When i started this blog in late ‘07, i admittedly stole the name from Jeff Atwood’s blog and twisted it so it fit my sinister purposes. However, it started out more as ramblings than anything, definetely not horror. I didn’t have a plan for this blog, other than that i liked the name and the idea of putting something up that equals Jeff’s blog, just more tailored to games. I tried to follow his advice, keep posting on a regular basis … but one frustratingly unresolvable problem (why do some lines keep shooting past the side of the window?) and a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament later, it didn’t go anywhere.

At the beginning, i may have taken the “horror” too literally, ranting about the horrific things i’ve seen in the game that i just WANTED to be great (Mass Effect) but turned out to be merely ok. I’ve had a whole series of failures planned, all well researched and justified. The inventory, the “exploration” of empty planets, the combat “system” and so on. But that’s just not …. i mean everyone rants on the Internet, and if anything i want to do something completely different. My love is in games, so i can be very critical at times, but the outlook should remain positive. Then i’m also a game developer who is excited about the hobbyist game programming communities, especially Game Maker and Microsoft’s XNA framework. I occassionally participate and try to help where i can but i also learn a lot from these communities. There are people who know their stuff better than i because they have worked with it more intensively, or even developed it. Correct me if i’m wrong, yes please!

I also follow the DRM and copy protection issues closely. As a game developer, i think we should take the piracy as an opportunity and change our business models accordingly, that means: go online, do micro-transactions, do DLC for registered users (buying costumers hopefully), do treat the costumer as a restaurant waiter would. Be polite, forthcoming, and serve an aperitif or fortune cookie free of cost. Do anything to make your costumers come back. Remember their names, call them by their names, offer them “the usual?” but also point out this week’s specialties. Eventually, they will appreciate this service and treatment and they will gladly pay for it AND tip.

Imagine you’d be coming to a restaurant and the first thing the waiter wants to see is your 20-digit hexcoded restaurant entry permit serial number that you have to read to him. He will then let you in but he sneakily velcro’s a tiny GPS microchip on your clothes, usually without you even noticing. Just in case you might be leaving the restaurant without paying. He will also come by regularly with your drinks and food and while doing so, he revalidates your permit via his RFID scanner. Of course, when you leave he doesn’t remove the microchips, unless specifically instructed to do so, and he will also remind you that if you come back a fourth time, you will have to call an 0800 service number from now on before each visit to explain why you are coming to this place so regularly. Would you keep going to this place?

I hate obtrusive, inflexible DRM! I hate incompatible, problem-riddled copy protection mechanisms. My computer failed to run Spore due to it’s copy protection. I am so glad that BattleForge won’t have any of that! We (as game developers) need not find solutions to a problem (piracy), we need to look for better opportunities where piracy can’t spoil our incomes, and we need to reward those who pay.

Somehow, i wanted to mention Dead Space here. Actually, the whole idea of the subject was to talk about Dead Space and how it fits the “horror” theme. Now i’m tired and have only this to say: if you even remotely liked any of these games: Doom 3, F.E.A.R., System Shock or Bioshock – grab it! You’ll be in for a treat from the first minute. Remember: expect the worst, and then the unexpected!