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.

Bastion

In lieu of indie developers Supergiant Games' latest release Transistor, let's take a look back at their original hit Bastion: an action RPG that tells the story of a kid surviving in the aftermath of the Calamity. Originally released for the XBOX Live Arcade, Bastion has since been ported to various platforms including PC, mobile phones, and web browser.

kids reads this in rucks' voice

The first things you'll notice upon starting up Bastion are the vivid colors, the rustic tune playing in the background, and the polished nature of the starting menu. These characteristics are present throughout the entire game and come with appropriate and impressive shifts in tone in certain areas and levels. 

Bastion tells the story of a kid who wakes up to find his entire world shattered by an event referred to as the Calamity. Buildings, people, and the very ground itself was ripped away into some kind of freak void. The people of Caelondia built the Bastion at the highest point of the city in the event any kind of catastrophe occurred. Now it's your turn to guide the kid to the Bastion, fix it up, and figure out what caused the Calamity. 

Of course, no talk about the game's narrative presentation is complete without talking about the game's "euphemistic and keen-eyed" narrator Rucks, voiced by Logan Cunningham (no, really). The game's reactive narrative holds hundreds of voice lines that can be triggered by various actions in various areas for a natural and fleshed out feeling. 

you can click to enlarge images

I've talked about games that build cultures and Bastion is definitely one of them. Bastion explores cultural themes like ethnic strife and even genocide alongside themes of forgiveness and rebuilding. Everything in the game gives you a glimpse at what life was like in Caelondia and the surrounding areas before the Calamity hit. The folk songs, clothing, and building styles presented to you convinces you that the Cael culture was strong. Cael customs and beliefs are revealed as the story goes on and Rucks explains various areas' history and purposes. Soon enough, the Bastion universe becomes so much bigger and livelier than it looks. 

The gameplay behind Bastion is smooth and chalk-full of different options you can choose from. New zones unlock new weapons and as you level up, you can upgrade those weapons to custom tailor them to your liking. The Distillery allows you to unlock and utilize all kinds of passive effects. You carry two weapons and a special ability, all of which can be swapped out at an armor found in various places in the game, lending itself to a flexible and dynamic combat system.

is that...?

Integrating Cael culture into gameplay, difficulty level is determined by the number of gods worshiped in the Cael pantheon. Gods are portrayed as retributive and malevolent in Bastion and only makes the game harder for the player. Simple idols give simple buffs: enemies hit harder, enemies are faster, etc. The more interesting idols give exotic effects: enemies become invulnerable for short amounts of time, enemies explode on death, etc. You are rewarded with more experience points and eventually you'll need to use the shrines if you're going to maintain a consistent difficulty level: your weapon upgrades become insanely powerful towards the late game.

Bastion is a game that has won numerous industry awards and for good reason. Everything from the menu to the ending is finely refined and tuned. The visuals and audio effects brings the world to life like never before. The talented and dedicated team at Supergiant Games gives players a chance to explore a unique world. Supergiant Games have witnessed incredible success out of their hard work and I wish them only the best in their future games. Besides, we're all expecting it at this point: Bastion is where it all began.

the start of something great

You can also download Bastion's rustic soundtrack straight from Supergiant Games' merchandise store! Check it out!

Dead Island: Epidemic- Early access

Dead Island: Epidemic is an upcoming free-to-play, self-proclaimed "ZOMBA" (Zombie Online Multiplayer Battle Arena) developed by Stunlock Studios, currently in an early access phase. You can check the game out on its Steam page.

die! get it? die! marketing!

Once upon a time, someone at Stunlock Studios ("We make innovative and competitive online games. It's pretty cool") said "People love MOBAS! People love zombies! Let's make a MOBA with zombies in it and call it a ZOMBA!" and everyone cheered and hugged each other as the best idea for a game rang forth. Another MOBA to compete along with League of Legends, Dota 2, Heroes of the Storm, etc.? It doesn't matter, silly! Adding zombies to the mix makes a whole new genre! ZOMBAS! The new way of the future! ZOMFPS! ZOMTS! MMOZOMPG! The possibilities are endless!
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So after I got over the fact that the developers or someone in marketing wanted to call Dead Island: Epidemic a "ZOMBA," I decided to take a look at the game. My good friend Hongda sent beta keys (Thanks!) and I'll admit, the game looked pretty interesting at first. That view soured quickly in the first hour of gameplay.

I've never played Dead Island myself, but I can deduce several things: it was a shooter, had zombies in it, and from what I hear, was mediocre at best. Playable? Sure. Enjoyable? Not so much. This same pattern is repeated in its ZOMBA manifestation. The game has you going through the basics of a MOBA: movement, attacking, skills, etc. but at the same time, the game has done so much to distance its self away from a MOBA. Keyboard movement, no last hitting, no concept of mana- the game feels more on par with an Action-RPG more than anything.

The first hour felt like the biggest waste of time I've encountered in a video game in a long time. The introductory mission and subsequent co-op mode is such a tedious grind. 

the game looks pretty at least

You pick a hero, party up with some people, head into the game; okay fair enough. Now bash everything by clicking on things over and over again. Skills don't use mana, so you might as well use them as soon as you can to maximize DPS, which is all that the co-op mode cares about. The supposedly unique PvPvPvE mode doesn't become unlocked until you grind yourself through a slow and uninspired set of levels. Also, there are no shops to buy any items because there's no last hitting- just bash away at zombies over and over again. After you figure out the level boss' pattern and bash him to death by clicking on him over and over again, you are rewarded with various materials that you use to craft weapons which carry over throughout your games. 

It becomes immediately apparent that Stunlock was hoping to involve a bigger audience by watering down traditional MOBA characteristics. League of Legends did this very well with the original Dota, but Dead Island: Epidemic is just a shell of a game. The claims that the game is unique and innovative are just plain wrong. The game has high production values and the game is playable- heck, you might even enjoy the first twenty or so minutes- but after that, the game has very little in store. There is little incentive for players to actually get further involved in the game as any strategy and cooperation requirements are burned to a minimum.

sort of like a wow raid boss

Dead Island: Epidemic tries to be everything at once and ends up being mediocre at everything. The game claims to be some kind of MOBA, but in reality it plays more like a shoddy ARPG reinterpretation of a Left 4 Dead game or Alien Swarm, both of which deliver team cooperation, strategy, action, and overall enjoyment much better. The first hour is a crucial period in which you have to hook the players in, not repel them. If the game can't do that, it's failed its purpose. After playing three co-op matches, I had no desire of learning strategy or theory crafting compositions or anything of the sort. I just wanted to be done with the co-op mode.

The game is going to be released as a free-to-play, so expect microtransactions. Lot's of it. I wasn't sure if they were headed the right direction the second I saw that you had to purchase consumable health kits with in-game currency coupled with the option to buy more of the in-game currency with real world money. One can only hope that they handle it well in the future. 

press the same keys over and over again

Dead Island: Epidemic is a finger-numbing and mediocre experience which offers little to the table in terms of gameplay. Everything the game tries to hype up with fanfare ends up becoming a tedious grind to some arbitrary reward with you sitting and thinking "was this really worth my time." But it's okay: Stunlock has their target audience figured out very well. They don't need to take $1,000 from one person; they only need to take $1 from 1000 people.

Of course, none of this is set in stone- this is only a beta after all. Major changes and tweaks can happen, but this beta alone has convinced me that Dead Island: Epidemic is not worth anyone's time. If you're looking for a game to play every once in awhile, maybe look at this game. However, I feel that any long-term investment in this game is going to be tragic and regretful in the future. The game might have gotten off the hook easier (and compete in an easier market) if it wasn't so bombastic in stating to the world that it shall be forever known as a "ZOMBA." Fuck that.

TF2- The competitive scene

The 2014 International Dota 2 Championship gives us a glimpse of what eSports could become in the future: it's own arena, millions of fans across the globe watching, casters screaming and shouting along with the ensuing action, fans in the stands cheering and waving flags, and a fucking huge prize pool (every gamer was stunned when the first International's prize pool of $1 million was announced; the current prize pool has already skyrocketed above $4 million). 

A lot of veteran TF2 players have been wondering just why TF2's competitive scene isn't as supported or prevalent as, say, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive or Dota 2. After all, TF2 has been Valve's flagship game for sometime. Let's take a look at TF2's competitive scene and some of the hurdles I see it trying to pass.

6v6 tf2 wiki represent

1. The stale metagame
Both competitive formats (6v6 and Highlander) pretty much have all the plays written down: roll-outs, optimal sentry locations, and methods to push have all been figured out.  Variety does arise from different combinations of weapons, but for the most part the competitive community has long figured out which weapons are optimal, situational, and simply not used.

A system of picks and bans regarding weapons was proposed, but items themselves do not necessarily counter each other as much as the different classes countering each other (unless you're talking about the mediguns which arguably dictate the entire game dynamic- but even then, there are only four of them right now and that's just one class).

Class based variety may be locked down in Highlander where one of each class is in the fight, but 6v6 shows more promise in that the dynamic runs mobile, generalist classes and runs specialists when needed.

2. Games are boring to watch
The stale metagame lends itself well to this one. 

The first couple of times watching a game can be exciting, but after awhile even the casual observer will begin to notice repeated trends. Roll out, get an uber, push. Many of the fights are at the mercy of execution rather than some grand tactic or strategy and that's fine: that's inherent with TF2. 

Minor tactics such as positioning is crucial, but once you get past that, you'd better start landing those airshots and meatshots. Big airshots and crazy kill streaks, while exciting for a moment and worthy of a montage, are difficult to come by (let alone if the casters catch it on camera) and simply not enough to make the entire game fun to watch.

3. Difficulty of access
This is a big one.

The easiest way to increase prominence is to simply have more people play competitive formats of TF2. The best way of doing this would be to implement in-game lobbies that would allow for 6v6, Highlander, and maybe even custom formats to be set up. Despite TF2 personalities like eXtine and Sal pushing for in-game lobbies, we haven't gotten them. While there are some very neat third party lobby systems, most TF2 players do not know about them or are not motivated to try them; consequently, many TF2 players have never even tried competitive formats of TF2.

Most systems today can be a hassle as well. Wait times in lobbies can be excruciatingly long: just getting a simple game going can take as long as 20 minutes because nobody wants to play a particular class. 
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So how do we bolster TF2's competitive scene? Honestly, the developers can release as many new weapons as they like but the core metagame isn't going to change until some serious balancing or even potential reworks of weapons are done. The overall argument that TF2 was or wasn't designed to be played competitively is subjective and shouldn't be the focus of the debate. What we know is this: the game was originally balanced around nine classes for teams of twelve and the game definitely has a competitive spirit as much as it does a casual and laid back one.

why can i only wear one medal

Me personally, I just want a lobby system for TF2's competitive formats and some kind of progression system similar to Dota 2. Points can be earned to level up and every level up promises a new item with increasing rarity each time you level up. On top of that, I have always imagined a kind of trophy case for your TF2 profile where you get to show off medals and items from various tournaments and events.

I look at MvM as a good model for a competitive lobby setting: solo queue or party up, get sent to a server, and give people a limited amount of time to figure out who's playing what. In an MvM game, there is always a push for someone to play Engineer or Demoman and there is always a guy yelling "we don't need two snipers" or "why didn't you get this upgrade first." People will figure out over time that a competitive setting requires some core classes and if they lose they know who's fault it is. The emphasis on cooperation and team composition would also be taught through competitive play. 

Do I think competitive TF2 is fun to play? I've played a handful of games on lobby sites and I certainly found them fun. Do I think competitive TF2 is fun to watch? No. I feel that TF2 matches are boring to watch; the plays are repetitive and it's hard to get excited when the casters themselves are not excited. 

Competitive TF2 isn't about whether or not TF2 was intended to have a competitive scene or whether or not a competitive scene is viable: it's about winning a crowd. It's hard to work on that when the crowd itself is fairly small. If a competitive TF2 lobby and a competitive play progression system ever becomes implemented and is as accessible as an MvM lobby is, I feel that TF2's competitive scene would receive a greater amount of players and attention- it would breathe a new air of life into the game as a whole, too.

Factorio- Currently in alpha!

a game about the spacefuture

I was wandering around on various video game related YouTube channels when I came across an interesting looking game called Factorio. Made by a group of friends in the Czech Republic, Factorio has players landing on an alien planet and surviving by building self-replicating factories. The game has been in development for about two years now and there is a playable demo out. 

The demo showcases a tutorial for understanding the mechanics behind mining, crafting, and automation. Starting with just about nothing, you'll learn to build automated mining rigs, smelting furnaces, research various industrial and military technologies, and ultimately work towards a completely bad-ass, automated factory, complete with it's own Black Mesa-esque tram system.

Factorio is easy to get into but difficult to master. Mining rigs harvest resources, automated arms will move ore onto conveyor belts, and a second automated arm moves the ore into a furnace. This simple layout can eventually be turned into a sprawling mass of conveyor belts, arms, and various power sources. Walls and turrets can be built to protect your complex from alien attacks as you pollute the planet they so love.

i have no idea what im looking at

The graphics are reminiscent  of Sid Meir's Alpha Centauri or Stronghold, and gameplay similar to Minecraft's Tekkit mod pack. Multiplayer is currently in the works with a lot more content planned. The game maybe niche, but the demo alone has convinced me that this will be a fun game.

The developers have also registered a Steam Greenlight concept page. Projects like these thrive on the communication between developers and their audience- any feedback is sure to be appreciated. Factorio is a game worth keeping an eye on- go check it out!