Category Site News

International Industry Leaders Celebrate a lot of Talent!

Milan, 9 June 2022: Italian Interactive Digital Entertainment Association (IIDEA), Italy’s video game trade body representing the national games industry and fostering the growth and development of the sector, is proud to announce the nominees of this year’s prestigious Italian Video Game Awards. The ceremony is set to air in July on the opening night of First Playable 2022; originally the premier international gaming B2B event in Italy, First Playable is making an in-person return following the pandemic for its 4th edition of bringing together the Italian games industry.

In addition to the trio of categories whose nominees are listed below, the Italian Video Game Awards will also bestow recognition on the worthy winners of O...

Chris Jones Gaming was founded in Late 2006 by Chris Jones and Mindwipe. Chris Jones had been a well known member of the Star Trek Gaming Community for a number of years, modding games in the Starfleet Command series and 2002’s Star Trek: Bridge Commander.

It wasn’t long before Modders who’d known him in the past joined Chris Jones Gaming and began work on the Ultimate Universe Mod for 2006’s Star Trek: Legacy.

The team grew to a respectable size and the Ultimate Universe Demo was released just four months later. Over the next four years, the Ultimate Universe Mod and Chris Jones Gaming continued to grow, releasing expansion packs to the mod in between the feature installs, which were named Ultimate Universe Version 1.0 and Ultimate Universe Version 2...

Backstory: From December 2006 until December 2008 I coordinated a team of 7-20 people (varied from month to month) in the extensive modification of an online computer video game known as Star Trek: Legacy.

This required top notch people skills in handling different talents, skill sets, and personalities from people across the world via the Internet. Our project was released in October 2007, and still, in 2022, gets several downloads a day.

I stepped down from the top position in December 2008, but continue to this day (2022) as a consultant. Our project, known as The Ultimate Universe, has garnered Tens of Thousands of downloads, and is a success story. ‘Chris Jones Gaming’ is ongoing with gaming industry news of the day.

Does Chris Jones Still Game? Moving Forward, I would ver...

Launching this fall on Steam is The Rewinder. Currently, a free Demo is available on Steam! This Game is based on Chinese folklore.

The colors are subdued, and the pastel palette focuses on more neutral colors. The backgrounds, even done in a pixel-art style, stay close to the art style seen in traditional paintings.

The forms of the characters are distinct, and the volume conveyed through the 2D art is nothing short of impressive.

The Sounds effects are excellent, and when the full thing is released, I hope that the story and gameplay are as elegant.

Starting with…

The World ready!

The easiest way to determine factions would be to simply split them by location, or world history.

Then, the conflict could revolve around gaining or maintaining territory, and that could include groups being pushed out of their original territories and then trying to take them back.

You can also split it by the each of the area’s history, using previous conflicts to shape the factions, i.e. political ones.

The Characters ready!

Build your factions around your characters’ core beliefs.

What do your characters care about? What is their worldview? What about the opposite?

With a focus on the characters, the creation of the factions can become integral to your OC’s story...

Video Games have long graduated from simple fights between good and evil. Games are now tied with intricacies and multiple sides, each believing that they are the ones that are correct.

The question now becomes “How do I put that into my game?”. As with my other articles, there are multiple ways to go about this!

It is best to begin at the beginning!

I want to start with the factions…

The Question to ask here is “Why are there factions in the first place?”

Usally a group splits over an arguement; as creator, you decide what kind of disagreement causes the breakup.

What do people believe in enough that their goals and ideals split? Is it something simpler, like a land disagreement or a family squabble? Are the factions gunning for power, splitting politically? Are the fa...

Larger than Light‘s gameplay takes full advantage of the medium its made for, with a playful style that’s a feat for the eyes.

The gentle pastels and harsh shadows don’t just look good: they’re used for gameplay! You maneuver Characters that represent both Shadow and Light source to traverse this puzzle-platformer.

You help the main characters Skia and Lux overcome their differences and bond as siblings as you adventure, and listen to their conversations as you go along. This game not only looks good, but also sounds good, with fully-voiced dialogue!

This game can also be found on steam, for the more than reasonable price of $4.99!

by Abby Zarakovich

Two strikes is a samurai-based fighting game, and technically a sequel game to the pixel-style One Strike!

This sequel uses masterfully done Black-and-White sprites in full-res on colorful, elegant backgrounds as parts of its showcase. There are currently 6 options for fighters, and it’s set to be released on the 31st of May on Steam.

Time to get Hackin’!

by Abby Zarakovich

Hostage Chess:

Any piece taken by you becomes your piece. You can then drop onto your side of the board in any free location, at any point in time.

Difficulty: Just above average chess; 5.5/10. The difficulty is now in placement and knowing gthe consequences of losing a piece.

Fun: 10/10!!! Rub salt in your enemies wounds by using what they lost. Adds an additional boost to eating and really reinforces the consequences of losing pieces.

Edits to be made: Have an extra set of pieces set aside for use.

Dark/Fog of War Chess:

Your opponent’s moves and pieces are not visible...

Kriegsspiel is a highly accurate game of war, created by a Prussian general.

This game not only has its place in gaming history as the forerunner to modern games like Battlefield or Warhammer, but has also lead historians to the exact methods used during Prussian Warfare in the Napoleonic period.

The game is directed by a combination of strategy and dice, directing pieces representing all the parts of the army during the time period. In 1862 (years after it was released in 1824) there was an update to accommodate for improved weaponry and transportation, including both railroads and telegraphs.

The base of many modern games, the hit point (HP), can be seen here, in the “points” that each piece is worth...