Elecorn: The Animated Coder

Okay, so normally, I don’t do posts like this on a games / comics / indie blog (outside of the occasional morality rant), but this was too good to pass up.

I was at Target the other day doing some Christmas shopping with the family, when I saw this:

… And a closeup.

If you don’t recognize the character, here’s her bio:

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Yarna_d%27al%27_Gargan

Why do they even make this toy!!!!!  What were they thinking!  Yes, this is the toy that every boy and girl simply must have in their collection!  “Mommy, mommy! Can I get a D’ Al’ Gargan figure for Christmas?  I want one really bad!  I need it to complete my Jabba the Hut show girls collection!”

I kid you not! Defense Grid: The Awakening (available for pre-purchase now on Steam) is without a doubt the BEST tower of defense game I have ever played! I play lots and LOTS of games including a lot of Tower of Defense games. There are some really sweet tower of defense games out there (Immortal defense is one of my favorites), but Defense Grid takes the cake!

Everything about this game is Quality (with a capital Q)! The balance of the game play (easy to play and yet difficult to master), the intuitive controls, the music, the sound, the voice acting, the art direction, the animation, the user interface! It’s all there! The only thing I have to compare it to is the amount of quality I expect (and recieve) from the Mario games from Nintendo.

Of all the games I’ve been involved with in my career, I am more proud of this game than any other (yes, even more than Tiger Woods Golf 08 for the Wii which was awesome).

We’ve been playing Defense Grid internally at Hidden Path Entertainment and I just can’t get enough of it! Not many games do that for me. 90% of what I play I put down after the first 10 to 15 minutes, but this game keeps calling me back!

I’m confident that this game will stand as a landmark in the history of the Tower of Defense genre.

So, if you’re looking for a fun and satisfying game play experience, visit Steam and get a copy of Defense Grid. You’ll be happy you did!

Recently I listened to a talk given by Jonathan Blow on conflicts with story and game play.

You should check it out here:

http://braid-game.com/news/?p=385

I usually agree with most of what Blow says, but I didn’t quite agree with a lot of his assertions in this talk.  However, I found a lot of value in what he said and it has changed how I’m viewing my game creation process.

On that same note of meaningful games, I would like to promote Wii Music based on a friend’s recent blog post (Russell Carroll that does GameTunnel.com) .

http://vgbm.blogspot.com/2008/11/in-defense-of-wiimusic.html

Wii Music (and Wii Fit for that matter) are providing new game play experiences beyond anything out there.  If you’re looking for meaningful games that can impact your life and change the way you look at things, give Wii Music and Wii Fit a fair try.

I really wanted to make my next game after Caster meaningful in some way.  These two posts have really helped in this endeavor.

You can find Caster on the first page!

http://www.igf.com/php-bin/entries2009.php

Sometimes we need reminding.

The Family: A Proclamation to the World

The First Presidency and Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

We, the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children.

All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.

In the premortal realm, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshiped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize his or her divine destiny as an heir of eternal life. The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave. Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally.

The first commandment that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife. We declare that God’s commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force. We further declare that God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife.

We declare the means by which mortal life is created to be divinely appointed. We affirm the sanctity of life and of its importance in God’s eternal plan.

Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. “Children are an heritage of the Lord” (Psalms 127:3). Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, to teach them to love and serve one another, to observe the commandments of God and to be law-abiding citizens wherever they live. Husbands and wives—mothers and fathers—will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations.

The family is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities. By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners. Disability, death, or other circumstances may necessitate individual adaptation. Extended families should lend support when needed.

We warn that individuals who violate covenants of chastity, who abuse spouse or offspring, or who fail to fulfill family responsibilities will one day stand accountable before God. Further, we warn that the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets.

We call upon responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society.

This proclamation was read by President Gordon B. Hinckley as part of his message at the General Relief Society Meeting held September 23, 1995, in Salt Lake City, Utah.

http://www.lds.org/library/display/0,4945,161-1-11-1,FF.html

Please read the proclamation in it’s entirety before posting any comments (yes, even if you’ve read it before).

Thanks!

My good friend Victor Chelaru wrote a great article on better and more productive design for UI (mostly on the implementation side).

I plan on using these principles in my tools work at Hidden Path Entertainment.

Check it out here:

http://www.flatredball.com/frb/?postid=211

Thanks!