Vagabond Dog is a small independent game studio from Toronto. They make games about life, inspired by their experiences.
http://vagabonddog.com/
Always Sometimes Monsters is a unique roleplaying game set in the modern world. You take on the life of your character for 30 days as you try and make it from the east coast to the west coast before your one true love marries someone else. Along the way you'll face a myriad of choices that will alter the course of your journey and change the fate of your character. These decisions will affect the characters you encounter and the world around them, but few things are ever as binary as right and wrong. Your unique story will be shaped by your personal ethical compass, with none other like it.
http://www.alwayssometimesm...
Play on: PC
https://www.youtube.com/wat...
Mini Q&A
Answers by Justin Amirkhani, Creative Director
Why do you make games?
There's this idea in my mind that is complex to an almost unintelligible level. I struggle to make sense of it, and to convey it to people around me. Games allow players to step into the shoes of another person, to experience a small slice of reality as someone else. This is the best means I know of to get other people to come to that same complex idea, and begin a dialogue about it so that it may be better understood.
Why should people play Always Sometimes Monsters?
Always Sometimes Monsters is the kind of game that will make you ponder the reasons behind your every day choices. It will make you wonder whether you even have choice in the first place, or whether we are all ruled by causality. Lastly, it will do all of this within a unique narrative tailored to your own personal values.
What element of game design do you hold above all others?
Freedom of choice is probably the single most powerful element of game design. In fact, one could argue that it's the only real element of game design at all and the one thing that separates this medium from every other. Regardless of whether a game handles choice as consciously as Always Sometimes Monsters does, all games exist to provide players agency over their experience.
Today’s Stories:
Win a Copy of Always Sometimes Monsters: http://n4g.com/user/blogpos...
Interview with Vagabond Dog, Part One: http://n4g.com/user/blogpos...
Interview with Vagabond Dog, Part Two: http://n4g.com/user/blogpos...
Developer Blog: http://n4g.com/user/blogpos...
Some Words for Always Sometimes Monsters: http://n4g.com/user/blogpos...
Day 8 | Vagabond Dog
Sons of Valhalla is an exceptional 2D side-scroller action game that challenges players' strategic approach and skills management.
The armadillo returns.
I personally do remember Infogrames in the years prior to merger. They really did have a portfolio that stuck out and I enjoyed. I wonder what value they see in reviving it now though?
Sony is apparently experimenting with an AI tool that will play the game for you when you are grinding away. A PlayStation patent for “auto-play” mode would simulate your gameplay style in certain environments and apply them to skip that section completely. This technology would likely be built directly into the cloud-based PlayStation Network and be a new feature that subscribers would have access to.
Hah! Either will never happen or publishers will charge you to use this AI. This concept would only exacerbate the problem we already have with GaaS.
doesnt that concept already exist tho?
buy dlc to get a ahead in games? money, weapon and exp dlc come to mind but yeh. one more thing for them.to potentially charge for.
Usually, for GaaS/Seasonal games, you'll have to perform actions to earn specific in-game currency to buy things for events. Then they sell the currency with real cash or a third-currency to then buy the in-game currency items (it's honestly truly bloated to hide that they're cheating you out of money). With this, they'll just give you items if you do something 50 times or the like and then charge you to have the game play it for you. It's better, right? No currency shenanigans, just play the game and we reward you! But, the truth is they'll inflate the amount of times you have to play through content just to get the same thing.
Why?
Why not just remove the Grindy part?
I hope it's not an excuse to make them worse, but optional if you pay
This IGN blogger mode will allow 'reviewers' to play games like rest of us.
I will never forget watching GamingBolts spoiler video for Horizon FW and realizing they never played it. Made me wonder if they play games at all.
Reminds me of those 24 hours races in gran Turismo 4 having your PlayStation play for you.
But realistically if you have to use any of these for Grundy games there's a bigger underlying problem of the game not respecting your time in the first place.
Grind for game length is a real problem in my view
Very interesting, I will look forward to seeing more about this game soon.
I like the concept of the 30 days from east coast to west coast.
Loooove choices in games,
Indies are on the rise