Playing with Vue Pioneer!

Having announced that I am going to work on Kitten Crusade, I immediately start playing around with a new game.
And what goes better with a new game than new software!
I just found the free version of Vue 11:Pioneer http://www.cornucopia3d.com/products/vue/vue_11_pioneer/ and after a slow start I am making some pretty spiffy things:

And then the first thing I do with my lovely renders is to put them through a filter to make them look more painterly.

I like the 3D renders, but the painted ones blend better with the other art assets I have.

The sprites are courtesy of ComiPo!

Susan

I am announcing this out loud

I am going to take part in the "One Game a Month" Challenge.  Details here: http://onegameamonth.com/

For my purposes, I am going to define "releasing a game" as
- a rough version of a game created from scratch
- a polished version of a previously released game
- a complete path in a partially completed game

My calendar of games:

January
Kitten Crusade
New GUI designed by Graph
Tighten up the story
Add some more plots

February
Villain of Villeins 
Turn Based Web game involving poor peasant farmers and tax collectors

March
NaNoRenO
A new game from scratch
Something Fairytale-ish

April
Ludum Dare
48 hour Challenge

May
Christian HO game
A hidden object game with Christian theme based on 24 hour comic I drew

June
Camp Renard
Finish coding for Dale's path
Add James' path

July:
???

August
Ludum Dare
48 Hour Challenge

September:
???

October:
???

November:
???

December:
Ludum Dare
48 Hour Challenge

Stuff I could work on:

You Don't Need to be Alone: Rewrite story completely, fix GUI, rename it to something sensible
The House that Bled Paint: Edit the story, fix the logic, split story in two
All Are Invited: Lots of editing, fix JavaScript bugs, finish the story
CRS Escape IF version:  Making a parser text version for no other reason except I can
Tiny World: Multi User version, framing story, new card types
Dot-to-Dot: I have a game mechanic, just need a game to go with it
Make a Game with Me: Make a game and blog all the steps I took to make it; encouraging other people to join in.  I might do this during NaNoRenO

Or any of my other games I've worked on.

My hope is that by concentrating on one game a month, I might actually make progress rather than be distracted/depressed by all my other unfinished games.

Susan

New Toys to Play with

I just bought myself ComiPo! (http://www.comipo.com/en/index.html)  This is AWESOME!  I wouldn't use it for a finished visual novel, but it is a treasure trove of poses and expressions that I could use as a reference -- all in 3D! 

The background was made with SweetHome 3D (http://www.sweethome3d.com/index.jsp) It is actually one of the example homes.

Ludum Dare 24 Finished

I have completed my 4th Ludum Dare entry: http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-24/?action=preview&uid=5150

Of them, I think it is my weakest.  I think I was trying to bite off more than I can chew. ;)  The game heavily depended on story, and my story writing skills are bad,  I think I need a week to make a good story.  By the end of it I was getting into my characters and getting the flow of the writing, but I had to stop and finish other things like music and sound effects.

The game has the potential to be a fun little game. Maybe someone will volunteer to help polish it.

Until then, it goes on the pile of cool games I should polish sometime.

Timelapse going up later.

Susan

The horns of a trilemma

I am taking a writing course (Which I am going to use to write a visual novel.)

One exercise is to create three "Sentences" - the "Sentence" being like an elevator pitch for the novel.

Here are mine:

• An eager, helpful teen is given the power to change the world with the help of a magic love journal.
• A military cadet recovering from a head injury investigates a series mysterious attacks on campus while being plagued with strange dreams.
• A shy reclusive teen must overcome her own fears and anxieties to find her runaway friend.

Which one should I develop into a visual novel?

Free Backgrounds for VNs

I think I made it possible for people to see the pictures I took while walking around Fredericton.

https://plus.google.com/photos/110664133592217318923/albums/5775569445214684401?authkey=CJSmy86GjrS4mQE

There are 48 images including some cool ones in the graveyard.

You are all welcome to use the pictures however you see fit.

Susan

Ren'Py Jigsaw Puzzle Demo

I wrote a demo for making jigsaw puzzles using the cardgame framework.

http://lemmasoft.renai.us/forums/viewtopic.php?f=51&t=16151

Susan

Expressions are like potato chips...

You can never have just one!  I keep thinking of different mouths and eyes to add...

This is Tina, the Main character from Camp Renard.

Made using this tutorial in deviant art: http://careko.deviantart.com/art/Facial-expression-condensed-158053744

Made in Easy Paint Tool Sai with the compiling done in Gimp.

I even found a script to export each layer as it's own png: http://registry.gimp.org/node/25394 Now I can mix and max programically in Ren'py!

Susan

One background done

I did some art!

I am really happy with the way the trees look.

I did this in MyPaint totally digitally.  I was trying to mimic the watercolour style I used for my other backgrounds.

Example:

I just realized that NaGaDeMo is half over and I am nowhere near done.  I've made lots of planning progress, but not much stuff actually done.

Susan

What I'm Doing

I am still writing 5 minutes every day.  Just little nonsense pieces to get  me  into the  habit.

I uploaded a batch of Tracy and Tristan comics to appear next week. (http://tandt.thecomicseries.com/)

I practiced my tablet skills using this template: http://fav.me/d1f5dl7  Also found out that the version of MyPaint I am using has alpha lock for layers! (http://mypaint.info/) It's free! Check it out.

Susan

Not much work on game getting done

But I am taking a few tentative steps into video game review videos:

Gimme 10 - 001 - A truth to be Told

Gimme 10 - 002 - My Life as a Water Droplet

Constructive criticism accepted. 

Susan

Camp Renard is getting Organized

I made up a HUGE spreadsheet to organize what goes where in my story.  So far I have 80% of Dale's story done.

However... I have redesigned how I'm doing stats so I'll have to look at it with new eyes.

Now the emphasis of the story is that you have to make choices.  Are you an Indoor person, or an Outdoor person?  Are you a Lone Wolf or a Social Butterfly?  Are you Reckless or Cautious?  The target guys have their preferences, and that will affect how they react to you in the story.  It will also affect the options you get towards the end of the game.  If you have made cautious choices all along, then try to do something reckless... things might not work out so well.

Susan

What am I going to do this month?

It turns out that it is both Camp NaNoWriMo and NaGaDeMo this month.

 So I have a decision to make.  What should I do this month?  I have it narrowed down to a couple of choices:

Dust off and finish Camp Renard:

This was my first Ren'Py game that was horribly over-scoped.  So far I only have one story line in any way finished,

Add the story to All Are Invited:

And maybe give it some original sprites. :)

Play current version: http://www.thecatsweb.com/AllAreInvited/

OR


Create a whole new game:

I have the idea to create an Ace Attorney style game in JavaScript.  Or another idea to convert one of my NaNo novels into a Inform 7 game.

------------------------------------------------
I think Camp Renard is winning in my head so far.

------------------------------------------------

In other news, I'm on day seven of using my Hipster Habit App to promote me writing every day.  I haven't written anything awesome, but I have at least kept moving forward. http://hipsterhabitapp.com/

Susan

NaGaDeMo

Hey look -- something else for me to join!

National Game Development Month
http://nagademo.com/index

It is also Camp NaNoWriMo month
http://campnanowrimo.org/

How can I combine these???

Susan

The Definition of Done

This is an interesting article on defining when you are "Done" to avoid perfection paradox.

Now, even if those three previous conditions are met, there is still one thing that causes people to procrastinate and be overwhelmed: It’s the unfinished work and the fact that they are never 100% percent satisfied to the quality of their work.
When they are unsatisfied to their work quality, they keep tweaking and tweaking the results but they are unable to finish anything. This is a sure way to overwhelm their selves and generate unnecessary stress.

http://www.lifehack.org/articles/technology/what-can-software-developers-teach-us-about-crushing-the-perfection-bug.html

Long time no hear

My game Tiny World Cardgame came in 157 out of 1007 for Fun and 175 for Overall. I am hoping to make a web version of it.

I have a list of things I want to do.

And ... my dog died yesterday of cancer.

I'm a bit of a mess.

Susan

I got a review!

My Ludum Dare game was mentioned in a review:

http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/2012/04/28/some-very-polished-love/

[quote]Tiny World Cardgame — Card games are something we don’t often see in LD, which makes this game already worthy a look. It also features an awesome and very professional looking tutorial, and the ability to assemble your own deck. The rules for the card game itself are pretty simple, but allow for a lot of variation.[/quote]

Link to my game: http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-23/?action=preview&uid=5150

A Game is Born!

It's called Tiny World because I am very bad at naming things.

Here's another screenshot:

Links to the game:

Windows: http://www.thecatsweb.com/games/Tiny%20World-win32.zip
Mac: http://www.thecatsweb.com/games/Tiny%20World-mac.zip
Linux: http://www.thecatsweb.com/games/Tiny%20World-linux-x86.tar.bz2
All: http://www.thecatsweb.com/games/Tiny%20World-all.zip

Still to do:
- add tournament play
- create tutorial
- write story
- finish art for cards


EDIT: GRRRRRRrrrrr CamStudio was lying about recording. No Timelapse this time

Susan

I can have the computer play itself

I created the graphics for the cards and have the programming so that the computer can play itself. The computer is REALLY bad. The strategy is modular so I am going to run some computer "tournaments" to see who wins.

Screenshot:

I'll upload a video of the computer playing itself once I give it a better strategy.

Susan

I got the cards framework working in Ren'Py

Not much to look at yet.  The player cards will be on the left and the computer's cards on the right.
Right now all you can do is drag cars to the discard pile. :)

Susan

Tiny World is the Theme

The theme for the 23rd Ludum Dare has been announced:

Tiny World

This gives me a couple of ideas:

- miniaturizing into a world

- a card game called Tiny World with cute fairies and stuff

- a story about people who keep running into each other

Susan

Ludum Dare Weekend!

I'm getting very excited about Ludum Dare weekend.  Only hours away!

I am most likely going to make a game in Ren'Py.  I am now to the point that I can usually do what I want in Ren'Py.  I might go with Inform 7 if the theme just begs for an IF style game.

Things I might do:
- go around town photographing things for the VN
- make a collectible card game in Ren'Py
- make a multi-timeline story

Susan

IFs I've played recently that I have enjoyed

I was writing this as a reply to a comment made by @Obsura, but I thought it might do better as a full post.

IFs I've played recently that I have enjoyed

Photopia by Adam Cadre
Author site: http://adamcadre.ac/if.html
Play Online: http://adamcadre.ac/if/photopia.html

Well worth downloading and playing offline just to get the graphics.

This one was a game changer for me.  It is a story that can only be told in IF but goes beyond what I'd read before.

Read the PHAQ after you play: http://adamcadre.ac/content/phaq.txt


Lost Pig by GRUNK as told to Admiral Jota
Play Online: http://www.grunk.org/lostpig/

This one is short and fun and hits all the things I like in an IF.  I never sat around trying to figure out what I was supposed to do.  The puzzles were clever and well thought out.




Violet by Jeremy Freese
IFDB page: http://ifdb.tads.org/viewgame?id=4glrrfh7wrp9zz7b
Play Online: http://iplayif.com/?story=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ifarchive.org%2Fif-archive%2Fgames%2Fzcode%2FViolet.zblorb

This one is SOOOOOO funny.  I love Violet's voice.  It took me a bit to get into the swing of the game. It is like a ridiculous movie where things just get stranger and stranger.  Not your typical IF.


The Play by Deirdra Kiai
Play Online: http://www.deirdrakiai.com/theplay/

This is more CYOA than IF.  It uses the Undum engine.  It is a story with surprising depth. Like a CYOA, you make choices as the story progresses.  Like an IF, you can pause and look at something with greater detail.



Please note: I have played some recently that I did not enjoy so much.  Most of them I was sitting around trying to figure out WTF I was supposed to do.  They were like a really bad role-playing session were the GM doesn't let you see your character sheet then opens with: "You are in a blank room, what do you do?"  I know nothing of the game world and nothing about my characters motivations.  My standard reaction now is "I sit down and knit." And proceed to Live-Action Role-playing by actually pulling out my knitting.

PS: Knitting at actual LARPs is really rather fun. NPCs that were a half my age couldn't understand why I didn't want to run around in the woods in the rain and would rather sit in the "Inn" and knit.

Well, my warm up weekend isn't going so well.

I've started my game and have the main locations mapped out including some awesome code for telescoping hallways thanks to the wonderful people at http://www.intfiction.org/forum/.

I have discovered something.  I don't like writing description. This is my failing when writing novels.  I'm great at ideas, ok at plot, meh at dialogue (*), and lousy at descriptions.  I think that's why I went into Ren'Py and Comics.

I will carry on.

Maybe I can team up with someone you likes writing purple prose. Between us we will be able to create a full story.

But that's not why I'm behind.  I'm behind because I started playing Visual Novels and Interactive Fiction instead of working. *DOH* It is now almost 4 a.m. ...

(I also procrastinated by cleaning the bedroom.  You know it's bad when you procrastinate by cleaning.)

Tomorrow I have some backgrounds to do for LemmaTV http://www.lemmatv.com/

Susan

(*) Strangely enough, as soon as I introduce a talking cat into my story -- I have no problem creating dialogue for him.

Ludum Dare Warmup Weekend

Ludum Dare is next weekend! Woo hoo!

This weekend I am going to spend porting my Ren'Py game from LD#21 into Inform7.

I don't know if I'll use Inform 7 for my Ludum Dare entry.  One of the things I have going for me is that I am a programmer that can draw and play music. I should check out the multimedia capabilities of Inform7

• Ludum Dare: http://ludumdare.com/compo/
• Game: http://lemmasoft.renai.us/forums/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=11583
• Ren'Py: http://www.renpy.org
• Inform7: http://inform7.com/

Mark Twain Quotes

Quotes by Mark Twain:

"Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest."

"Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first."

"Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities. Truth isn't."

"I don't give a damn for a man that can only spell a word one way."

"I thoroughly disapprove of duels. If a man should challenge me, I would take him kindly and forgivingly by the hand and lead him to a quiet place and kill him."

"It is better to deserve honors and not have them than to have them and not to deserve them."

"Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great."

"The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug."

"Under certain circumstances, profanity provides a relief denied even to prayer."

Source: http://www.mtwain.com