Chess- London System

Named after the 1922 London Tournament, London System is a great series of chess openings for anyone interested in getting into chess. It illustrates opening theory (development of minor pieces and center control) well and is easy to play. The London System is a flexible and tidy opening that allows White to respond well to counter-play from Black.

In a nutshell, chess opening theory focuses on development of minor pieces and center control. It starts off with d4, immediately freeing up the dark square bishop for development with the intent of playing bf4 early. d4 and bf4 are traits that usually denote someone as playing a London System.

what you should end up with

In the London System, development and positional control is the name of the game. The best general is the general that utilizes all of his units in a war. London System allows you build up your forces, take center control, and then attack or respond to an attack. It doesn't matter too much how you develop your pieces. Nf3 and e3 will also be played, getting the knight out and preparing be7. From there, c3 and Nd2 finishes up development of minor pieces.

An interesting point to note is that within the London System, sometimes you won't want to castle. In some games, the center can be the safest place for your king depending on how Black responds. The great thing about the London System is the ease of play in beginning levels of chess and having a multitude of options open. The game can get really cramped for Black if your opponent doesn't respond well and you should be able to take a comfortable advantage.

I encourage anyone starting out in chess to take a look at the various London System lines. It's easy to pick up and a great starting point!

Avernum: Escape From the Pit

From indie developers Spiderweb Software comes Avernum: Escape From the Pit, a turn-based strategy RPG game set in a curious and hostile fantasy world. Technically the eighth title in the Avernum series, the game is available for Mac and Windows OS as well as Android and iOS devices. Check it out on Steam!

not to be confused with sword of the stars: escape from the pit

This game has a companion hint book (sold separately of course). When's the last time you bought a guide for a game?

Released back in late 2011, Escape From the Pit is the reworked version of the Avernum games that came before it. The game was given a new engine and brushed up graphics while still emulating the 1990s fantasy RPG game feeling. I picked up Escape From the Pit on Steam while the game was on sale (only $2!) a couple weeks back with the promise of an "epic fantasy adventure in an enormous underground world," and man did the game deliver.

Avernum: Escape From the Pit has you taking control of four best friends that decided to party up after being thrown in jail by some cops. For crimes unknown committed against the empire on the surface, your crew gets thrown through a portal into a vast underground cave system full of all kinds of monsters. Over time, as more people were flung into the caves, towns and cities began to form. Factions took hold and people try their best to live in the dark, dank caves of Avernum. Buckle down, there's no escape. Or that's what people tell you ("Escape" From the Pit). But don't worry; that's not the only route you can take!

huge overworld (click to enlarge)

What I love the most about the game is the setting. Avernum seems like a character itself as you slowly explore the various hospitable and hostile environments found within. Townspeople and bar keepers will tell you about the various things they do to survive in the caves (domesticated lizards, cave cows, mushroom bread, just to name a few things). For a dark and sinister world, I was surprised at just how overcoming the citizens of Avernum were in a seemingly hopeless situation. The attention to detail in the writing provides Avernum with great amounts of characterization and development. You'll visit various locations, talk to different people and creatures, learn about assorted cultures, and in general be immersed into this oddity of a world.

The gameplay is mostly elements of classical RPG elements and this game does it justice. You have your traditional RPG attributes (STR, END, DEX, INT) and skill trees. There are individual skills and party skills that combine the abilities of all four party members. These skills are very nice utility skills such as First Aid, Tools Use, and Luck. Skills are purchased and upgraded in towns. Sometimes, you might come across a spell tome in the world and that can also upgrade your skills. The game is full of secret areas and hidden paths, most not too difficult to find. The game rewards exploration and let me tell you: in Avernum, everything counts. Especially in boss fights. 

for your sake, loot everything

One of the more difficult obstacles I encountered in the game was actually knowing what my characters can do and keeping all those skills in the back of my mind. There were many instances where I said to myself "Oh, I could've done that instead and made that fight ten times easier." I tend to hoard many items and potions (especially on a first run through a game), but just realizing the many options you have during a fight are crucial.

In retrospect, I'm surprised at how easy the game was to pick up, mechanics wise. For bonus points, you can play without your mouse and go full keyboard only for the true NetHack experience. I thought that there would be various hotkeys and menus but in reality the system is fairly streamlined save for some interface issues that I feel could've been changed (during combat when lots of enemies are around you, it can be difficult to click on the enemy or tile you want). Also, let me warn you right now: there will be downright bullshit moments first time running through the game. The game offers you the opportunity to save anytime after combat and is generous in its autosaves, so use what you learn.

this part right here

Avernum: Escape From the Pit was a nice palate cleanser. I'm only 18 hours into my first run but no where close to finishing. If you enjoyed experiences like Skyrim or Mass Effect but wished the game was a bit more strategic or if you just yearn for the old Fallout and Fallout 2-esque play, this game is right for you. There is a great deal of content for a great price. The game is $20 from the developer website, but $10 on Steam. If you're interested in looking at the Avernum saga that came before this title, GoG has the entire saga, DRM free, for only $5. 

In the event that you do need some hints, this is a brief guide to Avernum that I found helpful in figuring out the small intricate nuances that sometimes appear in the game.

Avernum: Escape From the Pit- it's great, it's cheap, be sure to take a look at it if you can! 

Next-gen gaming

"The future begins," Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) 2014 tells us. Or as Kevin Spacey would tell us from the new Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare he's starring in, "The spacefuture begins."

spacey playing the next-gen sim city

It's been about eight months since Microsoft and Sony released their Xbox One and PS4 consoles and both have made quite a lot of money for their respective companies. Console gaming is a huge part of the video entertainment industry and the big bosses have been rallying behind the next-gen banner. 

Writer for the tech blog The Verge, Sean Hollister identified some defining characteristics of next-gen games showcased at E3 2013. Sean noted better graphical fidelity; physics on a larger scale than ever before; open world mechanics; melding of single player and multiplayer experiences; and cross-platform mechanics to be key identifiers of games currently spearheading the next-gen switch. In short, the games are more photorealistic with the cross-platform stuff being slowly picked up and worked on. Even shorter, games look prettier. Save for cross-platform mechanics, the 2007 game Crysis pretty much had a head start- a six year head start.

I don't mean to undermine the graphical advancements made in console development, but at this point in time it is something that is expected out of games, not something to impress anyone with (especially for the big budget AAA titles). Even then, some games (Call of Duty: Ghosts, I'm looking at you) don't even deliver on the graphical fidelity portion of the next-gen deal, leaving behind awkward animations and out-of-place, low resolution textures in its wake.

 e3 is actually just a contest for realistic water and whale physics

Graphical capabilities aside, the cross-platform approach has me the most excited. Battlefield 4 gave us a look at what can be done with cross-platform integration with it's Commander Mode in something akin to the Natural Selection series: while your friends are on the ground, you as the commander can recon, give orders, launch tactical strikes, drop assets, etc. all from the comfort of your iPad or Android phone. This kind of integration opens up a whole new realm of possibilities. In future games, maybe one title can target multiple platforms, each with their own genre. Do you like shooters? Pick up your console controls and blast away! Do you like RTS instead? Pick up your iPad and give orders! Maybe you like puzzle games? Pick up your smartphone, play some puzzle mini-games to give boosts to your team! The idea is out there; it's up to the game developers to craft an effective execution.

it pilots real drones in real life

The gaming industry is in a pivotal transition period. Right now, next-gen isn't all it can be. I believe that the strive for photorealism tunnel-visions developers and leads them to leave out core areas in games (Titanfall really left me disheartened when I learned key multiplayer aspects in a multiplayer only game were left out). Lifelike explosions and fantasy settings bring games to life like never before, but graphics cannot be the only thing that holds up the next-gen banner. 

spacefuture! also no private lobbies in a multiplayer game? no single player? for full price?

I'm looking forward to 2014 and 2015 and all the gaming innovations that will come with it (I'm looking at you, Oculus Rift). The spacefuture is here; we're living in it. We need to be wary of the next-gen banner. We need to make sure that we get the most out of the games we buy and nothing less. As consumers, it's time to redefine what next-gen means before it slips too far out of our control.