It’s been several months since I wrote a proper update about my game development projects. That’s really what the purpose of this site is for, after all. So here’s an update.
I’ve been working for months on a new animation system for my next game. Unfortunately, not everything is working out smoothly…
My new 2D character in 3D… may not represent final gameplay.
I went to too many events last year. And I’ll probably do so this year too.
To start, I’ll be at the Comic Book Syndicon on February 14, 2016! Come see us in the St. Clair Centre for the Arts in the heart of downtown Windsor from 11am to 5pm. Tickets are only $5! Organized by our local comic expert group Comic Book Syndicate, not only will you see local comic artists, merchants, crafts-people and cosplay, you’ll see tables for things not advertised on the site, like a game developer or two (me!), Windsor’s own Hackforge technology group, and St. Clair’s animation club!
Only a few minutes away from where I live, I couldn’t pass this up. I only have my two released games to show, but I’ll be working live on my computer on the animation for a new game to come, letting visitors see how the process happens! For more information, visit their official page: http://comicbooksyndicon.com/
It’s that time of year. Black Friday eve, when North American shoppers all eagerly seek the best value for their dollar. Also, American Thanksgiving.
As expected, my two games “Unfinished – An Artist’s Lament” and “Drew and the Floating Labyrinth” are both on sale this year at only $1.94 on Steam. This sale lasts until December 1, although you can expect a certain “winter sale” to repeat these prices soon. If you don’t like Steam, both IndieGameStand and MacGameStore should have similar prices at similar times in the next week or so. This is my first time having games available on Steam during the infamous Winter Sale, I hope “Unfinished” will break its first milestone of 1,000 copies by next week.
More importantly, I’ve posted tutorial videos and given talks about my unusual technique of using 2D animation in 3D space, which I like to call “3D Cel Animation.” Many people have asked directly for the Unity3D files, and I finally got around to uploading them. You can find them on my GitHub account, which I now hope to update more often in the coming years. These files should work with Unity3D personal addition, v5.0 and higher, and contains the complex layout of perspective planes around an object with a script for the camera to determine which plane to make visible. You’ll have to do the drawings yourself, and I hope to see what other people come up with soon.
Look below to watch some of the old videos I put up to remind you of the process.
I take pride in being from the Windsor, Ontario. That being said, I also know it’s very easy to make fun of. It’s one of the most southern parts of Canada, at the very bottom tip of Ontario. It happens to be a major border crossing with the United States, being across from Detroit, Michigan, which has its own infamous reputation. We used to be a city with a big part in the automobile industry, until it crashed in the late 2000’s and we were left without any real identity. You could write a joke book of “dissing” Windsor based on this information alone.
However, I’ve spent the last couple of years living near enough to the downtown area to start to notice public events that make our city what it is. One of our biggest identities right now is comic books: we love them, and 2015 has been a big year of showing it, with multiple comic conventions and even an art gallery exhibit.
“Comic Book Syndicon,” one of several Windsor Comic-Cons in 2015
“Unfinished – An Artist’s Lament” was originally planned for a release on July 31, 2015 as of two weeks ago. I wasn’t certain I could keep this release date, so I didn’t advertise it too much… sure enough, animating the ending cutscene and adding certain features took a bit longer than I hoped. The current build was finished on July 31, but I moved the release date to Tuesday, August 4 to give the stores some time to prepare. Steam and IndieGameStand will host the game, and hopefully so will MacGameStore and WinGameStore.
To prepare you, this post provides a detailed rundown of the background of the game, from development to now, to guide you as to what to expect. I hope it helps.
“Unfinished – An Artist’s Lament” is now finished!
