Hey everyone, long time no post!

We’ve applied for our first competition through Boston University. Here is our 90second pitch video on why UEgames is awesome.

UEgames ElevatorPitch

Hope you enjoy

Always more soon

John

Categories: New Developments

So @ the moment, we can’t bring our video game to Japan, so I looked into a few ways to bring Japan to our game development (hmm..)

We’re about to drop some serious documentation about Hostile Development.

• You might find a few secrets that may help you know about the characters.
• Wanna unlock some hidden characteristics? Virtues that were once code to the samurai?
• Read away! We’d just like to give you a better idea of what’s going on in HD

Over the past few months, I’ve been integrating my Japanese studies with my video game development. Our current game in production is called “Hostile Development”, a Create Your Own Adventure (CYOA) videogame for the PC, Mac, and iPhone platforms. Hostile Development takes place during a Bank Robbery; as a hostage you traverse through the environment making intense choices.

My initial attempt was to integrate Japanese culture by translating the game itself into Japanese. This process of localization would be better done at the completion of the game when there is a set script and dialogue.

Hostile Development explores virtue-based ethics in evaluating the choices the players decides to make. There is no “right” or “wrong” way to play Hostile Development; we simply wish to allow the player to control the experience. Our evaluation of the player identifies virtues and other interesting characteristics: bravery, altruism, valor, impertinence etc…

 

In creating our Digital Personality system, we take these expressed traits and add them for later feedback. The spectrum of virtues and characteristics fall between:

****-*******-********  (top secret info)

In a class i recently took, I’ve gained a new insight into how to view external virtues and how they can be applied to oneself. In analyzing traditional Japanese virtue ethics, I have discovered a few innovative ways to evaluate the player’s choices made in Hostile Development.

Within, “The Chrysanthemum and The Sword” Ruth Benedict shows how character is defined (in Japan), “approved behavior is relative to the circle within which it appears.” (Benedict 137) The circle of virtues trace their roots back to the Kamakura period where warriors (samurai) were the ruling class.

Benedict states that the Japanese, “do no grapple with the problem of evil”. (Benedict 139) and that the bases of choices are much more particularistic and situational. Though there are many generalizations made about the Japanese culture, the concrete facts and definitions of the way of the samurai (bushido) were applicable to the lives of Japanese citizens for numerous years. In even a more modern era, bushido virtues were strongly imposed by the emperor.

(Crazy stuff)

Anyway,

Hostile Development is exploring virtue based ethics as they apply to action theory, “a domain of moral philosophy [which] seeks to understand what it is ‘to do’ prior to any claim of what one ought to do”. (Butler 140) We are looking for the player to assume the role of themselves in the given scenario and then contrast their digital personality with their actual personality.

(more crazy stuff)

With the aid of my professor, I have closely analyzed a few of these traditional virtues making them applicable in Hostile Development contributing to the Digital Personality system:

Note: I was trying to show the kanji (characters) for the following virtues, but I guess the language isn’t supported on this blog. So the suspense will have to wait until the game!

Chu- obligation/loyalty; focused on the ideal; personal to the individual; inconsistency or lack of loyalty thwarts this virtue

Integration: Within Hostile Development, the player’s loyalty to follow certain instructions increment the virtue of Chu in the DP

 

Gi- righteousness; vigilant; a hero

Integration: This is highest expression of being a hero. When the player expresses brave choices and characteristics after a certain amount of time, their Gi meter will begin to increment

 

Makoto – sincerity; putting forth one’s whole being into action

Integration: If the player makes a consistent choice 3 times in a row, or establishes a pattern to dealing with choices (pragmatism), the Makoto meter will begin to increment

 

Gimu – Law Abiding, legal responsibility

Integration: Choices that aid the police will increment the Gimu meter.

With these added virtues, HD will subtly be integrating Japanese culture into its construction. However, we wish to take this one step further and give HD a Japanese manga stylized appeal. Once the player expresses a virtue/characteristic we plan to have it appear in an awe-inspiring, rewarding way. For the Japanese virtues, once expressed, we look to show the actual kanji on the screen.

Thanks for reading

We hope to have the game for you to play sooner than later.

Categories: Hostile Development

So you’re prolly wondering what we’ve been upto. Welll, we don’t mean to be secretive about our games (yes, yes we do), but the video game process is hard to convey and be transparent about.

Currently we’re making two video games.
Hostile Development: Our first official title for the PC, Mac, and iPhone. Our game is about a Bank Robbery (aww yeaa). There’s a lot going on in this game and we got an awesome team working on it! Next post look for the proper introductions.

HealthRivals& SigFigz: We’re also working with the Boston University Medical Campus developing a game that is to promote a healthy lifestyle. There’s even more going on this game and we also have a nutz team working on this game.

Development of these games will intensify mid May and throughout the summer. Prepare for videogame mayhem.

Want to know more? Then watch our video from TEDxBU and it should satisfy you till our next update.

Later,

jwolff

Categories: Health Rivals&SigFigz, Hostile Development