A Game Down and Another Year to Go

This blog is a long, rambling, and useless blog detailing what I'm planning next year. I don't think it is much of use, but if you are going to read it, I have to caution all readers before. I have a habit to go on and on and on, so bring a long a pillow and enjoy a comfortable sleep through the blog!

How are your New Year?

During the last New Year, I was busy at home finalizing, debugging, and adding the finishing touches to my game. As you noticed, I don't have a life. On a curious note, if you have a day job, and you have game development as a side-job, I wonder how much life would that person have. I guess most people on that area would agree with me :P

you can find more details about the game in my previous blog.

Based on the new changes that are done that are significant is that we completely overhauled the whole interface system to use the real interface instead of dummies, finished up a few new levels that were missing during the last blogs, added more NPC scripting, finalized the sound effects/music/cutscenes, and redesigned the levels by adding more gameplay elements to help new game players. All that is left now is to wait for the final approval from the committees (which are rather pleased during the last meeting), and we would be able to finally end the project when we install the game to the computers for the kids to play.

It is quite difficult at times to look back when the game is done. Though making a game has its up and mostly down points, when all is done, it feels much like when a daughter or son leaves the home - not that I have any kids, but just the analogy. The many sleepless nights and days. The many arguments and critique with animators and artists. The many anticipation in the hands of the approval committee. Strangely it seems so surreal... Can't figure how to say it to words when a project that has been part of the life for the better part of the year is suddenly over.

So what does the future hold? For all I can say is that at the moment, one game down and the future is there to behold. What to do next year? Though I'm still planning, I got a few ideas up my head.

The first thing that pops into my head is that I'm thinking about writing a localized book on TGE with another local partner. I do think this would be an interesting idea considering that I've managed to accumulate quite a knowledge of this system based on the last game, and coupled with the increasing number of people interested in TGE in my country, it sounds like a good combination. As most readers have language barriers, especially many newer and less experienced developers, it sounds rather feasible and probably would help add to the community. At the moment, it seems there is like me and Aun from my country posting here from time to time. Could have a few more people you see :P At the moment, I've drafted a rough outline of things that I think would be of interest, and did some preliminary background work.

Secondly, I've did some talking with a number of different places regarding the future game development project. As I can't afford to hire a full team to work over an extended period, at the moment, I should continue to save up money until the opportunity arises again. So at this moment, I'm interesting in partnering with other teams as a free-lance contract developer again to add a few more games to the belt and in the same time have fun from making another game(if you notice, I'm trying to pick some project that is not mundane and repetitive). From a number of talk with contacts and people, it seems highly probable that I would be working on another TGE game as a partner/developer in another company. The project is quite interesting, and I can't wait to start it. At the moment waiting for the requirements and advanced stages of negotiation over details over the project. Once things are done, I'll update more here along with new and exciting progress of the project (I hope).

One other area that I do want to do this year to work on a few more research papers. During the last year, I had been working rather hard on side-jobs/volunteer work that I didn't publish any paper. The bad part about doing research is that it is expensive, and in my area of the world, research work is not adequately renumerated. To be exact, you lose money for doing research, and that isn't an ideal situation I suppose. Since I've been smirking here for a while I'm feeling guilty. However with some money saved up, I think it would be a good time to resume this activity. Though doing research is mostly a money losing enterprise, at least I should take the opportunity to use traveling to these conferences like a holiday since I hardly go on one X'D On a short note, researching is pretty fun also :P Anyway, not sure if you are interested, but the next stop I'll probably be going is at the GRAMM2007 (The 3rd International Conference on Computer Graphics, Animation and Multimedia (GRAMM2007)), and it would be held in Khon Kaeng, Thailand during May 2-4. For more details visit the temporary website here: zeus.cp.eng.chula.ac.th/~pizzanu/GRAMM2007/

One other thing that I plan to do is to find a place to finally start my PhD. Its been a while working and getting to preoccupied with my work that I differed my study plan for years. Maybe its time to finally take a look considering I don't think I would be moving from the academia area. Hmm... needs to take some time to look around and decide on this. Money is an issue though. I'm a poor boy :P The only scholarship that I can get my hands on are those with slavelike conditions after graduation... Hmm... Or should I just defer it again? LOL

Other than that, I hope to be able continue to work on my secret new game. Nothing of much interest. Its been brewing and differed for too long. I do think game developer might have their own pet project hidden somewhere just waiting for the right aspects to fall in place before starting work. I have that predomination for a while. Maybe I should finally take the time after all of this to finally continue work on it and dust it out of the closet :P

A few new skills that I want to learn is to understand meditation and yoga techniques better. During the work of the last game which was religious, cultural, and traditional by essence, I had come into contact with more and more religious texts especially on Meditative and Yoga areas. Though I'm rather cynical by nature, I have huge respect for the ancient mediative and yoga techniques that defy modern scientific thinking. Sounds silly, but hey, I'm interested in that :P

So after all the year's plan, there is one thing left. I forgot to ask Santa for a present during Christmas. I think I'm a good boy. TSE/TGEA v1.0 please :D

p.s. Just Joking. A Belated but hopefully not too late Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!