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Berathen now has it's own paid web hosting. But like it's had its own domain for years now.
How did you get here?

Well you defy science and nature. More importantly if you want to see my new gaming articles, programming tutorials, and game development for Berathen Spirit detective you need to go here: http://berathen.com

Should Nintendo become a third party publisher?

It's time to talk about Nintendo again!

Mama mia! Somebody told-a Mario he's not numbah 1!

Last time I talked about Nintendo rehashing. You can find that article here.
This time around I'll be countering the argument:

"The Wii failed and the WiiU is failing Nintendo should go 3rd party."

First off I have no idea how anyone could say the Wii failed. I can understand that the console attracted a lot of shovelware and not every gamer appreciates its library, but that is a far cry from the system failing. The Nintendo Wii has sold over a hundred million consoles world wide while its competitors both sold eighty million of their respective consoles. It is true that the Wii's hardware sales have drastically slowed down since the release of the WiiU, but to call it a failure when it actually is the best selling home gaming console of the last generation is just silly.

Another question is why do people think the WiiU is failing? Everyone says the system had a poor launch. How is it that the WiiU had a poor launch? Compared to the 360 and the PS3 the WiiU has actually had the best launch selling around four-hundred and twenty-five thousand systems in its first month. The 360 sold three-hundred and twenty-six thousand while the PS3 sold one-hundred and ninety-seven thousand consoles. So in its first and second months the WiiU was actually performing better. Though it is definitely true the WiiU took a significant dive in sales afterwords. Selling on average only fifty-five thousand systems for a few months. Though the WiiU is already on its way to a recovery. With releases like Wonderful 101 and Pikmin 3 the Wii U has more than doubled its sales in certain regions. Currently the WiiU sits around three-million and six-hundred thousand consoles sold.

It is a fact that the system is recovering and it should also be noted that the WiiU has come into an era that is much more difficult. The video game industry has been on a gradual decline in overall sales since 2006. That and the WiiU is competing against the already established systems from the previous generation. In a exclusive poll surveying 1,297 people, 64% of respondents said they would not be purchasing a new video game console this holiday season, according to Reuters.
Though we all know that with enough good software any console can be pushed. It seems to be a commonly accepted fact around the internet that the WiiU will rise in sales with more first-party releases like Mario and Zelda. You have seen my previous articles showing off the new trailer for the new 3D Mario game. Well if you haven't just click here.

Now the Wii was a giant success and the WiiU is already on its way to recovering. This isn't Nintendo's first system to come out and stat off with initially poor sales only to become a top-seller later. Let's not look back at the Wii, instead lets turn our eyes to the 3DS. Nintendo's latest hand-held series has become a must-have system and has been the top selling console in the US for four months consecutively. With a price-cut and dramatic boost to its first-party titles the console is well on its way to overcoming its predecessor. Worth noting the DS was almost the top-selling console ever created, but didn't quite manage to steal that title from the PS2. If the 3DS carries on as it is than the system will surely take the 'top-selling console of all time' crown.

Oh and have I mentioned, at the time of this writing, Poke'mon X and Y have just released? This series once saved the Game Boy from near death and now they'll only be adding to the 3DS's enormous success. The local EB games have told me that the new Poke'mon games are the most anticipated titles for the store this year. With over 900 pre-orders. So powerful is the name of Poke'mon that a hundred thousand 3DS XL systems sold, within hours, at Amazon Japan when the limited edition Poke'mon hand-helds were released.

Persoanlly I'm having a really hard time seeing how Nintendo is failing as a company. What do you think?

Does Nintendo just rehash the same ideas?

I want to talk about Nintendo.

More specifically,
I want to talk about how people are saying Nintendo is failing as a company.
There's two arguments I want to counter. The argument I'll be countering today is:

'Nintendo is failing because they keep making the same Mario game over and over again.'

I'm arguing against this. I'm gonna list off all the platforming Mario games Nintendo has made in the
past few years. I'll be excluding the Party, Puzzle, Racing, RPG, and Sport games. Those games are ideas that differentiate from the platformers so they don't hold relevance here. But if you really think Mario and Sonic at the Olympics coming out every year is causing Nintendo to fail I simply ask you to turn your eye over to Madden or FIFA.

Anyways In 2006 Nintendo releases New Super Mario Bros(DS) and Super Princess Peach. May I mention that Super Princess Peach is an amazing game and brought a lot of interesting elements to platforming Mario games. I'd love to see more things from Peach games, but I highly doubt that'll happen.

In 2007 there's Super Paper Mario and Super Mario Galaxy. Neither of these games are similar to the titles from the previous year. Super Paper Mario being a strange blend of 2D and 3D platforming mixed with RPG elements and then you have Super Mario Galaxy which most closely resembles Sunshine which came out on the GameCube in 2002.
That's right the next real 3D Super Mario game came out five years after its predecessor.

In 2009 we get New Super Mario Bros Wii. A sequel to the DS game from 2006. This is the first platforming Mario game to allow simultaneous four player co-op play.

In 2010 we get Super Mario Galaxy 2. It's been 3 years since the last 3D Mario game. And my goodness is this game such an improvement over the last. The difficulty is really ramped up, a bunch of new mechanics are thrown in, and the level design is much improved. Out of every platformer game I've ever played nothing even compares to Galaxy 2, not even its predecessor. It's a game you just have to play if you consider yourself a platforming fan.

In 2011 Super Mario 3D Land appears. While being a 3D Mario game Super Mario 3D Land plays nothing like Galaxy 2, though there are definitely some borrowed elements. Rather than flying around in space and traversing unique worlds with interesting minigames we instead have a game that is much more like a traditional 2D Mario game, but in 3D. For the most part the levels are pretty linear well in comparison to Galaxy 2. This game featured a lot of short challenging levels with a much bigger emphasis on platforming than exploration.

In 2012 we get both New Super Mario Bros WiiU and New Super Mario Bros 2(3DS). Three years since the last 'New Super Marios' game we get one for each of Nintendo's new systems. New Super Mario Bros WiiU boasts the new 'Boost Mode' via the WiiU gamepad allowing up to five players at the same time. Though the game has new abilities and baby yoshis for the mushroom crew to use I personally found much more interest in the game's coin rush and challenge modes. With the addition of the Super Luigi U DLC the game became even more interesting by making levels designed around Luigi's properties.

In 2013 we'll be getting Super Mario 3D World. This game looks and sounds amazing. Did you hear the jazz in the new trailer? And best of all that trailer put away any worries that the game was just a 3D land rehash. The game is on a much larger scale with deeper level design which is something that makes me very happy. Though taking a leaf from Super Luigi U each of the game's characters will have their own unique properties with some segments in the game requiring you to take advantage of that to complete all of the objectives. Not to mention this is the first 3D platforming Mario game that will be featuring four player multiplayer.

If you really think all of these games are the same rehashed ideas with 'running and jumping' and that I'm just nit picking to find differences why don't we look at another franchise? I'm thinking Call of Duty.

Call of Duty 2(360)-2005
Call of Duty 3(360/PS3)-2006
Call of Duty MW(360/PS3)-2007
Call of Duty: Roads to Victory(PSP)-2007
Call of Duty World at War(360/PS3)-2008
Call of Duty MW2(360/PS3)-2009
Call of Duty Black Ops(360/PS3)-2010
Call of Duty MW3(360/PS3)-2011
Call of Duty Black Ops2(360/PS3)-2012
Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified(PSVita)-2012
Call of Duty Ghosts(360/PS3/Xbone/PS4)-2013

Keep your eyes posted!

I'm getting back into the online world alongside getting back into development of Berathen Spirit Detective. Expect lots of updates on the game, my thoughts on the gaming industry, and other interesting tid bits in the near future. I'm actively trying out twitter and tumblr to hopefully raise awareness for my game. I might even hit up youtube!

I'd also like to thank everyone who helped advertise my indiegogo campaign and donated. I can't tell you how nice it was to have all of your support. I hope I can make you all proud!

Poke'mon Seeker (Game Idea for GameCarrerGuide Challenge)

Alright so here is my game idea for the Wii U Game Design Challenge. The challenge is to design a system-selling game for the Nintendo Wii U console to boost sales. I need to make people feel a unshakable desire to own the WiiU. I can incorporate Nintendo's franchises and characters, but it needs to feature a unique game with original ideas.

Here we go.

Chris "Venks" Dunson, Berathen Games

First off it is my belief that no single game can 'save' the WiiU. With more quality titles to choose from, buying a WiiU will become a more attractive prospect.

Poke'mon Seeker

Explore various environments in the Poke'mon world in striking high-definition.

In Poke'mon Seeker you play as a young Rare Seeker in the brand new Kisaka region. Rare Seekers are Poke'mon Trainers that accept missions to find and capture the most rare and exotic Poke'mon. Rare Seekers use their Seeker gadgets and employ the unique abilities of their Poke'mon to solve puzzles, avoid feral Poke'mon, and capture their elusive prize.

While featuring classic stadium modes like Poke'mon Colliseum and Poke'mon Battle Revolution this game features a single player mode that hopes to capture what it truly means to live in a world with Poke'mon. There will be six different evironments to explore. Each environment will have segments initially blocked off that can only be unlocked by finding the right Poke'mon to navigate pass that specific obstacle. Along with your missions to obtain rare Poke'mon in each region the player will also have optional side missions where you can help out Poke'mon Trainers by sharing your map or pictures to help them locate specific Poke'mon.

The game will primarily play using the WiiU Gamepad. The game will take advantage of the two screens with two different Seeker gadgets. The first gadget is the Seeker Map. The Seeker Map will place down tiles for every area you've explored, but it doesn't take note of anything in the area. Using special tiles and annotations you can place with the GamePad's stylus you can point out areas to avoid such as wild bug Poke'mon nests and places to come back to such as Poke'mon drinking grounds.

The second gadget is the Seeker Camera. The player has three cameras they can place in stragetic locations to have eyes all around the habitat. As you explore you can switch the WiiU Gamepad's screen between any of the cameras so you can view what is currently happening in the area. So if you find fresh tracks of the rare Poke'mon you're trying to find its a good idea to quickly look through the various cameras to see if the Poke'mon is nearby. Then you can switch to the Seeker Map and use tiles to indicate the rare Poke'mon's typical walking route.

Additional Features:

*Use the GamePad's motion control in conjunction with your Poke'mon for puzzle solving.

*Connect with the 3DS to upload Poke'mon from your copy of Poke'mon X or Y to use in your hunt for rare Poke'mon.

*Show off your rare Poke'mon in various modes including Multiplayer. You can have traditional Poke'mon Battles against 3DS users or all grab Wiimotes to try your hand at fun mini-games.

Freedom Planet Kickstarter

Freedom Planet is described as Megaman, Sonic, and Gunstar Heroes all combined in an explosive cartoon adventure with full voice acting and intense boss fights! The Kickstarter project has already succeeded before the deadline which is February 14th. This game is very similar to Sonic as far as the bulk of the level design comes into play, but a lot of the enemies are similar to opponents you may have faced while playing Megaman or Gunstar Heroes. If you like any of these games I highly suggest you take advantage of this unique offering.

Check out the free demo here.
Alternatively you can investigate the Kickstarter page and video here.

In the demo you'll be playing as Lilac and Carol. Lilac is the purple heroine of the game. While both characters operate fundamentally the same they do have their differences. Lilac's main form of attacking is a swipe from her hair. Which I have to say isn't too impressive. Though to make up for it she is quite talented at moving through the air. When your energy bar is full she can perform a hectic air dash (think Ristar if you've ever played it). Also when jumping off of walls Lilac can perform a hair twirl to glide in the air.

Playing second fiddle is Carol who I personally enjoyed much more. This little green creature has a few nice things to differentiate herself from the main heroine. First off her main attack is a swipe from her claws. What makes this so nice is that her claw attacks combo into each other and aren't as slow as Lilac's hair attacks. Secondly at the cost of some energy Carol will perform a multitude of kicks that remind me of a certain chinese girl in Street Fighter. These kicks are really powerful and can be used to take out the bigger enemies without too much trouble.

Carol doesn't have any options to move around in the air like Lilac. Our green platformer can, however, perform wall jumps which allow her to take more direct routes and solve puzzles differently. Lastly when Carol comes across fuel she'll hop onto a motorcycle and race across the level. This motorcycle injures enemies it collides with and can even drive up walls. Now tell me that isn't cool?

Terrich Portrait Art!

What do you guys think of seeing art like this as Terrich questions a witness in game? Does it scream murder mystery detective to you? Or do you get more of that exorcist or spirit vibe? Of course there will be a lot more poses for Terrich then just this, but anyways what do you guys think?

BSD2 Game Doc work in progress

I. Simulation(Murder-Mystery) Genre
The goal of this game is to provide a fun experience for the player by providing them with a simultion of a murder mystery. The player should feel like they are a cunning detective solving a difficult mystery.

II. Intoduction

1. Overview:
This game will play like a top-down RPG without battles. The bulk of the gameplay revolves around inspecting items for clues and fingerprints as well as getting testimonies from witnesses and pointing out contradictions. To add variety I would like to add some stealth segments and mini-games.
If time allows I'd also like to add 'Summoner' battles where Terrich and his summoned monster companion fight against other pairs in a tournament. Not only would this itself add another goal to the game, but it would also give you something to spend money on: Monster toys and food, monster decorations(fung-shui), and new monsters.

2. Motivation:
I have always really enjoyed detective games such as Phoenix Wright, Professor Layton, LA Noire, Detective Grimoire, and snippets of Dues Ex. Unfortunately there are not many games in the genre. Feeling a personal connection to murder mysteries, partly due to my love for Detective Conan and Sherlock Holmes, I've decided to make this niche game. I'm hoping to connect with the fans of murder mysteries, older role playing games, and mini-game lovers.

I'm hoping to monetize the game either by flash ads and a sponsorship or by selling the game directly. Besides that I'm hoping to learn more about programming games for computers of multifarious ages. This game will help me with learning marketing/advertising and partly be a precursor to 'summoner' themed games I want to make.

3. Goals and Challenges:

The biggest challenge for me will be getting the word out about my game. I hope to do better than the last game by following more indie developer blogs. Following Selatria got me a share from them and introduced me to Pixelcation. Tseng Fayt also donated towards my game. I'll also spread the word more on youtube. I'll need to make a new trailer... ug. But direct messages and staying in contact garners support as well. This time around I'm gonna make my website a landing page with quick obvious connections to my facebook, blog, youtube, and twitter. I'll be doing most of my advertising on Facebook.

A new challenge this time around will be article writing. I plan on writing at least one article every other day from now on. This will up my site's relevancy on google and help me rise higher for the keywords "detective game". It will get me more respect from my fellow developers and possibly help those trying to get into game development. The greatest boost I'll get from my blog will of course be added traffic to my landing page and thus possibly to my game.

Another challenge is making my game run more smoothly on all computers and browsers. I'm hoping by using FlxG.elapsed, a variable in Flixel that assists in telling how much time has passed, I'll be able to accomplish this.

I have two goals for this game. The first is for it to be featured on the flash game site Newgrounds. If I decide to try and get money through advertising that would be the only way to accomplish that. Also that would net me a good number of newgrounds fans which could possibly follow my Facebook fanpage. My second goal is to make money from the game. This could quite possibly just be accomplished by the first goal, but if it isn't then I'll guage everything and see if a added-content stand-alone downloadable game would be viable.

III. Analysis
1. Game Overview:

There will only be one murder mystery case in this game, but it'll be cut into three 'Discover The Truth' sessions. Before each session you'll be able to search for clues, talk to witnesses, play mini-games, do quests, and participate in 'Summoner' battles. The game will be about three hours long following only the storyline. It'll have about another hour of content via mini-games and 'Summoner' battles.

*Searching for clues will involve checking all the objects in rooms around the murder scene. All of these objects should have their own unique descriptions about their looks, general philosophies, or random references.

*Talking to witnesses, and npcs in general, should grant several topics to choose from. You should be able to build relationships with some characters, find out interesting truths from others, and be burdened by the oddities of all of them.

*I'm thinking about only having four mini-games in this game. A pac-man clone, a Galag clone, a Donkey Kong clone, and a management game something like RootBeer Tapper.
The game should have multiple routes to allow for multiple play throughs to increase replayability. Every section of the game should be able to be completed very quickly, but if you look for hidden routes it increases the length and challenge.

2. Player Actions:
*Walk
*Run
*Inspect an item or furniture
*Talk to an NPC
*Select Items from a menu
*Change game options
*View medals and credits

3. Non-functional requirements:

Originality: The game should combine detective and rpg elements in a way that makes it unique and fun. It should not feel like a Phoenix Wright clone. Hopefully the stealth segments, summoner battles, optional routes, and mini-games will do this.

Accesibility: Unfortunatley this being a text heavy game it will not do well with non-english speaking players. But I need to make the keys customizable so anyone with weird keyboards(or tastes) can play the game how they want. Test the default controls with players and see how they like it.

Addictiveness:  I'm hoping by adding medals that'll increase appeal of various actions and give players more incentive to explore the game. I'll add counters for inspecting objects  and talking to witnesses which show progress towards completetion. Completed actions should be recorded in the notebook and add a 'Observation Score'.

Visuals and Audio: I definitely need to add sound effects and find a new composer which is quite a shame as a main pro-point of my game was Halcyonic's music. Something that meshes well. Video I would like to change the sprites so some people don't think I'm ripping off RPG Maker.

Clare and Consistent: Everything should behave, for the most part, how the player believes it should behave. For example all of the evidence should be inspect-able before you submit it. You should be able to have a quest log of sort in the notebook that tells you where to go.

Length: The game should be 3 to 4 hours long dependent on the player's ability to solve puzzles. The game will be much longer for those who take optional paths, discover the secrets, and participate in 'Summoner' Battles/mini-games.

Difficulty: The game did really well as far as difficulty for most players. Only a few players found the game too easy. For them I'll add a new route only accessible by finding additional evidence. The new route will of course be more difficult to prove your point.

Bugs: The game should not launch with any game-breaking bugs. That will stop people from investing in the game. I need to test my game with as many players as possible to make sure of this. A few small bugs are okay, but nothing that completely ruins the experience for the player.

Performance: I need to make the game first before worrying about performance. Functionality before optimization. Once I am finished with the game I should put in trace checks throughout the game to see which functions are being used the most so I can focus on what'll improve the game the most.

4. Functional Requirements:

4.1 Game Controls and Mechanics

*Keyboard controls are what the player will use. Nothing will use the mouse and their won't be native joypad support. Though the keys will be cutomizable.

*The player will walk, run, and teleport at nav points to travel through the game. Traveling this way should make the player feel like they can move through the game quickly.

*The player must be able to interact with every object in the game in some form. Every object must at least have a unique description, but some objects should have minor uses and interactivity to make the world feel more maleable to the player.

*The controls and collision detection should be solid and responsive. No player should find the player character rigid or hard to control. Also collisions should make sense and the player should be able to walk where they feel they should be able to.

*The basic controls should be explained gradually throughout gameplay without too many mechanics being introduced late in the game. Too much information at once will be found as boring or too hard to remember. Information presented late in the game can make the player feel like they are being treated as unintelligent. I should make all the player actions be required to use to move on past the beginning otherwise some players will not know how to perform these actions. Most players will not read long explanations. Short descriptions and images are key.

*The player must actually be able to fail segments of the game. These failures must feel due to the player's lack of ability and not due to poor system implementation or the player will find the game frustrating. The player must be allowed a finite number of attempts so they have time to improve before failing an objective.  A lot of player testing will be needed to flesh this out due to the nature of this game.

*The player must have multiple ways to prove a point or show a contradiction. Thus making the game more accesible for people with different thinking patterns.

4.2 Level Design

*All of this takes place in a portion of the lower section of LionHeart Kingdom. The area should have a feel of being within a kingdom, but not being in the best repair. Save for Terrich's home as he is funded by the government for being an Exorcist.

*There must be varied NPCs/villagers to interact with. Some of the NPCs should be useful by providing information relevant to the case, some NPCs should give out hints on how to play the game effectively, other NPCs should give out lore about the kingdom and its people, and some NPCs should provide simple humor to be enjoyed. There will be NPCs that balk the player's progress and encourage the player to rise against them.

*Birds that can't be interacted with, but fly away when the player walks near them to make each area feel more alive.

*NPCs should have various animations. Talking, looking around, and interacting with objects to make the world look more real.

*Areas in the kindom should not be repetetive. Some stores should appear rather varied and provide new uses to make exploration more enjoyable. Not everywhere in game should initially be accesible to make the game simpler to play at first and again make newer areas appear to be more interesting.

*Areas in the game should have multiple pathways, some of which are hidden, to once again encourage exploration and allow more difficult paths for more skilled players.

*Entering an area should cause a momentary display of the area's name so the player can gain a better sense of direction. These areas must also have teleportation gates to allow faster navigation thus skipping walking from A to B.

*There should also be perks for walking rather than teleporting. Such as unique events with certain NPCs as well as events to capture ghosts.

*There should be a sign or npc near new objects that require the player to learn something new.

*Progress in the game should be saved at checkpoints throughout the game so the player doesn't lose progress between milestones.

*The game has six different modes. Inspection, Stealth, Capture Ghost, Discover the Truth, Mini-Game, and Summoner Battle.

*Stealth mode and Capture Ghost modes play in the same way as Inspection mode. With the player moving in his top-down perspective through the kingdom of LionHeart. Stealth mode and Capture Ghost mode will have unique flags that trigger as the player reaches a certain area or just randomly when walking from point A to B. These two modes are canceled if the player leaves the area.

*Discover the Truth mode takes place in a static place where visuals focus more on the character's profiles and icons.

*Mini-Games will be displayed within the PFP Pocket effect and each mini-game will share visual and audio themes different from the main game to make them feel authentic.

*Summoner Battle mode will take place using the usual graphics. There will be a 'Summoner Battle' word flash much like the word flash with 'Discover the Truth'. Once the mode has started the player will not move, but menus will appear at the bottom of the screen in a Final Fantasy VI fashion.

4.3 Menus and GUI

*The game will feature the following menus:

-A loading screen and preloader bar. This will be the first thing the player sees as the game loads. Perhaps controls should be displayed here.

-A title screen with a main menu which gives the player the option to dive into the game or change some options.

-Talk Option menu. Where the player chooses between which topic he'd like to discuss with the NPC. The end of a discussion should always return to the Talk Option menu and glaringly show updates. Updates made to Talk Options should be apparent in someway even if they didn't pop-up through speach. Perhaps with an exclmation mark?

-NoteBook menu. The Notebook menu should display a notebook with options to check: The overall objective, current goals and past completed goals,  rising 'detective points' alongside bars showing how many objects and NPCs have been interacted with, profiles for all of the important characters the player meets with brief descriptions, and lastly all of the evidence/clues the player has collected.

-Buying/Selling menu. This should toggle between all of the player's items and a merchant's items while displaying the player's current currency and details about the currently selected item.

-Summoner Battle menu. The Final Fantasy VI alike interface where you can see the turn order and access: Basic Attack, Special Ability, Defend, and Order.

-Equipment menu. For the player's summon you should be able to see the equipped jewels and the summon's current stats and abilities.

-Ability menu. For the player's summon you should be able to see all of its active and passive abilities and their details.

-Options menu. Change options about the game. Key configure, text speed.

-Pause Menu. Where you can exit out of the game and return to the title menu.

*Equipment, evidence, and abilities should all have their own icons which make the game more enjoyable as you unlock things.

*Menu items should be represented with icons along text. To make it very obvious what does what.

The demo for Berathen Spirit Detective is now live!

The campaign for Berathen Spirit Detective has been going exceptionally well thanks to all of you have been liking, sharing, donating, and well going above and beyond to help me. Thank you all so much!

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/berathen-spirit-detective/x/2635169

I've been going at it for a while now to get this done as fast as possible and well... here it is! The demo for Berathen Spirit Detective! This demo is its own case. The main game will allude to this case, but will not be featuring it. Of course the main game still being a work in production not everything you see in the game will be the same when it is released. I'm always working to improve everything to make it as enjoyable as possible!

http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/617604

Oh and if you guys really enjoy the game, do make sure to vote for the game! If I can get a high score on newgrounds that means more people will get to see the demo and learn about the campaign!

Berathen Spirit Detective Indiegogo Campaign has launched!

Watch the Trailer and then go check out the Indiegogo Campaign!
http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/berathen-spirit-detective