Weekly Links #167

Hello, everyone. This week's big news is of course that the original Starcraft is now free, occasioned by the launch of a remastered edition (via Sébastien Delahaye‏). It's just the last in a line of classic game revivals this spring, and while rediscovering the classics is good, I wonder what it says about the present of videogames.

Speaking of revivals, I spent a week or so bringing back — for the second time — my turn-based sprite scaling engine, and at long last it seems to be working out. Details to follow soon; for now, here's a screenshot.

Next, two articles for game designers: a brief one on how to choose content for a roguelike, and the other (via Jay Barnson) on a better way to design dungeons. Short version: just as wordlbuilding in general should serve the purpose of the story you're trying to tell, a dungeon should be all about its inhabitants. Past or present, I would add.

I'll end with two write-ups about higher-level issues: one about that point when camp in a game goes from useful shortcut to offensive stereotype — and what that says about our understanding of history — the other (via Taleslinger) about the lack of cultural self-awareness in Duke Nukem 3D, with a diversion into the surreal, imaginative level design enabled by a pseudo-3D engine, and the way it contrasts with the hyper-realism of newer games.

And that's about it for today, because people have been resting after Easter. See you!