I’ve mentioned this before, but one of my biggest regret on this project is not starting it with a partner. I thought I could get away with it, as I wouldn’t need any art work for the first few months. As the months went by, I then hoped I would be able to find a dedicated partner amongst my artist friends, but this was not to be. I’ve gotten help from friends, but they each have their own lives, and more importantly, full-time jobs. It’s difficult to ask people to sacrifice their free time to help you on a venture which may not assure them any profits.
I need to find someone for the artistic side of the game and this will be a challenge. I want to find a partner who is talented and creative, who wants to make his or her own impact but is willing to work on someone else’s idea, who has enough time to commit to it, and who has an eye for the indie scene. I know how I would feel if someone wanted me to work on their project; it’s not always very enticing as you don’t feel like you own the project. My hope is that when I find a good partner, they will feel empowered. I want them to have an equal share in the creative and decision process and a direct impact to the overall feel of the game.
Another obstacle in this search is that I do not have much money to invest. I can offer a small payment up-front to evaluate potential candidates (and to prove my seriousness), but I cannot afford to pay someone a salary at this stage. I would be looking to do a royalty share. The odds are not exactly stacked in my favor. I am a realistic about my chances of finding somebody suitable, but I will try hard. Of course, if you know anyone who might be interested, or have any suggestions I should pursue, please feel free to share them. I will be hitting up the forums of IndieGamer, TIGSource and DeviantArt as well as all my friends and contacts in the gaming world.
If I cannot find someone, I will eventually need to contract the art work out. It’s not a task which I’m looking forward to (both for financial and artistic reasons). I will need to be 100% clear on the look I want and the work needed. Setting the visual look and direction of the game is not my strong point. But if I need to finish the game and cannot locate a partner, I will bite the bullet, assume the artistic direction, do my best and contract the work out.
Now switching gears somewhat; I have been promising media for several months. The reason I haven’t delivered yet is simple: The game doesn’t look good enough. Screenshots and videos don’t do it justice. What currently shows promise in the game is the underlying physical mechanics, not the visual look. I don’t want the first public showing of my game to be sub-par. Even though the readership of this blog is small, it would still be the first public PR for my game and company. Making a good first impression is important.
Still, I don’t want to leave the long-time readers high and dry. Instead, I offer you something better than screenshots or videos: a preview build of the current game as it stands, with all the caveats that entails (bugs, gameplay balances, unturned controls). If you’re interested in being a very early alpha-tester, drop me a line. You’ll need access to a wired Xbox controller. All I ask in return is that you provide me with some feedback. It’s first-come first-serve with limited spots.
Work Done Last Week
I spent most of the week concentrating on the development plan for the rest of the game (including refining the design, working on contingency plans, and preparing milestones). There is still some more work to be done, but I am getting there.
I tracked down a few quirky bugs that made it into the submission demos and addressed them. I also made some progress in the investigation of my performance issues. I’ve come up with a plan to address which roughly boils down to this: to not physically simulate areas of the level that are not of active interest to the player. Or in other words: physics-based culling.
Work Planned This Week
I will finish the planning and scheduling. Then I will turn my attention back to the long backlog of work.
Coding wise, first on my list is the performance issue. I will then finish implementing some new rendering features that I had been experimenting with a month ago. I will also continue with some cleanup of the code base.
Parallel to this, I will continue my search for an artist in earnest.
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