Sorry to my seven readers, it's that time of year where life seems to take up all my time. That being said, I have been hard at work at attempting to launch my game. Just to update you quickly: Over the past two months I have been actively trying to put together a team in order to create a computer game based on a design I have been working on for a long, long time.
The good news is that I now have !3! programmers on board that want to see this game become a reality just as much as I do! We are currently in talks with concept artists that will help us visualize the Second Contact universe (more on that later).
I, myself, have been doing my best to crank out backstory fiction in order to tighten up where this game is going to take place. I have published the general history of the game's universe, and would love for you to give it a read! Click the link below or read it after the jump...
http://computertopgames.blogspot.com/2012/04/second-contact-backstory.html
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Can you draw good?
The development of "Second Contact", my turn-based strategy game based in an original SciFi universe has been progressing very rapidly the last two weeks, which sort of explains my lack of posting here. That being said, we now need artists to help out with the game!
If you are a concept artist, graphic designer, or 3D model maker person and want to work with a small, independent team to develop an awesome computer game, then let us know!
Artists Needed!
or
computertopgames@gmail.com
If you are a concept artist, graphic designer, or 3D model maker person and want to work with a small, independent team to develop an awesome computer game, then let us know!
Artists Needed!
or
computertopgames@gmail.com
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Bioware'd my valor go?
For those of you that haven't read, valor will no longer be a requirement to purchase PvP gear in SWTOR. Instead, the tier 1 set will be bought with credits and tiers 2 and 3 will be bought with warzone commendations. They have added a new set of PvP gear called "war hero", but have also gotten rid of both centurion and champion gear, thus their claim that they have added anything at all is somewhat misleading.
I am disappointed by the changes to PvP gear in 1.2. First of all, since there is no valor requirement for gear, what's the point of valor at all? I would hate to be someone who has been grinding out warzones and Tuesday night Ilum brawls to get to 65 in order to wear battlemaster, only to be told that next patch anyone who has enough commendations can buy the gear I have worked very hard to acquire. I can imagine open world PvP will also be non-existent on most servers. Yes, I know they are taking out Ilum to work on it. But, if valor is all but meaningless, what sort of incentive could they possibly come up with to draw people to the new and improved Ilum once they do get around to fixing it? Since hearing about the changes last Thursday, I have played a total of 5 warzones. Only 5. What's the point? The week leading up to the patch all I have to do is play enough to get my 1000 commendations and call it a day.
There is one idea that could let Bioware take away valor requirements, yet still leave incentive to PvP: Introduce a full line of orange gear with empty slots that are tied to valor rank and purchased with credits or commendations. Imagine that every 3-5 valor ranks there would be a new piece of gear to buy. Yes, of course it would be purely cosmetic, but that's the point. You can show off your shiny new gear that says "I am higher rank than you" but without all the stat disparity. Sure, coming up with new armor models isn't exactly easy and Bioware isn't exactly good at it, however there were countless times during my trek to level 50 that I have thought, "man, I want that armor that NPC is wearing." I guess the watershed moment will come when they announce the changes to Ilum, but until then, count me out of the warzone marathons and Tuesday night fights on Ilum.
I am disappointed by the changes to PvP gear in 1.2. First of all, since there is no valor requirement for gear, what's the point of valor at all? I would hate to be someone who has been grinding out warzones and Tuesday night Ilum brawls to get to 65 in order to wear battlemaster, only to be told that next patch anyone who has enough commendations can buy the gear I have worked very hard to acquire. I can imagine open world PvP will also be non-existent on most servers. Yes, I know they are taking out Ilum to work on it. But, if valor is all but meaningless, what sort of incentive could they possibly come up with to draw people to the new and improved Ilum once they do get around to fixing it? Since hearing about the changes last Thursday, I have played a total of 5 warzones. Only 5. What's the point? The week leading up to the patch all I have to do is play enough to get my 1000 commendations and call it a day.
There is one idea that could let Bioware take away valor requirements, yet still leave incentive to PvP: Introduce a full line of orange gear with empty slots that are tied to valor rank and purchased with credits or commendations. Imagine that every 3-5 valor ranks there would be a new piece of gear to buy. Yes, of course it would be purely cosmetic, but that's the point. You can show off your shiny new gear that says "I am higher rank than you" but without all the stat disparity. Sure, coming up with new armor models isn't exactly easy and Bioware isn't exactly good at it, however there were countless times during my trek to level 50 that I have thought, "man, I want that armor that NPC is wearing." I guess the watershed moment will come when they announce the changes to Ilum, but until then, count me out of the warzone marathons and Tuesday night fights on Ilum.
Friday, March 23, 2012
Help Wanted!
I have begun actively recruiting people to help me with my project. If you are an artist or programmer who loves turn-based strategy games, SciFi, and/or table top gaming, then this just might be the project for you!
Click here for more information.
Click here for more information.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
My Very Own Mega Corporation!
Okay, so it may not be a mega corporation (although my character in EVE does have his megacorp management skill to level 4), but it will do in the meantime. I have decided to start up a website that will be home to the "company" that will produce my computer game. The company will be called "Computer Top Games." The name will make way more sense once the details of the game start being released. I am going to start it off as a blog, which will eventually turn into a full fledged website once I get around to building it.
I will mainly use this blog to write about the actual process of creating the game, as well as my trials and tribulations in the world of computer gaming. I am going to continue to write at least 3 or 4 times a week, as the game's blog will only be updated as new features or news are released.
There is not much to see, but definitely head on over to the new site:
Computer Top Games
I will mainly use this blog to write about the actual process of creating the game, as well as my trials and tribulations in the world of computer gaming. I am going to continue to write at least 3 or 4 times a week, as the game's blog will only be updated as new features or news are released.
There is not much to see, but definitely head on over to the new site:
Computer Top Games
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Haven - First Contact
(This is the first installment of the back story to the universe in which my game will take place in. It's been a long, long time since I have attempted to write any fiction, so please, be gentle.)
The residents of Haven lived an insignificant existence. A small spec of a planet located somewhere in the endless void of the galaxy, little has changed on the world in the last 300 years. Its people know little of their origins. Bits and pieces of history have survived since the first settlement was founded, but even what remains is cryptic at best. It is almost as though their forefathers were hiding something from future generations. Then again, there was little reason for the people of Haven to uncover those secrets. The technology passed down from the original settlers of the planet made life comfortable for the Havenites. There have been no major wars since the Unification Treaty was signed centuries before. Life on the planet offered its inhabitants what every human sought after: stability.
It is not as if the Havenites thought of themselves as alone in the galaxy. The technology they possess rivals that of some space faring civilizations. Astronomers have mapped the stars, satellites crowd the planet's orbit, and astronauts have set foot on two of Haven's three moons. But, the desire to expand their frontier ended there. It is very difficult to motivate a population to explore when there is no necessity to do so. The human population of Haven is a miniscule 107 million spread across eight continents. The largest city is just under two million, making pollution a non-issue for all but the most densely settled areas. This does not all come without a price. For over a century, technological advancement has been at a standstill. With no wars to fight, no pollution to clean, and no mouths to feed, what is there to strive for? As long as the populace could earn a living and provide for their families, what is there to change? What the Havenites needed was a question to answer, a problem to solve. Something that would allow their civilization to once again begin moving forward.
On a blustery spring day, a house-sized object streaked across the sky on the southernmost continent. Although monitoring stations had been tracking it since it hit the stratosphere, it still took the first responders over four hours to arrive. The object had come to rest in a field, far from any major city, leaving a half mile trench behind it. Those at scene that had surmised it was some sort of spacecraft were proved right when the body of the unconscious pilot was pulled from the wreckage. The news outlets had reported a defense satellite had malfunction and fell from the sky. In reality, it was Haven's first known contact with an alien race.
Over the next forty seven hours, Haven's best doctor's did their best to keep the pilot alive while Haven's best linguists did their best to communicate with the alien. All that could be deciphered was the following:
"Followed. Arrive soon. No one knows. Reject brothers. You still have choice."
Although the greatest minds on the planet converged to decipher the meaning, their efforts proved fruitless. It would take another event, second contact, to shed light on those eleven simple words.
The residents of Haven lived an insignificant existence. A small spec of a planet located somewhere in the endless void of the galaxy, little has changed on the world in the last 300 years. Its people know little of their origins. Bits and pieces of history have survived since the first settlement was founded, but even what remains is cryptic at best. It is almost as though their forefathers were hiding something from future generations. Then again, there was little reason for the people of Haven to uncover those secrets. The technology passed down from the original settlers of the planet made life comfortable for the Havenites. There have been no major wars since the Unification Treaty was signed centuries before. Life on the planet offered its inhabitants what every human sought after: stability.
It is not as if the Havenites thought of themselves as alone in the galaxy. The technology they possess rivals that of some space faring civilizations. Astronomers have mapped the stars, satellites crowd the planet's orbit, and astronauts have set foot on two of Haven's three moons. But, the desire to expand their frontier ended there. It is very difficult to motivate a population to explore when there is no necessity to do so. The human population of Haven is a miniscule 107 million spread across eight continents. The largest city is just under two million, making pollution a non-issue for all but the most densely settled areas. This does not all come without a price. For over a century, technological advancement has been at a standstill. With no wars to fight, no pollution to clean, and no mouths to feed, what is there to strive for? As long as the populace could earn a living and provide for their families, what is there to change? What the Havenites needed was a question to answer, a problem to solve. Something that would allow their civilization to once again begin moving forward.
On a blustery spring day, a house-sized object streaked across the sky on the southernmost continent. Although monitoring stations had been tracking it since it hit the stratosphere, it still took the first responders over four hours to arrive. The object had come to rest in a field, far from any major city, leaving a half mile trench behind it. Those at scene that had surmised it was some sort of spacecraft were proved right when the body of the unconscious pilot was pulled from the wreckage. The news outlets had reported a defense satellite had malfunction and fell from the sky. In reality, it was Haven's first known contact with an alien race.
Over the next forty seven hours, Haven's best doctor's did their best to keep the pilot alive while Haven's best linguists did their best to communicate with the alien. All that could be deciphered was the following:
"Followed. Arrive soon. No one knows. Reject brothers. You still have choice."
Although the greatest minds on the planet converged to decipher the meaning, their efforts proved fruitless. It would take another event, second contact, to shed light on those eleven simple words.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Back Story Revealed!
Just a short post to let everyone know I am announcing what the back story of the game will be about. I have decided to go with the SciFi/Space theme as it interests me far more than any other genre. Thanks to all those who contacted me with their input!
Without further ado, the title of the story is:
The story will involve an abandoned human colony that hasn't had any contact with Earth in half a millennium. All that changes when an alien ship crashes onto the planet with a cryptic message of what is to come. There will be three factions involved in the fighting, all with varying technological advancements. I have written a short story that gives a synopsis of the colony's background which I will post tomorrow.
Without further ado, the title of the story is:
Second Contact
The story will involve an abandoned human colony that hasn't had any contact with Earth in half a millennium. All that changes when an alien ship crashes onto the planet with a cryptic message of what is to come. There will be three factions involved in the fighting, all with varying technological advancements. I have written a short story that gives a synopsis of the colony's background which I will post tomorrow.
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