Year today, gone tomor. . . ugh.

So here it is. . . December 24th 2009. It was strange to think where I was a year ago at this date.

A year can change quite a bit in a person's life. It is quite strange to think a year ago I was at a sinking company in Salt Lake City Utah. Living in the snow covered grounds of West Valley City. Here I am today typing this in Hollywood California, looking out at the pee covered grounds of Los Angeles. Working at a solid company with more potential on the horizon. Quite a difference. I also happened to be married now, although that hasn't seemed to change much between the Mrs. and I. (She is still the most awesomest person I know, and will stay that way.)

I considered 2009 somewhat of an Empire Strikes Back sort of year. Sure some things went well, but there was lots of sacrifice, hardship, pain and bounty hunters. I feel like I lost more than I won, but sometimes a person needs that in their life. I learned quite a bit about trust, friends and working your ass off to make sure you get what you need to survive. I learned quite a bit of what not to do, and I hope to use that for the betterment of my future endeavors.

I say all this because 2010 will be more than a year of improvements, but a dedication to years even further in the future. If I have learned anything it's that there are plenty of people squandering what they have, and if they can get there, anyone can do the same. Here's to the next year and the years beyond.

Ill post a less prolific sounding update soon. . .

Side Projects

I can't say much, but I am working on a few things in my free time collaboratively with some friends on two different projects.

One is a comic called I wrote called Mortifera

www.mortifera.net (nothing there yet, but soon there will be. . .)

It is about the Dark Ages. However instead of a plague wiping out millions, hordes of demons kill off half of the population in Europe. I use historical events (even if they

are a bit out of order) and persons of interest from the era (including Joan of Arc who is a religious nut) to tell the story. Demon Hunters begin the systematic process of eradicating any beings

from hell. It has lots of occulty goodness. I

won't go into exact story details but that is the general outline. Demons in medieval Europe fighting

against various armies that want to send them back to hell. I've been getting the art for the first few pages and I have been pretty

happy with the

results so far. . . after I get some edits I will post some images.

The other project is just getting started and I like it already. I think it has major potential for badassery. I can't say much about this yet because it is JUST getting off the ground, but I am excited about it. When stuff becomes a bit more concrete I'll of course post factoids about it.

Also Modern Warfare 2 has been ruining my life. I love me some throwing knife. I also just ordered Assassin's Creed 2, so I will be introducing blades into some Italian dude's throats soon enough. Awesome. What have you guys been playing?

Sensory Sweep History

These two articles were recently posted about my old job at Sensory Sweep Studios:

http://www.cityweekly.net/utah/article-9896-sensory-sweep-shortchange.html

http://kotaku.com/5424949/back-pay-is-hell-and-utah-devs-still-arent-getting-any

In case you are curious what happened to the company I was at previously, there is quite the in depth look it its history in full. Many a shady deal was made there and it was a shame so many people were affected by this illegal behavior. I was actually warned by a former colleague "Just make sure you get a pay check while you are there." I laughed internally thinking "Pshhhh there is no way crap like that happens. That just happens on made for TV movies or whatever." Little did I realize that the owner had a sordid history in filing for bankruptcy to get out of paying taxes. Two years and six felony charges later, here I am owed thousands of dollars by the man who in fact, did not get me the amount of paychecks that I was owed.

I have pretty much come to the conclusion that I will never see the money I am owed, but its nice to know some people are writing about this and keeping the knowledge of it around.

On a positive note and a different company, I must say the project I am working on currently is coming along nicely and I am proud to say I am part of this game. Still can't say what it is because it has yet to be announced, but I dig it and I think others will as well. When it comes out I'll be sure to talk about the various parts I contributed to the game.

Holy crap its been a while. . .

Hi. It's been a while since I posted anything. I apologize, but I have been doing the following:

-I relocated from Utah back to OC California.
-Started working as a level designer at Wayforward Technologies.
-Contracted the swine flu. It was delightful.
-Got married.
-Wrote a new comic book project called Mortifera. (www.Mortifera.net Ill update more later.)
-Moved to Hollywood.
-Ate lots of Del Taco nacho fries.

That was my life since August essentially, hence the lack of updates. The new job is great. Though I can't say anything about the project I am on, I will say I was quite excited to start work there because of it. Wayforward Technologies, for those of you who don't know, recently did A Boy and His Blob which has been getting some great reviews. I'm happy to be working at a place that has people that really work hard to make a quality product. When they announce the project I am currently on, I'll post some links.

Spider Mouse

I've been reading quite a bit 'round the interwebs today about Marvel fans crapping their pants over the recent news. Like Galactus consuming a planet, Marvel was purchased by Disney for 4 BILLION FREAKIN' DOLLARS. Disney is hoping they can get their money off the deal by grabbing a demographic that was harder for them to reach before. Boys, teens and 45 year-old over weight dudes.

At the risk of losing my fanboy card I'll go ahead and say it. . .

IT'S OK THAT DISNEY BOUGHT MARVEL.

I'll give you an example. Disney bought Pixar in 2006. Since then has Pixar made crappier movies? Has Mickey Mouse been in every Pixar movie as the staring character? No and no. Disney bought Pixar because they were a creative powerhouse and using those characters has brought in a significant amount of revenue in demographics they didn't have before. In fact John Lasseter (the main hombre behind Pixar) makes quite a few creative decisions in Disney because they recognized the man's talents. I would also venture to say that without Disney's marketing, distribution and consumer products divisions to back up Pixar, it would not be the recognizable brand that it is today.

I've seen posts on social networking sites claiming that Disney will ruin Marvel characters. However if people want to worry about Disneyfying things I would first look internally at Marvel before going after Disney. The Wolverine Origins movie that was just recently released was terrible. The Superhero Squad brand isn't exactly aimed at the hard core comic reader. I can list lots of terrible licensed products and movies that Marvel has signed off on but that doesn't mean it's all bad and this is where I think Disney buying them is a good thing.

Movies: Disney has access to their own movie studio. Marvel Studios recently made Iron Man and Hulk which were arguably the closest to canon Marvel movies. This means that Disney can let Marvel make all the creative decisions and let Disney distribute bringing all the revenue into Marvel/Disney, as opposed to Paramount getting some and giving the rest to Marvel for example. This is also a win for Disney because they get licensing royalties from products that are mid contract.

Comics: Unless Disney goes under Marvel will never go bankrupt again. Disney also has a huge publication backing and could get Marvel into places around the world it couldn't reach before. I would also argue that content in comics won't be touched by Disney. Disney owns brands like Miramax and Tochstone Pictures which have released mature themed movies like Inglorious Basterds, Clerks 2, and Doubt. If those got released I doubt comic content will be filtered.

Video Games: Contracts with Activision (Who did a GREAT job with Wolverine and pretty good with Spider-Man Web of Shadows), Sega (Meh on Iron Man and Hulk) and others are still going through. Which means it's on Marvel's shoulders to make sure these games meet brand and creative standards through these developers. It was recently said that Disney will "Reexamine Marvel Video Game Deals As They Expire" so Disney may not even develop any of the Marvel I.P.'s for quite sometime. If anything, Marvel has shown a commitment recently to making better games with their license attached to it.

In essence: Don't be scared. Things will be fine. I doubt much will change. In fact feel free to leave comments warning of the impending Dr. Doom with iron Mickey ears threat.

Design Tests and crashing computers!!@!

I took another design test last week. The image I provided is from the high concept stuff I did for the my recent design test. It is just the chicken scratch I jot down before starting anything serious. It's all just "That would be sick if . . " type thoughts that I draw and write down madly. Maybe later I will post some screen shots of the level I designed in Unreal but we'll see.

I'm not going to say who the test for, but if I get the job you'll know. :)

I will say though that their upcoming titles are promising and I would be quite happy to work with their Intellectual Properties.

When I was informed of the test, I went and got a new comp because my current pc is beyond repair and can't run Unreal to save it's now worthless existence. I needed something that was fast, had wireless and was already built. (Didn't have time to waste on constructing my own.) I went to Best Buy and got a quad core Gateway. I get home to find out it doesn't have wireless capabilities. I then had to go to Best Buy and get a wireless usb card. (Which they gave me on the house because they said it had wireless.)

It worked for a week and then it died. Luckily I had my level saved up to date on a flash drive. I had to pack it up and take it back and get a new one. I got home and set it up and the NEW one died that day.

WTF?!@!

I finally just returned it and gave up. I am building my own pc damn it. I have to say though that the dudes at Best Buy were extremely nice and helpful.

Anyway that is what I have been doing. That and playing Spider-Man Web of Shadows. It has lots of technical glitches, bugs and seems rushed in some areas. However because it is Spidey maybe I am giving it the benefit of the doubt. . . because I like the air combat, zipping webs into bad guys faces and chasing Spidey villains through sky scrappers. I just wished they made the Symbiote versions of Wolverine a bit more intense. This design seemed lacking for such a powerful combination. If it were more like this I think it would have been more menacing looking, personally speaking. Venom also seemed a bit small in comparison to how he is in the comics. This is me being nit-picky though.

Anyway I'll update when I get some more stuff in motion and I get a pc that won't die in a week and that doesn't have Vista.

UPDATE: I received an email for the job saying they really like the stuff but their hiring needs had changed. They would essentially let me know when something pops up when they resume hiring. Bummer!

Playtesting

Here are some screen shots from playtesting I've been doing.  Need to move some volumes, add an easier way to move out of the acid pit, and take out some health pick ups but so far testing has been positive.  I need to move some of the flow out of the Incinerator/Air Lock room.  It seems most activity moves in there because there are too many pick ups.  

I am happy with some weapon placement though.  The more powerful weapons are in dangerous areas.  For example the sniper rifle and some health pickups are on the bridge.  If an enemy shoots the bridge switch it will submerge and the player will incur damage as a result of their sniper snatching attempt.  

Now I am just modifying and fixing. . .  I'll keep the updates coming.

High Concept Level Map

I have done a SketchUp model of the map so Henry and I can establish a few things.  I wanted to get a nicer version of what I had drawn out in the previous post.  This can provide a 3D example of what I was trying to accomplish.  Layout and object placement are going to be discussed so we can make any modifications to the level before putting it in Unreal.  

Henry and I will also discuss art style and what needs to be achieved on the art end of things.  For example the acid bath tanks need to follow this general shape but it is up to Henry to create the awesome static meshes needed to create a gritty and corroded tank.  I have provided texture examples and photos of areas similar to what we are trying go for in the level.  For example think Terminator 2, Aliens, Predator and Battlestar Gallactica tones and moods.  We will start listing the necessary art assets to make this room look as brutal as we can.  

Next up is art asset discussion and then whiteboxing the environment.  When that happens I will post some pictures of the whitebox.  I may start scripting to make the lifts run, acid hurt the player, open doors, make crushers slam down and I need to work on a way to make the air lock suck the player out of the room into space. . .   :)

Creative Ways to Die and Other News

Two updates:

One: I have a pen and paper design of the new Unreal Level.  I'll scan in all the images later but for now I have the quick picture of the chicken scratch I have been using to document ideas.  I have been working with Henry and we are going to mock up some more clearly defined ideas and blueprints.  (I'll do those in Sketchup and post em online too.)  After that he will get started on creating some art assets and meshes, while I do the white boxing for the level and rough scripting.  It's got all sorts of cool ways to use the level to kill opponents.  Dropping walkways into acid tanks, mechanized ship grinders, airlocks that suck them into space, raising acid tanks, and incinerator rooms that melt opponents.  (Complete with window so player's can watch their enemies melt to death.)  I'm pretty excited about this actually, I think it will be brutal.  Each room is represented in each image but are interconnected.  Two basement rooms and two ground level rooms.  

Two:  I asked to be laid off of work yesterday.  As odd as that sounds, the company didn't have money for paychecks and I couldn't wait any longer.  I needed some form of income and I couldn't wait any longer because I am months behind in payment.  I wish them nothing but the best and I hope they can pull out of this funk.  I know they have some plans but they will take weeks to be enacted and I just can't wait that long.  I am sure they will make some announcements sooner or later on what they plan on doing.  I was one of about six that left yesterday and I wish those that are staying the best of luck.

Catacomb Church

This is about a day and a half worth of work. It is a church with a catacomb below ground with two secret entrances. I'm using static meshes packages that were bundeled with U3, so I don't exactly have what I am looking for when it comes to art assets. (It would be nice to get some skull piles, epic sarcophagi, female medieval warrior angel statues, tapastries, mounds of candles with burning wax melting down, and huge stain glass windows. Maybe I'll harass someone to get some thrown in.)

Lighting still needs work, decorations need to be added, bump and detail maps need to be extruded as well. Any suggestions on it??

Unreal Screen Shot

  

Here are some more screen shots of a level I have been working on in the Unreal Editor.  The level has bot paths, working portals, particle effects elevators, and opening doors.  I am working on two connecting rooms that go to the side and under the current rooms.  It's getting there. . . 

(Sidenote:  Whoever invented Hot and Spicy Cheez It's is a winner.  They have been my side-arm throughout my efforts.)

I'll post more when I got it!

Blarg

I've been messin' around in the Unreal Editor and drawing in my free time as of late . . . no real updates.  I just figured I'd post one of my unfinished dudes.  I'll post a real update later.  I swears!  There might be some interesting news in the coming weeks so we'll see what goes down or up then.

This Glorious Nightmare

From Blogger Pictures

I am workin on this dude right now. He is an amalgamation of nightmares you could say. If a vampire bit a warrior demon this is what you would get. I might post the color if I feel so inclined. Most of my free time has been devoted to drawings and Fallout 3,

which has ruined my life. I completed the game by being a total saint ( a saint that shoots slavers in the face anyway ) and now I am quite excited to

play the game like a prick. Well here is to another 30 hours . . .

Next update I'll have something regarding my views on the scope of a project and how limits can still thrive with creativity. Word up. Hasta Luego.

Critically Critical

I was talking to a friend of mine the other day and we both came to the conclusion that folks who can't take criticsim, should not be in the business of entertaining people.  Criticism as a whole is large beast, always looking for a fight.  Dealing with such leviathans can end in trajedy or triumph but it is the trial that reveals its weakness.

The tragic result of a confrontation with criticism can be the demise of the creator.  Here is the creator, bravely lunging with a sword and shield, battling the demonic criticism.  After fighting criticism, the battle begins to wear down the creator.  Instead of learning from previous mistakes, criticism merely digs deeper into the creator.  Stopping the blood is becoming difficult and the creator limps away in pain.  Throwing down the sword and shield, the creator pouts momentarilly before being swallowed whole by criticism.  

There is, however, another way.  The creator learns from criticism and fights back with new knowledge.  It may take multiple stabs but reacting to the criticism is what counts.  Yes, the creator takes some hits occasionally, but it is the mistakes which make the creator that much more cunning.  You can tell by the scars who has faced their share of demons.  

I feel in the time that I have been around, the people I like to work with are those that can take fight instead of run away from it.  Mistakes make us what we are, and when people don't believe that they make any errors, it really says something about their ability to become better.  Criticism will eventually die by the hands of the creator if they are not beaten down by it, it is just a matter of how long, and when to end the fight.

I feel that fighting the beast can be painful, arduous, and intense.  However once the beast is conquered, it is that much sweeter a result and mounting that head on the wall in the Mead Hall is quite the accomplishment.

Long metaphor but I felt it was neccesary.  The moral of the story, to which I need to heed as well, don't be a wiener and learn from mistakes.

Getting my read on. . .

MAN it has been forever since I have read any comics. I picked up Wolverine: Origin and the Marvel Zombies paperback bound collections. I may have to go back for more since I have been out of the loop for a while. I have to say it has been motivating me to get my draw on again.

From Blogger Pictures

I had a fairly good Christmas and Birthday here in sunny southern California. I can't say I am looking forward to going back to 17 degrees, but I am looking forward to a new year. I always try to look at every new year as a chance to label it as a year of _____. Change, winning, losing weight, etc. I try not to go with the usual trite resolutions but instead aim for something big. . . and I usually don't tell people what that something is either. I am far from a superstitious individual, but the two superstitions I hold onto firmly, are as follows:

1. Never get anything tattoo'd on you that you want to happen.
Take for example gentlemen who receive a tattoo of their spouses name and then "Forever". You know that crap ain't gonna last.

2. Never tell large amounts of people what you REALLY REALLY want to happen. Through the science of superstition, I have discovered that indeed your plans will be thwarted if you tell everyone want you want to happen. I still have yet to see a Viking, a Velociraptor and Uncle Jessie from Full House fight to the death on the moon. Why? Because I told everyone about it.

Case in point. . . I am not saying what the goal of the year is kids. That is for me to fight for and you to find out. :D

I also finally got around to picking up the new Unearth album for 70% off retail price. (Downloading is again taking the life of another retailer's hopes of making money. Virgin Mega Store, we hardly knew ye.) It is a fairly solid metal album, but I am bummed the last drummer left the band because he was a drumming phenom. If you want some music that makes you feel like you are a 12th century lord, battling back hordes of chain-mail clad invaders riding on horseback, go pick this puppy up. In fact if you don't want to use a mourning star to bash in skulls after listening to this stuff, I would be surprised.

I'll be back in SLC in about six days. I never thought I'd miss 55 degree weather.

For the love of the game.

You know there are musicians out there who get paid loads of money. Butt-loads of money. Some may even say "Shloads." Some of them do it because they want to have said "shloads" of money but others do it because they love playing music. Playing in crap clubs with one or two people in the venue who aren't even listening to a note they are playing doesn't deter them because it is that momment that pushes them to create. It ain't the fame, the money or anything else that drives them it is their love instruments and the process of creation.

That's pretty much me, but substitute that music part with cool crap to do in a video game that makes people go "Did that shit just happen? Hell yeah!" Then insert a 1980's fist pump for good measure.

I feel pretty lucky that I have a job where one of my main goals is to have people say "That is pretty cool" after interacting with something I created. Even if it means I have to suffer with a lack of funds in the meantime. One day, when this all passes, and I can be a part of something that really hits a creative chord with gamers, I will look back on this and think it was all worth it. The stress. The agony. The patience. The drive. The hours. All worth it.

Until that day comes though, I will stay in the lab. Working on my many Frankensteins to unleash on the world.

From Blogger Pictures

Fear Factor

I just read today Factor 5 just went under. I was just talking about them yesterday which means one of two things;

One: I am cursed and anything I talk about is destined to internally combust.
Two: The economy is indeed taking on taking a dump on the industry (and other industries), an economic Cleveland Steamer, if you will.

I am going with the second. Again Factor 5 going down all links back to Brash going under. For those not aware of that whole situation, Brash was backed by Goldman Sachs. Which, if you watch the news, was one of the companies to receive part of that Cleveland Steamer I was referring to earlier. As a result the investors at Goldman Sachs needed to cut their losses and the huge bankroll from the company, thus screwing hundreds of people. It's a damn shame really and I hope everyone at Factor 5 finds something quick.

Shifting Gears, I have to say that Gears of War 2 is one amazing game. The gameplay is still solid (although I have some issues I will go over in a second), the story is great, the music is fantastic and the scale is amazing. This is one of the few times where the hype actually lived up to the actual product. Although there are some problems that have bugged me since the first game. Why is the cover button the same as the jump button? I HATE it when I am trying to jump out of the way and I get sucked to a wall. "NO DAMN IT! GET OFF THE WALL!@!" Then BLAM! My head is popped like a pimple. The Y button doesn't do anything, use that for cover. My other problem is the chainsaw. Arguably one of the coolest weapons around right now, but the chainsaw bayonet is too random. The point of controls, is to control. In a game like Gears 2, the player needs to know it is their fault if they miss a shot. That is what drives people to keep playing and improve their skills. I would make the Chainsaw like the Mele attacks with the shotgun. This way it takes skill to hit the opposition, not luck. Aside from those minor complaints, the game is fan-freakin-tastic.

Anyway, stay up kids!

Blogs you say?

Well hello there. Thanks for checking out my blog. I know I am one of the few people on the Internet to have one of these bad boys, so I feel rather privileged. Apparently you can also simulate faces by using the parenthesis and colon keys. :) Amazing.

Well anyway thanks for reading. I will try to keep this up to date with my video game happenings, video game news, opinions and general what-have-you regarding video games. That's right, what-have-you.

I hope everyone in the industry is at least keeping their head above water, or at least breaching the surface with their noses. It has been pretty rough the past 4 months or so for lots of people who make games. I know for me personally this whole recession stuff has not been that great. The company I work at, Sensory Sweep Studios, got hit pretty hard with the collapse of Brash Entertainment. We did the Tale of Despereaux game, which was supposed to be published by Brash until they went under. After avoiding some payments they promptly went into bankruptcy after claiming they were not going to do so anytime soon. It was like Kurt Cobain's publicist telling everyone that he had not blown his head off with a shotgun, when in fact he was already dead. Thankfully Atari picked the game up and, except for the 360 version, at least it is on the shelves. Other Devs were not so lucky. I know Factor 5 for example took a huge hit from them as well. (They were the people behind Lair, by the way.) I heard rumors of them doing a Superman game which would have been a great title for a Developer like them to create. I know numerous other studios were working on projects with Brash as well and are still feeling the hit from their retracted payments. I just hope everyone can recover quickfully and as painlessly as possible. During the holidays it is especially tough to recover so, best of luck to everyone.

On a sidenote, when will the punisher get a good movie? I mean come on this guy has years of backstory and all he gets is a headbutt to the nose everytime they try to make a movie regarding Frank Castle. Like Dolf Lungren? Not exactly the best start. The key to a good punisher movie is obviously excessive violence, but having a story is the most important thing. Lionsgate maybe should have looked at how Iron Man or Hulk were being created and followed suit.

Well thanks again for checking this out and check back frequently as I will have updates and what-have-you.