So my "batchmates" have announced where they are going next. Creators come in generations, and while most disappear as quickly as they appear, some more or less "grow together". So whenever you see a fellow traveller who has been alongside you on the same road travelling for thousands of miles decide to take the exit lane or merge onto another highway, it kinda makes you lonely.
While I have yet to see where my Unity3D experiment takes me, what I'm sure of is that I wouldn't mind becoming a go-to full-outsource developer for Ren'Py-powered games. I wouldn't like to be in a business of selling things and what that entails -- having worked in tech support / customer service a few years ago, I hate the idea of having to support products or listening to "customer is always right" and advertising and organizing promotions. But I'd love to be a developer of commercial and free games so long as I have the time for it. It would be nice to subsist on a constant royalty revenue stream and be left alone to work on something and watch it grow and develop as an engaging project. So publishers are still kinda needed because of potential developers like myself.
Five years ago I didn't even know how to draw, to write, or how to make music. But now I can safely say I'm "competent" enough in all those areas. That's because, come to think about it, absent the socializing, I still enjoy making stuff. In fact, even though I was brought on board midway during it's development, my involvement with ADRIFT has brought me the most rewarding hours of my life these past couple of weeks. So I stay until 6:00am coding but I don't care-- I feel good. Perhaps it's because I find more satisfaction with building and piecing things together myself than manipulating commissioned assets? The difference between "It's not my project per se, but I can say I made this part." versus "It's my project, but I didn't make this?" Then again, ADRIFT is at a stage where I already see the beauty of the whole work (script-complete FTW!!!) so I just need to wait a bit further and EG's day of satisfaction will come. I can also safely assume that the Release Engineering stage is the point that gets the creators the most adrenaline and sadly most projects never reach that point. (Full disclosure: ADRIFT still lacks some assets so it'll still be a few weeks but yeah I'm already customizing the GUI buttons and such. And I wouldn't have gotten any ideas on how to take the work further if it weren't for the marvelous artists already on board.). I hope Taleweaver forgives me for sending traffic his way before he even has any content on his site, but as they say, market early to build awareness. I'm going to give another shout-out on release day, but in the meantime I have the following tidbits (since this is on Planet EVN, so might as well):
BxG
Freeware
Science-Fiction
100,000 words
It ain't Ever17. But it's gonna be good.
Booyeah.
This is the humble development blog for an upcoming tactical adventure / SRPG, currently being made by a hobbyist with a few friends and professional freelancers.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Sunday, August 14, 2011
One Year Anniversary
So by tomorrow one year would have passed by since I first started blogging about this project. Both builds (the Ren'Py game and the Unity game) haven't budged more or less for a couple of months... with the exception of adding a battle character here and there, but that was because I was busy with other things.
When you're working with other people it's amazing to find out that up to 50% of the time you spend on the hobby is just communicating via email. Sometimes this makes me wish to be back working solo no matter howcrappy avant garde the end result is. Now take note this is for a project with only one person responsible for it. I can only imagine how teams with forums and irc end up spending most of their time.
As one of the first people taking up this hobby more than 5 years ago, I also don't plan to quit anytime soon. I still have some stories to tell, though probably no more than 4 projects until I can't shake away the family obligations. It's surprising that the issue, compared to when I first started, is not that whether you have the "skill" or not, but simply just whether you have the time. Now whenever I see something nice and shiny, the only things that go in my head would be:
"Hmmm, is that an 8-hour graphic or a 19-hour graphic?"
"I don't think they maximized usage of that asset."
I don't know why it's harder for me to be impressed. Maybe it's because people entering game development today have access to the best digital artists around who probably learned Photoshop even before they learned how to walk. And even with minimal artistic skill, just a few editing skills and it's relatively straightforward to produce a not-so-amateur look. You see, back in my day, we were using Microsoft Paint. So all the neat digital art that first appeared on the internet was wondrous to behold. It only took a few years later and learning some of the gradients techniques that the mystery cover was blown, so now by examining art I can tell who is keeping up and who is a few years behind (Mind you, I also have a soft spot for "old school").
People may be wondering why I'm hiring almost or pro-level people, when the final audience may be too small to be worth the investment. I could probably do the equivalent work I'm paying people for. I just don't want it to take me 5 years. Well here's a little secret, even if no game results, the investment would still be worth it for me. Because what I commissioned aren't just "oh a sprite here. Oh, a background there." I essentially commissioned from artists I admire and whose techniques and designs I can utilize to their fullest extent. It's amazing that I have an arsenal of concept sheets which I can literally make any number of games from. As shown by the youtube vids how the end result from the Unity build versus the Ren'Py build differs from each other while starting from the same core concept and characters. If I had an inkling to make an iOS FPS I could very well do so since the game world has already been built.
Well, ok, but how about the damn games? Based on my track record of requiring assets first before putting them together with something that resembles a story (which I did even during my solo career), I'm right on track. In fact, looking back, it's been the ideas which I initially wrote 10,000+ words for which fizzled out and died as projects. Good art tells the stories themselves just by having you look at them, so that is one major weapon against writer's block. So a picture isn't just worth a thousand words... it's having your game want to build itself for you. It's similar to how by listening to a worthy piece of soundtrack, you can already imagine the entire movie. In a way, I'm actually glad that I haven't written a single line of actual in-game dialogue since I am getting more and more sources of inspiration each day, some better than others. Once my sources of inspiration reach an overflowing state, then that would be the time I can sit down and crank out the story in a couple of days. If I had written any actual in-game text, no doubt I would have revised it countless times by now and still won't be satisfied with it.
Putting together a game is like being a maestro leading an orchestra. The art assets, music tracks, python blocks, are currently the equivalent of samples of individual instruments. It is important that they look and perform close to the final quality, so the maestro can have a better idea how to arrange them on the stage, and determine which assets have the limelight, if only for a short duration.
Ok, schedule. To put more pressure on myself I decided to finally crawl this blog out of hiding (I was blogging merely to cement my existence on the internet). And instead of philosophical entries regarding the general game industry, I'll try to actually write more regarding working behind-the-scenes. I'm currently doing GUI work for ADRIFT, and after that then it will be full blast on Elspeth's Garden -- although it will still be a "long-burn" project. I'll be free to take on some shorter projects... likely adult-oriented or some such, with a project partner. I also look forward to working on TW's Loyal Kinsman sequel some time in the future. Man, when is Aurora Fall coming out? I think I may have evolved some technique since then but it's still a treasured project which I learned a lot from.
When you're working with other people it's amazing to find out that up to 50% of the time you spend on the hobby is just communicating via email. Sometimes this makes me wish to be back working solo no matter how
As one of the first people taking up this hobby more than 5 years ago, I also don't plan to quit anytime soon. I still have some stories to tell, though probably no more than 4 projects until I can't shake away the family obligations. It's surprising that the issue, compared to when I first started, is not that whether you have the "skill" or not, but simply just whether you have the time. Now whenever I see something nice and shiny, the only things that go in my head would be:
"Hmmm, is that an 8-hour graphic or a 19-hour graphic?"
"I don't think they maximized usage of that asset."
I don't know why it's harder for me to be impressed. Maybe it's because people entering game development today have access to the best digital artists around who probably learned Photoshop even before they learned how to walk. And even with minimal artistic skill, just a few editing skills and it's relatively straightforward to produce a not-so-amateur look. You see, back in my day, we were using Microsoft Paint. So all the neat digital art that first appeared on the internet was wondrous to behold. It only took a few years later and learning some of the gradients techniques that the mystery cover was blown, so now by examining art I can tell who is keeping up and who is a few years behind (Mind you, I also have a soft spot for "old school").
People may be wondering why I'm hiring almost or pro-level people, when the final audience may be too small to be worth the investment. I could probably do the equivalent work I'm paying people for. I just don't want it to take me 5 years. Well here's a little secret, even if no game results, the investment would still be worth it for me. Because what I commissioned aren't just "oh a sprite here. Oh, a background there." I essentially commissioned from artists I admire and whose techniques and designs I can utilize to their fullest extent. It's amazing that I have an arsenal of concept sheets which I can literally make any number of games from. As shown by the youtube vids how the end result from the Unity build versus the Ren'Py build differs from each other while starting from the same core concept and characters. If I had an inkling to make an iOS FPS I could very well do so since the game world has already been built.
Well, ok, but how about the damn games? Based on my track record of requiring assets first before putting them together with something that resembles a story (which I did even during my solo career), I'm right on track. In fact, looking back, it's been the ideas which I initially wrote 10,000+ words for which fizzled out and died as projects. Good art tells the stories themselves just by having you look at them, so that is one major weapon against writer's block. So a picture isn't just worth a thousand words... it's having your game want to build itself for you. It's similar to how by listening to a worthy piece of soundtrack, you can already imagine the entire movie. In a way, I'm actually glad that I haven't written a single line of actual in-game dialogue since I am getting more and more sources of inspiration each day, some better than others. Once my sources of inspiration reach an overflowing state, then that would be the time I can sit down and crank out the story in a couple of days. If I had written any actual in-game text, no doubt I would have revised it countless times by now and still won't be satisfied with it.
Putting together a game is like being a maestro leading an orchestra. The art assets, music tracks, python blocks, are currently the equivalent of samples of individual instruments. It is important that they look and perform close to the final quality, so the maestro can have a better idea how to arrange them on the stage, and determine which assets have the limelight, if only for a short duration.
Ok, schedule. To put more pressure on myself I decided to finally crawl this blog out of hiding (I was blogging merely to cement my existence on the internet). And instead of philosophical entries regarding the general game industry, I'll try to actually write more regarding working behind-the-scenes. I'm currently doing GUI work for ADRIFT, and after that then it will be full blast on Elspeth's Garden -- although it will still be a "long-burn" project. I'll be free to take on some shorter projects... likely adult-oriented or some such, with a project partner. I also look forward to working on TW's Loyal Kinsman sequel some time in the future. Man, when is Aurora Fall coming out? I think I may have evolved some technique since then but it's still a treasured project which I learned a lot from.
Friday, August 5, 2011
Grandia Creator Dies.
Takeshi Miyaji dies suddenly at 45 years of age.
I've played Grandia 1, 2, Xtreme, and 3 and they were my favorite JRPGs of all time. I also played Lunar, but that was just okay. And for some reason the Square RPGs didn't speak to me personally in the way the GameArts / Grandia games did, especially Grandia II with the bittersweet theme. It was also the first time I was faced head-on with the the prospect of just how gray and un-black and white eastern philosophy can be.
So this recent news got to me the way the passing of Satoshi Kon did. And for someone who quite possibly may not leave a genetic mark on the world, it becomes even more imperative to at least leave an intellectual, or even spiritual mark through creative media.
But to cut to the chase, I am envious. I am envious of everyone with skills, whether it's writing, programming, or art. I am envious also of people who have time -- that means full-time indies or those taking up this hobby to get course credits, thereby killing two birds with one stone.
I just want to make this work because my projects are begging to be made. Though I originally started out wanting "fame and fortune", my primary motivation is just this outlet that enables me to share my thoughts to the world. Taleweaver sent me outlines for recommended ways to take the story. While I will adapt the template, I do have key concepts which I would want to write personally. I cannot wait until the day I have all assets complete so that I can take one weekend off, load up on coffee / or be in a fit of passion or whatever, and just crank out those thoughts, brutally, and honestly.
I've played Grandia 1, 2, Xtreme, and 3 and they were my favorite JRPGs of all time. I also played Lunar, but that was just okay. And for some reason the Square RPGs didn't speak to me personally in the way the GameArts / Grandia games did, especially Grandia II with the bittersweet theme. It was also the first time I was faced head-on with the the prospect of just how gray and un-black and white eastern philosophy can be.
So this recent news got to me the way the passing of Satoshi Kon did. And for someone who quite possibly may not leave a genetic mark on the world, it becomes even more imperative to at least leave an intellectual, or even spiritual mark through creative media.
But to cut to the chase, I am envious. I am envious of everyone with skills, whether it's writing, programming, or art. I am envious also of people who have time -- that means full-time indies or those taking up this hobby to get course credits, thereby killing two birds with one stone.
I just want to make this work because my projects are begging to be made. Though I originally started out wanting "fame and fortune", my primary motivation is just this outlet that enables me to share my thoughts to the world. Taleweaver sent me outlines for recommended ways to take the story. While I will adapt the template, I do have key concepts which I would want to write personally. I cannot wait until the day I have all assets complete so that I can take one weekend off, load up on coffee / or be in a fit of passion or whatever, and just crank out those thoughts, brutally, and honestly.
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