The Kickstarter is LIVE!

The Kickstarter for The Star Legation is live and is already nearly halfway there! Please help support this project and the goal to bring voice acting to the game.

The Star Legation Kickstarter

 

The Star Legation has gone Global!

A major news network for the Philippines, GMA News, just ran a feature article about The Star Legation visual novel and the voice actor I'm hoping to work with, Josh Portillo!

I'm trying to raise support through a Kickstarter to employ voice actors in my game. Check out the article here:

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/scitech/technology/759349/sci-fi-visual-novel-to-feature-pinoy-voice-actor-if-it-meets-its-kickstart-strh-goal/story/

 

 

Tower of Time Review!

I recently discovered a real gem of an RPG on Sony's PSN Store. Thankfully, I saw this game being talked about online in social media, because otherwise, I might not have found it. Sony made a mistake and listed the release date a month earlier than when it actually released, so you'll have to search “Tower of Time” to find it. But please do, this RPG is incredible and well worth your money and time! This is Event Horizon's first game, and although it seems to have somehow slipped beneath the radar of many game reviewers, I think it more than deserves a lot of attention. Please support this indie developer so they'll keep making games for us. The Tower of Time is, in my opinion, an RPG masterpiece!

SETTING

From the very opening of the game, a powerful atmosphere was set through foreboding music and the protagonist's voice-acted narrative. Mood is thick throughout the game, and it never relents—there is a pervasive, almost chilling weight to everything as you play, with a pacing that creeps forward and never feels rushed, but still carries with it an urgency and a gravity that keeps you exploring. I loved the story, but I won't spoil it so you can experience it first hand. I'll just say that the method through which the protagonist (you) is able to observe and participate in the tower exploration is novel and ingenious. The tower has an almost palpable feeling of depth and history. You will honestly feel like you're exploring something vast and ancient as you advance through every floor of the mysterious tower.

The environments were all beautifully crafted, with excellent color, detail, lighting, and shadows. Parts of the surroundings that weren't accessible but were still visible raised questions about the tower I was exploring. For example, wooden tracks for a mine cart wound around down into the darkness, making me wonder where they went, what were they used for, and who made them? I often found myself moving around the edges of a platform to see if I could get a better look down into the tower's depths and possibly answer some of those questions for myself. I was left wondering at some of the mysteries this place was hiding, though I have found that through a bit of exploring and secret door discovery, some of these questions can be answered.

I really loved the small history bits scattered throughout the environment. Ancient texts, journals, or letters mentioned a lost society (ours), and described it from an outsider's point of view. For example a description of an airplane was seen as a giant metal bird people sat inside like a ship. My fighter character concluded that “surely it must be a book of children's tales.”

CHARACTERS AND RPG ELEMENTS

The characters you begin with are set—a fighter and an archer—so you don't get to build any characters from the ground up. However, as they explore and advance in level, you can customize them by distributing 3 attribute points each level among 4 attributes. You can also customize at each level with points that you can also assign to battle-oriented skills, such as healing, dash, erect wall, teleport, fire arrows, or even summoning. The skills each have 2 options to develop, but you may only choose one for each level of the skill, which definitely allows for increased customization. For example, the fighter's Dash skill has 2 choices: the left choice reduces the skill's cooldown and mana cost (which affords you more mobility and greater threat generation), and the right choice increases the radius of impact, damage, and adds gravity pull, as well as interrupting enemy casting. At the beginning, you will only have 3 different skills available per character, but as they level up, other skills will be unlocked for point investment.

SOUND

The sound effects were really impressive, and made the experience incredibly immersive. I'd highly recommend playing the game with a stereo headset or through a surround-sound system. Rocks falling, wood creaking, water dripping, and burning torches all come together to create a very realistic feeling of isolated exploration, but the infrequent sound of magic activating through various devices you discover throughout your adventure will shock you into remembering the mystical nature of the game. The music was excellent and added to increase the mood, creating a subtle urgency to your mission that felt like a slowly building but ever-present crescendo. I truly felt like the tower was timeless—it had a personality and presence of its own that felt decidedly ancient.

BATTLE

Although it took a little acclimation, I adjusted quickly to the battle system and quickly grew to love it. It almost appears as if everything is moving in slight slow motion, but the pacing is absolutely perfect. I often paused the battle to issue new commands and change tactics, selecting new spells and abilities because of the constantly changing situation. Just when I thought that positioning my archer far away from the oncoming undead was the best tactic after sending my fighter into the front lines, I noticed that the undead were also beginning to swarm in from another location behind the archer. I quickly had to cease firing and back her up closer to the fighter with her back to the undead he was demolishing—just so she had a chance to deal with the three that were fast approaching her from the other side.

One thing I particularly liked about the battle system was that it let you know where the battles would be, and what you'd be fighting if you decided to engage. Your characters explore a beautifully detailed environment, but instead of random, unseen encounters or automatically spawned enemies, you'll see them standing there in the environment, waiting for you, blocking your way forward. If you approach them, they'll slightly approach you until contact, and then you'll see a list of each of the monsters in that group. You can look at each monster, and even read up on their abilities, before deciding whether or not you want to fight them. If you choose “withdraw,” that's simply all that happens—no battle will begin, and they will still be standing there later, blocking your way while ready to fight.

The enemies themselves all have very interesting tactical skills. For example, “Kill Command” raises your threat and other enemies focus on you. Field of armor improves armor to enemies in that aura range and overlaps with others that have the same skill, making two enemies with the skill extremely difficult to destroy. Life drain from a distance heals magi spirits, and it's honestly panic-inducing when you see these undead shining their beam onto your character, drinking his or her life away while repairing all the damage you've done to them.

The battles are challenging, and sometimes, they are too hard. This is fine, though, because if you fail, you are given the option to retry, or load from a previous save. Sometimes I'd come across a group that was just too tough to fight, so I'd leave and explore some more, hopefully leveling up my characters a little more, or maybe adjusting their abilities instead so that I could better manage the battle. Once in a while, there are isolated enemies that were definitely above my level, so I saved them for the very end before taking them on again. It's amazing the difference that it made when 1 or 2 characters leveled up once. The game feels balanced towards being consistently challenging, but never impossible.

TREASURE, CRAFTING, AND TOWN BUILDINGS

Treasure was scattered about through the tower and I was also picking up little piles of gold or opening treasure chests. Treasure included items in the basic categories: weapons, chest armor, leg armor, boots, gloves, helmets, amulets, and rings. Often, I found versions of the same that were just slightly better than what I had, or slightly worse. The amount of treasure items felt right, though—it was nothing like Diablo where you spend half of your game in inventory management. The treasure in the Tower of Time was enough to keep me going, but never too much to be distracting.

After every battle there was always a small reward of items, gold, and/or crafting materials. Crafting materials allowed me to create new items if I wanted to improve upon what I had (or try something different), and when I had the crystals I needed, I could even imbue them with small enchantments. The crafting system was not overly complex, but it was still enough that I could customize my items to fit my playstyle. Again, it didn't detract from the game and never kept me away from exploring for very long.

Eventually the option opens up to go back to town, where you'll find various buildings such as the armory, mage tower, keep, barracks, and library. You can upgrade these buildings with enough gold, which will open up more options for your party. When your characters level up, you actually need to pay some gold to train them up to the next level. As the story unfolds and you discover certain blueprints to upgrade your buildings, you can begin to recruit new characters to your party as well. The first was a druid, and he was a very needed and welcome addition to my party.

CHARACTER INTERACTION

The writing and voice-acting in Tower of Time is top-tier: I can't imagine how it could be any better. I really enjoyed the conversations between my two initial explorers, who both have very different mindsets. Character alignment is affected by the choices you make, and though I haven't played far enough, I do suspect that the negative effects in alignment may become problematic for the party as a whole. In one example, I discovered a strange statue that spoke. It asked for a sacrifice of life, and I later discovered a tree branch and a small frog. When returning to the statue, I had the option to offer one of these, but my fighter, Kane, thought of a third option—sacrifice his own blood to the statue. The archer, Maeve, is very opposed to this idea. I won't spoil anything by sharing the results of the sacrifice, but if you do it, Maeve's alignment adjusts negatively by 1, where it improves by 1 if you do one of the other two options. Each character suffers negative or positive effects, depending on where they are in the alignment chart. For instance, the druid might suffer a small penalty to mana regeneration if he is unhappy.

MECHANICS

The only flaw I might mention is that the interface in this game felt counter-intuitive at times. I still have the habit of trying to move back in a menu by clicking O, only to remember once again that it closes every menu still open and brings me back to the game. Holding down R2 while selecting an item off the radial with the stick, then releasing R2 to select it also felt a bit odd, but I did get used to it. It would have also been nice to have a less round-about way to pull up the map. This game was originally designed for PC, so it's understandable that something might have been lost in translation to consoles.

One thing I loved and should be a standard in ALL RPG's was the save-anywhere feature that saved so quickly I sometimes had to do it again because I couldn't believe it was over already. You only have 5 different save slots, but that's fine—I just moved through 1-5 and repeated that process with each progressive save.

OVERALL

I have only put about 6 hours into the game so far, but so far I am enjoying this much more than any other RPG I've played on a console (and I've played A LOT of them.) I honestly look forward to finding an hour or two during the week where I can delve into the deep atmosphere of Tower of Time and completely lose myself, never being in a hurry but always enjoying every aspect of the immersive exploration. Note that I rarely stop to read the extras in RPG's because they just feel tacked-on for the compulsive-gamer types. With Tower of Time, however, I really must know more about what happened there and why things are the way they are. Every bit of text I discover is a step closer to learning more about the story, the history, and the people involved. Everything about this game feels deep and vast. I am totally and completely hooked.

FINAL SCORE: 97/100

An excellent masterpiece and a must-buy, for only $25!

Declassified documents releasing tomorrow!

The dossier for Trey Donovan, the hero of the Star Legation, has been declassified by the Interstellar Union and will be releasing online, tomorrow, at DriveThruRPG.

Who is Trey Donovan? Find out here:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/starlegation/the-star-legation-a-scifi-visual-novel-game

Societal Shifting (part 5)

One thing is for sure—our society is going to experience some changes after this pandemic is over. We are going to learn to be more careful, and learn to be more prepared. Bottles of Purell will probably be stockpiled in homes for years to come, as well as gloves and masks. We may see temperature screenings as part of TSA protocol for passengers, and possibly see new technologies develop that enable fast testing at airports and other public places. Health care workers may influence changes in the hospital, as they lobby for better ways to ensure the protection of their families. But in a lot of ways, we may see a lot of things get “back to normal” and realize that we didn't miss those things and could do without them. Let's hope that we'll use the experience of the quarantine to change our focus instead of getting back to our old lives where we isolated ourselves from what truly matters.

Societal Shifting (part 4)

There will be smaller changes in our society as well, and some old traditions may be completely erased. Consider the handshake, for instance. During this pandemic, handshaking is strongly discouraged, as the COVID-19 virus is easily spread through contact. We each touch our face hundreds of times a day, so passing germs through a handshake can be blamed for some percentage of COVID-19 infections. I've always been a bit of a germophobe and disliked shaking hands, but now I'm convinced that I'll never shake anyone's hand again, even in a post-COVID world. Perhaps we should all adopt the Asian custom of bowing in greeting? It's ironic that the origins of the handshake are believed to have originated with an intention to display that a person is empty-handed without weapons (and the subsequent shaking intended to shake any possible hidden blades from a person's sleeves.) The irony of passing a deadly infection through a handshake has essentially weaponized the handshake. I don't think this custom is going to last in our society's future—it may have already died completely in the last few weeks!

Societal Shifting (part 3)

Another aspect of our society that might shift is something that was already bound to happen someday—online shopping and deliveries becoming the standard. Why go to the store when you can pay a little extra to have it delivered? Many businesses have begun delivering when they didn't before, and the demand has created new jobs for people willing to run the deliveries. Uber and Amazon have both been looking at using automated drone systems, and these endeavors will only be encouraged by what has been happening with the pandemic. Although it is still years away, I think that 3D-printing will also become a part of our isolated future, where the deliveries of some purchases will become obsolete because we can just print the items we bought online through a 3D-printer at home. As there become more reasons to stay indoors, certain technologies will advance to the point that we will be encouraged to be even more isolated. We've already reduced the number of phone calls we make and exchanged talking with texting, so more isolation feels like the next natural stage of our society. During a pandemic, this is good practice. But is it what we want for our society in the future?

Societal Shifting (part 2)

I personally believe that things will never be quite the same again after this pandemic. Many of the changes we will experience will probably be met with frustration, but hopefully we'll also be understanding, as we've been facing the sobering reality of seeing how fast a dangerous infectious disease can spread. I suspect we will see micro and macro changes in our society that may persist or even become a permanent part of our culture from here onward. One change that is debatable, however, is how we proceed with our use of online meetings, both for business and schooling. Science fiction has long predicted that learning will someday no longer be conducted through classrooms, but instead through monitored video meetings from our own homes. Meeting online means far less driving, which removes the risk of automobile accidents and lessens the cost of filling the gas tank and performing vehicle maintenance. Less driving also means less polution, so it is conceivable that some businesses or schools will reduce the requirements of meeting in person. However, our society is one that is dominated by extroverts, and the need for human interaction may supersede everything as it has before. As a borderline introvert myself, I know that I'd prefer to continue with online business rather than resume my long commutes to D.C. during the week!

Societal Shifting (part 1)

I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy, and is abiding by the quarantine to prevent further infection so we don't overburden our hospitals as they help COVID-19 patients. As the quarantine continues, we're all wondering how long this will last before things “get back to normal.” Many of us have adjusted to working online, and many schools have transitioned or are in the process of transitioning to distance learning. We've also changed a lot of our daily eating routines: we've started eating out less (or not at all), and have begun receiving deliveries for food at home or we visit the grocery at odd hours to avoid people. We're probably eating a lot healthier than we have in the past, with more time to cook and more time to be together as a family. Some of these things will, no doubt, revert back to the way they used to be before the quarantine. But what in our society might change in the future? Getting back to normal might never be the same...

Opening of Demo played on Youtube by Shattered Controllers

Don't have time to try the demo for The Star Legation visual novel yourself, but you'd like to hear the music and dialogue, and see what it's all about? Shattered Controllers plays the first 20 minutes of the demo on youtube, so you can enjoy the beginning of the game here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSAMUHzzHfs&feature=youtu.be

Quarantine and the Future of our Society

I hope everyone is staying safe out there during this health crisis! A lot of us have transitioned to distance-learning and telecommuting to work. I've been thinking about the future implications of all this on our society, and I suspect that we may see a big industry rise up around this. I think businesses and schools are going to realize how easy and effective online learning and working is, so we might be seeing a big change in the future! I sure don't miss my long commute to D.C.! But on the other hand, many have also been suffering because their jobs have either been lost or temporarily shut down. Hopefully these businesses will find ways to adapt soon, and our society will be able to enter into a new era, where we are safer, more efficient, and have more time together with the people we love. Stay safe out there!

The Star Legation streams on Twitch tonight, 7pm CST!

Exciting news! The demo for The Star Legation is going to be streamed on Twitch tonight, 7pm CST, by the nice folks at Christ Centered Gamer! Here's the link to their twitch channel: https://www.twitch.tv/christcenteredgamer

Only 3 more days!

The Star Legation visual novel is coming to Kickstarter this Thursday, March 19! Sign up here to be notified on launch:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/starlegation/the-star-legation-a-scifi-visual-novel-game

The Gaming Community (5/5)

Gamers and game developers are imaginative people. Some have the ability to translate their imagination into a game, and others have the ability to appreciate and enjoy these creations. Although some game communities are competitive because of the nature of the games—and you'll find that in competitive sports as well—many gaming communities revolve around the game experience, the stories, and the characters. Gamers are always hungry for new experiences, but they are also extremely nostalgic, aggressively supporting reboots and remakes of older games they remember and loved. If you're an imaginative creator, I honestly can't think of a better community to be a part of!

The Gaming Community (part 4/5)

Have you ever talked to a gamer about their favorite game? Be careful, and be prepared, because you're in for a very, very long speech. We gamers love talking about our favorite games and gaming experiences, and we do so with such fervency and passion that it utterly confuses us why the listener's eyes start to glaze over after a few minutes. Gamers connect through their personal experiences in a game, and sharing these stories is something that makes gaming communities thrive. We remember these experiences vividly, too, so all it takes is a single image or tune from a game to bring it all back. Sadly, we gamers often feel like the amazing stories we've experienced in a game aren't known by enough people, and it's often this feeling of being in an isolated niche that causes gamers to bond more quickly with someone who relates.

The Gaming Community (part 3/5)

Gamers themselves often become fans of certain games because they recognize the passion that was invested in a game. In a way, gamers share in the vision of the game developer, because spending time in a game means immersing yourself in someone else's imagined world. Gamers often bond when they meet other gamers who loved the same game—they thrive on knowing that someone else shared the same powerful experience they had. These connections start to form into communities centered around a particular game or genre, resulting in devoted fans that seek out and follow everything related to their interest. When game developers see a community of fans that are excited about their game, it's incredibly inspiring and motivates developers to generate even more content for their fans. Uitimately, the relationship between a game developer and the game community is very symbiotic.

The Gaming Community (part 2/5)

As a gamer and a game developer, one thing I've really appreciated in the gaming community is how open and genuine game developers are with each other. One of the reasons this may be the case is because we're doing work that aligns with who we are, so it's easy to recognize and respect the personal passion and investment that is poured into our game projects. Game developers don't just do what they do because they want to make money—though, of course they need to earn from it, to keep doing what they're doing. But game developers are largely driven by their personal vision, and their desire to bring that vision to others.

The Gaming Commnity (part 1/5)

I've belonged to a variety of communities, but the gaming community is my favourite. There's something about this community that is really unique; it's a place where people of all types and ages are all bonding over the same thing. If you love games, then you're in. That's it, it's really very simple. But why is gaming a place where so many people can come together so easily and become friends so quickly? I think it's because we all have the understanding that it's about leaving reality behind to focus on having fun. There's no pretension or judgment, because being a gamer is a place of freedom--we understand that games are where we go to get away from the world, or at least forget it a while.

Voice Acting in a Visual Novel (5/5)

Regarding potential funding for partial voice acting, I've already been preparing for the possibility by scouting voice actresses. In order to accurately predict the cost, I've been talking with voice actresses that might fit the roles of the two female human characters. It has been a challenge in my search for one of the characters, an Asian woman named Kaori Tanaka. Kaori has a Japanese accent, and accents are challenging to maintain throughout even a few spoken sentences. Often, the focus on maintaining an accent interferes with the natural expression needed to convincingly act the lines. I am hopeful in my search, though, and if the campaign meets the stretch goal needed to fund partial voice acting, I will do my very best to cast an actress that really fits Kaori's character! I'll keep you posted on the launch date of the Kickstarter campaign, and if you want to be first in line to grab some of the limited, exclusive awards, subscribe to the monthly insider email list--they'll be the very first to know!

Subscribe to monthly insider email here!

Voice Acting in a Visual Novel (4/5)

What do I mean by partial voice acting? Some visual novels (VN's) do something like this with short little comments made at the beginning of a dialogue phrase, such as, "Well," or "Uh huh!." Personally, I find this to be distracting and sometimes even irritating. Instead of this approach, I am hoping to raise enough crowdfunding support to pay for full voice acting for two characters. Before you decide this would be weird, I'll explain the context. The two human females in the game--which the protagonist (Trey) can develop romantic relationships with--both of these women interact only with Trey through long distance holographic calls to his private quarters. Having these ladies voice acted would make their conversations feel even more personal, and I'm hoping that hearing their voices would even help enhance the potential emotional bond the player might feel with these characters. The cost of funding only two members of the cast is much more realistic, so I'm hopeful that extra money can be raised in the upcoming Kickstarter.

Voice Acting in a Visual Novel (3/5)

Developing a visual novel game is expensive, especially because of the costs for artwork. Add to that the writing, editing, programming, music composition, sound effects, and other miscellaneous costs, and it's understandable why game developers often turn to crowdfunding like Kickstarter to fund their games. I'll soon be launching a Kickstarter campaign to help fund The Star Legation, but I also have plans for the stretch goals. A stretch goal is a level of funding beyond the base goal needed for the campaign to be successful--it's any extra money contributed by backers beyond what's needed to make the game happen. Backers gain a variety of exclusive awards for their pledges, so the more people that know about the game and the Kickstarter campaign, the more likely stretch goals will be reached. I plan to make partial voice acting one of the stretch goals for my campaign!

Voice Acting in a Visual Novel (2/5)

The script for The Star Legation visual novel is over 900 pages long, which is over 300,000 words in length. Keep in mind, that number includes all the possible routes in this choice-based, branching path story. Recently, I've been collecting rate quotes from voice actors, and though rates vary, it is likely that the cost to have full voice acting for this game would be somewhere around $25,000 to $35,000. I've been creating and funding this game entirely by myself, paying talented artists for all the art assets I need to make the game while I've been writing the story, programming the game, and composing the music. Adding voice acting is a financial impossibility, unless I find some help. Tomorrow, I'll share my plans for the upcoming Kickstarter campaign...

Voice Acting in a Visual Novel (1/5)

Visual Novels are very immersive, with expressive character sprites, colorful background art, beautiful accompanying music, and even dynamic sound effects. Click- reading through character dialogue makes this visual style of book almost like watching a movie with subtitles, often with the added opportunity to shape the story itself through player choices. It's no surprise that some visual novels even go the extra mile to include professional voice acting for each character, which adds another immersive dimension to this video game genre. I'm considering voice acting for my visual novel, The Star Legation, but I'll definitely need a lot of help to make it happen...

Storytelling (part 5)

Whether you prefer to consume stories through books, movies, video games, tv series, or all of the above, good writers are needed to make that medium successful. If good writers are migrating to a medium that is more lucrative, we may find less quality writing in other mediums. Ultimately, the good writers are usually going to go where they can make the best living, except for the rare outlier that insists on devotion to a particular medium regardless of the reward. Try and support everything, and you will not only encourage growth in various creative writing industries, you may also be surprised to find amazing stories just waiting for you in areas you never expected!

Storytelling (part 4)

Stories told through a TV series--which often lasts for at least a season of 12 episodes--enables a substantial amount of time to be devoted to plot and character development. Viewers can choose their own pace with the ability to watch entire seasons without interruption through streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Prime. Some series last for multiple seasons, such as Game of Thrones or The Walking Dead, which both stretched beyond 9 seasons long. Writers for an ongoing TV series have immense design space to work with, though they also must be careful to keep developments consistent to maintain viewership. Fans latch onto certain characters unexpectedly. Stray too far from established canon or write a popular character out of existence, and the resulting backlash from angry viewers might mean a writer has written their last season.

Storytelling (part 3)

Video games are not taken as seriously regarding writing quality and story content when compared with books, movies, and TV series. However, this perspective is beginning to change. Professional writers are being paid well by video game companies and have also realized that video games involve an even more dynamic method of storytelling than traditional mediums. Stories in video games often involve player choice, which requires a writer to consider alternate outcomes and write multiple branching paths for a storyline, such as in a role-playing game or visual novel. Other video games have linear storylines, but the length of a typical video game--sometimes requiring 30 to 60 hours to complete--allows much more time to be devoted to character development. As a result, video games often have some of the most memorable characters, evoking a more powerful emotional impact and response in those who spent so much time in the game with them.

Storytelling (part 2)

I’ve always been a big fan of movies, and my wife can tell you that I’ve certainly seen far too many. Over the years, though, I’ve found myself gravitating to movies less and less, not only because I think the quality may have dipped, I also think that the average movie length of 2 hours really compresses a story and limits character development. We’ve all seen movies based on books we’ve read, and to this day, I have never heard anyone say that the movie was better than the book—movies always have to leave out material and nuances in order to fit the book content into about 2 hours. It is quite possible that I’ve been somewhat spoiled by watching various TV series, with stories and characters developed over an entire season of 12+ hours. However, sometimes I absolutely prefer watching a movie instead, because I enjoy having everything resolved by the end of the experience, rather than have to devote more hours to find out what happens. Movies don’t necessarily lack in substance, either—sometimes a short movie can convey powerful character development and deliver a story that you will never forget. The recent film, “Parasite,” is a fantastic movie that impacted me deeply, and was a great reminder to me that films will always remain a powerful way to tell a story.

Storytelling (part 1)

How are we consuming stories these days? Reading a good book used to be the only way to experience a great story, but that has changed. Books are still as popular as ever, but we now have other forms of entertainment through which we can experience an amazing story. Successful movies, TV Series, and video games usually involved well-developed stories, and though not all cases of success in those mediums involved a solid story, it is likely that you were most impacted by those that did. Storytelling has taken on many forms, yes, but whatever the method of delivery, a good story will stay with you and create a mental landmark in your life. I still remember where I was in life when finishing my favorite books, who I talked excitedly with after watching my favorite movies, and how I stared at the screen in shock during a major plot twist in a video game I played. Good stories generate an experience that lives with us, almost as if we had been there, experiencing it ourselves. But what type of method do you prefer to experience stories through? Is it a book, a movie, a TV show, or a video game?

Entertainment in 2020 (part 5)

What else might become a thing of the past? Movie theaters are still around, despite the many naysayers who predict the theater industry will end. Going to the movies does remain an activity that still draws enough interest to persist, but a large portion of the movie-going populance these days seems to be teenagers who just want to get out of the house and see their friends. Home theaters have all but replaced the need to visit the theater, and the incentive is becoming even smaller as new releases find their way to streaming services only a few months after release in the theaters. A good portion (around 12%) of theater revenue is generated by teens, so higher ticket prices is not the way to go with a population that works only a few hours a week at minimum wage. Thankfully, the largest (around 25%) demographic that attends movies is ages 25-39, but statistics show that they are spending less discretionary income on the movies, attending an average of 4 times a year. Despite all this, though, movie theaters have been doing better since a huge dip in 2015, and projections have them doing even better in 2025. Perhaps the movie theater will survive this era of convenient and affordable digital access? It's fought through slumps before, but lets hope they'll use substance in their films to draw us instead of gimmicks...nobody loves the 3D glasses.

Entertainment in 2020 (part 4)

What is being left behind to become a thing of the past? We all watched as Blockbuster Video wimpered into obsolescence, but what is next? Gamestop, sadly, is very likely to be on its way out, because after the next (and last?) console release, what would you buy at Gamestop? I remember when people were saying Gamestop was doomed back in 2013, that digital gaming was going to destroy Gamestop just like online movies had destroyed Blockbuster, but it was too soon—there was still life left in the retailer, because the PS4 and Xbox 360 were coming. I'm not much of a day trader, and I wish I'd put a lot more money in than I did, but I bought some of their stock when it was hovering around $23 a share, and after the console release, the stock shot up to $54. I sold it all, suspecting it wouldn't last, and only a few months after the console boom, the stock prices started falling, after a peak around $56. Today, it's selling for $4 a share. This is very sad, because I love visiting Gamestop, talking with the employees about games, and physically browsing through their video game inventory. However, some things--like the newspaper--just can't compete with the convenience of digital offerings.

Entertainment in 2020 (part 3)

Are you on Netflix? Hulu? Amazon Prime? Disney +? The list is ever expanding, and it is likely to continue, as these companies strive to create their own high quality exclusive content to attract subscribers. Monthly subscription fees for streaming TV are quickly replacing cable and satellite TV, with the capability of being viewed easily through any of your devices. Much cheaper than those expensive cable bills, available anywhere with internet access, totally commercial-free, and the availability of entire seasons to watch any time you choose, the new era of TV has arrived, and we're definitely not going back. What's next? It could be a dark future, because those advertisers always seem to find a way!

Entertainment in 2020 (part 2)

2020 may mark the last year we'll see new gaming consoles enter the market, but it's going to be a great year, with the arrival of the new Playstation 5 and Xbox Series X (and maybe something from Nintendo?) Gaming consoles have been around for 4 solid decades, but it is looking less and less likely that they will continue to be necessary in the future. Google's Stadia is unfortunately going to create an entirely different landscape, where online game streaming replaces the need for a console entirely. Sony and Microsoft are actually teaming up to combine their own resources to compete with Stadia, creating their own joint online gaming service. Soon, we will be streaming games on our TV's, with only the controllers remaining as the single piece of gaming hardware that survives into the future.

Entertainment in 2020 (part 1)

It's 2020, so what should we expect for the future of entertainment? Virtual Reality (VR) and Altered Reality (AR), together often referred to as Mixed reality (MR), will be a large part of the future of entertainment. As headsets become cheaper, smaller, and more portable, without that annoying cable attached. It won't be long before a simple pair of glasses will enable you to see AR in your daily life, and I imagine that we will be walking through a grocery store seeing special deals and animated ads flashing before our eyes. Think about games like Pokemon Go and how AR is used to bring video game characters “into” our real world, and I imagine this technology will only go further, with movies no longer being events we go to a theater to see. We very well might congregate with others at a particular location to experience the movie in the world around us.

How to Build a Game (part 5/5)

Game design is a very complicated process and there are so many steps along the way that it is incredibly daunting if you fully understand what you’re getting into. In some ways, it might be best to not know everything that will be involved when you begin, because otherwise, you might not even try and take that first step. Once you’ve begun and started formulating your ideas, though, you do need to start mapping out what you’re going to need, what you’ll be doing, what resources you’ll have available to you, and what your budget will be. For me, when I began working on my visual novel, I knew that I could write the story and compose the music myself. I found a program that would enable me to construct the game with minimal coding (because I lack experience in that area), and I began hunting for artists that had a style that fit with my vision of the game. I plotted out the very minimum number of art backgrounds I’d need for my game based on the story I’d imagined in my mind, and then started emailing those artists for their rates and availability. Eventually, agreements were made for certain scenes and the artwork began while I worked on the story and music compositions. Along the way, I tried my best to keep the story and the branching story paths contained within the parameters I’d set for myself, but I’ll admit, there were a few extra scenes I really wanted that I ended up commissioning from the artists in addition to the artwork I’d planned for at the beginning. Thankfully, everything has been coming together, and I recently finished the demo for The Star Legation. Now I just need to finish the other 95% of the game! My last recommendation to game designers is this: do your best to maintain your vision, and believe in it. When you believe in your work, others might, too!

How to Build a Game (part 4/5)

Innovation in your game design doesn’t necessarily have to involve breaking traditions of that genre, though if you are willing to go that route and take the risks, it can definitely make your game stand out. Innovation can also exist within a genre and its traditions through the subject matter or characters. As a random example, I don’t think there are currently any RPG’s about playing as an accountant or bank teller, but who knows, maybe someone will find a way to make an interesting game with characters in those professions. Even if all the standard RPG game mechanics were still present, the setting and characters—and consequently, the storyline—would be unusual enough to possibly gain the curiosity of gamers. The point is that something needs to make your game stand out, because you should be asking yourself this question from the very beginning: Why would people buy my game instead of other, similar games? However, one of the biggest challenges when trying to innovate is not to do it just to be able to claim you were innovative. In any creative profession, it is often easy to identify when a person has a genuine, unique idea and when something has been entirely contrived. Whether you break traditions through a unique story, setting, characters, or by altering traditional gameplay within a genre, remember that you really need to be a believer in those changes and put a lot of thought into the new design. Otherwise, it won’t be long before you’ll be called out on it in game reviews.

How to Build a Game (part 3/5)

Staying within the traditional design of a particular genre is fine if you like that tradition. It allows you to move forward with game elements that you are more excited about, whether it be programming your spin on gameplay or telling the story you want to tell. If you’re writing a video game RPG and intend to follow the conventions of that genre, then your story, your characters, and the battle gameplay will really have to shine to gain interest. It is vitally important, however, that you consider your target audience. If you just want to write the game because it’s what YOU like, then you may end up with a vanity project that is not incredibly marketable—it might only appeal to the people that happen to share your exact interest. It is of course important to make a game that you would like to play yourself, but it also has to be marketable to as many others as possible. Try to tap into what your potential audience might be interested in, and then give them that without compromising too much on your own vision. One danger to following all of the traditions of a genre, however, is that there are many, many others who are doing the exact same thing. All of these designers are relying on other elements to capture gamer interest in a very competitive market, whether it is through expensive production, attractive character art, impressive soundtracks and voice acting, or aggressive marketing. If you don’t think you can compete with any of this enough to be noticed, then you need your audience to see something unique in what you’re doing.

How to Build a Game (part 2/5)

Now that you’ve decided on what type of game you want to make, it’s a good idea to ask yourself what it is you like and dislike about this type of genre. The list of likes might be elements you want to include in your game, or even expand upon. The dislikes could be a little more difficult to address, however, because they might be tenets of that genre—traditions that every game designer before you has more or less followed. If you dislike a game element enough to try and change it, be prepared to spend a lot of time trying out new things, challenging paradigms, and doing lots and lots of beta testing. Because it’s very unlikely that any innovation you developed will nicely snap into place—it will cause problems, at least at first. The problems your innovation generates might be so significant that they could destroy your enthusiasm for continuing. Or, you might like your innovation but, because it’s so different, might be too “outside of the box” for other gamers who prefer a more traditional approach. Often, people fall back to traditional design because it’s tried and true—it’s been tested, it works, and it’s easy to move forward with your game design if you stay inside the lines. Is that what you want, and is it necessarily a bad thing?

How to Build a Game (part 1/5)

Whether you are are an aspiring video game developer, a board game designer, or a tabletop RPG designer, the first question is often the hardest to answer. Where do you start? The options are overwhelming, and can cripple you as you sift through the possibilities. There are some development tools available to game designers that will help you narrow it down, such as the video game design program, Unity. As you explore Unity, you’ll see templates available for a variety of different video game genres. First Person Shooter, RTS, or RPG? 2D platformer, or 3D space shooter? The designers of the Unity program know that the first step you need to take in any type of game design is to decide what type of game you want to make. Deciding on parameters is a crucial step, because having limitations will keep you focused. Endless options are the enemy of the creative mind, though it might seem counterintuitive to suggest this. Think of it this way: if you were told to write a music composition and were given every note to use, you’ll immediately want to narrow things down a little and make some decisions. Should it be in a major key, a minor, or something else? What type of meter do you want to use? What style do you want to write in? Game designers need to make the same types of decisions before starting in order to begin producing something cohesive.

Social or Antisocial Tech? (part 5)

So, researchers, sound the alarm if you want to, and try to raise awareness of the social dangers technology will cause us. It never hurts to be wary. I do understand that sometimes sitting at the dinner table with family and everyone is looking at their phones can be a bad sign, but all it takes is a little decency to put those phones down when somebody decides they want to say something. It is natural to have a lull in conversation even among close family, and I don't think there's anything wrong with picking up a smartphone to check messages or browse online if you're bored. But like anything else--it doesn't matter what you're doing—we just need to have the common sense to prioritize others over ourselves and to look up from those phones when they want to interact with us. None of us are going to be around forever, so we shouldn't miss the opportunities we have to talk with each other. As long as we're communicating—and this depends on how we manage it--technology might actually be a bridge, not an obstacle.

Social or Antisocial Tech? (part 4)

Technology has also allowed us to connect more quickly and freelywith each other than before. Facetime, Skype, and other video chat platforms allow for people to connect and talk through a smartphone, computer, or TV screen. My daughter has performed violin music for my parents over an online chat session, which is a great way for our families to connect despite living at opposite ends of the U.S. I use videochat to conduct business as well, and have good conversations with my clients regularly as if they are right in the room with me. Texting, snapchat, and even messaging through Twitter have also connected us more, and though Elon Musk asserts that we are already cyborgs—communicating with each other through typed text more than the spoken word—it is far more efficient than making a phone call, waiting for an answer, leaving a message, and then waiting for a call back, which usually comes at the most inopportune moments. Texting can be done instantly no matter where you are or what you're doing, can be read whenever its convenient, and rarely take more than a few moments to respond quickly. I've interacted more with my teenage daughter with texting throughout the day than I'd normally be able to interact with her—sometimes I get home from work so late she's already asleep and I've barely talked with her the entire day. We have fun, sharing stories, funny emojis and memes, and just being a part of each-other's daily life.

Social or Antisocial Tech? (part 3)

Another way that technology has improved my social interaction is through online gaming. I'll admit, I'm not much of an online gamer because I enjoy the solitude of single player games after a long day at work talking with people. But, I do enjoy meeting with a few online friends to play a game together that we both enjoy, chatting about life while playing at the same time. I'd be surprised if some of you said you'd never secretly played a video game during a phone conversation with someone, so it's not much different talking during an online game session. People rarely choose to gather just to talk, but the excuse of a shared activity often brings out the best conversations. Amateur games of golf aren't usually about the sport as much as they are about the social experience of walking around together outside, so just like any other hobby, indoor or outdoor, online multiplayer games are a great reason to get together and socialize. Plus, they're a lot more affordable as hobbies than something like golf, they are unaffected by weather, and they require zero travel time. Online games are a perfect choice for someone like me who hates driving and being outdoors!

Social or Antisocial Tech? (part 2)

While it is certainly true that I make fewer phone calls from home than I used to, the fact that I can carry my smartphone with me and talk anywhere has actually improved my relationships with friends and family. Life is so busy these days, with work plus family to take care of at home, it becomes less and less practical to set aside time to sit down at home and pick up the phone to call and talk to a family member or a friend. They're often just as busy as I am, so finding a time to set aside to just talk can be difficult. For me, the best time to talk is during my long commutes to and from work, and I often call friends or family during these times. It's a great time to catch up, and I don't feel impatient or hurried with the conversations, because there's nothing else I can run off to do if I'm sitting in busy traffic. My relationship with parents and close friends has improved a lot over the years thanks to smartphones—I'll call and talk with them several times a week instead of letting weeks elapse before making the time to sit down for a landline conversation at home. I don't even have a landline anymore, either...do you?

Social or Antisocial Tech? (part 1)

Is technology making us anti-social? This question is being asked more and more lately, and researchers have been saying yes, it does. Yet in my experience, I believe the opposite is true, and I don't think my life is that different from yours. Researchers assert that with portable computers and smartphones, we are connecting more often with people in the virtual world, but we communicate much less with people in the real world. I won't argue that there are definitely some people that have an actual problem and are too invested in their devices, neglecting real-world relationships to a degree that is unhealthy. But there will always be outliers in every situation—those examples are certainly not something to panic over. As social communication through technology has advanced over the years, I've actually found it to enhance my relationships with people in the real world, rather than hurt them...

Upcoming Promo Video (part 5)

Putting all this together was an interesting task, because it's hard to really decide on what needs to be first. For me, having the narrative in mind helped structure the scenes I needed to show, but once I had those scenes put together, the narrative voice-over needed to be timed with those scenes. I adjusted the pacing and length of the scenes, but didn't want to prolong any part of it because of the narrative subject, so therefore needed to create more video scenes to keep the pacing of the cuts consistent. On top of this, I added in camera movement, using slow zooms and pans, and that synced well with the music, but I also needed to time certain parts of the music (while composing it) to fit with what I'd put together with the video and narrative. It's all very convoluted, but it came together nicely and I'm happy with the final version. To top it all off, I also created a short intro with the logo for my company, Corefun Studios, and added some sound that I matched to the animation. I'm very excited to share it with you, and if you don't want to wait to see it when the Kickstarter begins, sign up for the monthly insider updates at the link below—I'll be sharing the unlisted Youtube link with my insiders as soon as the video is finished.

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Upcoming Promo Video (part 4)

Sound design for the video was very important, and it needed to include the voiced narrative, appropriate background music, and even a few sound effects to highlight some of the moments. An explosion, the hum of a cyberweapon, and the sound of loud metal clanking were a few of the sound effects I inserted under the soundtrack and narrative. The musical soundtrack itself needed to feel like scifi music, but I also wanted it to convey a sense of urgency and excitement. Using a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW), I composed a very upbeat, exciting piece of music that sounded like something you might dance to at a rave. I used an assortment of synthesized sounds that evoked a scifi atmosphere, and assembled everything with multiple layers. I then had to time some of the pulses to what was happening in the video (and vice versa) for emphasis. Finally, I had to adjust the volume levels of all these parts, making sure the music didn't drown out the narrative and the sound effects could still be heard over the music.

Upcoming Promo Video (part 3)

There were too many options at the beginning of this video design process, and it can easily feel overwhelming. It's like creating anything—you have to narrow down a few parameters so you have a better idea of your workspace. Otherwise, you'll be paralyzed by indecision by the huge variety of possibilities. I wanted the video to highlight many different features of the game: it has an epic story, RPG-like choices, multiple paths, possible romance, the potential for combat, encounters with alien leaders, and beautiful artwork for the backgrounds, characters and CG's. I came up with a fun way to present all this, and it was through the initial mission you'll be offered at the beginning of the game. The character, Sarah, presents the mission to the protagonist, Trey, and talks about everything that will be involved. She tries to sell it to him as being an amazing opportunity and a chance to see the universe, and assures him no danger is involved. I've hired a voice actress to speak some of those lines for the video, while at the same time, I show what really happens throughout the game, kind of like a contrast to her promises. During the video, you get glimpses of the different places and people Trey will encounter, in addition to the challenges and hardships he'll face along the way.

Upcoming Promo Video (part 2)

Putting together a promo video to advertise the Star Legation was a lot of fun, but it was also a challenge, because I've only finished programming 5% of the game—the demo. Thankfully, I have most of the background art and all of the CG's in the game already finished, so I was able to simulate some parts of the game that I have yet to program. I went to a few scenes in my script and programmed some of those moments exactly as I plan to when I actually arrive at those points in the programming process. Then, I recorded the gameplay of those moments and made short videos. I then brought those short videos into my video editor and cut them to highlight a few moments, adding in some slow panning camera movement. For example, the encounter with the Chiraktis Queen was set up exactly as it will be when Trey is ushered into her throne room. At several points in his conversation with her, Trey will have choices about what to say. I programmed a scene with 3 choices, and linked one of the choice buttons to the text that Trey will actually speak in the game, and then I recorded myself “playing” that scene, selecting that choice and seeing the resulting text emerge. Nevermind that the other two choice buttons didn't actually lead anywhere yet—they will when I get that far in the game, but for now, my intention is to give you a clear picture of what the game will look like so you can decide if it is something you might want to play when it's finished.

Upcoming Promo Video!

Last week was an exciting week as I spent some time away from programming and focused on putting together a promo video for the upcoming Star Legation Kickstarter campaign. I have some background in film, so I really enjoyed planning out the details while seeing some come together as I went along. I completed the video this weekend, except for the voice-acting. I'm auditioning two voice actresses for the part, so once I have both auditions in, I'll plug in their voices with the video and see which I think fits it better. After I decide and the voice actress completes her part, the video will be ready, and I've got to say, it's really pretty fun! I sure hope you like it, but there are only two ways to see it: wait for the Kickstarter campaign to launch (date not yet determined, but fairly soon!) or...subscribe to my insider email list. I send out updates on the game once a month to my insiders, and if you're on the list, you'll get an unlisted youtube link to the video when it's done. This week, I'll talk about everything that went into designing the video.

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