They say taking breaks is a good thing. So that's what I'm going to do. I'm going on vacation to Utah to visit a few buddies of mine. I might find some time between the long waits at the airport and the down time between plans to blogging something, but, for the most part, I'm taking it easy. I'll return home before Christmas and resume blogging shortly after.
If you have any questions, comments, or even angry, vehement, arguments it's best to send them my way via email until I return.
Here are some of the articles I have in my "mind queue."
- Sonic 1,2,3, Rush, Rush Adventure review, repair, and re-imagining of Sonic next-gen gameplay. I can finally get around to this one now that I've written about alternate paths and set pieces.
- Uncovering the design and depth in Pikmin's origami folded level design. I can't do this one until I can figure out a way to diagram the dynamics of the gameplay. Perhaps a strategy guide would provide helpful images.
- DS design series. Taking a look at the DS games that pull off various DS specific design elements most successfully.
- Ikaruga and Everyday Shooter structural similarities: How linear levels on timers free the player and open up design possibilities. Mention Pikmin as well. I will include this topic inside of a larger series about Tension and Climax (thanks to Bryan Rosander for giving me the topic idea).
- Gaming Schedule: A brief look at a possible balance between buying new games, buying old games, and playing one's games more completely. Also, the benefits of planning/mentally preparing for one's gaming time. I will include this topic with my article on studying games.
- Designing a Better Violin Teaching Method: If designing a curriculum is like designing a game.
- The Construction of Comedy: A look at the mechanics of comedy from 3 cultural point of views.
- Suspension: From Halo, to Metroid, to Mario, we'll look at some interesting examples of suspension.
- After I finish with my current project (the LBP level demonstrating all of the different level design types discussed on the blog), I'll start a new exciting series showcasing the mechanical versatility of each LBP tool in addition to taking a special look at enemy and boss design.
In case I don't get around to it, Merry Christmas.