First and foremost you need a good story that can stand on its own, it shouldn't HAVE to be movie based game or tied in to the movies, and second you need a committed and willing group of developers that will take their time and do the game right.
It needs to be open city.
Fully destructable and intelligent environments.
You need good, smooth flight and running mechanics.
The fighting needs to be smooth simple yet engaging
Take advantage of full use of all of Supermans abilities
Great voice cast, and story like TAS (the game has to be about Superman, don't overcrowd it with unnecessary hero and characters)
Acceptable graphics
Unique missions and challenges.
Easy upgrade system.
Visually pleasing graphics and animations.
Showing posts with label Michael Chorost. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Michael Chorost. Show all posts
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Brave New World
After building a base camp, I set out to explore the bold new landscape. It's amazing how much bigger the biomes are this time around, and they're far more varied as well -- so much that Minecraft feels like a new game at times. I trudged deep into swamplands with flooded trees, punched through thick forests, crossed snaking rivers with sloped banks, and pushed onward into other enticing areas. The world comes together much more dynamically, instilling a stronger sense of place and adventure.
I was also impressed by the updated lighting effects. Above ground, sunsets are more dramatic as they bathe the landscape in bright amber hues. Below ground, dim torchlight casts a warmer glow on the subterranean caverns. It makes a surprisingly big difference in each setting's overall vibe. Beyond aesthetics, the terrain offers a broader range of nooks and crannies, ripe for exploration. Randomly generated ravines seem to pop out of nowhere as you run around; these crevices can run along lengthy stretches of the world map. Smaller caves are equally common too, and they often lead to sprawling underground caverns that are much bigger than what we've seen before. I wandered into one massive cave and spent the better part of an hour spelunking through its depths -- I went so far down into its snaking tunnels that I couldn't find my way back up again. That was when I stumbled upon one of 1.8's hard-to-find marvels: an abandoned mining stronghold.
I was also impressed by the updated lighting effects. Above ground, sunsets are more dramatic as they bathe the landscape in bright amber hues. Below ground, dim torchlight casts a warmer glow on the subterranean caverns. It makes a surprisingly big difference in each setting's overall vibe. Beyond aesthetics, the terrain offers a broader range of nooks and crannies, ripe for exploration. Randomly generated ravines seem to pop out of nowhere as you run around; these crevices can run along lengthy stretches of the world map. Smaller caves are equally common too, and they often lead to sprawling underground caverns that are much bigger than what we've seen before. I wandered into one massive cave and spent the better part of an hour spelunking through its depths -- I went so far down into its snaking tunnels that I couldn't find my way back up again. That was when I stumbled upon one of 1.8's hard-to-find marvels: an abandoned mining stronghold.
Zounds! Fancy Meters, New Abilities
The most noticeable difference upon loading update 1.8 is the addition of a few newfangled meters to contend with. A new food bar measures your hunger level, which adds a cool element to the health system in Survival Mode. Eating food no longer instantly heals you; instead, it restores a hunger meter that -- when filled -- regenerates your health naturally over time. To help keep you from starving, chickens, pigs, and cows now all drop meat when slain... though they run away if you attack them.
Movement and combat also are affected in 1.8: You can run by double-tapping the forward key, and gaining momentum lets you jump a bit further. This makes escaping threats and traveling across lengthy stretches of terrain a lot more manageable. Updated bow physics let you draw arrows back, letting them fly farther depending on how long you hold the shot. It's also possible to score critical hits on foes, taking them down with a single blow. Very cool!
One of the more exciting and game-changing ideas planned for Minecraft is the inclusion of specific goals and a progression system featuring role-playing-game-like elements. The Adventure Update offers a tantalizing taste of this with a new experience bar: Slain creatures now drop glowing orbs that you collect to gain experience. While it's not functional at present (the bar simply resets when it's full), the many ways it could come into play with future updates leaves me salivating.
Movement and combat also are affected in 1.8: You can run by double-tapping the forward key, and gaining momentum lets you jump a bit further. This makes escaping threats and traveling across lengthy stretches of terrain a lot more manageable. Updated bow physics let you draw arrows back, letting them fly farther depending on how long you hold the shot. It's also possible to score critical hits on foes, taking them down with a single blow. Very cool!
One of the more exciting and game-changing ideas planned for Minecraft is the inclusion of specific goals and a progression system featuring role-playing-game-like elements. The Adventure Update offers a tantalizing taste of this with a new experience bar: Slain creatures now drop glowing orbs that you collect to gain experience. While it's not functional at present (the bar simply resets when it's full), the many ways it could come into play with future updates leaves me salivating.
Getting Down and Dirty with Minecraft's Adventure Update
Anyone held in thrall by a raging Minecraft addiction for the past year can attest -- these are exciting times. While developer Markus "Notch" Persson's surprise indie hit is pushing closer to its official release in a few months, the just-released beta update 1.8 ushers in some exciting new changes to the game's sandbox realm... and the way you can interact with it. If you're like me, you've probably already sunk an absurd number of hours into building and exploring in the game's blocky world. But don't retire your virtual pickaxe just yet; Minecraft's 1.8 "Adventure Update" is here, and it's awesome.
Even if you've toiled for days on end to hone the pixelated landscape into a perfect Minecraft realm, starting a new world from scratch carries a certain kind of thrill. That's what you have to do to access the new content in this update, since it has such a big impact on Minecraft's landscape. Update 1.8 may only offer half of the content for the full Adventure Update -- 1.9 will roll out the remainder of the massive changes planned for this phase of the game -- but after firing up a new world and digging in, I was blown away by how much it improves the Minecraft experience.
Even if you've toiled for days on end to hone the pixelated landscape into a perfect Minecraft realm, starting a new world from scratch carries a certain kind of thrill. That's what you have to do to access the new content in this update, since it has such a big impact on Minecraft's landscape. Update 1.8 may only offer half of the content for the full Adventure Update -- 1.9 will roll out the remainder of the massive changes planned for this phase of the game -- but after firing up a new world and digging in, I was blown away by how much it improves the Minecraft experience.
News Minecraft 1.9 Pre-Release Leaked by Mojang
He did it with Minecraft 1.8, and now he's done it again with Minecraft 1.9. Mojang developer Jens Bergensten has "leaked" the pre-release build of the latest Minecraft update via twitter. The new version will probably be unstable and buggy... but eager players can download it and get a taste of the new features.
Included in Minecraft 1.9 are new mobs, such as the Snow Golem (pictured) and something called a Mooshrum Cow.
minecraft snowman
The Snow Golem is actually friendly, and will throw snowballs at enemies. Cute.
Minecraft creator Markus "Notch" Persson has also tweeted that a Minecraft 1.10 update is on the horizon, which will bring with it even more "Adventure Update" features.
If you want to get your hands on Minecraft 1.9, visit Bergensten's twitter feed and click the download link.
Included in Minecraft 1.9 are new mobs, such as the Snow Golem (pictured) and something called a Mooshrum Cow.
minecraft snowman
The Snow Golem is actually friendly, and will throw snowballs at enemies. Cute.
Minecraft creator Markus "Notch" Persson has also tweeted that a Minecraft 1.10 update is on the horizon, which will bring with it even more "Adventure Update" features.
If you want to get your hands on Minecraft 1.9, visit Bergensten's twitter feed and click the download link.
News Minecraft Gets Dragons, Please Don't Tell Bethesda
Minecraft creator Markus "Notch" Persson has tweeted images of his next idea for the ever-evolving indie-hit Minecraft: dragons! And before you ask, no, these do not look like Skyrim's dragons. They look like grey, blocky, flying LEGO beasts.
Of course, this is an early build of the dragon model. One would assume the real dragon will have colored textures. No word on when this monster will be entering the game, however.
Of course, this is an early build of the dragon model. One would assume the real dragon will have colored textures. No word on when this monster will be entering the game, however.
Creativity and Beyond
Outside of Survival, there's also the new Creative mode. With the ability to fly, place an infinite number of blocks of any type, and destroy any block in a single hit, this low-stress building mode lets you dabble to your heart's content. The creative freedom is fun, but I still found myself spending the most of my time in Survival mode, which feels a very new experience. Major changes to the game's beautiful blocky landscapes and biomes alone make exploring feel fresh, and the underground realm is vastly improved by 1.8's subtle tweaks. There's a little more waiting in-store before 1.9 delivers the next round of thrilling adventure-oriented content, but this latest update offers plenty of reasons to lure you back into Minecraft's expansive depths.
Ghosts of Civilization
Deep underground, I was surprised to encounter a stretch of cave, lit by torches I hadn't placed. This led to me to a vast subterranean complex complete with mine shafts, cart tracks, treasure, flooded areas, and rooms crafted by human hands. Everything was in disrepair; I'd uncovered the remnants of what appeared to be a lost civilization, deep beneath the surface. However, the place was infested with skeletons, zombies, and worse. Throwing caution to the wind, I eventually found a room filled with cobwebs... and met a bitter end at the jaws of many cave spiders. The little buggers swarmed, nibbling me to death with their poison-dripping fangs.
When I respawned back on the surface, I geared up again, and embarked on a several-day trek to hunt down some fabled non-player villages. After a lot of exploring, I finally found one of these rare settlements, which will eventually act as hubs of bustling activity, and sources of supplies and quests. But for now, they're ghost towns.
The current lack of human life in Minecraft isn't quite as eerie as the Adventure Update's main new mob addition: the Enderman. These tall black critters come out at night, and keep busy moving blocks around the map. It's not until you look directly at them that they hone in you with their creepy, glowing eyes. The second you look away, they come chasing after you -- teleporting closer if you flee. I found it best to avoid them, but these potentially dangerous mob are fascinating to watch (and fun to fiddle with).
When I respawned back on the surface, I geared up again, and embarked on a several-day trek to hunt down some fabled non-player villages. After a lot of exploring, I finally found one of these rare settlements, which will eventually act as hubs of bustling activity, and sources of supplies and quests. But for now, they're ghost towns.
The current lack of human life in Minecraft isn't quite as eerie as the Adventure Update's main new mob addition: the Enderman. These tall black critters come out at night, and keep busy moving blocks around the map. It's not until you look directly at them that they hone in you with their creepy, glowing eyes. The second you look away, they come chasing after you -- teleporting closer if you flee. I found it best to avoid them, but these potentially dangerous mob are fascinating to watch (and fun to fiddle with).
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