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from the editor:

this is a continuation of my personal goals assessment for 2010, and how well i’ve done in maintaining progress on these goals.  here is a link to the first period report: january through april 2010.  the following are remarks particular to the period of may through august 2010.

END OF AUGUST 2010 - - HOW ARE THINGS GOIN’?

 

GOAL #1: Eliminate $8,000 of school loan debt this year.

SO HOWZIT GOIN’? hahaha!  this one makes me laugh ruefully the most, out of all of them…well, I’ve fallen short of this goal during second period.  due to a handful of financial setbacks and other chaos, in addition to less-than-admirable financial discipline, i’ve reduced my monthly payments to maybe 3/5 of the original amount.  this will leave a significant gap between my current level of payments and my aspired goal, so the plan is to use part of savings to make up the difference at the end of 2010.

 

personally, i feel as though i’ve “copped out” on this one.  once i gave myself permission to dig into savings to meet this goal, i slacked off on my fiscal discipline.  it was later in the summer, however, that several significant expenses emerged, making me seriously stumble a bit in terms of judicious spending.  i had some automobile repairs that needed to take place, as well as traveling to be done.  these things in particular were a drain on my finances, but i felt they were justified.  in addition, it appears that the rebate i received from federal taxes for the year 2008 was too high.  i’ll be appealing that decision by the end of the month…the bastards.

 

to fix this, i’ve scaled back on my “entertainment” budget even more.  i’m pretty much done with going out to see movies, for example, since i’ve only been disappointed with the majority of the films i’d seen this year (my selection criteria notwithstanding…basically, other people invited me to go with them to see films they wanted to see).  eating out for regular meals is now twice a week at most, six times a month or less, and is usually reserved for more significant occasions.  to lessen the stress on the car i drive, my bicycle is back on the road; this is possible now that the summer is coming to an end and it’s not hot and oppressively humid outside.

 

enough bitching about this one; i could easily complain all day long about it.

 

CAN I DO THIS? as mentioned before, i copped out on this goal.at the end of the year, i’ll use savings to make up the difference less $8,000.  i’m not ashamed of this outcome, but i realize i can do better, or can at least make the end of the year less of a significant drain on my finances if i increase payments even a small amount.

 

GOAL #2: Publish at least 1 board game this year.

SO HOWZIT GOIN’? the board game design class has occupied my attention lately.  however, it brings me no closer to this goal.  apart from the four or five game prototypes i already had ready to push forward, i’ve developed another: players are body-snatchers working for medical students at a prestigious medical institute in baltimore at the turn of the 19th century.  again, this is great news, but the actual act of publishing hasn’t occurred just yet.

 

with only four months remaining in the year, and no artwork, no letters to publishers, and no single product ready to go out the door, i’ve again hit a wall.  to address this, i’ll need to dig into the two following areas to have any measure of success:

• finding an artist to complete artwork for me on at least one project.  the one i recruited for “my pet robot” is inundated with other art projects, and to be honest i doubt the work will be done within adequate time even to ship out prototypes by the end of the year.
  
• finding printing resources to develop adequate prototypes

 only after those two conditions are met can i prepare and ship prototyps to publishers (found in my handy-dandy book, “the game inventor’s guidebook” by brian tinsman).  at the very least, i can still publish something through the game-crafter website.  but i’ll still need artwork for that, at least.

 

software development remains a perennial distraction.  i’ve taken on a band-related project, with the hopes i can finish something in time for the pending album release in early october 2010.  additionally, it’ll be a flash application, to allow anyone with internet access a chance to play the game on the dmfs website.  this is a tempting goal, and a project than can be accomplished; the guys in the band seem stoked on having it done as well. i’ve allowed this project to stand in my way of goal number 2, it seems.

 

CAN I DO THIS? i’m still confident that it can be done, although definitely discouraged.  regaining focus will help maintain this goal as a realistic one for 2010.

 

GOAL #3: Bike Odyssey 2010: This time, with a partner.

 

SO HOWZIT GOIN’? it’s done!  i’ve listed a few write-ups about it at the page dedicated to bike odyssey 2010. progress exceeded expectations, definitely. all things considered: while being the most physically demanding, this goal seems to be the easiest of them all.

 

GOAL #4: Develop two significant program aspects for [the day job].

SO HOWZIT GOIN’? i’ve truly hit my stride in the new position as “outreach and trainer” for our in-house re-entry program for current and former inmates with a history of drug charges.  i visit inmates in prisons two or three days each month, in various institutions–sometimes two different prisons in a single day.  we’re now a two-person team (instead of me struggling to complete all aspects on my own), and my supervisor and i work together excellently; a dedicated job coach is slated to begin working with us by the end of september.  finally, funding has been approved for the following year–at least, as far as we can tell.  whether or not i’ll have the same job at the turn of the next fiscal year (july 2011) is an interesting question, though i’m not so concerned my job is in jeopardy.

 

a significant highlight for the past month is that of the completion of a three-week employment readiness course that i authored and administered, largely on my own.  within that time, six former inmates had their resumes updated, acquired new clothes for job interview and the first day on the job, two videotaped practice interviews, developed an individual development plan (or “IDP”), picked up all essential IDs and federal fidelity bonding papers, scads of in-house life skills training, and lunches every day.  it’s money well-spent, in my opinion.

 

in the coming months, our office will be relocating to a larger facility closer to my home.  it’ll be even easier to report to work.  i am also in line to acquire another national certification: the Global Career Development Facilitator (GCDF) certification; i’ll need to coordinate the scheduling and tuitiion with my executive director, but i will dig into my own savings to pay for this if necessary.

 

CAN I DO THIS? i think i’ve actually succeeded at this goal, whether i know it or not.  my supervisor and executive director are both very happy with my performance, and the program has clearly taken off in a very positive way.  as one of four vendors for this grant, we’re one of the stand-out difference-makers, and i’m pleased with the distinction.

 

TWO THIRDS OF THE YEAR IS OVER! it appears that i’ve allowed myself to become distracted from two of my remaining goals now that i have some initial success under my belt.  the remainder of the year will be all about regaining my focus and drive to bring these other goals as close as possible to completion.

Tags: Uncategorized, bike odyssey, board games, cycling, day job, dmfs, game-making, music, personal, writing by editor
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i visit www.create-games.com an awful lot.  it’s a website called the daily click (or “tdc”), where people can learn about how to make their own video games using products from a company called click team.  there’s been a lot of talk at tdc about collaborating; different coders, artists, and writers working together to create an excellent video game experience.

at the same time, i’ve also recently read the writings by derek sivers, a creative and visionary guy who helps others develop their business and marketing plans through less-than-conventional means.  one of the articles of his i read recently, “how to hire a programmer to make your ideas happen,” also piqued my interest.

i decided to combine these two interests, and came up with an article for  tdc readers that lines up perfectly with this newfound rush forward for collaboration.  it’s largely a summarization of sivers’ article, but includes the context of tdc so it doesn’t alienate the tdc audience.  enjoy!

///

With all this talk about collaboration and partnerships in creating games, it seemed important to share this information.

I recently uncovered an article–“how to hire a programmer to make your ideas happen”–by Derek Sivers, a visionary business developer and musician; the guy who started CD Baby and several other businesses and creative efforts. He’s released a mass of free materials and teachable content on his website, helping people turn their ideas into a reality.

This is a link to the full version of the article:

http://sivers.org/how2hire

The article I am talking about here defines some concrete steps on how to most effectively hire new software development team members. Here’s a snippet about people who start working with you, but for some reason it doesn’t work out:

Some will definitely go bad. Just expect it and don’t let it upset you. They’ll say something has come up, that they can’t start until next month, that it’s harder than they thought, or just disappear and never reply. When this happens, just mark that person’s project as cancelled or complete, and say goodbye nicely. Then carry on with the rest.

This kind of thing happens a lot. Projects start up with tremendous amounts of energy and enthusiasm, but peter out. A major hub-bub ensues when people ask for contributors to a group project, as everyone who reads about it fantasizes that since more people are working on the same project–with their collective wisdom reinforcing everyone’s input–that it’s bound to be a tremendous success.

Then the enthusiasm dies down, and most of the programmers, writers, and artists who were all gung-ho about this new, exciting project simply disappear. It’s either through some spastic flurry of OMG MY LIFE IS TOTALLY SWAMPED RIGHT NOW AND I HAVE NO TIME FOR THIS I’M TOTALLY SORRY…Or it’s like the person vaporized and is simply absent from the team.

I’ve just done this myself actually, inviting a collaboration with another TDC member, but realizing I was in way over my head. We’ve put the project on hold–or at least the collaboration part of it–until we both sort out our schedules a bit. I felt very sheepish about it, and apologized. We’re coming back to it later though…Honest!

These things happen. It’s all part of the development process. Specifically, it’s about developing a team.

So how do you beat this? How do you cultivate a finished product when working with someone other than just yourself? Sivers recommends a few steps for effectively finding team members. Although the full post isn’t very long and you definitely should read it, I’ve condensed it here.

1. Come up with the bare-bones design for your project. Sivers calls this “Version 1.0.” This is the bare minimum that would make you happy.

2. Put together a brief story about what you’re hoping to accomplish with this project/game. I stress this is brief. You can develop a longer, feature-complete design document later, or at least for a different purpose. Keep your story short and to the point.

Here’s an example: “I’m creating a classic platformer adventure about a hero that seeks revenge against her captors in a strange, alien world. She can change her density so that she is able to float in mid-air, sink through the ground, or pass through walls. The character will gain and upgrade these abilities over time, and players will need to use these abilities to reach certain areas of the map and solve puzzles.”

3. Put together your design document. THIS is the painstakingly composed, thorough, long, very detailed list that describes everything that your Version 1.0 should do.

4. Break down that design document into smaller, more digestible chunks. Sivers calls these “milestones.” Actually, it’s an industry term as well, so become familiar with it. The idea behind a milestone is that it’s a small bit that can be worked on, independent of everything else on the design document, which adds to the completed project. It’s one piece of the puzzle, allowing the programmer to focus all their energy and attention to that smaller piece.

5. Make your first milestone a stand-alone project. A game engine is a perfect example.

“I’m looking for a custom platform engine that allows the player to hover in the air for a short time after a jump, as well as sink through platforms as if they were melting, but come out on the other side. The player should be able to do the same thing for walls, as well.” This should do the trick.

6. Post your first milestone as a request anywhere and everywhere it will be seen by potential candidates. Here at TDC, maybe the ClickTeam forums, and other active websites that focus on MMF2 or other ClickTeam products.

7. After receiving your responses (and this is assuming you receive several responses, of course!), choose more than one person to do the job. This may seem odd, but you’re hedging your bets here. What if that one person you’ve picked flakes out on you? What if they work too slow for your liking? What if they simply disappear? There’s always at least one more person who’s looking into the project.

…So when someone says, “So what’s your Plan B?” You’ll actually have an answer. The folks who don’t follow-through with the first milestone for some reason, you can simply and courteously close the deal with them. Say “Maybe next time, but until then, best of luck!”

8. Out of all the finished submissions, pick the person you like the most.

Let’s be honest here. This website and community are full of casual users. Not many people are treating their ClickTeam products like a serious tool to develop the next killer app, fantastic game, or whatever. Most folks are here to have fun, and pick up MMF2 when they have the spare time and nothing else better to do. That’s totally fine, and honestly it’s what I do myself.

But for those who truly believe in the power of the tool they hold in their hands, who spend hours developing new extensions and/or ways to use them, who laboriously create dozens of frames of animation…Those are the folks who will respond to such a process as is outlined above. Those are the people who will finish that milestone project for you, and who you will want to work with.

Stick with them, keep feeding them the milestones, and before you know it, your collaboration will result in a completed project…Which is a rarity these days.

Best of luck to you, Clickers.

///

note: you can see my original posting of this article here. please note that the version i have posted at www.let-off.com fixes some of the typographical errors i made in the original posting.

Tags: game-making, music, writing by editor
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a free board game design class will begin in september this year at the baltimore free school, letting participants turn their own ideas into reality as board games, card cames, miniatures games, and more.  four sessions of in-class instruction, exercises, and playtesting will be followed-up with tuesday evening board game happy hours at a local pub where students can play their own designs alongside their published favourites (more news on that later!).

for more info, see below or e-mail boardgames@let-off.com.

Tags: baltimore, board games, free stuff, game-making by editor
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to jump-start my brain while pondering a current board game design (a basic car-racing game, at the moment…it’s sorely lacking in theme or the “spark” that brings players back for more), i consulted my handy-dandy ‘creative whack pack’ designed by roger von oech.  to sum up, each card in the set has a suggested creative thinking exercise, designed to ‘whack’ you out of your current/stale mode of thinking, so that new ideas will emerge.  the ones that were drawn for this particular exercise include:

have something at stake - survival, self-esteem, money, reputation–so the player is motivated to win.

ask “what if?” - what off-beat “what if” questions can you ask about your concept?

make a decision - evaluate the idea, and critically weigh the evidence.  run a risk analysis, and listen to your gut.  what is your decision?

so i developed a long list of “what if” questions before going to bed that evening, with the hopes that the next step is to sift through the ideas and come up with one that sticks for the current game design i’m developing.  the rest of the ideas can certainly be kept in the morgue for later retrieval and use.  i will also be using this same exercise as part of my upcoming board game design course this september/october.

what if…

• players were trying to escape the nothing?
• there was a herd of stampeding animals close behind?
• the players were racing snails?
• the players were racing through an office to use the photocopier?
• the players were sperm cells on their way to the egg?
• the payers herded animals along the track ahead of them?
• the players had to crack a secret code before they could cross the finish line?
• the players were maids in a cleaning service?
• players were parents in a toy store the day before christmas?
• the players were tax collectors?
• players had a family of ducks (including ducklings) following them?
• players were storm chasers in tornado country?
• players were fatties at a chinese buffet restaurant?
• players were lost socks in the ‘laundry worm hole’?
• the last-place player could fuck with the first-place player?
• the last-place player could win if they killed-off the other players?
• the players had to visit different stations in a food-eating contest?
• players were servers in a busy restaurant?
• players were commission-based used-car salespeople?
• players were in the belly of a sinking ship?
• each individual player had to visit all checkpoints, but in a different order than all other players?
• players could throw switches that open or close passages and doors?
• at different stations there were different pieces of code, and players must acquire the pieces, decode the combination, then escape?
• players were inmates and must bribe prison guards to escape?
• players were packages in the u.s. postal system?
• players were pieces of luggage in a busy airport?
• players were taxis, picking up fares across the city?
• players were sea monkeys on some little kid’s bookshelf?
• players were staff at a busy daycare center?
• players were thieves running from the police after a botched heist scheme?
• players were mosquitos feasting on picnic guests?
• players were strange life forms trying to implant their own genetics into the “birthing receptacle” that creates the next generation?
• the players were antique dealers/brokers at a flea market?
• players were in a grocery store, fighting off cravings in every aisle?
• players were dogs or cats marking their territory?
• the players were house-painters, paid by the square foot of coverage?
• players were lawn-care groundskeepers, mowing the lawn?
• players had to pick up and deliver cargo with a forklift?
• players were parents looking for their errant children on prom night?
• players were inmates during a prison riot?
• players were tomb raiders escaping from a trap-infested temple?
• players were journalists chasing stories around the city?
• players were no-holds-barred, full-contact, toboggan racers?

Tags: board games, game-making, writing by editor
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the outlaw, the drunk, and the whore is a retro-styled, diablo-esque action game for the pc.  you pick one of three different disreputable characters and wander your way through the wild west on a quest for an eminently highjack-able shipment of union gold on its way to fort knox.  purchase items and upgrades along the way that turn your misfit into a truly formidable bandit. the game culminates in a surprise showdown with the devil (in true wild west fashion) that was a complete surprise. a wry sense of humour runs throughout the game, making it a blast to play from beginning to end.

odw is also quite difficult.  but our beloved editor of let-off studios completed the game just last night (with a final score over 2 million points, i might add).

you can download the demo of o.d.w. here. the full version is only $5, and is highly recommended.

Tags: game-making by sycla
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today marks a milestone in let-off studios history: the release of our first-ever collaborative video game.

 pigeon power was advertised quite some time ago as a 2010 release, but only now has it been completed (that is, it’s months overdue). to make a long story short, our editor celebrates his birthday during february, and he wanted to celebrate by creating a video game project with contributions from all of his party guests.  people arrived with their potluck dishes and spent time making audio recordings, colouring pictures, and drawing original artwork.

the rest of that weekend and the following week, steve (our editor) cobbled together all the materials and sound effects, and came up with the bare bones to a video game.  although his goal was to finish the game by the end of the month, other projects and obligations had the upper hand, and pigeon power was set off to the side…but not any more!

the initial release of pigeon power is now ready for the public.  here’s a description:

join esther the pigeon on a journey of self-discovery and self-improvement, and adventure!  Esther goes where no pigeon has gone before in an effort to fulfill her destiny!

you can download pigeon power here. the game is designed to be played on windows machines, but will work on mac and *nix machines using a windows emulator.

below are some screen shots from the game.  features include:

• completely hand-drawn, scanned artwork.
• entirely original sound effects and background music.
• five levels of platform action and adventure.
• features “real life” baltimore locations.
• a light-hearted storyline and narration keeps players oriented on the next objective.
• suitable for all ages!

Tags: baltimore, free stuff, game-making, illustrations, personal by sycla
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a note from the editor on various personal projects and individualized goals.  2010 “will be the best year of my life yet,” he says.

END OF APRIL 2010 - - HOW ARE THINGS GOIN’?

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Tags: bike odyssey, board games, cycling, day job, dmfs, game-making, music, personal, writing by editor
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