CthulhuTech the Movie: Pacific Rim

Greetings all.

Longtime fan of the Cthonian Mythos as originally penned by H.P. Lovecraft and extended by innumerous other authors. It was a damn shame that the Mountains of Madness Movie was canceled and all of the other Cthonian movies (of which there are many good ones) have all been B-films and fan projects.

I have also long enjoyed Cthulhu-inspired gaming, from the old staple of Call of Cthulhu to things like Cthulhu dor d20/D&D and so forth. A number of years ago I came across a rather lovely game system & setting known as CthulhuTech. Check it out, it's awesome. Fans of Guyver should also be rather happy with the Taggers and other entities as well I would imagine.
Link: http://www.cthulhutech.com

In any event, you can imagine my surprise and interest when Pacific Rim was announced a while back. Naturally I immediately thought of CthulhuTech and I do wonder if anyone involved in dreaming up and producing the movie was aware of the game. It's not a far cry to imagine the Jaegers as prototype Engles; and that despite how horrible things have become in Pacific Rim (according to the trailers) that the worse horrors have yet to arrive.

Personally I hope the movie does well; and unless the threat is entirely eliminated in the scope of the movie, that the universe established is not left to rot.

IMNSHO the world needs more Cthulhu-inspired movies and games that are handled as well as I hope Pacific Rim is (and that I know CthulhuTech has been). Nuff said.

Banished: Still in Alpha, looks better than many games at Launch

Greetings all, today I am going to talk a bit about an upcoming game from Shining Rock Software called Banished. This is a game that I believe I stumbled upon thanks to the wonders of YouTube, in the recommended video links I saw the lovely trailer that will be embedded below. As you watch, please take into account that this is Alpha footage from May 20th 2013.

 

As you can see, Banished is a city-building game that is already looking rather impressive. Thus far in terms of total sum information, a lot is already known. The developer has been making regular blog posts on their site for the last couple of years, chronicling the stages of development up until this point. While I drum up a list of some of the awesome features the game is boasting, check out this recent (again Alpha footage) gameplay/building demo.

Features of Banished: Even though the game is in Alpha, it is nearly feature complete, as the developer behind the game has a good grasp of what Alpha and Beta stages of software are really supposed to mean. Here is a short but sweet list of some of the features I find most impressive.

• Disease: Yeah, an odd one to start with, neh? But you have to worry about your civilians getting sick and dying. Interacting with traders from off-map is a worry thus, as they can import more than just their goods when they come a-visiting. Same problem (presumably) when new migrants arrive.
• People are a Resource: It looks like each and every entity in your settlement has a name. They seem to develop family units and live in houses and, unlike in a certain recent city building game, you can follow an individual around, see their profession, etc. It really sucks when one of your people dies in Banished, because it takes time to replace them. That's right, natural population growth via the old-fashioned method of breeding.
• Real Consequences for Actions: Want more firewood? Cut down some trees. However the deer that used to live there (that you could hunt for venison) no longer have a home. Want to mine out an area for more stone? Say goodbye to ever using that plot of land for something else again. Farm the same bit of land too often with the same crop? Leech the nutrients out of the soil and ruin the soil. Overfishing? Check.
• Eighteen (18!) Different Professions: Laborer, Hunter, Vendor, Builder, Woodcutter, Trader, Farmer, Forester, Miner, Herdsman, Stonecutter, Blacksmith, Gatherer, Herbalist, Teacher, Fisherman, Tailor and Physician. Yup, a good list.

Banished, a survival sim crossed with a medieval-tech era city builder. If you are still reading this, go check out the information on the official site and swing by the community forum at: http://www.banishedforum.com

Warning, Politics Inside: Seeds of Discontent

The United States of America is facing a serious crisis, as more people are becoming dissatisfied with the workings of their government. The current administration, as well as holdovers in other branches of government, seem to have lost sight of a very simple fact: The government of this country serves at the sufferance of the people; meant to serve the best interests of the people.

Every nation and every government faces problems like this many times in their history. Some are destroyed by it, others fare better. The current problem however is a very interesting one, as it is a conflict of interest between the people themselves and the 'ruling class' of politicians that are supposed to be our chief servants.

More and more the politicians of the country are passing laws and making deals that favor themselves, their allies and close friends at the expense of the common man. This is a truly unacceptable situation. In theory this kind of problem is meant to be self correcting: If you don't like your representative or senator (or governor, president, etc.), choose someone else when an election rolls around!

And herein lies the problem. Even as the information age continues to advance and information becomes more readily available and accessible, it seems a lot of folk are very ignorant (or have bad information) about very important issues. Compounding the problem is the matter of belief: Some issues have taken up a religious significance (the environment, etc.) where certain folk have chosen the path of self-delusion, adhering to what they believe and damn the truth.

The mishandling of the budget and the economy are only some of the sins of the current and recent governments. Frankly I find much of what is occurring to be morally reprehensible. Unless the situation begins to remedy itself, I fear our country may face a revolution in its future. All of the warning signs are present, for those who care to look. I only pray that an in-system solution is found before the people are forced to take their country back in order to free themselves from a growing tyranny.

My advice to the lay citizen of the country: Educate yourself on the issues that face us. Know your rights and express your voice in a suitable fashion. The system can be made to work for us again, but it will be difficult. Violence is the last refuge of the truly desperate and pray that we do not reach that stage.

Terraria: Pre-release Pre-beta Pre-Review

As one may expect, it is hard to talk about any game that is not out yet. Thus far it has not been all too many days since the first good information about Terraria started being revealed. As of this blog entry there are already hundreds (if not thousands) of people clamoring for information, posting on the official unofficial fan-forum and clogging a certain IRC chat. All in all a fairly typical new game announcement experience.

What we know so far

Terraria is a 2D kludge game that combines elements of of the Metroidvania genera as well as construction games such as Minecraft. Blend, serve, enjoy. The game can be played single-player as well as multiplayer. The gist of the game is much more adventuring and exploration (and combat) oriented as compared to something like Minecraft. Building houses and such does serve a purpose of course, to attract NPCs and to have a safe place to craft objects.

Crafting seems like it will be a big part of the game, an important thing to keep in mind for Terraria is a heavily equipment focused game. No leveling up, only the collection of items and tools that make your character more versatile and more powerful. Even the increases to health & mana levels are handled via exploration to find rare consumable objects.

There are tons of different objects in game so far, ranging from simple things like axes, swords and bows to more fun offerings like rings of regeneration, cloud in a bottle to grappling hooks and guns. The game is definitely a blend of fantasy, science-fiction and horror elements all rolled together. Inclusions of mobs like the Eye of Cthulhu is a wonderful example of how the game draws upon more contemporary mythology to include fun elements in-game.

Again and again the game comes down to exploration and adventuring to find the things you need. Even some of the boss fights can only be triggered (spawned) after the character has acquired the right objects.

The world size in Terraria will vary between 'small', 'medium' and 'large' maps. As of this post the large maps will be approximately three miles wide and one and a half miles deep. These measurements may vary between now and launch and we do not yet know the scale of the medium or small maps as of yet.

The Look & Feel of Terraria

Color me biased, but I have always loved sprite-based games. Part of it is from growing up playing such things of course. While some of the visual look of Terraria that has been revealed already may change as the sprite artist(s?) do their thing, the initial glimpse we have of the game is looking very nice. Despite the limitations self-imposed upon the game, the world of Terraria is one lush with color, light and shadow all blended in good measure.

The use of lighting in Terraria is well done. While the depths of the world may be pitch black and filled with monsters, the light of stars or the moon on the surface gives some brief bare illumination to the surroundings of the player... and the inevitable approaching monsters.

The Story of Terraria

So far it seems the lore & story of Terraria will be following a simple path: Allowing the players to come up with the story themselves. As an adventure/exploration/crafting sandbox this was not necessary per-se, but a lot of people do seem to like filling in their own ideas and motivations as to why things are the way they are.

Sometimes an official story and official lore are necessary, sometimes they are not. It remains yet to be seen whether the right decision has been made on this front as of yet. All I know for sure is that the world of Terraria is heavily reminiscent (to me) of the Megaverse Rifts setting from Palladium.

The Unknown Answers: Cost and Release Date

We do not yet have solid information on how much Terraria will cost or exactly when it will be released. Price ranges of between 10 and 20 USD have been mentioned, with a potential release (perhaps a playable beta) within 2 weeks to 3 months. There are likely a lot of behind the scenes elements that have yet to be put in place of course. Login servers, databases for tracking customer information (accounts, global login servers, etc.) and any official forums and wiki projects.

Links of Interest

If you are looking for more information on Terraria, here is an assortment of links that may prove very handy in the short term. There are already a number of good YouTube videos available showing off the game, from an official trailer to a series of official LP videos showing off the alpha state of the game.

Official Website: http://www.terraria.org/
Official FAQ: http://www.terraria.org/faq.html
Unofficial Fan Forum: http://terrariaonline.com/forum/
YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/demilogic
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/Terraria_Blue