The Eye of Judgment
Encyclopedia
The Eye of Judgment is a turn-based
card battle
video game for the PlayStation 3
platform, which utilizes the PlayStation Eye
camera peripheral. It is the first game to use the peripheral, with which it is available in a bundle in Japan, Europe, the Middle East, and North America.
Once planned for release close to the PlayStation 3 launch in November 2006, the game was eventually released on October 25, 2007 as Set 1 in Japan. Two expansion pack
s are planned for the game. Set 2 was released on PlayStation Network on March 27, 2008 in Europe and Japan (April 24, 2008 in North America), with additional enhancements such as improved graphic displays, a new ability and honor ranking system, an in-game encyclopaedia, and special matches. Japan, United States & Europe have seen the release of Set 3 on PlayStation Network on October 16, 2008 with Canada expected to follow on November 10, 2008.
Trophies have also made their way to the game. 37 trophies are available for unlocking.
A "complete disc" of The Eye of Judgment with Sets 1–3 was also planned for release in stores in 2008, but was later canceled.
In August 2006, an official teaser site indicated that the name contained the subtitle, Conquerors of 9 Fields. The game has since been given a new subtitle, Biolith Rebellion, in Japan.
In 2010 a PSP
spinoff called The Eye of Judgment: Legends
was released. It does not use the physical cards and play mat style of the original.
matrix code; players conquer a playfield by employing various creatures and spells, taking turns playing cards of their choice strategically on the mat, and performing actions through gestures that are captured through the PlayStation Eye
camera, which is mounted on a special stand (also included with the game). The first player to occupy five spaces (more than half the field) wins the match.
On each turn, players can move a card, changing its position and/or orientation. The cards are divided into two main classes: creature cards and spell cards. When a creature card is placed face-up on the grid, the creature is "summoned", and displayed perched on top of the field. Creatures have different offensive and defensive levels depending on their orientation on the field, and are more vulnerable to attacks from the side or behind. During an attack, the view switches from the field view to a "battle mode", in which the two battling creatures are shown battling. Spell cards can be used to attack other creatures, or claim or cause an effect on a space.
Each of the nine fields, as well as most cards, are categorized by one of five elements. The elements are fire, water, earth, wood, and Biolith. Fire and water are opposing elements, as are earth and wood. Creatures played on a field that corresponds to their element, such as a fire creature on a fire field, get an automatic bonus of +2 points to life, making them significantly tougher to kill. Creatures played on a field of their opposite element automatically lose 2 points of life, giving them a serious disadvantage. In fact, if a creature with 2 life points or less is played on its opposite element, it immediately dies. Biolith cards are neutral, and gain no bonus or penalty to life by being placed on any field. Each of the nine fields has a second element associated with it. This element is partially revealed on the edge of the field. That second element becomes active when certain cards cause the field to be "flipped". The original element then becomes inactive. In the default/official field configuration, the center field is always Biolith, and the other elements are in a set pattern such that each element has a corner field and a middle-edge field. The field can also be set to random or other unofficial configurations in casual (un-ranked) games.
Most actions in the game cost "mana". This includes summoning creatures, casting spells, attacking, and rotating a friendly creature that is in play. At the beginning of each player's turn, they gain 2 points of mana. If a creature is killed, it is moved to the discard pile and its owner gains 1 point of mana. There are other cards in the game that allow a player to gain mana in various ways.
"-style mode for younger players.
Set 1 is bundled with a playing mat, the stand for holding the PlayStation Eye, a starter pack
consisting of 30 summoning cards and 4 function cards, and an eight-card booster pack
. All starter packs contain the same selection of cards, while booster packs consist of random summoning cards. Booster packs and pre-constructed theme decks are available for purchase separately by Wizards of the Coast
. There are approximately 100 unique card types in each set, with 110 in Set 1, a further 100 in Set 2 and 101 in Set 3 (although only 100 of the Set 3 cards are playable 'in game', with card 311 being a promotional card only.
Two-player competitive matches can be played online. As a prohibitive measure against cheating the card draw, players' summoning decks are registered and saved by the game. In online matches, the random draw is handled virtually using the registered deck data. The cards are then played as normal. To prevent registering the same card multiple times as different copies, duplicate cards must be presented simultaneously when registering. In response to questions regarding possible counterfeiting of cards, marketing director Christy Newton stated that measures are incorporated in the recognition technology and in the printing of the cards to prevent color photocopies
from being usable. Despite this, success has been reported using standard photocopies and hand-drawn copies
Regarding the implementation of the CyberCode matrix code, Miyaki stated in a 2007 interview that working with the technology was challenging, noting that it started at Sony Computer Science Laboratories, featuring a more complicated barcode system
where the initial implementation used "two supercomputers and high vision cameras", and wasn't practical for home game machines. According to Miyaki, "It had a whole mile to go, and to get from there to now has been very difficult."
Turn-based strategy
A turn-based strategy game is a strategy game where players take turns when playing...
card battle
Collectible card game
thumb|Players and their decksA collectible card game , also called a trading card game or customizable card game, is a game played using specially designed sets of playing cards...
video game for the PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
platform, which utilizes the PlayStation Eye
PlayStation Eye
The PlayStation Eye is a digital camera device, similar to a webcam, for the PlayStation 3. The technology uses computer vision and gesture recognition to process images taken by the camera. This allows players to interact with games using motion and color detection as well as sound through its...
camera peripheral. It is the first game to use the peripheral, with which it is available in a bundle in Japan, Europe, the Middle East, and North America.
Once planned for release close to the PlayStation 3 launch in November 2006, the game was eventually released on October 25, 2007 as Set 1 in Japan. Two expansion pack
Expansion pack
An expansion pack, expansion set, or supplement is an addition to an existing role-playing game, tabletop game or video game. These add-ons usually add new game areas, weapons, objects, and/or an extended storyline to a complete and already released game...
s are planned for the game. Set 2 was released on PlayStation Network on March 27, 2008 in Europe and Japan (April 24, 2008 in North America), with additional enhancements such as improved graphic displays, a new ability and honor ranking system, an in-game encyclopaedia, and special matches. Japan, United States & Europe have seen the release of Set 3 on PlayStation Network on October 16, 2008 with Canada expected to follow on November 10, 2008.
Trophies have also made their way to the game. 37 trophies are available for unlocking.
A "complete disc" of The Eye of Judgment with Sets 1–3 was also planned for release in stores in 2008, but was later canceled.
In August 2006, an official teaser site indicated that the name contained the subtitle, Conquerors of 9 Fields. The game has since been given a new subtitle, Biolith Rebellion, in Japan.
In 2010 a PSP
PSP
PSP most commonly refers to the PlayStation Portable, a handheld game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment.PSP may also refer to:-Computing and programming:*Corel Paint Shop Pro, a graphics editor...
spinoff called The Eye of Judgment: Legends
The Eye of Judgment: Legends
The Eye of Judgment: Legends is a turn-based card battle video game for the PlayStation Portable. It is a spinoff of the 2007 PlayStation 3 release, The Eye of Judgment. Unlike the original game, Legends uses a completely virtual card system rather than having the player own physical cards. With...
was released. It does not use the physical cards and play mat style of the original.
Gameplay
Through use of an included "9 Fields" table mat featuring 3x3 rectangular grid, and special trading cards encoded with CyberCodeCyberCode
CyberCode is a visual tagging system based on a 2D barcode technology. CyberCode tags can be recognized by the low-cost CMOS or CCD cameras found in more and more mobile devices, and it can also be used to determine the 3D position of the tagged object as well as its ID number.A CyberCode tag is a...
matrix code; players conquer a playfield by employing various creatures and spells, taking turns playing cards of their choice strategically on the mat, and performing actions through gestures that are captured through the PlayStation Eye
PlayStation Eye
The PlayStation Eye is a digital camera device, similar to a webcam, for the PlayStation 3. The technology uses computer vision and gesture recognition to process images taken by the camera. This allows players to interact with games using motion and color detection as well as sound through its...
camera, which is mounted on a special stand (also included with the game). The first player to occupy five spaces (more than half the field) wins the match.
On each turn, players can move a card, changing its position and/or orientation. The cards are divided into two main classes: creature cards and spell cards. When a creature card is placed face-up on the grid, the creature is "summoned", and displayed perched on top of the field. Creatures have different offensive and defensive levels depending on their orientation on the field, and are more vulnerable to attacks from the side or behind. During an attack, the view switches from the field view to a "battle mode", in which the two battling creatures are shown battling. Spell cards can be used to attack other creatures, or claim or cause an effect on a space.
Each of the nine fields, as well as most cards, are categorized by one of five elements. The elements are fire, water, earth, wood, and Biolith. Fire and water are opposing elements, as are earth and wood. Creatures played on a field that corresponds to their element, such as a fire creature on a fire field, get an automatic bonus of +2 points to life, making them significantly tougher to kill. Creatures played on a field of their opposite element automatically lose 2 points of life, giving them a serious disadvantage. In fact, if a creature with 2 life points or less is played on its opposite element, it immediately dies. Biolith cards are neutral, and gain no bonus or penalty to life by being placed on any field. Each of the nine fields has a second element associated with it. This element is partially revealed on the edge of the field. That second element becomes active when certain cards cause the field to be "flipped". The original element then becomes inactive. In the default/official field configuration, the center field is always Biolith, and the other elements are in a set pattern such that each element has a corner field and a middle-edge field. The field can also be set to random or other unofficial configurations in casual (un-ranked) games.
Most actions in the game cost "mana". This includes summoning creatures, casting spells, attacking, and rotating a friendly creature that is in play. At the beginning of each player's turn, they gain 2 points of mana. If a creature is killed, it is moved to the discard pile and its owner gains 1 point of mana. There are other cards in the game that allow a player to gain mana in various ways.
Features
The game features a profile mode in which players can hold cards in front of the camera and view their profiles; with information on health points, attack points, and special abilities and effects. In this mode, players can interact with the creatures, with the creature performing an attack action when poked. The game will also feature a simplistic "Rock, Paper, ScissorsRock, Paper, Scissors
Rock-paper-scissors is a hand game played by two people. The game is also known as roshambo, or another ordering of the three items ....
"-style mode for younger players.
Set 1 is bundled with a playing mat, the stand for holding the PlayStation Eye, a starter pack
Starter pack
A starter pack is a sealed package of cards or figurines, designed to serve as the beginning of a collection, in collectible card games and collectible miniature wargames....
consisting of 30 summoning cards and 4 function cards, and an eight-card booster pack
Booster pack
In collectible card games and collectible miniature wargames, a booster pack is a sealed package of cards or figurines, designed to add to a player's collection....
. All starter packs contain the same selection of cards, while booster packs consist of random summoning cards. Booster packs and pre-constructed theme decks are available for purchase separately by Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail stores for games...
. There are approximately 100 unique card types in each set, with 110 in Set 1, a further 100 in Set 2 and 101 in Set 3 (although only 100 of the Set 3 cards are playable 'in game', with card 311 being a promotional card only.
Two-player competitive matches can be played online. As a prohibitive measure against cheating the card draw, players' summoning decks are registered and saved by the game. In online matches, the random draw is handled virtually using the registered deck data. The cards are then played as normal. To prevent registering the same card multiple times as different copies, duplicate cards must be presented simultaneously when registering. In response to questions regarding possible counterfeiting of cards, marketing director Christy Newton stated that measures are incorporated in the recognition technology and in the printing of the cards to prevent color photocopies
Photocopier
A photocopier is a machine that makes paper copies of documents and other visual images quickly and cheaply. Most current photocopiers use a technology called xerography, a dry process using heat...
from being usable. Despite this, success has been reported using standard photocopies and hand-drawn copies
Development
When asked in an interview at E3 2006, Eye of Judgment producers Kazuhito Miyaki and Yusuke Watanabe answered that the game had been in development for three years; of which the previous year had been focused on graphics development, and the two years before that were spent developing the gameplay mechanics on paper. The developers elaborated that technological tests were conducted at the start of the development, and that one of the main areas of development was currently getting the game to properly recognize the cards on the play mat.Regarding the implementation of the CyberCode matrix code, Miyaki stated in a 2007 interview that working with the technology was challenging, noting that it started at Sony Computer Science Laboratories, featuring a more complicated barcode system
Barcode system
A barcode system is a network of hardware and software, consisting primarily of mobile computers, printers, handheld scanners, infrastructure, and supporting software. Barcode systems are used to automate data collection where hand recording is neither timely or cost effective...
where the initial implementation used "two supercomputers and high vision cameras", and wasn't practical for home game machines. According to Miyaki, "It had a whole mile to go, and to get from there to now has been very difficult."