Just a couple weeks ago I was discussing how much I enjoyed the overhead style of drone photography and now I've discovered a collection of it from the Art Photo Travel non-profit. I've picked out a couple of my favorites for perusal below but it's worth clicking around the gallary to look at all of the photos. I think that this is their first year and I'm looking forward to seeing what they put together in years to come.

This is one of the best long form articles I know that captures the wonder and majesty of worlds that are player defined. I remember fondly when I played EVE and Darkfall, MMO's that share this world defined by the player trait. One of the best things about them was that they set a stage and then let the players take it where they will. I wonder why more people aren't focusing on this in modern game development, although personally I would never have the time to play an MMO again. I really do wonder what the next generation of player crafted worlds looks like.

The exact scope of the game is unknowable. Even if the notoriously secretive immortals were to release the map of “rooms” (delimited areas of play including everything from wind-swept ergs to cramped wagon cockpits, and numbering over thirty thousand), the catalogue of items, and the roster of characters (still growing at a Malthusian clip), decades of events, residing only in the memories of players, would remain undisclosed. Because Armageddon MUD is not a static or deterministic fiction but a book written in sand—a constantly moving, sentient flux of story in silicate. If Percy Shelley had built an RPG, he might have come up with something like this singular game, a vast, unmerciful “Ozymandias Online.”

Be sure to read the full thing at Cabinet Magzine

I recently discovered a catagory of games called Abstract Strategy. In this catagory are games such as Go and Chess. I've been exploring the space and playing a variety of games. As always, some are excellent and some are disappointing. This one is regarding a game called Catchup which was made by Nick Bentley. It even has a rating on Board Game Geek which is unusual for self published games although it appears more common in this genre. The best way to get a copy is to print a board from Nick Bentley's site or to use the iOS app.

I've played this with several individuals and am really enjoying the pacing of the game. The catchup mechanic is wonderfully designed and often makes you pause and consider if you should take a move that will put you in the lead. The tie breaking mechanic often makes the endgame a delightful complex affair where you are struggling to limit your opponent and increase your second largest group. The first several games we played have been won on the first game but after a bit of practice it's pretty common that we get to the first or second tie breaker.

I'm always a big fan of games that are simple to learn and complex to master and Catchup meets this critera wonderfully. It's a quick game as well, often matches are wrapped up in 10-15 minutes and I've found no need to use a clock to force play. Overall I would rate this game in the A+ tier. It's certainly one of the games that has kept our interest and we frequently play games using the wonderful iPad app. My only regret is that their isn't an online scene to take advantage of but I'll keep playing it over the board.

The national geographic contest is out and the winners are stunning. I'm noting more images that are being taken from a perspective of stright overhead which I adore. It's not that often that as humans we get to see the perspective of the world from the top down. I wonder if it's worth getting a camera to take some similar shots myself.

Here the link to the full catalog of images is here