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For those of us who love everything equine, horses and games make a great entertainment combination. Creating a horse-themed card game is hard work and requires a lot of careful consideration. This article talks about the early days of discovery for the developers at Funleague Games as they embarked upon the journey of designing their very first card game called “Perfect Stride: Cross-Country!” Naturally, as with many things, the game started out as an idea. We wanted to create a fun horse game that was fanciful and stylized, yet still stayed somewhat true to the experience of riding a horse. Representing the idea of racing at high speed across country on horseback through a card game presented its share of challenges. We experimented with a lot of ideas and several times we experienced moments of “aha! This is it!” and away we’d go full-steam…only to discover a problem. The gameplay logistics were the main sticking points. We were cutting some new ground with this card game; it wasn’t closely based on any other specific game so we didn’t have a tried-and-true template to work from. Rather, we referenced bits and pieces of gameplay elements from other games we’d played and from our own vision of how we thought things should work considering the experience we were trying to emulate. Two other resources that have definitely been invaluable are Board Game Geek and Board Game Designer’s Forum. Thanks to everyone there who has posted such excellent info! Here are some examples of things we had a tough time figuring out: Our card game is essentially a race across country on horseback. You jump obstacles along the way…how do you represent that? Do you use tiles? Do you lay the cards out all at once, or one at a time? Face-up? Face-down? That kind of thing. Another element we struggled with was how the rider order was represented during the course of the race.

If you were in first, but then dropped back to third, how would you know? We tried a bunch of things such as using charts, placing a token amongst the jump cards, etc. After a lot of trial and error, we eventually figured out a system that wasn’t confusing (unlike our earlier versions). We also struggled with trying to inject some strategy into the gameplay. We definitely didn’t want this game to be all about “luck of the draw”. We wanted the players to have to evaluate each situation and choose a best course of action. Strategy does add depth to a game, but on the flip side of this, a bit of chance can really spice things up and keep you wondering as you draw that next card. As this was a racing game, we didn’t want the players to get too bogged down pondering their options. That would detract from the idea that you were all moving at high speed over terrain in a dash for the finish line. Those were just some of the many things we needed to figure out as we developed our initial idea into something fun, functional and richly thematic. After emerging from the idea phase, we entered a stage of development where we needed to examine more practical business considerations: How big should the deck be? slotxo

That has proven to depend upon a few things such as number of players, how many variables we were prepared to deal with, printing costs and art costs. We wanted the deck to have substance, yet still maintain some kind of control on the budget.
What should we price the game at?

Now that one is ongoing. Naturally we need to make some sort of profit as a reward for our hard efforts and the main way to estimate what kind of pricing is involved is by breaking down the “per-unit costs”. For example, we make an initial assumption that the first print run might be about 5000 copies. Therefore, we would get a printing quote for 5000 copies of the game. And then add to that the cost for artwork creation. And legal fees. And advertising. That sort of thing. Add all those costs together, and divide by 5000. That will be our per-unit cost.

How should we package and present the game?

We need to look at a couple of key things here. One is; what kind of presentation will be most appealing to people? We want the theme to be immediately recognizable and we want to convey the message that this is a quality game. A game where it’s a high-calibre entertainment experience made of durable materials that will be a pleasure to handle. The other consideration is how much will the packaging and materials cost? Printing/manufacturing costs are arguably THE most expensive part of creating a board or card game. And the quotes will vary widely with each print shop we approach.

Legal stuff?

A board or card game is a creative product. It’s art and entertainment, meets commerce. There’s intellectual property, copyright, trademarks and other basic business considerations. We recognize that it’s a good idea to protect our hard work and ensure that all communication is organized and in writing. Legal stuff is not only about protecting what’s ours; it’s also about being clear about obligations when engaging in business with another party. When it comes to hiring artists to create artwork for a game, copyright ownership is one of the biggest key factors. It’s important to ensure clarity about who owns the art. Paying an artist to create artwork doesn’t necessarily mean we actually own it. It’s essential to have an “Artist Agreement” in place. This is a legal document that details the rights and obligations between Funleague Games and the artist. Artists work hard to do what they do best (we know this firsthand…Jeff and I are both professional artists) and naturally will want to be clear about all the details involving the work they do.

What kind of art style am I looking for?

This is an important thing to figure out, but it can be a tough one. The style of art is heavily influenced by the style of the hired artist(s) working on your project. It’s important to choose carefully who will be creating the visuals for the game. Arguably good art will sell more copies of a bad game than bad art on a good game. People like things to look “cool” or “beautiful”. Make sure you deliver in spades in this area by having a strong vision for what your game should look like and by only hiring artists who have an art style compatible with that vision. Art style should also take into consideration the target market your game is aimed at. In the case of Perfect Stride: Cross-Country!, I’m going for a style that is distinct from other games on the market. I also want the style to be inclusive and appealing to the full range of my target audience. For example, I need to avoid an art style that is too “young” as my target audience are people ages 7 and up. I want to feature artwork that has a fun innocence to it, but at the same time possesses enough refinement to appeal to a more mature audience.

Who’s our audience?

This is important right out of the gate (now there’s a theme-appropriate expression :). Even at the earliest design phase it’s important to know our demographic. For example, if we designed a game to include a lot of deep and subtle complexities or tons of arithmetic, chances are that kids under 7 years of age could find the game too difficult. As for Perfect Stride: Cross-Country!, I feel that this will be a game that can be enjoyed by almost everybody, but the primary audience will likely be people who love horses. And as there is an element of strategy to the game, the very young may struggle with some of the gameplay concepts.

Gaming has come a long way from what it used to be before. In the past, people used to visit clubs, a casino, or a gaming parlor to play the games of their choice. However, with the advent of technology, game developers extended the gaming option right to your home. Yes, now you have the option to play all types of games online; all you need is a computer and a broadband Internet connection. Today, online gaming has become a craze among millions of people worldwide. Gaming fans and enthusiasts download games from the Internet each day so that they can play these games whenever they get free time. Regardless of the age, both young and old people find it elating to download games of their choice for a better and enhanced experience. The best thing with online games is that you can download these games as well as play them online. If you play these games online, you can do so for free for most of the games. However, if you wish to download the full version of these games, you need to pay an affordable charge.

The biggest problem that gaming fans face, when they want to download games, is finding a reliable and authentic Web site. This is because there are a lot of harmful Web sites that can spread virus, adware, or spyware on to your computer, laptop, or iPhone if you download games from them. To find a good Web site, you can read reviews of gaming Web sites on the Internet to verify about their reliability and authenticity. There are a lot of Web sites that provide reviews about Web sites that are best suited to download games. Once you manage to locate a good Web site, you can then check out the games available. If you are a bit doubtful about paying to download a game that you have no idea of, you can even download a trial version of the game for free and try it out. If the game interests you, then you can go ahead and pay to download the full version of the game. สล็อต

It is extremely easy to download games of your choice from the Internet. You do not need to be a computer expert to do so. All gaming sites offer detailed and explicit instructions to download a particular game. All you need to do is follow these instructions carefully and download games of your choice. Gaming Web sites also have online forums where you can chat with other players online and discuss about a particular game and resolve your queries, if any. These Web sites also provide you with a list of the top online and downloadable games for your ease. Another good thing about gaming Web sites is that they offer monthly subscription to gaming fans, which allows them an unlimited facility to download games. This is a much better option as you do not need to pay for a single game anymore.

Wartune is a free to play fantasy based RPG game that you can easily play online. Not only is it a 2D browser based RPG video game, but there are also elements that borrow features from the RTS genre as well. Whether you are a fan of both genres, Wartune might have something here that will interest you.

In similar fashion to many other browser based RPG video games, you will start off creating your own character that you will want to use for the duration of the entire video game. There are only three basic classes to choose from and they include a “Mage”, “Knight” or “Archer”. Sadly you will be unable to alter the appearance for your character so you are pretty much stuck with the generic designs that the developer has chosen for you. Still, the character design in this game is impressive overall and some gamers won’t be too fussed about this.

I must say that the game takes a bit of time to load every time you boot the game up for the first time. I’m not sure if this will happen with everyone, but the game needs to be patched so be prepared to wait patiently before you begin the game. Thankfully, you can play a neat mini-game to pass the time while the game loads. This is a first for a free to play video game and a nice touch in my opinion, although the mini-game doesn’t appear when long loading times occur when you actually start the game itself.

Once the game finally starts, your character enters a forest-like area called “Enna Pass”. The first thing you have to do is approach a menacing looking Mountain Bear and try to kill it. This serves as the game’s first battle sequence as it teaches you the basics of the game’s combat mechanics.

Combat in Wartune is the traditional turn based system used in lots of other RPG video games. All you have to do is click on an attack or skill that you want to execute at the bottom of the screen and your character will automatically respond in kind. The combat in this game is fast paced and the animation is impressive to say the least. This isn’t the kind of turn based RPG game where the characters are slow to react your button commands.

As you progress, there will be more members that will join you in your party that can aid you in battle. One of the more helpful members that tag along early on in the game is a young girl that heals you in the background. If you take a lot of damage during battle, she will ensure your life bar is full enough for you to survive the duration of the battle.

This helpful lady is actually a character that you need to save from danger at the very beginning of the game as she is being attacked by a group of angry bears. Although some people might say saving a “damsel in distress” is one of the most clichéd stories in the history of mankind, but I personally didn’t mind the storytelling aspects that this game provided. It’s better than just approaching a random non playable character on the street and accepting quests like that as most other games do.

As previously mentioned, Wartune is not only an RPG video game but it also includes RTS elements in there as well. Once you save the young girl, you will travel back to her city and then the city building aspects of the game are introduced. Much like in RTS video games, you will have to collect resources for your city and construct buildings. The integration between the RPG and RTS elements work really well. The loot you receive from killing monsters on the ground level can be used to upgrade the buildings in your city and so forth. It’s a neat feature that is not seen in any other game I’ve played recently. Pg slot ทางเข้า

Graphically, Wartune looks amazing for a browser based video game. The character models look highly detailed as does the environments. This does come at a price though because as I previously mentioned, the loading times are pretty lengthy and frequent too. The loading times aren’t unbearably long like they are in other video games, although they will annoy you.

Overall, the presentation in Wartune is commendable with a great soundtrack to listen to and sound effects throughout. It’s also worth mentioning that the game’s interface is nice and clean and does not appear cluttered with too many icons and buttons like in other browser based video games.

Top Multiplayer Games

We all have our favourite Top Multiplayer Games and await in glee for the next release. In this article I will provide an insight into my top few multiplayer games. Im sure many of you from the online game network hobeze will have different views

Warcraft 3

Warcraft 3 is yet another masterpiece of Blizzard’s award-winning online strategy series. The game was released in 2002 and is still the most widely used game, both online and in pro competitions with an ever increasing gaming community this is my top multiplayer game. Main features include role playing, 3D graphics and enhanced multiplayer options.

Dungeons and Dragons

I found it difficult not to list this as my top multiplayer game. This game is split between two lands. You have the Mages which are an elite group of magic users and the commoners who are powerless. The land is called the Empire of Izmer and the young Empress wants equality and prosperity for all. However the Mages are planning to depose her and create their own rule. This is a great game in the Gaming Community.

Halo 2

Halo 2 has improved in every way imaginable from game play to level design. This is a game not to be missed. At first glance it may look similar but once you get into it you will quickly realise everything has been upgraded. This is a must have to add to your game network of buddies.

Counterstrike

Counterstrike has finally been released after a long awaited two years. This is great however after paying full price for the new game, there are not many changes at all. If anything it has just been re packaged. You have the same weaponry and maps so the game play is more or less the same. It is more streamlined but after two years one would expect that everything would be new. However still a great multiplayer game in the gaming community and is seen as one of the top multiplayer games.

Age of empires 2

Age of Empires II – The Age of Kings continues from where you left off. Remember back when you started in the stone age, well now you are faced with new challenges within the dark age reaching the age of imperialism. This is done by surviving the attacks from rival civilizations. The new eras bring new units and challenges. Yet another great game to add to you gaming community. สล็อตโจ๊กเกอร์

Call of Duty

This is a must to have in my list of top Multiplayer Games. Call of Duty is an intense world war 2 game that you can add to your game network where you can see from many different perspectives. Many game play modes from single game play to multiplayer. There are squad based missions so you are not alone in fighting hundreds of other units. The sound effects are very authentic.

You will experience world war 2 from the eyes of American, British and Russian soldiers.

You will begin your journey as an American paratrooper then move onto the British Special Forces and onto a Russian tank commander.

Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars

You will remember from earlier games that there was a conflict between the global Defence Initiative and the Brotherhood of Nod. Tiberium Wars has included a third side called the Scrin. You have a good selection of multiplayer maps and battle cast functionality. A great game to play with your game network.

PC games are any game that you play on a personal computer. Among the myriad computer games available today either online or downloadable, a huge category of games exists in the Puzzle games segment. These games generally consist of multiple levels each one a little more complex and sophisticated than the preceding level, making for a thoroughly engrossing session of game-play.

Puzzles for the PC range from the extremely simple jigsaw puzzles to very complex games that go on for days on end as the levels get more and more complicated thus taking more time to complete. Many of them are naturally addictive and if you are a seasoned gamer, any one will probably do but somehow, puzzles seem to captivate the minds of all categories of people from all walks of life unlike some other categories like combat games, strategy games and similar that appeal to certain segments of gamers.

If one were to slot puzzle games into distinct categories, very broadly you could put them into the visual matching, logic, obstacle course navigation, single and multiple character control and other categories.

In the visual matching category, you can further differentiate these games as ‘falling block’ puzzles, ‘advancing block’ puzzles and other ‘visual matching’ puzzles. In the falling block type of puzzle games, puzzle pieces start entering the play area from either one or more sides. More typically, they will usually fall from above into the game play area and the players need to either match or arrange these pieces to fulfill the particular objectives of the game as per the rules laid out. Bejeweled, Tetris and Super Swap are puzzle games that fall in this category.

In the advancing block category, blocks are usually made to advance from any of the top, bottom or sides into the playing area while the players prevent them from getting to the opposite side before the game ends. Other rules may also apply and/or the objectives may be different for each game. Collapse, Magical Drop and Tetris Attack are examples of such puzzle games.

Visual matching puzzle games like Zuma, Luxor and Zoop require the players to match similar blocks in specified groups either by their shapes, colors or textures to clear the boards before a time limit expires or before the game area is filled with blocks and there is no more room available. These games require one to be quick in observation as well as in movement.

Hidden object puzzle games require your innermost intuition to target hidden objects that need to be revealed to complete a level or the game. These games use a variety of ways to achieve your goal and provide for hours of fun and intrigue as you train your brain to remember ways it didn’t work out. สล็อต xo

Then there are the character control games where players control either a single or multiple characters to achieve the objectives of the games. Games like Pitman, Boulderdash and Repton have a single character who is the protagonist in the game whom you have to control and manipulate to complete the level or the game whereas Gobliiins, The Lost Vikings and Pingus require the control of multiple game characters to achieve the game goals.