My fascination with Split/Second - Explained

So, here we are, over 6 months after release, and those that know me are probably asking - "What's up with this guy and his non-stop rant about a racing game?"

So, thought I'd provide a bit of insight.

Ever since I was a young tyke, I somehow grew attached to car racing. I remember, running around with my "red wagon"; making (and winning) my "Pinewood Derby" car in the Boy Scouts; and the awesome birthday cake my mom surprised me with showcasing a "track" and an actual race car on top.

Fast-forward a bit, and my career life intermixed with broadcast media. I've worked both the radio and television side of it performing a variety of responsibilities. One duty being "technical directing."

For those not knowing what this is - this is the individual that in most cases "switches" camera views during a TV (Live/Recorded) show. Fades to and from black, chroma/alpha keys, instructs VTR/DVR play, and so forth. In a sense, basically edits the show on-the-fly... No margin for error, especially during a live show as whatever mistake made is instantly seen.

You sit in a room, much like this:
Image courtesy of: WKYC - Channel 3

In this image, the technical director is sitting on the left side with that big monster of gadgetry (aka switcher) in front of him. (This is a more elaborate control room, but the switcher I used was similar.) For the duration of the show, you're in the "hot seat." Stress/pressure and occasional confusion is your constant companion.

This was fun, but luckily it wasn't my core responsibility - otherwise I'd be a resident of a white room with a unique jacket to wear.

So, what does this have to do with Split/Second? Given what I've said - the video below should help:


A few more S/S vids were released, much in the same fashion like this "TV/Director" feel... and well, that's all it took. It almost seems like I was destined to play S/S and it's a pretty damn good game to boot!

Disney / Black Rock - you never thought that one day, a while back, when brainstorming what is now "Split/Second" - would hit a positive nerve on an unsuspecting, but thankful fan - huh?

Split/Second: Eye (& Ear) Candy

Alas, I've spent enough time with the game to get an overall feel. Definitely, one of the best arcade racers I've played (even with its flaws).

However, along with the visual awesomeness that comes with playing, one dominant aspect is the game's audio and music soundtrack. Clearly, Disney Interactive and Blackrock Studio put some thought and effort into this.

Except for the "Intro Sequence" video, the remaining are videos I created for kicks. -Enjoy!


The game's intro sequence


Split/Second: Elite Rate Mix


Split/Second: Soundtrack Mix

Split/Second: May 18th(US) / May 21(UK)

Ever since I heard about Split/Second last year, I've been waiting with profound anticipation for its release. It was unfortunate, that my TV died before the S/S demo was released on XBL a few weeks ago. But, that problem has been resolved and I've been playin' ever since.

The demo lives up to the trailers Disney and Blackrock have been teaser throwing over the last couple of months and I'm quite satisfied.

Usually, demos are small glimpses of what the real game will offer and hope that will be the case here.

I pre-ordered Split/Second back in January. I have but a few days to wait... *drool*

Meanwhile, I dusted off my 3D program and created a Split Second wallpaper favoring the old style typeface. Click the desired image (it'll open in a new window) and right-click to save.

Enjoy!


Size: 1280 x 1024


Size: 1024 x 768


Size: 800 x 600

By the way, here's a vid of me playing the demo.

Teaser Preroll video

One day last week, my coworkers informed me of a contest that starts on April 2010. The prize giveaway was the biggest ever in the history of the radio station. I felt I needed to at least create a "teaser video" for our radio streaming product in order to peak the interest of our audience and convey some hype.

The prize involves "water" so I created some water bubble effect video to serve as the background. Then, it was a matter of finding the right music, and creating the teaser text to accompany it.

A few edits here, some effects there, and below is the result.



For some reason the text display timing is off - it should appear with the music's downbeat. Must be some Blogger encoding artifact

The life of an Xbox Ambassador™

I recently became fortunate enough to be granted Xbox Ambassador status on Xbox/Xbox Live.  To start, this is an honor and I'm happy to participate in a program devoted to helping people.

Along the way, however, I've read and heard some misconceptions about what an Ambassador actually does, is supposed to do, and what their primary duties are.

As an XA, my primary goal is to help others.  The fact that I inherently do this actually makes my role easier.  I'm no different than any other gamer/subscriber.  I yield no magical powers, I have no special privileges and most importantly, I am not a Mod(erator).

In return for my help, I'm granted a forum game card symbol (seen above) that serves as a signal to others that "I'm here to help, any way I can."

Contrary to any belief, XAs do not get discounts, prizes, games, Microsoft Points, LIVE subscriptions codes, swag (T-shirts, caps, mousepads etc.), nor do we expect any.  Individuals interested in being Ambassadors have chosen to be in the program because of their willingness to help others.

I am not an employee of or contractor for Microsoft/Xbox, yet because I can be perceived as a "representative", I obviously do my best to showcase the positives on all fronts. However, I am an individual and am encouraged to be myself on XBL and the forums.

With that said, if I come across a healthy discussion with an opposing view, my role doesn't prevent me from disagreeing - but, common sense does prevail as it always has.  I will engage a discussion in a tactful, constructive way that shows respect to both the parties involved and the company I represent.  This is how it should be anyway, and does not necessarily reflect on my Ambassador status.

I am not a Mod, as stated before, but, should I come across an issue on the Live service or forum, I report it appropriately.  But, I don't purposely "police" the service or forums.

As mentioned, no rewards, but there are some perks: Having people seek you out (and thank you) for your help and making new friends along the way.

Should you ever find yourself needing help, feel free to send me an Xbox message or forum PM (GT: JAriel) - or hit me up on Twitter - @jag731.

Enjoy Trance?

While rummaging through my hard drive, I found this little gem.

A Trance mix I created way back in 2005. I had come across an awesome mix by Toby Doran, and got inspired. It's about 45 mins long.

Featuring music from Cass, Delerium, Peter Lazonby, Armin Van Buuren & others.

Right click here and "Save as" to download. (~41M)

Enjoy!

1vs100 on XBL - Another season in the can...

It's official.  Season 2 of 1vs100 is no more.  Unfortunately, too many distractions (among them -  a cold) kept me from obtaining the "Quick Draw" achievement and reaching Lvl 50.  =o/

Alas, now that the season's over, the kid gloves come off.  Yep, I'm a big fan of the game to the point of being labeled a rabid fan, and I have nothing but high respect for those involved, but, the game (and related features) still has issues - and here they are:...

1)  Lack-luster prizing.  It's the end of Season 2 and we're still dealing with Microsoft points and arcade games. I'm not trying to sound ungrateful, but, the game's novelty isn't exactly new anymore.  We're nearing a year since its debut, and it's time to push those prize values up.

2) Game advertising.  I found it interesting to see how many people posted on the forums after Season 2's last LIVE game about how they "just found out" about the game.  Dashboard entries, Inside Xbox videos are fine and dandy, but if you really want to push this game out for people to take interest, get the marketing out there.

There's more to Twitter and Facebook - you're limiting exposure by sticking to certain areas of the advertising medium.  Buy banner ads on popular sites (maybe grease some palms with game dev sites to post ads on their end?) - How about a big huge banner on the front page of the xbox.com site?  I've seen plenty of promotion for other games and events.  Don't forget texting and mobile media.

It's obvious a lot of time, effort and I'm sure money is being spent on this endeavor - and yet, some people don't even know about the game or what it's about.  I volunteer to help promote the hell out of this.. just ask!

3) Trivia Texting support.  Season 2 took us a bit further with texting interaction.  However, many a times I came across what appeared to be technical problems.  One of which being told "I had already participated this week" when the trivia text was sent on a Tuesday.  Unsure where the system got the idea I had already participated, but, I feel some of my entries were automatically discarded through no fault of my own.

Problem is, I didn't know who to contact.  @1vs100XboxLIVE yielded no replies.  Texting questions in the 1vs100 forums also were met with a handful of answers that weren't "official."  Not even an announcement was made on 1vs100's site, forums, Twitter (can't speak for Facebook - I'm hardly on there) about this texting feature and so, frankly, to me it felt like a half-ass promotion/feature with little or no support.  If this appears in Season 3 - this little/no support part definitely needs to be fixed.  You can't offer features to players and not offer some recourse or instructions should things go *boom*.

4) A 1vs100 Knowledge Base.  I know this was briefly mentioned sometime during S2 - I hope it's ready for S3.  A lot of the forum clutter could *hopefully* be directed to this KB system.  By the way, the very first KB entry should detail.. A Patch of Blue does not cheat.

5) What happened to the play-by-play during LIVE games on Twitter/FB?  Sure, there was some but it wasn't consistent. Back to "advertising" - the more buzz created, the more potential attention the game draws to itself.

6) Fix the Prizing fullfillment aspect of the game and unless I missed it - post on the 1vs100 site what one should do if your prize doesn't arrive after the 4-6 weeks timeframe.

7) Keep building on your question database -  Season 3 should have little to no repeats.

8) What happened to the forum "Shoutout" threads for the LIVE shows?  They all but disappeared in S2. New players come in and don't know what's going on. Plus, the in-game audio is not consistent enough for some.  Post the email address in the opening game credits or in the game's help or on the lobby "Scoreboard" - Less forum clutter, and threadlocking.

I really would like to see this game take off.  The team has laid out the groundwork. It's time to tweak, fine tune, and get this puppy ready for "Primetime!"

See ya'll in Season 3!

1vs100 Season Two winding down...

As the latest season winds down, I thought I'd put in my two-cents on what I think was the best season yet.

First, the overall look and feel was improved.  As discussed previously, in the debut, I was taken back by just how expansive the EP arena looked.

The LIVE games in general, were appealing, and offered a snazzier look as opposed to Season 1(Beta).  Unfortunately, I (and apparently others) encountered Network/Connection errors. In my case, a simple "N" router and Xbox adapter upgrade was all it took.  Yet, I felt like a jackazz putting some of the team through hoops, trying to figure out the issue as if it was a problem on their end.  Sorry guys.

December 1st, 2009 will forever be imprinted in my mind as the night I knew what it felt like to be in the Mob!  *TWICE*.  The feeling was awesome to say the least, and the pressure was on.  I so tweeted my experience and it drew-air big time that I was playing solo with no help.  How I managed to win on my second chance is a big mystery. However, getting some playful flak from some about being probably the biggest fan of the game, yet not winning - finally got put to rest. =o)

During the Holidays, clearly the team listened to some feedback about holding special themed events - but they took it a step further and "decorated" the LIVE set.  I recall the wonderment when I first entered the lobby filled with presents, giant candy canes and "holiday" trees through-out.  Having a virtual "snowfall" was a great effect! It was the closest I got to snow this Winter.

The New Years theme offered the same, and recall the clock serving as Jen's and "The One"'s floor as a nice added touch. The shiny disco ball - well what can I say? Clearly, the team put forth a ton of effort during the Season and like during its last hiatus, I'll be missing the fun and figuring out what I'll do with the extra time.

Among other enhancements was clearly a bigger push for community involvement with the Avatar Dance Contest (Monkey Dance FTW!), Heavy Facebook/Twitter interaction - especially the big Twitter Big Game contest, and last but certainly not least - TEXTING -Which took on a deeper role of engaging the fan/gamer with useful reminders for LIVE games and ability to win prizes from the text-based trivia.

Some other memorable moments - my party finally had their wish and made it in the Mob as well.  Congrats to @Callmepotato83 and @Sourapplesmiles - it was a pleasure being able to share the experience with you.  On a sidenote: @Callme - you definitely earned your spot with the non-stop AMPing!  That was friggin' hilarious!

Shoutout time:
Toncu, Bootronix, Trilobiting, Adam Danger, The5thAlchemist, Manuel Bronstein - Thanks for making the season even better and for being so passionate about the game.  It clearly shows, and its strength reverberates far and wide that a number of us profoundly appreciate and understand the labor of love put forth.

To those of you behind the scenes that I didn't name above - you do what you do daily, and we're completely oblivious to it.  Yet, deep inside we know that if it weren't for your efforts, the game just wouldn't be.  Much thanks!

Alas, the season ends soon, and yet I still haven't obtained the "Quick Draw" achievement(!) and I'm still at Level 45.

Much work remains.