Tag Archives: MB Games

May 30, 2026 · 04:07

The setting of the engineer

That is where I am at present. I have been knowing my brain around on designing games that can be used for reaching linguistic skills, but with a difference. As such I have been focusing on Latin, which was one of the languages that this solution would traverse, then from these we get to Italian and considering that people like Gaius Marius created the Italian army. There is a thought to create a few games (heavily based on MB games) to aid in the setting of this. So here I was (here I still am) converting the 1975 Tank Battle into a game with Chariots, the game play is almost the same and whilst they have no flags on the tanks they could gain a archer when they get tot he end. And the game is played by instructing (in latin) to move a chariot and as such you get linguistic training. Then we get to ‘Conquest of the Empire’ which is now called ‘securing the empire’ where we get to play a tactical game. These additions put the gamer in a linguistic mode, they will breath late in no time and no matter how limited this is and there were more games, Dice games were massively popular, so introducing them would aid this. Then there was a Dutch invention called ‘Leesplankje’ a Dutch 19th century invention that could aid here (and in other language models)

And the setting would be to use Latin phrases to aid in pronouncing certain Latin words. The idea is that these games would also be used to propel French, English, Italian, Portuguese, Japanese, Arabic and a few other languages. So even as the setting is based on other stages, the games could be introduced simultaneously, So here I am considering what games to add to that setting. So there is no need to add certain games, but several might be used in a different way.

Legality
Legality is on the forefront of my mind because this is based on IP that is not mine. I feel decently secure that a game like Tank Battle has its IP protection shedded as they are unlikely to continue the legal protections, there is however the foundational protection a game designer has and the question becomes how much do you need to change a game for it to no longer to have certain levels and it might not be seen as illegal. Making a 10 by 10 field into a 15 by 15 field and making tanks Chariots might be enough, but I am not certain. Also it is a game within a game/simulation. I reckon the law was not ready for that, because there is no physical version (yet) but that is a worry for another day and for now I say ‘currum unum promove’ and ‘Da huic currui sagittarium’ and worry about tomorrow things tomorrow, because first the idea is to advance certain settings and create the elements to give this beast mass and power, because that is what makes great IP in the end. The idea is nice and essential, but when it remains and idea that is the foundation of it, when we add substance to the idea it means we seemingly worked out certain settings and it pays me too, because my mind can concoct all the things in the universe, but I have seen time and time again that I can move at speeds that most quantum computers see as madness (caressing my ego here). Still the setting when completed will be decent and the idea is not to replace language teachers, but it is to offer these services to millions of people that are out of reach of such teachers and there is a rather nice stage that these teachers will embrace that setting to educate more students in languages than currently is possible and quite soon is no longer possible, because that is also the impact of global recessions. So whilst we get sources like ABC News claiming that “The global economy is currently avoiding a worldwide recession”, but the thought has become “is it though?” Because there are too many elements in play and something has to give and education is the usual first victim in an economical war and it will be trivialized through “We are keeping our finger on the pulse and there is going to be an adjustment soon” but they are talking in styles that is leaving at least one generation partially uneducated on a near global stage. And I saw this at least 2-3 years ago, because this setting of languages was seen be me at least that long ago and I saw the business sense that a player like Ubisoft could employ, they had at least 75% ready before they ever started and that is a nice setting for a software solution maker, because that is what this will become. I think I have worked on this from 2025 onwards, but the idea to advance certain matters to all languages is decently new.

Anyway, as we are told (13 minutes ago by the Guardian) that ‘Trump claims to be on verge of approving peace deal with major Iranian concessions’ I wonder how this was possible whilst we heard on March 15th 2026 that “Militarily, “we’ve essentially defeated Iran,” though he stopped just short of an official final victory declaration because he maintained the U.S. was still involved in delicate diplomatic talks”, yes, tell me another one. But all this is hitting the United States economically and even though it is only impacting 70 million students, the fact that the US debt surpasses their GDP is setting a strong need for a software solution and optionally not claiming a fake AI field and this is the benefit that Ubisoft could wield because there is a certain amount of certainty that the business branch of the world might not see an uneducated workforce as beneficial to them and for others to see a solution that takes away a workforce pressure in teachers that aren’t to be found gives a certain solace to the soul of these captains of industry.

So you tell me how exactly “the global economy is currently avoiding a worldwide recession” and I will show you where they are failing you because education and infrastructure are the first victims in a recession.

So you all have a great day, it Saturday here now and whilst Toronto is enjoying its Friday happy feelings, I can tell them that this is overrated, because I have already seen that.

Redefining limits

Yup, we all do that. Perhaps me more than others. This time I am not slapping Microsoft (too much fun), but it is time to have a small go at Amazon. They were asleep at the wheel as well and they still have their Amazon Luna.

This is the image of a board game called Hero Quest. The game (at present) is not important. What is, is the fact that someone turned it into a video game. Now I am not judging that game (never played it). But there is a whole range of games that are ignored. The most important part is that people did not go into this with their imagination turned on. So let’s take another look at another game.

Behold the Harry Potter edition of Clue. A game that could be played online as well. But consider another stage. What if the stage of the board changes depending on the character you play? The rooms and layout remain the same, but how you see these corridors and rooms do not. In Hero Quest we see a ‘bland’ board because at that time it was what there was. Now consider these corridors having shades and shadows. It gives a rogue less visibility, implying that in a dark part of a corridor he is unlikely to be seen and can attack once with benefits. In clue the characters have different secret passages, or at least not all of them. In addition (playing by the original clue rules) Hermione has additional question skills. Harry has movement skills (broom and such). It doesn’t change the game, it merely alters it and it becomes a whole lot more interesting to play that game with a specific character.

We can go on all night and do this to a while range of games. My issue is that board games aren’t new. They are also not new in video games. So why didn’t anyone take this to a whole new level (looking at you Amazon)?

Limits is where you see them and redefining them is seen when you destroy these limits. Players like Amazon are so used to let others (with limitations) set the premise and they are ignoring what could have been done.

There were so many board games. There are the MB games (Milton Bradley Company) and their games were ‘top’ entertainment through the 70’s-90’s, so why were they forgotten? I get that they were not on the mind of CBM-64 programmers. But now with most limits gone much more could have been achieved and in streaming it will be important to set part of the stage where the whole family could compete and that is where streaming could push the new score of entertainment. If it is single player, against NPC’s or others online, the multi-view comes back into the equation.

So do the math. How many games for Amazon Luna were released in 2023? How many were played? Now consider these board games and let people play them by themselves (against an NPC) or online agains a friend of fellow player, what clusters of eager players would Amazon have unlocked?

That list could go on for a while and it could also include a few other options, but I think the message is clear. The console makers (all apart from Sony and Nintendo) are leaving it up to others to fix things. I think Amazon needs to take a hard look at where they are and where they think they are going. It is important because Tencent has a handheld for streaming and they are about to push their borders all over the globe. Microsoft can claim all it wants, but the new Elder Scrolls is (according to sources) at least 5 years away. Nintendo needed less then 2 years to surpass them and Tencent is likely able to achieve the same. It is now up to Amazon to be regarded as a serious gaming solution of become 4th in that race soon there after. They might land ahead of Microsoft, but in gaming that is not much of an achievement.

Just my few cents on the matter in this new year.

Enjoy!

First the weird

Yes, it was something that happened on Wednesday night. It was (apparently) important and it involved Batman. It was a dream, mot likely about IP, but I cannot state whether it is based on the comic books, I do not think it was the Arkham games series. I also do not think it was the movies, but beyond that it is blank, I just cannot remember it and if I do not write it down quickly, it becomes lost. So now I have to wait for the REM stage to kick in again. Beyond all that, there is new IP. A new setting, a digital setting that comes to mind on some of the MB games, in the first it is Hotel and now we have a new stage, Yes, we can ‘just’ copy the board game, but that is such a waste of time, unless it is a mode you can unlock. A board that becomes bigger as more players come to it. The nearly same setting, but now we add a library of hotels. So the original game had the Boomerang, Fujiyama, Royal, Le Grand, Safari, Taj Mahal, Waikiki, and the President. But the fun part is that digitally we can add, we can replace keeping the game new and fresh. So we can get hotels based on famous hotels in Dubai, Las Vegas, New York, Los Angeles, London and so many other places. As we add multiplayer options where the player can select from a pool of online players, friends and game fans, this game could get a lot more attention, and history has shown that there was an interest in this game. I still haven’t given up on the notion of collectible keys (used on the Amazon Luna) to unlock elements in games that other games provide for. And Hotel could be no different. Other games unlock additional hotels and this game could unlock other elements in other games. A stage that pushes novelty and pushes the desire to play, to find and to embrace any game that streaming offers.

I mentioned the keys before and it could be one of several enhancements that could push the Amazon Luna (beside the 50M extra consoles option). You see, the need for gaming is different on streamers, yes there is a like minded setting with other consoles, but the plus value is not merely some subscription, it is the part where the subscription leads to additional sides, it keeps the gamer invigorated. And in sandbox games there is plenty to see, but in other games after you played it once or twice you think you have seen it all, unless you add to the game, unless the game keeps on developing. There is only so many times the bulk will play Monopoly. Yet if we can localise Monopoly and unlock local editions the interest in such a game evolves from medium term to long term enjoyment. And there several MB games could find themselves in a larger stage. In earlier writings I evolved the game Stratego to a much larger online stage. Yet what happens when we do this to the game Tank Battle? What happens when we evolve the game Clue to a version based on the CCG the X files? All games with multiple options, all games with an evolved nature that offers long term appeal. And as stated on multiple times, some of the original CBM-64 games could get a whole new era of gaming enthusiasts if they put their mind to it.

All settings that some ignored, some were forgotten and many were overlooked, or perhaps the game designers never considered the early years of gaming. Just like some of us seemingly forgot about some of the TV shows from the 60’s and 70’s, several of them bubbling with new life if the right director comes along. The acquired IP from the old days could be the cheapest and that offers a whole new stage. Some of the makers are all about looking at the new, but to find. Truly new series with no connections to the past is so utterly rare that it is almost folly to join those crusaders, all chasing windmills. Which is still weird because the fields are covered with fix them uppers and some of them have solid housing frames.

The fact that some are racing to remaster decent PS4 games for PS5, and they are merely looking behind them, in the rear distance there are true gems waiting to be rediscovered and I hope Amazon does so, Google too, but then they decided not to develop games, so they need to rely on the indie developers and some will be looking towards the CBM-64, Atari ST and Amiga games. As I see some development notes pass by, I can see that they are and they will have decent chances to pick up an interesting amount of coins.

Tag Archives: MB Games

The setting of the engineer

Redefining limits

First the weird

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