Long time no post
Hello again, Its been some time since my last post and a lot has changed since then. I am currently working at Firaxis Games on XCOM: Enemy Unknown
Check it out if you haven’t already!
Small update on something I had created not too long ago (and in turn introducing you to my youtube channel where I host personal projects).
This one in particular was a prototype I had put together over the span of a week combining a survival horror-esque Myst experience with something akin to DDR and “mini puzzles” for doing things such as disarming traps, lockpicking treasure chests, and various other ideas (including a not shown “gear game” which involved navigating an assembly of gears with the cursor to unlock parts of the mechanism to disarm stuff).
I had a lot of fun making it and I think it has a lot of potential even after a week. Granted the idea is slightly schizophrenic, mixing “survival horror” and “rhythm game” however ultimately it made for an enjoyable unique experience. I’d love to continue it sometime in the near future but at this very moment am a bit bogged down with some work.
I decided at some point to try to make game(s) in a day with minimal art and see where it leads. Varying levels of success there however one big leap of faith taken that worked out wonderfully is bringing the fundamental idea from nothing to a finished published product(which is a skill I would say unto itself). Below are links to kongregate for both games (each one given 24 hours from start to finish):
Its been a long day today, maybe too long. The sun set long ago but I still feel the heat from all the activity before.
I was working on some game, another game. One day you sit back and think to yourself and realize when you’re talking about your passion you almost paraphrase the reality as a joke. “Oh, ya, Im working on another game”. Almost to imply this is your life, this is your call, and all you were meant to ever do or ever be.
I suppose in some sort of antagonistic sense that could be true, (granted I don’t go crazy and decide to take up mountain climbing or something).
Anyways I’ve been working hard on my game, its casual, and by casual I mean not emphasizing on atmosphere or things that don’t yield immediate entertainment.
Now comes the tough part:
What defines entertainment?
Well to me I spend 2.5 to 3 minutes per session just playing my game aimlessly. I don’t know if that is just my early onset anxious disorder to get up and go out of games or the game not being entertaining enough or some level of jaded subconscious I just cant shake off. What I do know though is I’m definitely making headway. Every new piece of imagery and audio makes the game come more and more to life. (Something not so apparent to a larger more illustrious ambient game selling for only 2 to 3 times the price).
And comes the next part, game pricing. And why I am aware, yet reserved from commenting too harshly on the reality of “hardcore” games in comparison to “casual” games.
Back in the day all games were casual games. Checkers? casual. Backgamon? casual. Monopoly? casual. You’re seeing a pattern I’m hoping.
All games had set rules, set “this is how things go” and usually pitted one human versus another or at a minimum set very simple rulesets how to win so that whatever ai existed did as little per turn to confuse the player as possible.
Nowadays “ambient” games are all about confusing the player. Allowing the player to exist in a persistant state of wonder as he sees each new puzzle, or jaw dropping vista. Unaware there are supposed to be set rulesets as to what defines a game and what he actually is pushing himself towards.
It all sounds very clinical, very reserved, and worse yet, not very creative.
Maybe some of the get rich formulas are?
So ask yourself that, ask yourself. Are you making a 10 dollar masterpiece, or a 5 dollar have fun and drop type game. Is there really shame in choosing the latter? Lets list what happens with the latter:
* people have fun (most important for me)
* its cheap to produce (hell ya)
* peoples experience the gist of the game quickly and usually enjoy it all the way through (usually, if not they get a large chunk of fun)
* people feel they spent little, and got a decent amount, and are complacent with this (people enjoy your product and aren’t put off by price)
* people who pirate your game although it sucks at least each pirated copy isnt 12 months of hard work summed up in 2 hours of pay-less mediocrity (sum of previous points and a hard hitting notion to PC only “hardcore” developers if you care to listen and not just judge).
anyways, I don’t know the point of this piece. From reading it again myself it seems very biased towards making casual games on the PC.
They simply yield the best returns.
* people like what you make
* its cheap for people
* its cheap to make
* you can make more of them in less time
all of this sounds fantastic on paper, I dont know if its true, maybe I should experiment. I’ve been a game developer focusing on the more “hardcore” aspect of games my whole life. I can’t speak out of experience on anything. I can only speak out of observation. So shoot me if you see fit, but this is the viewpoint I am observing, and would love to see if other people feel the same way,
I just recently received a new laptop. An early Christmas present if you want to consider it as such as the holidays are here. I’m not embarrassed to say that, my biggest paradigm shifts in game development have been in direct correlation to spontaneity and taking things head on usually with reckless abandon. (It doesn’t work for all, just those with hard heads).
I have to say, booting up windows 7, feeling the power of the laptop and fan’s purr at a steady triple digit FPS on my game that I’ve only seen running hoggishly on my current rig I’m writing to you now on. Its a welcome change.
Everything changes, your place of work, your living situation, and most importantly, you change. Time goes on and you either mature or de-evolve (yes, it can happen depending the context) and we must factor for our pitfalls and our heavenly stairways accordingly. Be prepared to take on what life throws at you and instead of holding up the entire train, roll on through and make the best of it.
There never will be an ideal situation for any large decision. (See: Idiocracy and child birthing). There simply is times in your life you CHOOSE to begin, or end whatever it is you want. People like to wait until they have enough money, are stable enough, have the job, have proven themselves to their peers, and various other unregulated undocumented rule-sets that are almost completely unrelated to the end to just START DOING WHAT YOU NEED TO DO.
This isn’t a pep talk, a one way feed into the mind of a sporadically energetic youngster with a head full-a dreams. No, this is a solid, consistent realization that you must choose on your own terms how your life is to unfold. This also can be likened to some weak levels of existentialism, but then again how can you discuss life without discussing it’s context per topic.
Bottom line is if there is nothing else you take away from this rambling repose of previous events: You choose when to begin, no one else does. Your money, your car, your family, your troubles. These are all excuses and at worst defined challenges meant to be overcome to just start doing what needs to be done. Do not let them wear or weigh you down. They are meant to be overcome, and no one will initiate that except you. Just because there is no one hailing from the corners of your exact interests does not mean people will not fall in love with it. Do not be afraid to be a frontiersman if it means doing what you personally want to do.
Go get ‘em tiger
Game development is a tough gig. I wouldn’t know more than most, or the least of the majority. But let me tell you, the act of taking raw passion and grinding it into a smooth refined piece of work is one of the most difficult things any human can do. Especially in this economy!
But why post now you ask? I know you didn’t ask that, it was simply to get to my next ever so important point.
I need to finish what I start
I don’t mean that figuratively, like clearing my plate at the dinner table or vacuuming ALL rooms. No I mean taking one of my passion infused sharp edged clumps of project and refining it into a meaningful smooth finalized product.
But why?
Well many reasons. Lets start with the most superficial and obvious:
1) To be self sustaining in this economy on your love you must learn to monetize it
This is a tough sell to most people (no pun intended). But its true across the board. If no one buys what you’re selling then you probably don’t have something worth making for money (unless you just suck at advertising, big UNLESS). You’ve got to find your niche, you’ve got to carve it out and make it yours and hold onto it tight and love what you do and do it with strength, vigor, tenacity, and sincerity. But also keep in mind the need to eat, the need to enjoy life, and most importantly, and this stands for most of the die hard independent developers out there; the need to sleep. Do not let the trepidation of stagnation, negative opinions, or harsh self critique get in the way of doing what you love
2) You need to while juggling your emotions, drive, talent, and financial situation take on the reality until you have all that under control you may have to sacrifice here and there
Everyone has a loved one (at least I hope). A family, a girlfriend, a boyfriend, a pet. And we all love to be around them and it would be terrible to see them feeling left out. But unfortunately time away is still time well spent if you’re putting it to good use! So do just that.I’m not saying seclude yourself in the attic and forget about society for a few years. No, just for a while at some lengths here and there. It helps. Its been proven long stints of concentration without interruption is how people get work done. Getting a phone call, a ball thrown at your head, or an invite every 10 minutes is not how you focus yourself to get something done. You need to learn to dedicate and self regulate. That rhymes, dedicate and self regulate. Jot that down in your mental notebook, I know I just did.
3) Failure is giving up, not barely getting by
What that means is everything short of your magnum opus being not worth doing is hogwash. I can’t count the number of amazing companies out there that started making sub-par products or simple little things (some embarrassingly crappy) before getting on with the good stuff and being successful. Everything is incremental and working towards something. A finished model or a finished product are both milestones in your personal game development career. Don’t treat everything you release to the public as your last breath, or you may find yourself with no breaths at all.
I’ll extend on this soon enough in future posts.
Mix bag of portfolio work and other goodies!