So besides my day job, writing for the secretlaboratory.org, and game design, I don't have a ton of spare time. I'm writing both on Risque still and writing articles on games (both older and indie) so I decided it is probably a good idea that I avoid games like Skyrim, World of Warcraft, that Star Wars MMO... hell anything on Origin (gaming's antichrist)
So today, I'm sitting here trying to figure out my final written article for the secret lab, as I am switching over to a video format. If ya have any suggestions, feel free to drop a line.
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Monday, February 6, 2012
Nightmare Fuel
Trying to write something deeply disturbing, might have done it to me.
I find myself having issues sleeping and staying asleep. No real big updates for the moment, just living the dream on a lack of sleep.
I find myself having issues sleeping and staying asleep. No real big updates for the moment, just living the dream on a lack of sleep.
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Busy and shit
So between work (real job), work (game design) and the shreds of my personal life, I've been busy.
I haven't had "real" time to sit down and actually blog, but basically here's what's up:
1) Risque has started getting voice actors. Julie's actress is picked and I'm eagerly awaiting her "samples"
2) Most of the main character art is done. The last one needing completion is Tsani Ara, the cat-lady.
3) Our music guy is kicking all kinds of ass. The soundtrack is quite good and being done fairly quickly.
4) the writing is about 40% done. Note that this is the main story and not including optional sidequests.
5) I've personally been playing the shit out of GT5 and Castlevania: Harmony of Dispair. Big nerdgasm.
6) Been watching Firefly, Farscape and whatever other non-mainstream sci-fi I can. Will Weaton's advice would be awesome.
7) I'm currently fixing a 2000 GMC Sierra pickup. Mostly cosmetic stuff, however there are some minor (and annoying) engine issues.
8) I've run out of Doctor Who and Torchwood. Dammit BBC give me either the Doctor or Captain Jack.
and finally:
9) Going to my motorcycle clubs "Christmas" party tonight. We usually wait till all the holidays are finished.
So that in a nutshell has been the last few weeks. I'm going to do my damnedest to update on a more regular basis.
I haven't had "real" time to sit down and actually blog, but basically here's what's up:
1) Risque has started getting voice actors. Julie's actress is picked and I'm eagerly awaiting her "samples"
2) Most of the main character art is done. The last one needing completion is Tsani Ara, the cat-lady.
3) Our music guy is kicking all kinds of ass. The soundtrack is quite good and being done fairly quickly.
4) the writing is about 40% done. Note that this is the main story and not including optional sidequests.
5) I've personally been playing the shit out of GT5 and Castlevania: Harmony of Dispair. Big nerdgasm.
6) Been watching Firefly, Farscape and whatever other non-mainstream sci-fi I can. Will Weaton's advice would be awesome.
7) I'm currently fixing a 2000 GMC Sierra pickup. Mostly cosmetic stuff, however there are some minor (and annoying) engine issues.
8) I've run out of Doctor Who and Torchwood. Dammit BBC give me either the Doctor or Captain Jack.
and finally:
9) Going to my motorcycle clubs "Christmas" party tonight. We usually wait till all the holidays are finished.
So that in a nutshell has been the last few weeks. I'm going to do my damnedest to update on a more regular basis.
Monday, January 23, 2012
Busy Beaver is Busy
So got some coding done. Got some art done. Have enough for a demo? Hardly.
After what seems like an eternity, some legitimate work is getting done on the game. I'm drawing the maps in illustrator so the line art will look great and will match the hand drawn characters better. So since the whole look of the game will be comic-like, I'm thinking of having the characters pull a "Deadpool" occasionally, and talk directly at the gamer. (The cast realizes their situation is ludicrous, why not?)
Other than that, nothing new. Been spending my down time playing Gran Tourismo 5 a lot. Since I'll never buy a Zonda, I might as well drive a virtual one around Laguna Seca. I should eventually post more meaningful blogs, but we'll see what comes in the next weeks.
After what seems like an eternity, some legitimate work is getting done on the game. I'm drawing the maps in illustrator so the line art will look great and will match the hand drawn characters better. So since the whole look of the game will be comic-like, I'm thinking of having the characters pull a "Deadpool" occasionally, and talk directly at the gamer. (The cast realizes their situation is ludicrous, why not?)
Other than that, nothing new. Been spending my down time playing Gran Tourismo 5 a lot. Since I'll never buy a Zonda, I might as well drive a virtual one around Laguna Seca. I should eventually post more meaningful blogs, but we'll see what comes in the next weeks.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Steampunk Planet
Steam-punk is highly underutilized.
So what my team and I decided was that the "desert" planet in our game will be cowboys and steam-punk theme. So sci-fi and steam-punk in the same game, should be fun. We got everything from space pirates abducting one of the cast members (and consequently trying to bone him, but he doesn't want "space herpes") possession by a succubus, Spartacus style battle arenas, gambling, drinking games (and possible alcohol poisoning) and a whole lot more.
We also added something that will probably give us a bit of trouble... meta-humans or furries... depending on your description of "animal people". Just humanoids can get boring, so variety is the spice of a space opera (from hell)
So what my team and I decided was that the "desert" planet in our game will be cowboys and steam-punk theme. So sci-fi and steam-punk in the same game, should be fun. We got everything from space pirates abducting one of the cast members (and consequently trying to bone him, but he doesn't want "space herpes") possession by a succubus, Spartacus style battle arenas, gambling, drinking games (and possible alcohol poisoning) and a whole lot more.
We also added something that will probably give us a bit of trouble... meta-humans or furries... depending on your description of "animal people". Just humanoids can get boring, so variety is the spice of a space opera (from hell)
Saturday, January 7, 2012
RPG Standards and Subjectivity
I came across an article today by a Desmond Gaban. It talked about the rise of the console RPG and some of the ludicrous statements gamers make about how X RPG sucks and why Z RPG is awesome that have nothing to do with the key element: The Game-play.
I've played a LOT of RPG's over the years. Every Final Fantasy, every Phantasy Star (yes even translated Game Gear Roms) The "Shining" Series of RPGS, both of the great Shadowrun RPGS... if I was to sit here and just name off all the RPG's I've played I think I'd run out of characters for this blog.
Im going to quote his paragraph here directly:
"By taking away standards for RPGs, you are left with subjectiveness. By playing "all in the eye of the beholder," an RPG fan could essentially make up ridiculous reasons for why RPG X rules or RPG Y sucks. Here are just some classic examples:
Sadly, this is kinda what RPG's have turned into, opinions ruling the virtual world. At a family holiday, I was talking to my kid sister about the PSOne classics on the PS3, and mentioned Parasite Eve was on there, and suggested she play it. Her response was basically, "No, I hear it's scary." (very paraphrased, the conversation was pretty lengthy) While yes, it is a Survial-horror-like RPG, it by no means is any scarier than... oh say... Batman: Arkham City. My point is, since she was told it was scary, she never gave the game a chance.
Know what a great game is that I still haven't finished (lazy) Lost Odyessy for the Xbox 360. Never heard any of it, and I'm glad. The game is beautiful, with complex character development (aside Jansen, but he's fucking awesome as a caster, so I keep him personally) the cut-scenes are done interestingly, having real time panels open over a scene, and the reading. HELL YES FOR LITERACY. It makes me nuts that everything went solely to voice acting. Yeah I get the whole "movie" like quality, but I'm glad they wrote Kaim's memories.
Back to my original point: Someone told me that Lost Odyessy was a "Complete waste of time, and didn't get why there was so much reading." I actually told him to the the fuck away from me. Of all the hair-brained reasons to NOT like a game... reading. (I personally didn't like the fact it was 4 discs and there was no secure way to keep them in place...)
Did you know there is actually a review called: "The MOST horrible RPG, aside from Earthbound, I've ever played." about Saga Frontier? The review didn't mention the phenomenal combat system, where you level up based on what you do and you learn skills by using them... or the fact that if your characters die too many times they stay down till LP is restored... (Think like in a coma) I will say i didn't enjoy the follow-ups as much as the first one, but I still find myself humming "Genocide Heart" (the Robot's final boss music)
Anyhow, I believe my point is, don't let people tell you X RPG is horrible or Y RPG is the bomb. Try them out for yourself. Think of it this way: Didn't Mario Kart 7 get a 4/10 or something for being "too repetitive and not changing enough" and Battlefield 3 got like a 9/10? Really?
I've played a LOT of RPG's over the years. Every Final Fantasy, every Phantasy Star (yes even translated Game Gear Roms) The "Shining" Series of RPGS, both of the great Shadowrun RPGS... if I was to sit here and just name off all the RPG's I've played I think I'd run out of characters for this blog.
Im going to quote his paragraph here directly:
"By taking away standards for RPGs, you are left with subjectiveness. By playing "all in the eye of the beholder," an RPG fan could essentially make up ridiculous reasons for why RPG X rules or RPG Y sucks. Here are just some classic examples:
"Final Fantasy 6 is the worse Final Fantasy game because the world gets turned into crap and killing Kefka doesn't save the world."If you were actually judging these two games by their real standards and not by this ridiculous biased subjectiveness, then you'd come to more solid and better criticisms of the games. Rather than say how you felt Mario was a dumb character, it would be more effective to point out how ridiculously easy Super Mario RPG was, how the 3 character party limited the game's variety, and how the limited items system was a step backwards. Just because you don't like something about a game's aesthetics doesn't make the game bad."
"Super Mario RPG is a bad game because having a plumber as the main character is just a plain stupid idea."
Sadly, this is kinda what RPG's have turned into, opinions ruling the virtual world. At a family holiday, I was talking to my kid sister about the PSOne classics on the PS3, and mentioned Parasite Eve was on there, and suggested she play it. Her response was basically, "No, I hear it's scary." (very paraphrased, the conversation was pretty lengthy) While yes, it is a Survial-horror-like RPG, it by no means is any scarier than... oh say... Batman: Arkham City. My point is, since she was told it was scary, she never gave the game a chance.
Know what a great game is that I still haven't finished (lazy) Lost Odyessy for the Xbox 360. Never heard any of it, and I'm glad. The game is beautiful, with complex character development (aside Jansen, but he's fucking awesome as a caster, so I keep him personally) the cut-scenes are done interestingly, having real time panels open over a scene, and the reading. HELL YES FOR LITERACY. It makes me nuts that everything went solely to voice acting. Yeah I get the whole "movie" like quality, but I'm glad they wrote Kaim's memories.
Back to my original point: Someone told me that Lost Odyessy was a "Complete waste of time, and didn't get why there was so much reading." I actually told him to the the fuck away from me. Of all the hair-brained reasons to NOT like a game... reading. (I personally didn't like the fact it was 4 discs and there was no secure way to keep them in place...)
Did you know there is actually a review called: "The MOST horrible RPG, aside from Earthbound, I've ever played." about Saga Frontier? The review didn't mention the phenomenal combat system, where you level up based on what you do and you learn skills by using them... or the fact that if your characters die too many times they stay down till LP is restored... (Think like in a coma) I will say i didn't enjoy the follow-ups as much as the first one, but I still find myself humming "Genocide Heart" (the Robot's final boss music)
Anyhow, I believe my point is, don't let people tell you X RPG is horrible or Y RPG is the bomb. Try them out for yourself. Think of it this way: Didn't Mario Kart 7 get a 4/10 or something for being "too repetitive and not changing enough" and Battlefield 3 got like a 9/10? Really?
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Risqué Business
A few years ago myself and Nicholas Saeko (My Evil, yet somehow better partner in video game crime) started an idea so bizarre, it was right up there with Goichi Suda. (suda51) That game was Risqué. An American take on the JRPG. Classic ATB style fighting, demented Japanese ideas mixed with 2 children of the 80's who drink too much and spent way too much time on Anarchy Online and Rock Band.
The original idea had myself, Nickolas, my sister and our mutual best mate as the main characters.
This proved difficult because none of us wanted to be properly lacking. (ie the caster of the group didn't want to be physically weak...) Imagine how fun a game would be, with a team of 4 Sephiroths. That would be sarcasm, seriously, whom would play a game that's not hard (aside all these kids who play Modern Warfare online only)
I digress:
So now, we've made 4 new and equally dysfunctional characters:
(I'll just mention first names)
Klint: The "hero". An ex-boxer, who spends more time drinking than fighting. Can still fight, however has a perpetual hangover. Rude, vulgar and gayer than springtime, Klint tries to help, however it usually ends up horribly, horribly wrong.
Julie: Klint's younger sister. Still in college for an as of yet decided art major. Also a hard drinker (family trait i suppose) Julie is the complete opposite of a lady. She train's with Klint's friend Jordan and usually is kicked out of bars for "finishing" fights.
Jordan: Jordan got lucky and found he was quite good at MMA. In the cast's hometown he won a title and is constantly being paid to defend it. Jordan is calm and laid back, but when his temper flares he rivals Klint for unpredictability. Jordan tries to be the voice of reason.
Vincent: Vincent is rich, However he worked for his money (debatable by everyone Else's view) playing stocks and gambling. Vincent is of Asian decent, everyone makes cracks about him being a ninja, samurai, whatever. Very tactical fighter who has a fondness for knives.
the cast probably seems pretty normal, but this is just a brief description. more will come
The original idea had myself, Nickolas, my sister and our mutual best mate as the main characters.
This proved difficult because none of us wanted to be properly lacking. (ie the caster of the group didn't want to be physically weak...) Imagine how fun a game would be, with a team of 4 Sephiroths. That would be sarcasm, seriously, whom would play a game that's not hard (aside all these kids who play Modern Warfare online only)
I digress:
So now, we've made 4 new and equally dysfunctional characters:
(I'll just mention first names)
Klint: The "hero". An ex-boxer, who spends more time drinking than fighting. Can still fight, however has a perpetual hangover. Rude, vulgar and gayer than springtime, Klint tries to help, however it usually ends up horribly, horribly wrong.
Julie: Klint's younger sister. Still in college for an as of yet decided art major. Also a hard drinker (family trait i suppose) Julie is the complete opposite of a lady. She train's with Klint's friend Jordan and usually is kicked out of bars for "finishing" fights.
Jordan: Jordan got lucky and found he was quite good at MMA. In the cast's hometown he won a title and is constantly being paid to defend it. Jordan is calm and laid back, but when his temper flares he rivals Klint for unpredictability. Jordan tries to be the voice of reason.
Vincent: Vincent is rich, However he worked for his money (debatable by everyone Else's view) playing stocks and gambling. Vincent is of Asian decent, everyone makes cracks about him being a ninja, samurai, whatever. Very tactical fighter who has a fondness for knives.
the cast probably seems pretty normal, but this is just a brief description. more will come
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