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Upcoming Changes |  |
Thought I’d let everyone know what I’m going to be doing with this site starting very soon (probably tomorrow). Basically, this site is going to be used as a blog. There will still be house rules, reviews, and other goodies posted from time to time, but primarily I’m just going to be posting about whatever I feel like posting (which, more often than not, will be game-related). There will be an RSS feed included, so anyone who wants to subscribe (say, through Bloglines, for example) can do so. I’ll probably be getting rid of the forum, since it’s pretty much fallen into disuse. However, there’s a possibility that, very soon, I’ll be implementing a wiki on this site. My idea is that, any time I post any sort of house rule, I’ll make it editable, so that it can be communally developed. Oh, and you’ll also be able to comment on every post, regardless of whether its editable, and regardless of its content.
Now, as to my actual ‘blog post’ for today, I’d just like to talk a little about a couple of games I’ve been playing lately. The first game I’d like to mention is Civilization IV. Civ IV is absolutely excellent; in my opinion, it’s the best incarnation of Civ yet. Many things have been simplified, but that doesn’t mean that the game’s been dumbed down. Quite the opposite, there’s a lot of depth there. Not only is there depth, though, but the game gives you a wealth of information right up front. For example, when you mouse over a terrain tile, you can see its production, any strategic resources present, any improvements present, and its defense bonus. When you prepare to attack an enemy unit, you get to see both the attacker’s and defender’s relative strength–all modifiers having been factored in–as well as what modifiers are being applied to each combatant. It’s very elegantly done, and it helps you understand and appreciate exactly what’s going on behind the curtain.
The second game I’ve been playing is one that’s been out for a little while: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords. I played the first KotOR twice (though I never actually completed it either time), and enjoyed it thoroughly both times. I’m enjoying KotOR II just as much, if not more. The story seems pretty good so far, the characters are interesting, as are the interactions between characters, and the main character is actually fleshed out somewhat, rather than being a mysterious stranger without a past. There are a lot of gameplay changes that I really like, such as the item creation system and the NPC influence system. One of the things that interests me the most, though, is that KotOR II is very conscious that it is a sequel, and takes into account the somewhat open-ended nature of the previous game’s finale. Near the beginning of the game, you get to, effectively, determine how the previous game ended. There are also a number of references to characters from the previous game, though I’ve only seen one actually appear so far. All in all, I’m very impressed.
At any rate, expect to see some changes in this space soon.
Zel
