So much story, so little time

This is a piece of text I wrote to add to my GPD as the story part of my overview isn't able to cover everything. The story of my game gets pretty complicated so in my overview I could only touch upon a few things. This is just to give a better view of the connection between the two worlds in my game. Terra Forma and Terra Aether. Although, it still doesn't explain much..

The shadows were stirring.

Knowing that time was short, the priest pushed away from his desk as he turned to his bookshelf. He pulled a large and very dusty book from one of the shelves, moved back to his desk, and opened the book to a page he had already memorised long ago. As he turned his back to the book and started to recite what was written, he clutched a small trinket that was tied around his neck and held it very close to his chest.

I’ve seen the hatred, I’ve seen the death. I’ve seen a pitiful world so now I’ve left.
Don’t be scared, it’s just not your time. If you’re pure then your heart will find mine.

The priest removed the trinket from around his neck and carefully placed it on top of the page he had been reading from. He then opened his drawer and removed a small golden-hilted knife he used for opening envelopes.

He stood up and held the small glinting knife to his own throat. The candles flickered as the crimson red blood began to pour from his throat and down his white robes. He dropped to a heap on the floor just as all of the candles in the room went out. In the darkness, another voice picked up where the priest left off.

It’s not just for me. I did this for you. One day, you’ll see my world anew.
For now, I leave this key and say goodbye. Don’t let them taint my land in the sky.

A figure emerged from the shadows and a candle placed on the priest’s desk re-lit. He moved over to the book and picked the priest’s trinket from the page. He dangled it in the candle-light and analysed it for a second. He then placed it around his own neck and disappeared into the shadows once again.

Then there was silence. The only life left in the room was the candle that continued to very slowly burn away.

Wipe yourself off man. You dead.

Currently watching Rush Hour 2 with James and it's just ridiculous how good these films are. However, I'm also working on some story for my game and it's coming along nicely. Everything is beginning to fall into place! I would love to get Chris Tucker in to do some voice acting though!

Peace out.

What and what not?

As I've been developing the story for my game "Rebirth" I have come to the realisation that I'm creating a game that I would love to play myself. Is that a good thing though?

As a very keen gamer that has been playing for as long as I can remember, I grew up on platformers, RPG's and adventure games. I have huge love for

JRPG's despite their decrease in popularity this generation with western games dominating the market. My point is that, is my taste more acquired than that of the average gamer? Would my game idea be more popular if I just came out with a military themed FPS? It seems that the best selling games of the modern day don't offer much in way of originality. There are exceptions of course but it's not often that I can pick up a new game and experience something completely different to anything I've played before.

As a game designer do you try to make your game as original as possible and give players a new experience (hoping that it doesn't crash and burn and doesn't sell) or do you throw together a game that is similar to whatever is selling and cash in on the popularity of the games already on the market?

A game that I'm looking forward to is Dark Souls. Although, its release seems to be overshadowed by Skyrim's release, Dark Souls looks like a good game with a lot of original ideas and I'll be interested to see how well it sells. Like Ben has said in class a couple of times, knowing the current state of the market is important to being a good game designer.

It makes me wonder what the market will look like in a few years when we actually come to designing our own games because I know I'd rather make a game that I actually believed in and would want to play myself. I'd definitely want to put something new out there that could offer a memorable experience to some nerdy little kid out there somewhere.

In terms of the art direction of my own game, I don't really know yet. I have only ever pictured it one way but maybe that's something I need to give more thought.

My world has been inspired by many different things but in terms of how I wanted it to make you feel, there is a part of Final Fantasy XIII that takes you to a place called "Pulse" and to me, this world screamed EPIC!

Peace out

DAWWWWM!

After getting Gears of War 3 at midnight from Bee in the Arndale Centre (with a free poster and Tee no less) and playing it for most of the night (only stopping for a few hours of sleep), I am sat here wishing I could just bring it in and use it for my presentation (or just let everybody play it). It's a really good game and I would recommend it to anyone who loves pounding chunks of locust (or anything for that matter) into the floor with their fists.

It hasn't disappointed! (so far)

Peace out!

I'm worldly. I've been to Hyrule, Liberty City, Zebes, Fastoon, Na Pali, Stilwater & Sera. All in nothing but my underwear.

The above quote was posted by Dane Cook (the comedian) on his Facebook page today, and it got me thinking about the many worlds and stories I've found myself lost in throughout my life. Some were better than others of course and it got me thinking about what gets me caught up in a game so much that I can't even put it down.

I had a couple of friends take a look at my overview and my full game idea yesterday and the feedback was really positive, I asked whether it made them want to know more about the story etc and I hope to get a similar response on Tuesday.

However, it also reminded me that Gears of War 3 is out on Tuesday (which I have pre-ordered) so right now I'm gonna fire up my 360 and re-visit the planet of Sera. Unfortunately one of my room-mates are home so I'll have to do it in a little more than my underwear.

Peace out!

P.s If anyone plays Halo, Gears of War or anything else on Xbox Live and wants to play, just drop me your gamertag in a comment or just add me. Mine is Skully92.

Brand New Inspiration!

I've decided that I really need one of those small paper bins for my bedroom to put by my desk. As, looking back at my time spent at my desk yesterday, I already have the part down where I furiously scribble down ideas. Once dismissing them as crap, immediately scrunching up the paper ready to be disposed of, but realising I have no where to throw it. Resulting in multiple trips to the bin in the kitchen when the pile of scrunched up paper on my desk really starts to piss me off. I'm saying this completely off-hand and isn't a hint for someone to buy me a paper bin. Although it would be appreciated!

Anyway, after a night out with a few guys from the class and getting to know them a bit I think when it comes to presenting my idea I should be a little less nervous. I spent most of Friday writing up my overview and I just finished it up this morning. I've been thinking about my idea since the first lesson we had and I've been coming up with new ideas and parts to the plot and background. I've been drawing inspiration from other games, films and music. Including a music video of a band that I love called "Brand New". I'm hoping it receives a good response from some of the class and in particular those that like a good RPG and/or fantasy adventure games (I'm gonna be aiming this at Darren as he's a huge FF geek).

I won't reveal too much yet as I want to wait until I've had some feedback from Ben but the working title of my game is "Rebirth". I'll leave you to think about what the game might be about and you'll all see on Tuesday (If I can grow some balls and express myself properly when it comes to presenting it).

Peace out!

Trying to get the hang of it!

Okay, so I just started following all the blogs of the guys in the class and I realised how much more interesting their blogs were and how boring mine was. So, for the last half an hour or so I've been trying to figure out how to change how my blog looks and is it just me or is this website really user un-friendly? I sat for about 15 minutes trying to come up with a better title than "Game development" and all I could come up with was "Ryan's Game Design Blog", that was a pretty depressing half an hour as all I actually managed to do was add a picture! I think I'll get used to it sooner rather than later though.. hopefully.