Symbolism in writing (part 3)

The beauty of using symbolism in writing is that it is interpretative. The writer does not have to outright clarify meaning when using symbolism, so the burden is on the interpreter to prove, without a doubt, that it means what they think it does. If the writer is careful, the symbolism can be written in such a way that it has a duplicitous meaning--it could be interpreted as meaning one thing or another. Yet to discerning and like-minded readers, another meaning might emerge through symbolism. The writer might use this method to write to a particular crowd using colloquial language and symbolism to communicate ideas the author knows will resonate with that particular audience. For instance, homages can be made to other authors or works using subtle references that would only be picked up by fans of those works.

Symbolism in writing (part 2)

Writing in today's society is not the only profession that is facing the challenges of a less tolerant society. Comedians have been feeling the pressure as well, complaining that their jokes are being taken far too seriously. It has become common practice to "walk on ice" these days, because the wrong words or phrases can be totally misinterpreted or misconstrued by some. Perhaps there will be a shift in future society where individual expression is acceptable again, but in the meantime, those that depend on expression as a source of income need to carefully consider how to successfully navigate the current reactionary climate. Writers need to make a living from their work, and if their intent is not to write political or religious works outright yet still keep with some of their personal values in their writing, there is an effective tool a writer can employ to somewhat circumvent the challenges of the volatile modern environment: the use of symbolism.

Symbolism in writing (part 1)

It's difficult to convey certain ideas when writing in a manner that avoids the pitfalls of a negative reader reaction. Everyone has their own ideas and convictions, so the one thing a writer doesn't want to do is alienate readers. Writing is a form of expression, where the author should feel free to express personal thoughts and enjoy a positive response from other like-minded people. Recently, though, the more open a writer is, the more likely that writer will be to incite those that think differently. Not long ago, differences of opinion were tolerated and accepted--this is America, after all--and we not only have free speech as a protected right, we are a vast amalgam of different cultures from all over the world. But in today's society, differing viewpoints have sometimes been met with outright hostility. What is a writer to do?

Introducing Kids to TTRPG’s (part 5)

I've written all this because I know, personally, the value of playing TTRPG’s. I was a shy kid, a bit of an introvert, and someone who would do just about anything to get out of public speaking—I dodged more oral book reports and presentations than I can remember (I still did the reports, but managed to convince my teachers to allow me to do them on video instead of in person!) But, thanks to my aunt and uncle gifting me with my first D&D basic set when I was about 10 years old, I started to get into playing TTRPG’s. I also tried other TTRPG's, and found some friends to get together with me every weekend to play them. I usually played as the GM, but through all of those gaming experiences, I began to improve in skills that have helped me throughout my life. I read a lot because of TTRPG’s, and my vocabulary increased significantly, which really helped with my SAT’s and my writing skills. As a GM, I learned the qualities of a leader and became more competent at managing and facilitating groups of people. I learned to plan and organize large projects due to the massive storytelling campaigns I designed for my friends, which has helped me today with a variety of the projects that I’ve started, and finished. And I’ve learned, despite my introverted tendencies, to be an extrovert when necessary—a skill which has been vital to my work in many ways. These are just some of the benefits I gained from playing TTRPG’s when I was a kid, so it is my hope to see other kids have fun playing TTRPG’s while also learning some of these valuable skills for their future. Help spread the word about TTRPG’s to this new generation!

Introducing Kids to TTRPG’s (part 4)

The problem isn’t necessarily knowing that these games are out there, but it’s increasing awareness of what they’re about. These days, with the ability to search the internet or find about things through social media, it’s hard to imagine that there is much kids aren’t aware of. But the unfamiliarity is real, and the internet can actually be a great tool to expose kids to this hobby. All it takes is an excited conversation about a TTRPG, with maybe a few short stories of your best experiences thrown in (do keep these stories short, though! Gamers LOVE to ramble on and tell detailed stories!) Kids will usually become curious enough to look the game up online, and if there’s some follow-through, you might be able to help them get a group started. Gaming clubs at schools aren’t as common as they used to be, but they can be a great way to get kids gaming together, rather than gaming apart (online games). The gamers at heart are out there, and the instant friendships that develop through this shared interest can be extremely healthy to kids that might be over-stressed by the pressures of school and isolation—feelings of isolation that are often induced by social media and smartphones. Being involved in a TTRPG gaming group will helps kids on many levels, too…

Introducing Kids to TTRPG’s (part 3)

What can be done? I dislike being a salesman when I have to do it, but I’m involved in industries that sometimes require it of me. I’ve attended many gaming conventions and often spend time telling people about my TTRPG, Solar Echoes. I once heard some advice about the mindset a salesman needs to have, and it was this: “You’re not trying to sell something to someone, you’re just making them aware of something they didn’t know that they already really want and enjoy!” With that mindset, we can spread the word about TTRPG’s, not with the intent to sell them, but with the intent to make this younger generation more aware of these great games. When my daughter was younger, she invited a group of five friends over to our home to play Solar Echoes, and though only 1 of the girls had ever played a TTRPG, they all had a great time and played for hours, totally engaged in the game. I’ve gone to a club at a college to run a demo of Solar Echoes, and was invited back to coach one of the club members and help her learn to GM a game by herself. I’ve been invited to speak at several conventions about RPG game design, which has been great for increasing awareness about TTRPG’s. I’ve also talked to a lot of the kids I meet about RPG’s, showing them pictures of the game art and photos of the game being played by others, describing to them how it works. Having a presence on social media helps, too, and putting up related photos on things like instagram helps to further expose kids to TTRPG’s.

Introducing Kids to TTRPG’s (part 2)

It’s not just kids, though, because some of my adult friends struggle to find time for their RPG hobby as well. Long drives to weekend gatherings remind us of our weekday commutes, so it takes discipline to get ourselves out the door. Some adults have been turning to online RPG sites that allow for a TTRPG experience similar to sitting around a table together—people log in and chat live over webcams while looking at a live, dynamic map that the Game Master (GM) controls. Sites like Roll20.net do this well, and it’s a great way to have long-distance, convenient RPG sessions with friends. However, there’s really nothing that can compare with the experience of sitting around the same table together, sharing pizza, drinks, and laughter while shaking the dice in your hands before rolling with your signature style. Writing on your character sheet, moving your character miniature on the map, and cracking open game books for reference are also part of the fun. There’s nothing like seeing your groups’ GM grin deviously and dramatically place the model for a deadly villain on the map in front of you. And don’t forget the absolute satisfaction of working together with your team to defeat that horrible villain and seeing the disappointed look on the GM’s face as he realizes he underestimated you.

Introducing Kids to TTRPG’s (part 1)

If you’re unfamiliar with the abbreviation, TTRPG stands for Table-Top Role-Playing Game. I interact with different children fairly often and whenever I mention RPG’s, they are either unfamiliar with them, or they know them only in a video game sense. To their credit, video games have expanded the popularity of this genre and have introduce several generations to the concept of designing your own character to play in a story-driven open-world, making choices along the way while engaging in battles using skills your character has developed with experience. Yet the understanding of RPG’s often ends there, and kids are perplexed when I talk about table-top RPG’s. Many of them have never sat around a table with friends to play a game, because most interaction between gaming kids is through online multiplayer video games. I’m a huge fan of video games—don’t get me wrong—but it saddens me when I think about imaginative kids growing up without ever experiencing a TTRPG. I know there are still some kids that play them, but the popularity of TTRPG’s is generally more sustained by adults that grew up with them than kids of this current generation.

VR Game Review, Creed: Rise to Glory (part 6)

Guarding and ducking during a fight became crucial to success, because even though my fast flurries of punches were connecting, they became weaker if I didn't pace myself using the game's stamina mechanic. Sometimes my opponent would successfully punch me and I'd see myself pull out of my character's body, so I had to match my outstretched hand position with my characters to get sucked back into his body. A few times, my character was knocked down, and I was catapulted far away from my character, outside the ring. I had to swing my arms and run back toward him to get back into his body before the ref counted to ten. This became harder if I was knocked down again, because I'd end up further away and have to run faster to get back. But...so far, I haven't lost a match, and I've taken down 5 of the boxers. The ending scoreboard shows that I typically block 75% of my opponent's punches and he only manages to block about 15% of mine. I usually land around 90 hits to his 20, and I usually knock him down 4 times to the one time he usually manages to knock me down. I haven't tried career mode, yet, so I expect this will get much harder, but for my purposes, it's a very fun way to work up a good sweat and get my heart pumping. I've started to plan a 30 minute game session as part of my daily routine before I shower and head out to work!

VR Game Review, Creed: Rise to Glory (part 5)

In the training session of Creed, Stallone the trainer holds up boxing target-mitts with numbers indicating which order you are to strike in, but you have to be fast, because he'll then swing one of the mitts like a round-house punch and you have to duck in avoidance. This mechanic isn't bad, but I did feel like I had to duck a little longer than necessary in order for it to register in the game. This ducking mechanic is present in the fights, though, and if you time it right, your opponent's movement will slow into a “bullet-time” “Matrix” like slow-motion, which you can take advantage of to deliver a powerful punch to a vulnerable area. The “Fight” option lets you choose any of the available boxers for your character, and each one has strengths and weaknesses. You then choose any of those boxers to fight against, and finally, you choose the ring where you'll fight—one environment is even outside the ring in a back-alley. The match begins when you touch gloves with the other boxer, and I quickly found out that my boxer had a stamina limit—after throwing a barrage of punches, my boxing gloves began to blink, which meant that my punches no longer had much force behind them and I had to guard for a while to regain my stamina...

VR Game Review, Creed: Rise to Glory (part 4)

I could honestly recommend the game just for the gym itself, even if there wasn't the option to go into the ring with other boxers. The gym is a great place to train, with little games associated with each of the stations. For instance, the punching bag that is suspended in front of you by two cords between the ceiling and floor will fly out into the air away from you when you punch it, but then snap back towards you in the opposite direction with as much force as you delivered. As you punch it, it will randomly turn red when about to snap back, and during that time, you have to dodge it and let it fly past you instead of punching it. This becomes really fun as you get faster and faster. Another game with that punching bag is that there are floating targets you have to hit with the bag, changing the angle of your punch so the bag snaps into the target floating in the air before the target's timer expires and disappears. The hanging punching bags and the humanoid torso dummies also have minigames involving punching circles in accelerating sequences with numbers as they appear and disappear quickly in random locations. Even the treadmill is a good workout, which involves you swinging your arms back and forth (and you might as well jog in place), timing your “laps” and challenging you to improve your time as it slowly speeds up.

VR Game Review, Creed: Rise to Glory (part 3)

So what is Creed like, as a game? There's an option to do “Career,” which I haven't chosen yet because it sounds like a big time commitment. There's an online opponent mode, where you can fight other players live, but I have little interest in multiplayer video games, especially when a lot of online players are immature teens with no filter. So far, I've just selected “Free Play,” which starts me out in a boxing gym. I'm represented with the full-body avatar of a rather buff boxer wearing boxing shorts, shoes, and gloves. I can walk around the gym by swinging my arms back and forth like I'm walking, and my avatar's legs move in tandem. I can click-turn quickly, which is nice because it doesn't induce any motion sickness. In the gym, there are a bunch of workout stations: two heavy punching bags hanging from the ceiling, two humanoid-torso dummies, two round punching bags suspended at eye level by cords attached to the ceiling and floor, and a treadmill. Plus, there's a boxing ring, which you can go inside and train with a trainer-guy holding punching mitts that you have to strike. Oh, and did I mention the trainer looks exactly like Sylvester Stallone? It turns out, Creed is based on the movie, “Creed,” which features Stallone as Rocky Balboa. Usually games based on a movie are terrible, but I have to say, I've been impressed with this one!

VR Game Review, Creed: Rise to Glory (part 2)

The trouble with my job is that I sit most of the time, whether it's in the car for my long commute or at a computer. I don't have an issue with my weight, but because I've gotten so busy with work (and life), I don't even have time to attend martial arts classes anymore, which was my primary form of exercise. I'm not like some people, who can go for long runs or go to the gym to work out. For me, exercise has to really engage my brain and be interesting for me to do it. Otherwise, I can't make myself do something that—to me—is utterly boring, especially if I have a choice not to and I don't have the incentive of a need to lose weight. I do recognize that I need to stay healthy, though, and get some cardio in, so Creed was my attempt at finding some engaging exercise. Wow, was I surprised at how great of a solution this game has become! In less than thirty minutes, I was breathing hard and sweating noticeably (and I'd like to mention that it takes a lot for me to work up a sweat!)

VR Game Review, Creed: Rise to Glory (part 1)

A few weeks ago, I bought a new video game for the PSVR called Creed: Rise to Glory. I have to first say that I am not a fan of boxing—I've never been into it enough to watch any of the fights, I have only seen one or two of the “Rocky” movies, and I've never owned a boxing video game before. Why did I purchase this game, then? I do have a background in martial arts, and I've always hoped to experience a martial-arts VR game, so a boxing game seemed like it might be a taste of that. The second reason for my purchase, other than my interest in martial arts, was that I figured a VR boxing game would be a great workout. I've noticed with a few of my VR games that I sometimes work up my heart rate a little, playing sports games like Sparc or aggressively swinging a sword in Skyrim VR, but to be honest, they still don't really get my blood pumping that much and I never even work up a sweat. All that changed with Creed, though—this game is a serious work-out!

RPG's and Visual Novels (part 5)

The central character that you play in an RPG or a VN is really what sets apart the genres. The story of a VN is written about someone else—a character that already has pre-designed history, motives, and personality. So, while a VN is a story about someone else, an RPG is a story about you! In a way, it's actually a bit ironic, because the concept of an RPG—a “ROLE-Playing Game”--is that you play the role of someone else, which is what you're actually doing in a visual novel! This is similar in a JRPG, but in Western RPG's, you're either playing as yourself, or you're creating your own character as you go. VN's do allow that to some degree if they are the type of visual novel that allows you to make decisions as you play, which can sometimes shape the story into something entirely along the personalized path of a “new” character you've developed with those choices. Ultimately, my extensive experience with RPG's is informing the way I develop my VN. I am learning more about the genre by playing VN's and reading comments by VN fans, and I'm realizing that I need to keep the combat portion of the game small to keep the audience. That works out because the story I'm writing only calls for a small handful of combat scenes, and I may even design a mechanism to skip combat if that's your preference. The way I present combat may be somewhat of a hybrid of the two genres, but the way I present the protagonist is very much within the traditions of a visual novel.

RPG's and Visual Novels (part 4)

Another important distinction between the two genres of games is that RPG's are often “open-world” environments, meaning that you can explore and talk to whomever you choose. In a VN, although there are some choices to make along the way, you are often riding the rails of the story and the characters you talk with are part of a structured narrative. VN's allow for much more development of the characters because their responses to your choices feel more personal and deepen a sense of development in each relationship through extended, relevant conversation. In an open-world RPG, the different characters you interact with often have a set number of fixed responses and are limited in scope because you have the freedom to move around and talk to any of them. It's more free-form, almost like jazz, with themes and spontaneity. A visual novel, on the other hand, might be more structured and feel less free, but the complexity of development is something that could not be achieved spontaneously—it would require much more pre-planning with larger, interlaced themes and development, similar to classical music. One isn't necessarily better than the other but, like music, it becomes a matter of personal preference.

RPG's and Visual Novels (part 3)

I started browsing articles and forums to see what VN gamers felt about combat in their games. Here are a few quotes from different gamers, which seem to represent most of the sentiment I found in response to the combat question: “I'll take it if it's not required,” “When I play a VN I want to read and make choices,” “Having a VN with long stretches of unskippable mediocre gameplay really can turn an otherwise great story into something I may not even finish.” I continued to look into this question, and turned it around to see how much story RPG gamers want in their games. Some RPG gamers are all about story—a few seemed even more zealous about the necessity of a good story than VN players! A few quotes: “I would prefer if a game has a strong story. Otherwise, I can't get invested,” “Story is key for me, without a story the game is absolute [sic] useless to me,” “I usually cant get into a game unless there is a good story to follow.” Yet there were also plenty of RPG gamers that didn't feel like story mattered at all: “Story means nothing to me as long as the game is good,” “A good story will never push me to play through a game.” And finally, a few felt like story helped the game's longevity, like this gamer: “Having a great story really adds to replay value.” So, there's quite a wide gamut of opinions among RPG players as to the importance of story, but among VN players, opinions seemed overwhelmingly focused on the importance of story over combat.

RPG's and Visual Novels (part 2)

The contrast between RPG's and VN's involves the gameplay itself. As I was thinking about the combat system I'm planning for my VN, I thought to myself, “Well, RPG's and VN's could essentially be interchangeable--since RPG's use VN storytelling methods, why can't VN's use RPG combat methods?” I've played many video game RPG's over the years, and most of them delivered story using the VN method: static background art, static or slightly animated character art, and a text box at the bottom quarter of the screen that displays a sentence or two of spoken dialogue, which you advance through by pushing a button when you've finished reading each portion. Some RPG's I've played involved so much reading that I started feeling like I was reading a book, with a little combat tacked on as an excuse to call it an RPG. So wouldn't a game like that be considered a VN with a combat system? How would this be different than the VN I'm writing, which only has a few instances of combat?

RPG's and Visual Novels (part 1)

I encountered a really interesting dichotomy this week when considering a blend of RPG video game combat for the visual novel (VN) I'm writing. If you've ever played video game RPG's, especially JRPG's (J=Japanese), then you'll nod in understanding when I mention that many of these RPG's use a distinctly VN style of storytelling. You may wander around an open world fighting random monsters in an RPG, but without a story to move the game along and give you incentive to wander the world and fight monsters, there wouldn't be much of a compelling reason remaining for you to play the game. Sure, the combat has to be good, the loot system compulsively addictive, and the monsters entertaining, but most people play RPG's because they like immersing themselves in a fantasy or scifi story. One important factor to note is that in RPG's, the story usually revolves around you and the character you create, but in JRPG's, the story is almost always about a protagonist that is already a pre-written character. In a JRPG, you might get to control the protagonist in battle, but you're sort of along for the ride a little more as an observer of an established character. That's very similar to most VN's, so it's no coincidence that VN's have also their origins in Japan.

Visual Novel Mechanics (part 5)

There will be a fair number of choices to make during this visual novel (VN) game, but I don't know how the number of choices stands up to a VN produced by a major game company. I'm the only writer, so chances are, this game will not be as robust as some released by large game studios with multiple writers. Despite that, though, I think that the choices you'll be given will appear in a natural way and hopefully won't feel contrived—I wrote the game with choices appearing whenever a question or decision prompts them. Some choices lead the same direction as the others presented, but have a hidden variable that is assigned to your character. Other choices exist to explore the situation, and when the information of that choice is complete, you can go back and choose the other options to gain those bits of information. And some choices will totally alter the path of the game, for better or for worse. It is a complex process to keep everything organized and flowing naturally, and I feel a bit like a time traveler existing on different timelines spawned by butterfly-effect decisions. But in the end, I am hopeful that this visual novel will be an exciting, thought-provoking, and enjoyable experience for players, with some healthy doses of humor included!

Visual Novel Mechanics (part 4)

Some variables that will influence the game have to do with choices you made at the very beginning, before you even began your mission. In role-playing games (RPG's), you typically spend time creating your character before you even start the game, though some games integrate this process into the story, which is the route I've chosen to take. Some skill choices that you make at the beginning will later become useful during the game, with choice options appearing that would not otherwise be available if you did not choose the requisite skill. For instance, a Solar Echoes skill is Discern Motive, which allows you to read between the lines of a character's speech and empathize with the character a little better. If you have this skill, sometimes a hidden choice will become available during a conversation. However, in this visual novel, you won't have the entire range of Solar Echoes skills available to you; at the beginning of the game you will have to decide between two options a few times rather than just pick out of a large pool like the Solar Echoes tabletop RPG. I made this decision because of the vast number of permutations possible and because some of the Solar Echoes skills won't be relevant in the scenario presented in the visual novel.

Visual Novel Mechanics (part 3)

Throughout the game, there will be opportunities to interact with each of the different aliens in the group, sometimes in private. The conversations you have and the questions and statements you choose to make will have an impact on the overall relationship with each alien character, which will be tracked by hidden variables. This becomes important later during battles, because if you have not built up your reputation with a character, that character will not perform as well for you in battle. For example, when you're commanding each of your crew from the starship bridge, it's important to have them quickly comply and work together. If you haven't fostered a good relationship with your crew, they will not have the same loyalty and positive attitude that you will need for coordinating success in battle. It could mean the difference between success and failure in the game, because although losing a battle won't necessarily mean the end of the game, it will be the beginning of an even more difficult path towards success.

Visual Novel Mechanics (part 2)

What will you decide when you'd prefer to handle a particular role aboard the starship, but one of your crew might be better at it? What if you don't want to be captain, and would prefer someone else handle the job? What if one of your crew insists he's an expert at every role, but you have no proof or experience to suggest otherwise? These are the kinds of questions you'll face internally on this journey, and what you decide won't always be the best possible choice. That won't mean mission failure, necessarily, but it may cause other difficulties that could lead to mission failure eventually. As captain, it's important to make decisions about what's best for the group rather than what you want for yourself. However, even though some of these decisions will be the most logical and in the best interest of the group, your choices may also cause some difficulties with your crew on a personal level...

Visual Novel Mechanics (part 1)

The Solar Echoes Visual Novel is moving along, and as I've been writing and working with the artists, I have made some more decisions about the game mechanics. I didn't want this game to just be a "kinetic novel," which is a click and read game without choices. However, by enabling player choices, many new layers of complexity are introduced, so navigating those has been an interesting journey. There will be decisions to make when conversing with unfamiliar alien races (unfamiliar if you don't know the Solar Echoes universe) at a time before all the races were allied. Some choices will involve diplomacy, and others will involve combat. One type of player choice that influences the game outcome a lot involves your decisions as the captain of a starship. As you accumulate crew members over the course of the story, you will need to decide the best roles to assign them, because this may be the difference between success or failure in a starship battle!