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Troy S. Goodfellow Author Bio

Status: will write for food.

Last Login: November 20, 2009 2:35:06 PM
Joined: February 1, 2008 2:46:25 AM
Website: http://www.flashofsteel.com
Twitter: TroyGoodfellow
About Me: I write here. Among other places.

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Still Useful
By Troy S. Goodfellow | June 6, 2009
The first mistake was not getting out of Los Angeles earlier. Sitting around for an early afternoon flight just extended the risk of serious jetlag. The second mistake was then immediately comitting on an East Coast schedule and logging on to my computer to chat with friends I hadn't spoken to since I left for E3. The third mistake was talking about E3. It's great that everyone is so enthusiastic. I've been asked by a lot of people already about Alan Wake - my ride from the airport tried to pump me for information I didn't really have on hand. Questions about the press conferences, the demos I saw,whether Aliens vs Predator is still awesome...it never ends. And this is a very good thing. I was beginning to be very tired of E3. Press conferences are broadcast across the internet and television so the media doesn't even really need to be in that room or reporting on it - anyone interested can see what ...

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The Word of the Day
By Troy S. Goodfellow | June 4, 2009
In an industry that seems to need a new buzzword every few years, it's never really a surprise when you hop from meeting to meeting and hear the same phrases over and over again. At E3 2009, the big word is "cinematic", as in "cinematic experience" or "cinematic dialog" or just plain "cinematic game." So apparently games are movies again. But, depending on the game and the approach, "cinematic" has taken on a wealth of meanings. Bioware's Mass Effect 2 is the most cinematic. It's cast as a trilogy, has a strong script and compelling protagonist. And we in the media got to see a lot of cutscenes. In fact, judging by the ratio of game action and talky bits on display, ME2 is as close to being a playable movie as any game can get. Supreme Commander 2, a brawny real time strategy game (one of very few on display at E3) has a story based campaign that Gas Powered Games compares to Saving ...

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Vitals: 36, married

Education: Ph.D. in political science from University of Toronto, M.Ed. from University of Maryland. Neither of which has proven especially useful.

Publications: Contributed to Computer Games Magazine, Games for Windows, GamesRadar, The Escapist, and GameShark among others. Maintains a blog about strategy gaming called Flash of Steel.

Platforms played: PC, DS and 360. Microsoft owns my soul.

Genres played: Mostly strategy and war games, but some RPGs. Love my sports management sims, too. And I like cute (Lego Star Wars, etc.).

Multiplayer or single-player: Single-player or multiplayer against friends and acquaintances. Most of my online gaming time is spent on German board games.

My favorite Top 10 games ever played:

1) Civilization IV
2) Company of Heroes
3) Europa Universalis II
4) Baldur's Gate II
5) Age of Mythology
6) Harpoon
7) F-19 Stealth Fighter
8) Pirates
9) The Sims
10) Rome: Total War

What makes me tick: Baseball, Broadway, burgers

Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes

October 13, 2009 3:00:34 PM

@KingArmery:

The best Star Wars game of all time is TIE Fighter.
Those Games Mean Nothing to Me

September 10, 2009 4:20:48 PM

Great commentary, John. I thought this was one of Schiesel's worst pieces in memory. It falls into the old trap of "Yes, but no" in order to set apart the game he is writing about as something special. And, as you note, he often writes about games as being part of a wider cultural space.

Schiesel's too smart for this sort of lazy writing. And he should trust his audience is smart enough to get that games aren't marginal or meaningless any more.
Why Game Critics Suck: Boats by David Thomas

August 20, 2009 2:19:15 PM

I actually reviewed Ship Simulator last year. It's even less fun than it sounds, but I'm sure there is an audience for it just like there is for Microsoft's civilian flight sim. If you like the idea of moving from harbor to harbor and docking, then this is the game for you.
The Crispy Minute - East India Company

August 12, 2009 3:25:57 PM

@RyanKuo:

It's a beautiful game in so many ways.

@CG-Prophet:

It's not that Europe and the indies are so bad, of course. But there is some real talent in America that used to make games like this as a rule.
Hearts of Iron III

August 9, 2009 8:15:44 PM

There's a caveat that this is not a "true" wargame in that there is a lot of other stuff to manage here. Production, intelligence, diplomacy, research.

But this is the most wargame-y series that Paradox has and it excels at that and is better at that than most other nations at this scale.
East India Company

August 1, 2009 2:27:27 AM

Me, too, Garion. The lead designer is a smart guy who knows his stuff but I think the design here got a little lost in features that were ancillary to the experience - the naval battle engine and the port view for example.

And on the day of release, the first patch comes out that lets you disable the 3D port view, cutting loading times by a huge amount. If interface fixes come in the next six weeks, EIC might be worth a look.
Rush Boom Turtle: Real Time after Real-Time

July 15, 2009 6:27:37 PM

Glad you spent so much time reading this book - it's one of my favorite game design tomes. (I wrote about it three years ago on my blog. Bored readers can find it there.)

I never saw the whole RTS thing in it, since I came at it from a wargame perspective, but you're right that he really wants to keep Little Wars moving. Always in turns mind you, since true RT would just be a mess for his elegant rules. Still, he talks about games taking hours and using a ruler to measure movement - any dramatic drop in time for turns would require a major rewrite of the system, I think.

But Wells is really hungering for the action, and this would only work if he reduced the scale of his game.

btw I satisfaction for your slanderous remarks against the wargame community, sirrah. Shiftless?!
Print Screen: The Ethics of Computer Games

June 26, 2009 9:48:13 AM

@CG-Prophet:

Re Ultima, he doesn't mention it at all, which is weird. Most of his examples are drawn from recent computer gaming with the occasional reference to a class game like SimCity or Civilization.

Since the Seven Virtues are so necessary to progress, I'm not sure if he would approve (since the message is clear) or disapprove (since they are more plot devices than real choices in some cases.)

@Shimarenda:

It is a very interesting book, though I should warn you that the first half is very heavy with theory.

I only focused on the choice stuff, but he has many other interesting case studies. Fable 2, for example, is unethical design because you can "buy" your way out of a bad alignment, resetting your ethical compass. This, he argues, makes every ethical decision pointless.
Why print gaming journalism is doomed by Kyle Orland

June 9, 2009 2:42:38 PM

But is Games Radar making much money for Future? Even if print is doomed, it's not clear that the current model of internet journalism is financially viable. I'm pretty sure we still haven't seen what gaming journalism will be in the long run.
The Jones Report: The Five Stages of Post E3 Grieving by Scott Jones

June 6, 2009 12:03:49 PM

"Hideous, eye-burning T-shirts"

Amen, brother. I mean, I know they need to put the game title front and center, but these are like silk screens from hell. I think I have only one I would actually wear in public.

Troy S. Goodfellow hasn't rated any games yet. Have you? Find some.

The Chatter Box

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Weekend Playlist, 11/20/2009
2 Comments
Last November 20, 2009 by Mr_Adam
If I can remember I will be adding you Gus. I started up Bad Company 2 last night and had tons of fun. I love all the options you have on completing a ...
A Zombie of a Chance: Looking Back at the Left 4 Dead 2 Boycott
10 Comments
Last November 20, 2009 by garion333
Great article Kyle. I really didn't expect there to be this much to discuss on the topic.
Internet's Fastest Game Reviews: Assassin's Creed II
10 Comments
Last November 20, 2009 by togmkn
Best one so far! :D
Assassin's Creed II
2 Comments
Last November 20, 2009 by unangbangkay
I'm mildly disappointed that the actual assassinations seem to be more linear (or at least simple) this time around. I very much enjoyed the assassinations ...

Ding! 03/30/2009
678 Comments
Last November 15, 2009 by Xenoth
The issue was never that he decided not to make this comic anymore. It was that he said Ding was returning and strung everyone along for months playing ...
So I just played "that part" of Modern Warfare 2
59 Comments
Last November 14, 2009 by Catastrophic1
Well I broke down today and bought the game and I played "No Russian" but unfortunately, probably due to all the talking about it and seeing it on YouTube, ...
Weekend Playlist, 11/13/2009
35 Comments
Last November 18, 2009 by girlgamer21
@RyanKuo: thank for letting me know.
"It's a Massacre!": The Appalling Failure of Modern Warfare 2's "No Russian" Mission
29 Comments
Last November 17, 2009 by RyanKuo
@TomBissell: Pulling out narrative flowcharts to defend the scene doesn't seem so different from calling it out for being awkwardly rammed in, ...

ChknKitty Says

Wow, people win every day in the Chicken Out contest! Sign up and win.

	Review: Tropico 3 (PC) by Troy S. Goodfellow \| 10/29/2009 9:05:09 AM \| 2 comments You're the dictator in Tropico 3, but there's no need to put your foot down.
	Column: Print Screen: "Gamer" by Troy S. Goodfellow \| 9/24/2009 9:09:23 AM \| 6 comments The new film "Gamer" comments on MMOs -- and fails in a big way.
	Review: Majesty 2: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim (PC) by Troy S. Goodfellow \| 9/15/2009 6:31:07 PM \| 4 comments Is running a kingdom just a glorified admin job? We review Majesty 2.
	Column: Print Screen: From Print to Screen by Troy S. Goodfellow \| 8/27/2009 3:45:25 PM \| 5 comments Gary Whitta has written himself out of game journalism and into Hollywood.
	Review: Hearts of Iron III (PC) by Troy S. Goodfellow \| 8/7/2009 2:21:31 PM \| 5 comments Hearts of Iron III is a glimpse into the future of World War II gaming.
	Review: East India Company (PC) by Troy S. Goodfellow \| 7/31/2009 10:26:47 AM \| 3 comments Troy Goodfellow has disappointing dealings with the East India Company.
	Column: Print Screen: Game Design by the Book by Troy S. Goodfellow \| 7/28/2009 7:36:43 PM \| 0 comments Want to be a game designer? You can learn a surprising amount from books. Troy Goodfellow picks out the best.
	Feature: Social Games: The Industry's New Wild West by Troy S. Goodfellow \| 7/20/2009 9:20:02 AM \| 0 comments Troy S. Goodfellow looks at why social game makers want you to make friends.
	Column: Print Screen: The Ethics of Computer Games by Troy S. Goodfellow \| 6/25/2009 3:34:22 PM \| 8 comments Troy Goodfellow's new column asks what makes an ethical game. The answer may surprise you.
	Preview: E3 2009: The Five: IL-2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey by Troy S. Goodfellow \| 6/19/2009 3:58:13 PM \| 0 comments Will a historical flight sim take off on consoles? 1C's IL-2 Sturmovik may have a shot.
	Preview: E3 2009: The Five: Heroes of Telara by Troy S. Goodfellow \| 6/19/2009 2:29:27 PM \| 0 comments Heroes of Telara wants to slip past WoW unscathed. Troy Goodfellow breaks down the MMO's new approach.
	Preview: E3 2009: The Five: Hearts of Iron III by Troy S. Goodfellow \| 6/12/2009 4:33:37 PM \| 0 comments Paradox returns to hardcore strategy with the latest in its Hearts of Iron series.
	Preview: E3 2009: The Five: East India Company by Troy S. Goodfellow \| 6/12/2009 4:08:19 PM \| 2 comments Even non-strategy gamers may want to deal with East India Company. Troy Goodfellow previews.
	Preview: E3 2009: The Five: Supreme Commander 2 by Troy S. Goodfellow \| 6/8/2009 6:07:32 PM \| 0 comments Bigger isn't the way forward for Supreme Commander 2. Troy Goodfellow studies Gas Powered Games' new strategy.
	Feature: War and Peace and Everything in Between: 10 Games for Foreign Policy Wonks by Troy S. Goodfellow \| 5/11/2009 12:00:00 AM \| 5 comments Politics appear in unexpected games. Read Troy S. Goodfellow's feature for insights and surprise.
	Review: Stalin vs. Martians (PC) by Troy S. Goodfellow \| 5/4/2009 6:57:17 PM \| 1 comments What if Stalin fought Martians in a videogame? That's the question posed by the real-time strategy game Stalin vs. Martians.
	Column: Print Screen: Building Mythologies Out of Games: The Halo Franchise by Troy S. Goodfellow \| 5/4/2009 6:55:55 PM \| 0 comments Why read Halo? Troy S. Goodfellow looks at the series' literary takeover.
	Column: Print Screen: Narrative Ludology in Three Somewhat Easy Steps by Troy S. Goodfellow \| 4/9/2009 7:00:16 PM \| 0 comments Gamers aren't the only ones that take games seriously. Troy Goodfellow reviews a trilogy of books on ludology, the academic study of games.
	Feature: Saved Games: Preserving the New TV by Troy S. Goodfellow \| 4/8/2009 6:10:44 PM \| 4 comments Will today's games be remembered in future decades? Troy S. Goodfellow looks at the Digital Preservation Project's effort to archive videogames.
	Review: BattleForge (PC) by Troy S. Goodfellow \| 4/1/2009 5:44:25 PM \| 9 comments Playing BattleForge is as simple as shuffling a deck. Troy S. Goodfellow reviews the new collectible card/RTS hybrid.
	Column: Dissenting Opinion: Empire: Total War by Troy S. Goodfellow \| 3/20/2009 8:31:34 PM \| 15 comments Empire: Total War got Tom Chick's axe. Troy S. Goodfellow argues that it's not a total flub. Read his Dissenting Opinion.
	Column: Print Screen: "Racing the Beam" and "Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li" by Troy S. Goodfellow \| 3/9/2009 9:01:54 PM \| 0 comments Troy Goodfellow reviews a weighty new book on the Atari 2600's game design, then empties his brain with the new Street Fighter movie.
	Column: Print Screen: Total Franchise Reboot by Troy S. Goodfellow \| 2/9/2009 8:19:56 PM \| 2 comments Lara Croft's starting to feel a little old and worn -- so she's being reborn in her upcoming games and films. Troy S. Goodfellow weighs in on the Tomb Raider heroine's future.
	Column: Print Screen: Turning Games Into Work and Vice Versa by Troy S. Goodfellow \| 12/30/2008 6:15:02 PM \| 0 comments We all know that games can be as much work as they are play, but now your bosses are finding out. In his latest column, Troy S. Goodfellow looks at a new book about how games are being used in the workplace.
	Feature: Age of Ensemble, Part 3: The Closing Chapters by Troy S. Goodfellow \| 12/18/2008 7:34:33 PM \| 9 comments The final Age of Empires game, and then an orbital drop into the Halo universe: Age of Ensemble comes to an end in Part 3 of Troy S. Goodfellow's feature.
	Feature: Age of Ensemble, Part 2: Perfecting the Formula by Troy S. Goodfellow \| 12/17/2008 4:51:03 PM \| 0 comments In Part 2 of his feature on the history of Ensemble Studios, Troy S. Goodfellow takes an inside look at how the company followed up on the success of Age of Empires and being bought by Microsoft.
	Feature: Age of Ensemble, Part 1: A Titan Passes by Troy S. Goodfellow \| 12/16/2008 7:00:04 PM \| 1 comments The closure of Ensemble Studios -- the creator of the Age of Empires games -- is imminent. In this three-part feature, Troy S. Goodfellow speaks with the founders of Ensemble about the origins of the company and its watershed games. Read on for Part 1.
	Column: Print Screen: Building a Library for the Holidays by Troy S. Goodfellow \| 11/25/2008 7:37:47 PM \| 1 comments Why don't you put down the videogames and read a videogame book instead? Or watch a movie about videogames? Get some recommendations for the holidays in Troy S. Goodfellow's new column.
	Column: Print Screen: "Rogue Leaders": Movies to Games to Movie Games by Troy S. Goodfellow \| 11/5/2008 6:59:42 PM \| 2 comments In his latest column on "Rogue Leaders: The Story of LucasArts," Troy S. Goodfellow reviews the first comprehensive look at LucasArts, a studio responsible for a myriad of classic videogames -- Star Wars or not.
	Review: Hinterland (PC) by Troy S. Goodfellow \| 10/6/2008 7:29:09 PM \| 1 comments If you build it, they will come -- and then you can begin the process of exterminating all who stand in your path. Command a party of belligerent villagers to protect your home in Hinterland. Read on for Troy S. Goodfellow's take.
	Column: Print Screen: "Porn & Pong": Testing the Limits of Titillation by Troy S. Goodfellow \| 9/30/2008 7:30:04 PM \| 2 comments Troy S. Goodfellow takes a look at the latest treatise on the age-old issue of sex in gaming, "Porn & Pong." Read on for his review of the book.
	Review: Romance of the Three Kingdoms XI (PC) by Troy S. Goodfellow \| 9/9/2008 6:31:07 PM \| 1 comments The epic, Chinese-themed series of war games reaches its 11th chapter. After donning his general's hat, Troy S. Goodfellow returns with his impressions of the new battlefield.
	Column: Print Screen: "Game Boys": The Gamers or the Game? by Troy S. Goodfellow \| 8/27/2008 8:41:17 PM \| 0 comments In his latest Print Screen column, Troy S. Goodfellow looks at Michael Kane's "Game Boys: Professional Videogaming's Rise From the Basement to the Big Time." Read on for his review of the book.
	Review: Space Siege (PC) by Troy S. Goodfellow \| 8/26/2008 6:19:43 PM \| 1 comments Turns out in space, everyone can hear you scream ... if happen to be playing Space Siege. Troy S. Goodfellow's review of Gas Powered Games' action RPG launches in three, two, one...
	Column: Print Screen: "This Gaming Life" by Troy S. Goodfellow \| 7/31/2008 6:22:36 PM \| 0 comments Troy S. Goodfellow looks at a book that is as much a travelog as it is a meditation on the place videogames hold in our culture today. Read on for his latest column.
	Review: Supreme Commander (Xbox 360) by Troy S. Goodfellow \| 7/3/2008 4:27:52 PM \| 1 comments Giant armies, giant robots, giant explosions -- all the elements that made this massive sci-fi RTS reign supreme on the PC have been ported to the Xbox 360. But how about the gameplay? Troy S. Goodfellow reviews.
	Column: Print Screen: "Dungeons & Desktops" and Writing Gaming History by Troy S. Goodfellow \| 6/19/2008 6:34:29 PM \| 0 comments From the tabletop to the desktop, this book explores the history and evolution of computer role-playing games. Is it essential reading for you? Troy S. Goodfellow reviews.
	Column: Print Screen: The BioShock* Movie* by Troy S. Goodfellow \| 5/21/2008 12:00:00 AM \| 0 comments Big Daddies are headed for the big screen -- but can you truly translate the story of the game in a film adaptation? In his latest column, Troy S. Goodfellow looks at the opportunities and potential pitfalls of adapting 2007's FPS hit.
	Review: Galactic Civilizations II: Twilight of Arnor (PC) by Troy S. Goodfellow \| 5/16/2008 10:47:41 AM \| 0 comments GalCiv 2 fans, your universe is expanding, with new ships, a new campaign, new customization features and more strategic depth. Find out more in Troy S. Goodfellow's review of the final chapter of the Dread Lords saga.
	Review: XIII Century: Death or Glory (PC) by Troy S. Goodfellow \| 5/12/2008 5:18:50 PM \| 0 comments With an accurate historical model and challenging battles, will this real-time strategy game earn a victory with PC gamers? Find out in Troy S. Goodfellow's review.
	Interview: Past Forward by Troy S. Goodfellow \| 5/2/2008 3:06:40 PM \| 0 comments When you set a game in the past, the right combination of good strategy gameplay and historical accuracy is a tricky recipe. Troy S. Goodfellow sat down with Paradox Interactive's Johann Andersson to talk about making history.
	Review: Europa Universalis: Rome (PC) by Troy S. Goodfellow \| 4/25/2008 2:03:02 PM \| 0 comments Rome wasn't built in a day -- but with this real-time strategy, you can give it a shot. Read on for Troy S. Goodfellow's review.
	Column: Print Screen: "Grand Theft Childhood" by Troy S. Goodfellow \| 4/23/2008 4:08:11 PM \| 0 comments The question of the effects of M-rated videogames on our kids is one that breeds controversy, but according to this book, the answers might surprise you. Read Troy S. Goodfellow's review.
	Column: Print-Screen: "Second Lives: A Journey Through Virtual Worlds" by Troy S. Goodfellow \| 3/27/2008 12:00:00 AM \| 0 comments From side-scrollers to page-turners and from consoles to the box office, videogames are making their mark in other media. In Troy S. Goodfellow's latest column, take a look at a book exploring Second Life and beyond.
	Column: Print-Screen: Setting the Table by Troy S. Goodfellow \| 3/27/2008 12:00:00 AM \| 0 comments In his debut column covering the crossover between videogames and other media, Troy S. Goodfellow reviews the novel "Mass Effect: Revelations." Read on.
	Column: Print-Screen: Not Quite Boll-ed Over by Troy S. Goodfellow \| 3/27/2008 12:00:00 AM \| 0 comments In his latest column looking at the intersection of videogames and other media, Troy S. Goodfellow reviews the film "In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale."
	Review: Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance (PC) by Troy S. Goodfellow \| 1/31/2008 12:00:00 AM \| 0 comments Developed by Gas Powered Games as an expansion to Supreme Commander, Forged Alliance from publisher THQ works well as a stand-alone -- in fact, you may choose to skip the original altogether. Troy S. Goodfellow breaks down what you can expect from ...
	Review: Geometry Wars: Galaxies (DS) by Troy S. Goodfellow \| 1/31/2008 12:00:00 AM \| 0 comments Developed by Kuju for the Nintendo DS, Sierra''s Geometry Wars: Galaxies delivers classic arcade action to your handheld. For his review, Troy S. Goodfellow took this little shooter for a spin -- and has the hand cramps to prove it.
	Review: Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer (PC) by Troy S. Goodfellow \| 1/30/2008 12:00:00 AM \| 1 comments Dungeons & Dragons fans, this is likely the final computer translation of the 3rd edition. Troy S. Goodfellow steps inside this RPG expansion developed by Obsidian and published by Atari, Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer for PC.

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