{"id":252,"date":"2016-05-08T02:23:34","date_gmt":"2016-05-08T02:23:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/morsepower.net\/wp\/?p=252"},"modified":"2016-05-08T02:23:34","modified_gmt":"2016-05-08T02:23:34","slug":"pax-east-2016","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/morsepower.net\/?p=252","title":{"rendered":"PAX East 2016"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

There have been several sudden and dramatic changes in my life recently, which I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll get around to posting soon. \u00c2\u00a0But at the tail end of that storm of change, PAX happened. \u00c2\u00a0I wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t sure I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d go. \u00c2\u00a0But I already had tickets, reservations, and plans made. \u00c2\u00a0Plus the wife not only have permission, but her insistence that I take advantage of this annual pilgrimage to center myself.<\/p>\n

Afterwards, I was certain I would not have the bandwidth to make another blog post just about PAX. \u00c2\u00a0I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve got a backlog of way more important stuff to talk about here, and not a lot of free time with which to do it. \u00c2\u00a0But in spite of all that, I found myself constantly remembering bits and pieces of my truncated PAX 2016 experience that I wished I could blast out to multiple friends at once. \u00c2\u00a0Plus I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve got writer\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s block on the big<\/i> posts, so I might as well get the easy-to-talk-about stuff typed out first, maybe jump-start my brain a bit.<\/p>\n

Apologies in advance for the wall of text. \u00c2\u00a0I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t really have the wherewithal to take pictures.<\/p>\n

Loud Noises<\/h4>\n

I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve said before that that $50\/day price of admission is worth it just for the two nights of concerts. \u00c2\u00a0It was mostly still true this time around, but this time the shows were more hit-or-miss.<\/p>\n

Bit Brigade is a band with a novel live show. \u00c2\u00a0They play the entire soundtrack to a single retro game while a speed-running tears through it on screen. \u00c2\u00a0It makes for quite a show, and I was impressed by everybody involved. \u00c2\u00a0However, they picked Ninja Gaiden for this particular show, which just happens to be a franchise I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t care much about. \u00c2\u00a0So it didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t really hit<\/i> me the way, say, a Megaman or Zelda run\/set would have.<\/p>\n

The Protomen, however, fucking<\/a> brought<\/a> it<\/a><\/b>.<\/p>\n

Finally, we dropped in for the VGO show at the end of Saturday night. \u00c2\u00a0These guys are impossibly talented musicians and performers. \u00c2\u00a0But this was a strange set. \u00c2\u00a0They\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve apparently been on a Capcom-sponsored Japanese tour, and they played pretty much the set that they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been doing as part of it. I love that Capcom is so cool about fan music<\/b><\/a>. \u00c2\u00a0But, I also really don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t care about most of Capcom\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s current lineup. \u00c2\u00a0The Street Fighter music was great, because it was familiar to me. \u00c2\u00a0But I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t care about Devil May Cry, I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t care about Phoenix Wright (does anybody!?), I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t care about weird spirit dog game, and I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t care about Monster Hunter. \u00c2\u00a0So it was a cover show about songs I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve never heard.<\/p>\n

But then at the end, my favorite game music cover band was joined on stage by my favorite video game composer and they played my favorite classic rock song<\/a><\/strong>. \u00c2\u00a0Performance redeemed, worth it, 10\/10 would see again.<\/p>\n

Fancy Virtual Boy<\/h4>\n

It took three days of trying but I managed to do one 3 minute Oculus VR demo for a game called Pollen, which appears to be a first person game about surviving in a space habitat. \u00c2\u00a0The demo content was unbearably boring, and just involved walking around some habitat while lights occasionally flickered. \u00c2\u00a0And while I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t get any motion sickness, I also found myself having trouble with using a combination of mouse, keyboard, and head tilt to interact with objects and navigate the space around me. \u00c2\u00a0While I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m sure VR has a very big future in gaming, first person games might be the least compelling use of the technology, and I have no interest in this game.<\/p>\n

The accelerometer fidelity was pretty incredible. \u00c2\u00a0The screen quality was better than the previous iterations but still seemed a little grainy, and blurry if not situated well.<\/p>\n

I wish I could have checked out the Vive. \u00c2\u00a0But the lines were stupid long (>4 hours) and I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not going to PAX to just sit around.<\/p>\n

Panels<\/h4>\n

Or maybe I am.<\/p>\n

I only went to three panels this year. \u00c2\u00a0The Speedrunning panel, run by the fantastic crew behind Games Done Quick<\/b><\/a>, was honestly pretty disappointing. \u00c2\u00a0They were generally low-energy and not really prepared for their questions, and the live demos had tons of tech issues. Hey, guys. \u00c2\u00a0This is PAX. \u00c2\u00a0You do this once, maybe twice a year. \u00c2\u00a0Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t bring your shitty laptop. \u00c2\u00a0Bring a PC and make sure it works. \u00c2\u00a0Prep your panelists. \u00c2\u00a0Show us interesting stuff.<\/p>\n

We went to line up for the panel on the reboot of Master of Orion, the original 4X strategy game from the 90s. \u00c2\u00a0There was a giant crowd behind and ahead of us, and we could not fathom why. \u00c2\u00a0Then we realized that the panel included several of the star-studded voice acting cast<\/b><\/a>, included Alan Tudyk (of Firefly fame). \u00c2\u00a0So maybe that many folks are excited about a grand space strategy game, or maybe that many people just wanted to see Wash talk in a funny voice. \u00c2\u00a0Either way it was a good panel, and I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m actually finding myself looking forward to this game. \u00c2\u00a0Usually I hate to see devs blow tons of money hiring big name Hollywood talent for voice casts, when there are so many talented new actors out there who will work at a fraction of the cost (hell, Logan Cunningham<\/b><\/a> never did voice acting before Bastion and proceeded to deliver some of the best performances in gaming history). \u00c2\u00a0But, Wargaming is developing this title, and they have pretty much infinite money and apparently a deep seated love of this IP. \u00c2\u00a0I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m allowing myself to be optimistic.<\/p>\n

Finally we checked out the PressXY panel on Crossplay, gender-bending cosplay. \u00c2\u00a0It was uplifting, lighthearted, and really did shed some light on the issues of diversity in the gaming world, especially in such a passionate subculture. \u00c2\u00a0I came away feeling like we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re living in a better time than the previous generation, and that gaming culture is becoming more inclusive and accepting every day. \u00c2\u00a0And this is based on the statements of LGBT cosplayers, who remain both passionate and optimistic about their hobby.<\/p>\n

Insane Contraptions<\/h4>\n

I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve suddenly found myself in the market for a very specific niche of video games. \u00c2\u00a0I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m looking for puzzle games that are accessible, with a low difficulty curve and short time commitment. \u00c2\u00a0Crayon Physics is okay but the difficulty ramps up really quickly. \u00c2\u00a0Minecraft is a bit too complicated.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

On the PAX Expo Hall floor, I talked to the developer of a game called Crazy Machines 3<\/b><\/a>, which might just be what I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m looking for. \u00c2\u00a0Not only does it have a decent number of not-too-challenging puzzles, but he also showed me what might be the most feature-rich level editor I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve seen in a game. \u00c2\u00a0Combined with Steam Workshop, I can hopefully generate a constant stream of inventive but not overwhelming puzzles. \u00c2\u00a0I will be looking into this.<\/p>\n

Ready to Rokh?<\/h4>\n

I got to spend a couple minutes in the Kickstarter lounge trying out a game called Rokh<\/b><\/a>. \u00c2\u00a0I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m already invested in Space Engineers<\/b><\/a>, which (according to the dev) was a major inspiration for this game. \u00c2\u00a0Clearly they are very similar products. \u00c2\u00a0But there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a key reason why I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d still be interested in checking out Rokh when it releases: it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s built on UE4.<\/p>\n

Engine choice is a big deal. \u00c2\u00a0UE4 is a cross-platform engine. \u00c2\u00a0Space Engineers, while a beautiful game with a bright future, is being developed on a home-brewed engine in .NET, as well as incorporating PhysX software for server-side physics calculations. \u00c2\u00a0As such, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s inextricably tied to Windows not just for the client, but for the server. \u00c2\u00a0So not only do I have to dual-boot just to play it, but I also can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t host my own dedicated server to play with my friends. \u00c2\u00a0If another space construction\/survival game can get Linux client and servers, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m jumping ship.<\/p>\n

It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s still pretty early in development and I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not sure if there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a release date. \u00c2\u00a0But it will be interesting to see if they can get the cross-platform capability working for them.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s all I have for now. \u00c2\u00a0Stay tuned for heavier fare.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There have been several sudden and dramatic changes in my life recently, which I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll get around to posting soon. \u00c2\u00a0But at the tail end of that storm of change, PAX happened. \u00c2\u00a0I wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t sure I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d go. \u00c2\u00a0But I already had tickets, reservations, and plans made. \u00c2\u00a0Plus the wife not only have permission, but her insistence […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-252","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/morsepower.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/252","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/morsepower.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/morsepower.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/morsepower.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/morsepower.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=252"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/morsepower.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/252\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":253,"href":"https:\/\/morsepower.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/252\/revisions\/253"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/morsepower.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=252"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/morsepower.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=252"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/morsepower.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=252"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}