Level UP!

Demigod has evolved into...

I won't beat around the bush. Demigod Beta 3 has come out, and it is promising. Quite the face lift, in fact, but no where near pretty. The update added the last two Demigods back into the Beta. Connectivity is up, a new opening that actually has a hint of fluff and history was put in, and one more major feature that is the highlight of today's post: The Pantheon!

Take 'em Head On

The Pantheon isn't you're typical tournament. Rather then typical bracket, each player must choose to fight on the side of light or the side of dark. From there, anytime you wish, you can play a game with one of the four heroes from your side. When you finish a game, you're awarded favor points according to your performance. These points are then added to a total, and the first side to 100,000 wins. 

Personally, I think that system rocks.

I know this seems overly simplistic and may seem like you, as a player, are ineffective. But, if you watch the scores, its exciting to see the two scores fluctuate. But what is even more exciting is where the tournaments could go; however, it requires Stardock to do one thing: create clans.

Think about it. You have a clan of about 20 and can represent your clan in a giant clan tournament between hundreds of clans, or you can challenge another clan to a tournament. Its just you're boys vs the world, all on your own, time after time. You could make teams in your clan that work cery well together and stratgize together, launching Demigod into the competitive realm. Stardock also records your scores, allowing you to see your statsand to track and compare your stats on Stardock's website. Nice.

Another possibility is side variations. Stardock could have a tournament where the demigods switch up or where only assassins can be used. And since I have a big thing for fluff, this would allow Stardock to implement more insight into the Demigod events by having stories of new alliances or events. The Queen of Thorn's roots could have grown into the rook's walls causing them to work together for a tournament. When they fight together, it gives the Rook an armor boost when teamed up with her or a boost to the Queen when she attacks him. Variations could result in intriguing tournaments every week.

Bring Your A-Game

When I saw the Pantheon, my competitive drive kicked in. Rather then "dabble" in several Demigods, I wanted to become good with one. I've played quite a few games this week with the Unclean Beast and I've just started to notice the competitive depth the game carries. I found three or four ways to build the Beast without even considering items (though, only one build was truly effective). Beta 3 also allows players to play on several different maps with several different game modes, all effecting your build. In maps where there are less creep spawns, perhaps it is better to invest more on single target spells rather then AOE since there is less pushing and more head-to-head.

On the downside, Pantheon isn't working quite right. Most of the time, you just end up playing AI, and in Demigod, AI demigods are simply pushovers. I easily obtained 50 kills in a game, hands down... That, however is a technical issue. I was also severely disappointed with item effectiveness and variations (I'm still hoping for item recipes down the road). Some items are just rendered useless or too useful. Seriously, has anyone else found the awesomeness of the Heart of Life? You never lose time having to go heal or wait for mana and it has only a 30 second cool down into you can fully heal (24-ish with cooldown buffs).  But, remember, it is a Beta, and balance comes with time.

Epilogue

So that is my initial thoughts on the Pantheon and its only going to get better once the bugs work out. But if, by chance, you see me in game, say "Hi!" and let me know what you think about the game. I like to know how the community feels about the game. 

See you next week!

Apologies

Always Something to Do

I must apologize to any adamant readers of mine (if any). My week has become insanely busy and 

I must postpone this week's post till the weekend when I have more time. Sorry.

Christmas Come Early!

First Impressions

       Alright Ladies and gents, here's the run down. My other, non-Demigod duties have been calling this week (blasphemy, I know) so I must apologize for this post is going to be late as well as short. Better then nothing... right...? Of course!

       However, I have not been neglecting my faithful readers (all 3... 2 and 1/2) entirely. With Beta 3 so close, yet so very very far, I gave in and have started my official beta of the game today. I must say, its pretty sweet. And, in attempts of a semi-professional manner, I've made a list of pros and cons:

Pros

  1.   The game is visually stunning. The graphics make the game seem less like most RTS I've played, making your hero seem much more impressive. Sadly, I had to turn them down for my Dell XPS. Silly laptop.

  

  2.    I'm gonna be lame and say the menu interface. I'm not using this as a cop-out, I seriously appreciated the simplicity of the menus, particularly the hero selection screen. You have the hero model in the middle with 3 buttons on either side (generals and assassins). I really appreciated the fact that it wasn't just a drop down menu. 

  3.    Controls and game-play basics are quick to learn. The controls mimic most RTS games making the game a "pick up and play" for anyone who every played one. And though it took five minutes to look through the abilities, once you pick one, its a one button process.

Cons:

  1.     It lagged on my end. Most likely my computer or my crappy Internet connection, but that             was the biggest obstacle at the time. I'm going to figure it out though, so no worries.

  2.     Though the very basics were really easy to pick up, everything else has a steep learning curve. With items, unit upgrades, skills, enemy skills, hero builds, flags, towers, leveling up, etc. I didn't even know where to begin on a competitive level. That will definitely come in time though.

  3.     When I was a general, it drove me absolutely crazy that I could not see my current selected units, let alone stats. If I really had to micro-manage, I think I'd have to hurt something...

  4.     I couldn't find a whisper command, at least "/w" didn't work... But that is very minor and one probably already exists, i just haven't figured it out yet.

I Sneeze Acid...?

       Yea, I know its a pretty shallow list... I only had time for two games. Plus, I don't want to make any judgements early on. And for those of you wondering "Hey, why didn't you just use the numbered list format built into the blog", the auto format uses flowers...

       But, I must say, I really did enjoy it. I rocked out with the Unclean Beast first match and I really liked how he played. He reminded me of Pudge from my Dota days. Now if only Unclean Beast could pull enemies to him with his giant, hooked, acid tongue that'd be really sweet.... (*cough* Stardock *cough*). I attempted a harassment build with his damage-over-time ability (a DOT for those not in the know *awink*) and his exploding corpse skill. Didn't want to risk the pestilence AOE damage skill due to too much lag. I didn't want to lose control of it and have it kill me. Only downside was that a harassment build was a little too easy against AI. From what I hear though, everything is  little too easy against AI.

Epilogue

       Well, I said it would be a short post, but hey, last week's was extra long, so go read that instead! I'd also like to give a shout out to specialissimus from my first game. He played a 1v1 with AI so i could get a hang of it. I'd also like to thank prozombe for not only playing with me and showing me some common problems of the game (like the difficulty of a comeback), but for reading my blog as well. Also, I'd like to apologize to Hunkd379 for the lag for when I hosted. Nothing I could do about it.

       So if you guys see me in game, say hi, tell me how much you like my blog (or how much you hate it... I suppose), chat about Demigod, or anything you want really, and play a game or two. Who knows, I might even mention your name. Oh joy!

Laters!

Story Time!

Welcome Back!

        To those who are new, I'd like to say welcome and enjoy, and to those few, but much appreciated, returning, I'd like to say welcome back. It's time for my second weekly post on "A Beta Blogger" where I document and discuss game betas. As mentioned in my last post, I've been following an exciting new game called Demigod and will soon be joining the beta upon the release of beta 3 , the balancing beta. Though, perhaps it will not be that soon.

        Though the release of Beta 3 has been pushed back for an unknown amount of time, estimated by the community to be several weeks, the game is still seeing much improvement. Last week, Beta 2D was released which focused on increasing the stability of online play. In addition, the main page got a makeover (which I must say, looks quite epic) with new graphics, art, and color scheme. But, my favorite addition in the last week, by far, is a new section on main page: the mythology page. But before I get you all excited and giddy, I must not get ahead of myself, more on the mythology is on its way. Luckily, though, brings us to a nice and easy segway to the topic of today's post: story.

Empty Throne

        The story of Demigod, that I've accumulated from the Demigod website and blogs, is short but sweet. It begins when a great and powerful champion, known as Fell-Darkur, led a crusade across whole worlds, growing strong enough to slay creatures that were semi-divine. One of the creature's father, the Progenitor or, as his offspring lovingly referred to him as, "the Allfather" had the displeasure of watching his child become murdered. Gathering the rest of his kin, the Allfather planned to exact revenge on Fell-Darkur, but the Ancients were not happy. Long ago, the beings of power, known as "the Ancients", or more commonly, "the Gods", had already cast out the Progenitor from amongst them and found it was time to punish him again.

        The Ancients removed the Allfather from the Deep Place along with all his children. There is now a throne open in the heavens. Only those of his children who survived the descension and retained what remained of their godhood could take up the crown. Only the most powerful and most favored by the Ancients could follow in the footsteps of their father. With only one solution, the Ancients cast the children to Rokkur, the place of battle. 

        Eight have already been discovered, and the arena is set, waiting...

The Allfather, Smallsmader!

        Now, you might be saying, "Sweet, cool story! Now lets see the game...", but there is more to this story then just the plot, in this game and every game. The story is the reason to the rhyme. It dictates why things are happening when you play the game, and more importantly, how you make things happen in response. If the story is too condiluted and distant from the game, discourse is created as well as confusion. On the other hand, if the story is too detailed and too great, it becomes overwhelming. A lot can be seen from the story alone.

        So what does this mean for Demigod? Well, lets take a look at the story. It is simplistic, yes, even borderline cliche, but its biggest blessing, and curse, is that its open-ended. Now, these aren't bad things, but there are several things to be considered. Given the story and the fact that it is a multiplayer based game means that the single-player is going to take a hit, a hard hit. There is talk that the single player will be much like Unreal Tournament: A series of loosely related matches similar to how the game is played online. There will be no real variation for the characters resulting in campaign replay value (though, this is still a possibility, but the resources and time required are most likely to great. Perhaps in the downloadable content?). 

        I, personally, think this is a shame because the possibilities of the story could result in a very, very immense, exciting, and fun world. But if a story can't be plot driven, then make it character driven. Now, originally, I was going to take this time to harp on Stardock because I couldn't find ANY information on the eight heroes, be it statistical or bios. But, as perfectly timed as only coincidences can be, Stardock updated their site yesterday, and made me feel a little better because they posted the first of eight character bios, starting with Demigod's posterboy:The Rook.

        You win this time, Stardock... You win this time...

Fable Love Used for Fun Fortifying

        Do you remember "Story Time" in Kindergarten when the teacher would put away her stuffed animal alphabet and pull out a tale of funny antics, colorful pictures, and interactive pop-ups, and all the kids would sit in a circle around the teacher eating snacks except for the annoying kid who always ate too much sugar and kept interrupting as he ran around with a kool-aid stain around his mouth? Fond memories for sure. Now don't get all nostalgic for the wonderment and excitement of a simple pop-up book. We still have them for adults, they just look different and are much more interactive. You see them everyday. You spend many enjoyable hours in front of them. They're called video games.

        Many times in recent years, I feel like we overlook such an integral part of video games: the story. With huge multiplayer games, like WoW, taking over the market that put much more emphasis on multiplayer interaction then the plot and world, we loose that feeling of being in an epic novel or even movie. Luckily, we have games like Biosock and Fallout 3, two of my personal favorites, that come packed with intricate detail and a story of epic proportions that unfolds right before your eyes, making the world seem like a universe all on its own rather then an image on the screen.

        Now I'm not badmouthing Demigod, not in the least bit. It has more storyline in Beta then most purely online games. I'm just saying, in the future, why not take it a step further? Why not blow the competition out of the water? I look at the heroes of the game, and I am always in awe of how they epic they seem. These are beings of some sort that, one way or another, have achieved power great enough to make them partial Gods! That's INSANE. They accomplishe it each in a different way and in a different place. How amazing is that? Since the game, plot wise, isn't' going foreword until if and when an expansion comes out, I say, go back. You have such a diversive immense tool at your fingertips. Now, how do you do this, you ask? With Fable LoveUsed for Fortifying Fun, or as I like to call it, Fluff. Minor details that exist only to allow the player a more in depth view of the world they are playing in. If done poorly, they seem like a waste of time, but if done correctly, can make the game that much more immersing.

        What I would love to see in the future, perhaps through downloadable content, is the past of these mysterious Demigods to grow in depth as the game goes on. I like how the Rook's biography is more of a legend then a story, but I, personally, would go crazy if parts of this quarry-worker's unknown history and detail made its way into the game, allowing us to see what made him tick while still keeping the air of legend.

        It is kind of hard to explain how I would go about adding this character fluff, so let me give an example.

Variety, Variety, Variety

        Hero variations. A little item, talent, or detail the player can choose to give the hero a slightly different feel. Each week, after the game comes out, Stardock could release a new optional, free talent for the hero. For example, the rook could chose Hands of the Stone Worker.

        Each variation would come with a story from the Hero's past. For Hands of the Stone Worker, I am thinking of something along the lines of: In his youth, Mard felt the cold hard stone call out to him, leading him out from his home and into the wilderness. It is there that he ran his hand over the cool stone of the earth, seeking its strength. Upon its touch, Mard knew something lay there, amongst the earth, something he sought, something powerful. So Mard began to dig into the stone. For years he would sneak out of the village and continue to work long days at his own quarry, breaking his back and bearing its pain. Finally, years after he had started, he had reached the bottom. Excited, he searched for his long awaited treasure, but found only the stone surrounding him. Distraught, he fell to his knees and stared at his hands, the hands that carried countless tons of stone from the earth, hands that had ached and bled for as long as he could remember, hands... hands that now were collapsed and strong, hands to a body that towered over any other villager with muscle and brawn. The hands that now shown the strength of the earth.

  Each item would also have a pro and a con by adding X to one stat and subtracting Y form another. This would allow for variations of the hero while still maintaining a balance. For example, Hands of the Stone Worker could give the Rook a damage boost to melee attacks but lower his attack speed (I'm not giving this as a balanced example, just an example of how the idea would play out. I have yet to play the game and become familiar with any sense of statistical balancing). The talent/item/option could also change the model slightly by making the Rook's hands a darker color or something simple, not a whole new model or anything too complex, but that still offer a visual sense of its existence.

        I know that a constant stream of such details would keep me interested for a very long time, as well as add a little more attachment to and enjoyment from the hero I'm using.

Epilogue

        Aight, that's the end of my second post. I hope you guys enjoyed it! I know it was a rather long post, but I had a lot of information I wanted to talk about. Perhaps I'll expand on some of the ideas in the future. I also just want to reassure you, readers, that I know Demigod is still in its Beta, and much can still change. I am writing about what I'd like to see and I'm not insinuating Stardock isn't going to deliver. Come back next week when I'll most likely give in and download the Beta. Then the fun really starts

        Happy Hunting!

Amongst the Gods

Permission to Dock

       I am very excited to announce that, today, January 28th, is the first official post of "A Beta Blogger". I have found a game as well as a very supportive community to blog about. I cannot tell you all how excited I am. But, before I talk about the game that I am going to be beta-ing, I want to ask you a question.

       Have you ever heard of Stardock?

       Because if you haven't, I'm sure you will, and soon (and not just from me, mind you). Stardock is a small software company located in Plymouth MI that develops utility programs such as a Windows version of the Mac taskbar called ObjectDock. But, they've also been publishing games for quite some time, most notably their recent victory Sins of a Solar Empire which made Gameasutra's top 5 list of 2008. And they don't plan to stop their.

       Their name has been coming up constantly during the discussion for the future of PC games. Their name has even been associated, along with Valve, with "[defining] the 'new old wave' of PC gaming". And, on top of that, they're taking all this positive attention and blasting off with it (I like horrible puns, get used to it). Stardock recently announced that they are planning to release two new PC titles every year. Ambitious? Yes. Exciting? Very. Doable? Hell, I think they can. Watch these guys, I get the feeling their going somewhere, and fast.

Game-On!

       But what does Stardock have to do with my small, unread, yet ambitious blog? Well, as I'm sure you've guessed, this little space-gem of a company is currently developing a little game I like to call:

       With the help of Gas Powered Games, Stardock is about to main-stream a new style of gamplay. And the best news, as I'm sure you have already guessed, is that Beta has started. Now, I have not had the honor to play Demigod yet, but all good things come to those who wait for the community has informed me that Beta 3 starts in a week. Beta 3 marks the point in the beta when the technical aspects of the game have been mostly completed and all that remains is balancing. The best part is its really easy to join. All you need is to pre-order a copy of the game through Stardock. Then you just download, install, and have at it.

A God Amongst Men

       Now, just because I haven't played the game yet, doesn't mean I can't share my excitement. Now, I have spent hours reading the website, community forums, and fansites, and I think I have a pretty good idea about what Stardock and GPG are up to. Now, forgive me if I'm wrong or if they make changes by the time the game comes out, but this will be fun to see how accurate my predictive description will be.

       The game concept, in theory, is relatively simple. You have your base, and, across the map, through a series of criss-crossing paths, your enemy has theirs. Naturally, only one can stay standing. Periodically, each base will spawn several troops to traverse each path and fight their way towards the enemy base, ultimately ending in a stalemate as the forces swing to and fro like a pendulum. That's where you come in. Choosing one of 8 badass heroes, you rush into battle to lead your side to victory. You can play as one of four assassin based heroes focused on direct damage output and hero killing, or one of four generals, designed to having a mini-army of their own. Throw in hero levels, items, ability trees, tactical, gold-giving capture points, and a whole mess of strategy and you've got yourself hours of fun.

       Oh, and don't forget the endless and free online play.

       Now, before you say, "Hey Beta, that sounds a hell of a lot like DOTA...", let me confirm your suspicions. Yes, Demigod was inspired by the insanely popular Warcraft III map, Defense of the Ancients. But this isn't some small, single developer, game of a game, this is a full fledged real deal, one that has got me drooling because God knows I've played A LOT of Dota. 

RTS, RPG, or HBALRTRPTSG?

       Now, I know your saying "OMG Beta, why aren't you a comic artist?", or "Beta, that is the most awesome comic I've ever seen!", and "So, Beta, which is it, a RPG or RTS?" Well, in response to one of those (and you have to guess which statement I'm referring to), the answer is... neither. 

       In Demigod, you focus on one unit under your control: your hero. As you battle monsters, you gain experience, level up, buy items, and cast spells. Obviously making it an RPG. Well, not exactly. Though you focus on your hero every match, you start over every game and don't put consecutive effort into building up your character.

So then, obviously, its an RTS, if the controls are similar and the view is the same, then that must be the best answer, easily. Except... that its not. Though it feels like an RTS, the common themes of unit production, resource management, large scale army tactics, and micromanaging are pretty much non-existent.

       In truth, this has been an on-going debate within the forums. Do we give it an old name and stereotype with something its not? Or do we give it a new name, one that is unfamiliar, but possibly intriguing? Though Action Real Time Strategy and Hero Based Strategy Game seem to fit better then Real Time Strategy and Role Playing Game, can they accurately describe gameplay in so few words? Truthfully, we don't have an answer yet, though, luckily, we still have time decide. However, my personal favorite from the forum is easily Hero-Based Arena-Located Real Time Role-Playing Tactical Strategy Game, or HBALRTRPTSG for short. So is this the horizon of a new genre, or an amazing sub-sect? I suppose we'll just have to wait and see!

Epilogue

       So that concludes my first post! I hope you all have enjoyed reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing it.  Let me know what you think here on the blog or back in the Demigod community forums (if you belong, that is). Come back next week as I look into the story of Demigod and what it could mean for gameplay, and, hopefully, engulf myself into Beta 3.

Byes!

Intent

As the title so clearly states, this post is my mission statement. I made this blog so that I can document and go in depth into games I will beta, outlining what I like, don't like, and what the game has to offer from a designer's perspective as well as a player's, naturally.

Once a week (and potentially more often) I will pick apart everything from fluff to bugs in a constructive manner, hoping to make the product better and maybe even get the word out.

I am excited to see where this goes.

Wish me luck.