The Unity of Microsoft and Mega Man

This is still arguably a progress report for Minotaur, but seeing as I'm trying to figure out Unity with a simple arcade game, I didn't think it would be appropriate to flag this as such.

So Unity...

Thus far, I've installed it (and Blender for simple 3D modeling of primitives, such as a plane made of two tris instead of many), but I haven't gotten into it.  This is definitely one of those things I'll want to follow tutorials on for a while instead of my usual method (which is dive in deep and get myself into trouble).  However, tutorials require being online, which is not usually when I get work done (e.g. on the bus).

So since that's about all I've got, how about a brief rant on Microsoft and Mega Man?

Windows 8.1 is on its way, with a start button (here, my wife would be surr to cut me off to correct me - start hint).  This hint is a one-click return to the start screen, because that's clearly why people are so ticked about the desktop lacking the start menu.  Oh wait, did I say start menu?  Yes, and that's what people miss, not the button (now hint).

Let's go back in time to Windows 95.  Those of you too you to remember, think of Windows 7, just a lot more blocky and lower resolution.  Let's think of this in terms of level design:  Your player boots up the game, and you want them to discover the key mechanic as quickly as possible.  What do you do?  You make it the only viable option, place it on the left side of the screen (assume your core audience reads left-to-right), and label it Start (see Mega Man X - you select start, and Mega Man fires a half charged shot, showing the player two of three key mechanics available at the beginning of the game [shooting and charging shots]).  Whammo, immersed!

So the big thing with Windows 8 is the new start screen and tiles, so it makes sense to do the same thing.  However, now you have years of convention and bias toward the old mechanic, so you include parts of it, but miss a key element such as a small menu that quickly let's you start a new program without completely breaking your flow on your current activity.  Sticking with the Mega Man X anology, we have the introduction of 3D gameplay in Mega Man X7.  We see the return of shooting and charged shots, but the game ends up awful and doesn't feel like Mega Man at all. Why?

As mentioned before, Mega Man X had three main mechanics at the start of the game, the aforementioned shooting and charged shots, and jumping. X7 had jumping, so what was missing?  The critical component (clearly realized as such with its inclusion as a primary ability in the rest of the series) is dashing.  However, X7 still had that, so we still haven't lost anything, right?

The missing piece is not the mechanic itself, but the gameplay it allowed. Suddenly, Mega Man is able to dash through the levels, reach far gaps, move more quickly, and all but fly using a dash jump.  The speed and intensity of gameplay is drastically increased, almost frantic, yet still tight controls allows for incredible precision.  Whereas Mario slides to a stop, Mega Man just stops from a mad dash.

That's what we lost in X7, the speed and intensity.  This is what Sonic lost when trying to go 3D.  This is what Nintendo mastered in the realm of 3D platforming.  Gameplay feels the same throughout the Mario franchise, but Sonic and Mega Man didn't - at least not yet.

See you next week (perhaps with a unified subject instead of a dualistic rant).

Edit:  Seems you may be able to get something akin to the start menu in Windows 8.1 by messing with settings, but Microsoft marketing is too busy making dubstep dance routines and slandering competitors to create any informative advertising lately.