Happy Weekend! If you were curious, here's what's up with me :)...
1. IT'S A TWISTED METAL WEEKEND: Settling in for a long weekend of Twisted Metal work. On Deck:
a-Sending my notes and ideas to the team so we can lock what the RANKED non-tweakable HOST settings will be. For ranked games, we're- understandably, I assume- not giving the host much freedom at all.
b- Figuring out the UNRANKED host settings for multiplayer. For example, when you fall off cliff roads and rooftops in an unranked game, we'll let the host decide if a fall= instant death (the earlier TM games) or just damage and a respawn back in the action (the latter TM games). Oh, and from what I hear from the TMA crew, UNLIMITED WEAPONS is a big no-no! :)
QUICK QUESTION: And we may have discussed this before but it's time to pull a damn trigger on the issue: My gut says everything should be unlocked in UNRANKED games (online and split) because if you just want to play casually with buddies and see the stuff you paid for, why the hell not? BUT I also know there is a vocal crew of CALL OF DUTY:BLACK OPS that were PISSED that everything was unlocked in unranked from the get go. What do ya'll think? AGAIN: PLEASE- not looking for fresh ideas...just looking to see which way you'd go out of those two options- thoughts? Thanks in advance!
c-Writing the TIPS that appear on the load screen in in game.
d- Sending the team my latest notes and thoughts on our CAMPAIGN mode (tweaks, tuning suggestions, any last remaining pacing suggestions/ concerns/questions,etc.)
e-Prepping for a TWISTED METAL media event next month.
f-Reviewing the shot list for our live action Twisted Metal shoot coming up next week (going back in to the studio to capture shots we missed, redo some performances that need touch of love, capturing a few new shots to make certain story points stronger). Storytelling- like game creating (and ANY creative project I would assume)- is ALL about the iteration.
g-Prepping tune/tweak numbers to send to Scott out in Utah for vehicle driving differentiation and weapon/special weapon damage amounts.
h-Recording a video for Victor Lucas' I LOVE JAPAN charity event.
FUCKING WHEW! Wish me luck!
Here's what else I'm gonna try to squeeze in:
2. WEST WING SEASON 3 MARATHON CONTINUES- Been devouring them on Apple TV for the last month! Never watched before and it's become my second favorite tv show of all time already (right behind SIX FEET UNDER). At the end of the series, it may take the top spot (but I doubt it).
3. SPIN/MEDITATE- hope to get 2 spins in and about 20 minutes on the cushion this weekend. We'll see!
4. BILLS and BUDGET- ugh, never ends. How dare those bastards ask me to pay for the shit I use! :)
5. CONGRATULATIONS TO MY BUDDY- Some of you know I'm friends with Jeff Goldsmith, he of the amazing Creative Screenwriting podcast (also my co-writer on the TWISTED METAL:BLACK and TM2 end movies). Well these days he does an amazing Q/A with the world's best and most successful screenwriters and this stuff ain't PR fluff folks. He's really, really good at offering up insightful, probing, and smart as hell interviews about the craft and the life of today's working screenwriter.
OH WAIT!...he ain't doin that no more! :)
Nope- Jeff bolted from Creative Screenwriting and started his very own screenwriting podcast (same great format, same great guests, same amazing quality...if not better!) called THE Q & A WITH JEFF GOLDSMITH The first few episodes just hit this week (including one with the screenwriter of the new film FLAWLESS, a movie I REALLY want to see!) so please, do yourself a favor and check it out!
6. PRAYING FOR A MIRACLE- Check it:
My kids and their baby sitter are washing our new dog- Austin- at home for the first time. We just got him in January and so far I've had the vet bathe him twice and then used an animal grooming/bathing service up the road just once. We let him dig in the dirt, play in the backyard, go a little nuts (as all dogs should! :) )...
Well today the kids really wanted to bathe the guy in their own tub and their baby sitter was game (she's braver than I am, I tell you that!) Well so far, it's going GREAT! He's such a damn trooper this guy- so sweet and gentle with my girls. He just puts up with everything. Look at that face: you can tell he's just like, 'Ah screw it-these are my people and if these loud little kids wanna bathe me, screw it- what else I got goin' on today?' I'm not sure why he's a union truck driver from New Jersey, but there it is. :)
Ok- it's a full weekend so I'm gonna get banging on it. Hope ya'll are having a great one as well!
Talk soon!
David
PS. WHICH FONT? Is this post the way to go?
Or should I go with the SMALLER FONT I've been using?
THANKS!
I'm looking for a new dog and I really like your dog could you please tell me what breed it is? Please
ReplyDeleteCan't wait for next month for some new info!
ReplyDeletea. I would give host no real options to change the game up to their favor..Just a suggestion bc it seems that some people hate having health in games while others do - maybe you can have different defaulted games with health/no health setup? or a way to filter. I'm a fence sitter when it comes to it..some gameplay matches I don't mind health while others I find frustrating.
b. yes unlims killed tmbo/tmho in my opinion.. Its hard to give an opinion b/c I don't know how easy it is to rank up and unlock stuff in TM. If it were up to me, I would keep things locked in both ranked and unranked...
This is what I'm picturing: your team working hard on having an elaborate unlocking tree - only to have players jump on the day of launch and play nothing but unranked since everything is ready for their disposal. (Kinda like what happened with vigilante 8 for the 360)
I would rather work for everything and I don't think your team would put the fans through hell and ridiculous challenges to unlock our favorite cars either.
Big font!
ReplyDeleteThanks for linking to Jeff's new podcast. I used to listen to the Q&As he did for CS and been wondering why there hasn't been any new ones in a while.
Agree with maartyrr about A and B!
ReplyDeleteP.S. Font is ok=)
Oh man, can't wait for the media event!
ReplyDeletePlease Jaffe, falling from a cliff or rooftop without dying is just not right for TM. I loved it in Black, TM1 and TM2 when falling from a cliff meant you're dead.
I really didn't like in Head On when you fell you just came back with damage. It doesn't make any sense. If you fall a bunch of stories, the car needs to explode in epic fashion.
I think it'd be fun to unlock everything along the way. Having everything at your disposal even in split screen is too easy. My friends and I have spent hours trying to get all of the cars in CAC! and it adds to the fun.
Not sure if everything should be unlocked in unranked multiplayer either. Once again, for me personally, it's fun to get everything through playing.
I agree with Maartyyr on that one.
I love the fact that there will be custom soundtrack. I ripped TM2's soundtrack from my game on to my PS3, and I might just shed a goddamn tear when I pop in the game and I have "The Quake Zone Rumble" playing in the background.
CAN'T WAIT! Keep up the fantastic work, Jaffe!
-Graham
I also can not wait for next month!
ReplyDeleteCompletely agree with maartyrr on a) and b)
Agreeing with Graham, I also believe that having everything unlocked from the start in UNRANKED games will draw more attention towards UNRANKED games and away from the RANKED games.
We want more competition on the RANKED games, and keeping things locked in UNRANKED will encourage people to join RANKED servers.
In my option UNRANKED would be a great mode to play for experimenting with your unlocks from the RANKED mode, and having fully customizable settings at the HOST's disposal.
As for RANKED games, however, I agree that the HOST's customization on the game settings should be extremely limited to keep the balance smooth and fun.
The West Wing is outstanding! Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteI really agree with that line of thinking on having everything unlocked for unranked play. Hell, I'd even say go for unlimited weapons. When you're in unranked play, in my mind that's free-for-all territory by definition, where you get to play the multiplayer game you want, whether by your own setup or finding someone else's game.
ReplyDeleteYou want controlled environments to your liking, setup your own server with your own rules or play ranked games. I plan on mainly doing the latter; for me unranked play is only for going crazy with buddies. If I'm at-all competitive, staying ranked unless I know of a really good unranked server. But because of that, I absolutely do want all those options open to me.
As for the font, depends on the post...short to medium posts are good, bigger for longer ones. Though not a big deal either way pour moi.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteBig fonts please! So much easier on the eyes in the iPhone :)
ReplyDeleteSurely you will understand... Have you ordered the ipad2? What's the situation on that?
Best Regards
I also agree with maartyrr about a. and b. as well as the player needing to earn his unlockables.
ReplyDeleteBig font.
Impatiently awaiting the media event news...
In UNRANKED, where all that matters is fun, I think we should have all the toys from the beginning to have fun with.
ReplyDeleteIt also means we can test stuff in Unranked before we buy them (or however your progression works) for ranked play.
So yeah, 'unlock all' for unranked option makes more sense to me.
I like the bigger font. Its much easier to read. Keep it up David. Can't wait for the game.
ReplyDeleteIt would be nice if you're unlocks transferred from ranked to unranked but while playing in unranked you can't keep unlocking more. That way you don't have to start over unlocking stuff in unranked and you don't have to unlock everything for the player without the player doing anything.
ReplyDeleteThe big text is obnoxious. Please return to the old text.
ReplyDeleteRegarding your decision between all unlocks, and limited weaponry, in a game like Twisted Metal...
Do you really feel that there will be a hardcore playerbase akin to the Call of Duty nuts that always play ranked matches?
Or do you feel that more players will just want to jump in and have fun with the game?
Twisted Metal has always been about jumping into the middle of pure mayhem - it's more fun to me that way.
So I say unlock everything, but that's one perspective out of millions.
Tough decision, Jaffe.
I had no idea that you were a fan of Six Feet Under. I respect you even more now.
ReplyDeletePlease don't unlock everything in splitscreen multiplayer! My friends and I are STOKED that you guys are putting out a 4 player local splitscreen title and it would kill it for us if you unlocked everything from the beginning... Black Ops did it (like you said), and we were certainly perturbed that the challenge was now gone from our matches.
ReplyDeleteI'm super excited for the game, I can't wait to buy it!
I say have everything unlocked from the start in OFFLINE multiplayer.
ReplyDeleteFor online have everything locked but have a fairly simple unlock structure where time invested will guarantee unlocks.
Basically kills count.
25 Kills unlocks ST.
50 kills unlocks Talon...
etc.
Great way to keep peeps playing and they know they're working towards a reward w/o making it insane (1000 kills etc)
:)
I HATED the way you had to unlock cars in CaC. Just to damn frustrating.
Just to be more clear the killcount to unlock stuff should be saved so you might not be a massive online player who plays many hours every day but if you play say 3 matches and only get 6 kills you know its still counting towards your overall tally to meet the unlock requirements.
ReplyDeleteI know I love this method as I personally feel I'm always making progress even if its just a little at a time.
Maybe one or 2 unlocks are even based around how many missiles you shoot into the statue in Nuke?
Requirements like this are also always getting the gamer to play the game as it was meant to be.
None of these stupid team kill trophies or unlock requirements that actually force you to break the game for others.
Don't make the mistake Black Ops did, prgressing through ranked games should start to unlock features for unranked.
ReplyDeleteAlso please don't change the player count based on the ranking modes either. Black Ops had 24 on unranked and 18 on ranked which I never understood.
There should be a way to play the game with friends with everything unlocked the day you get it. Because of the party aspect some people may only play the game socially when friends are over.
ReplyDeleteTo encourage ranked play maybe allow their unranked games to count something towards unlocks in the ranked games. So the more you play the easier the jump from having everything to having nothing will be.
Dude. Thanks in advance for the great game you are nearly done with (which is just the start of many years of fun for us gamers).
ReplyDeleteYou're pretty fucking passionate on it!
I do not own a PS3...but I'm gonna get one as soon as TM gets a release date! I played a hell of a lot of TMB offline and online, so I know the investment is more than worthy (this plus The Last Guardian = happy me).
Speaking of that...if your influential hand allows for it, please have Sony release a TM bundle. In fact, I'd encourage you to have a poll here in your blog, asking us if we'd buy such a bundle
gret job man
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