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Visual Communication. Hero’s Journey. In his book, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, Joseph Campbell identified the story elements that were common to all the great stories across cultures and generations. Chris Vogler in The Writer’s Journey applied Campbell’s thinking to the movies and came up with 12 steps that define a classic story structure. These 12 steps – and my own Hero’s Emotional Journey – form the foundation for my Screenwriting Courses. Step 1 – Ordinary World We see the Hero in their normal setting before the story comes to shake up their world. Step 2 – Call to Adventure The Hero gets a Call to Adventure, inviting their to leave their Ordinary World. Step 3 – Refusal of the Call Typically, the Hero will initially refuse this call – or reservations will be expressed by those around them.

Step 4 – Meeting with the Mentor The Hero will then interact with a mentor figure, though not necessarily a wise old man with grey hair. Step 5 – Crossing the First Threshold Step 6 – Tests, Allies and Enemies Step 8 – The Ordeal. Japanese swordsmithing. Visual glossary of Japanese sword terms Japanese sword blades were often forged with different profiles, different blade thicknesses, and varying amounts of grind. Wakizashi and tantō were not simply scaled-down katana; they were often forged without ridge (hira-zukuri) or other such forms which were very rare on katana. Traditional methods[edit] Steel production[edit] The steel used is known as tamahagane (玉鋼:たまはがね?) , or "jewel steel" (tama - ball or jewel, hagane - steel). Diagram of a tatara and bellows Tamahagane The swordsmiths will carefully break the kera apart, and separate the various carbon steels.

Construction[edit] The forging of a Japanese blade typically took many days or weeks, and was considered a sacred art, traditionally accompanied by a large panoply of Shinto religious rituals.[9] As with many complex endeavors, rather than a single craftsman, several artists were involved. Forging[edit] Katana made by folding, showing alternating layers. Assembly[edit] Heat treating[edit] Lego-style apartment transforms into infinite spaces - videos. When Christian Schallert isn’t cooking, dressing, sleeping or eating, his 24 square meter (258 square feet) apartment is an empty cube. To use a piece of furniture, he has to build it. To sleep, he rolls his bed out from under the balcony, his stairs become become bedside tables and he can even swing his tv out from the wall. To dine, he lowers a plank from the wall, his flower-stand becomes a support and his stairs become a bench.

To cook, he clicks a spot on his vast wall of click-able furniture, and a spring-loaded door swings up to reveal an instant kitchen: double-burner, dishwasher, sink, countertop and microwave oven. The full-sized refrigerator and freezer click open just alongside. Located in Barcelona’s hip Born district, the tiny apartment is a remodeled pigeon loft. While there’s undoubtedly more work involved in constructing and deconstructing your dining room/kitchen/bedroom every day or meal (one of his friends has dubbed it “G.I. Features - The Cake Is Not a Lie: How to Design Effective Achievements. [In this first in a new series of articles, PhD researcher and game designer Lucas Blair uses academic research to formulate best practices for designing in-game achievements.] Achievements are a hot topic in the gaming industry.

Player feelings toward them range from obsession to indifference and designers seem equally torn over their use. Controversial or not, achievements appear to be here to stay, so designers need to learn to utilize them to their fullest potential. Achievements, if they are intended to have a positive effect on players, must be a forethought, and not an afterthought, during the game design process.

In many cases they are carelessly tacked on to a game after it is already close to completion. Unfortunately, the benefits of a carefully-crafted game mechanic can be undermined by attaching a poorly-designed achievement to it. There is an established body of scientific study covering a wide range of topics, which should guide the design of achievements. Features - The Cake Is Not a Lie: How to Design Effective Achievements, Part 2.

[In the second part of his three-part series, PhD researcher and game designer Lucas Blair continues to present underpinnings in contemporary research which will help formulate best practices for designing in-game achievements. You can read part 1 here.] Now, to recap. As I wrote in the original piece, there is an established body of scientific study covering a wide range of topics, which should guide the design of achievements. In this article series, I will be sharing a taxonomy of achievement design features created by deconstructing how achievements are currently used in games. The goal of this exercise is to distill mechanisms of action out of achievement designs, which have been shown by research to affect performance, motivation, and attitudes.

This taxonomy, although intended to be comprehensive, is likely to be subject to debate and future revisions. Now, onward to the new content. Expected vs. Expected achievements allow players to set goals for themselves before they begin. Features - The Cake Is Not a Lie: How to Design Effective Achievements, Part 3. [In the second part of his three-part series, PhD researcher and game designer Lucas Blair continues to present underpinnings in contemporary research which will help formulate best practices for designing in-game achievements.

You can read part 1 here, and part 2 here.] Now, to recap. As I wrote in the original piece, there is an established body of scientific study covering a wide range of topics, which should guide the design of achievements. In this article series, I will be sharing a taxonomy of achievement design features created by deconstructing how achievements are currently used in games. The goal of this exercise is to distill mechanisms of action out of achievement designs, which have been shown by research to affect performance, motivation, and attitudes. This taxonomy, although intended to be comprehensive, is likely to be subject to debate and future revisions. In part three I will be covering the following concepts: Best practice: Don't use negative achievements. Nicholas Felton | Feltron.com. Laws of Simplicity - Home.