Greetings Assassins and Assassinettes!
Before I go back to the Unity recap or talk about my anger on game designers in the modern era, I have to say this:
INDIE OF THE YEAR is in action and Little City (my game) is trying to get nominated! So take 2 minutes, jump over to: http://www.indiedb.com/games/little-city and Vote Now!
2011 Indie of the Year Awards via Indie DB
I'm not about to let some polygons try and keep Little City down! Let's get it nominated to the top 100! Tell your friends and family, coworkers and bosses, hide your kids and your wives cause we voting everyone up in here!
-POOF-
Monday, December 5, 2011
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Unite 2011 Conference
Greetings Assassins and Assassinettes!
So at the end of September I was sent to the Unite 2011 Conference in San Francisco. I was to scope the place out and look for any potential polygons that needed assassinating. Instead, I was assaulted with a level of awesome that I rarely experience. Below is my tale and a summary of the event. Hope you enjoy!
Day 1 - Sept 28th - Arrival
I had a specialist assigned to me for this mission, he goes by the name MajorFX but don't let that fool you, he can throw down against some polygons if need be. We flew into Oakland, snagging a rental car so it would be more difficult to track us, and drove to Frisco making it to the conference with just enough time to catch the Key Note and see what was coming for Unity3D 3.5. Let me tell you, this set the mood for the rest of the trip. The LOD Technology that is super intuitive, fully integrated AI tech (this really blew my mind!), the rewritten Occlusion Culling system, the directional lightmaps, crazy new particle system and so much more! Here is a link to the Key Note speech video. Watch it and come back... or I will find you!
http://unity3d.com/unite/keynote
After the keynote, MajorFX and I split up to cover more ground. I went to a lecture titled: Substance in Unity. Mind Blown. Substance is a stand alone application that has also been integrated into several 3d softwares and now Unity that deals with shaders and the creation of materials. The company responsible for Substance is Allegorithmic (http://www.allegorithmic.com/) a bunch of super intelligent guys that are revolutionizing how shaders work. Just to illustrate this, watch this video: http://youtu.be/wNrKjhO5tHg?t=4m26s
Is that not insanity? I thought some polygons were messing with me. Nope, just awesome techniques!
Their Bitmap2Material software is worth it alone to automatically generate intelligent Normal Maps, Specular Maps, Height Maps, and so many more!
The conference went a little off of schedule after this lecture, things got shifted around and lectures got pushed back. This was fine by me because I had found a polygon that needed dealing with. I just didn't want to disturb the guests there so I went stealth mode. I managed to catch the polygon slurping down the drinks that Unity3d provided for the attendees. A quick flash of my weld tool and that polygon vanished without a sound.
Drinks for everyone!
I attempted to go to an AI in Unity lecture... I don't think I have ever experienced something like this. I wrote a ton of notes, yet, as I read them now, they make no sense to me. I showed the notes to my programmer and he nodded thoughtfully and went back to programming. I still have no idea what I wrote. I must have channeled an inner spirit and wrote something I could never grasp in my conscious form...
OKAY!
Next was the last lecture of the night. I don't even want to say which lecture it was because it was horrible. Polygons were all over the place messing with cameras, changing the subject matter completely from the title. The presenter changed his mind about what he wanted to talk about 3 times while lecturing. It was just bad. The polygons definitely destroyed this one. I went on a cutting spree. I even detached polygons a few times just to outright delete them. I rarely pull that skill out.
This left a sour taste in my mouth. Ah well, dinner outta clear that up and then Day Two made up for it!
Day two coming soon with some other great info and also some very cool people. Keep your eyes out for it.
-POOF-
So at the end of September I was sent to the Unite 2011 Conference in San Francisco. I was to scope the place out and look for any potential polygons that needed assassinating. Instead, I was assaulted with a level of awesome that I rarely experience. Below is my tale and a summary of the event. Hope you enjoy!
Day 1 - Sept 28th - Arrival
I had a specialist assigned to me for this mission, he goes by the name MajorFX but don't let that fool you, he can throw down against some polygons if need be. We flew into Oakland, snagging a rental car so it would be more difficult to track us, and drove to Frisco making it to the conference with just enough time to catch the Key Note and see what was coming for Unity3D 3.5. Let me tell you, this set the mood for the rest of the trip. The LOD Technology that is super intuitive, fully integrated AI tech (this really blew my mind!), the rewritten Occlusion Culling system, the directional lightmaps, crazy new particle system and so much more! Here is a link to the Key Note speech video. Watch it and come back... or I will find you!
http://unity3d.com/unite/keynote
After the keynote, MajorFX and I split up to cover more ground. I went to a lecture titled: Substance in Unity. Mind Blown. Substance is a stand alone application that has also been integrated into several 3d softwares and now Unity that deals with shaders and the creation of materials. The company responsible for Substance is Allegorithmic (http://www.allegorithmic.com/) a bunch of super intelligent guys that are revolutionizing how shaders work. Just to illustrate this, watch this video: http://youtu.be/wNrKjhO5tHg?t=4m26s
Is that not insanity? I thought some polygons were messing with me. Nope, just awesome techniques!
Their Bitmap2Material software is worth it alone to automatically generate intelligent Normal Maps, Specular Maps, Height Maps, and so many more!
The conference went a little off of schedule after this lecture, things got shifted around and lectures got pushed back. This was fine by me because I had found a polygon that needed dealing with. I just didn't want to disturb the guests there so I went stealth mode. I managed to catch the polygon slurping down the drinks that Unity3d provided for the attendees. A quick flash of my weld tool and that polygon vanished without a sound.
Drinks for everyone!
I attempted to go to an AI in Unity lecture... I don't think I have ever experienced something like this. I wrote a ton of notes, yet, as I read them now, they make no sense to me. I showed the notes to my programmer and he nodded thoughtfully and went back to programming. I still have no idea what I wrote. I must have channeled an inner spirit and wrote something I could never grasp in my conscious form...
OKAY!
Next was the last lecture of the night. I don't even want to say which lecture it was because it was horrible. Polygons were all over the place messing with cameras, changing the subject matter completely from the title. The presenter changed his mind about what he wanted to talk about 3 times while lecturing. It was just bad. The polygons definitely destroyed this one. I went on a cutting spree. I even detached polygons a few times just to outright delete them. I rarely pull that skill out.
This left a sour taste in my mouth. Ah well, dinner outta clear that up and then Day Two made up for it!
Day two coming soon with some other great info and also some very cool people. Keep your eyes out for it.
-POOF-
Monday, September 26, 2011
Great Article on the Mobile Marketplace
Greetings assassins and assassinettes!
On www.indiedb.com there is a great article on the Mobile Marketplace and I wanted to share it with everyone if you hadn't seen it yet. Below is the direct link to the article but some amazing excerpts from it our:
'You may think the iPad is a mobile device, but you’d be wrong.
'Developers are flocking back to the iOS platform
According to a blog post by Flurry, in the first quarter of this year, about 65% of new projects were for iOS compared to a respectable 35% targeting Android. However, in the second quarter, iOS accounted for 75% of new projects, leaving just 25% for Android.'
This tasty quote is followed a pretty graph chart!
'iOS has served 15 Billion downloads compared to Androids 4.5 Billion
Given that the iOS App Store has been around for so much longer, this is not a bad showing from Android. However, the vast majority of the iOS downloads occurred in the face of competition from Android. The nail in the coffin: a greater proportion of those iOS downloads were paid.'
Wonder were the money is? Also check out this interesting article on iOS sensation Tiny Towers. It's a free to play tycoon-ish game close to breaking $3 million in it's first year of being available. http://tinyurl.com/3jhjrd5
So here is the article folks, take a look and enjoy it! http://www.indiedb.com/company/the-voxel-agents/news/the-mobile-market-place-how-does-it-look-today
-POOF-
On www.indiedb.com there is a great article on the Mobile Marketplace and I wanted to share it with everyone if you hadn't seen it yet. Below is the direct link to the article but some amazing excerpts from it our:
'You may think the iPad is a mobile device, but you’d be wrong.
- 43% of iPad owners use their iPad more than their desktop computer
- 28% say it’s their primary computer
- 34% use it more than their TV
- 83% use it primarily while at home. Only 11% use it on the go.'
'Developers are flocking back to the iOS platform
According to a blog post by Flurry, in the first quarter of this year, about 65% of new projects were for iOS compared to a respectable 35% targeting Android. However, in the second quarter, iOS accounted for 75% of new projects, leaving just 25% for Android.'
This tasty quote is followed a pretty graph chart!
'iOS has served 15 Billion downloads compared to Androids 4.5 Billion
Given that the iOS App Store has been around for so much longer, this is not a bad showing from Android. However, the vast majority of the iOS downloads occurred in the face of competition from Android. The nail in the coffin: a greater proportion of those iOS downloads were paid.'
Wonder were the money is? Also check out this interesting article on iOS sensation Tiny Towers. It's a free to play tycoon-ish game close to breaking $3 million in it's first year of being available. http://tinyurl.com/3jhjrd5
So here is the article folks, take a look and enjoy it! http://www.indiedb.com/company/the-voxel-agents/news/the-mobile-market-place-how-does-it-look-today
-POOF-
Monday, September 12, 2011
Moving Pixels
Hello again Assassins and Assassinettes!
Lately I have been doing more and more pixel art, mainly because they are easier to destroy then polygons which gives me a disgusting god-complex, and also, not as importantly, because my new game is a pixel art based game.
I have been enjoying the process of breaking something down to its tiniest form. It has been a real test to create images that our mind understands out of 32 small cubes. Because of how much fun I have been having, I would like to issue a small challenge to anyone that reads this:
Paint a pixel art robot on a 64x64 pixel image. It can be a front view, side view, or perspective but keep in mind, perspective will be more difficult! Have fun! Tweet your creations to me at: (at)Evilblah.
Good luck all!
-POOF-
Lately I have been doing more and more pixel art, mainly because they are easier to destroy then polygons which gives me a disgusting god-complex, and also, not as importantly, because my new game is a pixel art based game.
I have been enjoying the process of breaking something down to its tiniest form. It has been a real test to create images that our mind understands out of 32 small cubes. Because of how much fun I have been having, I would like to issue a small challenge to anyone that reads this:
Paint a pixel art robot on a 64x64 pixel image. It can be a front view, side view, or perspective but keep in mind, perspective will be more difficult! Have fun! Tweet your creations to me at: (at)Evilblah.
Good luck all!
-POOF-
Thursday, September 1, 2011
The Deus Ex moment
Greetings Assassins and Assassinettes!
When I take a break from creating new techniques to assassinate polygons, or training my pet Dragon Whale, I like to enjoy some games. Lately, I have been enjoying Deus Ex. It's a beautiful game full of atmosphere and stunning designs. I love the voice acting and animation and on top of that, the story is pretty good!
All that aside though, I wanted to tell you about my moment in Deus Ex. Generally every game has a moment for me. It's the moment when you either say, 'Holy S***! This game is amazing!' or 'F*** this game!' It can happen at anytime in the game and it can be something as simple as a secondary animation, or as complex as a beautiful environment that you just walked into.
In Deus Ex, it was close to the beginning of the game. Don't worry, no spoilers. It's the first time you go to your home. Walking in the front door, the music that played, what I saw, it all just made me sit back in my chair and say, 'Wow... This is amazing...' I knew, I knew from that moment on, my polygon assassinating life, would be better.
I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
-POOF-
When I take a break from creating new techniques to assassinate polygons, or training my pet Dragon Whale, I like to enjoy some games. Lately, I have been enjoying Deus Ex. It's a beautiful game full of atmosphere and stunning designs. I love the voice acting and animation and on top of that, the story is pretty good!
All that aside though, I wanted to tell you about my moment in Deus Ex. Generally every game has a moment for me. It's the moment when you either say, 'Holy S***! This game is amazing!' or 'F*** this game!' It can happen at anytime in the game and it can be something as simple as a secondary animation, or as complex as a beautiful environment that you just walked into.
In Deus Ex, it was close to the beginning of the game. Don't worry, no spoilers. It's the first time you go to your home. Walking in the front door, the music that played, what I saw, it all just made me sit back in my chair and say, 'Wow... This is amazing...' I knew, I knew from that moment on, my polygon assassinating life, would be better.
I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
-POOF-
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
A Stealth Attack
Cough... Cough...
Don't worry I will be fine... I just have some residual effects from a nasty blow I took in my last battle with polygons...
A week ago I had a mission to go into the mountains and deal with a particular nasty group of polygons that had started terrorizing the farmers living at the base of the mountain. Apparently the polygons had been there for sometime but the villagers swore that they would not be a burden and that they were fine in the mountains. How naive. It's as if the farmers were children that found a wild wolf cub. It may be cute at first, but when it ages, it will still be a wolf and will become dangerous.
They learned the error of their ways when the crops that sustain them suddenly went up in flames. Without mercy the polygons rode down the mountain on steeds made of too much geometry. Many farmers were slaughtered, deleted out right with no warning, others were taken away. Never to be seen of again.
This is when they called upon my services.
I easily found their camp as polygons tend to be messy and loud. I made short work of their guards with several quick cuts and easily made my way into their encampment. The polygons within were shocked by my presence and several more fell to my quick cut tool but then the shock wore off and they started to counter attack. I parried several strikes and countered with fast blows of my own. But then something happened, something I was not prepared for.
As I cut down the last poly standing in front of me a sharp pain exploded from my lower back. I fell forward to my knees while black and red spots swam through my vision. I tried to stand but a rough jagged hand gently touched my shoulder and forced me down. Looking up I saw what I had not seen in a very long time.
A double-sided polygon. Someone had been very sloppy when creating this guy and had, in a whirlwind of fury and misunderstanding, welded points together to create this monstrosity. It smirked... Or at least looked like it smirked... And then struck again. It's attack was lightning fast and accurate.
My vision exploded again and the taste of iron filled my mouth. My ears rang and my temples throbbed. I was on my back, it was chuckling as it circled me, like a cat circling its wounded prey. I watched it as it walked back in front of me and then stopped. A slight gesture, it wanted me to stand.
Big mistake.
I stood slowly, shakily, to my feet. My vision was still blurred but my training had taught me to fight without vision before. I closed my eyes and re-centered myself. It was a whisper of movement but I knew the monster was coming at me. I slowly reached into my hidden pocket and pulled a thin string from within. As the monster ran towards me I rocked back on my heels and then sprang into a front flip as high up into the air as I could. I could hear the monster scream out in anger but it was too late, my trap was already set. As I landed behind the monster I opened my eyes and saw my string gently land across the top of the polygon. It's eyes widened as it realized what I was doing.
-SPLIT-
The string slid through the center of the polygons and separated the double sided monster into two. It tried to force itself back together but I had detached the two sides. By doing so, I robbed it of its power. Two fast cuts from my blade and they fell to the ground.
My job was done here, but I was injured. My head hurt, my vision was blurred, and I was angry at the incompetence of the farmers. When will people learn... With a sigh I began the long trudge home...
-POOF-
P.s. I have tonsillitis so my posts may be delayed. That story was to make up for the last few days... Hope you liked it! <3
-mini poof-
Don't worry I will be fine... I just have some residual effects from a nasty blow I took in my last battle with polygons...
A week ago I had a mission to go into the mountains and deal with a particular nasty group of polygons that had started terrorizing the farmers living at the base of the mountain. Apparently the polygons had been there for sometime but the villagers swore that they would not be a burden and that they were fine in the mountains. How naive. It's as if the farmers were children that found a wild wolf cub. It may be cute at first, but when it ages, it will still be a wolf and will become dangerous.
They learned the error of their ways when the crops that sustain them suddenly went up in flames. Without mercy the polygons rode down the mountain on steeds made of too much geometry. Many farmers were slaughtered, deleted out right with no warning, others were taken away. Never to be seen of again.
This is when they called upon my services.
I easily found their camp as polygons tend to be messy and loud. I made short work of their guards with several quick cuts and easily made my way into their encampment. The polygons within were shocked by my presence and several more fell to my quick cut tool but then the shock wore off and they started to counter attack. I parried several strikes and countered with fast blows of my own. But then something happened, something I was not prepared for.
As I cut down the last poly standing in front of me a sharp pain exploded from my lower back. I fell forward to my knees while black and red spots swam through my vision. I tried to stand but a rough jagged hand gently touched my shoulder and forced me down. Looking up I saw what I had not seen in a very long time.
A double-sided polygon. Someone had been very sloppy when creating this guy and had, in a whirlwind of fury and misunderstanding, welded points together to create this monstrosity. It smirked... Or at least looked like it smirked... And then struck again. It's attack was lightning fast and accurate.
My vision exploded again and the taste of iron filled my mouth. My ears rang and my temples throbbed. I was on my back, it was chuckling as it circled me, like a cat circling its wounded prey. I watched it as it walked back in front of me and then stopped. A slight gesture, it wanted me to stand.
Big mistake.
I stood slowly, shakily, to my feet. My vision was still blurred but my training had taught me to fight without vision before. I closed my eyes and re-centered myself. It was a whisper of movement but I knew the monster was coming at me. I slowly reached into my hidden pocket and pulled a thin string from within. As the monster ran towards me I rocked back on my heels and then sprang into a front flip as high up into the air as I could. I could hear the monster scream out in anger but it was too late, my trap was already set. As I landed behind the monster I opened my eyes and saw my string gently land across the top of the polygon. It's eyes widened as it realized what I was doing.
-SPLIT-
The string slid through the center of the polygons and separated the double sided monster into two. It tried to force itself back together but I had detached the two sides. By doing so, I robbed it of its power. Two fast cuts from my blade and they fell to the ground.
My job was done here, but I was injured. My head hurt, my vision was blurred, and I was angry at the incompetence of the farmers. When will people learn... With a sigh I began the long trudge home...
-POOF-
P.s. I have tonsillitis so my posts may be delayed. That story was to make up for the last few days... Hope you liked it! <3
-mini poof-
Friday, August 19, 2011
Day 1 Results
Hello fellow slayers of the unnecessary, polygons that is!
I wanted to give you a quick update on Little City and how it is doing! I feel it would be fun to share some stats with everyone out there that is interested! I will not be defining money or sales, just downloads and locations!
Little City consists of 4 different versions. 2 Lite versions and 2 full games depending on your device.
Total we have 371 downloads in one day!
America comes in on top with 122 downloads!
China next with 51!
The UK with 23!
And many more!
Little City has an average rating of 5 stars and 6 total reviews!
Little City HD has 3 reviews at 5 stars a piece!
Thank you so much for all the support and encouragement! The team and I at Mind Factory Studios went out celebrating last night with some delicious Mexican food and drinks and finished the night by cutting up some lost polygons. Always gotta end on assassinating polys.
-POOF-
I wanted to give you a quick update on Little City and how it is doing! I feel it would be fun to share some stats with everyone out there that is interested! I will not be defining money or sales, just downloads and locations!
Little City consists of 4 different versions. 2 Lite versions and 2 full games depending on your device.
Total we have 371 downloads in one day!
America comes in on top with 122 downloads!
China next with 51!
The UK with 23!
And many more!
Little City has an average rating of 5 stars and 6 total reviews!
Little City HD has 3 reviews at 5 stars a piece!
Thank you so much for all the support and encouragement! The team and I at Mind Factory Studios went out celebrating last night with some delicious Mexican food and drinks and finished the night by cutting up some lost polygons. Always gotta end on assassinating polys.
-POOF-
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Little City!
Greetings assassins and assassinettes!
Little City for iPhone and Little City for iPad just came out today! It's a logic puzzle game containing 100 puzzles, which was developed by myself and a few friends! Check it out, rate it, review it, and have some fun!
Share it with your friends, family, and animals (if they are aware and can use iOS devices)!
Check out the teaser, long trailer, and epic trailer on youtube @:
Teaser: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHefo1pITEc
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2Dy3-SwFHg
Epic Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7bA-g598Mw
-POOF-
Little City for iPhone and Little City for iPad just came out today! It's a logic puzzle game containing 100 puzzles, which was developed by myself and a few friends! Check it out, rate it, review it, and have some fun!
Share it with your friends, family, and animals (if they are aware and can use iOS devices)!
Check out the teaser, long trailer, and epic trailer on youtube @:
Teaser: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHefo1pITEc
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2Dy3-SwFHg
Epic Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7bA-g598Mw
-POOF-
Monday, August 15, 2011
Pleasant surprises
Two movies came out that I completely misjudged and I wanted to share my experience with you. The first of the films was Kung Fu Panda 2. I loved the first movie but the trailer for the second film really didn't grab my attention as much as the first film did. Also, I didn't know anyone that saw the film either so I never heard anything about it.
The other day, my fiance and I saw it in a dollar theater and well... It was amazing! Both of us were laughing through most of the film and we really enjoyed the story! Not to mention the animation was fantastic! We both wished we had seen it sooner but are happy that we saw it now because it should be out on Blu-ray soon so we can watch it again!
The second film I just saw yesterday with my fiance again and my parents. It was a spur of the moment and I really had no desire to see this film. It was Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Not only is the name of the film a mouthful but this story really did not need to be told... Or so I thought. I was pleasantly surprised and entertained through the entire film! There were nods to all the previous Planet of the Apes movies and the visual effects were awesome. At one point, don't worry I won't spoil anything, the entire audience got quiet and then one lady, in a whispered voice said, 'Oh my God...' It was eerie and amazing at the same time!
I highly recommend both of these Assassin approved films!
-POOF-
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Check this out!
Hello fellow assassins and assassins in training!
Check this trailer out for End of Nations! A free to play mmoRTS! The environments in the game were done by a good friend and fellow expert poly assassin, Joel Rivera!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4x3igBARrqc&feature=player_embedded
Dig it!
-POOF-
Check this trailer out for End of Nations! A free to play mmoRTS! The environments in the game were done by a good friend and fellow expert poly assassin, Joel Rivera!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4x3igBARrqc&feature=player_embedded
Dig it!
-POOF-
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Battle damage!
My dissolve tool parted the air with deadly precision, a faint hum was the only sound. It struck with deadly accuracy and many polygons fell, having no place in this world.
--
My very soul was rocked today as a client showed me a character they were modeling. The character's wire frame was so dense that you could not see through it. My heart dropped and my eyes began to involuntarily close. I mustered my courage, refocused myself and then attacked.
Alas, even after all the work I did, the client did not understand why so many polygons were a bad thing and undid all the optimizing I had just done. I left head down and shoulders slumped, listening to the client rage about why their render time was so long and why the character was switching to a bounding box as they navigated around it. If they only knew...
I have failed this day, yet I can not blame myself! I will carry on and secretly edit their mesh when they are not looking. Ha!
-POOF-
--
My very soul was rocked today as a client showed me a character they were modeling. The character's wire frame was so dense that you could not see through it. My heart dropped and my eyes began to involuntarily close. I mustered my courage, refocused myself and then attacked.
Alas, even after all the work I did, the client did not understand why so many polygons were a bad thing and undid all the optimizing I had just done. I left head down and shoulders slumped, listening to the client rage about why their render time was so long and why the character was switching to a bounding box as they navigated around it. If they only knew...
I have failed this day, yet I can not blame myself! I will carry on and secretly edit their mesh when they are not looking. Ha!
-POOF-
Visualize and make it happen!
GREETINGS!
In my training to assassinate polygons better I have developed a technique that is very important in understanding mesh flow, so much so that it is one of my main techniques!
-Activate Bear Eye of Understanding Technique-
-FWOOSH-
It is the ability to visualize what something in the real world would look like with a wire frame over the top of it. It was not something that immediately happened. It took many years for me to understand the concept and put it into practice. Granted this is just my experience with it and you may pick it up instantly. Maybe I can even help you with that!
To begin with, lets do something simple. Look at the monitor in front of you. Now envision the most simplistic form in 3d geometry. My monitor would be made up of 4 cubes. 1 for the main screen, 1 for the support, and 2 for the diagonal legs on the bottom of the support. This is one of the most crucial aspects to the technique! Being able to simplify shapes down in your mind will help you understand how to build them in 3d. It is like a backwards construction technique that you then play forward again when modeling.
After I have my basic geometry figured out, I begin imagining how those cubes would be connected. How would I slice my geometry and weld points (vertices)?
Once the cubes have been welded together, I would start looking at detail. The most important part would be the screen again. That's where every one's eyes would go first as a focal point! So I would need to inset the front polygon and extrude in the negative to create the screen indentation. I would do this same technique for any other focal points on my object, knocking them out one at a time until I feel I have covered enough ground dissecting to start modeling or until something shiny catches my attention.
Do this process a few times on simple things. Your office telephone, desktop tower, energy drink next to you, then move on to something more complex. Something like a semi-truck, 747 airliner, or cargo boat. Once you feel confident with these objects start moving to the organic, trees and flowers. Once you can do vegetation, your power level will be over 9,000! Try to do this with humans. Start with photographs (because staring at a stranger is awkward... Trust me on this...) and then try on a friend or loved one.
It is a fun technique and can be used to warm up before modeling or sketching! Can you visualize what your monitor would look like in wire frame? Try it out!
-POOF-
In my training to assassinate polygons better I have developed a technique that is very important in understanding mesh flow, so much so that it is one of my main techniques!
-Activate Bear Eye of Understanding Technique-
-FWOOSH-
It is the ability to visualize what something in the real world would look like with a wire frame over the top of it. It was not something that immediately happened. It took many years for me to understand the concept and put it into practice. Granted this is just my experience with it and you may pick it up instantly. Maybe I can even help you with that!
To begin with, lets do something simple. Look at the monitor in front of you. Now envision the most simplistic form in 3d geometry. My monitor would be made up of 4 cubes. 1 for the main screen, 1 for the support, and 2 for the diagonal legs on the bottom of the support. This is one of the most crucial aspects to the technique! Being able to simplify shapes down in your mind will help you understand how to build them in 3d. It is like a backwards construction technique that you then play forward again when modeling.
After I have my basic geometry figured out, I begin imagining how those cubes would be connected. How would I slice my geometry and weld points (vertices)?
Once the cubes have been welded together, I would start looking at detail. The most important part would be the screen again. That's where every one's eyes would go first as a focal point! So I would need to inset the front polygon and extrude in the negative to create the screen indentation. I would do this same technique for any other focal points on my object, knocking them out one at a time until I feel I have covered enough ground dissecting to start modeling or until something shiny catches my attention.
Do this process a few times on simple things. Your office telephone, desktop tower, energy drink next to you, then move on to something more complex. Something like a semi-truck, 747 airliner, or cargo boat. Once you feel confident with these objects start moving to the organic, trees and flowers. Once you can do vegetation, your power level will be over 9,000! Try to do this with humans. Start with photographs (because staring at a stranger is awkward... Trust me on this...) and then try on a friend or loved one.
It is a fun technique and can be used to warm up before modeling or sketching! Can you visualize what your monitor would look like in wire frame? Try it out!
-POOF-
Friday, August 5, 2011
Getting Started with Game Designs
*SHABLOOEY*
Sorry, working on a new poly assassination technique. Ahem.
A lot of people have ideas for games, concepts, stories, or all of them but do not know how to get started. I just wanted to share some ideas and techniques that I have come up with over the years of scratching my head and randomly trying things that explode in a mish-mash of failure and rejection until finally something shiny appears.
The first trick is for game design in general.This is something I do and may not work for others. Just thought I would share. One of the best things that I can do when it comes to designing is to just start scribbling notes. They don't have to be in any order or sequence and I often use blank printer paper because lined paper still has a sense of order to it.
Chaos is key.
Start with an idea. A lost treasure, a kidnapped friend, the resurrection of an ancient evil, it doesn't matter if the idea has been done before, what you are going to do with it is make it unique and original. Once you have an idea, scribble down some interesting descriptive words. Steam-punk, electronica, bard-assassin (I know a bard-assassin. He is the loudest person I know and the fastest. He once killed this poly monster while in the middle of a... Ah, story for another time.), metropolis, mountain fortress, government agency, etc.
These keywords will help give your original idea some more substance. Remember that if anything ever pops into your head while you are writing, write that down also! Don't stop a thought path even if it goes somewhere really weird and unexpected. Once you have scribbled thoughts and ideas down on 2 - 3 pages, collect all of it together and start picking out the best scribbles. Lay these out on a new piece of paper, order still doesn't matter, and repeat the process. This will allow you to have more information in your head that you can build on yet still be free and chaotic enough to come up with some more interesting ideas. I will sometimes do this process 4 or 5 times depending on how deep in the idea I am and how much fun I am having. Also, don't forget that you might end up with 10 different games by the time you are done thinking about one! Always keep these pages and refer back to them, never know when a thought you had can break open another stream of ideas!
That's all for now! In another post, I will talk about where I go from here. Hope you enjoyed this one.
-POOF-
Sorry, working on a new poly assassination technique. Ahem.
A lot of people have ideas for games, concepts, stories, or all of them but do not know how to get started. I just wanted to share some ideas and techniques that I have come up with over the years of scratching my head and randomly trying things that explode in a mish-mash of failure and rejection until finally something shiny appears.
The first trick is for game design in general.This is something I do and may not work for others. Just thought I would share. One of the best things that I can do when it comes to designing is to just start scribbling notes. They don't have to be in any order or sequence and I often use blank printer paper because lined paper still has a sense of order to it.
Chaos is key.
Start with an idea. A lost treasure, a kidnapped friend, the resurrection of an ancient evil, it doesn't matter if the idea has been done before, what you are going to do with it is make it unique and original. Once you have an idea, scribble down some interesting descriptive words. Steam-punk, electronica, bard-assassin (I know a bard-assassin. He is the loudest person I know and the fastest. He once killed this poly monster while in the middle of a... Ah, story for another time.), metropolis, mountain fortress, government agency, etc.
These keywords will help give your original idea some more substance. Remember that if anything ever pops into your head while you are writing, write that down also! Don't stop a thought path even if it goes somewhere really weird and unexpected. Once you have scribbled thoughts and ideas down on 2 - 3 pages, collect all of it together and start picking out the best scribbles. Lay these out on a new piece of paper, order still doesn't matter, and repeat the process. This will allow you to have more information in your head that you can build on yet still be free and chaotic enough to come up with some more interesting ideas. I will sometimes do this process 4 or 5 times depending on how deep in the idea I am and how much fun I am having. Also, don't forget that you might end up with 10 different games by the time you are done thinking about one! Always keep these pages and refer back to them, never know when a thought you had can break open another stream of ideas!
That's all for now! In another post, I will talk about where I go from here. Hope you enjoyed this one.
-POOF-
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Bungie - 20 years of awesome.
Taking a minute out of training my ridiculously awesome Tiger Dragon Sheep to watch this documentary on Bungie. It is worth watching!
http://kotaku.com/5827766/happy-20th-anniversary-bungie-this-is-your-life
While I have some issues with the Halo series you cannot deny that Bungie has had an amazing life and will be doing some more awesome work in the future.
Cheers to you Bungie!
-POOF-
http://kotaku.com/5827766/happy-20th-anniversary-bungie-this-is-your-life
While I have some issues with the Halo series you cannot deny that Bungie has had an amazing life and will be doing some more awesome work in the future.
Cheers to you Bungie!
-POOF-
Greetings, old friends. It's been too long.
The last time I posted was right before I was sent on a massive power-leveling, loot finding, monster polygon killing, quest.
Needless to say, I have returned. With sharper weapons, crazier assassin moves, and a wicked pimp walk I earned by cutting polys down in the slums. Life is good right now with polygons too big for their own good all over the place. There is work a plenty.
I have a new assassin headquarters out in the beach valley of mountains and a new partner in crime. I found her while battling a particularly tough group of polygons. They managed to get the better of me for a moment and that's when she appeared, a shadow, well trained and completely mesmerizing. She destroyed the polygon monsters with a technique I have never seen before and since that moment, we have not left each others side.
Also, I have started my own Dojo. Enlisting the aid of several young assassins, each with their own specialty. The road has been difficult but as of yesterday, we can see a massive loot box at the end of the tunnel. There will be more news on this later as I finished channeling my power into the orb of understanding.
I hope this note finds all of you in good spirits and health! If you need any polys taken care of, you know where to find me.
-POOF-
Needless to say, I have returned. With sharper weapons, crazier assassin moves, and a wicked pimp walk I earned by cutting polys down in the slums. Life is good right now with polygons too big for their own good all over the place. There is work a plenty.
I have a new assassin headquarters out in the beach valley of mountains and a new partner in crime. I found her while battling a particularly tough group of polygons. They managed to get the better of me for a moment and that's when she appeared, a shadow, well trained and completely mesmerizing. She destroyed the polygon monsters with a technique I have never seen before and since that moment, we have not left each others side.
Also, I have started my own Dojo. Enlisting the aid of several young assassins, each with their own specialty. The road has been difficult but as of yesterday, we can see a massive loot box at the end of the tunnel. There will be more news on this later as I finished channeling my power into the orb of understanding.
I hope this note finds all of you in good spirits and health! If you need any polys taken care of, you know where to find me.
-POOF-
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
