Month: August 2019

Written by esotericdev

Mechanics: Mechanics – Part II – Some Games Are Like Math Homework

Last time I spoke about mechanics that are taken from elsewhere. Today I’ll continue that look form a somewhat different perspective. After all, is there really such a thing as an original mechanic? Even past taking inspiration from other games, mechanics tend to be an expression of existing mathematical models, whether we know this or not.

And all mathematical models have parameters. Part of the role of a game developer is thus tuning the variables in their systems. But that might be easier said than done, at least in some situations.

Written by esotericdev

Mechanics: Mechanics – Part I – Some Games Are Like LEGO

When it comes to mechanics in games, there’s a general tendency to reuse and iterate existing patterns over developing new ones. Of course, taking things that worked in the past makes for a safer development process, because you do not run the risk of wanting to make something that doesn’t work in practice. Which is b.t.w. a legitimate concern with all things innovative.

And while you might think I’m going to slam this kind of iterative reusal, I am not. Like with many things, it’s all about how you use it, not what it is. And that’s what I’m going to be talking about – the kinds of issues you can encounter when borrowing concepts from elsewhere. And especially, I’m going to touch on the idea of stock, generic mechanics.

Written by esotericdev

Aesthetic Verisimilitude

I’m sure you’ve heard of ludonarrative dissonance. But there is a broader application of this line of thought, having to do with the overall aesthetic and stylistic quality a game can have.

Superficially, there might be nothing wrong with the game. And yet it feels off. When that happens, it might be that it fails to instil a sense of verisimilitude in the audience. And though this is a feeling that is hard to put into words, it can be quite grating on the experience.

Written by esotericdev

The Issue With Video Game Writers

Even simple games can some inkling of a narrative, though at this point, we’ve come a long way with making them a fully-fledged storytelling medium. I remember the dark ages of video game plot, where the only thing you got was a little blurb in the manual, presenting you with some alleged backdrop for what you were doing… if even that.

Now games can have just as many words in them as a small (or even rather big) book, and yet there are still glaring issues with how storytelling is incorporated. To me, the biggest problem stems from the position of the writer in the video game production process.

Written by esotericdev

Sex: What Does Getting Whipped Feel Like?

I’ve spoken previously about how anal feels to me. Today I’m back to the general theme of personal experiences, but today it’ll be whipping. There are some things that I’ll say that will likely not surprise you, but if you are a casual reader of BDSM related blogs and literature, there are things I’ll say that you might find controversial.

Note that what I say comes from experience, but it’s my personal experience with my own body and the dommes that played with me. And this is something a lot of relevant literature forgets, trying to make up pain charts and the like.

Written by esotericdev

Mechanics: Mechanics – Extra – A Ritual Example

I was going to write this for my Patreon, but I guess that instead, I can put it here. Probably a better place for it, maybe someone will get some inspiration from it or something like that?

Designing mechanics. Or rather a specific mechanic – my ritual system. I want to go over the process and explain why I did it the way I did and also the way I came to view it like that.

Written by esotericdev

Mechanics: Fundamentals – Part I – Self-assembling Stories

Alright, let’s try to do this. Let’s try to explain how the mechanics behind the production rules for the grammars used in my game work. And actually a bit deeper, how does the process of writing those productions rules go.

This article is heavily based on multiple other articles I’ve written before. Though it’s not necessary you read them; if you ever get lost, the answer is likely in one of them.

Written by esotericdev

Sex: You Should Get a Dildo, Not a Penis

The NatureCo penis held market dominance for a long, long time, but today we compare it to the much more modern Technology Incorporated market entry – the dildo/vibrator. Though really, it’s hard to talk just about the penis without its obligatory accessory package – the M.A.N. Here are my honest reasons as to why the T.I. dildo/vibrator is a superior product to the man package.

Written by esotericdev

Where I Come From – Interlude – Why Would I Make a Porn Game?

So a question arose. If I don’t play porn games, why exactly do you want to make a porn game? A completely fair line of inquiry. But there are two issues.

Firstly, I said last time that I like the idea of porn games; I’m just not fond of the execution. Secondly, I don’t think of my game as a porn game. I think of it more like a game that happens to have pornographic elements.

But yeah, sure, why not, lemme explain why I chose to make something like this. It’s as good of a topic as any to pass the time, isn’t it?