A few months ago I interviewed my friend, Rumme about his upcoming 3D platformer, Extricate. It just came out this week and if you love challenging platforming and insane speedrun course, this game will push your gaming skills to the limit! 

- @Dannylv100
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WATCH ON YOUTUBE!

   Do you have questions, comments or concerns? Email me at [email protected]
Follow me on Tumblr, Twitter, Instagram and Youtube.

- @Dannylv100

  One thing I cut out from the video was a section where I talked about scope. I usually frame my videos from the perspective of "How would I design this game mode if I was sitting right there in the game design meeting?".

Since I was on a very tight deadline to get this video out on time, I completely cut the section that talks about scope. Essentially my mind set was that for this game mode, we're introducing four brand new characters for a once a year event, and it would be nonsensical to create 4 characters with completely unique abilities. My mindset was that for the purpose of PvE it would make sense to reuse and alter existing abilities from characters already in the game. Doing so would save time and resources. 

  One thing I wanted to do was add little bits of dialogue between the characters. For some reason, my youtube videos style typically consist of character cut outs talking to one another via word bubbles.  As a game designer, I don't just focus on the game mechanics, I think about how characters would interact, their motivations etc. 

 In order to write these little tidbits of dialogue, I made sure to find and read all available material on the characters. From the research I found that Casino was a Former F-1 driver. Whereas the rest of the squad were E-Sports athletes. From there I was able to come up with a basic idea of what their personalities would be.
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Casino - Confident and a little cocky. The only pilot without and E-sports background.
D.Mon - A more aggressive counterpart to D.va
King - A rivial to D.va during their pro-gaming career. He is serious and focused, always trying to stay one step ahead.
Overlord - Tech savvy, friendly and gentle. Cares deeply about his squad and helping others. 

  When designing the ultimates, It was important to keep in mind that not every ultimate is meant to do damage, there are some ultimates in the game that are defensive. With a PvE event as combat heavy as this one, I wanted to make sure two of the characters were defensive.
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D.va - Type: Defensive - Creates a large dome of defense matrix, destroying incoming projectiles. The dome would be twice as big as Winston's shield. This ultimate is last for 6 seconds.
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King - Type: DPS - King flies straight into the air and does a 360 degree spin at a moderate pace, he fires all of his weapons, while locking on to any exposed enemy. This ultimate will last 4 seconds and is effective at clearing out mobs of enemies.
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Casino - Type: Offensive DPS - This ultimate would be best for doing a lot of damage over a short amount of time. Perfect for destroying more powerful enemies in a pinch.
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D.mon - Type: Offensive - This ultimate is great for drawing attention away from the rest of the team. D.mon can also use this ability to easily knock away Octopus omnics. The damage reduction and shield passive allows D.mon to soak up insane amounts of damage. Don't be afraid to use this ultimate ability to jump into entrenched enemy positions, knocking them around and drawing their fire. Pairs very well with Overlord's ultimate ability. 
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Overlord - Type: defensive - This ultimate is a great counter against the onslaught of missiles that one ore more squid omnics may use against the player. This is a great way to protect your entire team in one move, and counter attack with their charged up weapons.  This ultimate boosts the damage output by 30% and for every bit of extra damage exceeding 100 points, it will add another 1%. This ultimate lasts 5 seconds. 

  I had a few people ask me what the specific cooldowns were for each ability. I cut this from the video because, it is something I thought about including, yet it seemed to be a bit of padding when there is no way to test and balance these abilities in a PvE setting. So I cut this segment from the video. However if you are curious I will post the tentative cooldowns for each of the new MEKA characters down below, as D.Va would be unchanged, aside from her ultimate.
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King
Proximity Mine  - 6 seconds
Lock-On Missiles - 8 seconds
Recon Dart - 12 seconds

   Do you have questions, comments or concerns? Email me at [email protected]
Follow me on Tumblr, Twitter, Instagram and Youtube.

- @Dannylv100

   Do you have questions, comments or concerns? Email me at [email protected]
Follow me on Tumblr, Twitter, Instagram and Youtube.

- @Dannylv100​​​ 
​

  It's that time of year again! The holidays are upon us! And let me tell you, as someone who worked retail, tons of confused frustrated parents are going to be pouring into shops looking to get the gamer in their life an awesome gift.  However, most of these parents have no idea what they need or what they will be looking for. 

  That is where I come in! I compiled a list of all the consoles, games and accessories right here! Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo products can all be found right here! And the best part is, you don't have to go anywhere! You simply click on the image(or blue text) and you will be linked directly to the amazon listing of the product! Just add to cart and purchase! It is Just that easy! 

Future Releases - There are some big games coming out in 2019, however no one wants an I.O.U as a gift! Only games available now or during the holiday season will be featured on this list!
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  Every product on this list is sold through Amazon. You don't have to worry about shady sites or dealing with the long lines, just click and buy! 

   The Xbox is a great console for Teens+. It features a lot of popular games and one of the best online experiences. If you're looking to play online be sure to snag an Xbox live Gold Membership. This membership card also snags you free games every month and the ability to play online! 
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   Here is a list of the hottest games for the Xbox. Please note that the games are rated from E for everyone and M for mature audiences. Please be aware of this as some of the games feature content not suitable for younger players.
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   If you're getting an Xbox this season, you're going to need some accessories. If you're looking for local multiplayer, you're going to need another controller. Most games are online now and that means that yo're going to need a gaming headset (I only recommend a headset for teens and up.)

  One thing every parent should know, controllers eat up batteries! Which is why I recommend the Plug and Charge kit. The plug and charge kit comes with a rechargeable battery and a usb cable that plugs into the battery and the xbox, allowing the player to charge their battery and continue playing! 

   All of the xbox controllers here are compatible with the Xbox One, Xbox One S and the Xbox One X. 

BLACK - WHITE - RED - BLUE - GREY/GREEN

   The PlayStation 4 boasts a robust line up of games, with some of the hottest exclusives. I would recommend this console for teens to adults! 

   Here is a list of the hottest games for the Playstation 4. Please note that the games are rated from E for everyone and M for mature audiences. Please be aware of this as some of the games feature content not suitable for younger players. 
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   All of the Playstation controllers here are compatible with the Playstation 4, Playstation 4 Slim and Playstation 4 Pro.

BLACK - MAGMA - CAMO - BERRY - CRYSTAL - GOLD

   For online play, I recommend a gaming headset and a vertical stand and controller charging station. Please note that the stand is only compatible with the Playstation 4 slim and not the Playstation Pro model. 

   The Nintendo Switch is one of the fastest selling consoles today. It has a very wide selection of games from Nintendo to great third party developers! And the part that everyone loves, it's portable! A console at home and a handheld on the go!

​   Out of the three consoles, the Nintendo Switch is going to require the most in terms of accessories. All of the Nintendo Switch consoles come with 32GB of memory. This memory is used up really fast! Which is why I recommend grabbing an additional SD card to alleviate that issue. 
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   In terms of accessories, I recommend a pro controller, 128 SD memory card and glass protector. These are the most important accessories you will need. If you plan on taking your Switch with you, you may want to consider a carrying case.  And finally, depending on how many players there are, I do recommend another set of Joy-Con.
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GRAY - BLUE - RED - YELLOW - PINK/GREEN - RED/BLUE

   I hope this list helps you find the gift you need for the gamer in your life. I hope this list helped make your holiday shopping easier, and if you're not a fan of the ordering online, feel free to take this guide with you on your phone or smart device. 

   Did you like the banner on the top of the page? If so, please check out the very talented artist PainttoolSy on twitter! 

​Happy Holidays!

   Do you have questions, comments or concerns? Email me at [email protected]
Follow me on Tumblr, Twitter, Instagram and Youtube.

- @Dannylv100​​​ 
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