Development Blog: 2016

From 2016 onward I'll be writing a development blog here. My current project is a turn-based strategy game, developed in Unreal Engine 4.

For the next month I won't be making a lot of progress on the actual game itself. Instead, I'll be learning how to make a game. I'll have a new post up once a week, every Friday, at a minimum.

Madoka Magica -Rebellion- Review

I'm finally back at a keyboard after yesterday's movie expedition.

Puella Magi Madoka Magica is an anime in a genre I never thought I'd watch: Magical Girl. Without saying too much, I'm sure the series surprised everyone else as much as it did me. I had the unfortunate experience of watching a terrible sub, but after I re-watched the dub recently I gained a new appreciation for those short twelve episodes. Still, there was something missing. A sense of incompleteness that was highlighted by shallow character development in the original. Madoka Magica was unfocused and unclear about its direction until the final episodes.

Normally I'm not one to suggest that anime should be longer. I'm typically a fan of shorter series where filler is impossible to squeeze in. Eureka Seven and Soul Eater both suffered from being unnecessarily long. 24-26 episodes is more than enough time to full develop characters and resolve an interesting plot. Anything more than that is fluff, and anything less doesn't do justice to either the characters or the plot. With Madoka we see Kyoko do a 180 on their personality within the space of two episodes. There's some great development in this series, but a couple of the characters do get shafted in the process.

Madoka Magica The Movie: Rebellion, is an excellent continuation/conclusion of an anime that could have done so much more. While not a true second season, the story told in Rebellion fits perfectly into the Madoka universe and builds on its foundations to create a spectacle for the eyes and mind. The plot is engaging, featuring the same characters we've cone to know in a new and exciting setting that still captures the feelings that made this series so entrancing. The dangerous, yet hopefully and happy life of Magical Girls is offset by the despair and nightmare of the reality that surrounds them.

The animation is spot-on. Shaft has completely outdone themselves, and I'd argue that this is the best-looking production they've ever released. The ordinary town of Mitakihara is depicted as clean and tranquil...before darkening, warping, and becoming the home for a nightmare. A stark change in animation style is the signature of Madoka Magica's antagonists, and it's certainly a fascinating one. Even when not fighting, the town takes on a surreal appearance at times that seems to draw inspiration from the Monogatari series. This is the one time I felt that the animation was out of place.

Shaft knows what its fans want. Madoka Magica isn't known for having 'lewd' scenes, there's a fair amount of fanservie present in the movie. New transformations and drawn-out and a bit absurd, breaking what little disbelief the viewer has already suspended. Shaft doesn't go far enough to lift any skirts (for once) but they are very, very short. Did I mention that this is an anime about middle school girls? There's a lot more 'cute' and a lot less "let's see how many lolis we can molest in one episode!" (I'm looking at you, Araragi) The theater was full of laughter whenever Kyubey or Nagisa did something adorable.

The music was perfect. I'm a big fan Yuki Kajiura who composed the original series, as well as Fate/zero and Sword Art Online. Many of the tracks here are homages to character themes, and especially "Credens Justitiam" which Mami is humming softly during a particularly calm scene.ClariS and Kalafina add songs to the mix, and they two were a part of what made the original series sound so good. I spent a lot of time listening to the original series' OSTs and I'm eagerly awaiting the release of the full soundtrack for this movie.

Rebellion is Madoka Magica's The End of Evangelion. It's a conclusion to a series that sorely needed a second season, while also setting up future works. If you watched and enjoyed the original series, you'll absolutely love this movie. If you haven't watched Madoka Magica yet, I highly recommend it. Stick with it past for the first few episodes, just trust me on this one. Regarding movies in general I'm prepared to say something that's so rare, you'll only hear me say it two or three times in a decade: I can't wait to see that movie again.

Side note: The theater was awesome. I haven't had a movie watching experience that good in a long time. We even showed up late and got sub-par seats. Miracles and Magic are definitely real.

Katawa Shoujo - Visual Novels and Art

Visual novels, for the uninitiated, are a form of illustrated literature found solely in digital form. Music, storytelling, and character and background art serve to provide the player--or reader--with a rather unique experience. As far as entertainment mediums go, visual novels remain a relatively unexplored. Perhaps that has as much to do with their narrow appeal as their highly cultured themes. Regardless, my discussion here today is simply to analyze the genre by using the most popular 'intro novel' out there: Katawa Shoujo. I've been playing the game for a few weeks now and after having my fill of it, I think it's time to get some of my own thoughts and opinion out there...both the positive and negative.

The game's website features a well-written 'about' section that describes what you're getting into, but for those unwilling to click the link, I'll give you a quick rundown. For starters, Katawa Shoujo is told from the perspective of a high school student who discovers he has Arrhythmia: a dangerous heart condition that can be fatal if not properly treated. Unable to return to being a normal student, he finds himself enrolled at Yamaku high school: a school designed for the disabled. Rather than your usual cast of schoolgirls, KS features amputees, the blind, and a number of students with their own set of quirks. The characters are easily KS's strong suit. They're by no means a complete departure from standard harem tropes, but their disabilities present a unique twist that keeps you guessing. In fact, getting to know each of the game's five main 'route' characters is an engaging and enjoyable experience. Even the non-route characters have their own interesting tales to tell. From the comical Kenji to the obnoxiously fun Misha, there is just enough variety to blend together a cast that doesn't feel completely cookie-cutter.

The disabilities are a constant theme in KS's story. There's a lot of interesting dialogue here about how people deal with their lack of arms, sight, or hearing. Some of its is purely mechanical, but every so often the writing really comes through and presents a unique look inside of these characters. Everyone deals with their circumstances in various ways, and it's up to the main character to sift through them and discover how he'll deal with his own situation. The reader is privy to his thoughts as he contemplates his both his new-found home, and the prospect of his life even after high school. Again, some of this stuff is very interesting and makes for a great discussion on themes like self-identity, personal independence, and understanding your limitations as well as overcoming them.

Like 'choose your own path' books of the past, visual novels allow players/readers to shape their experiences via the occasional choice. Which choices you make affect how the story plays out, giving you a bit of ownership in the plot's eventual direction. If you make someone mad, or perhaps gain their trust instead, you'll have to deal with the consequences of your actions. For this reason, replayability is huge. The game's Skip Mode allows you to skip previously read text in a fast-forward state and quickly reach choice scenarios again. Because you can only take one route per play though and could potentially even fail, you're going to have to try again if you want the full experience. It's an interesting way to tell a story, and the game's built-in save state feature compliments that nicely. While not unique to KS, I believe it's worth pointing out how the routes work before we jump to the next section.

By the end of Act I you'll be forced into the route of one of the five main girls, depending on your previous choices. You'll be able to tell which girl you're about to get 'locked into' by how the end of the act plays out. Following an animated scene, you'll find yourself in an Act II specific to that character. From there, it's all about how you interact with her in an attempt to 'win' the route. You can make choices to either succeed or fail in this state, and there's always the looming threat of the main character's heart condition putting him in the hospital...or worse. Anyways, looking back to the game's victory conditions we can see that there's basically only one end goal: sleep with the girl. This is, unfortunately, where the game--and the genre as a whole--takes a turn for the worst.

After finishing Act I my immersion was broken. Before this I was completely engrossed in the life of this high school student and his rather peculiar situation. Again, the themes in KS are fairly strong. If you don't feel something while playing it I'd wager that you're some sort of robot who is missing the ability to sympathize with others. Sure, it's entirely fictional, but it's hard not to become a bit attached to the characters. Act I did a great job of introducing them, and giving the player just enough of an insight into their life to generate some initial interest. However, as the curtains came down on Act I, I felt that I had been mislead. Well, 'mislead' might be the wrong word to use here. It was more the case that I had tricked myself into forgetting what this game was: a visual novel. Finding love is a key component of these games, where routes typically represent a relationship with either a good or bad end. There's no denying that VNs rarely deviate from this structure, and KS is no exception.

By now you're thinking, "Okay, so you don't like the romance. Big deal. It doesn't make the game worse." That's just it though: it did make the game worse. As you head down a character's route you'll start to forget about heart problems or the fact that the story is set in a school for the disabled. Instead, you become increasingly focused on how to achieve a good end with the girl of your choice. Questions about society and independence are thrown aside and replaced with the single most overdone theme in human history: love. That might sound spiteful, but it was something of a surprise for me to realize--all too late--that I was playing a dating simulator and little more. There was such a good opportunity to have a meaningful dialogue on the subject of disabilities, but instead we're presented with a cheap cut & paste straight out of 'how to make a visual novel 101'.

Act II replaces the carefully structured and very honest feeling of the story with a contrived narrative. The MC is seemingly oblivious to the nature of his interactions with the other girls. That much might not be too surprising if you're at all familiar with the harem genre; male main characters are defined by only three points: strong looks, dismissiveness, and obliviousness. Unconcerned with the group of girls following him around, the story's hero picks one girl to start hanging around a bit more. Then a bit more. Repeat this a few times and, despite clear signs of where things are going, our adorably dense narrator still can't figure out that this girl totally digs him. This harem trope is moderately successful in an anime setting, but it's completely contrived here. The player knows what's going on, and he's guiding the main character through these hoops. What results is a strange disconnect between the player and the character he's guiding, and a complete shattering of the beautifully crafted immersion in Act I.

Katawa Shoujo tries to say something meaningful, but the context of its second and third acts overshadow its otherwise thoughtful approach to a very serious subject. I started the game fully aware of how things would turn out, but the excellent storytelling lead me away believe that I was playing a KS that didn't exist. Act II brought me back into reality, and Act III ultimately forced me to stop playing entirely. I can only walk away thinking to myself, yet again, that the solutions to all problems in life is to get a girlfriend. If that sounds shallow, then you'll probably find yourself shrugging at KS's halfway attempt at being a serious work of art. It's amazingly impressive that a team of amateurs put this together, but rather than use this as a kickoff point to investigate more visual novels, I find myself now turned off more than ever.

Development Blog #2 - The Generic

Creating  generic blocks and items isn't too difficult, but anything easy comes with a slew of problems unique to me. I struggled for hours trying to get my textures to work. I ended up going with Pahimar's set-up for my Eclipse development environment. Unfortunately this ended up causing problems with loading the textures. It took some time, but I finally figured out my issue. In the meantime I didn't accomplish all that much between my last post and today. The item class only features a single new item: the Jack Hammer. There's no finalized texture or any mechanics attached to it besides a placeholder crafting recipe.

Oh, and right-clicking on mobs causes them to fly in the air. That's a thing.

Development Blog #1 - Drill Pointed At The Head Of The Universe

Over a month after the release of 1.6.2 and, finally, I'm starting to build my own mod. It's taken some time to get everything set up, and even longer to make time for this project. The one thing that I'll undoubtedly end up regretting is this late start. My classes begin in just a couple of weeks. When that happens, I doubt I'll have enough time to dedicate to anything more than my article series and the occasional youtube video. But let's discard the pessimism momentarily to discuss this mod.

Standard Minecraft has some glaring issues for long-time players. Specifically the amount of grinding needed to accomplish anything impressive or worthwhile. An amazing build is created most often by those who dedicate the most time, and while there's nothing wrong with that it can be tedious for a player to work up their resource count to reach a similar level. One player on a server might be building skyscrapers and mob farms and roller coasters while another is struggling to automate a small wheat farm. One of them is strip mining for hours each day, or grinding away levels at a mob farm. The other gets on, plays for a few hours, and then goes on to address their other obligations in life. Caving takes time, and isn't always rewarded with a handful of diamonds. Strip mining is absurdly tedious, and while it provides the best diamond output it is very discouraging. The biggest reason why someone might step away from Minecraft? It takes too long to reach a level where it's possible to build the things they imagine.

The problem is in the first half of the name, Minecraft. The mining aspect is boring. Yep. Straight-up boring. That might seem like a strong claim, but who honestly enjoys shaft mining? Look at Feed The Beast. Buildcraft, Industrial Craft, GregTech, Tinker's Construct, Steve's Carts, ComputerCraft, and several other mods actively try to cut down the time you spend mining. They go so far as to actually automate the process...even to the point where you'll never have to use your pickaxe again. They immediately recognize that the amount of resources you need, and the amount of time you have, are not compatible. For a player who is no longer interested in the survival aspects outside of custom maps, it's incredibly frustrated to be limited by the sheer fact that I don't spend hours upon hours plundering the same depths again and again...and often without finding a single diamond.

My idea is to create a mod that changes the way players think about the mining process. It's an attempt at making mining fun and rewarding. You can look at it in one of two ways: one, you'll spend less time jumping around caves looking for the last four diamonds you need to complete your armor set, or two, you'll have so much fun exploring the world I've built that you'll actually look forward to caving. Caving isn't too bad on its own, but the key here is to make it worthwhile. Jumping into ravines and hoping they go below Y16 is an absurd way to look for the best mineral in the game. It's both risky and unlikely to find diamonds, and yet shaft mining is tedious and boring. I want to offer players an experience that combines cave exploration with the high-yield of mining below Y16...and make it even cooler.

The result? A mod that is part homage to one of my favorite RTS games, and part solution to a problem that has plagued my Minecraft experience since the days of Alpha. I'm hopeful that I can make this dream reality. I'll be updating on this blog with details as I go along. If you want to contribute, especially if you're an artist, lemme know. I'm looking for testers as well.

Until next time then.

Eva-Analysis

Last week I received a message from a facebook friend who had a few questions about Evangelion. Being the Eva geek that I am, I immediately jumped at the chance to share my knowledge and personal thoughts on the subject. What follows are my answers to those questions, but be warned that there are spoilers ahead. I wrote this with only the recipient in mind, so if these responses look odd here that's probably why. Anyways, let's take a look at the questions.

A. How important is Mari as a character?
B. When you think of Kaworu and Rei, what type of environment would they be in?
C. What sort of environment would work with Shinji and Asuka?

There's a bit of context you're missing here and I don't actually plan to share it. Suffice to say these questions are relevant to a project said friend is working on, and she requested some insight into these subjects. Here are my responses:

A: With Evangelion 2.22 we were introduced to a new character, one that is neither shown nor named in the original series. Outside of an allusion to the events at Bethany Base, Mari Makinami Illustrious—and what a name that is—seem to not exist within the Neon Genesis Evangelion cannon. Her appearance in the new Rebuild movies has been fairly well received the fan base, but Mari isn’t without her flaws. Or, more accurately, it’s her lack of vulnerability that is troublesome. In terms of importance Mari is, sadly, forgettable. There are various reasons to dislike her inclusion in Rebuild, and I feel that those who make the argument against including another pilot character have very valid claims.

From the very first moment Mari is on screen we get the feeling that she’s very different from the other pilots we’ve been introduced to so far: Shinji and Rei. She’s best described as enigmatic, and seems to take pleasure in fighting Angels. Her personality is closest to that of Asuka, and in fact she does act as a rival to Mrs. “Anta Baka”…or, at least, that’s how Yoji Enokido (NGE writer) planned to portray Mari. Unfortunately that never seems to happen in 2.0 as Asuka is quickly out of the picture. Mari’s involvement in the last scene of 2.0 feel a bit artificial, as if Asuka had been thrown out the window so we could watch Eva-02 back flip through the air in a high-intensity combat scene. Remember the fight against Zeruel in the original? There wasn’t nearly as much action in that scene…but this is post-Gurren Lagann Gainax. Remember: the fastest objects in the anime universe are giant robots weighing thousands of tons.

Mari would have been a great character in 3.0 had it stayed more true to the anime. I’m not trying to argue that the time skip was a bad direction to take the series—I’m still a fan of the change. Unfortunately, the new setting completely prevents Mari from developing into a character that is little more than a Gurren Lagann-style crowd please. She’s the Asuka from End of Evangelion, but without the build-up and seemingly no other facet of her personality. Quotes like “…things just work out for him” would have a lot more meaning if we knew a little bit about her perspective. Her biggest, glaring flaw is that she doesn’t fit into the single biggest theme in Evangelion: loneliness. Without exception: every major character in the series is dealing with some form of loneliness. Evnagelion is very much a story of how people deal with their isolation. Except Mari. She’s just a fighting machine.

She’d fit better into Gurren Lagann, and I’m rather surprised they decided to include her at all given 3.0’s storyline. Worst of all: we’re probably not going to get any backstory on her in 4.0. In summary: she’s cool, badass, and secretive…but unlike Kaji she doesn’t keep your attention for long. Toji was a better pilot.

B: Kaworu and Rei are perhaps my two favorite characters in Evangelion…with Kaji competing for second place with Rei. So the question is: how do these two compare, and in what setting would their meeting be in? Well, in Episode 24: Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door we get a single scene with both characters. Kaworu makes a remark about how similar he and Rei are, and Rei spends the much of the rest of the episode contemplating the meaning of his statement. In reality, Rei and Kaworu are only alike in terms of The Plot. Kaworu is the result of the Second Impact: the forbidden union of Lilin and Adam. Rei is a clone with the soul of Lilith...and 3.0 does an excellent job of screwing up that continuity. It’s a little more difficult to determine their origins in the Rebuild series, but hey, that’s what sequel theory is for. When comparing The Symbolism, we can look at Kaworu’s name being an illusion to the Angel of Free Choice. Recall how Rei is submissive to a fault, and you’ll once again see how these characters are two sides of the same coin. A very similar pair…until we look at The Psychology.

Kaworu represents the person Shinji wants to be. Rei, on the other hand, is at the other end of the spectrum. Take a step inside of Shinji’s shoes for a second: everyone hates you. You know it, because all you ever do is cause them pain. You can’t open yourself up to others because you fear being rejected, just like your father rejected you. Maybe it would be better if you did nothing at all? Followed orders, piloted the Eva just because you had to…because if you take a step outside of your shell, something bad could happen. For Shinji, his ability to interact with Rei and Asuka is crippled by his own fears. He does a terrible job of expressing his feelings, even though it’s clear he has them (in NGE: Asuka, in Rebuild: Rei). He’s a lot like Rei in that regard; unable to open up to people properly. By episode 24 he has isolated himself from every other character and can only wallow in his own self-pity.

And then, to the tune of Beethoven’s 9^th, in strolls Kaworu Nagisa. As much as the Internet loves to label him a Closet Key, I don’t necessarily take much stock in supposed romance. Twenty-three episodes of the Neon Genesis Evangelion cast is enough to make you wonder if there’s any happiness left in the world, so when someone like Kaworu suddenly shows up very much near the end there’s going to be a certain amount of shock involved. The warmth, kindness, and openness of Kaworu is something that I think gets misinterpreted. Still, Shinji’s harem more or less adds a fourth member. But this time things are different, no more dancing around and avoiding rejection. Kaworu just flat out tells Shinji that he loves him, and that’s that. When everyone around Shinji is in so much pain (NGE) or hates him (Rebuild) it’s Kaworu that comes to the rescue.

On the flip side is Rei, especially in Rebuild. She comes across as foreign or alien…despite being more human than Kaworu. By the time episode 24 rolls around she is out of Shinji’s sight until End of Evangelion…and Shinji couldn’t care less. In Rebuild she’s a much more important piece of the puzzle, but somehow still manages to only have a few lines. That said Rei’s character in 3.0 actually causes Shinji to become frustrated and angry. It’s a side of him we rarely see, but it’s very clear that he disapproves of her in the movie. Kaworu is idealized, while Rei is something to be avoided. This occurs in both episode 24 and 3.0. Even in End of Evangelion, it is Kaworu’s face and words that keep Shinji’s mind from completely shattering.

Okay, back to the main question: where do these two go together? For me, one of the most impactful scenes of End of Evangelion was Rei and Kaworu’s answers to Shinji’s question, “Then what are the two of you within my heart?”

Rei: We are the hope that people will one day understand each other.
Kaworu: And we are the words, “I love you”.

Understanding others is a huge, widespread theme in anime. Certainly in Evangelion, the ability to understand and love are key to defeating loneliness; which as I’ve stated before is Eva’s biggest focus. Tl;dr – Rei is reclusive, while Kaworu is inviting. Both exist for Shinji’s sake, and represent the two sides of his personality.

C: Shinji and Asuka are typically represented in The Psychology as the ego and id respectively. Unit-02’s pilot is an untamed fiery tsundere with a serious superiority complex, and Unit-01’s pilot is a rather large step away from that and finds himself as the median between Rei and Asuka. In both NGE and Rebuild there is a bit of relationship drama between the two that is the result of their attraction to one another. The pair definitely have feelings for each other, at least in NGE. It’s debatable for Rebuild as Shinji spends most of his time in 2.0 trying to interact with Rei. The writers have to hit us over the head with the concept of Shinji+Asuka in Rebuild due to the short amount of time we see both of them on-screen. Asuka’s cooking session and Misato’s joking comment are about the closest we get in 2.0, and in 3.0 there is another line from Mari that sticks out. That said, the time skip in 3.0 throws things for a loop. I doubt we’ll see that part of the story develop at all in 4.0. Shinji+Rei seems to be Rebuild’s thing.

The second and third child’s romance is, to put it bluntly, a clusterfuck. Despite having mutual attraction the two can’t figure out how to communicate their feelings. There’s a scene where they share a kiss…a god damn kiss. Shinji is about as oblivious as can be, even when Asuka literally climbs in bed with him (it happens during Rebuild too, but she’s actually awake). Oh, and we can’t forget the time she asks Shinji about what would happen if he grabbed her breasts. Yep, that’s our Shinji. There’s this rivalry between them as a means of venting their frustration with each other, and with themselves. During the last six episodes Asuka’s in a coma, Shinji is borderline insane, and after Kaworu’s death we get a great scene where Shinji discovers that hospital doors have locks. It’s not pretty, but it does illustrate just how ‘fucked up’ their relationship is by this point in the story.

End of Evangelion is mostly about Shinji and Asuka. The dream Shinji has during Instrumentality lays bare his cries for help from someone, anyone. He’s looking desperately to Asuka and she (in his mind) rejects him. For once, this causes him to lash out in anger. Then there’s that infamous scene in One More Final: I Need You. It’s a moment of realization for both of them, and it’s left open-ended for the viewer to interpret. If sequel theory holds true, I think this would classify as an ‘unsuccessful’ ending. Shinji doesn’t find happiness, which was Kaworu’s goal. Instead, you could interpret this final scene as his acceptance that the walls between people’s hearts causes too much pain to overcome…or something else entirely. It’s almost impossible to guess what he’s thinking at that point. The same very much goes for Asuka. There are just too many possibilities.

I prefer to see the two of them in the Episode 26: Take Care Of Yourself alternate universe. Evangelion characters set in a modern high school anime setting would have been great, especially with characters we didn’t get to see making an appearance (Kaworu, Mari). Asuka and Shinji as childhood friends makes so much sense it’s almost as if NGE is a fanfic based on this other setting. Maybe I prefer this because it’s more optimistic…a broken heart would be the worst to come out of their relationship. Instead, Shinji and Asuka’s inability to understand each other leaves him strangling her on a beach set to a background of a sea of blood.

Deuxième Manoeuvre

"Prep Angel Unit-01 for launch."

Loudspeakers echoed the command throughout the Angle's resting chamber. The room itself was brightly illuminated and featured a single dominating structure: a massive black coffin in the shape of a cross. Machinery attached to the ship's superstructure began to move, signaling hundreds of other moving parts within the casket. The sound of machinery could be heard even from the platform Ray was currently standing upon; several hundred meters from the room's center. Large mechanical arms stirred to life and began carrying out their instructions. Motion on the ground caught her eye as more automations took to the sky; filling their air around the coffin like insects attracted to a long lamp just after sunset. Ray briefly wondered why her mind had dragged up a seemingly unrelated memory, but her moment of introspection was shattered as the platform entered a tunnel and her view of the chamber was shut off.

***

Ray looked down at the controls, concluding immediately that she simply had no knowledge of how to operate them.
"It's easy" Shepard said. He leaned over and placed his hand on a control stick of some sort. "Keep your hands here and here and don't worry about the rest." He turned his head and locked eyes with Ray, "I'm sorry we can't do anything more to help you, and all of this might feel a bit rushed. As long as you stay calm you'll be safe. We won't let anything happen to you." He tried to give a polite smile, but Ray seemed indifferent. She could see that Shepard was worried, and that his words served mostly to reassure himself. In truth, nothing Shepard said would have made much of an impact. She had already committed to this path.

***