Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com Joystiq http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://www.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Hudson: 'Your feedback has always mattered' in Mass Effect 3, even now]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/18/hudson-your-feedback-has-always-mattered-in-mass-effect-3-ev/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/18/hudson-your-feedback-has-always-mattered-in-mass-effect-3-ev/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/18/hudson-your-feedback-has-always-mattered-in-mass-effect-3-ev/#comments Franchise director Casey Hudson has previously spoken out in brief defense of the Mass Effect 3 endings, but now he's made it official in a written message that explains BioWare's dedication, passion and reverence for the series and the feedback it receives from fans -- all of it. Yes, even the popular "you deserve to be skinned alive, made into jerky and eaten by rabid goats" (paraphrased) feedback.

Hudson avoids spoilers, but suggests finishing the game for yourself and forming your own conclusions before reading his missive:
"For us and for you, Mass Effect 3 had to live up to a lot of expectations, not only for a great gaming experience, but for a resolution to the countless storylines and decisions you've made as a player since the journey began in 2007," Hudson writes. "So we designed Mass Effect 3 to be a series of endings to key plots and storylines, each culminating in scenes that show you the consequences of your actions. You then carry the knowledge of these consequences with you as you complete the final moments of your journey.

"We always intended that the scale of the conflict and the underlying theme of sacrifice would lead to a bittersweet ending -- to do otherwise would betray the agonizing decisions Shepard had to make along the way. Still, we wanted to give players the chance to experience an inspiring and uplifting ending; in a story where you face a hopeless struggle for basic survival, we see the final moments and imagery as offering victory and hope in the context of sacrifice and reflection."

Hudson stresses that the Mass Effect team takes fan feedback seriously and often incorporates it into the games directly, and says it is still listening to that response now. "Throughout the next year, we will support Mass Effect 3 by working on new content. And we'll keep listening, because your insights and constructive feedback will help determine what that content should be. This is not the last you'll hear of Commander Shepard."

JoystiqHudson: 'Your feedback has always mattered' in Mass Effect 3, even now originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 18 Mar 2012 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>BioWarecasey-hudsonendingsfansfeedbackmass-effect-3microsoftpcplaystationps3xboxSun, 18 Mar 2012 15:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Controller prototype stretches thumbs for extra feedback]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/06/controller-prototype-stretches-thumbs-for-extra-feedback/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/06/controller-prototype-stretches-thumbs-for-extra-feedback/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/06/controller-prototype-stretches-thumbs-for-extra-feedback/#comments
Video game feedback systems haven't changed dramatically since the implementation of "rumble" over a decade ago. Engineers at the University of Utah hope to change that with a new kind of controller. The prototype controller provides haptic feedback via small pads that sit under the player's thumbs. These pads can move in any direction, stretching the skin of the thumb, offering directional cues or simulating in-game events.

The pads can mimic the usual game fare -- explosions and the like -- but they can also simulate more tactile sensations, like the "feeling" of crawling on the ground while prone in a shooter. Another example shows the pads indicating the direction that enemy fire is coming from, or simulating impact against a surface.

It's a bit hard to grasp from the description alone, so we suggest you check out the video above for a peek at our possible future. Associate professor of mechanical engineering, William Provancher, hopes to see the controller in production in time for the next generation of game consoles.

JoystiqController prototype stretches thumbs for extra feedback originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 06 Mar 2012 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>controllerfeedbackHaptic-feedbackperipheralsuniversity-of-utahTue, 06 Mar 2012 23:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Child of Eden supports four controllers for full-body feedback]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/02/25/child-of-eden-supports-four-controllers-for-full-body-feedback/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/02/25/child-of-eden-supports-four-controllers-for-full-body-feedback/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/02/25/child-of-eden-supports-four-controllers-for-full-body-feedback/#comments Back at E3 2010 we learned that Tetsuya Mizuguchi's latest creation -- Child of Eden, the spiritual successor to Rez -- can be played using a standard controller, not just the Kinect sensor for which it's become a showcase title. Last night at Microsoft's preview event in San Francisco, we found out that Child of Eden can use 360 pads, plural, for more than aiming and shooting.

A rep for developer Q Entertainment told Joystiq that the finished game will support vibration feedback effects spread across up to four controllers, the idea being that you can stick them in pockets, rolled-up sleeves -- anywhere, really -- to über-compensate for Kinect's lack of physical feedback. Mizuguchi himself told us "When I play the Kinect, I need some feedback" at last year's E3. It would appear that he's devised a quite novel, if not a bit absurd, way to satisfy that need -- not to mention out-crazy Rez's Trance Vibrator peripheral.

JoystiqChild of Eden supports four controllers for full-body feedback originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 25 Feb 2011 15:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>actionchild-of-edenfeedbackkinectmicrosoftmicrosoft-february-showcase-2011Q-EntertainmentUbisoftvibrationxboxFri, 25 Feb 2011 15:20:00 EST<![CDATA[Insomniac Games took negative Resistance 2 fan feedback to heart]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2009/10/26/insomniac-games-took-negative-resistance-2-fan-feedback-to-heart/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/10/26/insomniac-games-took-negative-resistance-2-fan-feedback-to-heart/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/10/26/insomniac-games-took-negative-resistance-2-fan-feedback-to-heart/#comments In a display of candor we rarely see from video game industry figures, Insomniac Games community manager James Stevenson recently poured his heart out in a VideoGamer.com interview. He admitted that although Resistance 2 garnered fairly good reviews, negative feedback from devoted fans of the series' first installment "weighed" on him. He went on to add, "the hardcore fans of Resistance 1 were maybe a little bit disappointed. Those folks consistently expressing that - especially GAF - it was like your dog turned on you."

Stevenson continued the analogy, stating, "you had this dog that loved you. You loved the dog, too, but they expressed all this affection for you. And then suddenly the dog bites your hand and it's that feeling of, ooh, ow, that really hurts." We can only guess how disappointing negative fan feedback must be for a developer -- however, couldn't this be seen as your dog telling you they're disappointed, and suggesting ways to do better in the future? Oh, like that adorable, illustrated anti-drug dog! We love that little guy.

JoystiqInsomniac Games took negative Resistance 2 fan feedback to heart originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 26 Oct 2009 13:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>disappointmentfeedbackfpsinsomniac-gamesinterviewjames-stevensonresistance-2sonyMon, 26 Oct 2009 13:20:00 EST<![CDATA[Lappin' up the goss]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2008/06/02/lappin-up-the-goss/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/06/02/lappin-up-the-goss/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/06/02/lappin-up-the-goss/#commentsFiled under: ,


Despite conversing freely about a bunch of important Nintendo information, Nintendo Australia's Rose Lappin was inundated with more unanswered questions, as Wii owners sought specific responses to their own queries. Being a good sport, Lappin took to the challenge.

Of course, therein lay the problem. Most were very specific queries and resulted in the standard "contact our service department," "we have no current plans ...," and "we haven't had any feedback" responses. There's a slight problem when a spokesperson responds to outright feedback by stating they haven't received any feedback (after a question commenting on the supposedly complex Wii Message Board system).

Not the most conclusive of interviews, but Lappin's intentions were very noble. It's difficult for one person to save the day of every gamer out there, but giving the most information available at the time, to as many people as possible, is worth a great big chocolate appreciation cake. For the full interview, make link go now!

JoystiqLappin' up the goss originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 02 Jun 2008 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>australiafeedbackmessage-boardpublic-relationsrose-lappinspokespersonMon, 02 Jun 2008 14:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Everybody Votes, one week later]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2007/02/20/everybody-votes-one-week-later/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/02/20/everybody-votes-one-week-later/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/02/20/everybody-votes-one-week-later/#commentsFiled under: ,



One week has passed since Nintendo sneakily updated the Wii with the Everybody Votes Channel, and the polls are still open on the channel itself. We'd like to say it's been a success, but half the time we go in to try to vote, either massive wait times make us reconsider the idea of voting, or we suffer through just to participate in this democratic process only to be told there's an error. Oh well. We can only hope that it'll get better. After all ... hey, it's free, amirite? And it's not as though it's all been loading times and errors, because we've thrown our hats in on a few questions.

But since we've all had a week of opportunity to fiddle, we thought we'd spend some time talking about Nintendo's latest and what may be yet to come for the new channel.

Continue reading Everybody Votes, one week later

JoystiqEverybody Votes, one week later originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 20 Feb 2007 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>channelEverybody VotesEverybodyVotesfeedbackMiiNintendoonlinepollsocial networkSocialNetworkWiiTue, 20 Feb 2007 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Under the hood: game mechanics]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2006/10/24/under-the-hood-game-mechanics/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/10/24/under-the-hood-game-mechanics/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/10/24/under-the-hood-game-mechanics/#commentsFiled under: ,

Lost Garden has posted a very interesting article about game mechanics and how they work. The core belief that they are trying to impart is taken from Ralph Koster's book A Theory of Fun, "Game mechanics are rule based systems / simulations that facilitate and encourage a user to explore and learn the properties of their possibility space through the use of feedback mechanisms."

The article explains how feedback loops work in a game-related environment, and what makes them particularly useful in designing a space that also has to be educational on a fundamental level. For instance, how do I get up to that ledge to grab the rocket launcher? How can I open this door to keep progressing through this level? The gamespace and elements have to provide feedback to the user, to let them know how things work so that they can keep playing and hopefully have fun along the way.

One of our favorite quotes -- "I can put a black box on the table with a hidden button. Unbeknownst to a potential user, pressing the button enough times and the black box will spew out a thousand shiny silver coins. This is not a game. This is a bizarre gizmo." It goes on to explain how a designer would take this and turn it into a game by encouraging discovery and exploration, and by hinting that something useful (the coins) will be a result. A lot of things in this article are simple enough to make you smack your forehead, but it's really interesting to see how they work together in a game design context, and to understand the work that goes into something as simple as trying to present a path to a player.

Oh, and we want one of those black boxes with the coins inside.

JoystiqUnder the hood: game mechanics originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 24 Oct 2006 12:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>A Theory of Fundesignfeedbackfeedback loopsgame designgame mechanicsGameMechanicsgamesRalph KosterTue, 24 Oct 2006 12:23:00 EST<![CDATA[Nintendo of Canada confirms force feedback]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2006/04/26/nintendo-of-canada-confirms-force-feedback/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/04/26/nintendo-of-canada-confirms-force-feedback/http://www.joystiq.com/2006/04/26/nintendo-of-canada-confirms-force-feedback/#commentsFiled under: ,

Canadian internet radio station Radio-Talbot recently spoke with Nintendo of Canada's Director of Marketing Pierre-Paul Trepanier in an interview centered around the Revolution. Two major points, force feedback and how the system will be able to measure the movement of the remote, were discussed.

In response to the query of force feedback being a possibility with the remote, Pierre said "Yes there's feedback in it even though it is wireless, we will show more at E3. Before in our wireless controllers, we didn't put feedback because of battery life problems but now we have found a way to do it without lowering the battery life of the remote."

[Via Go Nintendo]

JoystiqNintendo of Canada confirms force feedback originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 26 Apr 2006 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>canadafeedbackforceinternetnintendoradioremoterevolutionWed, 26 Apr 2006 21:00:00 EST