Bit of Side on action

So I was busy last night. I was also quite strict with myself and only did about 15 minutes of programming and I was happy, because I proved to myself that what I wanted to do was gonna be fairly easy and pretty fast. Then in a rare show of mental fortitude I left the coding.. and turned off my PC.

Then I went back to the design, which I also carried on while at El Pollo Loco today at lunch time :)

I know, ya thinking HOW do I do the design work while my PC is turned off, and also ho at lunchtime while out. I'll bet ya even thinking I am using a Laptop, but I am not. In fact... I am using an age old technique I have used for more than 30 years designing games.

A Pen/Pencil and paper.

Shocking isn't it. Of course this does mean that all the stuff I have written so far will need to be typed in at some point. But I have a secret weapon that is my wife, and she types ten to the dozen i can tell ya. So no worries from me on that one. I also use paper as i tend to do a lot of simple drawings to flesh out what I am writing about. Those I sometimes scan in.

This is currently what I have for me code. Once agai using CombatEva and a very odd forward shuffling motion. In this picture I am showing our Hero moving forwards (except i cannot see any movement, cos i have no visual queues at the moment (SCOTT!), that was a shout out to my artist :). He is moving across the screen and the camera is following. Except in reality I will conveyor everthing to him instead of him moving forwards. That ball ya see on the floor is CombatEvas head texture on a ball that Scott made for me. It sort of rolls around at the moment and is boring. Though Eva looks like she is about to drill it with a big footy kick, yeah!

So the game obviously will have a bit of side on action, though it will also have otehr angles to play with.

well that's all for tonight. I am gonna write something else in the design now. Cos i am too excited to go to bed and sleep (Me and me mate are going Off roading on our off road bikes tomorrow, Yeah Baby!!).

G'night all,
Da Voodoochief

Self Videoing

I have to say that some times it is just not possible to avoid being on camera. Now i am not really a camera shy person per se, but i do have some reservations. One of the awkward things about being in a video is also trying to be the one actually doing the recording. Cameraman and actor do not go together well...

So tonight i finally felt like i have had enough practice (rehearsing) for my big appearance on an upcoming video i want to create. This is a special video that i am sure you will all view soon enough, or as soon as it is done hehe. I want to be engaging and joyous and magnanimous all at the same time. Things that in real life i am, but when placed in front of a camera i come off as nervous and grumpy. I know i may not be being very kind to myself with that summation, but it sure feels that way.

Now my outtakes on the other hand are quite funny. I am positive anyone that knows me and a lot of people that do not would laugh at some of the things i say in outtakes. But this video is for a serious reason, it is for my company SorceryGames and so i want it to turn out as good as possible.

So i have setup a nice placement in my spare bedroom where i work on my stuff. I brought flood lights in and have two digital cameras (not actually video cameras), and so i can video from two angles to aid in cutting it professionally. I do have a lot of experience with videoing and editing, so that part i feel great about. The setting is just what i feel is nice and so i started recording what i need to say. I have more outtakes than good footage even after all my practice :S However i think on the whole it went well. I feel like i have enough recorded to edit into something usable. Till i grab it off the SD cards and look at it.

BAH! It is too dark.. I forgot to turn on the Halogen flood lights, what an idiot! all that recording wasted. all i can really say is that i also noted that both cameras were not really close enough, so i would need to redo it all for that reason as well. If i learn't one thing tonight it is that it is hard to video oneself, especially when one is a bit self concsious being serious and not amusing.

We shall see what tomorrows attempt brings..

But if you are gonna video anything, remember to get as much light onto whatever you are recording as possible.

G'night