happydoggowriter-blog

[happydoggowriter-blog]

Bird guy review — Better than Flappy Bird.

You believe you can fly. Do you want to believe you can touch the sky? Of course you do.

Ever had a dream of getting on the top of the building, flying from roof to roof? Did you ever dream of being a bird, at least for a bit? Your favorite character is Bird Person from Rick and Morty? Then there’s the perfect game for you — BIRD GUY, created by shimage❤

It will be like living your dream — to fly away from any conversation, use windows as doors — you don’t have to use stairs anymore! Jump and fly into the bright, sunny sky… Escape from all the pressure you face at work, your home, the bedroom? If you ever noticed appear to be a bird in your dreams: Flying in dreams represents a deep thrive to freedom. Sometimes it symbolizes the lack of self-expression.

If this describes you, Bird Guy is a great solution to all of the iniquity you are facing. Just listen to your inner voice, wake up… and be free.

The flying style of the character is so beautiful. The movement of the arms is outstanding. Of course, you’ll need to learn how to fly first. Is it difficult to control the character, but… maybe it’s exactly like flying, how do I know? Maybe it just looks like flying is light and easy — but for the bird, every swing is like moving a mountain. Just kidding.

Once you’ve got your bird guy in control, you are free to fly from one building to another. I managed to fly only to the first building. Every fall of my bird guy was like a new heartbreak. Hope you’ll succeed better than me!

(PLEASE JUST LET ME POST A REALLY FUNNY MEME HERE)

Bird guy is a beautiful escape game from the office routine to play at the end of your office live day. It’s like daily meditation — just forget about your problems and enjoy the flight.

❤

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[happydoggowriter-blog]

What the myth?! Part 3. Creepy antagonists and where to find them.

Antagonists are bad and creepy. Well, it’s their nature, their role. They serve a critical role — they help the character overcome their fears, challenging him in many ways. They are heavy rocks in the river in the path of the hero. They should be highly respected and loved. Our hero wouldn’t be this strong if not them.

Maybe you remember nurses from Silent Hill, Slenderman, SCP-173, Jack Torrance from The Shining, Pennywise, Ghostface, Leatherface, Samara Morgan — all these guys which made you want to crawl under your bed.

I still remember Pale Man from Pan’s Labyrinth. Please agree with me that he’s creepy as hell! After 10 years his figure still appears in my scariest dreams sometimes.

Some of Miyadzaki’s characters are quite unsettling too. If we take Princess Mononoke, for example, all forest spirits aren’t cute, for sure.

Want to create the same impact on the player? Unique, unforgettable creature who will trigger the player’s mind every night even a few months after playing your game? The thing is — there are so many creepy characters already, so Here’s the golden question — how I create a unique antagonist. Clearly, there’s no formula for this. But I can give you a hint, where to take inspiration: guess what, Japanese myths again.

Rokurokubi — creepy female spirits with an elongated neck. The head is floating like it’s a genie from the bottle of a cobra ready to attack. There are two types of rokurokubi — the first type can stretch its neck, the second type is with a freely flying head. They usually attack at night and drink blood. Interestingly, there are similar creatures in Indonese, Malaysian, Thai, South American, Philippine mythologies.

Inugami — a spirit of a dog. To cause this spirit, an unbelievably cruel ritual was performed, which was even popular during the Heian period: Take a starving dog. Cut off its head. → An aggressive spirit will appear which can be used against your enemies.

Ittan-momen — a piece of cloth that flies around at nights and suffocates people while wrapping around them. I heard that some parents in Japan are telling stories to their children stories about Ittan-momen spirits to make sure won’t get home too late. (If I was one of these kids, I would never leave the house, never ever).

Kamikiri — a spirit that appears suddenly and cuts the hair off. This spirit may appear in the fox (kitsune), insect or human-like form.

Nure-onna — a spirit with a woman’s head and a reptilian body. They live close to water and eat humans. In some tales, this spirit is mean and devious — it gives a baby to the victim, which after some time turns out to be a stone. The victim is going underwater by the stone heaviness and is eaten by another queer spirit Ushi-Oni (nice teamwork, by the way).

Ushi-oni — a spirit that basically looks a giant spider with a head of a bull. They live at beaches and attack people who walk on beaches. And, yes, they spit poison and eat humans. Overall these spirits have a difficult personality; some of them even have wings. Also, it preys on human shadows, so the person dies slowly.

Nekomata — a cat spirit that can shapeshift into humans, speak Human language, cursing people, attacking people together with a wolf pack. The creepy thing is that it has hair like Samara from The Ring.

Jorogumo — a spirit that looks like a charming woman at day, but turns into a gigantic golden-black spider at night which preys on humans. Lives near water.

Bake-kujira — a ghost skeleton whale. It is accompanied by strange birds and fish. Can’t be killed by harpoons. It brings curses and misfortune.

These are only a few of the monsters of Japanese myths. I highly recommend digging deeper into the topic and explore all the mindblowing creatures coming from the imagination of Japanese folk. And remember: there are numerous cultures and folklore to explore.

[happydoggowriter-blog]

Don’t panic, play Art: 5 Games to enjoy during Quarantine.

To evoke in oneself a feeling one has experienced, and…then, by means of movements, lines, colors, sounds or forms expressed in words, so to transmit that feeling — this is the activity of art. – Leo Tolstoy

Games are not art, they say. Games are entertainment, like advertising in motion picture world. The game developer community puts strict rules on what games are. What a game should be. Otherwise its an digital fine art project, a form of modern art, immersive piece — does not matter what people call it but it sounds truly silly. Today, I made a selection of four games which don’t fit in the classic game world as it is today. These games have astonishing graphics and are relaxing and calming. So, stay home, don’t panic, relax and play.

Lovely weather we’re having.

The weather affects what the characters are saying. Relaxing. Narrative. Artwork. Beautiful. Should I continue my chaotic rapture?

No, better check out his work yourself.

Art Sqool

Cute Dog series for Disney

Museum Comic

Dolphin Poem

The Endless Express.

The wonky&joyful feeling you get from playing the game will make you feel better sure! The graphics are amazing, the characters are super funny, the story is strange and funny. Isn’t this the best description for a perfect evening?

Also, pay attention to how the menu is made. Definitely not the most boring UI.

Lieve Oma.

Purely nostalgic experience. How many of us were spending time with grandparents not enjoying the time with them and being bored?

When I first played the game, I cried. One of my few safe memories about childhood was the day we collected mushrooms together with my granddad whom I will never see again. He used to tell me everything about the forest, mushrooms, how to pick them without disturbing the balance of the ecosystem. We silently played the game “Who will collect the most mushrooms”. Sadly, never in my life have I had the same experience, so I relived this memory to the fullest.Surely, this game has a stronger effect than a painting of a boy and a grandmother walking in the forest.

You decide your own pace, where to go. Once I stopped playing and closed my eyes. I listened to this calm music, meditated for a bit. We need those games.

We don’t need to escape anymore. We need to go back to ourselves.

Where the goats are.

A meditative game for PC. Slowly, atmospheric.

The game is about Tikwah, an old woman who is the only one left in the village. Her relatives went to different cities and tried to convince her to quit the country life too.

The game is very meditative and relaxing, despite the fact that you understand how difficult the life of a woman like Tikwah may be.

When one of the goats died, this was a more emotional event than losing a battle in Pokemon. You understand, that losing a goat might cause problems like hunger, etc. in reality. At the end, another goat died, and I was left alone with an emptiness in my soul :(

Like Roots in the Soil.

This game is pure poetry. I really like the concept, the art style, everything. Such a pleasant experience. See for yourself.

Hope you enjoyed this article. Share your thoughts on these games!

[happydoggowriter-blog]

Are Games Art? An Artist Appeal.

Art is incredibly hard to define. The most popular thought on art is something which is made by a creative talented mind, expression of his/her feelings. Something difficult and royal, which is sometimes hard to understand. Art should be educating, enlightening and empowering. It is made to forget about your shallow problems and daily routines.

On contrary, what is a game? Here’s a general description:

“A game is a system in which players engage in an artificial conflict, defined by rules, that results in a quantifiable outcome.” (Salen & Zimmerman, 2004).

Jesse Schell defines games as —

“a problem-solving activity, approached with a playful attitude.”

Sadly, there’s nothing about art, aesthetic, perception, whatsoever. Only the combination of words “playful attitude” provides a hint that games can be made as an artistic intention.

Even Hideo Koijima said in one of his interviews:

“Art is something that radiates the artist. If 100 people walk by and a single person is captivated by whatever that piece radiates, it’s art. But video games aren’t trying capturing one person. A videogame should make sure that all 100 people that play that game should enjoy the service provided by that videogame. It’s something of a service. It’s not art. But I guess the way of providing service with that videogame is an artistic style, a form of art.”

The core argument is that games are service which satisfies dozens of people. What a dark world we live in!

It is truly comical — I’ve been on two sides. When I started as a fine artist, I was assured that only 0,0001% artist of all gets into commerce and is able to make a living out of his/her passion. Now, as a beginner game designer, I have to face the fact that games belong into the commercial world.

Guys, let’s balance things out.

Why should artists dive into game industry? Instead of producing a painting, one could invent a whole world. It is a fantastic possibility to try out so many different areas: illustration, character design, modelling, writing/storytelling, coding (please don’t start arguing here that code isn’t art ). It’s worth to try making a 2d platformer with great art like Gris or a first person exploration game with your 3d art inside, or a visual novel! Remember, a game doesn’t need to be about competition or accomplishment. It can contain a beautifully made artwork, music or a strong message. Besides, there are so many possibilities to create a game nowadays without using a single line of code.

Let’s talk about a game called Mooncharmer.

Is it a game, you may ask? You cannot win here. But the thing is that you are actually playing with the main character, you control it’s behaviour. You can also leave the character walk in any direction you point and watch what happens. You are the one who defines if you accomplished something or not. There are boundaries, dictated by code, but it’s you, who determines the rules. Isn’t that what we all need in games sometimes?!

For example, I see Mooncharmer as a beautiful illustration of life. Every direction you take transforms your personality to some extent, you are constantly evolving and exploring different parts of your personality. That’s the beauty of merging games and fine art — every every person interprets your creation differently.

P.S. Don’t forget to check out other projects by Paws Menu, they’re as beautiful as Mooncharmer.

[happydoggowriter-blog]

What the myth?! Part 2: How myths influence modern storytelling.

For all his movies, Hayao Miyazaki takes inspiration from myths.

He usually doesn’t take a character from a myth as it is, but she merges the figure from the myth with his own ideas, creating a completely new character in the end. That’s why his movies are so interesting to study — you see a shadow of a Japanese mythical figure, but then it vanishes and appears to be a completely unique character.

I’m not an anthropologist, I wrote this post from a character designer perspective. It’s so interesting to see how a new character is made, especially by Hayao Miyadzaki. Let’s take the most known and beloved movie “Spirited Away”. It has been my all times favourite; I watched it at least 15 times.

But first, let’s begin with the Joseph Campbell’s archetype breakdown:

Hero — Chihiro, later Sen, later Chihiro again (luckily)

Herald — Yubaba

Mentor — Haku

Threshold Guardian — event: The Riddle of finding the parents at the end of the story

Shapeshifter — Zeniba, Boh

Ally — Kamaji, Lin, Susuwatari, later Boh

Shadow — feeling: fear, character: Yubaba

Trickster — No-Face, Otori-Sama, Boh, Stink Spirit-River Spirit

In every single story, these archetypes are present. It doesn’t matter if the particular archetype is a character, feeling or event, what matters is that the role of the archetype remains the same.

As you can see, there are quite a few main characters present, but many secondary characters which dilute and complicate the story at the same time. Their personalities are quite complex, changing their roles during the storyline — the transition of Boh’s mind and appearance, the constantly changing personalities of No-Face, discovery that Zeniba is actually a good character in the story — it’s truly interesting to see each character developing and changing trough the movie, gaining something in the end.

Yubaba is one of the most interesting characters in the story.

The word Yubaba is a literal translation from japanese meaning “Old bath woman”. She was inspired by yokai (japanese folklore spirit) Yama- Uba. This spirit may appear as an old woman or a beautiful twenty-year old lady. In japanese folklore, they usually appear as kind old women (at first) living in forests or mountains. Their true nature unravels when they shelter wanderer and then eat their flesh.

Yamauba — Image taken from Wikipedia.

Similar characters can be seen in Nordic and Slavic folk tales. Interestingly, the Russian version Baba Yaga inspired Yubaba’s personality greatly. No wonder, why Russians like Spirited Away so much (and not only because of Baba Yaga ;) ). There’s one more proof Miyazaki knowing about Baba Yaga: In 2010, an actual Baba Yaga appeared in Miyazaki’s short movie called “Mr. Dought and the Egg Princess”. Also, Yubaba has a twin sister Zeniba, which is also a witch. This is also common to slavic tales, where the creator of russian myths literally tries to tell you “hold on, there’s always one more witch to fight.”

Also, here’s a great storytelling hack: Yubaba appears as a kind woman with a rotten soul, but Zeniba is rough on the outside but turns out to be kind and adequate.

The first time we got to know Zeniba was when Sen saw Haku trying to get rid of Shikigami . This made it possible to create a nice twist in a story — showing in the end, that Zeniba is a good character. You cannot have good without some evil, don’t you? That’s what brings a strong character to life.

Why is it great to add twins to the story? Especially, when we create a complex, layered character it’s great to add a twin sibling to it to make certain characteristics to stand out. Without Zeniba, we couldn’t understand Yubaba truly, as well as travel through the beautiful world the story takes place.

Yubaba and Zeniba are like Ying and Yang, but most interestingly, not black and white, but 2 tones of grey, one being warm, the other one cold.

“We’re identical twins and exact opposites.”

-Zeniba

So, that’s how you can create a really nice unique character for your story: take the base from your favourite myth and add your own ideas — your imagination is the limit. Good luck on creating powerful characters!

[happydoggowriter-blog]

Как я считала HP своего кота.

Сегодня я наткнулась на чудеснейшее видео, где Браян Дэвид Гилберт подробно рассказывает, как посчитать HP своего животного. Это меня дико заинтересовало, так как вчера утром Мун (мой кот) упал с 2,5 метровой лестницы и умудрился немного свернуть себе шею и вывихнуть челюсть (если что, он сейчас в норме!) Для начала, нам нужно определись класс питомца. Как говорил Браян, кошки обычно попадают под описание Разбойников, а собаки - относятся к классу Варваров. 

В мире котов Мун наверное, находится на самой низкой ступени выживания, + он самый неповоротливый, негибкий, честный, дружелюбный, коммуникабельный, наивный  кот, каких я когда либо встречала. Так как мой кот - по-видимому пёс, то я официально зачисляю его к классу Варваров (хотя с недавних пор он метит к Клерики, что меня несказанно радует!). Но, если вы не уверены, вы можете посмотреть схему и понять, какие действия ваше животное выполняет чаще всего. 

Например, если у вас хорошо выдрессированная собака, то вы можете зачислись её к классу Паладинов, так как она вероятно обладает такими качествами, как loyal action, doing good deeds, bringing you something you didn’t ask for (касается положительных вещей вроде тапочек, а не трупов других животных). Итак, когда вы определились с классом, приступаем к самой интересной части. Нужно отвести какое-то количество часов на исследование (чем больше, тем лучше) и просто наблюдать за действиями питомца, заполняя бланк. Каждый раз, когда вышел питомец делает что-то из списка, вы ставите балл, а по истечении времени умножаете количество баллов на их важность. Вам нужно будет считать только базовые действия и действия, которые приписываются классу вашего питомца. Затем вы складываете баллы и делите их на количество часов, потраченных на наблюдение за вашим питомцем. Это ваше значение u. Далее, в таблице вы смотрите на значения b и m, они даются изначально, исходя из класса (b) и типа (m) вашего животного. Следуя простой формуле, считаете хп: HP = b+(um) И, поздравляю, у вас есть HP своего питомца!

Для тех, у кого нет животного - вы можете  1.  посчитать HP своего комнатного растения (по схеме все растения паладины!) 2. Посчитать HP животного друга. Только объясните ему, что вы проводите очень важный ресерч и что вам нужно находиться в квартире как минимум 4 часа, а с каждым часом точность исследования возрастает (!) 3. Завести наконец-то собственного питомца!

< Посмотреть видео, скачать бланк и таблицу вы можно по ссылке.  >

При подсчете хп кота своего друга, Браян воспользовался методом, который называется Power levelling. Это несомненный чит, так как в идеале ты не при каких условиях не должен вмешиваться в режим объекта ресерча. Но я тоже сжульничала! Объясню, почему. Так как сейчас зима и я только что переехала, Мун не выходит на улицу. Но я-то знаю, что Мун месит всё, что ему попадается, поэтому я засчитала ему минимальное количество баллов за охоту (их я выделила красным). 

А если бы я была нечистоплотной или жила бы в подвале и в обоях случаях повсюду бегали бы тараканы, Мун бы точно показал, на что способен. Так что - not even sorry. И ещё у Муна мало баллов за scavenging, что не особо является правдой. Если бы у него были идеальные условия для побирательства, количество баллов увеличилось в 20 раз. На самом деле, некоторые моменты сложновато оценить, просто делайте то, что считаете нужным, возможно Power levelling действительно раскрывает потенциал вашего питомца! Или дождитесь лета и проведите этот ресерч на даче или в той среде, где животное могло бы показать, на что оно действительно способно! С учетом скучной коробочной среды HP у наших питомцев конечно же занижается! Ловите бланк Муна и делитесь результатами своих исследований ❤️

[happydoggowriter-blog]

What the myth?! Part 1: A tiny suggestion for your new game plot.

What makes a good game? Well, there are so many factors, but, first of all, it’s the story.

Curiosity is one of the most important factors which defines a writer. You need to read everything; you need to be open in order to think of a fresh juicy story.

To be able to create something unique, you have to be a good thinker, generate tons of ideas, use your imagination to its maximal capacity. And, last but not least, you have to know how to find your own flow and inspiration at any time you need it.

So, where to get inspiration for your mindblowing stories, you may ask? One of the ways is to meet strange people you match on the Tinder app. The second way is safer, and you don’t even need to leave your room. So, what should I do to burst my inspiration right now, you ask? The secret is quite simple. 

Reading myths and legends, of course!

My favorite myths are myths from Japan. They are quite fucked up, as all the myths in the world, but in a mild & unique way.

Here’s an example:

“The Japanese once believed in water demons Kappa, which looked like small naked men with a tortoise shell and a bowl filled with water in place of the head. They scoured the water in search of lost passengers and dragged them to the depths. There were only two ways you could avoid them: the first involved writing the name on the cucumber and throwing it into the water because kappa demons were very fond of cucumbers. The second way was to bow to the demons. The demon, in this case, had to bow in response and thereby empty his bowl-head. Without water, Kappa’s head was helpless.”

Let me break down the story and show you, how to make it into a game, using popular game genre: A Survival game.

For sure, you can make a survival game where you play against Kappa and avoiding to be drawn under the water. Instead of weapons, you can use cucumbers with your name written on them. The challenging part is that you need to find a knife or a pen first, otherwise, how are you going to put your name on the cucumber? A pen will be a commonly used tool and it will have a limited ink capacity, like patrons in a gun. To refill a pen, you’ll need to get close to the water and fish out an octopus (Why not, the story is pretty fucked up anyway!). 1 octopus = 1 full pen refill. To balance things out, a bigger name won’t need more ink, to avoid short names — “Easy-Win” situation (Spanish would die immediately in that game.) Also, you would need to think about the overall feel of the game (you may create a horror game or a chill game like Undertale.) Think about animation, music, UI, side quests, monetization… Maybe you could add some legendary cucumbers which will kill any Kappa who eats the cucumber or a bomb-cucumber which will explode after 5 seconds? Or an electric cucumber which will paralyze kappas on a range of 5 meters once it gets into the water? Or a golden pen that doesn’t need a refill at all? Your own imagination is the limit, dear friend!

Myths and fables are the oldest forms of storytelling. They are stories that have a meaning for a particular culture. They promote cultural rules, existing orders, and beliefs, making the life of a human being easier and manipulating the mind by telling a believable story. Joseph Campbell found, that all myths are basically the same story being told in an infinite variety of ways.

With that said, we can read myths from all over the world to understand the fears of a nation buried deep down in the roots of the culture. It can be used in localization purposes, to make your story more relatable for a particular culture.

A water demon from this Japanese myth sounds creepy enough to imagine it. But here’s another thought: Sometimes some cultural details are unrelatable. When I read about the story with cucumbers, I thought: “Seriously? That’s how you get rid of a demon??”. After this, I’m not horrified by the demon anymore. Now it feels strange and unrelatable. If this story would be written for a cat, it might have worked, because some cats are damn afraid of cucumbers for some reason. I see an only logical solution: maybe cucumbers were so rare in ancient Japan that the probability of getting rid of a Kappa demon was quite low.

Anyway, the whole idea of using a cucumber as a weapon is a mindfuck.

What’s also strange about South American mythology. Tapirs and anteaters are used as antagonists. Please, don’t cry.

Here’s a myth involving an evil anteater which I illustrated 3 years ago. Even then I imagined this as a great game idea. Oh my, as a newborn game designer, now I can fulfill my deepest dreams!

Myths still have a huge impact on society. Just compare Achilles to Superman. Both have a weakness. The heel was replaced by kryptonite; it’s that easy. Or compare the old greek Hercules to Hulk.

This brings to a thought that a good storyteller is a person who takes a story and can come up with his own at the end. This can be achieved through the fusion of the external information and imagination and experience of the storyteller. Tweak, fuse, cut, carve, deepen, elongate different parts of the story to change its taste.

Don’t you learn a recipe to make it the same over and over - learn to experiment and try different variations?

If you liked the post, follow me on twitter to see my game creation process. Also, check out my itch.io account <3