Tyler Durden Wallpaper

I was listening to the Fight Club soundtrack and I had a sudden urge to Photoshop something related, especially Tyler Durden related.
He is one of my all time favourite characters, I actually started taking Brad Pitt seriously as an actor after seeing Fight Club.
If you have never seen Fight Club, I highly recommend you stop playing with yourself and watch it right now.

New Mirror's Edge still in the works :D

This blog isn't one for referring other websites, but I just had to post this.
You may remember when I posted my love for the game Mirror's Edge and its individuality among all the generic first person shooters, well I just read a IGN post that is confirming a squeal is still being worked on.
They say one of the main reasons why its taking so long is because while it was criticality acclaimed, it didn't make as much money as anticipated because it didn't draw a big enough audience.
So while I can't get everyone to play and like it, I'm going to refer it anyway to the small audience that follows this blog. Trust me, its an awesome game and you can probably pick it up quite cheap now second hand.
Its a lot better than all the FPS's out there that rely on action to sell. Just be warned that its kinda short (something I hope that will be fixed in the sequel) but the re-playability is huge.

TAFE

Been a bit lazy with current projects right now, but for good reason.
This semester I've started TAFE, which is a college in Australia. I'm doing Cert 3 in Media (digital) and its awesome. Programs I'm using include Flash, Dreamweaver and Gamemaker.
Unfortunately it will probably mean that projects like Delta 9 might suffer a little, but in turn I will churn out some TAFE stuff.
The teachers, computers and just the campus as a whole is brilliant. I would certainly recommend this to a friend.

Creating Alternative Games

The current game I'm working on, Delta 9 is a game that is not alone in its genre. Its a FPS, which is in a market of millions of other FPS's.
So the way it plays is quite unoriginal. Having said that it is my first game so its more a learning project that anything. I really couldn't give a rats ass if it will be any good or not, as long as I complete it.
That's not saying I want to make crap games though, its will just probably be crap in the sense that it is the same as a million other games out there.

The games I want to make in the future are ones that are hopefully not unoriginal and not another Half Life clone.
I want to delve into genres that are rarely used or brand new.
One of these are the good 'ole text based adventure games. You may remember them from twenty years ago, these include the likes of Monkey Island or the Space Quest games. I may not have been playing them in their time, but I sure love retro games.
Of course I wouldn't make them with sprite graphics, but in 3D and from a 3rd or 1st point of view. You walk around a 3D room, trying to solve a puzzle. Click on things and interact with them, get a menu of stuff to do etc. It would work exactly like the games of yesterday did, except with current generation technology.
I am an indie developer after all, I should make games that aren't weighed down by stockholders and mainstream audiences (ie 12 years old's who love games with big explosions and no storyline, sadly they make up a big portion of the gaming population).

So its good when you see games that are mainstream but are completely different at the same time, that even make new genres.
One of the obvious games is of course Portal. The whole system is completely different to anything I've ever played and it works quite well, I'm really looking forward to the 2nd one.
Another whole genre was in fact built off a fad, which was free running. These spawned new and interesting games such as Mirrors Edge and the Assassin's Creed series.
While Mirrors Edge didn't get as much respect as I think its deserved, I still consider it one of my favourite games of 2008. People criticized it for its small length (which I can understand) and the fact that you're not equipped with a gun from the start. This I don't agree with. Games shouldn't have to have guns in them to make them good, there are plenty of other games out there which use guns. If you don't like the fact that you can get through the entire game without using a gun, piss off and play Black Ops.

Other games which get my attention are ones that don't exactly invent new genres, but introduce new tech.
A fine example of this is the Red Faction games, especially Guerrilla.
In these games you can destroy anything, and in Guerrilla I mean anything.


It works quite well when you're fighting the EDF. Whole lot of them in the top story of a two story building? Rather than going all Rambo up the stairs, just blow out the bottom story which would send them to their doom. Or alternatively jump up onto the room (you're equipped with a jetpack), knock out a portion of the roof and get the higher advantage.
The fact is there is a million other ways you could tackle this particular objective, the limit is your imagination.
It gives you the freedom that any other shooter could not. 

Unfortunately right now I don't have the programming skills to tackle anything that defines new genres. Hell, I don't even have the programming skills now to make any current genres. What I do have though, is infinite time to learn, and learn I will.
After Delta 9 I hope to have the skills to make something original. And in my mind, originality is the key to a great game.

Crappy Artwork: Gene Bova

So I've actually gone and put in more than an hours worth of work into a project using my new Bamboo.
This time it was of Delta 9's main playable character, Gene Bova. I would like to think he looks like a 70's porn star. Opinions?

Playable Delta 9 up

I have for you now, the first official playable web version of Delta 9!
Please note that in the place where you need to get to the abandoned apartment where there is no ladder leading to it, you need to jump instead (the jump is set on high) as I don't have a working ladder yet. 
It isn't much though, only the intro/tutorial level. There is no scripting done also, its all very basic. You can walk around all you like though so please enjoy!

Also if you haven't got it installed already, you need to install the Unity3d plug-in (which you will be prompted to do) to play. Its only a few Mb's to install and is virus free.

Delta 9 Web Version

Delta 9 Development Blog 1: Tour of Earth level

This is the first of a planned series of development blogs about my game.
In this video you get to hear my sexy voice and I give you a tour around the Earth level.

United Government of Earth Peacekeeper

Got some more crappy artwork for you.
Earlier today I received my Wacom Bamboo Pen, and not wanting to waste any time I got right into drawing with it. The result was a concept of what I want the Peacekeeper's to look like in Delta 9. It may look a bit dodgy but I'm still getting use to drawing with a tablet. Well that my excuse anyway.
Needless to say I had a ball of a time drawing straight to the computer with my new toy.
Completely done in Photoshop.

Got meself a Graphics Tablet

Considering I'm a little hungover from last nights escapades, it was a welcome surprise when my new graphics tablet arrived via courier to my house this morning.
Its a Bamboo Pen, and I bought it for $110AUS off an Ebay shop (brand new of course).

Its my first tablet, and while only small it works really well. The stylus is spot on and goes exactly where I want it to point.
I've been put off on buying a tablet because I always thought they were overly expensive and didn't work very well. But of course technology evolves, and I certainly made the right choice in purchasing this.
I'll probably be mostly using it for practice in concept art and textures.
I've tried it with Photoshop CS4 and it seriously feels as if I'm just drawing on a piece of paper, its that good.
Stay tuned for some work made using this tablet very soon.

New Pages Added

I was skipping through the blog for Blogspot, Blogger Buzz and I came across a post about an interesting added feature which lets me add new pages.
So today I've added an About page and a Portfolio page, please check them out!
The feature works pretty well, my only gripe is that I can't control the font, size and colour of the links to the new pages. Oh no my consistency! But other than that pure awesomness.

I also thought I would share a pic of my workspace while I'm here because I submitted one for a thread on the Unity forums.

 

The quality of the photo is quite shit, I had to take it with my phone because my camera is still all screwed up.

But yeah that's where I work, I consider it a pretty good setup. Got everything I need.

Also this is the 20th post of this blog! Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!