cloud 9 to cloud 7 and What is done right in Skyrim

50 page views? Woohoo!! Anyway if you saw my last entry you'll know what last night was like for me. The problem now is that Sony clarified. Don't worry, THEIR games won't require DRM but other publishers might. It's like their saying "We would never do that, but we're not going to stop it either." It's up to the consumers to stop DRM now, which probably will happen since consumers hate that kind of stuff. It's like Sony's passing the buck or something. So why "Clouc 7?" Because my favorite games for the PS4 are going to be free of DRM. inFamous, Uncharted, Killzone, all that good stuff! And Nintendo's not going to do that either, so I'm good on their end too. And I don't think a lot of publishers are going to use DRM anyway. Bethesda won't do it (hopefully) and I think many others won't do it because of the bad image it gives. EA and Activision might try it but look at EA's seasons pass. They dropped passes after a while. So if we cause a large enough ruckus or boycott their games they'll either shut down or give in. Either way it'll give those companies the big kick in the teeth they've had coming for a while.

Anywho. Today I read in one of my gaming books about how to make fun games. The book suggested playing a bad game and identifying what could be fixed. It also suggested that I identify what I enjoy in a game. I'm going to post the list I made about five minutes ago but I typed it really fast without really considering grammar so please forgive the poor style. I basically listed what I enjoyed in the game at that moment and I gotta tell ya, going back and forth between typing and gaming is a surreal experience that really helps me look at games in a different way.

It's like I'm taking notes on a book I'm supposed to write a paper about but it's a game instead! This is perfect for me to practice my writing skills. It's actually kind of fun! And I like taking notes and junk so this is great.  I'd go from game to keyboard on my lap and back to the game.  I stopped writing it for today cause it really wears on your hands after a while. I wasn't even going to post something today cause I was so tired. But look at how much I've written (It's so much!) so I guess I'm not that tired.

What makes a game fun?

1.       Right now I am playing Skyrim, what do I like?

-          I like how I am constantly collecting powerups.

-          I like collecting loot that I can interact with like ore to melt down and make jewelry to sell or armor.

-          I like finding hidden secrets or loot like a bird’s egg up in the mountains.

-          I like finding piles of loot like a bunch of barnacles I can use in a potion.

-          I like finding small spots of ore veins that I would never find again in a million years. It’s my own personal secret.

-          I like the feeling that this game will never end and there will always be something else for me to do.

-          I like the mystery I find. Like why are these bushes on fire? Was there a dragon? A fight between mages? Or something else? I like to put the puzzle pieces together and solve the mystery.

-          I like discovering new places like a cave or a new dungeon.

-          I like finding out the importance of each place. I just found a sunken ship, couldn’t find any loot cause it’s too dark. So I went ashore and found a camp nearby. I wonder who’s at the camp. I found a bunch of loot I could steal from the camper.

-          I like the choices I have. At the camp, I could not take the loot, kill the guy, talk to him, or just walk away.

-          I like the silhouettes on the compass that lead me to a new place.

-          I like having the ability to sneak up on an enemy territory or go in guns blazing.

-          I like how random enemies can come out of nowhere and ruin my plans. Like how I was about to harvest some ore when a wolf attacked. Had to take care of the wolf first before I got the loot.

-          I like having the ability to occasionally reuse items like the air I just fired and can now pick up and use again.

-          Again with the mystery. I just found an overturned canoe with crabs in it. They were eating the remains of a Redguard. I know what he is because of the scimitar if found and the boots I found. All clues point to him being a Redguard that washed up on shore and died.

-          I like seeing things in the distance. Like the wrecked ship in front of me. Gives me a goal and an air of mystery.

-          I like the details. The washed up drift wood. The dead grass. The snow and the rocks blending together on the shore.

-          I like how some areas require tools like lock picks for doors or torches to see the way.

-          I like how the wrecked ship I’m in is askew and I have to navigate on it in a different way than if it was right side up.

-          I like finding random books that can power me up.

-          I like the fact that the only reason I found that book was because I’m very good at observation. I just as easily could’ve passed it.

-          I like how there are little places that hold treasure. Like the skeletons that have only a few pieces of gold on them but if I check them all, the gold will add up.

-          I like how there are places not marked on the map. Like this hedge stone –like thing I found. It’s not listed as a place; it’s just there for fun.

-          I like how there are puzzles that span the whole game. Like these dragon priest masks I have to find. I wonder what happens if I find all eight?

-          I like how I can run past everything or just take my time and walk past the scenery.

-          I like how I just walked into a random place, found someone fighting monsters, and agreed to join up with her to find a scroll. I like these kinds of tasks. I only found the job because I was looking on the very edge of the map. And as a bonus, I get to find a priest mask which I also like.

-          I like how much chaos there is in battle. My partner is firing powerful fireballs to the point that I can’t see while the enemy is shooting ice at me.

-          I like that there are bonuses for defeating enemies in different ways. I can upgrade my magic by using it on enemies or I can use a soul trap item to capture their soul into a gem that can power up other weapons.

-          I like the sound effects the urns make when I open them to find treasure. It’s like a mix between a glass and clay scraping sound.

-          I like how items can get moved in battle and you can find things still moving or find treasure out of place.

I’m going to stop for today cause its getting boring. I’ll do some more tomorrow.