Can I get a 'hell yeah' ?

After a very long while of dreading it, conceptualizing it, coding and debugging it... the armor damage model appears to be working correctly. That is probably the single biggest relief to me, perhaps aside from getting the game working in multiplayer.

This is a key victory because the armor damage model is extremely central to the game, and so having it in place frees me up to work on other less complicated systems. The specifics of armor damage will be revealed in screenshots/videos at a later date. Stay tuned!

Well done, BioWare

This isn't a game review blog, but after spending the last 3 weeks of my entertainment time on Mass Effect 3 I feel the need to express my thoughts about it.

All in all, it was pretty epic. The storytelling was amazing as usual, though it wasn't without it's flaws. Once in a while something would happen that contradicted something else that had just happened, or plot holes would open up, etc.. but for the most part, it was solid. The gameplay was fast paced and exciting. The graphics/sound/music were all top knotch. Even the multiplayer delivered alot more than I would have expected.



The sexiest action hero alive.

 I've seen solid storylines in games before (Homeworld series, World in Conflict to name a few) but even those didn't seem to quite measure up to the Mass Effect series. More importantly, I actually caught myself caring about the characters and what was happening to them. Even watching the nameless soldiers who you don't even meet get killed stirred up emotion. The series(Mass Effect 3 in particular) was very good at gripping your emotions and pulling in any which way.

The topic on everyone's mind - the ending. Everyone has a different opinon on it, and I'l try to express mine without any spoilers. All in all, I didn't like the ending. It was a combination of factors:

• I wasn't expecting a rosy ending, but itt was surprisingly depressing. Make no mistake, Mass Effect 3 does not end well no matter how you played the series.
• It made no sense whatsoever. It's hard to describe without dropping a spoiler, but it's as though for the final sequence of the game, the writers decided to allow Mrs. Smith's grade 5 class to write the ending. It was completely nonsensical, and one of the things that happened is actually impossible given what was going on at the time.
• It robs you of every desicion you've made throughout the series. The "readiness" rating does have a marginal effect on the outcome, but it's basically the same regardless. No matter how you've played, what decicions you've made, it ends the same.

There's alot of controversy surrounding the ending, and apparently BioWare is actually going to be releasing a DLC which will "clarify" the ending, all the while "preserving the game's artistic merit". Or something like that. While I wasn't happy with the ending, I hope they don't change it outright. Adding content to give us more info/closure? Sure, why not. But to alter it entirely would A) change Mass Effect from a work of art into a product and B) set a very disturbing precedent for video games in general. I'd love a more fleshed out ending, but I do hope they stick to their guns.

All in all, the game is a masterpeice and I have no problems giving it full marks. (It's at 75 perfect scores for a reason)

Anyway, what this also means is that I'm ready to get back into Tankz development. I have a checklist of systems to put in place before I release any more screenshots/videos, but I'l be working on that checklist feverishly. Check back for updates as there likely will be some soon!

Error: Galaxy under attack, please wait.

Tankz is progressing nicely, I'm currently working on a fairly complex algorithm to power a system that will arguably be the centerpeice of the game. After it's finished, a few more systems are put in place, I'l resume stability testing and will open the servers up to 8 players. Once im happy with 8 player performance, i may provide a vid or 2 more and perhaps some open testing.

In the meantime, however.. general production on Tankz will halt for a few days while I live, breathe and eat Mass Effect 3. I will return to my regularly scheduled programming (haha) once the galaxy has been saved.

Stay tuned.