Wednesday, January 25, 2017

January 2017 update

I don't have much of an update this month. I can say I am disappointed in that I haven't received an update from my artist and potential publisher. As a result, I am tied of waiting after 6 months and searching for replacements unless I finally hear back.

On the bright side, I now have a new member of my household, though it means I really have no time to write my next novel. I hope to find time and energy to write as one of my hopes is to create a thriving series for my children to enjoy. I often find that I am disappointed with modern series and I would like to create something that my children can enjoy through adulthood. I certainly have lots of stories, I just need the ability to focus on developing then and then to find people who won't take months or years to respond.

On a completely different note to compensate for not having an solid update, here is my initial impression of the new Legend of Zelda game. You are probably well aware that the series has been an inspiration for me. As such, I am excited to play the new game and see what they do. I have only watched the trailers in order to maintain the sense of exploration, but I have to admit that the more I see, the more I am reminded of Studio Ghibli. It just gives me the feeling similar to Nausicaa, Princess Mononoke, and Castle in the Sky. To be fair, that would be an excellent match as both Nintendo and Studio Ghibli follow their own ideas apart from their respective industries.

One hope I have is for it to be fun and easy to start. Recent games can take a long time to start. While Ocarina of Time can take about 15 to get to the first dungeon, Twilight Princess can take hours. One of the great things about the Zelda games is that the general enemies normally take 1-3 hits to defeat and they are spaced out so that you don't get bored so easily. This makes the hands fun to replay, but if the introduction is long, then I don't want to replay.

Similarly, the ability to skip annoying sections would be welcomed. The game is supposed to allow you to go about freely a the is hope that I can avoid sections I don't like. For example, in Skyward Sword, I like the general game, but when I think about the Silent Realm and Demise sections, I give up on the idea of replaying. Since it is said that you can fight the final boss immediately, I have some hope for this new game.

As for the art style, I like it. It seems like the visuals should age well, making the game playable for a long time. If my cover art was a similar style, I wouldn't protest, though I would request for it to be less Anime-like. However, I do find Romantic art to be very nice for Fantasy novels. We'll see what I eventually end up with.

J. D. Nyle