After all of the research and advice, I ended up ordering a beast of a system (in my opinion). I went with an i7 920 processor after all was said and done, and got some highly recommended bang-for-the-buck hardware otherwise. I’m super friggin’ excited about building a new computer. My current desktop is 4+ years old, and I bought a Dell because I got a 40% discount on it. So it’s been a good 6 years since I’ve built a system. Crazy! You can check out my final configuration here: Shwayder’s i7 Config. Thanks to everyone for all the great feedback and help!

Oh noes, Cuppycake got controversial, which roused the interwebs into angry rebuttal. Let the flame wars rage! Actually, what she says isn’t very controversial. “Do they (game design bloggers) know what they’re talking about? Are they even good designers?” To which I answer, *shrug*. Am I a good designer? Yes! Because you must take my word for it given that I’ve worked on a few games and 38 Studios rocks your socks off. Okay, less jokes and more content after the break. Continue Reading »

Shadowbane is officially shutting down its servers on May 1. I have some pretty good memories from my time there as Blackguard the sneaky thief and Ishap the nearly invulnerable crusader. Of the time when I outlasted my entire clan and waltzed into our fallen city, staying alive for about 15 minutes against hundreds of enemies. And when I attacked the city of Moonglow alone because its name offended me (and won). And many other memories, good and bad. Farewell, Shadowbane.

Every game designer has his quirks. One of the most important things to do when you become a game designer (or in any job, really) is to figure out what works best for you–how do you produce your best work? For some people, they just push through and work a little at a time. Others work in bursts. Some procrastinate. Whatever it is, it’s important to find out for yourself what works for you. What do I do? I’m glad you asked (read: I’m telling you whether you like it or not)! Continue Reading »

I rarely hear about a talk at any game conference that I really wish I could have been at. This is one of them. Scott Rogers gave what looked to be an incredible talk about how the design of Disneyland can inform level design in games. You can find the slides on Scott Rogers’ website and notes on the presentation at Cory Doctorow’s website. Great, great talk, and absolutely right.