes worth buying, however instead, they stood largely alone, not really affecting the series as a whole in terms of Pokemon biodiversity.

The fourth generation, Diamond and Pearl, adds 107 new pokemon, bringing us up to 492. By this point, it would take a truly dedicated Pokemon master to catch them all, and they are starting to run out of reasonable shapes for their Pokemon, resulting in slightly ridiculous varieties, or species that are derivative of previous Pokemon.

In the fifth generation, Black and White, we add 156 more, for a total of 648. While there is no denying that the game has improved mechanically with each game's iteration, it can equally said that the endearing quality of the Pokemon themselves has diminished with each generation. Beyond the starters and the legendaries, how many Pokemon can you actually name? - and more importantly, how many do you actually care about from the newest generation? 

I feel that Nintendo would have been better off cycling out a smaller portion of each generation, and retaining more Pokemon from generation to generation, allowing favourites to remain a part of the franchise (aside from Pikachu of course, who never seems to go away). By forcing players to learn over a hundred of new Pokemon each time they want to pick up a new game, and virtually guaranteeing that their favourites will not be in the next one, they are isolating a lot of their core fan base. 

Pokemon games are still fun, and it is good to see them experimenting with new formats and inter-generational mingling. Games such as Pokemon Conquest are refreshing, and promising for the future of the franchise, as it has become abundantly clear that their current path is not the correct way to continue. I still enjoy Pokemon, but I haven't been very interested in them lately because there are just too damn many of them.

Until next time,

-Colin Souva

Tuesday 15 January 2013

Early Game (song)


To the tune of Kanye West's Runaway, a song about cheese in Starcraft 2. Enjoy.

And I always find, yeah, I always find something wrong
You been putting up with my shit just way too long
I'm so gifted at finding what I don't like the most
So I think it's time for us to have a toast

Let's have a toast for the douchebags
Let's have a toast for the assholes
Let's have a toast for the scumbags
Every one of them that I know

Let's have a toast for the jerk-offs
That'll never take work off
Baby, I got a plan
Runaway fast as you can

She find pictures in my email
I sent this bitch a picture of my dick
I don't know what it is with females
But I'm not too good at that shit

See, I could have me a good girl
And still be addicted to them hood rats
And I just blame everything on you
At least you know that's what I'm good at

And I always find, yeah, I always find, yeah, I always find something wrong
You been putting up with my shit just way too long
I'm so gifted at finding what I don't like the most
So I think it's time for us to have a toast

Let's have a toast for the douchebags
Let's have a toast for the assholes
Let's have a toast for the scumbags
Every one of them that I know

Let's have a toast for the jerk-offs
That'll never take work off
Baby, I got a plan
Runaway fast as you can

Runaway from me, baby
Runaway, runaway from me, baby
Runaway I'm about to get crazy, then runaway


Use the thug plan, runaway as fast as you can

Runaway from me, baby
Runaway, runaway from me, baby
Runaway, I'm about to get crazy
Why can't she just runaway?

Baby I got a plan, runaway as fast as you can

24/7, 365, pussy stays on my mind
I-I-I did it, alright, alright, I admit it
Now pick your next move
You could leave or live with it

Ichabod Crane with that motherfucking top off
Split and go where? Back to wearing knockoffs, ha, ha
Knock it off, Neiman's, shop it off
Let's talk over Mai Tai's, waitress, top it off

Ho's like vultures, wanna fly in your Freddy loafers
You can't blame 'em, they ain't never seen Versace sofas
Every bag, every blouse, every bracelet
Comes with a price tag, baby, face it

You should leave if you can't accept the basics
Plenty ho's in the baller-nigger matrix
Invisibly set, the Rolex is faceless
I'm just young, rich and tasteless, P

Never was much of a romantic
I could never take the intimacy
And I know it did damage
'Cause the look in your eyes is killing me

I guess you knew another vantage
'Cause you could blame me for everything
And I don't know how I'ma manage
If one day you just up and leave

And I always find, yeah, I always find something wrong
You been putting up with my shit just way too long
I'm so gifted at finding what I don't like the most
So I think it's time for us to have a toast

Let's have a toast for the douchebags
Let's have a toast for the assholes
Let's have a toast for the scumbags
Every one of them that I know

Let's have a toast for the jerk-offs
That'll never take work off
Baby, I got a plan
Runaway fast as you can
And I always do, yeah, I always do something wrong

Whenever I play a match that takes too long
I'm so gifted at finding out where I will win the most
So I think it's time for us to have a toast:

Let's have a toast for the 6 pool
Let's have a toast for the 2 rax
Let's have a toast for the all ins
And all the two base timings

Let's have a toast for the 2 gate
Win the game or expand late
Baby I've got a plan
Win the game fast as you can

I've been going through my replays
Ain't seen too many GGs
I know you're supposed to play standard
But I'm not too good at that shit

See I can have me a good game
And still get smoked by a death ball
And I just blame everything on lag
At least let me play what I'm good at

And I always do, yeah, I always do, yeah I always do something wrong
Whenever I play a match that takes too long
I'm so gifted at finding out where I will win the most
So I think it's time for us to have a toast:

Let's have a toast for the 6 pool
Let's have a toast for the 2 rax
Let's have a toast for the all ins
And all the two base timings

Let's have a toast for the 2 gate
Win the game or expand late
Baby I've got a plan
Win the game fast as you can

Win the game for me baby,
Early game, win the game for me baby
Early game; when the micro gets crazy, I'll win the game
Use some cheese man, win the game fast as you can

Win the game for me baby,
Early game, win the game for me baby
Early game; when the micro gets crazy
That's when you just win the game

Baby I've got a plan, win the game fast as you can

24/7, 365, ladder points on my mind
I-I-I I did it, alright alright, I admit it
Cannon at your main
You can leave or deal with it

I don't play for the motherfucking GGs
Split and go where? More banes than Husky, ha ha
Knock it off, trying to S and D
Maybe next time you should scout my proxy

Noobs on ladder, wanna fly in with Banshees
You can't blame 'em, after getting rushed by DTs

Every probe, every drone, every worker
Adds to your economy, baby, face it

Don't complain if you can't accept the basics
Time to wall-off before blizzard minute six
Need to be set to counter the races
Ask the bros Sean and Tasteless, J

Never really planned for the late game
I made my attacks so early
And I know it did damage
'Cause our chat is you BMing me

I'm guessing I'm at an advantage,
'Cause I can use lings for everything
But I don't know how I'ma manage
If you get to expo number three

And I always do, yeah, I always do something wrong

Whenever I play a match that takes too long
I'm so gifted at finding out where I will win the most
So I think it's time for us to have a toast:

Let's have a toast for the 6 pool
Let's have a toast for the 2 rax
Let's have a toast for the all ins
And the two base timings

Let's have a toast for the 2 gate
Win the game or expand late
Baby I've got a plan
Win the game fast as you can

-Colin

Thursday 10 January 2013

Legacy - Children's Plot

As a continuation to last week's post, here is the Children generation plot:


Plot – Children
Both couples have a kid, Nigel and Diamond have Glasses-Chan Rayne. Sammael and Lilith have the young and angsty Deacon. Sammael finds that he is in a losing battle with the demon to control his body, and heads for the hills so as to not put anyone in danger. Lilith retires from the Sleeping Dragons to raise the child by herself, and joins a group of traveling gypsies. Needless to say, she basically fails at this, and Deacon ends up being quite a delinquent, and on his way to a life of crime.

Rayne is lovingly raised by both her parents, trains hard, learns well, and sees the world. Needless to say, she's got a stick so far up her ass she has trouble swallowing.

</cynicism>
The two kids meet as Lilith's caravan is nearby Diamond's dojo, mostly by sheer coincidence. Deacon is lofting around as is his nature, smoking in an empty field, when Rayne, as is her nature, feels the need to correct his delinquent ways and relieve him of the cigarette. The two engage in a battle of wills, and each experiences something they never have before – real competition. Their spar ends, and the cigarette is forgotten by both parties, each distracted by having made their first friend.

I want to make a note that Diamond is pregnant. Just saying...

Deacon begins spending time at the Dojo, and meets Nigel and Diamond and effectively abandons his mother. He begins training with them, and is found to be unusually astute with magic. After a while, the issue of Deacon's father comes up, and the (GC's family name)s figure out that the deviant boy they have come to like so much is none other than the son of the intrepid couple they had allied themselves with so many years earlier. Nigel grows concerned about Deacon, as he examines the boy and senses a demonic presence in him. He attempts an exorcism on Deacon, but fails to explain himself adequately to Deacon beforehand, and as such, Nigel's exorcism fails, as Deacon is not possessed, but simply has the blood of demons in him, and in doing so, it burns and injures Deacon terribly, who escapes and maims Nigel in the process. (I'm thinking a couple slashes across the face should be adequate, parallel like, from a single blow; along eye and cheek)

Deacon gets out of there like a bat out of hell, and runs into Rayne, who was roused by the ruckus. Deacon is injured, and Nigel's failed exorcism has brought out some of the demon in him. He explains to Rayne that her father had done something to him, and that he was getting out of there ASAP to get some answers out of his own mother. Rayne goes with him, oblivious to her father's perils (luckily though, Diamond is there to tend to his wounds).

The two children make their way to the gypsy camp, and prepare a one-on-one with Lilith. She is devastated to see elements of the Demon in Deacon. The three of them share some exposition, and they decide to track down Sammael. Lilith breaks out her assassins tools for the first time in years, and they head out.

[Deacon is a bit taken aback about his parents; he had never really thought much of his good old mum, and here she is a deadly assassin; he had always assumed his father had been someone worthwhile, a noble passing through perhaps, who happened to impregnate his mother, but was never really interested in her]

They head into the mountains to the shrine where Sammael is supposed to reside. The shrine itself is small and isolated, manned by a single aging monk by the name of Odis. Within the back rooms of the shrine lies the portal to Sammael's prison. It is a simple caged door made of wood with a thin silver coating that is beginning to chip in some places. On either side of the bars is a chess board, which the warden monk explains they use to play against each other to pass the time.

When they meet Sammael, he is calm and civil, Odis goes in first to meet him, followed by Deacon, while the women wait outside. Sammael is at this point completely oblivious as to the identity of the boy, and asks him who he is. Deacon approaches his father and calmly explains their relationship, alongside a swift sucker-punch to the stomach. Both of these serve to wind and stun poor Sammael. Odis runs to help Sammael up, and begins telling off Deacon for his rashness.

[as a side note, the cave is made up mostly of hematite, a type of iron ore, which acts to nullify demonic powers]

Deacon begins to tell his father off, mostly for not being there his entire life. Sammael is beginning to piece together things, and figures out Lilith is his mother. He is concerned as to why she wouldn't have come along with him, and fears that she has died in the intervening years, only to find out that she is in the next room.

Sammael runs to the window and ....
<summary>
-lilith enters the room and gives Sammael a fresh one (punch to the stomach); he comments on her fiery spirit, and she on his thoughtlessness
...skipping ahead...

-lilith tells him that she wishes he never had himself possessed
-sammael tells her that he had to make the sacrifice for the greater good
-she regrets him doing it, as it has separated them for all these years, stating her disregard for the greater good, that she would have preferred he not make the sacrifice in his thoughtlessness for her
[one complex love/duty explanation later]
-sammael takes lilith into an embrace, looks deeply into her eyes, and steals both a kiss and a throwing knife, and proceeds to stab her in the spine, then hurl the knife at Odis, and bolts out of there before anyone can realize what is going on
</summary>

Completely stunned by what has just happened, Deacon tends to his mother, and Rayne, at Deacon's request looks at Odis. Lilith is badly wounded, and Odis is dead. Lilith is taking surprisingly well, she jokes that she wouldn't want to survive this wound anyway, to live on as an invalid. Deacon is basically just devastated, he doesn't know what to make of the situation, and is running out of time, he sends Rayne to look for medical supplies or something to help Lilith. He desperately asks his mother what he should do; she tells him not to cry, that he has to be strong. She pulls his ear close and whispers into his ear that he must kill his father, who is no longer the man he once was, he is only now a plague upon the world, a soulless two-faced monster that must be destroyed. Deacon sobers up significantly upon hearing this, and asks what she would have him do.

Seeing herself mortally wounded, Lilith charges her son with vanquishing this demon, the ancient enemy of the Sleeping Dragon clan, and bestows her Sleeping Dragon medallion to him, telling him that he is the only one who can do this. It isn't explained fully, but his inhuman nature makes him immune to demonic possession, which is the key to making the demon stay dead. She tells you the name of a man who can help you, Adam Dormien, a powerful officer in the Sleeping Dragon Clan. She tells you to look for him at [tavern name] a tavern in the city.

<brief> Shortly afterwards Lilith dies, and they have an impromptu funeral for both Lilith and Odis, burying the both of them out front of the shrine.</brief>

<summary> they make it to the tavern, and after a brief stint of not being able to get in due to being underage, they meet Adamas, who upon sensing Deacon's demonic nature, and the revealing of Lilith's medallion, he mistakes Deacon for the Demon, assuming that the Demon has escaped Sammael's custody and possessed this boy instead.</summary>

Deacon manages to overpower Adamas, and he begins apologizing to himself and his sister for failing to avenge her. Deacon retorts that if his sister means so much to him, attacking his nephew isn't a great way to make up for this. Adamas is taken back, and Deacon explains that if Adamas is Lilith's brother, then Adam is his uncle.

Their conflict abruptly ends, and they make amends over drinks (Rayne has tea). Eventually, Deacon gets to the point; they are here to solicit his, (and through him the Sleeping Dragon Clan's) help in the hunt for his father. Adamas levels with him, that he doesn't think he will get much help from the Sleeping Dragons. Needless to say, the kids are outraged.

Adamas begins to explain; within the Sleeping Dragon Clan, there exist several aggregate factions, though the only ones of interest to them are the Purists, who believe in keeping the bloodline of Draco Dormien alive, and the Bureaucrats, a nickname for those who do things by the books. The Purists were well supported in past mainly due to Lilith's skills; she had always been the more powerful of the two Dormien children, and after her defection, this group lost most of its supporters, seeing only the pushover Adamas left of the ancestral blood.

<<In actuality, Adamas is more capable than he believes. He would usually ally himself with Lilith, and the two of them would accomplish great things, but without her morale support, Adamas couldn't seem to do much on his own. He gradually lost confidence in himself, and went from being a hopeful Fang to a contact person in a location of only minor importance. >>

[Contact Person – used to pass on critical information between clansmen and occasionally locals/outsiders/mercenaries, usually in a static position]
[Fang – a sort of elite within the Sleeping Dragon Clan (Lilith probably would have been promoted to a fang if she hadn't left the Clan, she wasn't necessarily the best, but she was a rising star and was of the bloodline)
I don't know if I really want to include the term Fang or an equivalent in the game....]>>

Which leaves him fairly powerless within the Clan, combined with the fact that Deacon's demonic nature will probably get them attacked on sight, does not leave them in a very favourable position to be asking for help.


  • The kids then proceed to inspire Adamas with Lilith's faith in him in to get help from the Clan
  • He proceeds to steal the compass that will lead them to the Legacy sword
  • He neglects to mention that it is stolen
  • They proceed to the location, and meet some clansmen who are guarding the sword, who are waiting for them
  • Adamas steps forward to negotiate its procurement
  • He tries various arguments, centrally that the sword is the rightful inheritance of his bloodline
  • The guards reject his appeals, telling him that the ancestral bloodline is broken, and that the sword is a historical artifact to the Sleeping Dragon Clan
    • Note that the Ancestral Sword is bloodbound, meaning it can only be wielded by the one with its binder's blood in their veins
    • Technically, it doesn't have to be, but it is beneficial, and assumed to be
  • Deacon interrupts them, asking if all their Clansmen are like them
  • They answer affirmatively, the Clan is filled with great warriors
  • Deacon responds: good, then I don't have to hesitate before opposing them; and attacks them, killing them both
  • Rayne and Adamas are a little stunned at the double homicide
  • Deacon justifies that they are on a righteous mission, whereas his opponents were cowardly dogs of men who would rather protect a relic that is useless to them than put it to use in their rightful hands; that they knew that they were seeking out their oldest foe, and still they opposed him, simply out of prejudice of his demonic nature
  • Adamas sheepishly interjects that they might not have known about their mission, as he never really told the Clan about it
  • Rayne asks how he managed to get the compass without revealing that
  • Adamas admits that he stole the compass
  • Finding themselves a band of thieves, outcasts, traitors, and murderers, they proceed to retrieve the Ancestral Sword on a sour note

Next comes the great question of how to find the demon Sammael. Their original plan to use the Clan's information network essentially died along with the guards, and so they are forced to come up with alternate means. They begin debating how to find the demon, when Adamas mentions that it was Rayne's father who helped track down the demon when Sammael fought it.

Rayne is surprised to learn this, and asks how Adamas would know such a thing. He attributes it to his membership within the Clan, well, former membership I suppose.

With that, they head back to where they started; Diamond's dojo. Wanting to avoid any trouble with the Sleeping Dragons, they avoid the main roads on the way back.

They arrive, and are greeted by one of Diamond's students. Because of their scruffy appearances, she doesn't recognize them, and attempts to dismiss them, telling them that the dojo is not accepting challengers right now.

Rayne makes her presence known, and tells the girl that she is the daughter of the dojo's masters, and a world of trouble awaits the second year student that gets in her way. The girl quickly submits to Rayne's authority, and they quickly find themselves in audience with Diamond, while the girl runs off to summon Nigel.

Diamond almost immediately breaks into tears, hugging Rayne and detailing how happy she is that her daughter made it back safely; Rayne meanwhile is trying to console her mother with her well-being, and that she only left out of concern for Deacon. Upon hearing his name, Diamond tearfully goes over and hugs him as well, this time detailing how worries she was about him, after what she had heard happened from Nigel.

Diamond slowly regains her composure as the kids hug and reassure her. Deacon introduces her to Adamas, who has been standing awkwardly by the door all this time. Adamas identifies himself as Deacon's uncle, and Diamond responds that she is Rayne's mother. They start chatting and Rayne and Deacon give a sigh of relief.

It is at about this point that Nigel enters the room, and things go silent for a second. Nigel is bearing large scars over his left eye from the incident with Deacon, and it is the first time that everyone except for Diamond has seen them. Diamond tries to ease the air by greeting him in as jovial a tone as she can manage. The silence returns, only to be broken by Rayne's exclamation of concern and inquiry of the origin of her father's scars.

Nigel cocks his head slightly, and in a somewhat mocking tone asks her if Deacon never told her. Deacon retaliates; "you remember when we ran away for a few months because your (Rayne's) father tried to rip his (Deacon's) soul in half? Let's just say that they were a going-away present"

Tempers flare, and Diamond, sweet and civil as pie, interrupts them both by suggesting they sit down for some tea.

Rage turns to strict obedience in an instant, and Deacon runs off to put the kettle on, while Nigel sets out to prepare them a table. Adamas is dumbstruck, and asks Diamond how she just did that. Diamond tells him that it requires the right combination of a mother's love and a swordmaster's wrath.

Shortly thereafter, the group of them sit down at a private table in the dojo for some tea. First and foremost, Nigel and Deacon settle their score; neither meant to hurt the other, but in haste and shortsightedness or panic and fear they, however unintentionally, hurt each other. Needless to say, Diamond played he role of strict moderator for course of that discussion.

With that out of the way, the discussion turns to what happened with the children while they were away. A brief recap follows, which includes the death of Lilith, the betrayal of Sammael, meeting Adamas, and then retrieving the Legacy Sword, including the foulness surrounding Adamas' theft and the fight with the two guards.

Nigel and Diamond recount their experiences; she found him after he had been injured by Deacon and patched him up. Being injured and not wanting to be away when the children returned, he had to turn down an expedition to go out East.

Deacon interjects that he has healed and we are back safely, so why not come on an expedition with them instead. Nigel asks them where they intend to go. Admas tells him that they were hoping he could tell is that, Their objective is Sammael, and the Demon within him. Seeing as how Nigel was the one who tracked him down last time, that he might be up to do it again.

Nigel refuses, stating that it would be impossible. On his previous encounter with the demon, he was the one who discovered it, and he had the foresight to cast a tracking ward on the demon. Since it has since switched bodies his ward is useless, plus it has long since run out of mana to sustain itself.

Nigel tells them that Deacon should be able to sense the Demon at some range due ti his demonic natural demons have a natural affinity for magic and can sense each other innately.

Deacon interjects that he has never had any unusual ability to sense magic, and even when he met his father, he did not sense anything unnatural about him. Nigel responds that he does fact have an unusual ability to sense magic, he is on par with if not better than Rayne at seeing through illusions despite her lifetime of training versus his never-even-had-a-lesson at breaking them; back when he was a petty thief, he always had an eye for enchanted goods that exceeded random change; and as for not sensing anything from the Demon, it is likely that his demon blood was suppressed during his captivity – this is essentially a guess, but it makes sense that they wouldn't leave such a potential loose cannon metaphorically loaded with gunpowder and ammunition.

If he still has his doubts, they can put him to the test. Deacon and Rayne are instructed to sit down, and out of an assortment of identical looking objects, identify which of them have been enchanted. Deacon's ability quickly shines through, as Rayne's slower method of scrying each of them is no match for the ability to identify them en masse.

His point proven, Nigel begins preparation for their departure. Curious as to why he is so eager to see them off, Deacon asks him. Nigel responds that he knows his daughter very well, and once she has her mind set on something, neither Hell nor high water is going to stop her, and she is determined to help you to whatever end you so choose.

Deacon solemnly thanks Nigel for his (n) support in this matter, the whole thing has changed his (d) world, and having his (n) trust means a lot to him (d). Nigel levels with him (d), the two of them haven't really had much face time together, and he (n) has seen the mayhem caused by the Demon firsthand, and learning that Deacon was the son of such a creature was a shock, and to be perfectly honest, he (n) doesn't really trust him (d). However, he (n) knows that Rayne trusts him (d) and believes in him (d), and he (n) trusts his (n) daughter's insight and love more than his (n) own prejudice; that being said though, betray or hurt her and you (d) will live to regret it. Deacon laughs this off, replying "no I won't, as she would have the first shot at him (d), and she can be meaner than you (n)!" Nigel just tells him (d) to keep an eye on her and watch out for her.

They depart to the next room, where Diamond and Rayne are saying their goodbyes amidst hugging and mild crying.

Eventually Deacon and Rayne leave; the adults see them off, filled with the combination of pride and sandess that birds feel as their young fly out of their nest. Amidst their sentiments lies that their fears are allayed by the fact that they have each other; referring to both generations interdependence on their respective partner.

As Nigel and Diamond go inside to console each other, Deacon and Rayne come to the realization that they really don't know where they are going. Despite Nigel's assurance to the contrary, Deacon does not sense any trace of his father. Adamas suggests getting to a better vantage point, such as a mountain or tower in order to get a better scope of view. He suggest going back to his old tavern, as it resides on a mountain pass, and a wealth of information passes through there.

Despite the risk of running into Sleeping Dragons, they really don't have any better ideas; besides which Adamas has a cache of gold and supplies hidden there that could prove helpful. As for why he didn't use it before, he hadn't counted on the foul business with the Clan, and he's only getting it now so that the Clan doesn't get it first.

When they arrive, they take it slowly and cautiously; Adamas goes in first, and signals the kids to come in once he has determined the coast to be clear. Once inside, you are promptly ambushed and disarmed. The Clansmen that captured you have some exchanges with you, and you learn that Sammael has returned to the Clan, and will lead them forward to a new and prosperous age for them.

Deacon's ability to use magic without any items allows them to escape their captivity, and now knowing where to find the Demon, they resume their campaign. They know that the entire Clan will be against them, as based on the Demon's past exploits, his first objective was to neutralize any threats to him, and that makes them the prime candidates. Having established himself as the leader of the Sleeping Dragons, he will use their mighty resources to oppose them.

The Demon will most likely be in the Sleeping Dragon's headquarters, so they make their final preparations to stealthily attack it. The journey is long and arduous, but they arrive at last.

They make their way to the council room, which seats the highest ranking Fangs in the Clan against a mighty hallway.  

[This is as far as I have written the plot so far. It is quickly approaching climax, and I know that I want it to end with:]

...and the Demon dies laughing.

Until next time,

-Colin Souva

Thursday 3 January 2013

Legacy

Legacy is a project I have been working on for quite a while now, what is interesting (to me at least) is that it isn't the gameplay that makes this project memorable for me, it is actually the characters, moreso than the plot or game mechanics.

One of my aims for Legacy was to experiment with characters in an attempt to make more them more memorable; as a result of this I would test myself by waiting a few days and see if I could remember the name and character's overall personality and defining features. If I couldn't, then I obviously didn't do a very good job of making it memorable, and would tweak it again and repeat the process.

It is important to test not only the game mechanics themselves, but the impact of the game and characters on its audience; and let's not for get that you can use yourself as a guinea pig for this.

I started the design process with a vague idea of what I wanted. From my design document:
Legacy

3 Generations:
  • Ancestor
  • Parent
  • Child

Each Generation Contributes to their legacy, their heirlooms, and an overall plot.
Something about a family's secret war against some specific evil force
Probably two childhood friends or two rival families
Should include a central bloodline weapon
Order of the Sleeping Dragon?

Needs an awesome item crafting system:
-alchemy
-forging
-transmutation

Components:
-ingredients
-"parts"
-items
-gold
Unfortunately, because of the way I did this design, it was much more intended for my eyes only, so I will have to walk you through it as we go. From this basic idea, I started making up the cast. I generally start each character with a nickname - an identifier that describes their overall self in place of the name I haven't given them yet. I started off with Delinquent and Glasses-chan. Any post-design notes I have added in [italicized square brackets].
Delinquent's Parents:
Master Warriors
Father sealed a demon within himself [Sammael]
-demon grants superhuman strength, but takes control of the target's body
Mother is in hiding [Lilith]
Father was exceptionally powerful and reckless, willingly let the demon inhabit him, believing he could control it.

Was successful for a while, but has since lost control to the demon.

Glasses-Chan's Parents:
Archeologist (male) [Nigel]
Swordmaster (female) [Diamond]
Father travels the world, often accompanied by GC [Glasses-chan]
Mother runs a small dojo, she is skilled, but has never attained much prestige because she is a woman
-doesn't really want prestige because of the undesirable attention it would draw
Has unusually high numbers of female students
Father knows about the Sleeping Dragon Clan, and is looking for their legacy weapon

Delinquent – Deacon
Conceived after the possession of his father, his father left during the course of the pregnancy because he felt the demon fighting back and didn't want to endanger his wife or child.

Has inherited some demonic strength and other attributes. He is a delinquent, and while he technically lives with his mother, he usually just wanders. He is fairly cynical and antisocial, having grown up as something of an outcast among the gypsy children he grew up with.

Glasses Chan – Rayne
A disciplined sword fighter ready to take over for her mother
Studious and rigid; bossy
Strict about rules, and has the presence to enforce them
Met Deacon when she was trying to bully him into obedience, he was able to defy her
They quickly became rivals and eventually became friends
Smart and well-travelled
The Demon
Possesses his targets, uses their strength and abilities
Switches bodies when the last one dies
Will commit suicide to switch to a new body
Increases the strength of those he possesses
Has his own demonic abilities
Is weak to silver
The subject's eyes change to yellow; and they glow when exerting demonic powers. 
That is the primary cast of the Parent and Child generations. It is not the complete cast, even of those generations. I am walking you through the game as I created it, so things might jump around a little; which is fine, as things rarely proceed in a strictly linear format when designing. This article is borderline stream-of-consciousness, but I will post an additional article of the compiled design afterwards in a format more akin to the others I have posted already.

Magic
Magic is done differently in that humans cannot directly cast magical spells; they must instead rely on the use of magical items and scrolls. (Note that Deacon is not human)
Scrolls are fairly straight forward, they are single use items. They are fairly cheap, and you can even make your own with the required materials and skills.
Not anyone can use magic though, a character must have the appropriate skills and/or training in order to cast a spell, even with a scroll 
Demonic Magic
Demons are creatures of the ether, and as such can cast magic spells unaided.

There are two types of spells for a demon; blood spells and learned spells.
Learned spells are learned the same way humans do, and can be fuelled by either mana or by exhausting scrolls or items.
Blood spells are innate, and are learned automatically as a demon matures and grows stronger. They are always fueled by mana. <Note that demons have Mana while humans do not>

These were a guideline for the mechanics, however as I stated above, the mechanics are not the focus of this game; I have left them in here however, because they do have some interaction with the plots; speaking of which:

Plot – Ancestor 
The story ultimately starts 130 years ago, with the legendary Forgemaster Draco Dormien and the founding of the Sleeping Dragon Clan.

Originally just a small band of adventurers, their culminating moment would come when they are handed a huge amount of money from the King and asked to neutralize a particularly dangerous demon.

The demon's identity should be obvious. In order to bring it down, they realize they cannot kill it, lest they end up possessed, and instead decide to seal its powers so that it will not terrorize the countryside.

With the aid of a priestess, they were able to seal the demon within a special shrine. They proceed to collect their fee from the king and evolved from a band of adventurers into an elite monster-hunting clan, named the Sleeping Dragons Clan.

Ancestor Party – forgemaster, enchanter, priestess

Plot – Parents
The plot for the next generation of adventurers begins with an ill-fated expedition of Nigel's (GC's dad).
They are excavating an area of historical shrines that had been buried under a rock-slide many years ago. During the course of this, they uncover the Demon's shrine, and one of the workers is possessed by it, its sealing powers diminished by time and due to damage from the landslide.
Nigel, being a well-studied individual, recognizes the demon and casts a tracking spell on it before allowing it to run off into the wild. (note: i'm picturing a scene where you have to command workers to brace doors and hold off the demon while preparing the spell; set in a dark scary cave that looks vaguely like a mine)
<please note that most of the rest of this plot was written with a cynical tone, forgive it, as it's better than nothing> [I occasionally do things like this, because it is better to get it down then spend hours fiddling over making it sound "right" and accomplishing nothing]
After this, Nigel returns to Diamond and reiterates what happened, and the two of them vow to stop the demon. However the two of them realize that they are completely incapable of stopping the demon, and they choose to ally themselves with the foremost monster hunting organization of the time, (you guessed it) the Sleeping Dragons Clan.
Who should they receive as allies but Sammael and Lilith, a warrior and assassin respectively. Sammael is in fact a direct descendant of one of the clan's founders that originally trapped the demon, and he feels a certain obligation to help them out, recognizing the historical significance this demon plays to his clan, he agrees to wave the ordinarily exorbitant fee and lend them a helping broadsword. His better half, Lilith, tags along with him and the two couples follow Nigel's beacon off into the horizon.
Apparently, the Demon has been busy, and since his escape into the great blue yonder, he has exploited his immortality and taken control of a local gang, who in turn have taken control of the entirety of a small county. He is taxing the locals to death in order to fund a war band to get back at the Sleeping Dragons. His plans from there probably consist of ruling the world, as there would be basically no one left to oppose him (having taken out the greatest threat to him), but they aren't terribly relevant as they never come to fruition.
Our four heroes arrive in his county, and surmise the aforementioned scenario by talking with the locals, and after beating up a few gangsters, they head onward to the centre of the Demon's domain. They see the forces arising, and try to avoid them largely, counting on the demise of their beloved leader to lead to devastating infighting. Anyways, they sneak their merry asses into the Demon's inner sanctum, and fail in their initial attempt to seal the demon away again, when Sammael has the brilliant idea of being deliberately possessed by the demon and sealing it within himself. He clears everyone else out, lest they be possessed instead of him, and proceeds to fight the already wounded demon and kill him. The demon possesses him, but due to a number of pre-arranged magical seals and the sheer power radiating from his manly abdominal muscles, the demon is contained.

I have written a good deal of plot for the Children's generation, but it is actually very long, and will be posted in a separate article. I will continue here with additional design information. Having the plots largely in hand, I focussed a bit more on the characters:

Characters 
Forgemaster – Draco Dormien
Enchantress - Felecia
Priestess - Sakura
Archaeologist - Nigel
Swordmaster - Diamond
(Possessed) Warrior – Sammael (Deacon's Dad)
(Gypsy) Assassin – Lilith (Deacon's Mom)
Glasses Chan – Rayne
Delinquent – Deacon
Demon - ???
Monk Shrine Guard – Odis (aka Sido) <In Children's plot>
Clan Officer - Adamas Dormien <In Children's plot>
Priestess 
Weapons: Bow, Charms, Staves
Magic: Healing, Sealing, Holy
Colours: White, Red
A righteous priestess whose motivation lies in protecting the locals from the terrors of the Demon. 
Enchantress 
Weapons: Magic
Magic: Various
Colours: Green Gold
A greedy magic user whose motivation comes from loyalty to Draco and the shiny rewards.

I again, started with nicknames, and put down names as I came up with them. I added information about the Enchantress and Priestess, who have no real character development anywhere else. I also want to add, that the Enchantress is greedy, but ultimately good-natured, along the lines of Nami.

I also want to note that Lilith (Deacon's mom) poses as a gypsy in order to hide her identity, so that she can raise Deacon in peace. Deacon is unaware of her abilities until later on.

Designer's Notes
The Legacy weapon will be forged by the player
Currency will likely be metal coins and gems, which have weight, and can be used in forging weapons.
Deacon has to face his father in single combat and kill him. Because he is part-demon, he cannot be possessed, and that is the only way to beat the demon.
Think 'Bronze Age' in terms of technology
I liked the idea of the Bronze age; it makes it easy to use metal as both a currency and means of forging weapons and armour (that does not feel tacked on). It also keeps Iron largely out of the picture, as Iron is very strong, and not very valuable, which kind of defeats the viability of using any other metal. I am instead using Iron as strictly Meteoric Iron, and therefore extremely valuable, to fit in with its strength.

I have many pages of notes on the mechanics of this game, but they are completely untested and therefore not worth the space they would take up on the page. I will instead give a few highlights of the more interesting (and experimental) concepts:

Damage System
damage works like so:

damage is multiplied by the number of hits the target has taken;
first hit – 1x damage
second hit – 2x damage (3)
third hit – 3x damage (6)
fourth hit – 4x damage (10)
et cetera.
This applies for you as well as against you.

Weapons have radically ranging attack damage which is generally fairly low;
eg. D6, D10, 2D6, D6+1, or something like that depending on the weapon's class.

This will be modified by what the weapon is made of;
Iron is strong and gives significant bonus (+2)
-Note that Iron is extremely rare and valuable, and prone to oxidization.
Bronze is strong and gives a bonus (+1)
Gold and other weak metals have penalties instead (-1)
Note that this bonus is applied per dice rolled for damage.
I think that this makes for a strongly skill-based system, as even if you have an enormous amount of hit points, they will disappear extremely quickly if you allow large combos to work against you, as the damage from a combo scales triangularly.

Hits are usually animated as being blocked, parried, or dodged. Your total HP is an indication of your energy and therefore the ability to make these blocks.

+Having a shield radically increases your health, by percentile.

Wounding hits occur when a hit (after applying multiplier) would reduce you to 0 HP or less. The multiplier is not applied, but instead the target gains a WOUNDED status effect (and still takes regular damage). A character can be wounded multiple times. Note that being wounded breaks a combo against you.

Being wounded is not a good thing. It reduces your Strength, and costs you HP over time. (Some creatures can track wounded individuals, and would be more likely to attack if you have wounded members in your party.) (Some spells and abilities can only target wounded characters)
 The largest facet that I have left unmentioned is the Legacy weapon itself. It is forged by Draco Dormien in the Ancestor storyline, and is passed down through the game to the Children's storyline. There is to be a forging system to let you craft and customize your weapons and armour, and the pinnacle of your creations from the first generation will be passed down to the last. The details of this system I am not currently happy with, and therefore won't bother publishing; as a generality though, the metals used for currency are melted down and forged into items and then enchanted.

The Children's plot will follow in a future post; until then,

-Colin Souva