 |
|
|
|
|
|
Started gaming during the Colecovision & Commodore 64 era.
Stopped gaming about halfway through the PS2 generation.
Am currently active in the interactive fiction community.
Worked briefly in the game dev industry in 1998 in Los Angeles.
He can be reached at pscion (at) yahoo (dot) com.
|
Member Blogs
A Role for Could, Would, and Should in Game Input  |
| Posted by Ron Newcomb on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 05:06:00 EST in
Game Design
|
| Games controlled by a language interface -- interactive fiction, "Maniac Mansion", "Shadowgate" and many other adventure games -- traditionally choose imperatives as the only form of input. But this is button-centric thinking. |
| Read More... | 6 Comments |
|
Gameplay Rules Must Feed Plot Devices |
| Posted by Ron Newcomb on Sun, 25 Oct 2009 08:34:00 EDT in
Game Design,
Programming
|
| Ruleset design doesn't end with gameplay. Without certain needs met, some techniques of interactive plot become very difficult. Case in point: integrating psionics with the second edition of Dungeons and Dragons. |
| Read More... | 8 Comments |
|
Sequels Are Better. For Now. |
| Posted by Ron Newcomb on Sat, 26 Sep 2009 06:25:00 EDT in
Game Design,
Programming,
Production
|
| Technological constraints temporarily defined a "gamer" to mean a solitary individual, in defiance of the traditional norm. In the same fashion, another unique characteristic of the videogame medium, "sequels are better", is destined to fall. |
| Read More... | 3 Comments |
|
Usage of the Rules of Fiction Versus That of Games |
| Posted by Ron Newcomb on Mon, 21 Sep 2009 12:13:00 EDT in
Game Design
|
| An understanding of how the rules of gameplay differ from the rules of narrative -- and acknowledging that the latter exists -- may help us close the disconnect between the two. |
| Read More... | 3 Comments |
|
PAX09 Special Report: A Console Love-in |
| Posted by Ron Newcomb on Fri, 11 Sep 2009 08:44:00 EDT in
Audio,
Game Design,
Programming,
Production,
Visual Art
|
| The Penny Arcade Expo was held last weekend in Seattle. What's a washed-up gamer with no reflexes do? Watch the gamers, and consider the past and future. |
| Read More... | 0 Comments |
|
Interactive Interiority |
| Posted by Ron Newcomb on Sun, 24 May 2009 11:05:00 EDT in
Game Design
|
| Videogames claim to be "the" interactive medium. But there's a untapped form of interactivity only its sibling could do. |
| Read More... | 5 Comments |
[More Ron Newcomb Blogs]
Ron Newcomb's Comments
|
Comment In: TimeGate Licenses Vision Engine For MMO Project [News - 11/12/2009 - 07:26]
|
I just love the pic ... I just love the pic taken from the bushes outside TimeGate's office. Did we toilet-paper the CEO's car, too Well we should have. : |
|
Comment In: Building An Analytical Physics Engine - Pt.1 [Blog - 11/05/2009 - 10:13]
|
Also, I am interested in ... Also, I am interested in this because, in the Fencing game I prototyped, it was analytical solutions I wanted to figure out where when a touch was coming. The AI needed the info. |
|
Comment In: The Devil is in the Details [Blog - 11/10/2009 - 02:34]
|
Hi Kim, I know they ... Hi Kim, I know they both fall under Art's umbrella, but I count the visual elements different from the kinesthetic elements. Mainly because I know little of visual art, but I'm sensitive to the way things move. Indeed, one of my pet peeves is the way Street Fighter 4 characters ... |
|
Comment In: A Role for Could, Would, and Should in Game Input [Blog - 11/06/2009 - 05:06]
|
I agree with you guys ... I agree with you guys that the modals are all about a possibility space. Since games allow us to explore possibilities it seems fitting that we should be able to ... to do something about or use that somehow in-game. Talk to NPCs about possibly upcoming events and such, and ... |
|
Comment In: Who REALLY Says Your Product Is Done? Not Who You Think [Blog - 10/26/2009 - 04:06]
|
And yet it's fitting. Your ... And yet it's fitting. Your customers are likely anybody who can breathe, so it makes sense your testers are too. Thanks for sharing. |
[More Ron Newcomb Comments]
|
|
