stinkygoat: Space Giraffe compared to Ulysses

stinkygoat (

stinkygoat) wrote,
@ 2007-08-26 00:37:00

Space Giraffe compared to Ulysses
http://braid-game.com/news/?p=100

I think at this point it's all beyond me now. We've been hated and loved for it, it's the best game ever and absolute rubbish, we are great, we are evil, we're the future and the past, we are masters, we're incompetent, we are ERROR_SUCCESS and ERROR_ERROR.

At least we provoked a response. I think that's good.

I feel like I'm Schrodinger's cat.

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	dungeoneer 2007-08-26 12:27 am UTC (link)
	Same polarised opinion as always, then? :) (Reply to this)

	youallboreme 2007-08-26 12:34 am UTC (link)
	Would you rather people's reactions were a collective yawn? "I think that's good" should be "I know that's good, so now I'm going to work on updating Hover Bovver" :) (Reply to this)

	continuing the theme mwenge 2007-08-26 12:49 am UTC (link)
	At least you got your Finnegan's Wake out of the way first. Iridis Alpha - a thing of strange beauty, but almost completely unplayable. (Reply to this)

tursi
2007-08-26 12:59 am UTC (link)

It all sounds great, Yak. I don't have a 360 yet so I can't check it out, but you might be interested in hearing what Foxx had to say. ;) He was asking me if you were involved in the new Geometry Wars, saying it reminded him of your style. I said, no, I don't think so, he's been working his tail off on Space Giraffe, which just released.

Today I heard back from Foxx. He said:

5:34:14 PM: Oh! And CHRIST on a crutch on crackers! Space Giariffe!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
5:34:22 PM: oh, yes? How is it?
5:35:01 PM: It's.. I'm ashamed to compare Geometery Wars to Minter. He's gone so much further and captured what he was trying to

I'm looking forward to finishing Cool Herders so I can finally get a 360 ;)

(Reply to this)

arron_shutt
2007-08-26 03:05 am UTC (link)

In a real war, you have problems with perception of what you are fighting with regard to what is coming in a strategic sense (which is why you need intelligence and break communications ciphers), and also in a tactical sense with smoke, explosions, bad weather etc. You can also add to the mix that enemies work together with other elements and use the environment to make their attack more effective. This is why "asymmetric" warfare works, because you've got little intelligence, and you're trying to pick out a small signal (insurgents) in a lot of noise (everyday public life).

You can develop a strategy to deal with difficult warfare situations like this, it is just they are different to normal warfare situations where the enemy roll up in lines and you shoot them..

From a game design perspective, you can also take this too far and reduce the information to the player here they have no chance of dealing with the attack, or make it so easy to deal with things that they can learn patterns and merely "move left, shoot, move right, shoot" like most shoot-em-ups in the late eighties. So you can fill the screen with enemies and bullets, but as long as you learn all the patterns, you can sail through the game without incident..

I guess at the end of the day, it comes down to the challenge you want. If you want predictable memory testing conflict, then play 1942. If you want a bastard hard time with lots of simple predictable elements combined then play Defender or Robotron. If you want a arcade version of the unpredictable adaptive nature of war where you have to use all available information to come through intact, then get Space Giraffe :D

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	ribmeister 2007-08-26 08:58 am UTC (link)
	no reason you can't enjoy both :) 1942 was ridiculously hard in its own way :) (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

arron_shutt
2007-08-26 01:05 pm UTC (link)

I thought that it was interesting how there is a connection between the game's deeper playability through investigating beneath the obvious and also how Jeff and Giles have added references to code breaking, obsfucation and encryption. Recent blog entries and irc channel conversations have covered Numbers stations, the visit to Bletchley Park, shortwave communications and even Guilloche patterns on banknotes to prevent forgery..

I guess if you penetrate the deeper meaning in all things, then you have a richer, more rewarding experience. The lazy and the unobservant will miss out and not know what they missed.. :D

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	faroon 2007-08-26 06:43 am UTC (link)
	"You can't please all of the people all of th..." - screw it Jeff, the game is what it is: refreshing, new, unique, challenging, bonkers. Those folk you don't want that, or don't get it, can play generi-shooter 17. (Reply to this)

Hey

kidcocky
2007-08-26 08:29 am UTC (link)

Hey my name is shaun. I have been reading online that you are a legend in gaming. I myself am a writer, I have what some like to call an overactive imagination. I also have lots of ideas for video games and was thinking if you had the time maybe i could throw some ideas around with you. I must warn you some of my ideas realy push the envelope. This is my book's website if you care to check it out.
http://www.freewebs.com/birthofakiller/

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cheesetruck
2007-08-26 11:39 am UTC (link)

Undoubtably, I'll run into someone in a year or two who will say something incredibly stupid like "Oh, yeah, Minter, his games always doom the consoles they're built on. What was the last one again?" and I'll say "xbox 360. He's done both a game for it and the internal music light synth." and they'll say "No, no... that's not him" and I'll say "of course, you're right. I must be mistaken. After all, you don't know where he is and I've actually talked to him in person recently."

Ok that Assembly isn't exactly, ya know, recently. But it is more than, ya know, what people who still think you're making games for Atari Jaguar... have... I just woke up my brain isn't making sentences well.

By the way, Ne7 (a Mr. Andy Lemon) and I would like to invite you and Giles to another one of them there demoparty things; this one in a slightly nearer direction to that there place of y'alls: Budleigh Salterton.

http://www.sundowndemoparty.org/

(Hey, after reading shilling for a random book, why not shill for something that we're damned sure you'll enjoy (: Andy and his girlfriend were here at my place during this past Assembly, and we discussed it, and both said "well duh of course we should invite him" and ... I dunno if he mentioned it to you, and I don't recall doing so (: What with "Space Giraffe! yay!" coming out.

Um, a minor concern; let's say I don't buy my 360 for 2 years. What is the likelyhood that Space Giraffe will still be available on the live service, in whatever incarnation it is in, at that time?

(Reply to this)

	shatterstripes 2007-08-26 01:04 pm UTC (link)
	I look forwards to hearing that a new subatomic particle has been named after onomatopoeia of a Space Giraffe sound effect. (Reply to this)

frenziewolf
2007-08-26 02:33 pm UTC (link)

Jeff,

I just bought your new game on Xbox Live and absolutely love it. I think you should be pleased that it sparks such polarised opinions. To sound like an utter fanboy I've been playing your games since my Dad bought me Llamatron for my Amiga at the tender age of 8. I don't think I ever got past level 10, but I played it for months!

Anyway, on discovering your blog I wanted to say you deserve all the merit and ensuing discussions on game aesthetics that Space Giraffe invite. Its good to know you're still alive and making wonderfully addictive games. Bravo!

(Reply to this)

	moondispatches 2007-08-26 09:57 pm UTC (link)
	Hey man, brilliant game. Certainly the most Discordian play expirience of my life. Rock on. (Reply to this)

	snake1148 2007-08-27 08:25 pm UTC (link)
	If you are all those things, then you are everything. T3h W1n. Been watching the leaderboards with interest. Don't think I've seen anything quite so odd before, with so many people not getting beyond the first few (and in quite a few cases, the first) levels. Buying without trying the demo first? Who'd have thought. Guess those bad reviews didn't do you any harm at all :o) (Reply to this)

	bencollier 2007-08-28 08:21 am UTC (link)
	I bought a 360 to play Space Giraffe, and I'm loving it. Unfortunately, I am also crap at it. (Reply to this)

	tanatoes 2007-08-29 03:03 pm UTC (link)
	Aww. I was hoping for GR++ as a Wii-ware download (remote pointer would seem a natural.) But then again... GridRunner with trippy Neon visuals? Where do I sign? (Reply to this)

	ism2023 2007-08-29 11:02 pm UTC (link)
	tytytytytytyty for SG, i love it, I cant stop playing it and it represents all that is good in gaming. I've been reading your blogs since the Nuon (sp) days, all the success in the world to you mate Slainte! (btw, thought you might like this..) http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/photo/2007-08/28/content_6062455_2.htm (Reply to this)

pippinbear
2007-08-30 10:35 pm UTC (link)

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way - in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only."

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	nikejam 2007-08-31 02:44 am UTC (link)
	http://www.majornelson.com/archive/2007/08/22/arcade-space-giraffe.aspx Content: Space Giraffe Price: 400 Microsoft Points Availability: All Xbox LIVE regions except Korea ^^^^^^^^^^^^ guess where I live.. :-( Any idea to why? (Reply to this)(Thread)

	medwaypvb 2007-09-01 06:13 pm UTC (link)
	Have you tried the 'fake' gamer location trick, where you create a profile making out you're from another country, then try to download SG using that profile? I know MS issued an update to block them, but some items can still be grabbed. :-) (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	nikejam 2007-09-03 01:23 am UTC (link)
	Thanks. In fact, I do have an US profile setup. But, MS, recently, I belive, has blocked the usage of a credit card to buy the MS Points outside of the U.S. Arrrggghhh.... Getting sick and tired to playing the tutorial levels over and over and over and over and over... (Reply to this)(Parent)

Blame Korean Rating Board for that

gilesgoat
2007-09-02 09:11 am UTC (link)

Yes, we very well have an idea about why.

The "why" is "because the Korean Rating Board is INCREDIBLY SLOW" the choiche been between "wait 5 more weeks and delay all" and "forget about Korea and maybe later do something if we manage to get that rating".

The problem been exactly TOO SLOW BEAUREACRACY and honestly we were already too much stressed and too much late to stay there waiting 5 more weeks just to get a piece of paper and have everything on hold for it, plus that could have been a negative impact for us loosing the "time window" for the launch.

Now don't despair completely, there's still some hope, there could be a re-issuing of the thing with the Korean rating but again it's a bit of a complex stuff to be done.

Blame beaureacracy, we started that thing with the ratings about 2 months IN ADVANCE our release date hoping "in 2 months we should have everything in line" with the result that after two months or so we heard "no we'd need 5 weeks more" ..

You see how it goes ...

Plus they also wanted some "weird paperwork" that no one else wanted.

All this means : more costs, more time, more complication and more stress.

Now you maybe have a better idea why not many games get the Korean rating, plus the Korean market is considered "small".

It's not that we did not want to do it but the way thing went got too complex for us.

Also, in the beginning we were working on a Korean localisation as well but at a point "we lost the translator" :| and we had no time/possibilites to find another one so we had to drop that too.

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	Re: Blame Korean Rating Board for that nikejam 2007-09-03 01:27 am UTC (link)
	for llove of goat...speaking of the tax money being well spent.... :-( Hmmm... Korean localization... Wonder how the lost translator would have translated tings like "You are a meh." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

Re: Blame Korean Rating Board for that

nikejam
2007-09-05 04:38 am UTC (link)

1 스페이스 지라프 한국마이크로소프트(유) 2007-08-24 미국 VC-070824-003

(intentinal oops!) For those of you who get a bunch of garbage characters w/ the above line, it's saying ...

1 Space Giraffe Microsoft Korea 2007-08-24 USA VC-070824-003 for all ages.

Yeah~~~Looks like I'll be getting my copy soon~
Now, I just need to convince my wife that watching bright lights and listening to the sounds of furry animals is kinda similar to watching dramas. :^)

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metalmikey666
2007-08-31 10:51 pm UTC (link)

Dude, I just wanna say that I think Space Giraffe is absolute chuffin' dynamite. It's true what everyone's saying tho - you kinda need a couple of goes before the idea sinks in. Once it does, it's pretty damn infectious!

I'll be brutally honest, when I first put it on, i was like, "okay, this is just Tempest!" but actually I'd more compare it in terms of attitude to something like Puzzle fighter (which ironically came out this week) in that you kinda have to "Gamble with your life" in order to get the big points!

I will not rest until your end-of-level message says something nice to me!!!

Keep up teh good workz bud.

-Mikey

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