MineCraft

Minecraft is a perfect example of a video game meeting the art medium. Minecraft is a building game created by Markus Notch Persson. Think of Legos, the game is pretty much like that. But it gives users a lot more to work with. Minecraft has no creative restraint which allows the players to create anything they want. Players can even add their own elements to the game mechanics by creating mods. Mods can range from new monsters to new devices or machinery in game. Minecraft has a multiplayer mode which allows you to bring people into the world you created or to go to theirs.

Minecraft art

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The images seen below are all screen caps of artworks made by different people.

This person made a full scale USS Enterprise from StarTrek. If this isn’t an art form I don’t know what is.

This next image displays minecraft’s most common form of art. Pixel art is normally retro video game characters and is the easiest to do, but that doesn’t mean that is not time consuming.

The rarer and hardest form of Minecraft art is 3D sculptures. These take a lot more time a precision to pull off just right.

Below is a castle, it has 47 rooms and spans underground.

MineCraft Negatives:

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MineCraft Griefers – They are people that like to destroy what people build in Minecraft because it is funny to them. Griefers can destroy an entire server within seconds using hacks or abusing an existing bug with in the Minecraft code itself. The video below will show you basically what griefers will do

Minecraft is still in beta so bugs are a common thing. Right now the most commonly abused bug is the one where you would place two detector rails together. This will cause an infinite loop on the server and will end up causing it to crash.

Audacity

Audacity is the most popular free, open source audio editor/ recorder avalible. Audacity works with all platforms, including Windows, Mac, GNU, Linux and more. However, this podcast software is more intended for editing and recording than publishing. So many people use this program to create their podcasts but use other programs or services to publish them.

Audacity works with a variety of audio formats, including open source formats like ogg but is not compatible with proprietary formats like wma or aac. The recorder can record from almost anything, including from a microphone, line in or anything playing through the sound card.

Recording/ Importing:

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With Audacity, you can record just about anything. And since you can record through a line in, you can digitize recordings from tapes, records or from a midi device. It can also record from a microphone and anything playing on the sound card, so any sound your computer will play can be recorded.
You can import wav, aiff, au, ogg and mpeg 2 & 3. It can export wav, aiff, au and ogg and can create CD quality wav and aiff. As mentioned above, it does not support proprietary formats like wma or aac, which are owned by Microsoft and Apple. However, mp3s are pretty much playable anywhere.

Editing:

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Audacity offers a good collection of editing tools including mixing, cropping, cross fading, noise reduction and much more. It also has effects like echo, fade, modulation, normalization, reverse and tempo. This program has a waveform display, volume sliders and a mouse zoom for easy and quick edits. Although this is an adequate program, it does not include as many editing tools and effects as Propaganda.

Publishing:

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This software does not include publishing tools; you have to go through another service like PodBlaze to publish your podcast.

Ease of Use:

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Audacity is easy to use, although it would be nice if it had a drag & drop tool and right click edits like Propaganda.

Comics vs Manga

“What are the primary differences between Japanese Manga (Comics) and American Comics?

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Typical Comic Style

Typical Manga Style

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There is a big difference in art styles between Manga, which is more stylized (exaggerated) and American comics, which tend to be more “realistic”. There are also quite a few serious differences between the two types of comics. Some of the differences, just to mention a few of them are the cost, creation, diverse audience and genres, presentation and even size.

The creation of Manga as well as its presentation is quite different than American Comics. Manga is printed in black-and-white format while American comics are the majority of the time in full color. Also, when you look at a graphic novel or Manga you will notice a difference in the size. Manga is frequently smaller than traditional American comic books, usually digest-size and roughly half to one-third the size of American comics. But where the American comics are generally thin like a small magazine, running about 32 pages, Manga comic books are thick and can be hundreds of pages in length!

In page count, Manga is quite similar to graphic novels, which are often just collections of the ongoing American comics. But unlike American graphic novels, which are usually just a collection of monthly comics in a single unified story or story arc, Manga books are often apart of an even bigger story and a complete Manga storyline can run thousands of pages.

Another difference between traditional American comics is that mainstream American comics are often created in a sort of assembly-line fashion. They have a writer (story), a penciler (initial sketch), inker (uses a pen to ink over the sketch), letterer (adds dialog) and a colorist (colors the inked sketch). Most Manga books are done by a single creator, who combines all those chores (except coloring).

Also Manga story lines usually move at a much quicker pace. Due to the high page count, one reads a Manga book at an accelerated pace. Manga books almost always have fewer panels and less dialogue (rambling) per page than American comic books. The price for Manga is also more than the average comic book and a bit more than a standard paperback novel, the small size of Manga and black-and-white printing rather than full color keeps the cost down. The lack color is made up when you consider the story development that it’ll have with the amount of pages it has.

In Japan, Manga is not viewed as just for kids unlike the American stereotype. There pretty much is a Manga for everyone. With that being stated there are three main genres in Japanese Manga: Shonen Manga (boy’s comics), Shojo Manga (girl’s comics) and Hentai (adult comics).

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Shonen Example:

Balanced Example:

Shojo Example:

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Shonen Manga is pretty much comics that are primarily action and/or adventure geared. If you’d like to view some examples of that genre, I’d recommend “Bleach” and/or “Full Metal Alchemist”. Shojo Manga is for the opposite sex; they are often about relationships and/or love interests. Please note that even though a particular genre is geared towards a certain audience it’s not limited to just that audience (unless otherwise stated). Finally Hentai Manga, I won’t delve much into this since it is primarily for adults and NOT suitable for children (just to be safe in case a child is reading this). Anyways, Hentai Manga is sometimes sexually explicit and/or adult-themed. In other words, do not purchase this for your child.”

Video Games As Art?

I was thinking the other day, how come entertainment such as cinema, literature, music and comics count as a form of art among official critics while video games are still looked down upon by them as mere children’s toys. I think these people are pretty closed-minded to video games to have this kind of mind set.

Let’s analyze video games so that you can understand how I see video games as an art medium from my perspective view on this subject. The way I see modern video games are made from many different combinations of art mediums. Most modern video games have a storyline just as most literature does too. Also a lot of design goes into the graphics of video games. Most of the time traditional drawings such as concept art and landscape layouts are done before they are recreated as 3D game objects and are sometimes added to the game itself as extra bonus content that you can unlock in the game itself.

Even music in video games has come a long way. From the simple 8 bit melodies to full blown orchestrated master pieces. I’ll even give you a great example of how far the music has come. Here are two soundtracks, one from a very early Mario game and one from a the most current to date.

Just listen to the Super Mario Bros vs Bowser Soundtrack in the video below.

Now Listen to Super Mario Galaxy 2 vs Bowser Soundtrack in the video below.

Did you see how much of a jump that was?

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Games even have cinema elements in them. They have cut scenes which are small in game movies which can help tell the story. Games today also have voice actors as well. I good example of a game with a lot of cinema elements in it would be Heavy Rain.
This is why I think Video games deserve to be labeled as an art medium.

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Yet these closed-mind critics are so ignorant, they are willing to ignore the fact that video games have all these different elements of art built into them just because the word “game” is in it. Comic books had this same problem. Comics were often called cartoons back then and mostly targeted to children. Comics did not get the respect they deserved until the industry began to call them graphic novels. That is what we gamers need to do with video games; we should start calling video games interactive cinema or something to that ring. This might just help them become recognized as an art.

After reading this I hope you walk away with a better understanding of why video games are underrated as art. Have a nice day.

Sony Vegas

Sony Creative Software’s Vegas Pro 9 is an innovative, Windows-only non-linear edit system (NLE) that has really exploded in recent years on the market. Fully featured, the system also includes excellent built-in tools for audio editing, graphics and titling, DVD and Blu-ray authoring, and more.

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Features:

Included with the latest version of Vegas Pro 9 is 4K resolution (RED) compatibility and enhanced native XDCAM EX support. Editors can work with unlimited video tracks for multitrack editing, and the program includes a great multi-camera workflow. It also ships with over 190 customizable video filters and effects.

Video Editing:

Native format support includes most types of standard definition (SD), DV, and high definition (HD), in addition to RED’s 4K resolution (high definition, UHD). Vegas Pro 9 also supports 32- and 64-bit Windows operating systems, including Windows 7 and Vista, one of the first to do so. In fact, Vegas Pro is usually ahead of the curve on important new features over competing NLEs, including being the first to add native 24p support. They’ve also added Bezier curves for keyframe automation in a software update.

Production Assistant:

This is a new plug-in developed by Sony Creative Software in partnership with VASST that streamlines the editing process by automating many tasks common to broadcast, industrial or event videography. There are also a number of project templates. Easily and quickly add transitions, filters, perform color correction and much more, plus export to any number of formats at once through intuitive batch processing.

Exporting/Authoring:

Easily export to a wide variety of formats for video, web, and optical media (DVD and Blu-ray). DVD Architect 5, part of Vegas Pro 9, contains a set of tools to create great looking and professional DVDs and Blu-ray discs. The program is fairly easy to use, which is a plus for an editor with any level of experience on leading non-linear edit systems and DVD/Blu-ray authoring apps.

Audio Editing:

You may notice the lack of a true stand-alone audio editing and mixing application in this package. This is because Vegas Pro has perhaps the best built-in audio editing and mixing tools of any non-linear editor on the market. Vegas Pro started its life as an audio-only software application, but became a full-functioning NLE by version 2.0, which gives it a distinct advantage when it comes to audio editing, mixing and mastering over competing apps, without having to switch to a separate audio editing and mixing program.

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I recommend this product to anyone and I think I’ll be getting the full version after the semester is over.

MixCraft

Acoustica’s Mixcraft 5.0 is a multi-track recording studio that allows you to record audio, use pre-defined loops, create videos, and more. They like to call it a kind of “Garage Band for Windows”, and it certainly does let you do a lot. Anyone familiar with multi-track editing won’t be intimidated by this, but even if you’re new to the party, you should find the learning curve to be reasonable.

The musician in me wanted to delve into a new song right away. Fortunately, this was not a problem. The Library tab at the bottom contains about 2000 sounds, ranging from your typical acoustic guitar, bells, and strings, to vinyl, vocals, and even bagpipes. You can preview each one without adding it to your project, while a double-click will create a single track with a single beat for your sound. There is also a mixer where you can set the lows, mids, and highs of each track, as well as a nice set of effects that you can use , like compression, distortion, reverb, and a set of DirectX effects.

Since the sample sounds won’t always match the pitch or tempo of your project, it’s actually quite simple to set each one to match the settings for your project. You can record directly to a track, either with a microphone or other input device. This works well, and it’s nice to be able to start editing and adding effects as soon as you’re done recording.

The only real problem I had with managing my project was with the scrollbar that spans the length of the tracks. Unlike Acid 7.0, there is no way to click the edge of the scrollbar and expand or compress it, which would allow you to get a more detailed look. You can use the plus or minus signs on your keyboard, which technically does the trick, but there’s a little less flexibility here.

While you can add video tracks to your projects, and mix projects down to create AVI or WMV files, there didn’t seem to be a lot of things you can actually do with the videos, other than adding a soundtrack. An assortment of video effects would have been nice.

Japanese Import Nintendo 3DS

Although I was most impressed by the Nintendo 3DS AR games, I did have a chance to briefly play a few other titles on the handheld before my friend sold his 3DS import for $700 (yea people really but stuff that overpriced to get their hands on it early) . Here’s a roundup and thoughts on them:

Face Raiders:

This is another release that comes preinstalled on the Nintendo 3DS. The game is a shooter but the gimmick is that the enemies are your friends. Riffing off Photo Dojo, the do-it-yourself fighting game, players take mugshots of their friends and Face Raiders turns the images into enemies in an augmented reality shooter. Players will have to tap the right shoulder button to fire at enemies. They’ll have to physically move around and dodge enemy fire. There’s even a boss fight at the end, where players have to shoot at spiked balls so that they fly toward the big bad, damaging it. For all intents and purposes, it works and it even excels if you’re playing on a swivel chair.

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Steel Diver:

I expected to be astounded by this submarine title. I heard that playing it with the 3D on is like looking into an aquarium. Sadly, it wasn’t all true. The game is a 2D sidescroller that moves fairly slow. Part of the reason is the controls: Players have to manual move a lever on the touchscreen to rise and fall and touch another to move forward and backward. You don’t use the face buttons or directional pad that much. There’s also a slight delay as the sub changes momentum beneath the sea.

All in all, the game has a Steel Batallion feel. There’s a lot going on with the touchscreen controls, plenty of dials and readings to pay attention to. You even have to plug breaches in the hull by pressing the stylus or your finger against the touchscreen. The one element that works well is the periscope. In this mode, the sub rises to the surface and players have turn their bodies just as though they were looking through an actual periscope. While they’re doing that, they have to aim their torpedos and fire at battleships and other vessels. It’s another situation that’s ideal for swivel chairs. All these 3DS games work so well sitting down that I figure Nintendo should come up with their own licensed swivel seat.

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Pilotwings Resort:

I’ve always been interested in the Pilotwings series since it launched on the Super Nintendo 20 years ago. The only problem was that interest never actually converted to a sale — until now. When Pilotwings Resort comes out, that’s the 3DS title I’ll be picking up. Of all the games I played so far, it’s the one that uses the 3D best (aside from the AR games). You get a sensation of depth as you buzz past landmarks on Nintendo’s Woohoo Island, a place that’s beginning to show up in several games. It’s basically Shigeru Miyamoto’s Yoknapatawpha County.

Along with flying a plane, you can take a rocket belt that has some funny control mechanics. You have to fly up and hover for a moment, before twisting the rockets on the belt horizontally to move forward. You have to constantly do this and fly between rings before your fuel runs out. Lastly, you can take a hang glider out for a spin. It doesn’t have any mechanical parts or use fuel to get around. Instead, you have to glide atop hot spots so that you get lifted higher and maneuver to another part of the map.

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Whoa, I’m over doing this blog, I’m about 300 words over, well I’ll wrap it up real quick.

nintendogs + cats: I didn’t play this game that much, but Nintendo added facial recognition that affects how dogs are trained. Your pets now recognize you. If you call it, it will come, but if a stranger does the same thing, it may not respond as well.

3D, Future or Fad?

I’m starting to see more and more 3D movies being made lately and now the 3D is moving to gaming. Is 3D technology a fad like beepers, or is it something more. I’m starting to believe that this 3d thing is not just a fad but something that will pave the way for many things to come.

Reasons why I believe 3D technology is not a just some silly fad. Nintendo, a big company that puts out big money making devices, has developed a 3D screen that can be used without glasses. Not having to worry about keeping up with glasses and still have the 3D effects. That type of technology is what we need to push this forward, not like the 3D TVs that require glasses. Those 1st 3D TVs really hurt the 3D business. The masses saw how bad these TVs were and probably won’t take this technology seriously again for another 10 years. This is probably why Nintendo won’t show their 3DS gameplay because our 2D TVs can’t display 3D properly and the masses only look once before saying I don’t want this.

Also a lot of people don’t see the point of 3D technology right now. And this is one of the reasons we should get into 3D tech. We could find uses for it. I can think of a few uses for 3D technology right now. 3D security cameras, these cameras can detect more objects and have fewer blind spots or a 3D monitor that can have infrared detectors on it so when you reach out to touch a 3D image you can interact with it. The list goes on and you can probably think of a few more uses for this technology yourself. The 28th I’m going to get my hands on this technology and hopefully get the jump of designing 3D web sites to help push this technology in the right direction.

Augmented Reality

You’re probably asking yourself what is Augmented Reality. Augmented Reality or AR for short is a live or indirect view of real-world surroundings whose elements are augmented by computer generated sensory input. In English that means you can make computers see what you cannot. For example you can look at a table with an AR sheet laying on it; all you would see is that paper. If you look at that same piece of paper using a camera connected to a computer with AR software installed on it you will be able to a new 3D object on the computer screen but when you look at the table, but when you look at the table in real life all you would see is the paper.

This technology is still in early stages of development and still has a long ways to go before it becomes a part of everyday life. Augmented Reality is already available for people to use. You can download the software for Augmented Reality for free and you can also find software that will allow you to create your own Augmented Reality sheets. Software is open soucre so anyone can use.

What possible uses can Augmented Reality be used for? AR is already being used for video games. Nintendo’s 3DS will have Augmented Reality capabilities built into it, and I get mine of the 28th of this month so I’ll be able to see its capabilities hands on. There is also the AR drones, the AR drones are RC aircrafts with a built in camera, there is a screen on the controller and you will be able to play with others and have dogfights (aerial combat). If I had a AR drone the only thing I would do is to mess with people. Another use AR technology can have a use for is in advertisement like on a business card or flyer. Augmented Reality could even be used to display CGI works of art in a gallery, being able to see 3D art in 3D would be cool.

What I would do with AR drones

I estimate we will use this in everyday life in about 10 years from now. But for now it is just not practical because of the AR glasses’ size, battery life and weight.

Free Alternatives

This week’s blog I’ll be going over some free alternative programs for those of you like me who is tight with money. I’ll talk about these free alternative programs in greater detail next month, but for now I’ll briefly discuss them.

Many artists out here are looking for a free alternative to Photoshop. The best free alternative program in my option is Gimp. Gimp has to be the most powerful free image manipulation program out there. Gimp allows you to use layers like in Photoshop. It also has a ton of filters and tools you can use. You can also make your own brushes for this great program. It is compatible with drawing tablets like the Wacom Bamboo Fun Tablet which is what I have. Gimp even allows you to make your very own animated gif files. There are many more possibilities but there are some negatives too. Gimp takes a while to load sometimes and it can crash while saving files with a ton of layers. If it crashes while saving you will lose all of your work.

Another great free program is Camstudio. I use this as a free alternative to Fraps. These programs are used to record video footage on your computer screen. Most commonly used to capture video gameplay these files tend to require high quality programs which you can’t get for free. But I found a way to get high quality footage with Camstudio. You must simply go into the options and change the codex to a better one, you can download them free on the internet.

Are you sick of your audio getting pulled out of your youtube videos. You wish you had a free alternative to programs like MixCraft and GarageBand. Well you’re in luck, because there is such a program. Magix Music Maker Basic Edition is a free music creation program, you can use it you make your own music or remix existing tracks. It’s free and easy to use and I have had no problems with it at all yet.

These Programs will be blogged in greater detail later but the purpose of this blog is to let people know that there are free alternatives to major programs out here before they spend their hard earned money.