Foresight 2020

Okay, maybe not the most original title, but I thought I’d take a moment to look forward on the year to come.

This year was a good exercise in getting lost in the process. A lot of planning and not a lot of doing. There were improvements in the “day job”, and I believe there is still potential in it moving forward. (I’ll know more after March.) However, “the work” is still a WIP. I can certainly see myself along two different pathways.

The first path is the easy one. I continue to plan and write, but the risks are small. Maybe I try again at a social life. (Not really a topic for here, but it would have bearing on my productivity, right?) I perhaps get one of the novels finished, and hopefully fulfill my game design needs with my work at the museum.

The second path is a little more bumpy. It involves more risks, more community involvement, and a whole lot more work. I go full tilt into the novel and the next, I start seeking voice work in earnest, and I start seeing the world beyond the study I’ve locked myself into.

Next year will most likely be a blending of the two paths. That’s the thing about paths, they tend to meander and converge at points. And that’s the thing about seeing the future, it changes. Next year will not be a year of goals or sudden change; it will be a year of gradually minding the course as the ship is navigated. There may be some turbulent waters ahead, but it’s nothing we can’t weather.

See you on the other side, and keep creating.

Things to come

As I prepare for my 2019 Midwest Tour, I’ve been assessing the aspects of my work that I want to showcase here. As the name of the page is “Wyitt Bytes” I thought it would be a neat idea to actually break down the page into different bytes for each thing I do, and have each byte be made up of eight bits.

To start, I’m just going to run down the eight bits that make up the first byte. Byte No. 01 is “The Work”, or output. The eight bits are (in no particular order):

So many bits…

So many bits…

  • Writing

  • Vox

  • Art

  • Dystopiology

  • Programming

  • Game Design

  • Miniature Craft

  • Props Building

Now, clearly I don’t have all of these displayed on the page yet, but that’s why the title of this post is “things to come”.

Look for pics of the new microphone set up in the study-studio as well as some recordings coming soon.

I’ll be in the northern Illinois area from May 1st through May 6th. I’ll be doing some prototyping for my podcast recording; as well as visiting the Chicago Pen Show. (I need to find a finer nib fountain pen.)

I’ve also got a couple essays in the works and the upcoming reboot of the blog: “What I Did Last Week" will keep you up to date with the things I’m working. (If you want to know what I did last week, I was mainly creating graphics for an upcoming exhibit at the museum and beta testing a game I created to replace a different exhibit. Always an interesting time at the museum. I should probably check if it’s okay for me to post more specifics.)

In the meantime, keep creating and be excellent to each other.

On the things we carry

Everyday carry, or EDC: We all have things we carry around with us on a daily basis; whether it's our keys and phone, a wallet and watch, or a crowbar and glasses. So when we create characters on the page, for either a game or story, we have to consider what gear they are going to have on them. 

Most of the time when we're reading we don't think about it. Characters are generally assumed to be carrying things, but unless we have specific scene laying it all out, we don't really worry about it. [Obviously we think more about it in games where the gear we're carrying determines what our characters can do in a given situation. We can't attack the ogre if we didn't pick up the sword two rooms back, for example. Or any hidden object puzzle game where you have to collect all the pieces of a key.] 

As for the specific scene laying out all of the characters things, one that comes to mind is the jail scene. The character is either being locked up or released, and all their gear is being, or has been, inventoried. While these can be little more than lists, they can give us insight into the character. Here are a three lists of effects taken from characters in cinema:

Alexander DeLarge

  • 1 half bar chocolate (not to be returned)
  • 1 bunch of keys on white metal ring
  • 1 packet of cigarettes (not to be returned)
  • 2 plastic ball pens, one black one red
  • 1 pocket comb black spotted 
  • 1 address book, imitation red leather
  • 1 ten penny piece
  • 1 white metal wristlet watch - Timerest, on white metal expanding bracelet
  • 1 jacket - blue pinstripe
  • 1 necktie - blue
  • 1 shirt - blue, collar attached
  • 1 pair black leather boot, worn
  • 1 pair trousers - blue pinstripe
  • 1 pair socks - black
  • 1 pair underpants - white w/ blue waistband

"Joliet" Jake Blues

  • 1 Timex digital watch - broken
  • 1 unused prophylactic
  • ... 1 soiled
  • boot - black
  • belt - black
  • 1 black suit jacket
  • 1 pair black suit pants
  • 1 hat - black
  • 1 pair sunglasses
  • 23 dollars and 7 cent

Not mentioned, but shown:

  • white dress shirt
  • black tie
  • Zippo lighter
  • half packet of cigarettes

Capt. Jack Sparrow

  • One pistol w/ no additional shot nor powder
  • A compass that doesn't point north
  • A sword (not, despite expectations, made of wood)
  • One leather tricorn hat

For Jake, most of his items are part of his trademark 'uniform'; with a couple of notes about his past. (As well as an interesting point that he checks his watch in the deleted gas station scene to see they are running late to the show.)

The first item for Alex reminds us that he was still only a youth, making his falling into a life of 'ultra-violence' all the more tragic.

And for Capt. Jack Sparrow, well all of those items play a significant part to his character and the story.

I've always been interested in these sorts of scenes. They get me thinking on what items that the characters I create would have splayed out on the table when they invariably have some sort of run in with the authorities.

Another variation on this is the disarm scene; where they characters have to hand over all the weapons they are carrying (even the hidden ones). Of course, one of the best of these was in Pirates of the Caribbean 3 when Elizabeth Swann was asked to remove everything she was carrying and filled the table with a small arsenal.

It's the odd things out that lead down the path to the character's past. The key that doesn't go to a house or a vehicle, the half solved Rubik's cube, or the worn out photo of a child (which could be sentimental or creepy depending on the character). Theses are touchstones into the character's inner workings. These are just as relevant as windows into our own lives when we look at the items we carry daily. 

 

Here is a picture of my EDC.

Here is a picture of my EDC.

Each item is there for a reason and each finds its use; some more obvious than others. The challenge then is to see what's in your character's pockets. A persons items tell a story just as much as their appearance. Sherlock Homes was able to tell all about man just by the clothes he was dress in. It's all in the details. You just have to look.

As promised we are back to the weekly blog here on Wednesdays. Things are still ever changing, but I plan on keeping you in the loop as things happen.

I hope everyone has been enjoying Die-Roll-Dungeon, and if you haven't had a chance to give it a look, it's over there on the left. 

Until next week, be safe out there and keep creating.

Time to reflect

This a brief announcement to say that through the month of March I will be working offline as much as possible, so the blog will be put on a brief hiatus. I'm not leaving you empty handed though. I have reprinted the dungeon crawl game from my portfolio show resume on the page here. You can find it off to the left under the heading of Die Roll Dungeon. 

So pick out your favorite miniature, take up a d6, and have some generic dungeon crawling fun. 

Otherwise in game updates this week: I've maxed out my artifice crafting in SWTOR, had a mediocre couple of round in Yahtzee during family game night, and did fairly well at Pictionary during same family game night. 

(I know, this isn't particularly exciting news, but in order to make games we need to play games. So here's what I've learned from the process:

  • When gaming at a physical table, it's best to be able to get around said table with relative ease. [important to note when planning a game table and/or game room]
  • When allocating time to play games, make sure your other work has be attended to first.
  • Sometimes the dice are with you and sometime you need to roll with them.

Game nights will continue through the hiatus, so I'll update on those [and other things] when possible. )

That all I have for the moment. Like I said, we'll be going dark for a time, but if anything interesting comes up I'll be sure to post it here and on the social platforms. 

Have a creative and joyous month and we'll see you back here in April.  Cheers!

Addicted

Due to some bungled transit plans this week, the time I had to prepare the game updates to the page have been delayed. Fret not though, as I have a bit for you to think on while I make up some new tables for the re-release of Die-Roll-Dungeon. 

I'm going to post the normal tiles for the game (not shown above), but perhaps I should also run segment on constructing them in 3D... hmm...

I'm going to post the normal tiles for the game (not shown above), but perhaps I should also run segment on constructing them in 3D... hmm...

So, as the title would indicate, this week's ponderance is the subject of addiction. This isn't a PSA; I'm not going to soapbox. I just discovered another thing that has an addictive property in one of the game I'm playing and I wanted you all to think perhaps on how this would affect your game play and game building.

Quick sneak into this week's game updates, I was playing some more Star Wars: The Old Republic. Now up until last week, I had never really looked at the Galactic Market feature(s) in the game. If I had something I didn't want to use, I just sold it to a vendor and was rid of it; or if I needed some crafting materials for my crew skills, I sent my crew off to get them. Fairly basic play, I thought. Maybe there's some grind to the crew skills on occasion, but generally I forget about them after a while and keep moving through the story.

Enter the Galactic Market, an auction house to buy and sell anything that isn't bound to your character. Now I'm selling things I don't need, as well as the materials I've collected and built with my crew skills. All of a sudden, my character has half a million credits and crew skills are a lucrative part of game play. (Not in real life, just in game.)

So now I find myself wanting to log in and just set some skills going every so often. If I keep this up it may have to be fitted into my daily schedule: wake, brush teeth, grind crew skills, make breakfast... 

I'm not saying that this idea is a bad thing. It feels no different from checking email or social media. Maybe similar to a round of solitaire just to pass a few minutes. My concern is that it becomes one of those things like the social media games where I keep checking back every couple minutes to set it in motion again. 

It's something to think about from both aspects. In playing the game, it's important to allocate time properly if you want to include that type of play. As a gamesmith, it gives thought as to what type of game am I creating. Do I want to have that addictive element to try and keep people playing? Obviously I don't want to purposefully waste people's time, but if it's something they would enjoy in a game, why wouldn't I include it? And if I'm trying to keep people aware of how much time they are spending, would I perhaps set an optional limit? 

This week was supposed to be the weekly D&D game, and that game did occur. I even got to watch it happen on Roll20. However, due to my travel arrangements, I was unable to participate. I'm told we all survived, though, rescued the town again, and even got ourselves up to third level.

So when next I report I'll give a little bio on my character and how I'm leveling up to third.  

Here's me outside of an airport bookshop with a printing press in the background...

Here's me outside of an airport bookshop with a printing press in the background...

So that's some food for thought on some elements that can be put into a game. I imagine most game companies want us playing their games for as long as we want to be playing them. But do remember to take some time away from the game every now an then. If for no other reason than to remember why we do it. 

Keep creating and have an excellent week.

All part of the plan...

This week I'm going back to the idea of routine. One routine I seem to have gotten into is writing this blog on the night I post it, for example.

Some things fit nicely into a routine. Work is happening at a regular schedule, two different game nights are happening fortnightly, and I'm going through my daily activities according to routine. However, there is always room for improvement. 

Part of the idea from last week in getting my schedule organized is getting into a creative routine. Having a dedicated time where I spend some time on me and get the things done that I want to get done. Of course, the first thing one must do in order to dedicate time to an endeavor is to have some time lying around to dedicate.

I was commenting earlier to a co-worker that removing social media from my phone was one of the best things I've done this year because it gave me so much time back that I had been spending gazing a the tiny screen to see what I've been missing in the rest of the world. (The problem is that most of that isn't really what I care about. I don't need to see another advert for online courses or another witty jab at the political regime. I need to spend more time building my worlds; instead of viewing what the algorithms think I should be seeing of the 'real' one.)

So with my newfound time, I've been:

  • Enjoying a leisurely breakfast
  • Going over my schedule at lunch
  • Planning my drive time listening line up
  • Writing bits for the story
  • And... 

...Making little cards to plan out what to do with my time. (It might seem that my execution skills are in need of a bit of sharpening.) 

Change, however, is not something that happens over night (small airports in Chicago not withstanding). I've been modifying my morning alarm to be earlier, step by step. Not that I will be getting less sleep; I'm just rearranging my schedule to see if I can't find myself with a happier productivity level. I want to get things done, but in the evening I tend to let things slide in favor of bed. With the modification, I can use that to my advantage and awaken refreshed and perhaps with some new ideas from Nod.

Like all things this year, I'm experimenting to see what works. 

Speaking of work, I've been a bit lax in my updates about the writing project. As we are in the fourth fortnight of the year, I should be into the third episode of the serial. At present this is not the case as I have decided to work more on the background of the story. Once cemented, the scenarios should be a little easier to pin down. 

In a normal story it isn't necessarily important to pin down the exact year that the last war ended and how far removed our story is from it. When you are writing a time-travel story, however, it becomes a little more essential to keep those details in a continuity. 

Everything is in the details. 

This week's gaming report:

Family game night postponed; should return on the 27th. We were looking forward to using my new whiteboard for Pictionary, but I guess that'll have to wait.

Played some more Star Wars the Old Republic last week. We're still in the first chapter, but progress is progress. Hopefully I'll get some more in this week and make it more of a regular routine.

And that brings us full circle. A bit of a short ramble this week, but it's been a busy time at work, and wheels are turning on my freelance projects as well. As always, spend your time doing and creating things that enrich your life. 

Next week: Testing a new game!

To Do: Write Blog

So, I was looking over my notes for last week's blog, and I noticed that I missed a few things. This works well as it really is another topic: organization. Most specifically, organizing my to-do list.

Over the past few weeks I've been playing around with different ways to organize my to-do list. The current iteration is a stack of index cards that I've cut down to playing card size and clipped the corners. I wanted to make it like a stack of cards, so I could add a random element to selecting which task to do next if I wanted. 

It also makes the tasks list easier to organize because I can set all the cards out, then pick and choose the ones that need to be done this week. Also on the cards I've listed if activities recur and an estimate as to how long they should take. 

I think ultimately the plan is to have a routine where I draw a task off the stack when I've got time and then keep the flow going onto the next card in the stack as things get done. 

This all works in addition to the list I keep online. For the past couple years I've been "gamifying" my life and using Habitica to organize my daily tasks and to-do list. This year I've cut using the habit goals, but I'm still tracking my tasks daily. (Currently my character is a level 89 mage.) Having a system that "rewards" me for completing things helps me to keep completing things. It might not work for everyone, but it does seem to work on me. It also helps me to track things that might get forgotten or delayed otherwise; like watering the plants or even just getting a haircut. It also reminds me daily that I should be writing more... Which reminds me... I should be writing more. (I'll give another update on the project in next weeks blog.)

Look! It's a crackpot with a cracked pot!

Look! It's a crackpot with a cracked pot!

I was out the other day and saw this at the store (No, I didn't break it.). I decided that I just had to have a picture. Here is that picture.  (Bad joke included free of charge.)

Now, one thing that I will note as a benefit to living in Florida (Despite the terrible weather... it's always so sunny and hot! Give me an overcast cool day any day.), is that even from the other side of the state it's possible to see a space launch on a clear day.

I got to see my first launch this week, and now there is a car on it's way to the (asteroid) belt. We stood on the roof and I got to see a little speck of fire in the distance. That fire was produced by three rocket boosters. The vapor trail led into the clouds and then we lost sight of it. 

It's certainly an interesting time to be alive. And it's quirky things like that that can inspire us to achieve amazing things. 

Of course, it isn't just the extraordinary that can inspire. There can be little details that inspire other notions. For example, I wrote the following the other day after moving my foot around in the bath:

"The figure floated in the water, bobbing up and down. It floated toward the stream of water pouring in. It was pushed down and submerged for a bit. Then it resurfaced a little ways away. It floated back to the stream, and the cycle continued."

Small little observation and now I have the start to a murder mystery. This week's advice it always keep a notebook with you, because you never know when an idea will strike. 

This week's game report:

This week was another round of D&D for the Sunday night group. We defeated some more goblins, as well as some bandits this time around. We've also leveled up to 2nd level. This means that my warlock will be even tougher the next time I get to play. Yay!

Otherwise I started looking a game on my phone, The Guides Axion. So far I've just gone through a couple of the logic puzzle bits to log into the game. I'll report more after I play it further, but it seems interesting. 

I hope some of this may inspire you to keep exploring and creating. I know I'll be exploring different iterations of task lists and methods of organizing time. I'll try to post what works and what doesn't. In the meantime, keep being you and focus on the details.

On the Level... The blog in which I ramble about level design

Good day travellers!

As promised, here is a bit about the fine art of level design. Now, I know that level design means different things to different people. Maybe this will be useful, maybe not, but it's just some thoughts I've had on the subject recently.

Back in the early days of video games, level design consisted of the same board repeated over and over again with some altered speed; and maybe a new piece of fruit. Games like Space Invaders and Pac-Man didn't have too many changes when one progressed from level to level. It was all a matter of survive this round and then more of the same. Of course, back in the arcade days it wasn't a matter of having a story with an ending, it was repeat until dead; playing for top score. There is still an appeal to that, and the mobile games I have been working on reflect that sort of game play.

The next sort of levels are the obstacle driven platformers and side-scrollers; Super Mario Bros., Megaman, Ghosts´n´Goblins, and the like. These games offered a different sort of level design. Each stage offered new challenges in the obstacles that the player had to overcome. There was also an opportunity for a story to be told. At the end of each board, you got a piece of the story (and in some cases a new weapon from that level's boss). Story plays even more into more recent games, but more about that in a bit. The main thing about platformers are the obstacles. Where to jump, where it's safe to fall, and even when to time that jump. (There's a good deal of jumping in platformers... almost as if that game type was named for the platforms on which you jump... strange.)

These levels can also be created procedurally. In one of my classes we coded a randomly generated platformer map. All the pieces were listed into a spawner and at random intervals the platforms were spawned. The random element adds to the challenge of the level, but then you miss the opportunity to do the level blindfolded because you've memorized every jump.

In the more story based games, level design is also used to tell that story. BioShock, for example, tells the story of the fall of Rapture. Each level adds a new piece to that story; in both the characters you encounter and the voxophones you collect. There are still obstacles to overcome (locked doors, hordes of splicers, big daddies, etc.), but story also has to be paced within the level. When the player get access to new skills and powers affects the story as well as the mechanics. 

One level that I created a couple times through my course of study was the Dock (see under Level Designs to the left). I first created it in Unreal using Kismet, and then again in Unity, programming with C#. It was a journey to get to a space elevator and get it back to functional state. (A rival corporation had staged a hostile takeover of the facility to keep it out of operation.) The pieces of the story that I had were tested in the options the player had to get past certain obstacles. Is it better to sneak past the sentry drones or all out attack them? What was the best way into the facility? Can they locate the hidden access panel? How does the player prep the climber for operation? How do they fire up the reactor? 

The first thing I did was layout the map. Then I stepped through it piece by piece to determine where the obstacles should be logically for the story as well as keeping it challenging and interesting. (As a fan of Maniac Mansion, I also believe it important to allow the players to figure things out for themselves rather than to hold there hand through the whole process. They need to explore...) I then set about testing the mechanics for each part to make sure the level was playable. It could be the most exciting and beautiful level in the world, but if it can't be played through, who's gonna see it? After that I have notes on how I would like to update the scenery, models, and textures to make it more of a lived in real place. 

Level design to me is a conversation between the game designer and the player. As a designer, I'm trying to convey the path of the story or imply through design what course the player should go toward. I start the conversation with, "where do you think this might lead?" If I've done that correctly, the player can respond with, "let's go see, because I want to know."

I hope that was an interesting insight into my thinking. I may go over some more designs in the future. Let me know if that's something you want more of. There is a like and comment thing at the bottom of the post. Let me know here or on my Facebook. 

Another thing I did they past weekend was visit the Orlando Toy and Comic Convention (I have to thank that chap at the local comic shop again for giving me the tickets). It was a small con, but it was a bit of fun to see some of the toys from my childhood. 

Strangely, I didn't purchase anything at the con. Nor did I procure anything other that food and drink from the attached Florida Mall (and they had a Think Geek store). I've proud of my self control these days in not buying a bunch of stuff I don't need and filling my rooms with even more crap. 

I've been looking into trying the KonMari method for decluttering my life. It's something I know I need to do, but doing it right requires actually putting some time into it... That's actually another topic I'd like to cover at some point, time and our perceptions of it.

In weekly game news, Family Game Night occurred again. We first attempted a game of Castle Risk, but after I wiped out my mother's castle in the first attack we soon gave up. (I'm counting it as a win though.) Afterward we switched to a couple rounds of 31 (a card game) and Yahtzee. I didn't win anything else that night, but at least my strategic dice rolling skills are still sharp. 

Also I got to play some more of Star Wars the Old Republic with a friend of mine. We've now finished Nar Shaddaa, so next up is some asteroid in space I think. I looked up where we are in the story and I think we're still in Chapter One... So much game yet to complete...

A bit a of ramble this week. I'll try to keep it more succinct next time around. Until then, be excellent to each other, and party on, dudes! 

Another year

I'm going to keep the post short this week. Various celebrations of my birthday this past weekend have eaten into my time. (Almost as much as I've eaten into the various cakes I've had...)

I did plan on discussing a bit of level design, but I would really like to spend some more time on that, so I'm going to post more in depth on that next week and include a bit more of my process; in addition to my thoughts.

Instead, this week I'm going to go over a little bit on textures and another thing that inspired some thought.

On my way into work the other morning, and again today. I passed by a tree that I thought was particularly interesting in color combination.

Here's the tree...

Here's the tree...

So, as a normal member of today's society, I took a picture of it with my phone. (More on how technology is shaping our lives at another time.) I thought the grey of the tree with the green and pink was a nice contrast. 

This morning I got some closer snaps for textures to add to my library.

Here's one of them. (Technically the tree next to the first one pictured...)

Here's one of them. (Technically the tree next to the first one pictured...)

Since my second class in texturing back at the Institute up in Illinois, I've been taking pictures of things with interesting textures under the notion that at some point down the line if I have a model that needs that or a similar texture, I'll have something to composite into the texture mapping. Most of the ones I have used on models to date have been various metal textures and some wood grains. It's always good to have more options to work from when you're texturing. It keeps thing fresh and adds a level of realism to the object. 

The diffuse map for the Bug Shack door

The diffuse map for the Bug Shack door

Above is an example from my Bug Shack model. On the door I added into the diffuse map composite a photo I had taken of a dinged up dumpster from outside of the school. This adds a bit of, well, texture to the image and makes it look more worn. 

I highly recommend taking pictures of textures you see. They can inspire you on the models you create and come in handy when you want more that just a flat color. (Or the standard set of textures that comes in the program.)

Something else that inspired me this week, here's a little anecdote:

So I was at dinner with my mother and before even ordering I happened upon a bug on the table, which I proceed to batter with the menu. (Yes, I murdered a small wood roach; don't judge me.) Not wanting to freak out our server, I inform her of the dead insect. 

She then, under obligation I'm told later, informs her manager. He proceeds through the evening to a) continually make sure we're having a satisfactory meal and b) comps our appetizer, my drink, and our dessert. (Yep, the bug bought me my first birthday drink this year.) It wasn't really necessary, but that's how they roll.

So two thoughts crossed my mind: 1) unscrupulous people probably bring insects into restaurants so they can get treatment like this (though I imagine they would demand satisfaction, but I have no real idea on that; I'm not an unscrupulous person, believe) and (this is the inspiring part...sort of) 2) in a future dystopian world, in the same scenario I would have been reported to the authorities for killing the wildlife and a charge for the menu would have appeared on my bill. I'm going to have to incorporate that into a story somewhere. 

Ever little thing can be turned on its ear. Keep that in mind and keep creating.

I'll leave you with a brief game report.

D&D was played again. Goblins were defeated. 

That is all. 

(Not really. I also read through the rules of High Command, the Warmachine deck building game by Privateer Press. Now I just need to find some people to play it...)

Okay, maybe not all that short this week after all. In any case, have a great week and I'll see you back here next week with some level design news.   Cheers

The gears keep grinding away

This weeks title is honor of my nonexistent steampunk death metal cover band... (Our upcoming album is due out on February 30th; sometime in the mid '20s... maybe.)

Monday began the extensive rewrite with 793 words written of the requisite 715... And then yesterday was completely derailed by family game night, but more on that later. 

Over the past weekend I determined the plot lines, tentative titles, and tentative order for the ten episode of series one. The division of the previous work into episodes was also more successful than I had initially anticipated. What I thought was going to be maybe enough for four episodes actually got split up between eight. So I'm in a good starting place. I've decided for a leisurely pace of 715 words a day, so the fortnight episode goals shouldn't be too grueling. 

Current word count is 947 (5,067 if you count the previous words being rewritten). I am a little behind, but not so far as to warrant any worrying just yet. While I am currently typing it on a computer, or if I was writing on paper it would be with a pen, I am enthralled with the idea that if I got frustrate with my pencil, for not writing the words I want, I could just pop it into a machine at work and sent it to its demise...

Apparently at work we have machine to launch pencils... Yay science!

Apparently at work we have machine to launch pencils... Yay science!

In any case, the writing is going well. I am excited for some tweaks I am making with the setting of the first episode. When I get it into the editing process, I plan on putting the various iterations side by side here to show you how it worked, but for now I want to keep it a little closer to the vest. 

In game news this week I took a moment to delete some of my extra characters on Star Wars the Old Republic. I had some redundancies and I feel a little better about the characters I still have. I still need to play more, but that's for the upcoming time. 

Also this week, yesterday marked the first session of the biweekly family game night. I would say it was a smashing success were it not for the fact that I lost both games... 

We started the evening with round of Yahtzee while we waited for dinner to finish baking. Scratching both Yahtzee and four-of-a-kind was bad enough, but not making the top pretty much put me in last. 

After dinner we decided against my first choice and instead fell back to a standard game of Monopoly. And while I did come in third of four, I thought I had some very well timed un-mortgaging of my utilities. (They got landed on three times in quick succession, but alas it was not enough to keep me in the game.)

So, that was game night. Next time I think I'll be able to convince them to try Betrayal at House on the Hill, so I'll keep you posted on that.

In closing this week, I wanted to remind you that inspiration can come from all sort of places. One thing that inspired me during the brainstorming process for the first series episodes was some music I was listening to in the car (some Abney Park specifically). So keep you ears (and eyes) open and let your experiences fuel your creative engines. 

2018 Blog Post No.2

Greetings again, travellers!

As we are at the beginning of a quarter, I thought it might be a good motivator to list some of my first quarter goals for 2018. Obviously there are going to be some writing goals in there, but there are also some game and design goals as well (I haven't forgotten that this site is technically my "Level Design" portfolio). So here is the list of goals for the next few months:

  • Finish the roughs on the first 5 episodes
  • Find a copy editor
  • Collect my beta readers
    • Get things to my beta readers
  • Outline the world settings and timelines for table top RPG
  • Research open table top game engines
    • Decide on an engine for the game
  • Finish building 5 books (Bookbinding projects)
  • Build one miniature set (Miniature crafting)
    • Build 10 digital assets for the set (3D Modeling)
  • Record voice demo
  • Start a vlog or podcast
  • Finish the Borderlands Pre-Sequel and the BioShock Infinite DLC
  • Write these blogs in advance of Wednesday night...

Now I know I've got more goals than that, and that it may not be possible to complete all of them. However, these are the things I am working toward; the steps along the path.

book02.jpg

Another thing I would like to touch on this week is hobbies. I think it's important for people to have hobbies, and the one I've picked up over the last year was bookbinding. So far I have completed four and half books. It started as a project from 2016 when I made myself a custom planner binder. From there I wanted to design my own notebook to jot down my ideas wherever I was, so I made a pocket sized notebook. Now I'm creating a few as fun gift ideas. 

Anyway, what I'm getting to is that my new hobby last year was to make books, and this year I've settled on the idea of creating miniature sets. They will be of both the settings of the stories, but also for game design locations as well. I'm imagining a sort of stop motion game play on a constructed miniature set photographed at angles like a point-and-click adventure or hidden-object game. I'm still decided on which one to do first. I thoroughly enjoyed building my booth miniature a while back for my portfolio show, and I'm itching to do some more.

booth.jpg

Lastly, as I want to start playing more games (in addition to designing and programming them), I'm adding a section to each blog where I will go over what games I've played since the last blog. 

This week I've clocked in some time on Star Wars: The Old Republic (I should probably add a goal to actually finish one of the story lines...), and participated in an excellent first round of a D&D campaign (We've just started Storm King's Thunder on Roll20; I'm playing a warlock).

Sadly, as the planned family game night had to be postponed this week, I didn't get any board games in this week. We've rescheduled though, so there's still hope for next week.

Until then, keep thinking, writing, creating, and being awesome!

The Adventure Begins

Hello travellers!

After a successful writing session this past November, I am determined to set ink to page and do something with my 'novel'.

Oh no! Not another horrible NaNoWriMo novel! I hear you cry. Worry not dear friend, through the new and wonderful process call 'editing', I shall transform my ramblings into a coherent story. And better still it will not be just a novel, oh no. It will be a work of serial fiction spanning ten whole episodes. (And that's just the first series.)

I have already begun the laborious process of re-reading the 156 page draft so that it can be segmented into at least four of the ten episode run. 

I look forward to sharing the process with you as we start out on this adventure through the eleven+ dimensions.

In the meantime, please check out the original short story in the new writing tab on the menu to the left.

As the year progresses you will see more writing on the page as well as my game design and audio work. I am striving to add 'Bytes' to the page so you can see many aspects of the creative process and determine if perhaps the work I'm doing is something you would like to support and/or may be something you need for your work. 

I hope you all had a happy holiday (Io Saturnalia!), and are headed full tilt into the new year!

Cardboard Space Adventure!

Images of the cardboard creations I built for the Cardboard Space Adventure at MOSI are now up in the gallery. First among them is the Cardboard Space Invasion game, a four player version of Space Invaders with cardboard assets and control panels. 

It's been a fun summer at the museum. In addition to building things out of cardboard, I have also been teaching summer science camps in game development and programming; inspiring the next generation of game designers. 

More updates to follow so stay tuned. 

Updates!

Restarting the blog space here, and hoping to keep it updated on a regular basis. 

Today I am starting on a new fortnight project:

Project will consist of a location planned, modeled, and textured. The location will be set in my continuing IP work, and will have a backstory, characters, and hopefully a couple of game hooks / missions.

Progress to follow.

In other news I have set up my audio recording equipment and will be doing some cold reading tests throughout the week. 

Soon I hope to include a voice reel page here; so you can hear my melodious voice ready to take on your voice acting needs.

In the meantime, be excellent to each other and party on dudes!