Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? (February 16th)
We’re finally at the end of what has been a pretty eventful week – you know, with that little video presentation thingy from Nintendo and all that – so it’s time to settle down and recover with some games-based chat. As ever, members of the Nintendo Life team have gathered to share their weekend plans and we’d love for you to get involved, too. Make your voices heard in the poll and comment section down below. Enjoy!
Ryan Craddock, staff writer
This weekend, like any weekend, was going to be completely dedicated to hoovering up those last few Super Smash Bros. Ultimate spirits – I have around 1,100 of the things and getting these last ones are proving to be more time-consuming than ever before. Those plans might have just been thrown out of the window, though, thanks to that silly, ridiculous, brilliant Tetris game.
Yep, like most who have played it, Tetris 99 seems to have me pretty hooked. Winning is incredibly tough, but the ability to just jump straight into another game makes you want to go for ‘just one more’. I’ve already started seeing Tetriminos in my sleep.
Austin Voigt, contributing writer
This weekend, I have high hopes of maybe starting Final Fantasy IX on the Switch – but let’s be honest, it’s been a long week, and I’ll probably just end up playing Tetris 99 the whole time. I’m also pretty disappointed with the lack of Animal Crossing news during the Direct, and I have this itch to go re-purchase a Wii U (I traded mine in when the Switch came out) to replay City Folk. If I squint my eyes, I may be able to trick myself into thinking it looks like an Animal Crossing game on the Switch… desperate times call for desperate measures.
Gavin Lane, staff writer
Despite falling foul of this week’s eShop sale, I doubt I’ll have time to play Undertale this weekend. You see, an impending arrival in the household means sorting out the house is a matter of urgency, so I’ll be going through old boxes filled with consoles and games, making difficult decisions. It’s a pretty lean collection already, but I had a crisis of conscience a few months back when I had the idea to replace my original NES console – which I can’t actually play through my TV anymore – with a nice, neat NES Mini. Of course, in the end I came to the only logical conclusion: get the NES Mini and keep the NES, too. It’s going to be a long weekend…
Gonçalo Lopes, contributing writer
On the assumption that ‘Tetris Battle Royale’ won’t take over my entire life, there are some ARMS punches to be thrown along with some Super Smash Bros. Ultimate amiibo and Spirit Board event action this weekend. Nothing like a Nintendo Direct midweek to send every sort of weekend plans into complete disarray and I certainly was not expecting to get my hands on an early build of one of my current 2019 GOTY candidates. Since we were asked so politely for feedback, I will indulge in exploring DAEMON X MACHINA’sPrototype Missions demo to the fullest.
Tikipod’s Iron Crypticle is my game of the week. Grab the game, grab three friends and wonder why no one else is delivering a twin-stick shooter of this finesse.
Dom Reseigh-Lincoln, reviewer
This weekend I’ll be falling back into a series I have a rather unhealthy obsession with: Blazblue. As per usual, it’s taken an age for BlazBlue: Central Fiction to make it to the west but it’s finally here and I can’t wait to get stuck into some more 2D fighting madness. Oh and lots of Paladins because I’m a predictable bore.
Liam Doolan, news reporter
If you had asked me several years ago what kind of video games I thought I would be playing in 2019, I probably wouldn’t have said Tetris against 98 other people online. I’m probably not alone when I say I’ve always been fond of this arguably perfect tile-matching puzzle game, but I don’t think I’ve ever been this impressed by it before.
When I’m not giving my brain a workout in Tetris 99 this weekend, I’ll be spending time making maps and slowly working my way through the campaign in Wargroove. Other than these games, I’ve been encouraged by the recent Team Cherry announcement to go back and play Hollow Knight. I’ll also be revisiting the Game Boy Color Virtual Console version of Link’s Awakening on the 3DS, in preparation for the Switch remake.
Which games are you playing this weekend? (417 votes)
The New Pirates Of The Caribbean Movie Loses Deadpool Writers
The Pirates of the Caribbean reboot has hit some choppy water, as writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick have reportedly jumped ship. Sources told Deadline that Reese and Wernick, who wrote Deadpool 1 and 2, have left the Disney project.
Disney film boss Sean Bailey originally said Reese and Wernick were planning to "make Pirates punk rock again" and give the series the "kick in the pants" it needed to revitalize itself.
There is no word on why Reese and Wernick bailed from the new Pirates movie. Sources told Deadline that Disney is not sure of what will happen next. Some said Disney is already searching for new writers, while other claimed the movie and the franchise overall is now on hold.
The latest instalment was 2017's Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, which, while not the most successful entry in the series, made more than $790 million worldwide. All together, the five Pirates movies have made more than $4.5 billion worldwide to date. The franchise is also a merchandise juggernaut; Deadline said Pirates merchandise has generated $2.5 billion.
The new Pirates movie, if it ever gets made, may not feature the franchise's biggest star: Johnny Depp. The actor played Captain Jack Sparrow in all of the movies so far, but a report from 2017 claimed that the new movie might be made without him.
As for Reese and Wernick, their first big hit was Zombieland, and they are coming back to write the sequel, Double Tap, which arrives in theatres later this year. Reese and Wernick also wrote G.I. Joe Retaliation, starring The Rock, before entering a new stratosphere of success with Deadpool and its sequel.
Rumour: Nintendo Could Make Its First VR Announcement For Switch This Year
An article by Emily Rogers over on Nintendo World Report suggests a VR-related announcement for the Switch could arrive as early as this year. This information allegedly comes from “multiple sources” as Rogers goes onto state how a “small, select number of traditional first-party software titles” could potentially receive VR support in the “not-so-distant future.”
GoNintendo added fuel to the fire, revealing how a “very trusted source” said VR support for the Switch was, in fact, true and Nintendo Labo would be one of the first games to support it. Right now, there are no details about what this rumoured Labo kit would contain or what it would be called.
Last October, at Seattle’s Geekwire Summit, Nintendo of America President and COO Reggie Fils- Aimé explained how Nintendo had been experimenting with VR technology but said it would need to be fun in order to get the green light:
“This is something we constantly think about, experiment with. For virtual reality, we’ve said: it’s tech that we’re looking at, but in the end it has to be fun. That’s our mission, and that is what we do arguably better than anyone else.”
While he had nothing to announce at the time, Reggie did mention how VR was a technology Nintendo would continue to experiment with in the future.
As noted by Nintendo World Report, there have been several signs Nintendo has been thinking about bringing VR to the Switch. Last August, data miners uncovered a screen-splitting “VR Mode” hidden within the Switch system firmware and in 2016 the hybrid device was reportedly delayed to enhance its VR capabilities. In the same year, the company also filed a patent application for a head-mounted display and just last month it was revealed Nintendo would be participating as an observer of a joint Japanese enterprise known as the VRM Consortium.
Based on the above-mentioned information, do you think VR is coming to the Nintendo Switch? Do you think it will arrive this year? Are you interested in using VR devices to play games? Tell us below.
Video: Should you get an eGPU for your new 2018 Mac mini?
The 2018 Mac mini is a welcome refresh to the compact Mac product line, but the Intel graphics are weak. AppleInsider examines whether it is worth the extra expense of adding an external GPU to the Mac mini.
In a previous comparison where the 2018 Mac Mini was put against the iMac 5K, it was decided the Mac mini is a great option for users who don’t really need best-in-class graphical performance, such as for photo editing and other intensive media tasks. The Mac Mini doesn’t pack a dedicated graphics card, and it definitely lags behind the iMac 5K which is supplied with a Radeon Pro GPU.
However, the Mac Mini does sport four Thunderbolt 3 ports, which means there is the opportunity of hooking up an eGPU, an external enclosure that houses a graphics card.
The actual setup process for the eGPU on the Mac mini is relatively straightforward, regardless of whether it is a separately bought graphics card and enclosure or a premade unit. If bought separately, insert the graphics card into the enclosure’s PCI-e slot and insert the power connectors into the card. Plug your monitor into the card, then plug the enclosure into an outlet and connect it to the Mac mini’s Thunderbolt 3 port.
Once connected, macOS should instantly recognize the eGPU and automatically start using it for graphics rendering.
Price comparisons
For the purposes of this test, a powerful $400 Radeon RX Vega 64 graphics card will be attached to the Mac mini using a $250 Sonnet 550-Watt eGPU enclosure via Thunderbolt 3. It is worth noting the enclosure is also capable of providing 87 Watts of power delivery, allowing it to recharge a connected MacBook for those interested in giving their portable Mac more graphical grunt.
The Mac mini next to the Sonnet eGPU enclosure
The Mac mini in this case is upgraded with an Intel Core i7 processor and 512 gigabytes of storage. Instead of upgrading the RAM to 32 gigabytes for $600 through Apple, a 32-gigabyte upgrade kit was acquired for the far cheaper cost of $200. Following a memory swap, the total cost of the Mac mini in this case is approximately $1,700.
The price of the Vega 64 eGPU brings the entire boosted Mac mini setup to $2,350, excluding the monitor and peripherals. Add these extras on, and you’re getting quite close to the cost of a similar-specification iMac 5K.
Just on comparative specifications, those switching from PC to Mac or upgrading from an earlier Mac mini model are likely to have their own mouse, keyboard, monitor, and in the case of the PC user, potentially even an AMD graphics card to add to an empty eGPU enclosure. In this sort of situation, opting for the Mac mini is probably going to offer the better overall value for money.
In the event you don’t need all of the power offered by the Vega 64, an alternative option is to acquire a $200 RX 580 graphics card and combine it with the $200 350-Watt Sonnet eGPU enclosure. Going for these cheaper options brings the overall cost down to $2,100, saving $250.
The eGPU enclosure is a considerable investment in terms of desk space
Realistically, you can also save a good amount of cash on the Mac Mini by opting for a smaller storage capacity, using less RAM, or maybe just going with the i5 processor instead of the i7 if you don’t need that much processing power.
Performance
The main downside to using an eGPU is that it isn’t as efficient as using an internal graphics card. The Thunderbolt 3 for a variety of reasons can shave off some performance compared to a native PCI-E connection, or a built-in version.
As part of the testing, the Radeon RX Vega 64 eGPU was put against the discrete Radeon Pro 580 in the iMac 5K and the Vega 56 installed in the iMac Pro. Both discrete cards are less powerful than the Vega 64 in the eGPU, but benefit from a wider data path than the Thunderbolt 3 eGPU.
Looking at raw performance in Geekbench 4’s Metal test, the Mac Mini with Vega 64 scored similarly to the iMac Pro with the Vega 56 card, but quite a bit less than the iMac Pro with the same Vega 64 GPU. More importantly, the Mac mini using the eGPU achieves a score over six times greater than without the enclosure.
Synthetic benchmarks are a decent approximation of everyday tasking, but aren’t a good indicator of specific performance on every given task. AppleInsider has its own real-world tests involving video editing in Final Cut Pro X. The tests also provide more variation in terms of load sharing, with some elements relying more on the processor than the eGPU, which can have more of a bearing on the final scores.
Starting with the BruceX Final Cut Pro benchmark, the Mac mini with the eGPU is right up there with the iMac Pro, and is even faster than the iMac 5K. Compared to the Mac mini by itself, there is a considerable performance increase with the external card.
In a test for stabilizing a 20-second 4K clip, the eGPU-equipped Mac mini is actually slower than both the iMac Pro and the iMac 5K, but again is still a marked improvement over the Mac mini alone, running approximately 3.5 times faster. The slowness despite having a more powerful card is likely down to the inefficiencies of using an externally-located graphics card.
In another video test exporting a 5 minute 4K project, the Vega 64 helps the Mac mini finish over twice as fast as a stock model, but it’s unfortunately still slower than the iMacs. This is somewhat surprising as the Mac mini’s processor and eGPU are both more powerful than what is offered in a top-of-the-line iMac 5K.
Moving on to a 5 minute 4.5K RED RAW project, the Mac mini actually outperforms the iMac 5K, as the Red RAW codec is extremely processor intensive rather relying than eGPU-based processing. Since the Mac mini’s processor is faster, it finishes quicker than the iMac 5K.
In the last test, exporting a 60p Canon Raw Lite project, the Mac mini is yet again slower than the other two, because it is a less processor-intensive task, and more of GPU-bound one. However, it was able to play back the project at 52 frames per second compared to only 45 on the iMac 5K. The iMac Pro played back at the full 60 frames per second.
The result dropped down to around 22 frames per second in the Canon Raw project when the display was plugged directly into the Mac mini, instead of into the eGPU. Treat this as a warning that, if you ever use an eGPU, make sure the monitor is plugged directly into the enclosure.
A mixed result
If you already own a 2018 Mac mini, getting an eGPU can really boost graphics performance compared to the stock specification, but graphical power is your primary differentiator between the Mac Mini and the iMac 5K, just go with the iMac. It performed better in almost every test put to all of the models, even though the processor and graphics card aren’t as powerful as the Mac mini’s processor and the eGPU’s graphics card. There is also the benefit of having a beautiful 5K display to use at the same time and minimal desk usage due to being an all-in-one unit.
Throughout, the iMac Pro showed itself to be a viable alternative to both of the other Macs, passing with decent results in all of the tests. It may not necessarily offer the cost savings of a Mac mini with an eGPU, but it is certainly an option for those looking for reliable performance.
NetherRealm Studios has confirmed Jade is returning to the fight in Mortal Kombat 11. A new gameplay trailer for Jade dropped during the developer's Kombat Kast live stream on February 14. You can watch it above.
Jade's Mortal Kombat 11 trailer reveals her moveset now allows her to set up combos a little more easily in comparison to Mortal Kombat 9, and her new Crushing Blow and gruesome Fatality are proof she hasn't lost her edge. She sports a new outfit in Mortal Kombat 11, but it's still Jade's staple green. The ninja also hasn't lost her touch when it comes to delivering quips either.
Here's how NetherRealm's official announcement describes her MK11 incarnation: "Now resurrected by an evil sorcerer, she serves the Netherrealm as an undead Revenant. Death hasn’t slowed Jade down, though. She still thrashes her enemies with her bo staff, razorrang, and patronizing put-downs.'
Jade has been a part of the franchise since appearing as an unplayable character in the series' second entry, making her official debut in Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3. She last appeared in Mortal Kombat 9. Jade is a fairly fast fighter who's good at space control and pushing opponents back, able to use her staff and daggers to dish out damage from a slight distance as well.
During Mortal Kombat 11's gameplay debut, director Ed Boon revealed in-game customization options. Each character has three pieces of gear that you can change, and there are more general makeover options as well. For example, Scorpion can switch up which katana he uses, as well as his mask and spear. A fighter's abilities can be customized as well.
Mortal Kombat 11 is scheduled to release for Xbox One, PS4, Switch, and PC on April 23. The game will have a beta test beforehand though--currently scheduled for March and only for Xbox and PS4--if you want to try it out before pre-ordering.
Video: The Pokémon Detective Pikachu Movie Just Got A Brand New Trailer
The upcoming Pokémon Detective Pikachu movie has just received another trailer, adding to our already ridiculously strong hype and excitement for the film’s release this summer.
We get to see a little more comedic dialogue between Ryan Reynolds (as Pikachu) and Justice Smith (as Tim), as well as some up close shots of Bulbasaur and Lickitung. We’re still slightly freaked out by the designs of each Pokémon, but we can’t help but love it.
If you’ve missed the news on this one up until now, here’s what you can expect to see when the film launches:
“The story begins when ace private eye Harry Goodman goes mysteriously missing, prompting his 21-year-old son Tim to find out what happened. Aiding in the investigation is Harry’s former Pokémon partner, Detective Pikachu: a hilariously wise-cracking, adorable super-sleuth who is a puzzlement even to himself. Finding that they are uniquely equipped to communicate with one another, Tim and Pikachu join forces on a thrilling adventure to unravel the tangled mystery. Chasing clues together through the neon-lit streets of Ryme City—a sprawling, modern metropolis where humans and Pokémon live side by side in a hyper-realistic live-action world—they encounter a diverse cast of Pokémon characters and uncover a shocking plot that could destroy this peaceful co-existence and threaten the whole Pokémon universe.”
The movie hits cinemas on 10th May 2019. That’s less than three months away!
Have you been looking forward to watching this since it was first announced? Will you be heading out to watch it on the day of release? Let us know in the comments.
Migrating your existing on-prem SQL Server database to Azure SQL DB
If you are in the process of moving an existing .NET application to Azure, it’s likely you’ll have to migrate an existing, on-prem SQL database as well. There are a few different ways you can go about this, so let’s go through them.
Data Migration Assistant (downtime required)
The Data Migration Assistant (download | documentation) is free, easy to use, slick and extremely powerful! It can:
Evaluate if your database is ready to migrate and produce a readiness report (command line support included)
Provide recommendations for how to remediate migration blocking issues
Recommend the minimum Azure SQL Database SKU based on performance counter data of your existing database
Perform the actual migration of schema, data and objects (server roles, logins, etc.)
After a successful migration, applications will be able to connect to the target SQL server databases seamlessly. There are currently a couple of limitations, but the majority of databases shouldn’t be impacted. If this sounds interesting, check out the full tutorials on how to migrate to Azure SQL DB and how to migrate to Azure SQL DB Managed Instance.
Azure Data Migration Service (no downtime required)
The Azure Data Migration Service allows you to move your on-prem database to Azure without taking it offline during the migration. Applications can keep on running while the migration is taking place. Once the database in Azure is ready you can switch your applications over immediately.
You are probably already familiar with SQL Server Management Studio (download | documentation), but if you are not it’s basically an IDE for SQL Server built on top of the Visual Studio shell and it’s free! Unlike the Data Migration Assistant, it cannot produce readiness reports nor can it suggest remediating actions, but it can perform the actual migration two different ways.
The first way is by selecting the command “Deploy Database to Microsoft Azure SQL Database…” which will bring up the migration wizard to take you through the process step by step:
The second way is by exporting the existing, on-prem database as a .bacpac file (docs to help with that) and then importing the .backpac file into Azure:
Resolving database migration compatibility issues
There are a wide variety of compatibility issues that you might encounter, depending both on the version of SQL Server in the source database and the complexity of the database you are migrating. Use the following resources, in addition to a targeted Internet search using your search engine of choices:
In addition to searching the Internet and using these resources, use the MSDN SQL Server community forums or StackOverflow. If you have any questions or problems just leave us a comment below.
Stop crime as a super-powered Agent of justice in Crackdown 3's sandbox of mayhem and destruction. Explore the heights of a futuristic city, race through the streets in a transforming vehicle, and use your powerful abilities to stop a ruthless criminal empire. Developed by original creator Dave Jones, Crackdown 3 delivers cooperative mayhem and an all-new multiplayer mode where destruction is your ultimate weapon powered by Microsoft Cloud.
In Moss, a little mouse sets off on a grand VR adventure, and the player will join in alongside her, using their shared abilities to solve puzzles and overcome monsters that they couldn’t tackle alone.
Gamasutra sat down with Stephen Hodde (Audio Director), Rick Lico (Animator & Rigger), and Chris Alderson (Art Director) for the Excellence in Audio-nominated Moss to learn about the thoughts that went into making the player wish to help Moss‘ tiny protagonist, how sound deepens that connection, and how VR can make the player truly feel like a part of the journey.
The people behind the mouse
Hodde – Hi, I’m Stephen Hodde and I’m the Audio Director. I started making flash games before transitioning to console. I worked at Volition on Red Faction and the Saints Row games, Bungie on Destiny and its year 1 expansions, and Amazon Game Studios before landing at Polyarc.
Lico – Rick Lico, Animator and Rigger for Moss. I’ve been animating professionally since 2000, and in the gaming industry since 2001. I’ve been credited on 14 shipped games and a few expansions. I was the original animator for the Destiny franchise, helping to establish the animation style of its characters, gameplay feel, and technical animation systems. Before that, I was helping to redefine animation for the Halo franchise by introducing a mocap pipeline for Reach, and pitching the initial concept for Bungie’s runtime rigging system.
Alderson – I’m Chris Alderson, Artist and Art Director. Funny enough, Rick (Lico) and I have been working together in the industry for 14 years. We were both hired at Monolith in 2004 where I worked as a character artist on the Condemned series. Four years later, I was hired at Bungie to build characters for Halo 3: ODST, Halo:Reach, and Destiny, respectively, before leading the Character Art team on The Taken King. In 2015, with the new exciting prospect of VR, I left Bungie to help start Polyarc where we began work on early prototypes of Moss…And the rest is history.
Created from comfortable VR play space
Alderson – Moss was ultimately a product of early VR explorations by the earliest developers at Polyarc, and our love for classic adventure-style games that we grew up with. A new entertainment medium usually means new and exciting ways to interact with it. Basically, starting from scratch. We were excited to make something that everyone could and would want to jump in and play.
We set out to make a world that was inviting with a control scheme that wasn’t daunting. We wanted to make a game that could be played from the comfort of your couch, or if you wanted to get up and walk around, you could do that too.
One of the first big impacts we noticed with VR was the ability to reach in to the world around you and physically interact with it. Furthermore, VR also allows us to bond with characters and have meaningful, emotional interactions with them. In a comfortable play space where you can reach in and interact with objects while being seated, we needed a protagonist that can fit in that space comfortably. Quill was born from those principals. We tried to make a character that you would want to invest your time in to bonding with them emotionally, while also making a game that was fun and easy to play. The world and story around her developed once these basic ideas were in place.
Fetal heart-rate monitors as development tools
Hodde – One of the stranger tools I used was fetal heartrate monitor to record some unique heartbeat sounds. Since all non-synthesized sound originates out in the world, I spend a fair amount of time during development recording in the field. I have a small collection of microphones, but I tend to rely mainly on my Neumanns. I use a Sound Devices recorder and external microphone pre-amplifer on location. I also keep a small, handheld recorder on me most of the time to capture serendipitous sounds.
In the studio, I keep Eurorack & Moog synthesizers. I alternate between many headphones, but have settled mainly on Sennheiser HD650, Oppo PM-3, and Sony MDR-7506 for recording. I have a collection of rare recordings from Andy Martin that he captured during his Northwest Soundscapes Project that appear a lot during the first third of the game. I use Nuendo as my main digital audio workstation which interfaces nicely with Wwise, our audio engine. Unreal and Blueprint cover the other 50% of audio development.
Lico –Moss was made in Unreal. The animation content was authored in Maya.
Alderson – As mentioned above, Unreal Engine was our primary development tool across all platforms, and we love it. The artists used a wide range of different tools during the production of Moss, and our mantra is each artist should use the tools that will help them do the best at their job. Some of us use Maya extensively, while another artist prefers 3D Studio Max.
We used Zbrush and Mudbox for sculpting. Substance Designer, Substance Painter, Photoshop for our textural needs. Marvelous Designer is a great tool for creating garments. We purchased a few scanned data assets from Quixel, and the Unreal Marketplace got us started with our terrain and foliage that we later edited to fit our needs, so our artists could spend more time on hero props and characters.
Creating a personal connection in VR
Lico – I believe it’s a collection of many decisions that factor into this. The first being Alderson’s design of Quill herself. Having an anthropomorphic mouse at a realistic scale with no discernable pupils makes it very easy to side-step common issues such as the uncanny valley. Or that uncomfortable feeling you may get when someone stares at you too long or ignores you.
Beyond pop cultural icons, people have no preconceptions of how a mouse should move or act. Quill’s also quite tiny, so supporting a complex facial animation system wasn’t necessary, making her body language more of the focus. She’s also appealing on her own, without any animation what-so-ever. All of these made my job much easier.
Beyond that, I felt it was important avoid cliché animation decisions. In film and cartoons, there are certain expectations for how anthropomorphic creatures act and move. It’s common to see animated characters gesticulate well beyond what a human would ever do and is often expected as a given. I believe these exaggerated acting decisions can feel off-putting to VR players, and lack emotional depth. I wanted to give Quill a more genuine personality based on honest acting decisions. But this doesn’t mean I don’t respect traditional animation principals. On the contrary, I wanted Quill to feel like a Disney or Pixar style character in motion, but wanted her acting choices to be more subdued in the hopes that she’d feel more relatable.
Finally, we wanted to take advantage of the VR medium. What separates VR from traditional game/film media is a sense of presence. You’re there with the character, not just viewing the character. This means the traditional ‘4th wall’ doesn’t exist in VR.
We felt it was important to interact with Quill like you would with one of your friends. We’re no longer limited to button inputs. We could have Quill react to gestures, line of sight, and context. Things like waving at her, petting her, or spooking her by sneaking up behind her were important for us to represent. But just as important is Quill’s autonomy. We gave her an opinion and a way to express it using sign language. We gave her sovereignty over her actions as she asks for a high-five, implying that she has free will, thought and emotions. It’s easier to have empathy for a living creature than it is for a thing. And empathy is the root of bonding.
A shared emotional journey
Lico – The contrast in scale between Quill and the player helps to define roles. Given Quill’s diminutive size, it’s obvious how limited her effect on her world really is. Players pick up on this and may try to protect her. This will often add subtle tension to a battle or give the players a sense of accomplishment when they solve a puzzle with her. These roles provide an opportunity for the player to feel helpful and cooperative.
But we didn’t want Quill to feel helpless, so we made her actions display an overt sense of effort to compensate. She doesn’t just magically pop-up on top of a ledge or swing her sword. She skitters and scratches her way up a ledge and swings her entire body, not just her sword. This puts an emphasis on realistic physical locomotion, making her more grounded in her world.
We also attempted to be mindful of the player’s emotional arc throughout the game and represent the way we hope the player feels via Quill’s actions. For example, after defeating Sarfog, Quill will kick the defeated foe to vent some adrenaline, which is exactly what we hoped our players would feel in that moment. The idea here is that, if Quill acted on the players emotions, it’ll strengthen the bond they have with her.
Emphasizing vulnerability through environment
Alderson – In the world we created, most of the dangers for a small mouse like Quill have long passed – including the giants who used to roam the land of Moss. Rodents and small animals alike now rule, and except for the occasional war between different rodent kingdoms or other fairy tale creatures the world more-or-less was made for Quill. She had the unfortunate luck of being born right when an ancient evil decided to rear its ugly head. But it wasn’t all coincidence.
What her tale lets us do as developers is take advantage of the scale of the world to emphasize her vulnerability, adding to an emotional weight of your relationship with her. We tried to play up that fact quite often. Whenever Quill leads you into a tiny rodent structure, we like to reward you with a vast environment at the end of it, but this also tends to make you feel for Quill and how open she is to danger. It was also important that the scale of every tree, plant, and rock felt in place to help the player believe they could exist in this world. Once the scale of the world feels out of place, it can really take you out of the experience which would also take away from the emotional weight of Quill’s journey.
A shared adventure only possible with VR
Alderson – To me, Moss and VR are synonymous. The reason for the game’s existence, and why Quill looks and acts the way she does was to compliment the tech from the get-go. We knew that, to make the best VR game possible, we would have to have to design it with VR in mind first, rather than port over an experience to VR later.
The most notable way that Moss utilized VR is through your relationship with Quill. VR let’ you become your very own character, and if done right, you should have your own personal story and motivations to keep you engaged. And that’s where Quill comes in. Hopefully, when you play Moss you are taken by her charm, where you both discover everything about her world and story at the same time, so that your motivation is to go on this journey with her and help her succeed.
That is just something that isn’t possible on flat screen entertainment where you end up watching some other hero’s journey. You and Quill are the heroes in Moss. In VR, you are present within these worlds with their own rules and stories, and from there it can go so much further. I can’t wait for the future of this type of VR entertainment
On Moss‘ audio design
Hodde – Quill’s relationship with the player became so central to the player’s experience, so I tried to pursue an understated, detailed, and gentle style that could hold that experience. If the sound is working right, the game’s sound arrives in the player’s mind as a unified world. They’re not hearing effects or systems or processing, or consciously registering discrete components of the soundscape. It should all feel glued together. Strangely enough, this line of thinking caused me to spend more time on making cool reverb than I have on any other project.
I’ll be breaking down the role audio plays in VR comfort (and discomfort), how to approach sonic scale and perspective, how Quill’s vocalizations allowed players to form their own impression of her identity, the role of voice direction and narration in supporting the player bond, and choosing sounds that have inherent emotional value. It’s all wrapped in a discussion about how to approach sound as a designer, and in Moss’s case, how each one of these aspects contributes directly to the player’s emotional bond with Quill.
Jason will talk a bit about how soloists create intimacy. He’ll also cover how why we chose to create suites of music that were broken down later into small parts, instead of working directly from a cue sheet.
