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[sights-on-the-scifi]

Do any of you notice something?

...Something sinister with the way in which companies and education outlets, or dare I say it artists are advertising and selling tutorial packs to aspiring independent creators?

I’m a self taught individual so I have had to learn pretty much everything I know today about art through using everything I could get my hands on be that legally or otherwise. Focused education in schools for the professions I wish to pursue are notorious for having INSANE entry fees for which only the lucky few have been able to scale over with parental financial assistance or other means... Leading to either a quick entry to professional career or a mountain of debt to pay off to the private institution chosen.

There has been in recent years an EXPLOSION of “free” and purchasable art education materials. From places like gumroad, third party outlets and more. It seems at first this is a good thing right?, low cost educational packs for everyone!

But what these sellers and outlets dont tell you, is that none of this content will guarantee you acquiring knowledge and skills by the end of them. These are all random, untested and non linear tutorial packs which are biased in favour of the assumed target demographic and the instructor. They cannot possible account for things like the difference between the way each individual artist learns, or absorbs information long term and the equipment they may, or may not have access to. Also something to consider Is the fact that due to the impersonal nature of the instruction, the ability to best use it rests entirely on the aspiring creators ability to understand what is being presented. 

So you can run into a situation wherein the content they payed for becomes useless... Because you cant ask a video questions can you?

There is a reason why we have schools and teachers, there is a reason we have class based human interaction and support. Its because communication is vital in effective education, so is learning things yourself without any assistance.

The reason i’m telling you this, is because I know how utterly confusing and torturous it is to self determine the most effective educational path using so many different and conflicting resources.

 The threat these products pose to your finances cannot be ignored, because you can easily fall into the trap of relying on this material so much it creates a feeling of not having everything you need to reach a desired end...

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Remember...

Paying passing lip service to a broader themes or ideas related to colonialism is not the same as actually tackling the subject with care and attention to detail.

Andromeda for example does feature some vague references and commentary on the subject, but this is all sidelined in favour of retelling the plot of the first game in a less sophisticated fashion in order to tap into fan desires and franchise nostalgia.

In order for your story to be fully committed to its text/sub-textual elements within its writing, it needs to make that clear from the very beginning and throughout the rest of the primary experience.

Otherwise why even bother including it in the first place?

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Experimental videos: Wip clip.

Just an idea really...

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Why narrative mode in MASS EFFECT 3 is terrible...

Mass effect 3′s narrative mode is a hot mess and i’m not ashamed to say that... This mode is insulting but not for the reasons you may think, i’m not here to say that being accommodating to casual or potentially disabled players is a bad thing.

No i’m here to say that if you are going to include a mode like this, dont make it so the entire experience becomes a farce. AKA dont half ass it!

When you get down to it, in terms of what this mode actually does to make the experience more “Narrative focused” is this... It limits AI awareness of the player, makes the player character near impervious to fire and power attacks.

Thats it...

This is not a mode... This is a glorified fast forward button but I would hesitate to even call it that because vast sections of “gameplay” require now totally mindless dispatching of targets to trigger set pieces or open doors hiding loading screens. Instead of providing the player with a promised story driven way to play this game they have made it into an experience of momentary annoyances to reach cut-scenes. The game in this state is technically broken, since the player breezes past script and dialogue triggers at an incorrect pace than what was originally intended, which means that you are essentially missing out on narrative. To test this you need only have to play priority Tuchanka, you can cheese that entire level but in so doing you break the normal flow of conversation and pacing of action.

Characters will be referencing events that are supposed to be taking place minutes ahead of you IMMEDIATELY after they just started the mission, this is because BioWare had no idea how to properly program timers etc in a more sophisticated fashion in relation to the players skill or activity.

I fully endorse featuring easy modes and narrative focused modes for players. BUT I rather they be made well because as far as i’m concerned this just hurts the overall presentation and flow of the story as a whole in this game.

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Blinding whiteness.

Science fiction’s continued usage of white protagonists. 

To be clear i’m not talking about background or supporting characters... I’m talking about the main protagonists themselves. It really speaks to the lack of imagination and creativity on display, when the vast majority of protagonists of both new and soft reboot scifi media are exclusivity Caucasian.

Whether they be from another galaxy, a soldier, farmer, scrapper and or even poor. It is guaranteed they will be a white protagonist regardless of the setting and context, this also unfortunately extends to who voices these characters when it comes to gaming. Its pervasive and instead of addressing this issue with expanding representation, token efforts have been made to distract from this increasingly obvious reality.

This is not an argument saying that these characters are terrible because they are Caucasian, I have grown to love some of these characters regardless of that fact. The point i’m trying to make here is that they are all essentially the same once you strip away motivations and personality... They also play to worn out archetypes, for example be that relating to female protagonists the majority of which fall in line to copy the iconic Ellen Ripley from the 1979 classic ALIEN rather than come up with anything new.

Same faces, same haircuts, same body types, same everything... Its repetitive and unchallenged. 

There is only a TINY percentage of big science fiction films that feature non white protagonists and that needs to change, but dont just relegate them to the background. Make them stand out, give them agency, put them in the leading roles!

It goes a long way.

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Does anyone else find it unsettling that the Salarians are essentially holding Yahg as hostages for experimentation and evolutionary trials? While they are violent... They are still a sentient species ya know? lol

What is great about this detail is that if you poke around enough, you will find an audio log that details the Salarian’s plans to use this species for their own ends just like with the Krogan.

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VISUAL HIGHLIGHTS FROM MY LAST PLAY-THROUGH OF ANDROMEDA. 

Andromeda has almost completely faded from my memory in terms of story, primary game-play rhythms and general interest in its themes (What little there actually was in this game). I have had very little desire to return to this galaxy in fear of reliving save corruption bugs, boring characters and pointless exploration... But there is still a possibility I might give it one more chance to impress me, because I like returning to the site of my sadness :(

Regardless... Here are some screens of my last experience of the game. Including also, are some videos I made during the time I created review posts for the title.

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During my studies and practice this year, I hope to conceptualise ideas and visuals for this little short film. Just a lot of wild stuff you can do in this setting and with this complex character in general.

Exploring childhood, his parents, politics and beliefs will be interesting.

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Final conceptual trailer.

A polishing up of the edit and video quality of this trailer to present the best preview of the tonality of my little future project.

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If there is one thing I cant stand about modern triple A gaming... Its audience complicity in the face of a clearly broken content delivery system.

Letting a company or a studio get away Scott free, if they fix the game later rather than making a solid title first thing is a dangerous road to go down. It is a ruthless cycle that fails to account for the fact we have finite lives and finite levels of cash to expend on entertainment... The DLC business model and the live service model that spawned from it are scams, a game can cost on average up to 60 dollars per unit and payed content that was added after would jump the price to 200 or more dollars. Destiny was one of the worst offenders and Anthem followed suite with disastrous results.

This is not counting the gambling and cosmetic industries in these titles that further escalate costs to those susceptible to those addictive systems.

I’m actually very happy Mass Effect Andromeda did not receive DLC. Because it would of hyper normalised the “fix it later” mentality that was infecting the entire industry still even to this day with live service titles.

As a great game reviewer would say

“I’m tired of having to wait a year for the fullest, most complete experience of a Bioware RPG”

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In 2010 HALO REACH would release, and there is no doubt in my mind it had an interesting influence on the aesthetic and artistic direction MASS EFFECT 3 would go in. It showed a planet engulfed in a full scale alien invasion with stunning attention to detail. Everything from the colours, to the look of the textures and technology was very gritty... Attempting to convey a sense of realism.

It carried itself with a real sense of maturity and focus on nailing a feeling of impending annihilation balanced with a glimmer of hope.

MASS EFFECT 3 attempts to replicate this tonality with... Shall we say rather mixed results. But it is there.

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Unique animated films from the early 2000s you should check out!

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MASS EFFECT owes a lot to Syd Mead.

The conceptual art for the popular video game was heavily influenced by the style/aesthetic of his unique futuristic designs.

http://sydmead.com/

His work was iconic... It brought some of science fiction’s most recognisable universes to life and inspired countless imitators. It is a shame he passed away but he left behind an incredible legacy that will continue to live on in media.

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Yes Mordin does get angry.

Something I find utterly confusing about some interpretations of Mordin’s character is the belief he does not get angry or riled up when confronted with the possibility he may be wrong.

“Mordin is an adult and is always calm”

“Mordin would never get angry or act petty”

“Mordin can never act out of spite”

“Mordin would never murder anyone”

Ermmmm... Did we all just forget about THIS?! Did we play the same game? :o

This is such an obvious display of uncontrolled rage and anger that it makes MEeeeeeEE angry knowing that somehow, SOMEHOW this manages to fly directly over peoples heads! (lol I have fallen to the dark side...) Mordin is also seen visibly muttering to himself about whether or not he was right or wrong too on multiple occasions directly after Shepard’s input. The guy has a deep internal conflict and is unsure of his position from the very beginning, so much so it takes Shepard’s guidance to pull him to either side in the end.

One of the most infuriating content casualties of ME2 I feel would have alleviated this problem... They cut Grunt and Mordin’s confrontation on the Normandy, a compelling scenario that I felt would have clearly established this side of the professor in a heated moment that audiences would not miss.

But in the end... I guess a part of me also feels that even if this was present, people would still not see this writing reality. Because sometimes an unfortunate reality with media is that audiences are selective about what information they choose to accept is present or not regardless of whether or not its actually there or not.

It is what has lead to audiences of STARSHIP TROOPERS completely missing the fact that the movie is a satire about fascism, propaganda, colonialism and war as a whole...

Believe it or not, some people really do take this universe and its characters 100% seriously.

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LOL this is exactly how I feel about Aria’s character lol.