Using AI Appropriately

I had the pleasure of helping develop the PlayStation 5 video-game console when I worked in Research and Development at Sony Interactive Entertainment. One of the advantages of the hardware is that the file system is fast enough so it is not necessary to keep multiple copies of digital assets. What does that mean? When you create a virtual world, it is made up of a number of digital assets such as trees, rocks, buildings, or any number of other things we find in the real world. Most of the time, those assets are used over and over again. For the sake of an example, a forest is made up of a lot of trees. There may be only 5 different tree models created for a game and then they are reused many times to give the illusion of a forest. With the PS4, game designers would copy those 5 trees hundreds of times. That isn't necessary on a PS5 as you can have just the 5 tree types and point back to each one on the file system any time you need it. Assuming each tree requires 4KB of memory (an arbitrary value pulled out of thin air) and you have 1000 of each tree in a game, the PS4 would require 4MB for each tree used while the PS5 only needs 4KB. Theoretically PS5 games should be significantly smaller than for other game consoles. This becomes very helpful for games like Red Dead Redemption 2 that required 2 Blu-ray disks for the game. For physical game disks, it saves a bit of money and for digital downloads, they don't take as long to put on your system.

So what does that have to do with using AI appropriately? It boils down to why game developers only make 5 tree models. Most gamers don't slow down and look at every tree in a forest to see if it is different than all the others. So why take the time to create more than 5? If you can throw the problem at a generative AI program, you can let it create hundreds of different trees. This provides a level of uniqueness currently missing in a lot of games. This totally eliminates the benefit of the PS5 over other gaming consoles as its games once again become bloated. The reality is that while the PS5 doesn't require duplication of digital assets doesn't mean game studios are using the feature. You will still find copies of digital assets spread throughout quite a few games. Why not make the games more unique?

I have been thinking about this issue for the past couple of days and came up with another area where the use of AI should be applied. I walked through my kitchen this morning to get myself some breakfast. My floor is a high-quality laminate with a simulated pine surface. While pine is great looking, it is a very soft wood and makes horrible flooring that is easily scratched and dented. Using a high-quality laminate allows it to be almost indestructible yet look beautiful. The downside to a laminate is that there are only about 5 patterns on the boards. They repeat quite often and if you look closely you notice a lot of the boards are the same. The laminate floor company could use AI to create 100 different patterns instead of just 5. This would create a much more unique floor.

Yes these two solutions for generative AI don't seem to be high priority. After all if they were, companies would spend the effort to make their products more unique. The beauty of using AI is that products can become more unique and special without humans having to spend more time making it happen. You will still need those humans to fine-tune what is generated but their time can be spent being creative and not doing repetitive and mundane tasks.

 

The Fortnite Phenomenon

This morning I attended a meeting where we talked about the Fortnite video game. It is one of those hugely successful games that has everyone scratching their heads wondering how they can repeat the process for their own titles. It is from Epic Games, which is also the creator of the Unreal game engine. As a side-note, if you want to try your hand at creating a video game, you can use the Unreal engine for free. You only have to pay Epic when you sell copies of your game and then it is just a small percentage.

So what makes Fortnite so successful? I can try to answer that question but the reality is that if I could explain it, then everyone would use the same formula to make their own games successful. So let me begin by saying that filling a need at the right time is part of the equation and that makes duplicating the game's success very difficult.

Fortnite is very simple to understand. When I played my first Fortnite match, I did so with a small description of the game. I didn't need any lengthy instructions nor in-game tutorials (as is often the first hour or two of many games). All I did was jump out of a flying school bus and try to stay alive as long as possible. I managed to do so more than half of the players in that match and felt pretty good about myself.

Fortnite allows you to play online with your friends. It is no secret that I started playing the PS2, thanks to the console as a birthday gift from my  brother who worked for Sony at the time. Then my Dad, brothers, and I would go online every Thursday evening from 7pm until around midnight playing with and sometimes against each other. Our favorite game was SOCOM 2 and we had a lot of fun. Our group eventually grew to include a brother-in-law as well as a few nephews. At the all-time peak of our gaming, we met together with our consoles at Thanksgiving and played in the same room. This is quite a feat given that one of my brothers lived in San Diego, the other in Portland, and me in Salt Lake City. Fortnite builds upon the ability to play with friends and does a pretty good job of keeping it fun for everyone.

Fortnite makes it tough to cheat. One of the reasons my brothers and I stopped playing online video games together is because of cheaters and campers. As Fortnite serves as a showcase for the Unreal game engine, Epic took care to make it very difficult to cheat. That doesn't mean cheats don't exist but they are few in number. Fortnite also developed a shrinking environment which makes it difficult for someone to find a hiding spot and stay there for the entire game. You may be able to hide for a few minutes but then a storm causes the playable area to shrink and not moving to the active area eliminates you from the game.

Fortnite does not require a huge time commitment. I just finished playing Red Dead Redemption 2 and it took me over 100 hours to complete. While I didn't play the game in a single sitting, sometimes I would play for several hours at a time. With Fortnite you can play in 10-minute increments. That makes it very easy to fill small blocks of time and doesn't require multi-hour commitments.

Fortnite is free to play. You can download it to your video game console, computer, or smartphone for no charge. Free is always an attractive price for any video game.

Finally, Fortnite levels the playing field for everyone. There is no advantage by paying for anything in the game. You all start out with the same inventory and are required to scavenge for weapons and supplies during each match. That means that your friend whose mom has spent hundreds of dollars in the game does not have any advantage. He or she may have a really cool outfit or be able to do a nice victory dance after killing you, but it is skill that ultimately wins the game.

Yes, People are starting to grow tired of Fortnite and it looks as if the number of active players is on a slow decline. Ultimately it will take quite a while before those numbers drop to zero and so Epic shouldn't worry too much right now. Besides that gives them time to think about what to create to replace it. I hope they come up with something equally spectacular.

Video Game Review: Red Dead Redemption 2

Last week I finally finished Red Dead Redemption 2 and so I thought I would provide a review of the game. It is a long one so plan to spend close to 100 hours if you want to finish it. I completed all of the story missions including the 3 epilogues. There are still a few side quests that I can go back and do but my son wanted to play the game and so it is time for me to move onto something else.

As I have stated in the past, I really enjoyed playing Red Dead Redemption on my PS3. I anxiously awaited the sequel when it was announced. Once it released I contacted one of my close friends who used to work at Rockstar Games and had him help me get a copy for $20. Then I patiently waited as it took an hour or so to copy all of the information from the 2 provided discs to my PlayStation 4. Fortunately I still have a PS3 on my boat and practiced guitar with Rocksmith 2014. Plan to have something else to do during the loading time or you will be bored.

The game started out well as I relearned all of the controls. Many people refer to the beginning of the game as a horse and snow simulator. I didn't mind it at all as I love the snow. Once I got familiar with the game, I sort of got frustrated as I felt forced to do tasks go against my style of play. If I was to give myself one piece of advice it would be to make your own choices and not feel like you owe anything to anyone else in the game. Once I figured that out, I started enjoying the game more.

Rockstar spent a lot of money creating the game and they did a phenomenal job. There are still areas that feel a lot more polished than others. The last few sections of the main part of the game really kept my attention and I wished that more of the game had the same level of finish.

Red Dead Redemption 2 is really 3 games in one. There is the main part of the game where you play as Arthur Morgan. In the Epilogues you change characters and play as John Marston who is the main character in the original Red Dead Redemption. That means RDR2 is a prequel to RDR. Then there is an online portion of the game where you create your own character and perform separate missions using the same map as RDR. All sections of the game combine to create high-value if you are looking for a video game set in the late 1800's.

I played the game knowing I would be doing a review and so I looked for a number of elements so I could comment on them. Firstly the game is rated "M" for Mature and says it includes violence, strong language, drug use, nudity, and sexual situations. I know that some parents are concerned about nudity and the only that I saw during the game was in paintings found in an art gallery. In other words, I wouldn't worry about it in this game. As for the rest of the content, yep, it is all there.

There is a lot of content for a $60 video game. Right now, that price has dropped to $35 and is well worth it at that price. If I didn't have a friend in the industry that got me the game at a nice discount, I would have gladly paid the original asking price. I highly recommend the game for young adults but would be a cautious parent getting this for a teen.

Red Dead Redemption 2 Finally Got Good

For the past several months I have been playing Rockstar's Red Dead Redemption 2 on my PS4. It took a long time for me to start enjoying the game as much as I enjoyed the original Red Dead Redemption. The story seemed to indicate that I was starting to get close to the end and I felt disappointed that I didn't enjoy the game earlier. As I finished up the main story this week, I noticed that Rockstar seemed to put a lot more effort into the game ending and I really got a lot more into the story. The music got better, the writing got better, and the characters finally became more likeable.

The main story ended and I found myself playing the Epilogue as John Marsden. He is the main character in the original game and I really like him. Perhaps it is because he has a son and I can relate to that (as can Kratos in the fairly recent God of War game from Santa Monica Studios) as well as a few other likeable characteristics. Ultimately I found myself wanting to stay up late so I could continue the game last night and had to force myself to go to bed so I wouldn't be a zombie at work today.

I will try to provide a complete review in the near future but wanted to report that I am now finding the game worth playing. Should you be wondering if it is worth your time, I would suggest hurrying through the main part of the story to get to the Epilogue. All of the original story side quests and missions are still available and you can give them a play. I will try to provide an update in the next few days so you can decide for yourself if it is worth playing.

Getting Better at Video Games

So you want to get better at video games? A lot of people do. The Wall Street Journal ran an article back in July about parents paying for tutors so their kids can get better at Fortnite, a popular video game. When I started playing Red Dead Redemption 2, I did really well at the beginning but then found myself struggling. I wanted to get better and so I thought I would offer a few tips from someone that works with video games every single day.

Tip 1: Practice
Anyone who has ever learned to play a musical instrument knows the importance of daily practice. Since I have started learning to play the guitar, I try to practice for an hour a day. I am not always successful and can tell when I have taken a day off. The same applies to video games. If you want to get good at them, you need to make sure you are playing regularly. Unfortunately this may cut into other activities and so you will need to decided how good you want to get. I would much rather be an excellent skier and just a mediocre video game player and so I adjust my priorities accordingly. If you are still in school, I would place education over game-playing skill. You may disagree but you will be better off in the long run.

Tip 2: Watch other Players
Let's assume that you have decided to set aside one hour per day to practice video games. That is an appropriate amount as it acts to relieve stress and hone your problem-solving skills. Don't feel compelled to just play games in the hopes that you will get better. There are a number of forums such as YouTube and Twitch that have countless hours of game-play video.

You have your own style of play and will continue to do the same things over and over. By watching other players, you will pick up tips and tricks that you have not thought about. I suggest watching games that you have completed so you don't spoil some of the secrets in your current game unless it is repetitive like Fortnite. As you go through sections that you have completed you will find yourself wondering why you didn't think to try something while you were playing the game. Perhaps there is a secret room you missed or you used a noisy gun when a silent crossbow would have been a better weapon to take out a guard.

Watching other people play a game you are familiar with is a great way to help you develop new strategies for different games. If your game of choice is something like Fortnite, it will help you see what you might be doing wrong and how to survive longer.

Tip 3: Explore Trophies and Achievements
I used to not worry about trophies (on the PlayStation consoles) or achievements (on the XBox consoles). Then I had a coworker talk about how it changed up his play and made the game more enjoyable. I decided to take his advice and looked at the various trophies available for the games I play. Sometimes you will receive a trophy simply for changing out the various weapons in the game. I am one of those people that prefers a sniper rifle to a shotgun and so I rarely pick one up. Trying to get different trophies has encouraged me to try the various weapons in shooter games and I find myself becoming a better player overall. Don't get me wrong, I still prefer taking someone down from a distance but sometimes you don't have that option and if you find yourself in close-combat situations, it is important to know different fighting styles.

Trophies and achievements will also having you looking around for other parts of the game you may have not considered. There is one trophy in the Uncharted games where you just need to wade through a pool on an abandoned cruise ship. Knowing about the trophy had me wandering through various parts of the ship I might have ignored. Needless to say I found a bunch of different collectables and improved as a player.

Tip 4: Play other Games
I would have to say that my favorite type of video game is the action/adventure genre. I still play other types of games though. Earlier I mentioned Uncharted and that is one game where you are sometimes shooting bad guys, other times solving puzzles, and maybe even driving cars. That could be why I like it as I can get bored with the same thing over and over. There are a number of specialized games that can help. If you find yourself having trouble evading bad guys in a car, try picking up a driving game for your favorite console (Gran Turismo on the PlayStation or Forza on the XBox).

Someone in the video game industry recommending you to play different games my come off as a bit self-serving. After all, the more games you buy, the larger my bonus at the end of the year. However it isn't necessary to buy a bunch of different games. There are a number of places to borrow games including public libraries and close friends. Even if you don't plan to complete the game, borrow one every once and a while just to get a feel for what else is out there and see if it doesn't help you improve your video game skills.

I always try to change up the genres of video games I play to keep things fresh. While there are 6 Uncharted games that you can play (including 1 on the Vita), I have never played all 6 in a row. In fact, I have only completed 5 of the 6 as I am playing other games before moving onto the last one. I also probably should have changed genres after completing Far Cry 5 and moving onto Red Dead Redemption 2. I am getting a little bored with Red Dead Redemption 2 even though it is a great game and I loved the original so much.

Conclusion
There are probably a few other tips for helping you improve you video game playing skills. These are the ones that have worked for me. If you have any other suggestions, feel free to leave a comment. It may help someone trying to get better.

Time Magazine's Top 10 Video Games of 2018

Yesterday I posted about Time Magazine's best inventions of 2018. The 2nd to last article in my copy of the magazine lists the top 10 video games of 2018. I couldn't help but comment on it today.

Once again I disagree with some titles on the list and agree with others. I do have to admit that they did a pretty good job of spreading the list across all different platforms. There are games for the PS4, Switch, Xbox One, iPhone, Android, and PC. If I were to create a list, it would probably be just games for the PlayStation console as that is the only place I play new games. Furthermore I have a tendency to play games a little bit after they have been released and want to make sure I have played them all the way through before recommending them or not.

As there are only 10 games, I can list them here (remember that this is Time Magazine's list and not mine):

1. God of War (PS4)
2. Spider-Man (PS4)
3. Into the Breach (PC, Switch)
4. Subnautica (Xbox One, PC)
5. Red Dead Redemption 2 (PS4, Xbox One)
6. Florence (iPhone, Android)
7. Super Mario Party (Switch)
8. Assassin's Creed Odyssey (PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC)
9. Dandara (PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC, iPhone, Android)
10. Donut County (PS4, iPhone, PC)

I have to be honest and confess that I have never heard of half of these games.  Part of that is because I don't play a lot of smartphone games. I have one that I play on a regular basis but it is an old version of the Risk board game and didn't come out this year. There are so many smartphone games that I don't even bother trying them out. I also don't play PC games nor do I own an Xbox One or Switch (I do have access to them at work though).

I have a copy of God of War as well as Spider-Man but have yet to play them. Seeing that they are both 1 and 2 on Time's list has me wanting to play them as soon as I finish Red Dead Redemption 2, which is number 5. Judging by comments made by coworkers, both of those games deserve to be on the list.

One surprise for me is Assassin's Creed Odyssey. One of my coworkers is in the middle of the game and speaks very highly of it. I am a fan of Ubisoft games but have never played any of the Assassin' Creed games. I may have to give this one a try. It will have to be after Spider-Man and God of War though.

It is the end of the year and so I am sure there will be plenty of lists like this one. If you don't see your favorite game in this group, don't fret as it probably appears on someone else's list.

Video Games for Christmas

Yesterday I posted my Christmas list for 2018 and so I thought I would follow it up with a list of games that might make good gifts. Normally I include video games that I would like to play during the Christmas break and have done so at the end of October. Now I am a bit more realistic. I won't be trying to play a lot of games. Instead I will probably just play Red Dead Redemption II. I loved the first one and know that this one will be equally awesome. At least that is what all my coworkers are telling me as they play the game. If you have someone on your Christmas list that loves playing video games and they don't yet have this one, get it. They will love you for it.

There are a number of other video games that I can also recommend should your video game junkie be a bit to young for a game with an ESRB rating of M for Mature. In case you missed one of my earlier blog posts, Horizon Zero Dawn is a great game that can be picked up for $20. That includes the extra DLC.

At the end of October, I recommended Fallout 76. When I made that recommendation, I thought it was an open-world-action-adventure-campaign game. Now I discovered it is a multi-player-online game. While that would have interested me a decade ago, it is not the type of game I play now. It does have me thinking about picking up a copy of Fallout 4 though. I can get a digital download of that for around $22 and so I may do that as soon as I am done with my current game.

One more game I would recommend is the remastered version of The Last of Us. It started out as a PS3 game and then Naughty Dog remastered it for the PS4. I have yet to play it and so my recommendation comes from coworkers telling me I need to play it as well as an hour or two of watching my son play. I am told it has one of the best stories of any video game. You can pick up a copy for only $20. Part 2 will be released in the near future and so I want to be ready to play that when it becomes available.

There are a lot of really great video games available for this version of consoles (PS4 or XBox One) and so you should not have a shortage of ideas. Simply figure out what kind of games the person on your Christmas list likes to play and do a bit of searching. It shouldn't take long to find something with good reviews. Just be sure to stay away from the bad games as there are a lot of those as well.

What to Play This Holiday Season

It feels like there are more high-quality video games being released than I can possibly play right now. I have such a huge stack of games to play I am having trouble figuring out how to get them all in. Right now I am trying to complete Far Cry 5 and rather than trying to do everything I will just do the basic minimum to get to the end of the game so I can move on to some of these other exciting games just released or soon to be released.

The sequel to one of my favorite video games was released on Friday last week and I will pick up my copy from a friend with ties to Rockstar Games. Yes, I am talking about Red Dead Redemption 2. I do want to finish Far Cry 5 before I start and so as soon as I can get back to my boat this evening, I will power through the final stages of that game.

There is also Spiderman that released back in September and has a lot of fans. My son completed the game, purchased the DLC, and has finished the first of 3 installments of the DLC. He really enjoyed the game. I don't know when I will get to that but it is on my list.

While I am currently playing Far Cry 5 on my sailboat when in the Bay Area, I am also trying to finish Detroit: Become Human back at home in Utah. I don't mind playing that game while at home because my wife likes to sit on the couch and watch me play. That is one of those games that is more movie with a few interactions than an action adventure game like most of the other games I play.

Looking ahead, there are a number of games to be released before Christmas that I also need to add to my playlist. Fallout 76 looks graphically amazing and should be an exciting follow-up to Fallout 4. Then Battlefield 5 gets released a week later. I really enjoyed Battlefield One and jumping forward in time to WWII will make for an interesting game. All of these should keep me busy through New Year's Day. Then there is a huge schedule of great games being released next year. So many games but so little time.

Looking Forward to Red Dead Redemption 2

The second trailer for Red Dead Redemption 2 was recently released and has me excited about the game. After watching the new footage, I immediately called my friend that used to work for Rockstar Games and asked if he had a way of getting me a discount copy of the game. While I would be willing to pay full price for the game, I also try to leverage my contacts in the video game industry to help me get good deals.

Red Dead Redemption is a special game to me. It showed me that playing video games in the evening can be much more rewarding that watching television. After several weeks of playing the game nightly, I felt like I was losing a friend when the game ended. In the trailer for version 2 of the game, there doesn't seem to be any connection between the two games other than they both take place in the western United States in the mid 1800's. Someone explained to me that the new game is a prequel. I'll be very interested to see how the two games are related.

The only bad news delivered in the trailer is that the game will not be ready until the spring of 2018. With all of the anticipated game releases between now and Christmas, that is probably a good thing. I can still be disappointed though.