The Karma system in the original inFamous gave players a choice between being bad or being good, but for the most part the game didn’t change much depending on the path you took. inFamous 2 addresses that issue explosively. More »
Game Mechanic Studios, a new development studio formed by former EA and Activision employees, have just released the first two screens for their new original IP, Art of War.
Paul Tozour has put up an entertaining video over at the Game/AI blog on the problem of pathfinding – which could probably otherwise be known as ‘Wait a minute, that enemy has wings but is getting hung up on a ledge it’s flying above. What?’. Along with the video, he’s also written a somewhat lengthy treatise on pathfinding in games using waypoints, which he argues are obsolete — and offers some potential solutions. But what about those who say, ‘Well, it worked just fine for us in our last game.’ Tozour has this to say:
With EA snapping up BioWare, they get more than just the men and women behind BioWare’s desks. They get their tech, too. In particular, they get their hands on the snazzy new dialogue system that’s been developed for Mass Effect. Which they like the looks of, EA Games’ Frank Gibeau saying: The dialogue engine is something we will almost immediately look at as an asset for other teams.
Can’t see how this is a bad thing. We haven’t laid hands nor eyes on the final product yet, but the dialogue system’s meant to be one of Mass Effect’s real strengths. Which can only be a good thing for EA devs. Especially the Madden team. Game’s been missing something for years now, and a “get all lippy with coach” feature could well be it. Electronic Arts 2.0 [Business Week] More »
