Now this is an instance when absorption in a game is a serious detriment! It’s a shame he spoiled it for all the other isotope guardians but, hey, that’s what happens if you can’t keep your DS case zipped when the inspector comes round. Seriously, though, what game was he playing? Clearly, the packaging needs a ‘more fun than a nuclear reactor!’ sticker.

Other stuffs:

I have a new site design (currently in PSD form) thanks to the hardworking efforts of the inimitable Diamond Pratt-a-tat-tatt, which should be live in the next week or so. It’s hot like a buttasub. Now I just need to learn all about creating custom Wordpress themes .

Tune updates abound - I completed some first pass art and prototype number one which was a quick hack-in test of my proposed gravity/slider mechanic. Usually I encourage substance before polish but I got a good start on the art and it seemed prudent to keep going while the fervor had me. Now I have some art. There are a couple of lingering technical issues I’m interested in tracking down…on my computer the camera is all screwed up in the web player (looks like a priority issue but doesn’t occur in Dev for you Virtools buffs out there.) Does anyone else see this? The symptom is that it’s nauseating and nigh-unplayable because the camera constantly jitters and jangles. Also, I was seeing some z-sorting crapola in some of the textures. Again, though, I don’t see this stuff anywhere but on my box, in the Web Player. Up next for Tune is a recode of the basic systems including a cleaner, more modular way to do alterable parameters for stuff. What I have right now is hack-central. Also, a UI prototype detailing how the parameters, variables, and sliders will hook in to one another. Huzzah!

Via Clint Hocking’s blog, a most excellent and candid conversation with some big name designers. The conversation covers the gamut of hot designer topics; it’s basically a synopsis of all the good questions designers get asked by the gaming press. Harvey Smith always seems to be reading my mind when he answers which is both comforting and alarming. He always draws on personal experience to illustrate his points, which is exactly what I’d do. Cheers, Harvey. Will swings his Broadsword of Insight +13, cleaving (as usual) through waffle to get to the juicy center of any topic. Surprisingly thoughtful commentary from David Jaffee and CliffyB is the real story here, though. Based on what I’d seen of both these guys, they seemed like idiots. I knew they had heads on their shoulders, but I’d never seen them show it publicly. So, good for them. I still probably won’t go see CliffyB speak at GDC - I’ll not soon forget his awful ‘looping’ nonsense at GDC 2005 and lackluster performance at the Game Design Challenge this year - but at least I have a clearer idea how he’s a creative director. And, hey, I really like some of the things he and Jaffee have to say. They are contributing. Huzzah!

Lastly, I got Camtasia set up and working (a new soundcard later) and will be recording Virtools tutorials/game design exercises. These will be something of a supplement to the videos Matthew’s been doing, with a much greater focus on how to tune mechanics to be fun and other design-y types of things. Huzzah!