Programming woes

I have just started seriously putting time into the programming side of things.


It's going to be tough.  I have to resize, and remove the backgrounds from all the sprites.  There's almost 30 of those. 

The backgrounds aren't quite fitting the screen the way I like, and I need to figure out the function to scroll the backgrounds properly so I can zoom the camera in-out the way I want.

After all the image sizing is done and all the basic commands are done, I can start inputting text.

I'm hoping the image sizing takes me two weeks, which means I would have about two weeks to work on the text portion.

if I can keep ythat schedule, I should have a MVP by...January?

That's not incredibly realistic, but still is a good goal for me.

Redirecting Game Direction

So after much thought, I have decided on a (potential) new direction.

I'm going to code the game in Ren'Py, and release it to Android.  Once that's done, I'm going to have someone recode the game into iOS.  I still have a lot of what the original programmer gave me and that could be used as a basis to recode the game into iOS.

This comes after a lot of hard thinking and I am not happy to make this decision, but it's the best financial and strategic decision I can make at this point.

Here is why I'm going this route (at least for now):

• Ren'Py was based for text/graphic adventures.  It's made to make my life easier.
• I looked over some of the code, and it inherently makes sense to how I want to code the game.  All of the text shortcuts that exist in Ren'Py right now are all the kinds of things I wish were available in my iOS build.  They're not.  (Or rather, they are, but they're in a crashy, unstable format)
• Ren'Py games are relatively stable.  I can't think of one release of a Ren'Py game that's crashed.
• I looked over my game script, which is organized almost to a tee in structure to how the coding is structured.  I have no idea how I did that, but I'm not sad about it.  With a little tinkering, I may very well copy past the entire document. (Which would be.  AMAZING.)
• Ren'Py can be ported to Android 'relatively' easily.  Whether it will work well, might require a 'real' programmer at that point.  
• I'm kind of annoyed that I decided I wanted to go the mobile route, after looking over Ren'Py more carefully than the first time I thought about it.  I could have saved myself a lot of time, money, and energy.

This is also because of these challenges I see I have with the code as is:

• No matter who I get to program for iOS using Cocos2d, I need someone with a design eye for these details.  The best person to do that right now is me.  (Or someone else with equivalent knowledge of games and design)  The problem with hiring a programmer is that they can't read your mind.  Sometimes the best way to show them would be with a finished product that I've made.  Probably much easier than doing comparisons to games I enjoy already on iOS.
• The text boxes are a mess in the demo, there are many nagging details that I'm having issues with, and frankly the whole thing is just a mess.  It looks ok, it plays ok, but that's the problem.  It's just ok.  And just ok doesn't justify money and time spent, nor does it give me what I wanted, which is a really fun game that speaks to the kind of audience that likes these kind of games.  Namely, me.  I wanted it to at least be fun for me to play, and not be thinking about little details while I play it.
• I can potentially make bigger, better pieces of art because of the extra screen size (at least on PC/Mac)
• The current code is still bug written and apt to crash.  Not to mention, a lot of small design details are nagging.  I would need to be much more involved in the coding process from the design side for things to work out the way they should.

And that's that.

I'm now going to go look at a couple other Ren'Py games (Yay, fun research) but basically I'm going to start the coding, if not tonight (I'm exhausted) then tomorrow night,

Doing final story edits for the demo

We're almost there.

The demo needs about two weeks worth of edits and we'll be ready to program.  The background artist and the character artist have already started on the second half of the game.  Now I have to hurry up with the edits, and send them to an independent third party.


So much to do, so little time.  But we're nearing our September deadline for the demo, and things seem to be on track.

Script Updating

We're nearing demo mode.

Most of the art has been finished.  I've been tweaking the background art with the background artist.  He's doing mock-up animations which we might use for the final version.

The character art is, for demo purposes, finished.  I could use one or two more pieces, but I'll wait until everything needs to be compiled to decide whether I want to invest another two weeks of art time.

Then again, maybe I should review the art again.  Hm.

The script is being reviewed.  There's a lot of logical errors left to correct.  I have thought recently (or at least for the next version) investing in a script writing software.  I do a lot of mock-ups and a basic word editor doesn't really cut it anymore.  It works for now, but when you start getting a 50-100 page script, it starts getting a little creaky and sometimes buggy...and the last thing I need are corrupted files.  (I would jump off a very tall building if the file corrupted.  Back-up files are my friend.)

The hardest thing about being a producer of a game project is that you are there to motivate everyone else, but when it comes near to the final product (and when I mean near, I mean annoying final hump near) the last thing you do is feel motivated.  It's the long weekend in Canada and all I want to do is turn off Netflix and let the game coalesce on its own without me.

Which will never happen.

...

Unless I clone myself.   But that probably wouldn't turn out that well.

A slight delay

When art has to be reformatted it's never good.

We've been dealing with some great pieces of character art, that, at the last I should have edited for size a long time ago.  Take, for instance, Gavin, the werewolf demigod character:

If you'll notice, he's a giant amount of pixels wide.  Almost 600 pixels wide.  The whole iPhone screen is about 640 pixels wide.

Clearly there's an issue.

So, I currently have our artist reformatting, and slightly redesigning the character.   The new base Gavin sketch looks like this:

There's certain things I like about this a lot more, there's a lot more action in this pose, but also it takes away from some of the moodiness of the character.  However, it's the proper pixel ratio, which is something you have to deal with on a hand-sized touch screen.

Good conversation with the programmer yesterday

We've decided on a schedule, and we're officially going into 'alpha' phase and beginning to roll out a demo.

We're revamping the battle system, but I'll save that for another post.


The good news is that most of the art is done for the demo (maybe a few items here and there) and that most of the prelim coding is done, as well.  The programmer is going to send me something tomorrow in regards to the conversation system, and we'll go from there.

Had a great conversation with the programmer

Game is officially in alpha, we are working on the code, and we have lots left to accomplish.

Next steps involved completing a complicated story sequence and tweaking the battle system.

Did a first look at the demo of the game

It's looking good.  Battle system and music work.  Art needs to be updated.  Some crashes, but overall relatively stable for a .001 version.  Needs to do some major refinishing on menus, dialogue, etc.


Overall, pretty darn exciting.  Playtested it for about hour and half.  Only got sick of it after that.  So, that's pretty good, all things considered.

Reviewing the story documents the copywriter sent me

Still having issues with file sharing, but making it work. 

I need to start working on these things before midnight.  I have to get up early, geez.

I have like 2 pages of dialogue left to complete

And I'm completely creatively tapped.

I've had a really strong two weeks of working really hard on this material, but I'm really struggling, I think I've burned myself out a bit with this. 

I'm blocked.  I'm at the endings sequences, and I'm having performance anxiety.  The way the current endings are structured don't make any sense.  I can't make too many changes without adding changes to the programming....sigh...this is going to be a little rough.

I don't have time to recharge creatively, either.  The clock is ticking, and this is going to get more expensive the more time I waffle on this.

I seriously need a solution that is going to work.  Stat.

Finalizing the music

The composer has put together some amazing stuff...I'm getting really excited about it.

So far we have:

Two area themes
One battle theme
A 'boss' theme
Battle sfx

Now just need to e-mail the background artist.  E-mailed the copywriter last night.  Had to explain that I'm doing a lot of editing which is normal for a first draft, but hoping the second draft isn't as much editing.  (I can't afford to be held up another two weeks on copy again.)  But he's doing good for just coming on board, and pretty sure this is one of his first freelancing gigs.

I'm going to be working on the game script while I jam to the music, and I need to e-mail the programmer.

I had such a good sleep last night.  It's amazing what a little bit of R&R can do for your outlook on life.

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. 

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!

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 $$$.

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!?

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....

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.

Worked on the storyline a little bit today

Today was supposed to be a 'complete all storyboards and get lots of work done day.'

Instead, I slept for 95% of the day.  I can't believe how sick I am. 

I've been looking through the art, and some of my delirium affected me yesterday and I got super stressed because not a lot of work is being done at the moment on this game.  There's a lot left to do.

But then I realized it's not a big deal because I'm actually SUPPOSED to be on vacation and I told everyone I'm working with to take one as well until January  (my feeling is that this will be good for the project.)  I'm not even supposed to be working on this now, but the workaholic in me never sleeps, I guess.


Tomorrow:

-Finish one storyline.  (It's almost completed, last leg of it needs to be completed.)
-Complete the rest of the demo's storyboard (it's almost done as well.)
-Set up interviews for the music
-Die in a pool of my own mucus.  (Shouldn't be that hard.)

Basque Music

I've been listening to a lot of cultural music as I prepare to hire a musician to score the game, and I really liked this piece.  It's one of the most famous, naturally, but very beautiful.  The Basque musical culture is such a blend of different traditions, it's really enjoyable to listen.

That being said, I have 30 more e-mails to read from people who want the job.  Sigh.