I'm finishing up the game script that I mentioned a few days ago. It's an interesting project because, even though I'm officially the game's "designer," it's totally a matter of game-design by committee. Everyone in my group has a different idea of what we should be doing, and, in trying to appease everyone, the "group" somehow decided that the game should be absolutely generic.

No, seriously.

Not exactly the sort of thing that interests me, but it's actually kind of fun to work under this
type of constraint. I'm not allowed to make the main character a character at all, which creates a different style of storytelling and dialogue than I'm used to. I'm trying to maintain a light, non-specific tone, like the sort of text you'd find in a Pokemon game. The Legend of Zelda series has also been a huge influence. My ComedySportz training is definitely coming in handy here, too. Shades of Cwazy Quest and countless pun games.

Here are a few quotes from our Game Design Document:

"High Concept: A top-down, text-based, puzzle-adventure game about fixing your mistakes throughout a theme park to save your job. "

"You play a loosely-defined amusement park employee at risk of losing his job if he is unable to restore the park's haunted house in a night. "

Would you like to know the name of the game? Would you really?

Are you sure?

You definitely want to know the name of our generic, theme park-based puzzle game?

Fine. Here it is:

Puzzle Park

We came up with all the puzzles and gameplay before deciding any specifics regarding the story. This was my idea, which you might find surprising. I really had to fight to make the game this way, rather than story first. I'm going to talk about storytelling in games once I have enough time to really give the subject the attention it deserves. It's one of my biggest interests.

I have about an hour and a half to finish the script, so I'll leave you with a few examples of what I'm writing:


----Kiddie Park---------------------------------------------------------------|
|Ohhhhh! You did it! Come to me, Mr. Bun-Bun! Snuggle, snuggle, snuggle!
|
| Press SPACE to continue...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

----Haunted House-------------------------------------------------------------|
No! Not the ANIMATRONIC! What did they do to you, old buddy?

Press SPACE to continue...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

----Kiddie Park---------------------------------------------------------------|

Right on, chicky baby! You got the TRACK!
Press SPACE to continue...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

----Cartoon Land--------------------------------------------------------------|
Woo. That was some mighty fine electrician-ing. Thanks, a bunch. I owe ya,
pal. If there's anything I can do ya for, just say it.
Press SPACE to continue...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

----Pirate World--------------------------------------------------------------|
Captaining a boat's no easy task when you're missing an eye. And a leg. And a
hand. The life of an amusement parrrrrrrk shop owner ain't an easy one, but
it's the life fer me! Press SPACE to continue...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

Award winning material!

Thursday?

DigiPen moment:
I sat down in one of the computer labs last night. The guy next to me (someone I barely know) turned sharply toward me, raised his arms, and shouted, "Epic fail! Epic fail!"

Then he walked away.

A term I just learned:

Sturgeon's Law: "90% of everything is crud."

I was quite proud of myself when I came to this same conclusion years ago, but according to Wikipedia, Sturgeon made the proclamation 16 years prior to my birth. Good for him.

A conversation I had today:

[loud noise]

Jake: Was that a yawning train?

Nels: Sounded like it.

Jake: It did sound like it!

Try to Work It into a Conversation

Soggy Waffles
[1. n.] The effect of freezer burn on Eggos. ("Leggo my soggy waffles!")
[2. adj.] Mediocre. ("That's just soggy waffles.")
From the fact that, even soggy, waffles are okay.

Evaporation, Condensation, Claymation on My Mind

Has anyone ever heard of this short? I don't know that much about it, but the style is freaky in the best sort of way.





What? This isn't stop-motion at all! I couldn't find the video I had in mind, but I have to post something in the next twenty minutes or lose the challenge. Actually, I started writing a non-YouTube post, but I don't think I have time to finish it (expect it later this week), so you get filler. Yeeeeeea, filler!

I Love the Web

Fire and Ice

Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I've tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.
Robert Frost

Comments about this poem (Fire and Ice by Robert Frost)

more comments >>

Click here to write your comments about this poem (Fire and Ice by Robert Frost)

Sita Madu-Wynn (1/21/2008 8:55:00 AM)
Triple rhymed, Great imagination....Well penned!


From http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/fire-and-ice/

Dolly Parton Ain't Got Nothin' on Me

Remember that project I complained about a few days ago? I worked on it until about 2:00 this morning, went to bed, and went to school to work some more. I think I was at school from about 8:30 - 6:00, breaking only to go to class. I think this is pretty much the sort of school schedule I'll have from now on.


Ten-and-a-half hour days are really nothing new - I was doing way more than that even in high school - but I had hoped to get finish my work early today. Check out what I could have been doing:


Seattle has a pretty amazing live music scene, so I'm sure it won't be long until something else comes along, but that would've been an awesome show.

On the subject of that assignment, though, I think I might like this computery stuff, after all. I mean, to be perfectly honest, I spent the entire weekend strangling my monitor and threatening the Microsoft Visual Studio compiler, but actually finishing and submitting my work gave me genuine a sense of accomplishment and relief. It felt nice. I tried to share my joy by demanding that the other people working in the lab "kneel before me and praise me as your lord, you filthy swine, for I have completed works of such magnificence that your god could but look upon them and hang his head in shame," but I guess DigiPen students have some difficulty with empathy.

The Pipettes

I just discovered a pretty good band. Perhaps you will also enjoy their music. Imagine something halfway between the Spice Girls and the Supremes. You kids like the Spice Girls and the Supremes, right?

They're retro, but unmistakably modern.