Concluding Thoughts

From this gameplay, I have learned games are a great form of entertainment. I enjoy playing video games and they are especially fun when you play with friends. I learned that I should play games only when I've finished my homework as sometimes my priorities were out of order. I think video games are time well spent only if you do not play too much as then it could take too much time out of your life. If you have nothing better to do, video games are a great way to past time as they are fun. If I were to design a game, it probably won't be nearly as good as the ones I play as they are produced by huge companies like Turn 10, Microsoft and Blizzard with many developers. Although I didn't learn much from video games, it certainly gives me more ideas for developing a simple game for my ISU.

Super Mario Sunshine: Overview

Super Mario Sunshine was one of my favourite childhood games. It was the first game I got with my GameCube which was a long time ago. This is an adventure game that is part of the Super Mario series that was released back in 2002 and it was the second 3D Mario game, the first being Super Mario 64. This game takes place in a fictional island called Isle Delfino. The story begins with Mario, Toadsworth, Princess Peach and five toads arriving in Isle Delfino. Shadow Mario is the villain and left graffiti all over the island. When Mario arrives, he is already blamed for the vandalism since he closely resembled shadow mario. Mario is responsible for cleaning up the mess throughout the island. He finds a device called F.L.U.D.D which is a water squirting device which can be used with multiple attachments. The spray nozzle is mostly used for attacking enemies and cleaning up graffiti and the hover nozzle allows Mario to hover for a short period of time. Later on, Mario will obtain the rocket nozzle which helps him jump high distances and the turbo nozzle which allows him to run really fast. There are many beautiful places on the island where Mario will fight monsters and occasionally battle bosses and shadow Mario. Every time you beat a stage, you will obtain a shine sprite and you'll need 120 shine sprites to beat the game. The game is moderately difficult as it contains a variety of challenges and puzzles that sometimes took me a week to figure out. Back then, I wasn't aware of online guides and i found that games are more fun if you try figuring out by yourself instead of relying on answers online. At the end, you'll fight Bowser like most other Mario games and save Princess Peach.

World of Warcraft: Dungeons and Raids

 In World of Warcraft, dungeons are instances where five people group up to defeat common enemies and bosses. Usually, a dungeon group will consist of three damage dealers, one tank and one healer. Dungeons have ideal level requirements which ensures that people are in the dungeon that is designed for their character level. Dungeon units are mainly elites which are harder than normal units and have a gold dragon around their portrait to indicate that they are elites. These units are difficult to kill alone but not as challenging when engaged with a group. Lots of quests are associated with dungeons that give good rewards for different tasks such as killing a final boss in a dungeon. "Trash mobs" is a term used for units in a dungeon that aren't of any importance and usually drop uncommon gear. Bosses in dungeons usually drop rare gear that is far more powerful. Each boss has unique spells which make each boss fight different and challenging.

Illidan Stormrage - The final boss in Black Temple

Raids are basically big dungeons that require either 10 or 25 people to complete. They are a lot harder than dungeons and require more communication and skill in order to defeat the bosses. These bosses have a lot more spells that require a lot more awareness. Since the chance of obtaining gear is slim when the number of players increase, justice points are rewarded to every player for defeating bosses and they can be traded in for equally powerful gear. Raids vary in difficulty and they are usually completed in a specific order. Gear from lower difficulty raids must be obtained before moving on to a more difficult raid or the group will be under-geared and have a slim chance of successfully clearing the raid. Raids often take a long time and are often done with a guild to ensure good communication since communication is key in order to successfully clear a raid.

World of Warcraft: Classes

Character creation screen

There are ten difference classes to choose from in World of Warcraft but some classes are unavailable to some races. The class determines what gear you can wear and what role you have when in a group. Some classes can be multiple roles depending on their talents. Each class has it's advantages and disadvantages to partially balance the game.

Druid: A druid is a versatile class that can become any of the four roles through shape shifting. In Cat Form, a druid is takes the role of melee damage and has skills similar to a rogue. In bear form, the druid can take the role as a tank as it has increased health and armor. In Moonkin form, a druid can take the role of ranged damage as it uses spells instead of melee attacks. Druids have the unique ability to resurrect people even while in combat through the spell Rebirth. Druids can wear leather armor and primarily use two handed weapons.

Death Knight: Currently, death knights are the only hero class in the game meaning they start off at level 55 instead of level 1 and come with gear. They also have their own specialized starting area regardless of race. Also, any race can become a death knight as long as they have at least one other character over level 55. Death knights can either deal damage or tank depending on their talents. Death knights wear plate armor and can wield two one-handed weapons or a two handed weapon.

Hunter: Hunters are the only class that focuses on ranged weapon as a primary source of damage. They can use all sorts of ranged weapons such as bows, crossbows and guns. They are also able to tame a pet which allows them to solo group quests easier than other classes. Hunters can tame different types of pets which have different abilities. Hunters can wear mail armor and use just about every weapon.

Mage: Mages are ranged damage dealers that focus on casting spells. There are three types of mages depending on your talent build and they are Fire, Frost and Arcane. They deal lots of damage and are very good at escaping with spells like blink which teleports them a short distance. They are also good at dealing damage in an area allowing them to kill multiple monsters at once. They wear cloth armor and can either use a main hand and off-hand or a staff.

Paladin: Paladins are holy crusaders who can either deal melee damage, tank or heal depending on their talent build. They have many holy spells which deal extra damage to undead or unholy units. They have special auras with different purposes that benefit everyone in the group. They wear plate armor and can use a main hand and a shield or a two handed weapon. This class used to be exclusive to the alliance but they are available to the horde since Burning Crusade.

Priest: Priests are arguably the best healing class in the game as they have many spells that either heal one specific person or the whole group. They have many useful spells such as Mind Control which controls an enemy unit or player and dispels which remove negative buffs like diseases and spells. They can also cast shields to protect players from damage. Priests can also deal damage in shadow spec but in shadowform, they lose the ability to heal. Priests wear the same items as a mage.

Rogue: Rogues are a stealth class that deal lots of damage but do not have much health. They are good at incapacitating their foes with skills like sap and kidney shot. They are also able to turn invisible until they attack something making them able to ambush their enemies. Rogues can dual wield one-handed weapons and use leather armor.

Shaman: Shaman are a versatile class that can either use melee weapons, heal or deal spell damage. They can drop down four totems that benefits the group as kong as they're in the radius. They are considered one of the best classes as they can adapt to different roles making them useful in groups. They wear mail armor and can use just about every weapon.

Warlock:  Warlocks are dark casters using dark magic and curses and have the ability to tame demons. These demons are combat pets meaning they fight for the warlock. They can either their talents to strengthen their pet, deal damage over time or deal burst damage. They wear cloth armor and main hand and an of-hand or a staff.

Warrior: Warriors are close ranged attackers that fill the role of dealing melee damage or  tanking. They are the only class capable of holding two two-handed weapons They are known for inflicting big amounts of physical damage as they have a lot of spells that reduce healing. Warriors wear plate armor and mainly use two handed weapons or a one handed weapon and a shield for tanking.

World of Warcraft: Introduction

World of Warcraft is a popular MMORPG which stands for Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game which currently has over twelve million subscribers. This game has three expansions which are Burning Crusade, Wrath of the Lich King and Cataclysm. In Burning Crusade, the level cap was raised to level 70 from level 60, Wrath of the Lich King raised it to 80 and Cataclysm raised it to 85. Other limitations were increased such as professions. Like most MMORPGs, you create a character and you level him through completing quests. While questing, you will probably meet others as some quests will require teamwork rather than soloing. There is also pvp (player versus player) where you can fight other players instead of computer generated enemies. This game has two factions to choose from and they are Alliance and Horde. Alliance has six races that consist of Human, Dwarf, Gnome, Night Elf, Draenei and Worgen. Horde also consists of six races which includes Orc, Troll, Tauren, Undead, Blood Elf and Goblin. There are three types of servers: RP (Role Playing), PVE (Player versus environment) and PVP (Player versus player). RP and PVE focus mainly on killing computer generated enemies whereas PVP focuses on killing other players.

Most of the things in the game require more than one player so teamwork is essential. There are guilds which is basically a clan where people can chat or organize events such as completing dungeons and raids. Most of the challenges in the game are designed for groups especially end-game tasks. While questing, players earn money and experience. Money is used for regents for professions or items such as weapons and armor although high end weapons and armor cannot be obtained through money. This is because high end items are "bind on pickup" which means the item cannot be given to other players when it is looted. Most items of uncommon quality and lower are usually "bind on equip" which means the item cannot be traded or given to other players only if you equip it. When a character dies, it's spirit teleports to the nearest graveyard and must walk back to their corpse in order to resurrect.

Forza 3: Features II

Storefront

The two features that will be explained in this blog are the Auction House and the Storefront. These two are often used by players to sell cars or designs they make through the decal editor. Like a real auction, cars are put up for bidding and they player who has the highest bid gets the car. The car may also have an optional buyout price which is the price it can be bought outright for. There are many different filters like car year and make to help you find the car you want. Some cars will be sold with a design which allows the purchaser to own the design and change it however he/she wishes which I'll explain why this is important later. The auction house mostly contains cars that are gifted to you when you level as people can sell cars they dislike for much more in the auction house instead of selling them for 100 credits in-game. The auction house can be accessed in-game or online here http://forzamotorsport.net/en-us/game/auction/default.htm

Aston Martin One-77

The storefront is a place where people can share photos, videos and designs online. You can also access your photos online which makes it convenient for you to upload them to your computer. Photos are picked every week and showcased on the main page by Turn10 which is the company that makes Forza. The most popular and highest rated photos and videos are also displayed on the front page of their respective categories. The main purpose of the storefront is to sell user created designs. With a 5000 layers limit, users can create anything they want. Designs can be sold for between 1000 credits to 50000 credits or shared for free. When a design is bought, the design is locked so the buyer cannot modify or sell the design themselves. This is a useful feature as it prevents designs from being stolen.

Forza 3: Gameplay Modes

Ferrari 458 Italia

Forza 3 has a variety of gameplay modes to keep you playing for a long time. The first one is career mode which is basically going through the same career as a professional racer and gradually moves up to higher leagues. The second mode is event list where it lets you play every single event in the game but some are locked depending on your level. These events have car restrictions like "muscle cars only" or "cars must have less than 600 horsepower" which ensures you drive new cars for each event making it seem less repetitive. This also means you have to purchase specific cars for each event which may cost a lot of money especially with some cars like the Porsche Carrera GT costing over $300,000 in-game. Each event has more than one race so it takes quite long before you complete the whole game.

Audi R8 LMS Race Car

The next mode is free play which basically allows you to race with any car you want in any track. This is a great mode as you can drive cars even if you didn't buy them and you can also test drive them first if you're thinking about purchasing a car. There is a mode called quick race within free play which allows you to race against computers but unfortunately this mode is very limited as you cannot choose what cars the computers drive, the number of laps or the computer difficulty. A better way to face computers is to set up a private race online which allows you to change almost every aspect to customize your race. Private race is also useful when you want to race with friends as other people cannot join. The next mode is Multiplayer which is where you play with other people online with a variety of game modes. Some of these modes include circuit, drag, drift, stock car racing and road racing.

Forza 3: Progress III

Ferrari FXX

This is an update on my progress on Forza 3 for the Xbox 360. I have made it past Season Four and I am currently on Season Five which start getting difficult without any assists. For some of the races, I started using traction control which reduces throttle to maintain traction. This was because it was hard to keep the wheels from spinning due to the power of R3 cars and it was especially difficult launching the car at the start of the race. The car I mainly stuck with in Season four was the Ferrari FXX as it was one of the fastest cars in that class and faster than the competition. This car was given to me for free at level 35 which I achieved before season four. I didn't need to upgrade the car at all which helped me save money for other cars projects. Season four was still relatively short and it took me about a week to finish.

Koenigsegg CCGT

Season five uses cars from R2 and I am still currently on this season. Now I'm using a lot more assists such as stability control, medium computer difficulty and ABS because these cars require a lot of skill to drive without assists. Even with traction control, it's hard to get a good launch off the line and I usually end up having a hard time catching up. The good thing about Forza 3 is that you'll still get money and experience no matter what place you finish as long as you finish the race. The Koenigsegg CCGT was my car of choice for this season because it was one of the fastest albeit it was hard to handle. Although the races are a lot longer now, you make a lot more money which motivates me to keep playing. I also noticed that season play is getting pretty repetitive despite playing different events. The good thing about this game is that if you get bored of season play, you could always practice painting cars, selling cars on the auction house for a profit or race online with a plethora of game modes.

Starcraft 2: Map Editor

The map editor in Starcraft 2 allows you to create a map how ever you like with almost no boundaries. Every aspect of the game can be changed allowing users to create different game types. This tool is very complex and not very beginner friendly. There is a lot of data involved and different strings and values which is very confusing if you don't know what you're doing. Different game types can be created with this editor such as RPGs (Role Playing Games), tower defenses and many more. You can change every aspect of every unit such as the damage, in-game model, attack range, unit size and you can even create your own models to replace in-game ones. You can share your maps by uploading to battle.net which allows other people to play your map. The more people play your map, the more popular it will be which puts it higher up on the list of maps. Battle.Net will also feature maps which put them on the very top to help map creators gain some publicity.

Here is an example of a classic "Tetris" being recreated in Starcraft 2

Starcraft 2: Races (Protoss)

Protoss Dark Templar

Protoss is the races that specializes in psionic technology and is considered the most advanced race. Their units have a futuristic theme often plated in gold armor. Protoss units are very expensive compared to other races but they are more powerful so the focus is quality of units instead of quantity. This requires a bit more skill because you have to try your best to keep each unit alive as losing each unit will affect you greatly. Units are warped from the planet Aiur which is the homeland of the Protoss. All Protoss untis have shields as well as health but their shields regenerate when the unit is out of combat which can help preserve your army. All buildings must be built around a Pylon which is the supply building for the Protoss that gives off psionic energy which buildings need to operate.

Carrier

The worker unit for the Protoss is the probe which warps buildings so one probe can make another building before the previous one finishes which other workers cannot do. The following units are warped in by the Gateway. The zealot is a melee unit that is most often used for taking damage as they have a lot of health for their cost. Stalkers are ranged units that are very versatile when blink is upgraded which allows them to teleport. The sentry is a spell casting unit that can cast force field which blocks units, hallucination which creates a clone of a unit and guardian shield which reduces damage around the sentry. High Templar are casting units that can cast AOE spells like Psionic storm which is useful against groups of units. Dark Templar are invisible and deal a lot of damage but does not have a lot of health. The following units are warped in by the Robotics Facility. The immortal is a powerful ground unit that deals a lot of damage but can only attack ground units. The observer is an invisible unit used for spying on enemies. The warp prism allows ground units to be transported by air. The Colossus is a huge mechanical unit that can attack multiple units and climb over cliffs. The following units are warped in the Stargate. The Phoenix is a fast agile air unit that can only attack other air units and lift ground units into the air. The Void Ray can be a powerful unit when utilized correctly as it's attack becomes more powerful the longer it attacks a unit. When fully charged, the Void Ray can be a devastating unit. The Carrier is the flagship unit for the Protoss and it has multiple little ships called interceptors that attack.

Starcraft 2: Races (Terran)

Terran Marine

Terran is a race full of humans have many different colonies, some against each other. This race is known for their mobility as some of their buildings can lift off and move. This race evolves through technology from marines which are small infantry units to battlecruisers which are big war ships. Rather than mutation, units are upgraded through technological upgrades. Terran is often to be said as the easiest race to play for a beginner as their units are quite strong and there isn't a lot of things to focus on like Zerg.

Thor

The worker unit for Terran is the SCV and they are able to repair buildings and mechanical units as well which is unique to this race. The next unit is the marine which are small infantry units that are trained at the barracks. Next is the Marauder which is a powerful ranged unit with a lot of health for it's cost but it can only attack ground units. The reaper is also trained at the barracks and it specializes against buildings and can leap over cliffs making them very versatile. The Hellion is build at the Factory which is a light armored vehicle that shoots a straight flame making it very strong for harassing enemy worker units making them unable to mine. The siege tank is also built at the Factory and can learn Siege Mode through a tech lab which makes it stationary but gives it a lot of range and AOE(Area of Effect) damage. The Thor is a massive ground unit that is commonly used for taking out large amounts of air units with javelin missiles. The Viking is an air unit built at the Startport and can only attack air and the Banshee is an air unit that can only attack ground. A medivac is an air unit that can heal biological units and carry units as well. The raven is a unit that has a lot of special abilities like heat seeking missiles but it is unable to attack. The battlecruiser is the most powerful unit in the Terran arsenal and it's an all around unit but costs a lot.

Starcraft 2: Races (Zerg)

Zerg

 

Zerg is one of the three playable races in Starcraft. This is a fictional alien race that evolves through mutation rather than technology. Zerg units are not very strong but they are quick to produce and cheap as well. This makes them able to reproduce a large army after a fight as taken place. This allows people to overcome their enemies by outnumbering them.

A size comparison between a marine on the left and an ultralisk on the right.

The worker unit for the Zerg is called the drone. It is able to morph into buildings or mine minerals and gas.Overlords are flying units that help increase your supply which allows a greater army size and they are useful for scouting or carrying units with upgrades. Zerglings which are small melee units that are useful in surrounding enemies and can only attack ground. They are very cheap to produce only costing 50 minerals and come in a pair. The next unit is the roach which are ranged units that deal decent damage and have a lot of health as well but can only attack ground. The queen is able to do a variety of things such as produce extra larvae which is essential in producing units and it can attack both air and ground. Banelings are units that zerglings can morph into and they explode on impact dealing an area of damage on ground units. The next set of units are tier 2 and require the hatchery to be morphed into a lair. The hydralisk is a powerful ranged unit specializing in taking down air units. The infestor is a unit that can cast spells like fungal growth and infest which takes control of an enemy unit for a certain amount of time but it cannot attack. The mutalisk is an air unit that are not very powerful without a large amount but it can attack both ground and air and their attacks hit more than one unit. The next set of units are tier 3 and require the lair to be morphed into a hive. Ultralisks are powerful melee units that deal splash damage and have a lot of health but can only attack ground units. With the Greater Spire upgrade, Brood lords can be morphed from mutalisks which spawn a broodling every time it attacks.

Starcraft 2 Wings of Liberty: Introduction

Starcraft 2 box art

 Starcraft 2 is a sequel to Starcraft 1 which was one of the most sold video games for the PC released in 1998. This game is an RTS which stands for real time strategy. It is often declared as the best RTS known for it's worldwide popularity especially in Korea and United States. Starcraft 2 features 3 races which were from Starcraft 1: Protoss, Terran and Zerg. Protoss is the most technologically advanced race run by humanoids. Terran is the race that are probably the closest to human beings and is known for their mobility as some of their buildings are able to lift off and move as well. Zerg is a fictional alien race known as the swarm as they are able to produce a sizable army very quickly. Starcraft 1 and 2 are known for being able to balance 3 races that are completely different from each other which is very rare in an RTS game.

The Tech Tree for Zerg

   The main point of this game is to create buildings which create attacking units and overcome the enemy. The two main points that will help you succeed is macro and micro. Macro is the ability to create units effectively and quickly and micro is the ability to control your units to maximize damage. In order to create buildings you need minerals and gas which are the resources in the game. Minerals and gas can be obtained through worker units such as probes for Protoss, SCVs for Terran and drones for Zerg. The resources are available for use once they are brought back to the main building (Nexus for Protoss, Command Center for Terran and Hatchery for Zerg). In order to get more advanced units, you must follow a specific tech path until you reach that unit. Unlike other real time strategy games, even the basic units will have some purpose through the entire game rather than just being useful in the beginning.

This game could be played with a variety of different modes like 1v1,2v2,3v3,4v4 and free for all. The storyline continues where Starcraft 1 left off which you are able to play in campaign mode. You can either practice with computers or play with other people on Battle.net which is a free service when you buy the game. To ensure you are playing with other people on your level, you are required to play 5 placement matches which decide which tier you belong in. The tiers from lowest to highest are bronze, silver, gold, platinum, diamond and masters.

DotA: Strategies

DotA is a game that requires a lot of planning and strategics in order to defeat the other team. The strategies I will explain will be competitive at the public(pub) level, not professional. In games where you can pick your heroes, it's best to pick heroes that compliment each other. For instance, you'll want a decent amount of stunners and support so that you can be effective in team fights and one or two carries to aid in the late game. Some starting items that most people use are Ancient Tango of Essifation or Healing Salve which are good items because they are relatively cheap and effective at healing, magic stick if you lane against a hero that constantly uses spells, Animal Courier so you can bring items to your hero without running back to base or magic bottle if you're good at rune hunting and constantly use mana. There is always one lane where a hero will solo which grants them more experience points and in pub games this lane is usually middle. The other two lanes top and bottom will usually contain two heroes on each lane but some times they are split into one and three to obtain the first kill granting more gold and experience. A major part of this game is getting gold and experience points effectively because you can spend gold to get items and experience points help you level up. A method to get gold faster is to "last hit" which means you're the final person to attack the creep which gives you 38-50 gold rather than none. Over time, this will give you a definite advantage if you are good at last hitting. Since this is a team game, it is crucial that you communicate with your team when you want to commence attacks. Usually communication is the factor that determines whether you win or lose.

The Map of DotA (Red is Sentinel, Green is Scourge)

If you are a beginner to this game, you may want to pick one hero and practice it until you are decent because it's not easy to learn every hero. There are many online guides to every hero so make sure you read them as this helps you decide what items to get and make full use of your skills. You will also want to join games that include the game mode -em which stands for easy mode as this gives you more gold every second so if you aren't good at last hitting, you will still be somewhat competitive. Although this game is pretty old, there are still a lot of beginners so you won't always be playing with people way better than you. This game requires a lot of practice and has a very steep learning curve but it can be very enjoyable when you're decent at it.
The full list of items can be found here: http://www.dotastrategy.com/item.html

DotA: Heroes

The most amazing feature about DotA is the amount of heroes, 103 to be exact. Heroes are divided by their primary attributes, which are Strength, Agility and Intelligence. Each of these attributes have a special purpose and usually dictate the role of the hero. Intelligence heroes are specialized in spells and usually support the team. Agility heroes are good for carrying the team which is essential in the late game. Strength heroes generally have more health and most of the strength heroes can either play as support or carry. Heroes can be leveled up to a maximum of level twenty-five by gaining experience points. Every hero has four abilities which divide into three normal skills and one ultimate skill. Normal skills can be leveled up to four times: first level at hero level one, second level at level three, third level at level five and fourth level at level seven. Ultimate abilities can be leveled up three times: level one at hero level six, level two at level 11 and level three at level sixteen. Abilities can either be active or passive which I'll explain. Active abilities are abilities that can be used when the user decides to such as Laguna blade which does damage when used. Passive abilities are abilities that give some sort of enhancement permanently such as Trueshot Aura which gives bonus damage to all range units within an area. After an ability is used, usually there is a time limit before you can use the ability again which is called a "cooldown". Some abilities also use mana which is like health points but decrease after a skill is used. In depth information about each hero can be found at http://www.playdota.com/heroes

DotA: Summary

Current loading screen for DotA

     I'm going to take a short break from Forza 3 and talk about some other games i spend time playing. DotA is one of my favorite games on the computer and I've spent countless hours playing it. This is a popular game map within the game Warcraft 3. There are many other "clones" of it such as HoN(Heroes of Newerth) or LoL(League of Legends) which is free to play. The downside of being embedded into Warcraft 3 is that the graphics are kind of dated and there's no way to update the graphics. But to me, graphics are no where near as important as gameplay. The goal of this game is to destroy the enemy's ancient which is a heavily guarded structure while protecting your own ancient as well. It supports a maximum of ten players (five versus five) and each player is given a hero which are supported by AI (Artificial Intelligence) units.

An in-game screenshot

     The two teams start off on opposite ends of the map; bottom left for Sentinel and top right for Scourge. There are 103 unique heroes to choose from, each one with 4 abilities that can be obtained through leveling. Leveling is done by either killing AI units or other heroes and the higher the level, the stronger the hero. Gold is the currency in this game used to buy items to enhance your hero and it is also obtained by killing AI units and heroes. Teamwork is crucial in this game as it is almost impossible to win alone. This game is a lot more fun if you play with people you know because random people on your team may not always cooperate with you. There are three lanes that lead to each others ancient, commonly referred to as: Top, Middle, Bottom. This is the path the AI units take and where the battle takes place. There are many types of game modes which affect the scenario such as -ap which allows everyone to choose their hero and -ar which gives everyone a random hero. This game is not easy to learn if you haven't played Warcraft 3 at all but some heroes are easier than others to make beginners more competitive. I'm not particularly good at this game but I still enjoy playing it and will probably do so for a long time.

Forza 3: Progress Part II

This will be the second installment of my progress on Forza 3 and I will be discussing season 2 and 3.

1994 Nissan 300zx Twin Turbo

  Season 2 is not much different from season one since the cars you use will range from D to C class. Cars like the Pontiac Trans Am and Nissan 300zx are in this class. These cars are still relatively easy to handle without any assists making it easy to earn more money. A lot of the cars from the 90's era are in D class which was one of my favorite automotive eras making this season pretty enjoyable. Just like season 1, the reward cars you gain from leveling up were enough to get by without spending any money. I decided to save up my money to purchase cars later on when I actually need to. In order to complete this season, you have to complete five races in C class every weekend in the game calendar. During the weekdays, you choose 1 out of 3 races to complete. Unfortunately, I didn't have any C class cars for the races so I had to buy one. The car I chose was a 2004 Subaru Impreza WRX STI which still wasn't competitive enough even at medium difficulty. I chose upgrades like weight reduction to improve the handling making the car easier to drive. On top of that, this car was all wheel drive which lowers the chances of losing traction which helped me greatly. Overall, season two was very enjoyable but I still wanted to drive faster cars.

2007 Chevrolet Corvette Z06

Season 3 is when things started getting very interesting. B and A class cars are used in this season which includes most of the high end nameplates like Ferrari and Lamborghini. You start off in B class and even though most of the high end cars in A class, I wasn't complaining. This is because B class already felt like a big leap from C class and I knew this would take practice to get used to these cars. Although I could have easily won with all the assists on, I was motivated to race with assists off because of the bonus money you earn. After doing a few career races in B class, I was ready to race in the first A class race in the championship. There was one problem though, I didn't have any cars in A class. I wanted to buy Ferrari F430 but unfortunately, it was way out of my budget. In the end I purchased a Chevrolet Corvette C6 Z06 which was inexpensive and the stats were decent too. The car was surprisingly easy to handle, probably because I've practiced throttle control which is essential for maintaining traction. I didn't have to spend money on upgrades either because this car is very competitive even in stock form. Season 3 was a big difference from season 2 but changes are always welcomed as they help me develop my skills with powerful cars.

Forza 3: Progress Part I

    I've had this game for a year and a bit so I've progressed quite far in it. But I'll start off by writing from the time I first played the game and work my way up chronologically. When you start the game, you'll be presented with a list of difficulty settings to choose from. There is easy, medium, hard and custom. Since I've played the demo before picking up this game, I found that easy and medium are too easy and hard was too hard. I decided to pick hard because I noticed that the less assists you use, the more money you earn which was a big enough incentive for me to try the hard difficulty setting. The first race you do is with an Audi R8 which I assume is the hero car on the game since it's on the cover. This race is more of a test to see which difficulty setting suits you the best. After losing the race I decided to alter my difficulty setting. I chose to stick with all assists off but changed the computer difficulty (the other driver's skill level) to medium which leaves me with a bonus of 90% compared to 100% cash bonus with hard computer difficulty. After that race, I was able to pick my first car which was a 2009 Ford Fiesta Zetec S. In career mode, you progress through seasons 1-6 with each season longer than the last and faster cars are used.

My primary car throughout season 1, Alfa Romeo Brera Italia Independent

     Season 1 uses cars mainly from F to E class cars which is good to start off. This is because slow cars generally allow a larger margin of error meaning you could make more mistakes while still having a chance of finishing first. I found that F class cars don't require assists because there is a very low chance that the brakes will lock up or your car will spin out of control. Very little money can be made in season one since you only earn about $2000 per race which may seem like a lot of money but it really isn't. The good part is that you can beat season 1 without spending any money since the cars you earn from leveling up will get by just fine even if you're not the best driver. I finished off season 1 without spending a dime and managed to save up about $20,000.

Forza 3: Gameplay

Camino Viejo de Montserrat in Spain

In this blog, I will review the overall appearance and the game play. First off, the graphics are simply stunning on a HDTV but still looks nice on my standard TV compared to some of my other games. The background is very detailed and each track is modeled very accurately including every tire mark and bump on the track. The cars received the same treatment as well both on the interior and exterior. View the photos below and the difference between Forza 3 and real life is barely noticeable.To compliment the amount of time spent on detail in this game, there is a photo mode where you are able to use various settings like brightness and contrast to make the cars seem as realistic as possible. Some of the photos I will be using in future blogs will be taken by me in game. The menus are sleek and organized making it very easy to navigate throughout the game.

Click to enlarge

 Although I do not have much experience behind the wheel of a car, the physics have been praised by many credible gaming sources such as IGN.com and Gamespot.com. The cars seem to handle a lot more realistically than other racing games I've played in the past such as Need for Speed Underground 2 and Test Drive Unlimited. When assists are put on, the cars feel generic at times as the handling is virtually the same for all cars. Turning the assists off is a different story. When you turn the assists off, you can actually feel the different handling properties of each car and there are no two cars that feel the exact same.

While playing this game, there are some faults that I have found or experienced which i will explain. The car model while racing seems to be lower quality than the models used in other parts of the game. When buying rims, you are only able to look at the car from the side rather than a complete 360°. If an opponent is behind you and you're exceeding 100mph (known as drafting) it invalidates your lap time which doesn't make much sense as it doesn't alter your lap time. On my standard TV, the font is too small so there should be an option that increases the font size. When quick race is selected, you are unable to choose the number of laps or what cars your opponents use. Other than these minor issues, the game is pretty solid and well presented.

Forza 3: Features

 Each and every one of the 500+ cars in Forza 3 are fully customizable which i will explain below

My first attempt at a design

Paint: Forza 3 has a diverse design editor that allows complex designs and pictures be drawn on cars. This takes a while to learn but if you're good, the possibilities are endless. Designs are drawn by using a variety of different shapes called layers. Each side of the car has a maximum of 1000 layers which is more than what most people will need. I haven't spent much time using the design editor but it is easy enough to make simple designs. Best of all, you are able to share your designs with other people through the "storefront" and you are also able to obtain designs drawn by other people in the Forza 3 community.



A design i found through the storefront.



Performance: Cars can be upgraded with parts to increase different aspects like handling and speed. These parts can either increase or decrease PI(Performance Index) which is a point system that categorizes cars into classes. For example, a car that is between 100 and 200 PI is in F class. If you upgraded a car that has 200PI, it is possible that it will move on to a higher class like E. The PI system is in place to keep cars competitive by racing cars in the same class.

This is where you tune your car.

Tuning: This is where you will need experience to utilize the tuning aspect of the game correctly. Luckily, it isn't required as inexperienced players like me will find very little difference whether their cars are tuned are not. Basically, the point of tuning is to adjust the car to fit your driving style by making changes to tire pressure, gear ratios and camber. These changes will help maximize the potential of your cars if done correctly but may also make your car worse than not tuning it at all if done incorrectly. For the most part, i don't bother with this but it's good to know that this feature is available as most racing simulators have it.

Forza 3: The Beginning

  Ever since i was little, i wanted to race cars but i couldn't. The closest thing i could get to racing in real life was racing in a video game. With today's technology, racing simulators like Forza Motorsport 3 come close to what it would feel like to race in real life. Since racing simulators aren't the easiest types of games to learn, Forza Motorsport 3 offers a variety of assists that make the game more forgiving for new players into the genre. Assists like auto-brake will make the game more enjoyable when racing with friends who have never played a racing game before. Arguably, cars are one of the most important elements in a racing game and Forza 3 has plenty. This game offers over five hundred cars with fully modeled interiors ranging from economy cars like the Ford Focus and the Honda civic to super cars like Ferrari Enzo and the Mclaren F1.



My first car in the game: 2009 Ford Fiesta Zetec S

  The game starts off by giving you a selection of cars and difficulty settings to choose from. They aren't the most appealing cars but they are just what you need to start learning how to play a racing simulator. Since this was my first racing simulator, this helped me develop skills required to play the game. When you start your first race, you are able to get a feel of how accurate the car handles compared to real life. For instance, when you are turning a sharp corner, you are able to feel the car's weight shift to one side. Each car feels and handles differently making them all unique in their own way. To add to the realism, the AI (artificial intelligence) drivers have human characteristics as they make mistakes from time to time whether it's braking too early or sliding off the track. After every race, you are given money depending on what place you come in which you could save and buy faster cars. Although driving fast cars is fun, driving slow ones was much more enjoyable than i thought. As you progress through levels, you are given a car every time you level up which lets you drive a variety of cars that you may have not considered buying. Cars are separated into classes depending on their speed, handling, acceleration, braking and launch. You will be driving slow cars that are in F class at first but as you progress in your career, you will be eligible to drive faster cars.

Introduction

I am an average gamer that plays a variety of genres such as racing. I've started playing video games when I was about seven years old playing simple games on the computer like checkers. It is one of my favorite hobbies as I spend a fair amount of time gaming. I use multiple platforms such as the computer and Xbox 360. Some games I play currently include Forza Motorsport 3 which is a racing game and DotA which is an RTS (Real time strategy). I believe that games are beneficial if you are able to moderate how long you play and prioritize your duties. Games can develop a plethora of skills that are needed throughout your life such as social skills, teamwork and hand eye coordination depending on the type of game. You will also learn how to problem solve and find quicker alternatives to tasks when playing video games. Despite these benefits, games can also be a disadvantage if you are unable to control how long you play. Some games also have no educational value especially those that just include useless killing. In this day in age, video games can be a crucial form of education as it is also entertaining therefore capturing the attention of the average student.