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campgender · 8 months

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read an anonymous ask somebody (who also isn’t a Quaker) got that, after saying they had a limited knowledge of Quakerism, described Quakers as ascetics. which was really upsetting to me because i am both a Friend and a faggot! these two identities & values are not contradictory to me or many other Quakers, & trying to position them as such is super triggering tbh. so for anyone who is interested in learning about the Quaker value of simplicity & how it very strongly differs from asceticism here’s some more info!

(all of this is about FGC / Liberal Friends, other branches of Quakerism differ in many respects)

so! simplicity is one of six commonly cited core Quaker values (if you’ve researched Quakerism at all you’ve probably seen something about SPICES). Quakerism has no doctrines, & these values are descriptive, not prescriptive: they are things that have been observed to become common priorities for Friends, not requirements for being/becoming a Quaker. this is also just one of many acronyms & combinations for Quaker values.

simplicity is historically associated with plain dress, which is probably what the asker was thinking of as “ascetic.” the spiritual reasons behind plain dress, historically & for modern practitioners, are very different, though – unlike the cultural concept of, say, a repentant Catholic dressing in sackcloth, plain dress isn’t about punishing oneself, & it generally doesn’t involve making oneself uncomfortable. plain dress originated as a way to practice equality & resist classism. think the way optimistic policymakers expect school uniforms to function, except without many of the reasons such intentions fail – namely, expensively made clothes & high-end accessories.

Friends who practice plain dress now often do so as a form of resistance to materialism & overconsumption, and/or as a way of removing distractions from their spiritual goals for their relationships with others + the divine. beyond plain dress, some Friends may practice simplicity in their clothing choices by shopping sustainably / “slow fashion,” making & mending their own clothes, or participating in buy nothing exchanges. in my & many others’ opinion, flashy extravagant drag that’s made in traditional DIY methods is more in line with the Quaker value of simplicity than a thousand dollar designer brand boxy black dress in a modest cut.

the value of simplicity isn’t just about clothing & purchases, though – the Faith & Practice book for my region describes simplicity as working to focus on what you feel you are called to be doing & not acting in ways that are counter to that; not being hypocritical in the ways you dedicate your time & energy. & i’m sure there are a vast number of other interpretations that continue to make space for flamboyance & the deep enjoyment of clothing & other objects in a way that still recognizes one’s position within systems of harm + seeks to minimize harm done to others.

#quaker tag #quakerism #quaker #simplicity #mac.txt #ok to reblog if you’re so inclined #reclaimed

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alexr-fightgames · 5 years

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For DOA6, are you playing it with:

- MOAR VIOLENCE: on, or off?

- “soft motion” jiggle physics: on, or off?

(for me: jiggles but no blood splatters -- my core values are pro-jiggle but anti-glorifying-the-human-body-being-harmed)

#fgc #Dead or Alive #doa6beta #doa6 #core values

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architectnews · 3 years

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Fentress Architects launches $15,000 competition to envision airport of the future

Dezeen promotion: the Fentress Global Challenge is inviting students to design an airport terminal for 2100.

Organised by US studio Fentress Architects, the 2021 Fentress Global Challenge (FGC) is looking to find "forward-thinking concepts for an airport of the future".

The eighth edition of the ideas contest invites students and recent graduates from architecture and engineering courses to design the concept for an airport terminal.

Top: A Green Gateway by Nikhil Bang and Kaushal Tatiya won last year's contest. The design transformed Indira Gandhi International Airport into a sustainable multimodal hub

"The Fentress Global Challenge is a great opportunity for young designers to bring broad ideas and creative perspectives to the table while spearheading innovation in airport terminal architecture," said FGC founder Curtis Fentress.

"We are excited to see how students push the limits of architectural design this year."

Above: ATL Hartsfield Drive-In by Dušan Sekulic was awarded second last year

The future-focused terminals can either be envisioned as additions to an existing airport or designed from scratch to serve "as a catalyst for economic and social development".

"Entrants are encouraged to utilise forecasts for population, environmental conditions, modes of travel, and potential destinations in the creation of their concept," said the brief.

Each of the designs will be judged based on both its creative approach and response to the site, incorporating one of Fentress Architects' core design mantras: use context to create identity.

"Context is more than an intellectual consideration of the history or physical appearance of a neighbourhood, city, or state, and it's more than the way new will live with old," said the studio.

"Context draws on the senses, the sights, smells and memories that define a place and make it unique. Context grows from community, and people respond to it."

WAD, Floating Aero City was third in last year's design competition

The terminals will also be judged on how they approach sustainability, resiliency, functionality and how they incorporate innovative technology.

"The design should incorporate forward-looking innovations that improve the entire passenger experience, including efficiency, comfort, safety, health/wellbeing, sustainability, value, and entertainment/amenities," said the brief.

An overall winner of the contest will be awarded $15,000, with second place receiving $3,000 and third $2,000. An additional two "people's choice" winners will be awarded $1,000 each.

The deadline for submissions is October 1, with the shortlist set to be announced on November 1 and the winner on December 1.

For more information on the competition visit the Fentress Architects website.

Partnership content

This article was written by Dezeen for Fentress Architects as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

The post Fentress Architects launches $15,000 competition to envision airport of the future appeared first on Dezeen.

#Architecture – Dezeen

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khalilhumam · 3 years

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Transformative impact at scale in Senegal

New Post has been published on http://khalilhumam.com/transformative-impact-at-scale-in-senegal/

Transformative impact at scale in Senegal

Women from a Tostan partner community shares information on Human Rights

The Inspiring Better Futures case studies series shares insights from people who are successfully creating better futures even against the odds in some of the world’s toughest contexts in lower-income countries. All have achieved transformative impact at scale by tackling underlying structural causes of the converging economic, gender or environmental crises. Here we delve deeper into the series to interview some of the people helping make change happen. Tostan’s Community Engagement Programme has fostered inspiring change at scale in Senegal and West Africa on issues such as Female Genital Cutting (FGC), child marriage, health and now Covid-19. To date, an estimated 5.5 million people across 8,830 communities in Senegal and other West African countries have publicly declared their commitment to abandon FGC and other harmful practices. The following interview was conducted and translated from French, by Caroline Cosby from Tostan International.

Introduce yourselves! Who are you and what are your roles at Tostan?

DN: My name is Diatou Ndiaye and I have been a Facilitator for the Community Empowerment Programme (CEP) in Senegal and now lead the CEP in Keur Simbara, a village in Thiès. RD: I am Rose Diop, National Coordinator of Tostan Senegal, but started as a Facilitator in 1997.

Why was the Community Empowerment Programme created? What are its objectives?

RD: The CEP started in the 1980’s. At core you could say that it was created to help communities have access to the education, skills, and experiences they need to help achieve their visions for the future. Communities face many challenges. When I joined Tostan in 1997 we noticed that low literacy levels, low vaccination rates, and lack of understanding of Human Rights and democratic principles, among other things, were preventing communities from achieving their goals. Every community has a dream, they just don’t necessarily know where to start. The CEP’s ultimate goal is for everyone to be equipped and involved in decisions about their well-being. Once people can identify their rights, they can begin to propose solutions. DN: The CEP is a three-year non formal education program created to reinforce the capacities of African communities to lead their own sustainable development and achieve positive social transformation, grounded in respect for Human Rights. Notably, the CEP reinforces the confidence of women who have never been to formal school to recognize they have something valuable to say.

How does the CEP work? What is the approach or methodology? How is the program structured?

DN: The approach of the CEP is inherently participatory. It’s respectful of participants, integrating aspects of local culture and conducted entirely in local languages. Facilitators, like me, are of the same ethnic group as the community they teach in and speak the same language. We live in the communities for the duration of the program. The CEP lasts three years and is divided into two parts – the Kobi and the Aawde. In the Kobi (preparing the field in Mandinka), participants discuss democracy, Human Rights, problem solving, and health and hygiene. In the Aawde (planting the seed in Pulaar), they learn to read, write, do calculations, and project management skills. Modules include problem solving, health and hygiene, reading and writing, basic math, and project management. The entire curriculum is grounded in Human Rights. RD: As Diatou said, the approach puts communities at the forefront, and we always begin by identifying what is already done well in the villages that empowers everyone and respects everyone’s rights. The training addresses the gaps in understanding noted at the creation of the program and serves communities in achieving their visions. A Community Management Committee (CMC) is also founded during the program to help put into effect and monitor the impact of the decisions made by the community.

What is the role of a Facilitator? How does this role impact the success of the program?

DN: The role of the Facilitator is very important. The Facilitator lives the same reality as participants before and during the program. They set the tone and the mood for class sessions, they share information with participants, they develop trust and relationships with all community members – a trust that is essential in order to collectively address difficult topics like domestic violence or child marriage. The guidance of the Facilitator also determines in part the strength of CMCs. RD: Facilitators eventually leave so they have to make sure everyone is involved and actively engaged in the work to guarantee sustainability. They engage influential people in the community to ensure buy-in and participation in achieving the community vision – including the village chief, religious leaders, midwives, youth associations, etc.

What changes have been seen in communities in relation to Female Genital Cutting (FGC) and child marriage in Senegal and in West Africa in general? What is the scale of these changes?

DN: Behavioral changes have been noted in the thousands of communities who have completed the CEP. Often at the end of the program, communities will publicly declare their commitment to abandon FGC and child and forced marriages. These public declarations are accompanied by changes in people’s perceptions of and attitudes towards practices like FGC. This is important, as legislation alone cannot change practices at the community level. RD: What is remarkable is that FGC, for example, is slowly becoming a subject people are willing to talk about publicly when it was previously considered taboo. Communities that formerly practiced FGC are now actively raising awareness about its harmful consequences. This alone is a huge step. But we are also seeing more children registered for school and being vaccinated and more women giving birth in health facilities. But while we are known for our results on FGC, the CEP has a holistic approach. By sharing information on multiple development themes, we see behavioral change across all of them.

How has the CEP reached so many communities in Senegal and in West Africa in general?

DN: Through what Tostan refers to as organized diffusion. One community alone cannot decide to change social practices, for they are part of a much wider social network of communities that share the same values and traditions. For one community to abandon certain practices or adopt new ones, everyone in the network must be in agreement. Using social mobilization and awareness raising activities, participants share what they’ve learned in the CEP with other community members. Once everyone has the same information, inclusive discussions are held to evaluate social norms. These activities include inter-village and inter-zonal meetings, radio broadcasts, and review sessions among many others. RD: Radio broadcasts have been crucial to our scaling as they reach very remote communities, even in regions where Tostan might not be present. The number of applications we receive to participate in the CEP have increased in large part because of the broadcasts, or because neighboring communities have seen the impact of the program directly.

What is the relationship between government efforts to end FGC and the CEP (or Tostan as an organization)?

DN: Tostan collaborates directly with local administrative authorities, and with the Government of Senegal. Having a strong relationship – particularly with local authorities (governors, community development agency, district councils, etc.) is crucial to the execution and success of the CEP. RD: Tostan’s work complements government policy related to the Sustainable Development Goals. Tostan is a member of many working groups with governmental organizations like the Ministry of Women, Families and Gender, Ministry of Youth, etc. Due to the widespread abandonment of FGC, the CEP has been recognized by the Government of Senegal as an effective model in changing norms and attitudes that is an essential complement to legislation at the national level. The government has even included the CEP in their National Action Plan to End FGC and regularly cites Tostan data.

How have Tostan partner communities responded to the COVID crisis? What were their roles in prevention?

RD: I was very proud of Tostan partner communities who reacted to Covid-19 and acted well before Tostan shared its prevention plan and booklets which they also contributed to. They used their own means to protect themselves and their neighbours, in some cases supporting the distribution efforts of the local government officials. Led by CMCs, communities also led awareness-raising efforts to inform their neighbors – including nearby communities – about the risks associated with the virus and the ways in which it spreads. These included radio broadcasts and review sessions of the CEP’s health modules for example. The CMC’s efforts encouraged Government Prevention Committees to come speak to the communities directly about the pandemic. To this day, there are no cases of COVID in any Tostan partner communities in Senegal. DN: As communities already had an understanding of disease prevention through the CEP, they were able to adopt many preventative measures on their own as well as putting in place other measures to support the well-being of everyone, including using community funds to buy PPE and conducting information sessions with other villages on the risks of COVID, use of masks, hand-washing, etc.

In your opinion, how does the CEP prepare communities to tackle COVID, or any other crisis they may face?

RD: Our module on conflict management exemplifies the idea of resilience. The steps of conflict analysis covered are:

diagnosis /problem analysis

choice of appropriate solution

planning

execution

5. evaluation

start again as necessary.

The pandemic (and any other crisis) requires communities to follow these steps and continue including everyone in decision making as outlined in the democracy. The Human Rights based approach reinforces these skills and the continued respect of everyone’s rights – even in times of crisis – so that communities are prepared to act both collectively and individually when necessary. DN: Well said, Rose. Communities will be able to overcome any crisis by maintaining the will to act in the best interest of, and protect the Human Rights of, others.

Author

Diatou Ndiaye

Diatou is a Facilitator for the Community Empowerment Programme for Tostan-Senegal.

Author

Rose Diop

Rose is the National Coordinator of Tostan-Senegal.

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altfight · 4 years

Video

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It’s dead

#dead or alive #doa #doa6 #dead or alive 5 #dead or alive 4 #core values #fgc #EVO 2020 #evo 2019 #gameplay #fighting games #tina armstrong #mila

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aion-rsa · 4 years

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Evo Online Canceled Amidst Controversial Accusations Against CEO

https://ift.tt/31CS0wp

The Evolution Championship Series was already set for an unprecedented year. Initially, they were going to do eight games, plus a special invitational tournament for Marvel vs. Capcom 2 to celebrate its 20-year anniversary. Pesky COVID-19 made it very apparent that a big get-together in Las Vegas at the end of the summer was absolutely not in the cards. Instead, they announced Evo Online. The announced games were dropped and replaced with four games that were at least celebrated for having good-to-great netcode (Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath, Killer Instinct, Skullgirls, and Them’s Fightin’ Herds).

The plan was to start Evo Online on July 4-5 with each weekend based on one of the different games. Then it would culminate on the weekend of July 31-August 2. Not only would we see the Top 8s for those games, but there would be big announcement trailers for other fighting games and the like. It wasn’t the classic Evo, but it would be enough of a distraction from 2020.

But two days away from Evo Online’s opening weekend, everything imploded and Evo is officially off the menu for at least this year.

What the hell happened?

Recently, a massive wave of #MeToo-type allegations has been snowballing from all walks of life, from video games, to comics, to wrestling, to even the fighting game esports scene. On July 1, this vital tweet talked up an old situation involving Joey Cuellar, otherwise known as MrWizard and the CEO of Evo itself.

My own story in the FGC Read: https://t.co/DJbPt0GrQZ

— Mikey~ CrackPr0n (@PyronIkari) July 2, 2020

To spare you the click and read, the gist of it was that about 20 years ago, Cuellar had some shady dealings where he sexually exploited underage boys. With this anecdote out in the open, it didn’t take long for the plans for Evo Online to fall apart.

First, Evo’s Twitter account vaguely addressed the situation and said that they were looking into it. Soon players started announcing that they were dropping out, such as top Mortal Kombat/Skullgirls player Sonicfox. Droves of commentators stepped away, feeling that they could not, in good conscience, take part in Evo amongst the Cuellar allegations. This was already looking bad, but then the other shoe dropped and this shoe was full of lead.

NetherRealm Studios announced that they were pulling Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath from the show. Not only was Evo losing one of its few games, but also their biggest one.

We stand in solidarity with those who have spoken out against abuse. We will be pulling MK11 from EVO Online.

— NetherRealm (@NetherRealm) July 2, 2020

Initially, Mortal Kombat 11 was notably absent from the 2020 roster. Evo only reversed the decision due to their desperate need for a fighter with good netcode in light of COVID-19.

Games

The Forgotten Fighting Games of the 1990s

By Gavin Jasper

Games

King of Fighters XV in Development

By Gavin Jasper

Suddenly the dam broke. Capcom and Bandai-Namco said that they would no longer be involved. Mane6, developers of Them’s Fightin’ Herds, was also pulling their game. That left Skullgirls (which was suffering from its own controversy as is) and Killer Instinct.

Cuellar himself admitted to the accusations and apologized for his past behavior. Not that it was going to do anything to stop the momentum of Evo’s collapse. Considering how Cuellar once got angry at an adult-themed Dead or Alive 6 advertisement at Evo Japan and called it out for being against Evo’s “core values,” the dogpiling on the hypocrisy was predictable.

Finally, Evo’s Twitter made it official.

pic.twitter.com/eUl8rF9TkC

— EVO (@EVO) July 3, 2020

Cuellar has parted with Evo and going forward, Tony Cannon will act as the CEO. Refunds will happen, natch.

I guess we’ll have to cross our fingers that Community Effort Orlando’s December event works out.

The post Evo Online Canceled Amidst Controversial Accusations Against CEO appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/2NReK3B

#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

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studylifeusa · 5 years

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10 Top Colleges In Unexpected Places

Ever since the University of Bologna in Italy was founded in 1088 as the first modern university, most people have associated great universities with major cities. Think the Sorbonne in Paris or Peking University.

Colleges and universities in the U.S., though, have followed a different pattern. To be sure, leading universities such as the University of Chicago and Columbia University in New York City call major urban centers home, but many more are located in cities and towns that most people have never heard of. In some cases, the university is, for all practical purposes, the whole town.

Part of the explanation for this lies in America’s distinctive history. Many early colleges and universities were founded by religious groups that sought to educate students far from the distractions and temptations of city life. When Harvard University was founded in 1636 by Congregationalist Church ministers, Cambridge, Massachusetts was quite separate from Boston.

Moreover, when the U.S. began building a network of public universities in the 1860s to bring agricultural and technical research and know-how to the westward-spreading frontier, most were located in small towns. One reason: there were no major cities there at the time.

Given the huge diversity of U.S. higher education, the message for international students shopping for a great university is twofold. First, set your sights beyond Ivy League and other well-known schools. Second, don’t be put off if you have never heard of the city or town where a school is located.

Following is a list of top-rated colleges and universities located in lesser known places. We chose them not only because of their high quality but because a significant proportion of their students are international. For more details on each, check out the Fiske Guide to Colleges.*

Arizona State University

Tempe, Arizona

Hoping to get lost in a crowd? ASU is the largest university in the nation—with ambitions to grow even larger. Big push underway to enhance interdisciplinary research and increase socioeconomic diversity in student body. Administration’s relentless emphasis on growth rather than increased academic quality makes the professional schools and Barrett Honors College the best bets.

Bentley University

Waltham, Massachusetts

Bentley means business — studying it, that is, in the context of a strong liberal-arts program. Bentley provides career-oriented internships to more than 90 percent of its students. Its scenic colonial-style campus is at arm’s length from Boston with shuttles to Harvard Square.

University of Illinois

Urbana–Champaign, Illinois

Half a step behind the University of Michigan and neck and neck with the University of Wisconsin among top Midwestern public universities, U of I’s strengths include business, communications, engineering, architecture, and the natural sciences. Nearly 80 percent of the student body hails from in-state, but it has roughly 10,000 international students — third highest in the country after New York University and the University of Southern California.

Indiana University

Bloomington, Indiana

Though men’s basketball is IU’s most famous program, it may not be its best. That distinction could easily go to the world-renowned music school or the distinguished foreign language program. Bloomington is also a great college town.

Michigan State University

East Lansing, Michigan

Most people don’t realize that Michigan State is significantly bigger than University of Michigan. Students can find a niche in strong preprofessional programs such as hotel and restaurant management, pre-veterinary, business, and engineering. MSU’s campus is like a town unto itself, with shuttle buses to go from one side to the other.

Mount Holyoke College

South Hadley, Massachusetts

One of two women’s colleges, along with Smith, that are members of the Five College Consortium in western Massachusetts, which gives students access to the resources of the four other institutions. MHC is strongest in the natural and social sciences, and one of few colleges to have a program devoted to leadership.

Purdue University

Lafayette, Indiana

Purdue is Indiana’s state university for science and technology — with side helpings of business, health professions, and liberal arts. Though Purdue is a large university, it does better than most in giving students hands-on opportunities such as internships and co-ops. Flight technology and aerospace are long-time specialties. It has nearly 10,000 international students.

Rochester Institute of Technology

Rochester, New York

RIT is the largest of New York’s three major technological universities — about double the size of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. The school is strong in anything related to computing, art and design, and engineering. In the city built by Kodak, photography and imaging are among the tops in the nation. More international students (2,600) than almost any other school of its size.

Santa Clara University

Santa Clara, California

Santa Clara is a moderately selective mid-sized California university now drawing increased national attention. Gorgeous Silicon Valley campus is within easy reach of San Francisco, and the large endowment contributes to an air of prosperity. A well-developed core curriculum keeps students focused on basic academic and other values.

Wellesley College

Wellesley, Massachusetts

There is no better recipe for popularity than a postcard-perfect campus on the outskirts of Boston. That formula keeps Wellesley near the top of the women’s college pecking-order —along with superb programs in economics and the natural sciences. Alumni include both of America’s female Secretaries of State — Madeleine Albright and Hillary Clinton — and the 20th century Chinese writer Bingxin.

Edward B. Fiske is author of Fiske Guide to Colleges.

*College descriptions adapted from Fiske Guide to Colleges 2016, copyright 2015 FGC Associates, LLC. Used by permission of Sourcebooks. Fiske Guide to Colleges is available as an online program at www.collegecountdown.com/store.

Download Study in the USA ® Magazines

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hyperlamb · 5 years

Video

youtube

9/9/1999 was the day I first bought a game console with my own money. It was also the day I bought what would become my favorite game console of all time. If it wasn't clear then, it's crystal clear now, on 9/9/2019. The Sega Dreamcast, some argue it as one of the greatest and most unique consoles ever launched. Others say it was ahead of its time and doomed to fail, born squarely in the shadow of the promised Playstation 2, launched a year later. All who experienced it would say it was gone too soon to realize all of its potential. For me, it was more than a console. I was an arcade rat in the height of 90s fighting games. I was playing Street Fighter II when the special moves were a big secret, Champion Edition when it was a big deal to choose the same character, and every Capcom and Marvel crossover as they came out. Thanos was 15 years from becoming a household name, so fighting him as a final boss in a game centered around the infinity gems (now stones) was as strictly for the love of niche fandom as a game could get. None of it had been done before. Its not like now, Tekken 7, Street Fighter 5. It was all fresh back then. It was all impossible. X-Men from the animated series, at the height of their popularity, were controlled by my fingers. Complete with voice actors from the animated series! They crossed over with gaming mascots too young to be called icons, like Megaman and Ryu. In those days, Smash bros was impossible, Capcom and SNK in the same game was impossible. Every time one of these games appeared on the scene, in some newly imported, nondescript arcade cabinet, it was like we had just heard about Kryptonite for the first time in a 1943 broadcast. Arcades could do what home consoles only dreamed. I owned every port of those fighting games released through the Sony Playstation and Sega Saturn era. All of them fell short. Minute long load times, choppy frame rates, and missing core game mechanics coupled with denial and grateful thirst made them just bearable. Dreamcast was different. Its base system architecture was the sister of Sega's cutting edge NAOMI arcade board. Every frame of Marvel vs. Capcom's lovingly crafted, 2d animation would be rendered gloriously with imperceptible load times. Man, it was fun. The console was a harbinger of the next 20 years of gaming, coming with a modem and the slightly too early SegaNet for online competition. So I bought game after game, a slow burn, over time. I've always been someone who invests in my choices. I don't buy and replace, when possible. I buy something I really value that can grow with me. Still, I never thought this little white box would grow with me. I continued buying games, I held real tournaments with brackets featuring now-classic games; japanese versions of games that would not be localized and released in the States for over a year. Playstation 2 was released in November 2000 on a tidal wave of expectation built on a half decade of Playstation supremacy. About 2001, the Dreamcast was completely forgotten in the West, with games after that point mostly being released only in Japanese. I continued to collect those. When fighting games went through a pseudo-drought that some call the dark era, I just continued playing the Dreamcast and collecting for it. I never had a dark era. It was evergreen, its releases prolific and plentiful beyond the console's life due to ease of porting arcade games over. X-Box took the online prophecy of the Dreamcast and gave it legs with X-Box Live. Halo changed everything. The landscape was about grit and gunfire, not hand drawn whimsy and gung fu. By the time Street Fighter IV "brought fighting games back" in 2008, I had little interest, though I tried it from time to time. Something remarkable had happened over the years. The previous entry, Street Fighter III, released a whopping 11 years earlier in 1997, had matured into a classic. People like me were called "competitive gamers" and "the fighting game community (FGC)", and my peers were hailing games of that late 90s era as the greatest of all time. Not all of the games, a select few. Not because of nostalgia, but because of years of evolution in the competitor vs. competitor meta, proving the games that were better with age. My collection had grown from copies of King of Fighters 98 found in the clearance bin at Babbage's to greatly appreciated collectibles ranging from $200 to $1k per game. Today, Dreamcast sits prominently in my studio as the only console connected to the tv. I have a PS4, I have a Switch, but those are in the most public room. They are not special in the same way. I can relate to comic book collectors who bought now-classic copies when they were new, just for the joy of reading them. They didn't know what they were getting into and neither did I. However, I'm sure that in 2039, I will have long replaced my Nintendo Switch, forgotten my PS4, and still look across the room at my cute little white console that could.

#Dreamcast #Sega Dreamcast #Sega #Game Console #retrogaming

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grandlethal16 · 7 years

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Exclusive Interview w/ Tony Yang @ Studio Atma (Gravastar)

Tony Yang, the former lead software engineer at Studio Atma, talks about Gravastar, their upcoming sci-fi JRPG, one thing about being an indie developer he would like people to know about, and the value of having a local indie dev community to go to for support and feedback. (Interview over Skype from October 2016) By Tyler Cummings

GrandLethal16: Would you like to introduce yourself?

Tony Hi, I'm Tony Yang and I am working on the game Gravastar by Studio Atma.

GrandLethal16: Tell me about Gravastar.

Tony: Gravastar is basically a JRPG that contains the aesthetic of a JRPG and the unique epic storyline of a JRPG with a bit of fighting game mechanics. You have timed elements in the game where you have to input combos and complete button presses to unleash special attacks. It's set on the world Aethera and you're playing as Baird, who has just discovered he's a Spectre and we can't say why because that will spoil the game, but basically he finds out that he's a rare being that has power tied to the stars that soar over the skies. He needs to basically journey on a quest with his friends to prevent that power from being used for evil. So you know, nothing too crazy in the JRPG scale.

GrandLethal16: What inspired you to make Gravastar?

Tony: Essentially, we were playing a bunch of newer JRPGs and a trend of game design. I guess that in order get all the people's money, they streamlined JRPGs a bit - it's basically become “Press A to win”. When we were little kids, we were playing all these games, like Chrono Trigger or Secret of Mana, the older Final Fantasies and Xenogears - that sort of stuff - where you were more involved and you actually felt like you were part of a story rather than part of just a timeline to get things done. We wanted to bring that back to our gamers, so they could have this grand tale that they were a part of.

GrandLethal16: What part of making Gravastar did you enjoy working on?

All the active elements that are in a game that kind of speaks to Secret of Mana and Xenogears, where rather than “Select ‘Attack’ and then select a ‘Target’ ”, you just select an attack and you select a target, but now you have the chance to do fight move combos where you, “Jab-Jab, do an Uppercut” and knock them into the air. That sort of stuff. We wanted to implement that into the game as well.

GrandLethal16: Optimization of moves based on remaining time bar?

Yes exactly. Exactly. If you have some of your longer attacks, you want to wait until the end of the attack phase so that you can get all the attacks in.

GrandLethal16: What part of making Gravastar took longer than you expected?

All of it so far! But honestly, all we've done so far is just the battle system, and I think the greatest moment was at the beginning. We were just picking up unity and we hadn't - none of us - had used it before and we were asking each other, "How do we just get a guy to just move around on the screen in animation" and once we had our first little section where we just had a goo that’s not even animating and our guy - he's barely drawn in and he just moves over and does an attack on the goo, that was the best moment. We were like, "Yeah, we're actually making the game now!".

GrandLethal16: What are the biggest challenges you’re facing as you develop your game?

So, none of us had experience shipping a full title before. Well, that's not true. One of us did, but basically, we’re just trying to get the timelines down, figuring out what other work was gonna be needed to be done by when, and how long did it take to get just a battle system going. That's taking a little bit longer than we expected, but it's been relatively “on schedule.” We are at least experienced in our own specialties: programming or arts. One of the other things is learning how to balance feature work versus polish for conventions. Getting out to a convention, trying to do a convention every month - that sounds great and all and that's good for marketing and getting people to come and see your game, but that also means that you're not leaving yourself a lot of time to work on the larger features you need to get done. We're working on an overworld now so we're actually gonna take a good six months break from showing at conventions to get the overworld out and that way we have something bigger to show to everybody the next time we’re at a show.

GrandLethal16: What’s the craziest gameplay moment you've seen in Gravastar, either when you or someone else was playing?

One of the craziest things I've seen? So internally, we test out the game and we have competitions to see who can get the longest combo off of a single attack. There's an attack we call the Spiral Vortex, where you basically go up and do a special attack and have to mash the A button repeatedly to get the attack out to hit more and do more damage. We would be like, "I got 12." That's wasn’t bad, but then this guy comes up and he's clearly played fighting games before and he gets up to 19 and we're just saying, "What in the heck. How do you even get to 19? I don't even think my fingers can move that fast". It was pretty amazing!

GrandLethal16: Have you thought of recruiting some FGC players to playtest your battle mechanics?

You know, we really should. We figure there's probably enough people that can get that sort of fast button mashing in there. We can bounce around those people.

GrandLethal16: How did you get into video game developing?

You know, I've been a gamer since I was a little kid and when you're a gamer and you know techie stuff, you want to get into game programming. That's what I've wanted to do for awhile. I took some classes in college for games and also I did some Starcraft 2 modding, but I didn't actually start doing full-on game developing until I met up with the guys at Gravastar. Yeah, we met and talked and it just seemed like something we wanted to do!

GrandLethal16: What are the biggest challenges you faced when developing your game?

As far as storyboarding, that's already mostly been taken care of. I'm on the programming side, so I enjoy helping out with storyboarding, but that's not my forte. One of the biggest things we have to do is just play the game, doing all the moves and say, "Okay, this feels right.” or, “Oh, this doesn't feel right." and trying to figure out what sort of ideas we can implement to make the mechanics feel better. We're constantly talking about, "How can we get the ‘juice’ in?". The “juice” is what's gonna draw people in and we keep asking ourselves, “How can we get the juice to the players?". So, just constantly playtesting and re-iterating on things has just been the biggest part of making Gravastar work.

GrandLethal16: What is one thing about being an indie developer you would want people to know about?

It depends on how deep into the indie dev scene they are. One of the biggest things to know even though there are all these sorts of engines out there Unreal and Unity or whatever, there's still a lot of work to be put into making the game. You can make an RPG Maker game and if that's what you want, it will work for you, but if you wanted to go into depth and really make a solid game, you're gonna need to sink a lot of time into it. One of the things that we do is we have full-time jobs to support our night-time jobs (working on Gravastar). In our experience, you have to approach it with a startup culture where you have to constantly seek funding, otherwise you're not gonna be able to make this game. You really have a full-time job to support you until you get extra funding elsewhere.

GrandLethal16: Speaking of “extra funding”, where do you think crowdfunding fits into the indie game dev “game plan”?

It's got it's places. it's great to kind of see and get an idea of what sort of appeal your game has to the market! Imagine just being able to get out there and say, "These 10,000 people backed our game, so we know we at least have 10,000 people who would play our game”, but then the opposite side of that spectrum is that if you don't have a player base, it's really difficult to get crowdfunding out there. One of the things that people say is, "Make sure to build your player base and really connect with them", but if you don't have a player base it can be tough. Then you're gonna have your parents coming in and crowdfunding you a little bit and you're like, "Thanks, Mom and Dad". So, it has its place, but you also have to have some sort of critical mass of followers before you can even feasibly consider it.

GrandLethal16: What tips would you give anyone looking to independently develop their own game?

Make sure you have a lot of time, because you’re either gonna sink all of your time into the development of the game in general and put in 50-60 hour weeks, or you're gonna have to spend a lot of your time outside of your day job to do it. An even better thing I would say is to get to know your indie game community. One of the biggest things that are helping us out right now is that we're part of Seattle Indies group. We're also part of the Meetup group. We're part of this core channel of indie devs, and so everybody can do a show and tell and be like, "This is something I just made!" and everyone is really supportive with, "Oh that's cool. What did you use for that?" or something. Definitely get to know your fellow indie devs!

GrandLethal16: Where do you see yourself in five years?

In five years? Hopefully, we'll be shipping Gravastar around that time. In five years, I'm hoping to be drinking a pina colada on a beach somewhere, but after that, it's kind of hard to see out past that point right now. Right now, we're just aiming to get Gravastar out there to the fans.

GrandLethal16: How big is the Gravastar team?

There's four of us at the core and we also have contractors that we work with to get certain elements done in our game.

GrandLethal16: What aspects of Gravastar are you currently working on?

Tony: It's actually kind of funny because we were trying to work on our Active system would work and also how Slow and Haste would affect turns in battle and we actually went and played Final Fantasy X again because that was the inspiration for that portion of our game. We just looked at it, and it's such a solid system that we were paying homage to it in our game.

GrandLethal16: Do you have specific games you turn to for inspiration on Gravastar’s features?

Tony: We don't have anything specific. Whenever we're focusing on Special Attacks, we look at the Marvel vs Capcom Hyper Combos, where your Super Meter is charged and you unleash it and there are certain flashes on the screen with overlays. So, anytime we are stumped we just look at what other games have been doing. We don’t reference any specific game, but we ask ourselves, “What do these sort of games do to complete the system?”

GrandLethal16: Undoubtedly, there’s a great library of games to draw inspiration from!

Tony: Oh yeah! It is a credit to the JRPG history that there are so many good games out there.

GrandLethal16: What are your top 3 favorite JRPGs?

Tony: I cut my teeth on the JRPG drama with Final Fantasy VII. Even though that's not quite holding up through time, it's still one of my favorite JRPGs. Chrono Trigger is also in there. I just loved all the branching story lines and all the endings that you could get. You weren't necessarily the same character throughout the game. You had Chrono, but then you could play as all the other players at some point. I don't really have a third one that kinda sits in that category. I guess Final Fantasy X is also pretty solid, but it's just kind of whatever is playing for me right now is a favorite. I guess you could say Pokemon is a JRPG...

GrandLethal16: I think it’s definitely an RPG.

Tony: Yeah, so I remember playing Red and Blue Version. That was my shit back in the day. So those are my three, I guess - Final Fantasy VII, Chrono Trigger and Pokemon.

GrandLethal16: Do you have a website where folks can check out your work?

Tony: The biggest place to follow us would be on Twitter. If you follow us @StudioAtma, A-t-m-a. You can also check out Gravastar on our GravastarGame.com website or you can go to our Facebook page, which is StudioAtmaGames.

GrandLethal16: Thanks for taking time out of your day to sit down and chat with me!

Tony: No problem, Tyler. Thanks for having me on!

Check out more on what Tony Yang is up to these days from his Twitter page, @Tony_Dubu, or visit the Studio Atma website for the latest news on Gravastar! You can also follow Studio Atma on Twitter at @StudioAtma!

If you liked this interview, follow my Twitter page, @GrandLethal16, to keep up with upcoming content and events! I post-convention giveaways / gaming updates to Instagram and Facebook, too.

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