now it is better, but still needs improving, thanks to some classes at a local very good art college.
Here is a character concept for Death and a draft of the bulldog. Both appear early in Ghost 3:16
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
Some Line Art
I have been concentrating on improving my drawing chops - I knew I wanted minimalist line art, and that my hand was not good enough yet.
now it is better, but still needs improving, thanks to some classes at a local very good art college.
Here is a character concept for Death and a draft of the bulldog. Both appear early in Ghost 3:16
now it is better, but still needs improving, thanks to some classes at a local very good art college.
Here is a character concept for Death and a draft of the bulldog. Both appear early in Ghost 3:16
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Progress Update
I am writing some scenes for a TF game involving a magical ring. Currently I am working on a sequence where the player possesses a flirting couple and gets overwhelmed by the bodily sensations.
I am also working on background work for Ghost 3:16
Specifically, I have been working on story mechanics, character relationship maps, and the structure for the first demo. I also signed up for an art class because, well, I was not happy with my drawings and would prefer to have drawn art than rendered art.
Right now, the improved version of Twine looks like the best engine for me, but I need to make sure I can manage my variables properly in javascript.
As a present, I give you an out-take. I have no idea how or where this will go into the game - perhaps if you possess someone who is reading a book or playing a game or having a really weird dream after drinking too much bad kefir before bed.
The Great Mouse Army
You turn in the saddle of your rabbit and admire the sight of your soldiers walking before and around you. Blocks of spear carriers are spread on all sides, ready to form into phalanxes if the advance scouts bring warning of marauding cats or, worse, a pack of wild dogs. Archers ride on the front and rear firing steps of the wagons while their precious cargoes of mouselings are carried safely across the plains. In the distance you can see the line of hills that marks your destination, a final refuge after a desperate journey.
Shouts from the right catch your attention and you see a scout leap his rabbit over a block of spears, both rider and mount ignoring the scratches in the rabbits belly and legs. The rider is shouting, and although you cannot hear the words a signaler near the right wing clearly did because she is skirling out the call to battle on her bagpipes. She changes the tune to “the Cat Crawls in the Grass” and you know that your worst fears are here. The cats have finally organized themselves and are forcing a battle.
Well, you have your own surprises for them. You stand in the stirrups and call out your orders, and the great mouse army prepares for what may be its final battle.
I am also working on background work for Ghost 3:16
Specifically, I have been working on story mechanics, character relationship maps, and the structure for the first demo. I also signed up for an art class because, well, I was not happy with my drawings and would prefer to have drawn art than rendered art.
Right now, the improved version of Twine looks like the best engine for me, but I need to make sure I can manage my variables properly in javascript.
As a present, I give you an out-take. I have no idea how or where this will go into the game - perhaps if you possess someone who is reading a book or playing a game or having a really weird dream after drinking too much bad kefir before bed.
The Great Mouse Army
You turn in the saddle of your rabbit and admire the sight of your soldiers walking before and around you. Blocks of spear carriers are spread on all sides, ready to form into phalanxes if the advance scouts bring warning of marauding cats or, worse, a pack of wild dogs. Archers ride on the front and rear firing steps of the wagons while their precious cargoes of mouselings are carried safely across the plains. In the distance you can see the line of hills that marks your destination, a final refuge after a desperate journey.
Shouts from the right catch your attention and you see a scout leap his rabbit over a block of spears, both rider and mount ignoring the scratches in the rabbits belly and legs. The rider is shouting, and although you cannot hear the words a signaler near the right wing clearly did because she is skirling out the call to battle on her bagpipes. She changes the tune to “the Cat Crawls in the Grass” and you know that your worst fears are here. The cats have finally organized themselves and are forcing a battle.
Well, you have your own surprises for them. You stand in the stirrups and call out your orders, and the great mouse army prepares for what may be its final battle.
Friday, June 7, 2013
Progress Report
I am continuing to write some content and mess with images and image ideas.
It looks like I will optimize for 1024x700 resolution as the best match between tablet and screen resolution, and that I may need to use a flexible layout. So, that is one decision down.
I have been working on my drawing skills. I also discovered that there is a plugin for Carrerra that will let the program render to vector format. That resolved my decision about an upgrade path for 3d and, actually, has me reconsidering using 3d art and rendering as one of my solutions. So, I reinstalled Daz studio and am in the process of reminding myself how the system works. Next up, playing with shaders, lights, and textures to see if I can get the sort of clean line-art-like render look that I want.
I have a few more concept images drawn, and have also typed up the first-pass text for the initial demo. I want to put that text together in TWINE, and a couple of other engines just to see what it will look like.
Next post will be on games that influenced me. It would have been this report, but I misplaced the list and need to move to the next task.
I am continuing to write some content and mess with images and image ideas.
It looks like I will optimize for 1024x700 resolution as the best match between tablet and screen resolution, and that I may need to use a flexible layout. So, that is one decision down.
I have been working on my drawing skills. I also discovered that there is a plugin for Carrerra that will let the program render to vector format. That resolved my decision about an upgrade path for 3d and, actually, has me reconsidering using 3d art and rendering as one of my solutions. So, I reinstalled Daz studio and am in the process of reminding myself how the system works. Next up, playing with shaders, lights, and textures to see if I can get the sort of clean line-art-like render look that I want.
I have a few more concept images drawn, and have also typed up the first-pass text for the initial demo. I want to put that text together in TWINE, and a couple of other engines just to see what it will look like.
Next post will be on games that influenced me. It would have been this report, but I misplaced the list and need to move to the next task.
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Progress report.
I have been looking at game engines, and Ren'Py is interesting enough that I am plugging through codeacademy's tutorials on how to use it.
I looked into screen sizes and resolutions, and decided to use the Samsung Galaxy Pro's 1024x600 as my minimum legible size. Folks can make things bigger, but I will try to make all pages readable and useable at that resolution on a seven-inch screen. Oh, and I do not like scroll bars.
I am mapping non player characters to each other and to specific locations. I think I will end up building the first Beta with only one or two locations and only those characters who play a role. Other characters may be seen, but won't be interacted with. I am also working on what I call my Russian Novel chart. Why that name? When reading Dostoevsky and his buddies, where everyone has three names and many of them are jawbreakers, the reader begins to think of R-dude, S-dude and so on. I want to make sure that all my npcs and all my Anthropomorphic Manifestations have distinctive names (David Weber's recent novels haveplots that involve places called Monica, Meyers, Maya, Mesa, and at least one other location beginning with M.) I also want to make sure that they are all visually distinctive. This may break down as players start to throw transformation items at npcs as well as at themselves, but I will do my best to control the number of people and faces to keep track of.
I have sketched out a few more scenes and encounters.
Finally, I have been sketching some concept art for the GUI and characters.
Here is an early draft of the GUI for pages that mix sequential art, some spot art, and about 170 words of text in a 1024x600 pixel window.
My current thought is that a number makes a decision, a letter provides information.
The numbered buttons on the right are choices. The letters on the bottom and the time-location boxes at the top are intended to be constant. The bottom boxes will open up more detailed information when clicked/touched/typed.
I have not yet decided how that information will appear.
I have been looking at game engines, and Ren'Py is interesting enough that I am plugging through codeacademy's tutorials on how to use it.
I looked into screen sizes and resolutions, and decided to use the Samsung Galaxy Pro's 1024x600 as my minimum legible size. Folks can make things bigger, but I will try to make all pages readable and useable at that resolution on a seven-inch screen. Oh, and I do not like scroll bars.
I am mapping non player characters to each other and to specific locations. I think I will end up building the first Beta with only one or two locations and only those characters who play a role. Other characters may be seen, but won't be interacted with. I am also working on what I call my Russian Novel chart. Why that name? When reading Dostoevsky and his buddies, where everyone has three names and many of them are jawbreakers, the reader begins to think of R-dude, S-dude and so on. I want to make sure that all my npcs and all my Anthropomorphic Manifestations have distinctive names (David Weber's recent novels haveplots that involve places called Monica, Meyers, Maya, Mesa, and at least one other location beginning with M.) I also want to make sure that they are all visually distinctive. This may break down as players start to throw transformation items at npcs as well as at themselves, but I will do my best to control the number of people and faces to keep track of.
I have sketched out a few more scenes and encounters.
Finally, I have been sketching some concept art for the GUI and characters.
Here is an early draft of the GUI for pages that mix sequential art, some spot art, and about 170 words of text in a 1024x600 pixel window.
My current thought is that a number makes a decision, a letter provides information.
The numbered buttons on the right are choices. The letters on the bottom and the time-location boxes at the top are intended to be constant. The bottom boxes will open up more detailed information when clicked/touched/typed.
I have not yet decided how that information will appear.
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Laia's Diary Updated
The story Laia's Diary is updated with days 8 and 9. http://artiebartfast.blogspot.com/p/laias-diary.html
Pesky Blogger won't let me use anchors to take you directly to the new prose.
Pesky Blogger won't let me use anchors to take you directly to the new prose.
Saturday, January 7, 2012
The Wolf Story
The world of the Morphing Flash is turning into a better setting for stories than for games, in part because I already know how to write stories and don't have to put in the background work that a game would require.
I posted the preliminary notes for The Wolf Story, the first story in this world, over in the stories tab.
http://artiebartfast.blogspot.com/p/wolf-story.html
I posted the preliminary notes for The Wolf Story, the first story in this world, over in the stories tab.
http://artiebartfast.blogspot.com/p/wolf-story.html
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