I did a light version of Inktober this year – I was too busy in october to participate, so I saved the prompt list and spent some days in November drawing my favorites from that list. That resulted in these illustrations:
How to back up your game project with GIT (for free)
Talking to indie devs, the topic of backing up game projects often comes up. They know they should, but they don’t know how or it seems too complicated. I was there too, but since I started using GIT, I never want to live without it. So I thought I’d write a GITting started guide (sorry). This isn’t by any means the way to do it, it’s just what I’ve found to work best for me.
August 2019 update: wrote a new and easier workflow with screenshots now that Github offers free private repos too.
STEP 0: …What the hell is GIT?
Continue reading “How to back up your game project with GIT (for free)”The gamedev tricks I used to make Coyote
While making the Coyote remake in Unity, I had to make some interesting game design decisions. I figured you might enjoy a behind-the-scenes look at some of these details.
Coyote was originally a fully 2D game, but for the remake I found the perfect asset package to build the town with instead of redrawing everything. I knew I would have otherwise never made the one-week-deadline of the Remake Jam. But a switch from 2D to 3D comes with its own unique set of challenges:
Continue reading “The gamedev tricks I used to make Coyote”2019 roadmap
2019 is going to be a good year, I can feel it in my bones. I can’t explain why exactly, but it’s a combination of coming off a successfully completed project with a creative high, seeing a lot of opportunities appear and knowing that really putting my energy into it can have tremendous results.
So, here’s a list of things I’m hoping to accomplish in 2019.
- Build off the success of Minimal Raider to create a similar game which is longer and has my own style and narrative.
- Collaborate with other indie game devs to create better games, and perhaps build it out into a nice side business.
- Build up a local community of creatives.
- Get back into doing frame-by-frame animation and post short animations based on songs I like to Instagram.
- Speak at a conference.
- Learn to really play the piano.
- Buy a house.
- Super secret stretch goal.
Minimal Raider released
Happy new year! I’m starting 2019 off right with the release of a small game I worked on at the end of 2018: Minimal Raider, my submission for the #tombraiderjam on itch.io.
I’ve always been a fan of the Tomb Raider franchise, so I had to seize this opportunity to play with the formula. And I learned a lot doing so, as this is my first fully 3D third-person game. (It doesn’t even use Adventure Creator!)
Continue reading “Minimal Raider released”Big reputation, big reputation
The first thing I watched on Netflix in 2019 was Taylor Swift’s Reputation tour. I loved 1989, but I hadn’t really checked out her newest album yet (or any other album), so: great excuse. And it reminded me why I like Taylor; the phenomenon around her has gotten immense, but in the center is still this genuine likeable person – who still genuinely loves what she does.
2018 recap
2018 has been a funny one. Even though it’s technically been a quiet year for Hedgefield lots has happened still.
Intern
For starters, I had my first intern! Kim Leunen from the HKU asked if she could intern with me for a few months, so every week we sat down and spent the day making games.
It was really refreshing to work with someone from the game world again. And like me, Kim started from illustration and now wanted to tell interactive stories, so our design vision was very similar.
We wrote a new concept from the ashes of Black Feather Forest, and built a prototype for her girlscout forest adventure game (a recurring theme in my career by now). I look forward to seeing what she creates.
Read the rest »Inktober 2018 selection
I don’t usually get around to doing inktober, but this year I was doing a lot with my iPad Pro, so it was easier to roll into it. What helped me especially was not to try and do the prompts list, but just draw whatever was on my mind that day. If there is an emotion behind it, I find it’s easier to start drawing.
Hey Frank, isn’t that your horse?
I’m enjoying Godless on Netflix a lot so far. Though as much as they market it as “it’s a western town full of women!”, it’s the small scenes with Jeff Daniels that steal the show. Like this one.
Back out West
This week is Remake Jam on itch.io, which brought me back to my first (finished) game project, Coyote. I’ve been wanting to make a sequel to that for ages, but I’ve got enough games I need to finish first. But in the context of this jam, I thought it might be fun to rebuild the original in Unity, using everything I’ve learned since 2011. I’m not sure I can pull it off in one week, but it’s already been fun to rebuild the town in 3D (using this great asset store package) and recreating the intro. I’m excited to work on this further.
