MDIA 4902 Blog 8

"What have you learnt from the analysis of the specific new media form?"

This blog entry is related to my final project, which in my case will be an analysis of everything about the Dark Souls Facebook Page.

To clarify, Dark Souls is an RPG (Role-Playing Game) that I've been extremely interested in since before it was released over a year ago. This was one of the first games to captivate me in quite a while. The player plays an undead character who has the ability to change the fantasy world they've been thrown into.

From Software (The company that developed Dark Souls) currently has nearly two-hundred thousand 'likes' on Facebook. This means that at least 200,000 individuals are subscribed to seeing updates and content posted by the official Dark Souls page. The company can use this primarily as an informational tool, allowing them to inform players/fans of updates made to the game. Additionally players can converse with each other on this page and talk about the product as well.

Not only is this an example of fantastic marketing, but it also aligns with the goals the company had for the game in the first place. Dark Souls is notorious for being labeled as "one of the most difficult games to ever come out". That was the draw to it for a lot of players; Finally, a game that I would drop $60 on and be able to play for more than 10 hours. From Software made this game difficult because they wanted players to try and cooperate online. Whether this cooperation happened through their online co-op play features, or by players posting their findings on a forum/message board/facebook page, they certainly struck a chord with their fan-base.

Early 2012 I was perusing Facebook, and suddenly I see an update from Dark Souls in my news feed. The post had said "PC port for Dark Souls Petition". There was a group of individuals who loved Dark Souls on the consoles (such as myself), but had REALLY wanted to see a version of the game on PCs. Personally, preferring PC controls, I had to start following this story. Petitions were signed, information was given to remain updated; I would be naive to think that the email address supplied to sign up for these updates was not sold to other companies at some point, but the benefits outweighed the costs for me, I wanted a PC port. August 2012, my wish came true, and it was the Facebook Page that notified me of that. The next expansion of Dark Souls would be released later in the year, and the PC version of the game would get it for free.

Shortly after the PC version of the game was released, many fans were fairly disappointed (myself included). They were expecting a polished game with seamless controls and full user support on the PC. The problem was none of this happened, some of the buttons were remapped, the resolution was kept below HD-quality, and the interface wasn't touched at all so all the button commands on screen were for xbox-controllers. Luckily the official Facebook Page was able to provide fans with explanations as to why the company did not have time to completely polish a redesign of their current game (just two days ago or so we learned this was because they were already working on developing the sequel!). The company's ability to quickly address the issue allowed them to retain a large number of disgruntled fans and players, as well as continue to promote in the manner they set out to. Players now uploaded and submit links to modifications they made to make the game more playable. I instantly went and downloaded a mod that would allow me to play in higher resolutions and hide the cursor on the screen.

So far, From Software has the right idea behind marketing their product through new media forms, more specifically Facebook. The page set up is easy enough to understand, and all the company and game information is readily available. Contact information is also provided and separated by which region the user prefers assistance in. I'm excited to delve deeper into seeing how this page has been a positive (and potentially negative, in some aspects) influence in marketing one of my favorite games.

MDIA 4902 Blog 7

We covered a ton of topics in my New Media & Marketing class this semester, one of my favorite modules to work on would probably have to have been our 6th module:

Google unveils Google Glass Explorer Edition at I/O - CNET News
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLn0cSZfl6c

Project Glass: One day...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9c6W4CCU9M4

Google Glasses Parody! (Google Glasses vs. Siri)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVIV3UtGBtY


Please watch above three short video clips (copy and paste the links into your web browser) and answer/post the following questions on the discussion board:


1. What do you think of the Google Glass? Do you think it represents of the future of social media taking the advantage of technology development. Please explain why you think it does/does not.


2. Can you think of any technological features, according to the video clips or research you did yourself, which make social media not easy or convenient to use?

What follows are my responses to the discussion questions:
 
1. I have mixed feelings about Google Glass. Since I was twelve I'd imagined a user-interface within a pair of glasses responding to hang-gestures, so it's interesting to see Google hard at work on that. This is obviously the first step a major company has taken towards producing a more seamless interface between social media and everyday life. This is apparent by the "One Day" video that goes through an average day aided by the features and utilities of Google Glass. On the other hand, part of me feels that Glass will not be as effective as the promotional videos and reviews let on. There are many cases where a company produces a 'unique innovation that will change the industry as we know it' and that innovation either ends up flopping, or takes another 5 years to work the bugs out. As long as Google backs the Glass project intelligently I feel that Glass could be the invention of the decade. My only other concern is the fact that it is worn like a pair of glasses; how many users will be people who don't regularly wear glasses? The product has a small appeal to me already, simply because I can already connect to the 'style' of the device, it will be interesting to see what consumers think.

2. As outlined in the parody video, the 'in-your-face' style UI might get to be annoying if the device screen is directly in front of the user's eye. The I/O video seems to reinforce that the screen is not covering the eye though. Another limitation I predict is that we still have not seen a flawless sense of voice-command controls on any form of device, be it Siri, Glass, or otherwise. Part of this might be due to needing to get used to performing voice commands on the user's end, or programming a more intelligent interface on the company's end. The great part about innovation is it's constantly building upon what was already innovative.


As made apparent by my first response, this technology is something I've been fascinated with for at least the past ten years or so. We were asked to discuss something I have had a general interest in and been following (at least somewhat) since I'd heard about the announcement of Google Glass. Additionally, we were required to analyze potential cons of the product. I had to sit down and break down the product I was completely infatuated with, and determine where its faults could be. When the only thing on your mind is "this is going to be so perfect/awesome/cool/etc" it's extremely difficult to look at it through a critical lens. This module taught me to disregard my personal connections to an extent and analyze the product from an unbiased/curious consumer perspective. Because of this I feel i've developed a new skill set that I could use immediately, and only to my own benefit.

MDIA 4902 Blog 6

I realize this comes late in the semester, but it's been one hell of a start to my junior year so far.

I'm supposed to cover what I have learned so far in the semester; at the point this assignment should have been done I had actually come to realize there was a lot I hadn't realized about marketing in new media. The biggest thing that stuck out to me at this point was just how effective blogging could be. Maybe this is because I never utilize blogging as a medium. I feel blogging is similar to LiveJournal, both of which are fantastic connection tools, but I prefer to use Facebook and Twitter a lot more.

Companies can and will capitalize on new media forms, it gives the company an edge; Being able to quickly adapt to new communication and media forms shows a willingness to expand the consumer experience. The company that already has a presence on Facebook or Twitter is going to be able to communicate to their customers more easily than those that have not jumped on board with social networking trends.

This also applies inversely; companies that have yet to create a facebook or google+ page are already at a disadvantage. They're missing an entire audience that they could be generating potential interest from. Before this class I would have argued that certain companies may not want to advertize through SNS's, but only because I felt they wouldn't have been able to reach certain demographics. In the back of my mind I always thought that companies attempting to reach a senior demographic shouldn't even worry about advertizing in new media. I realize now that there are plenty of senior citizens that are fully capable of operating social media (they could teach my grandparents a thing or two!) and thus a more streamlined customer experience tailored to them should not be out of the question.

They're Eating Her

This project examined lip-synching a character to a pre-made audio clip.

Unfortunately the head is a little small in this, hopefully I can fix that soon.

I decided to go with one of the example character heads and mouth-charts. This was because I felt the character looked dorky enough to match the character from Trolls II that I ripped the audio from. I picked this audio clip from Trolls II, not because there were enough pauses in dialogue to make the assignment easier, but because I wanted to make the character more expressive than the actor in the movie. Seeing as how Trolls II is a B-rated movie, this wasn't too difficult to accomplish. For the next assignment we will be making a full scene with this same audio clip/head. I plan on making him blink and look around more, coupled with some key poses to make him more life-like.

Animated Text

The goal of this project was to animate a word (or two words, provided they were antonyms). I chose to animate two antonyms to help describe their opposite meanings.

 Looking back at my project, there were many more ways I should have incorporated techniques and attributes we learned in the previous project. "Light" seems to hit a wall or something while it's swinging. "Dark" doesn't have the impact that I want it to, and I wanted to get more of a flickering effect with "Light". All things for me to address in my next project.

Dark Souls Playthrough Week 4

Day 6
Was it twenty? I think I’ve died twenty times now. I barely know what I’m supposed to be doing. It’s not even the demon that’s my problem anymore. I can dodge his blows just fine, it’s the damn dogs that keep catching me off-guard.

Day 9
I did it! I got passed those dogs and managed to dispose of them before moving onto the giant goat-headed demon. He dropped a key to The Depths. I decided to go poke around before making my way back to the Gardens and finish exploring.

The Depths were like nothing I had seen before. Slime seemingly crawling across the walls, ghouls everywhere, and more of those ruthless dogs. After making my way into the Depths a bit, and fighting off what appeared to be a cannibalistic chef for the undead, I discovered another sensible person in this world.

Leaurentius was my reason to continue, a pyromancer like myself, but he was from The Great Swamp. Upon deciding I’d poked enough around The Depths I headed back up to The Firelit Shrine to find my new acquaintance. He saw that I was still having trouble with my memories, so he filled me in on details as well as provided several powerful spells for my arsenal.

“Pyromancy is the art of casting fire, to produce flame then channel it. A pyromancer must be in tune with nature herself. Pyromancy has a primitive aspect to it. It meshes poorly with advanced culture and pyromancers are considered ‘unsavoury’. A pyromancer’s flame is a part of his own body. The flame develops with his skill.”

All things I knew, yet had to be reminded of. How could I forget? It was like riding a bike. This newfound social connection inspired me to go converse with the others around Firelink Shrine. The creepy man that had told me of the Bells being two, instead of one, mentioned that others were in the Shrine, performing rituals of some sort. They all ignored me.

The same man mentioned that he saw an undead like myself, being taken somewhere by a raven, similar to the one that brought me to the shrine. I discovered the nest and soon enough a curtain of black feathers swooped down to meet my shoulders and hoist me back off to the asylum.

Wandering around the asylum, I discovered a peculiar doll where my holding cell was. This strange doll was wearing a ragged dress. As I clutched the fragile, fraying figure, a story popped into my head. The strange doll in the dress. There was once an abomination who had no place in this world. She clutched this doll tightly, and eventually was drawn into a cold and lonely, painted world.

Day 11

I managed to clear out the rest of the asylum. There was a large Stray Demon in the basement, who proved a formidable opponent but extremely predictable. After 3 attempts I slayed him easily, picking up a large titanite slab in the process.

I returned with this slab to talk to the blacksmith more about how reinforcing my equipment would benefit me in the long-run. I’m glad I’ve been reinforcing my items! The Blacksmith said that when my equipment was ready I would be able to use his furnace to ascend my equipment to inconceivable levels. Imbuing a weapon with a special soul, such as the one I received from the Moonlight Butterfly, would make it a weapon of legend.

Day 13

I decided to go finish exploring the Depths, being drawn downward for some reason. After a long trek through a disgusting aqueduct system, I discovered a large open cavern, ruins of what used to be the rest of the aqueducts. Before I could venture out far, a giant dragon with its ribcage exposed had creeped up into the cavern, forcing me to defend myself.

I quickly removed its tail, so it would have less balance and opportunity to attack. At this point I just needed to stay behind or off to the side of the beast. Every time it charged, it left me with a wide opening, allowing me to plunge the black steel of the Knight’s Sword into the monstrosity. The dragon fizzled into a putty-like substance on the floor, the tail turning into something wieldable.

A merchant informed me, I’d discovered the Dragon King Greataxe. Unfortunately it’s still way too heavy for me to wield. If I ever get used to the weight, I’ll be sure to document its effectiveness.

______________________________

This week’s assignment: Emphasize the conventions of storytelling. Does the story create a reality, or are you more engaged with gameplay or story. Also add anything new about characterization, or general interesting storytelling techniques.

This game has the most unique story-telling system. On one hand, the plot is minimalistic and your character interaction can be relatively devoid of anything more than “buy the next best item from [x]-vendor.” But on the other-hand, the plot is so extensive that there’s no way anyone could absorb it all on the first go. Every item in the game has a unique description, the most unique the item, the more lore-related the description.

 The black-knight shield I picked up described how the Knights are now black because they were literally burned, fighting off chaos demons. The chaos demons must have also been massive because the Black Knight Sword is supposed to “reflect the size of the knights’ former adversaries”, and the sword is pretty much the character’s height.

Now that I’m reaching the part of the game I haven’t played yet I’m noticing a lot more attempt to pull in more characters, provided you interact with them. The rest of the game I still consider a “learning experience” or “tutorial” because it was teaching the player important things about the game.

One important thing about the game would be how certain bosses drop “special souls” that can be used on weapons. Another is that you should be reinforcing your weapons so you’re not just leveling up while your equipment stays crappy.

A final is that there are now characters I can affiliate with, and/or piss-off. I need to make sure to stay on other NPC’s good sides, I don’t need to have an entire zone become more difficult because I don’t pay attention to what an NPC wants.

Flower Pot Animation

In my media 351 class we're analyzing a "moving flower pot" and emulating overlapping movement by using parented layers.

The project description said to have a flower pot slide on screen, hit something and come to a stop. I decided to have my flower ghost-ride a whip on screen, crash into a rock (thus analyzing the flower's movement with wind, and identifying a danger in a pop-culture trend), and fall off a cliff coming to a stop.

Given more time i'd go back and cut out the wheels on the car to make them rotate, and probably make the "crash" into the rock look a little more realistic. Considering the focus of this assignment was for the flower though, I didn't want to focus too much on other assets.