Had a four hour nap instead of working on script

I ate half a slice of leftover pizza and konked out for four hours.


Not exactly getting things done, but with work so busy, I'm getting behind the schedule I want.

I might have to push back the copywrite meeting.


Sigh.

I've realized

I can edit and work through 7 pages of script in two hours, full steam ahead.  (With maybe one or two tetris breaks)

On page 34 of 47, so by Thursday I'll be meeting with the copywriter, and we'll work on the next set of pages.

So, like, another 50 pages.

This game is going to be about 150 pages script, all things said and done by the end.

Wow.  Unexpected.

Now onto asking composer for more sound library stuff.

Time to rock this story

Music to listen to this eve, and dialogue to finish.  Board to update with artist. 

I just wasted 45 minutes playing tetris and wishing I had a giant 5 pound cola gummy bear.


I love doing this.  But soon I'm going to need a break.

Had a phone call with the copywriter this eve

He's ready to move onto the next section, so that's good news....I suppose I should hand him back his chunk of the story (it's about 40-some odd pages now for one storyline, so 20 pages of text without any spaces)

By time we're done this, it looks like I'll produce a novella worth of content.


I've thought about starting a video blog about this.  Since there's only that guy (girl?) from Alaska who reads this blog, and my friends (sometimes) I'm curious to know if people would actually want that.


I need a couple more week that I don't have for the story dev stuff.  Sigh.

Being up late drinking and writing script don't mix

I'm going to work on this script for approximately five minutes, and then I'm going to have a nap.

Even though I just woke up.  Boy, there's a lot to do today.

And I need to review the sfx the composer sent me.

And he still hasn't sent me the draft track, re-edited. 

Icon by designer is half done, however, not too shabby.

Working through this script is a nightmare

If this takes this long every storyline, there's no way I'll push this out by February.

In other news, Apple has finally accepted Interra Games Inc. into the developer program (sign up here to get on the beta test list for when the game is ready...someday soon I will finish the website.)

On the bright side, the first part of the second half (a separate quest) of the game is already done (since it's pretty much the same as the first half)

And I've 'mind-plotted' a lot of the second half, so it won't be as hard. 

Not sure what I should have the copywriter do next.  But I think for the next things, I should give him sample text for characters before I let him go crazy....
 

At Global Game Jam Toronto This Weekend

People here are pretty nice, if a bit too focused to socialize at the moment.  (Not to mention that people are literally working day and night to build a video game) 

I'm busy working on game text.  I'm 1/2 done one storyline.  My copywrite layed the groundwork, but he's still adjusting to the things I want, so there's a lot of text and items I need to add for storyline purposes. 

Game design stuff is slowing down.  Helps that I'm working like three jobs at the moment and a MUCH busier social life than I expected.

Someone needs to get me another Gatorade and Subway.

Meeting with the Character Artist this Eve

Which should be good.

E-mailed the composer about the song, that e-mail took 15 minutes to write and word properly, and the developer came out from hiding.  He's apparently ok, just busy.  (As I suspected! Aha!)


I should review art but maybe I'll just nap instead.  What a long day.

Didn't even touch the copy last night from the copywriter.

Someone make two of me, please.  But not in a schizo-way, but like, two bodies, two awesome Brennan, none of this evil doppelganger stuff, either.

......

Clearly I've thought through this scenario multiple times.

ARGH THE MUSICIAN MISUNDERSTOOD ME

Man, seriously, why is it that every time I think I'm being clear someone does the exact opposite of what I want.

I literally have to tell him that the piece he made, the draft is better than the finished product because he added elements that were supposed to be for a different song.  No matter how I read that sentence, all I see is 'jerk.'

Imajerk.

Just played through Mushroom War on the iPhone

Why am I always so disappointed with mobile games?  Is it me?  Or the fact that I don't understand why mushrooms can't go in two directions?

Since when did mushrooms move, anyways?

Halfway through half of the game script

Going to have a meeting with the character artist tomorrow, not sure how I'm going to break the news she needs to rethink a design. 

Composer just sent me another link to music I need to review.

It's 10pm.  I'm drunk.

....


Let's get this party started.

Got the battle theme from the composer

Too epic sounding, so now he has to redo it. 

The sad thing is that he followed what I asked when I originally set out all my ideas.

The problem is that I changed how I felt by time we got through two or three songs.


Yay for me being such a great manager. 

Busy

I've been so busy with game-making stuff I haven't had time to mess around writing snappy posts.

Update:

-reviewing first draft of 34 pages of copy copywriter sent me.  This is a 1/4 of the game btw.  He did all this in a week.

-reviewing the music from the composer.

-reviewing the art from the character artist

Waiting for:

-new art from background artist (who finally called me...)
-and an e-mail from the programmer.  (He's been kinda quiet lately, usually he's really on top of things....hope he's alright.)

I'm adjusting to a new job and to facing the fact that I'm going to have to balance my social life and my commitments to this game...and it's going to be a bit rough.  But I'm trying and accepting that certain people are going to have to wait (ie. programmer) in this process until everything's finished.  But we should be up for January.  I'ma hoping.

FINALLY

done one complete storyline storyboarded, which technically means I'm done two more, since I already know what the other two are going to be.  I'm such a planning type. 

Can't find a backgroud the background artist sent me

ARGH I NEED IT HULK SMASH.

Pushing it out

Last bit of storyboard needs be finished in one hour exactly or less.


And...go!

I'm trying to be fair

But I'm being required by Apple to send them a letter telling them my address and that I'm allowed to represent the company and that Interra Game's business address is what I say it is.

That was on those forms I sent you.  You know, that 10 page document of Articles of Incorporation?

=/

Displeased.  

Now, to github!

The whole point of this was so that I could get on github and start using xcode, etc etc etc.

Anyways, logging into github using terminal was....interesting to say the least.   I learned a couple things:

I'm now very grateful for WYSIWYG products.  Github is not my friend..

I am loving the ease of now officially owning a mac product.  Hating folder organization and that I needed to download a product to see hidden files.  (Spent 45 mins looking for one file.)

Figured out how to make public keys and such to folders. 

Learned how to log into github.  (Uh, I think.  I set everything up, but I'll have to re-enter everything again, I think....sigh.....)

That I'm so. SO. SO. Glad I'm paying someone else to do it.  Just logging into github took me 2 hours.  How long do you think it would take me to make a game?  Geez!

Yay!

Finally got it.

Picking up the iMac for development today....

Wish me luck that all goes well.  Hopefully it's not a dud.  That would be a lot of $$$.

Another e-mail sent to the music guy

He gave me a draft track, already.  Sounds pretty awesome, but I suggested changes anyways.  I want it in minor!  Har har har! 

But he's doing swell thus far.

Copywriter meeting went well

Hired, and we have a contract of sorts.

He seems like he'll be a good fit. 

Now I have to refinish this tutorial document to show him what dialogue is like....arrrgghhjhhjhhhhhfhhfsikhdsalkdsa;klc;m;l;fa'ldas ~*gasps and dies*

Oh and dev is happy we're not dev'ing this week

He says he's had a rough week, so he's happy for the break.  I, too, had a rough week last week with work overload.

Yay for synchronicity? 

Sound guy now working on music

He really apparently got what I was trying to say.

Which was nice, since that was a two and half hour e-mail to write. 

Storyboard meeting tomorrow with the new copy editor I'm hoping to take on with me, we'll see how it goes.

Ah forget it

I'm going to play Tetris Battle.  E-mails sent saying, "I'll send you emails tomorrow."

Just e-mailed the developer

Told him I didn't look at the code today.  Feeling like a jerkface.

Oh yeah, I'm going to be the proud owner of a new iMac in, like, 5 days.  Fun times.

Currently putting off the two e-mails I said I would send today.

Almost midnight.

.....

Today's To-Do

1)  Rent a Macbook (argh $$$)
2) E-mail the Sound guy what I want so he can get started
3) E-mail the new copywriter story documents and synopsis
4) Finish the demo's story boards so that I have something I can show the copywriter (Well, I hired him because I'm so behind.  Whatevs.)
4) Actually review the code and have some feedback for the developer since I recall saying I would look through the code 'very, very carefully' this weekend.  I only have one thing to say that.  LIAR.
5) Learn how to code so I know what I'm talking about would be a good thing.



This list does not include my everyday life stuff (Which is a list that is about 6 items long) and I have a social event for my PR business this evening. Oh yeah, and I have a major meeting with my manager at work tomorrow about a communications plan that's half-started.  I have approximately 5 hours to finish both these lists.  Good times.

I now need three of me.  One to do game stuff, one to finish life stuff, and one who can just crawl back into bed and ignore these lists.

Yesterday's recap

Had a meeting with the artist, outcome:  She's going to reorganize and start to finalize the art for the demo.


Had a meeting with my friend, the developer guym outcome:  He didn't know I needed to borrow his macbook and gave it to his brother to use.  I showed him some screenshots instead.

Had a meeting with editor/story developer, outcome:  Very nice sounding guy, he's hired!  How many more people can I have before I call this thing a game studio!?

Three meetings today

Going over the game with a UX designer today, artist meeting and a script editor meeting.

Too many meetings today, and I have story to write, and a game to make.  But I'll be working on code as well (And I don't know that much about code...sigh...).  Very busy Sunday.

Touch Detective Review

Enjoyable and boring at the same time.

Great visuals, dialogue is nonsensical. 

Cause of Death Review

Love the music, the animation, everything about the game is classy.

But unless I get a certain detective score, I don't get to see special scenes. 

That would be ok, but the chapters are long...and if I make one mistake I have to do the whole chapter over again?  Really?

Playtesting

A friend and I will be play-testing the game this weekend.

I also got a good view of what choose-your-own-adventure games often do wrong by playing a copy of 'The Flower Shop' (Which I can't believe the author charged $9.99!) by seeing that the lower the amount of interaction, the less players enjoy a game.  If you're going to make a choose your own adventure game...it needs to ooze style.  Pretty much every iPhone game I've played has lacked substance.  Mage Gauntlet is pretty alright, but it's still not my kind of game.  I want a game that makes me think I'm ok with making one kind of choice/another kind of choice, but that makes me feel like no matter what choice I choose I'll get a good story, but potentially a bad ending....or at least that I want to play through the rest of the story so that I know everything that's going on.

Well, that's the kind of game I currently seem to be making, anyways.


Cause of Death for iPhone (by EA, no less) and Touch Detective up next.

Storyboards continue....wow I need more time for this stuff.....

Music Composer Chosen

No lie, I woke up two days ago and was like, "I know which one I'm going to hire!" 

Weird.

On another note, I had a dream that my game had graphics and action similar to Mage Gauntlet.  And vampires.  Weird, were-vampires.  With bad 2d game sprites with low-res shading. 

I gotta stop making lists while I go to sleep.

Well, I think I've decided on the person I want for music

Going home tomorrow, and this is on the list:


-Meeting with programmer friend to review app
-Meeting with artist sometime in the next week (to give away all my dollar$)
-meeting next week with programmer to talk about game.
-meeting with editor to discuss editing of my terrible script to make it better
-finish script (oh yeah, that...that meat of the game thing....)


I should probably finish packing at some point....

Musician interviews are finished

But still torn.  Both are good, both were ok to talk with.  Might have to go with a gut feeling on this, but think I'll ask for a second opinion.

Storyboards...almost...finished...

I just need to finish it tonight, and then I can go home to bed.  Not to mention, that means I can hammer out the dialogue in a massive fell swoop over the next few days.  Which is awesome.  Happy that I'm almost done the storyboards.

Kind of wanted to go the whole 'shades of grey' with a lot of things, but decided for money purposes, bestif I stick to a slightly more optimistic storyline.  People like dark storylines, but that's the not the focus of the longer storyline arcs, here.

Well, 3/4 of them, anyways.


Sigh.  It's hard to be a manager and be creative at the same time.

I have it down to two incredibly talented composers

I tried to narrow it down by price...but they're asking the same price!  AHA.  HILARIOUS.

Seriously, the stuff they've made is really, really powerful stuff.

That aside, I'm happy with either that I pick, I think.