#the writers took a decent amount of creative liberties with this game

[shaolinhunks]

On Ashrah/Reptile and Kuai Liang/Harumi

I've noticed that most people feel like these two pairings need more backstory to make sense. As much as I enjoy the story overall... I agree. I feel like if they were fleshed out a bit more (What drew Reptile to Ashrah so soon after his family's death? We know how Kuai Liang felt, but what did Harumi find attractive about him?), more people would be open to them. The potential is there, but maybe the NRS writers weren't given the opportunity to spend much time developing these ships.

I actually have a Kuai Liang/Harumi fic that I've been working on, and eventually I'd like to write one for Ashrah/Reptile, too. Again, the potential is there. I feel like imagining the scope of what their motives could be will help me accept NRS's decisions more.

Anyways, I hope to start posting the first fanfic on here soon!

[lysical]

I was introduced to a lot of the Batfamily via the Morrison run. How screwed up is my perception of them? Comics are an effing minefield of characterization—I know, I’m a Hank Pym fan because I ran into him first in one of his highly rare likeable periods. Any tips/recs? It feels like everywhere I go the characters aren’t the “real” ones, and idk where to find these “real” ones. (This goes for Tim too, although you seem understandably down on him lately & might not want to talk Drake anymore

It does vary by character, actually. There are some fundamental things he does that are a bit out of there, and other things that are just plain offensive, but he’s not the absolute worst to come in on, as damned by faint praise as that is. 

Long post ahead

Bruce: Morrison and I fundamentally see the character very differently. He sort of subscribes to some ideas about Bruce as Batman that I just don’t like re: emotions, life, family. He uses a lot of allegories and devices in his work and the depth is there, I just don’t agree with what he was doing and had to say about Batman on a fundamental level. Post-Crisis Bruce is a bit all over the place. A lot of different writers got their hands on him and the dark and gritty post-Jason transformation of the character was intense and permanent. Because of this, coming into Morrison doesn’t really hurt you that much--especially since for a lot of it he’s functionally dead. Maybe check out some runs like Hush (more emphasis on the family), Dark Victory (some young Dick Grayson), Batman: Year One (say what you want about Miller, but it’s a decent book and the atmosphere and art are great for an introduction to the modern character), and then hop over to some of Bruce’s team books. Sometimes characters get distilled well over in their team books compared to their solos (especially since the Bat Department is...weird at times). Maybe check out Superman/Batman, the old team up from the early 2000s. For Bruce it’s just best to cast a wide net and read a variety. JLA: Tower of Babel is a good one to see Batman and the wider superhero community in conflict, which brings in a lot of Batman’s negative aspects in a way that was decently balanced and didn’t villainize him via narrative even as the characters might have felt that way about him (Young Justice certainly did XD), but I havent’ read it in a long time so ymmv. 

Dick: One of the few characters that didn’t get that bad a hand by Morrison, or too much of a characterization shift (his character shift had happened during the Chuck Dixon and Devin Grayson period, although the latter more than the former). Unlike new 52 onwards, while he was softened a little to pair effectively with Damian, it wasn’t too much as we saw at times later and how fandom kind of tends to portray them (’Shut the hell up, Damian’ comes to mind). The Dickbats run was a nice change and development for Dick, a natural progression. The things that were sort of tweaked to create conflict with that transition (Dick not wanting Batman, some characterization behind that) were pre-Morrision, during Battle for the Cowl and the setup to Morrison, so while they follow on from that they’re mostly absent from the run. For the modern Robin Dick stories, go for Teen Titans: Year One, Dark Victory, Batman: Year Three, a couple of the other year ones are decent, although some incorporate those characterization shifts, but that’s comics. I’d go back to New Teen Titans (starts in Pre-Crisis, goes into Post, but the book doesn’t have a huge change due to the crisis and it’s just a really good run, deserving of being the benemoth during that time period that it was) to get the best of Dick on a team, then maybe check out Prodigal (follows on from Knightfall, Dick’s first run as Batman), skip Nightwing: Year One (it’s got tiny amounts of Dick and Jason bonding but Dixon ripped everything else about Dick’s early Nightwing period to shreds). From there, depends if you want his solo or his team stuff, he’s a pretty easy character to follow. I like to start chronologically with him because then you see the shifts happen as he falls back under control of the bat-books, and his solo and team stuff have some interesting contrasts (I lean towards his team stuff generally because Dick has always been about that for me, rather than running solo). 

Babs: Birds of Prey is her essential stuff, I don’t think Morrison really did that much with her but my memories of it all are a bit vague now. I’d personally take anything when she’s romantically involved with Dick with a grain of salt, that relationship was a bit of a disaster and they both do terrible things to each other (I believe the one responsible for it all is Devin again but it’s been a while since i visited that train wreck) and there’s some victim-blaming that happens that’s not so good. I prefer Oracle having a bit of distance from the Batfam, as she’s just surpassed being someone who is under Batman’s authority and is just crucial to the entire operation of the superhero community in general, so Bird s of Prey. 

Jason: Hnng. Here’s where Morrison really just decided to throw away established DC continuity and try his hand at a bunch of crap that fell completely flat. Just toss it and purge, tbh. Winick got Jason back late in the run but it was too late for that. Maybe there are tiny aspects of characterization that aren’t bad (Pride and Prejudice) but Morrison misunderstood Jason on a much more fundamental level. Also the red hair was probably some attempt to make a witty visual pun and add ‘depth’ but there are so many problems with it. Continuity-wise it makes so sense with how pre-crisis and post- worked, particularly for Jason, and additionally Morrison is realllllly wishy-washy with his ‘EVERYTHING IS CANON’ stuff that it rings false, plus in Pre-Crisis he was like...blonde I don’t understand. The implications of Jason being forced to dye his hair are absolutely disgusting for Bruce and go back into that fundamental problem I have with how Morrison sees Bruce. Jason, Post-resurrection suffers a lot of DC writers not knowing what to do and unloading a lot of DC’s baggage and some unconscious, problematic tropes onto him. Read his Post-Crisis origin (Batman 408 on, there’s the origin and some issues after set up by his original Post-Crisis writer Max Collins) and maybe all his Post-Crisis, pre-Death stuff since there’s honestly not a lot and it’s fairly obvious when Starlin starts pushing for his death. For post-resurrection, Under the Red Hood, Lost Days (it goes off the rails at the end, so I only half rec it honestly), Outsiders 44 and 45, Countdown (but only if you’re skipping the plot and just reading the Jason (&Donna &Kyle) bits, it’s one of the most even-handed treatments he actually gets in Post-Crisis but the book is otherwise terrible). Then just go straight to RHatO Rebirth. 

Tim: Ignore new 52 and Rebirth entirely. Red Robin is a book a lot of Tim fans really like but I personally think it’s bad in general and also don’t like what the writer does with Tim, but ymmv. Tim’s origin is also pretty weak and his initial mini and series aren’t that great at establishing him as a proper character outside ‘this kid is Robin pls like him we want to get away from the controversy of the last one’ so it’s hard to connect with him there without nostalgia glasses. By Knightfall (1994ish) on, that’s where he’s more of a character himself, and his stuff from about then through to the early 2000s is the best (before Geoff Johns got him in Teen Titans and Didio started doing Things, which basically led us to today to be honest). Personally, I think Tim functions best in a team, there are aspects of what his writers do in his solo where they just...missed the implications and it kind of grates on me. His stand out book imo is Young Justice (the og comic not the cartoon which only shares the name and nothing else tbh). 

Steph: Another who actually got treated decently well during the Morrison-era, as opposed to the crap she was dealt earlier during her time as Robin and War Games. Steph’s Batgirl run is something I definitely recommend, and her stuff with Dick and Damian in Morrison’s era is contemporary with that. Her origin is actually really good and compelling, so I’d dig into that (TEC 647, i think, is her first appearance). She kind of just revolves around Tim during his run and their relationship is kind of...there are implications there that are a bit cringe. Her stuff with Cass on the other hand is really enjoyable so I’d recommend those. Her brief Robin run is decent if melancholy considering what we know happens, and I wouldn’t touch War Games with a ten foot pole. 

Cass: Shafted from the mid-2000s on, tbh. She got a bit blessed with a solid creative team to start her off in her Batgirl run, it attempts some pretty deep and interesting explorations of her character that while not perfectly executed are still really good comics. I’d just read her No Man’s Land stuff, follow her book and stuff with Steph and pretty much just ditch out when One Year Later hits. Her Black Bat outfit is cool and there is some retroactive backpedalling by DC to justify shafting her but it’s all Morrison era anyway so you might be familiar already. 

Damian: Morrison created him and he took a lot of liberties with that backstory which unfortunately have had a lasting impact for Talia, which is frustrating. As Damian’s creator, what you see is what you get. Morrison didn’t want him to be likeable and he also didn’t really want him to be permanent (ties in again to how Morrison sees Bruce and family tbh), other writers gave Damian development later, but despite being around for over a decade now, there is still a lot of push and pull between writers about his characterization and development. It’s unfortunate but there’s a noticeable lack of consistency with Damian and his development that is frustrating to read. Probably read Tomasi’s stuff if you want Damian’s softened, developed arc and avoid other stuff. I’m not the best for Damian because most of his stuff is during the new 52 which I wasn’t around for and am picking through only occasionally. 

Hope this helps. 

[epochxp]

What Can Indie Developers Learn from AAA Historical Games?

The Gamer 

While there are some advantages to being an independent game developer, with additional creative freedom and full independence from publishing companies, there are also many downsides. The biggest is funding, as indie game studios tend to have far smaller budgets. Major gaming developers are funded by wealthy publishers, with sometimes incredibly high budgets. 

But perhaps the biggest advantage that AAA studios have over indie developers is the fact that that can afford to make mistakes. Publishers like EA and Activision can afford for their developers to have a few hits and misses every now and then, and often bounce back from unsuccessful games. Indie studios, however, are far less likely to bounce back from failed games, and, as a result, there is far more at stake for them as a business. Because they’re often more at risk, indie studios should learn from major developers and their many mistakes that they’ve made; here are a few things that they could learn from major developers and their AAA historically based games.

Don’t Rush

Darkstation 

One of the first things that any business owner should learn, whether developing a video game or not, is to take their time. Deadlines are sometimes an unavoidable thing, but it’s important to remember that developers need to set realistic goals for their games and not try to race to the finish. Far too often, game developers and publishers rush out titles in order to meet a holiday release date only for the product to come out half-baked and a shadow of its true potential. 

Though most Call of Duty games in recent memory have come out fairly decent, not every entry into the series has been as fortunate. Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified, which released back in 2012 for the PS Vita, is one example of a historically based video game that came out horribly wrong thanks to insufficient development time and a rushed release date. Indie developers need to learn from these mistakes to ensure that their product gets enough development time in order to become the game that they want it to be. As the famed Shigeru Miyamoto once said, “A delayed game is eventually good, but a rushed game is forever bad.”

Do Your Research

GQ 

Another incredibly important lesson to be learned from major developers is to do the necessary research when developing a historical video game. Many historical video games lack much historical depth, and result in feeling a bit shallow. This is a huge point, as many fans of historical games enjoy them because of all of their rich details and historical relevance. When developers don’t do the proper amount of research for their games, it shows. Franchises like Civilization and Total War are filled to the brim with details and obviously took a huge amount of research by the developers. Indie developers should learn from these great games and do the same when creating their own games based on historical events.

Take Creative Liberties Occasionally

Dexerto 

At the end of the day, it’s also good to remember that you’re creating a game -- and games are meant to be fun. Video games rooted within history, just like films and books, can sometimes stray from the facts every now and then. If it makes the game more enjoyable to play, then it’s perfectly fine for your game to not be 100% historically accurate, so long as it still shows that history respect.

We all know that mythical creatures and monsters aren’t real, but Assassin’s Creed Valhalla included them because they make the world more exciting to explore. At the same time, women weren’t widely prominent as soldiers on the front lines of World War II, but Battlefield V included them in order to allow players to better customize their characters and add more diversity into the game. Maybe most importantly to remember about this is that you won’t appease everyone. No matter the liberty you take, regardless of how big or small, you’re going to upset someone.

These are just a few lessons that indie developers could learn from AAA historical games, as it’s clear as what has and has not worked out well for major game studios when developing these historical video games. If you’re developing a historical video game, feel free to contact Epoch Xperience, and we can help with the development of your game. With our team of writers and historians, we can help with your game’s historical research, as well as pre-and post-release marketing. Contact us today!

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At Epoch Xperience, we specialize in creating compelling narratives and provide research to give your game the kind of details that engage your players and create a resonant world they want to spend time in. If you are interested in learning more about our gaming research services, you can browse Epoch Xperience’s service on our parent site, SJR Research.

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(This article is credited to Ben Price. For as long as he can remember, Ben has always loved playing, discussing, and writing about video games. Since receiving his B.A. in English, he now writes about them for a living.)

[dkyoungone]

Portfolio Epilogue Final Draft

To start off, I believe writing is a very good way to release creative energy, to vent, to let off emotion, to express curiosity and so much more. It allows you to write anything down and bring it to life and to come back later and see what exactly you were thinking at the moment you were writing it. I think writing is a beautiful thing that allows complete creative expression through the use of language, regardless of what language you speak, there are always going to be ways to write out your feelings in a descriptive and powerful way. It’s motivating to me to say that I enjoy writing even if it is for school, maybe I just like typing on my computer, maybe I like the sound the keys make when I get into a rhythm with writing. Maybe I like the way the words fall onto the page. Most likely I think it’s the way I can express myself through words I didn’t even know were there, through thoughts and emotions that I find difficult to express through speaking. Writing to me is one of the purest forms of art as it can take so many shapes and forms.

I believe revising is entirely necessary to the creative process, without revising, my paper would have had multiple severe informational flaws that would have destroyed my argument had I not fixed them and made them correct. This happened in my bibliography and my research paper, I had to fix issue that had to do with grammar. They were simple mistakes but still needed to be fixed in order for me to be satisfied with my paper. I type pretty fast and often times my thoughts fly faster than my fingers and they just can’t catch up to what I’m thinking. Revising is the author’s best friend beside their writing device. Revising is the only way I am ever able to get decent grades on my papers because I am a careless writer and mistakes seem to just fit their way into my drafts, even though I look over every sentence before moving on.

I believe writing courses are absolutely necessary to the college experience. They are the best friend of one who is going into a graduate degree and has to write a dissertation. They are the best friend of the struggling student who needs help researching for their other classes, and they have a course to help them with grammar, research, and other aspects of their projects.

Well. It’s done. I’m finished with my project. It actually happened. I’m not going to lie, I honestly didn’t know if I had the concentration to sit down and do all of this. It was really hard for me. I took lots of breaks, I napped, I played Skyrim, Oblivion and Morrowind to get inspiration in my off time and it paid off. I can say I did my best without a shadow of a doubt. I absolutely did my best work and I gave it all I had. I can’t ask more from myself. I feel proud of the work I did and I’m proud to say I did it, even if I end up with a poor grade, I can’t say I didn’t try.

Whatever happens, I feel like I have improved my writing skills by a large amount this semester and I am glad I took the course. Mental health kept me out of the classroom for a large portion of the semester, but I kept with it and turned everything in. I improved in aspects I thought I was already really good at, but that just goes to show there is always room for improvement no matter who you are. I improved at my word choice, though I still feel like I used a lot of the same words. I guess I couldn’t avoid it though, the project I was working on was extremely niche and some of the words from my project you can’t simply make up new terms for. I feel like I got better at processing information at a fast pace as well. I definitely needed that to keep my sanity during the longest portions of the project. It kept me calm, knowing I was going at a constant pace and making constant progress. 

I thought I did better with source choice as well. I felt like for this project I had the liberty to choose the sources that helped me out the most. I have to give a big thank you to Fish Burton, my professor for the freedom to do that. It helped me make what I felt was a creative research project that I was passionate and curious about. I still have a lot of questions now, specifically questions about what else the developers of the Elders Scrolls left in their games that might connect the game world to the real world. I had a few ideas, but for my paper I wanted to stay focused on my topic of philosophy in the game. I think there were a few times I went off topic in my research paper, but I feel like they were well warranted and were generally positive towards the message of my paper.

Overall, I feel like I improved overall and I honestly can say that I feel like a better writer after completing this class. I feel like it was time well spent and even though I didn’t get everything in until the very end I feel like it was an overwhelmingly positive experience. I would definitely recommend the class to people who are considering it and definitely would recommend taking the class with Fish due to the creative freedom he gives you for the project.

I can tell you right now, with 100% certainty that I was writing for the sake of my argument, for the sake of the paper itself. Not once was I writing to get the grade, every word I wanted to put into my papers to prove my point. I am really passionate about a lot of things, and the impact that video games like The Elder Scrolls have had on me is definitely one of them. Anyways, thanks for the great semester, this has been one of the best projects I have been apart of and had the chance to take part in.

Last post regarding this assignment, it’s been a good one.

-Dalton