I’ve just uploaded a new version of Chivalry is Not Dead, because a little while ago, a friend of mine managed to find a couple of bugs that none of my beta testers were able to come across.

To be honest, I think this says far more about the nature of the game itself than it does about the people who tested it. It appears that due to the high number of possible options, there are some actions in the game that only one in about twenty or thirty people will actually get around to trying. I think it’s pretty cool, and at the same time, slightly disappointing. There are, after all, a handful of situations I put in that I thought made for really interesting ethical questions which I’m surprised no one has mentioned yet, but it’s also occurred to me that it’s possible for said situations to have been skipped over entirely, simply by virtue of most people not taking the required actions to reach them.

I think I’m starting to understand why a lot of game developers don’t find it worthwhile to include more interactivity in their narratives. Slowly but surely, I’m learning that if you’ve got a message you really want to convey, you’ve got to make sure that your players will see it or some other version thereof, no matter what paths they take. Of course, if you make something hidden deep within the surface, it’ll be an even greater reward for the rare people who do find it. Oh, the tradeoffs…

Completely unrelatedly, I’ve got a new poem up at Scum and Miscellany, called “You Go About Your Business”. I’ll let you figure out for yourselves what it’s all about.

In many circles around which I wander, it seems as though having a blog is completely and utterly not hip. Even more not hip are people who actually update their blogs on a regular basis, particularly those who write about mundane, daily events. What amuses me more is when people belonging to such schools of thought proceed to start their own blogs anyway, all the while trying to assuage their cognitive dissonance by referring to themselves as “lame” for having a blog, continuously pointing out the fact that “it’s not one of those kinds of blogs”, refusing to update on a regular basis, [1] and even going so far as to refuse to use the word “blog” altogether. Because apparently, it’s also unfashionable to actually like the word “blog”.

I think it’s kind of silly, really. Blogs, in and of themselves, aren’t lame; they’re a tool out there for people to use, for good or for ill. Writing about mundane, daily events isn’t a bad thing in and of itself, particularly as there are people out there who can make the most mundane things sound absolutely fascinating, just as others can write about extremely novel concepts and still put people to sleep. And even then, the concept of what’s interesting and what isn’t is all a matter of opinion. [2] Furthermore, “blog” is an awesome word. I fell in love with it back in 2001 when I heard Neil Gaiman saying it on TV. So there.

Oh, and I had a cinnamon bun for breakfast today.

Go download it. Need I say more?

The game’s going to be ready for public consumption in less than twenty-four hours. If your thumbs are tired from all that twiddling, what better way to pass the time than by checking out the newest Adventure Architect article on art and aesthetics? (Apologies for the alliteration.)

“Conventional wisdom often states that you can’t judge a book by its cover, implying that the ideas and themes behind a work of art are far more deserving of one’s attention than its surface elements. While I do agree with this sentiment to a great extent, this isn’t to say that such surface elements are unworthy of attention altogether; on the contrary, putting a decent amount of thought into a game’s aesthetic style can go a long way in actually enhancing the ideas present within. This article, therefore, will delve into the art direction and interface design of Chivalry is Not Dead.”

Read the rest, and experience what’s behind the prettiness!