The Psychology Behind Microtransactions and What It Means For The Industry

How to set up a fractured model in Unreal 4

Achieving the effect shown above isn't nearly as difficult as some might think.  By taking a simple model, splitting it up into a ton of pieces, and then replacing the fractured model with the unfractured one upon a death event, this stunning effect can easily be achieved in whatever game you might be creating!

Setup

In order to obtain the assets required for this effect, all you need is something 3D modeled, both in its fractured and whole form.

Fracturing a model is a simple process, utilizing the ability to run custom scripts from 3DS Max and/or Maya to have a program fracture the model at random into a desired number of pieces that we are able to specify. 

Below are links to download a 3DS Max and Maya script that when ran will fracture whatever model is currently open in the game.

3DS Max Fracture Script

Maya Fracture Script

Once the model has been fractured, save it as a .fbx (or whatever other format you use for your game), and import both the fractured and whole model into Unreal.

In Unreal

Once both models have been imported into Unreal, you might notice that the fractured model imported each individual piece of the fractured mesh as a separate mesh object.

If this has happened, a quick fix is necessary.  Create a new actor blueprint, and add an empty object called Root to it.  Then, under Root, add in all the pieces of the fractured mesh as static mesh components.  Make sure all these pieces have physics enabled.

Once you have the fractured model assembled into a blueprint, scripting out the process of replacing the whole model with the fractured on is quite simple!

Open the blueprint on the whole model.  Depending on how you plan to make the object break will determine how the object will know when to replace itself with the fractured model.  In this instance, I am using a float variable that keeps track of the current enemy's health to determine when the model should fracture.

Once the condition for the fracture has been met, all you need to do is to spawn in the fractured actor in the same position as the whole actor, and destroy the whole actor.  An example of this is shown in the screenshot below:

It's as simple as that!  Once health is less than or equal to 0, the fractured model will be spawned at the position of the whole model, and the whole model will destroy itself.  All that will be left is the fractured model in the exact position of the once existing whole one, left to be affected by gravity and fall apart!

Unity3D - A Game Engine Review

Unity in a Nutshell

Unity3D 2017 is the current version of one of the most popular 3rd party game engines open for the public to use, completely free of cost.  It supports both 2D and 3D development, and has been praised for its easy of use when it comes to learning the engine, porting to different platforms, and developing for mobile especially.  The engine supports both UnityScript (which is just a modified version of Javascript), and C#.

My Experience With the Engine

I started off learning Unity when I decided that I wanted to work with computers, back in November of 2015, my junior year of highschool.  I had recently started teaching myself Javascript through Codeacademy, and decided after making a bunch of simple calculator programs that it'd be cool to learn how to make a game.

Unity was the first engine I stumbled upon, and due to the excess of tutorials I was able to find on both their website and Youtube, I figured it couldn't be too difficult to learn.  I began right away, trying to learn how to work the very basics of the engine.

Once I got the basics of movement and manipulating objects in the scene view, I decided I was ready to create a complete game.  So, with almost no programming, texturing, 3D modeling, or game design experience, I set out to create a newer, better version of the Call of Duty: Zombies mode.

Shortly after realizing that this was more or less an impossible task for someone with no real game development skills, I moved onto a new project.  Something simpler.  A standard Unity horror game.  I spent months working on level design and improving my programming skills, including drafting up a system that would dynamically search for all the doors in a level, save their open/unlocked states, and update based on what parts of the level were loaded.  Sure, it took me 12 hours of straight frustration, but the entire experience was a learning opportunity.

I was so sure that the game was going well that I planned on selling it in October of 2017 (which obviously never happened), and released a public demo for people to test and give me feedback on.

Upon realizing that even my idea for a relatively simplistic horror game was way beyond my scope, I started yet another project, this one by the name of The Great Geometric Multiverse Tour.  This one, however, I am very close to actually completing, and have begun the process of incorporating an LLC in order to sell the game across platforms like Steam and itch.io!

Things I Like

Unity has a ton of features I love.  It'd take far too long to go into detail on them all, so I'll list out just a few.

• Easy to manage scene system.  Very good for transitioning between levels.
• Prefabs, and the ability to update all objects in a scene by only modifying one base prefab.
• Intuitive component stack, making adding, removing, and modifying both entire components and their values on an object very simple.
• The implementation of C# as a main language, making programming anything in the game easier and more simplistic.
• The ability to spectate both a game view and scene view side by side, even while the game is running.
• Ease in porting to a variety of platforms, especially various mobile platforms.
• Intuitive and simple UI creation.
• Huge store for free and paid assets, some of which I never start a game without!
• Excess of online tutorials, even beyond the standard documentation and videos on Unity's website.  You'll never not be able to find someone with a similar problem to yours.

Things I Don't Like

There aren't too many things that I don't like about Unity, though the things that I don't like about it are pretty large.

One of my main issues with Unity isn't so much about the physical engine itself, but rather in the connotation that the engine carries with it.  Due to the fact that Unity is one of the easiest game developing engines to learn out there right now, a lot of people (especially new comers and the inexperienced) gravitate towards it to work on their first projects.  Like any art (because game development is an art), the first pieces created by the artist are, well, usually they're pretty awful. 

This is a negative for Unity.  Because the barrier of entry is so low, games made in Unity often are pumped out by those still learning the ins and outs of game development, and usually at a much faster rate than the more polished and professional games.  This gives Unity as an engine a bad rep, and people often think that just because a game was made in Unity, it automatically won't be as good as a game made in another engine, such as Unreal.

My other major gripe with Unity is the lack of a proper material editor.  This frustrates me, because one of the major competing factors between Unity and Unreal, as with all engines, is graphics capabilities.  This, if anything, should motivate Unity to have a built in material editor, similar to the extremely popular plugin called ShaderForge.

Beyond these two major reasons and the occasional bug or slight frustration that comes along with any piece of software, I think Unity is an amazing tool, and its worth should be placed on its potential rather than what might typically be made in the engine by those who do not put its full capabilities to use.

Overwatch and its constant state of unbalance - But should we try to fix it?

How is Overwatch Unbalanced?

Put simply, the thing that puts Overwatch in a state of never ending unbalance is the fact that the range of mechanics for each character are so wide and varied.  For instance, some characters like Reaper can teleport across the map, and deal massive amounts of damage up close, while characters like Orisa can shoot enemies from much longer ranges, all wide almost consistently being able to keep a shield up to protect her teammates and herself.

Due to this diversity in movement, attack, and defense mechanics, some characters will naturally balance and counter one another.  For instance. Junkrat, a hero capable of dealing massive amounts of damage in a short amount of time is a counter for a hero like Reinhardt, a character who is large, slow, and uses his giant shield to protect his team.  When put up against one another, Junkrat will most likely have the advantage, due to the fact that he is smaller and harder to hit, has a far greater range compared to Rein's hammer, and can destroy Rein's shield in a matter of seconds.

However, like most characters in the game, Junkrat has a counter as well, the most notable of which is a sky flying, rocket shooting warrior by the name of Pharah.  Due to her ability to almost constantly state airborne, she nearly always has the advantage over Junkrat, as his projectile bombs often don't have enough range to hit her so high up, assuming an accurate shot could be made at her anyways.  Pairings like this exist in Overwatch, though characters do not always have a specific hero to counter them and thus create a greater balance in the game.

Characters such as Tracer, a hero with the ability to move at extreme speeds across the map, is a character that does not have one specific counter.  Sure, she can be stunned or stopped from time to time by certain heroes's abilities, such as Mcree's flashbang or Junkrat's trap, but more often than not she is able to easily maneuver around these obstacles.  Another character that crucially lacks balance is Bastion, a robot capable of deploying himself into a powerful turret that deals massive amounts of damage very quickly.  While this ability leaves Bastion immobile, given the right positioning, it can often be nearly impossible to kill him, especially given the fact that he can heal himself whenever he takes damage.  Features have been implemented in order to reduce his power, though most would argue that they have been generally ineffective.

Should we fix it?

What's interesting about Overwatch is that while so many people will be quick to complain that the game is unbalanced and unfair, rarely is any real solution proposed to fix the heroes.  This, I believe, is due to two major reasons.

This is perfectly true for whenever a hero is debuffed as well, such as the infamous time when Roadhog's hook no longer resulted in an instant kill almost every time for lower health characters.  Due to this, a huge amount of players begin to avoid Roadhog, and shifted over to dabble in the play styles of other available tanks.  Interesting enough, this led to the increased use in the newest hero was the time, Orisa.

The first reason is that it's just really difficult to balance such a complex game.  Every character is supposed to be fun to play, give the player a sense of purpose and the opportunity to master the mechanics assuming enough time is put forward.  Keeping this in mind, and in order to keep the core mechanics of most of the characters in tact, some abilities will be more naturally overpowering than others, with the possibility to go completely un-countered by any other hero just for the sake of preserving itself.

The second reason, which may just be a fortunate byproduct of the difficulty to balance the game, is the fact that the game goes through intentional cycles of unbalance, which then in turn begins to promote different play styles and the use of different heroes.  For instance, Overwatch has a community that often plays towards whatever the latest "meta" hero composition is, usually revolving around whatever hero has been recently buffed.  When Junkrat was given his second mine, a whole slew of new Junkrat players started showing up in each game.  When Bastion was able to heal while moving, a new wave of players trying out the new Bastion was seen.

The constant shift of the current meta, determined by whatever new buffs or debuffs are given to certain heroes, might be entirely intentional on Blizzard's part.  While yes, this sometimes does actually cause the game to become more balanced and create a more equal playing field, it allows for change in gameplay to occur in between larger happenings, such as the release of new content or the seasonal events.

Considering the style of Overwatch to a lifestyle game, it is important as developers to keep the player base interested in the game.  What spikes more interest than change in the core mechanics?  It keeps players on their toes, gives them something to look forward to, and while not always agreed upon, it keeps the game fresh and new, allowing for the downtime between events and new hero releases to be all the less monotonous.

So how can we fix Overwatch's unbalanced nature?  Long answer: given the heroes currently available, we can't, not without either heavily modifying existing mechanics of certain heroes, or adding new ones to counter those who have yet to be challenged.  Short answer: maybe we shouldn't, for the sake of keeping the game thriving.  So long as nothing is so unbalanced it is more frustrating than it is fun, changing the game simply for the sake of changing it can be more beneficial than anything.

Pimax 8K Virtual Reality Headset: How does this change the experience of gaming?

If you're at all interested in anything VR, you've probably heard of the new and upcoming Pimax 8K, the very first 8K virtual reality headset.

Features

      This room scale VR package separates itself from the competition by offering a variety of features that the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift do not yet currently support.  These features aren't absolutely revolutionary compared to the current state of competing VR models, though they offer a vast upgrade in the current technology of the VR experience.

These upgrades are primarily focused around the visual experience of VR and ow the player will better be able to become immersed in the world they are put into.  This includes a 200 degree field of view, a huge upgrade over the 145 degree field of view that the Vive can offer, the current leader in FOV for VR.  Just for frame of reference, the average FOV of the naked human eye is about 220 degrees.

The largest feature for the Pimax 8K is indicated in the very text of its name: it has a resolution of 8K, the very first of its kind.  This is four times the amount of the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift.  It has been claimed that due to this 4K resolution in each eye, the "screen door effect" that is commonly complained about in other VR headsets is a thing of the past.

The refresh rate is unfortunately still set a locked 90hz in the Pimax, which is no better than the Vive or Rift, though it makes up for its lack in innovation in refresh rates through its far more superior visual quality and pixel count, one of 16.6 million, nearly 8 times more than the Vive and Rift.  It also claims to have lower latency, and in combination with its higher resolution, drastically reduces the effects of motion sickness that are a frequent issue with VR users, especially those new to the experience.

One of the more appealing factors to this technology is that it will remain compatibly with existing VR software, such as SteamVR and Oculus Home, alongside bringing in its own VR software hub, known as PIPlay.  Not only will it be compatible with prior software, but also hardware, as Vive lighthouse stations for motion tracking and controllers will work perfectly fine with the headset.  As a Vive owner myself, this is extremely desirable, as I don't have to reconfigure my entire VR setup or purchase a whole new set of accessories to have this higher resolution experience.

    Impact on Gaming

The impact that this emerging technology will have on gaming, assuming it is has high quality as it is advertised to be, will be tremendous for the VR market.  Higher resolution headsets mean higher detailed worlds, as well as larger ones.  Due to an increase in pixel density, more things can be fit into a smaller spot, thus allowing for longer ranges of detailed sight to be achieved in VR.  Combine this with the larger FOV and players will have completely new and entirely more immersive experiences than every before, being able to see threats and objectives at better angles, from better distances, and in even greater detail.

This greater detail will also be a huge advantage towards games that have any amount of text in them, as text is one of the most difficult things to make out in VR due to the screen door effect and lack of crispness needed to fully make out the words.  Tutorials that are reliant on text can now be more in detail, signs in VR games can actually have purpose, and different kinds of games that utilize lots of text in their menus or HUD can be pursued with more confidence.

   Use for Developers

First and foremost, Pimax 8K will be fully compatible with the Unity3D and Unreal development engines, allowing for easy integration of the technology into existing or newly developed games.  On top of this, no new hardware is needed for the headset to be used, making existing VR games easily able to be played on the headset using Rift or Vive controllers and base stations.  Developers will not have to learn how to implement the new technology, and instead can focus on making larger, more detailed worlds, as explained above.

The level of realism this headset will begin to provide will allow for developers to craft far more immersive and convincing worlds.  This is especially important when trying to cultivate feelings of beauty and wonder, such as in an exploration game, or feelings of fear and dread, such as in a horror game.  Whatever this new level of immersion is used for, it will bring VR experiences to a new level for developers and gamers alike, and I'm truly excited to see the creativity that is sprouted from this higher technology.

   Do I Want It?

It's basically 4K VR that only requires the purchase of a headset.  What the hell do you think?  Now, having the $500 or so to buy one is another story, but thankfully due to the recent drop in price of the HTC Vive, we can expect the cost of VR products to steadily decline over time and as the technology advances and is evermore perfected.

Skyrim's Masterfully Designed World

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is an absolute masterpiece when it comes to world design.  Not only does it further explore the realm of Tamriel, the main landmass in the Elder Scrolls universe, with all the lore and races present in previous Elder Scroll games, but it also creates its own stories using its own unique landmarks, cities, and scenery.

Cities

The cities of Skyrim are always bustling with life.  Whether it be guards stopping you from entrance to Whiterun in the very beginning of the game unless you state your business, or a murder occurring right as you walk through the doors of Markarth,  Skyrim's cities all contain their own culture and personality, and differ in the ways they react to specific actions taken by the player.  Befriend the Jarl of Whiterun, and you'll become Thane, a higher up in the city.  Want to learn magic?  Go to the College in Winterhold.  Want to become a better thief?  Join the Thieves Guild in the sewers of Riften.  Each city has a different story, which is exactly how Skyrim divides up most of the major quests, each pertaining to a respective city or area.

It goes without saying that even with its dated graphics, the providence of Skyrim is beautiful.  Many of its aging cities are built on some sort of rock formation with an emphasis of water, be it rivers, waterfalls, oceans, or lakes, present in most all cities.  Accompanied with the sounds of city dwellers, merchants chanting off items or sale, and guards making comments as you pass by, each city is populated, stunning, and alive.

Dungeons

Skyrim's beautiful rolling landscapes would be lacking if not contrasted by the dark and dingy dungeons of the world.  While these areas might be disgusting, damp, and cramped, they are designed exactly in that way in order to emulate a real, ancient dungeon.

Rubble is piled up in every corner, vines crawl over the floor and walls, and trickles of water drip from the ceiling.  Just like every other aspect of Skyrim's world, the atmosphere is amazing.  The use of shiny materials in dim light really gives the dungeons a feeling of moist, aged, molding cave, to the point where sometimes I feel as though I can almost smell it.  While the dungeons may not all be completely unique from one another, especially after having explored a lot of them in the game, they still stand as a true example of how lighting, sound, and materials alone can make a place feel so alive (or dead, in this case, but that's the entire point).

Hidden Wonders

One of the best parts of Skyrim actually lies outside of any major town or quest-line the game gives you.  It's something that is easy to skim over when playing through the game, though you'd definitely notice something missing if it wasn't there.  What I'm talking about are the little gems that are scattered throughout the map that really breath life into the game.  These can be as subtle as skeletons hidden with a stash of gold and a note detailing the moments leading up until their death (like the one guy hidden behind an arrangement of pipes in the underground Dwarven city) to as blatant as a pack of wolves attacking an unsuspecting goat in the wilderness.  Whatever the case, these small events add to the realism of the world, detailing it beyond the big picture and refining the image that the world tries to project onto the player.  While these events or small happenings may be small, they are significant in the fact that they show that the world continues to live and breath and fight and die right alongside the player, whether they are there to experience it happening in the present, or to experience the remains of the aftermath of some event.

Riverwood

One of my favorite areas in any game ever is the welcoming strip of houses in the small little village of Riverwood.  This village is the first you come across in the game (assuming you don't just wander aimlessly after leaving the cave in the tutorial), and for good reason too, as it completely packed with character and stories right from the get go.

Upon entering Riverwood, you see farm animals roaming the street, people going about their daily business in their shops or on their porches, an old lady screaming that she swore she saw a dragon and her son telling her that she is crazy and there is no such thing.  Riverwood is important not only in the aesthetic it brings to the game, but as well as the central hub that it provides the player with.  Players are encouraged to interact with the community in order to trade, craft potions, craft weapons and armor, as well as complete side quests for individuals that helps to build stories between certain characters, even if not a part of the main story line of the game.

This town serves as a perfect example of how both environment and story can set the pace of a game, drive it forward, and immerse the player forever more in the luscious world of Skyrim.

Let's Talk About Lee: Why is a good character essential to Telltale Games and how does Lee from The Walking Dead fit this profile?

Appearances

Lee is the main character for Telltale Games' The Walking Dead: Season One, a story driven, choice based RPG.  The player takes on the role of Lee, guiding along his various decisions he must make throughout the story as he chaperones and protects a young girl, Clementine, from the undead in this post-apocalyptic adventure.  The story of the game adapts itself around the choices you make, with the more difficult choices usually molding the game the most.

Setting up Lee's story

It can be argued that the most interesting thing about Lee is the way that his story unfolds as the game draws out, both in terms of his backstory as well as the one that he lives with the supporting characters around him.

The game begins with Lee riding in the back of a cop car, deep in thought and filled with quiet emotion for some unknown reason.  The particular reason that he was arrested in the first place is unknown to the player until later into the game, where there is an option to confess to Clementine that Lee has killed someone who had slept with his wife.  What's interesting is that even though a player might go a good length of the game thinking that Lee is a decent person (he risks his life multiple times to save his fellow group members and puts his life on the line to watch over a little girl), they keep a suspicion in the back of their mind that Lee has a deeper, darker side to his character, much like how many of the characters in the game might see him.

Characteristics and how they affect the game

Lee's characteristics drastically affect the way tat the game is played, which completely makes sense seeing as the game is story driven and the interactions between the characters is the main driving force of both the plot and the gameplay.

Lee is portrayed as being extremely protective and caring, and as such, the gameplay is structured around his character.  The player is given not only multiple opportunities to express Lee's caring and protective nature (such as saving Clementine or another one in the group from certain death), but also the chance to explore the darker, more revenge driven nature of his character, such as kicking Lily out of the group or quickly killing Lily's father after he begins to turn.