Venture Arctic - A Passion
by Andy Schatz · 07/30/2006 (8:35 pm) · 6 comments
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I haven't spoken much about our upcoming game, Venture Arctic. Blogging about game development is one part self-analysis and one part advertising. As an advertising ploy, blogging works to build awareness, but when viewed cynically, is thinly veiled hucksterism. I recently had a brief chat with Phil Carlisle, and I believe he may be facing some of the same problems. Talking about your product in order to sell it sometimes feels likes it lessens the impact of your words when expressing true love for your game.
I talked about Wildlife Tycoon: Venture Africa because I needed to get the word out. I did (and still do) really believe it had some truly interesting and unique qualities about it. Making and selling that game has been the business adventure of a lifetime. Venture Arctic, though, has become a labor of love.
Donnie Bugden and I (the two full-timers at Pocketwatch Games), plus the small staff of independent contractors (Adam deGrandis, John Seguin, Nate Clowar, Beth Dillon, Artie Moffa, Ryan Peterson) have been hard at work on this game for months now. It's a bit of a dream team -- John and Adam are Associates, Beth is a journalist with Gamasutra, Nate is a game artist that, among other things, modeled environments for Myst III, Donnie has built interactive art that has traveled the globe, and Artie was mentored by world-famous poet, Glynn Maxwell. Ryan was an intern and is now at the Collective.
I had to work a bit this weekend, which I normally don't do much anymore, because I had taken off a few days earlier in the week to visit friends. Taking a break, I sat outside in my garden to read a chapter or two of Mind of the Raven, a book on scientific and anecdotal studies of raven behavior. As I sat there reading (and napping), I realized that I was doing exactly what I wanted to. I was enriching my mind and in turn, that knowledge would go into my game (interpreted through an artistic lens) to be spread amongst kids and gamers. My reading doesn't really qualify as research since my personal interests so seamlessly integrated with my professional needs for deeper knowledge about the subject.
I'm not this effusive about Venture Arctic just because I love working on it. I'm effusive because it is turning out to be an incredible game. Our teammembers regularly stop what they are doing to marvel at how cool everything is turning out. I'm not kidding. Adam and I over instant messenger a little while ago:
[10:34] andy: have you heard john's music
[10:34] andy: you heard the first track and then a shitty track
[10:34] andy: you should hear the improved shitty track
[10:35] andy: (sends link)
[10:35] andy: listen to fall first
[10:35] andy: then listen to springFinal1
[10:36] andy: the music is awesome
[10:36] andy: i love it
[10:36] andy: its rouh tho
[10:36] andy: rough
[10:36] andy: there's some cleanup to do
[10:37] andy: summer and winter will also echo each other, but will be quite different from spring and fall
[10:40] Adam: freaking john
[10:41] Adam: this is totally venture arctic
[10:41] Adam: i didnt know what the game should sound like, but this is totally it
[10:41] andy: yep
[10:41] andy: add in ocean sounds
[10:41] andy: wolves howling
[10:41] andy: wind
[10:42] Adam: im hvaing such a good time making this game :)
[10:42] andy: ha
[10:42] Adam: we are definitely making something good
[10:42] andy: yes we are
[10:42] Adam: I'm in love with a stripper
OK, I made up the last line. If you don't get it you don't listen to enough bad radio.
At any rate, the reason John's music is so damn good is partly because we are working from a single aesthetic touchstone: Traditional Inuit Art. John's instrumental selection is entirely derived from instruments used by the Inuit people, instruments brought to the region by explorers, or instruments intended to sound like songs or sounds of the Arctic. Similarly, the animal models were inspired by the shapes of Inuit sculptures and artifacts, the textures are inspired by Inuit clothing, the story is inspired by traditional Inuit stories. Beth has been working with Inuit tribe-members and while we may never get an official blessing from the various powers-that-be, at least her work will closely correspond to the traditional stories and beliefs.
IMAGE TIME! All our animal models are low-poly so that we can pack hundreds on-screen at once.
Musk Ox:
Bowhead Whale:
Harp Seal:
On a personal note, I had been engaged to a wonderful girl, I announced it on this blog, but that ended about 5 months ago. Life was quite difficult for a while afterwards, but friends, family, teammembers, and a love for my work, my passion, helped me pull through. In retrospect, it's nice to know that the things that aren't meant to be generally don't last. I think the experience has also taught me the reverse: the things that are meant to be do last, through thick and thin. Pocketwatch Games has had its ups and downs, but we're riding hard and fast towards another game release, and this game is meant to be.
On Thursday I went to speak to a group of students at the Art Institute of San Diego in a Game Prototyping class. I was to be a Nigel Lithgow (or Simon Cowell or [insert hard-nosed critic here]) for their game pitches, which the teams of 10 would be working on for the next semester. One of the teams had a brilliantly beautiful concept for a historical game retelling the story in Last of the Mohicans. But then the concept wandered off into fantasy land with Native American dream worlds and spirit animals and stuff that was nowhere close to the subject of the film. The team leader said they did that because they were feeling creatively constrained. They actually liked the dream world stuff better. I think what that means is that they were in love with the original concept, but not in love with the thought of carrying it through. I hope they figure out where their interest lies before they go too far down a road they don't want to be on.
Sorry to end on a bittersweet note. I do hope to talk a bit more about the game as we roll through production. At any rate, if any of this piques your interest tell your friends and relatives to sign up for our newsletter on www.ventureArctic.com!
www.venturearctic.com
Please click on the link and sign up for the newsletter!
I haven't spoken much about our upcoming game, Venture Arctic. Blogging about game development is one part self-analysis and one part advertising. As an advertising ploy, blogging works to build awareness, but when viewed cynically, is thinly veiled hucksterism. I recently had a brief chat with Phil Carlisle, and I believe he may be facing some of the same problems. Talking about your product in order to sell it sometimes feels likes it lessens the impact of your words when expressing true love for your game.
I talked about Wildlife Tycoon: Venture Africa because I needed to get the word out. I did (and still do) really believe it had some truly interesting and unique qualities about it. Making and selling that game has been the business adventure of a lifetime. Venture Arctic, though, has become a labor of love.
Donnie Bugden and I (the two full-timers at Pocketwatch Games), plus the small staff of independent contractors (Adam deGrandis, John Seguin, Nate Clowar, Beth Dillon, Artie Moffa, Ryan Peterson) have been hard at work on this game for months now. It's a bit of a dream team -- John and Adam are Associates, Beth is a journalist with Gamasutra, Nate is a game artist that, among other things, modeled environments for Myst III, Donnie has built interactive art that has traveled the globe, and Artie was mentored by world-famous poet, Glynn Maxwell. Ryan was an intern and is now at the Collective.
I had to work a bit this weekend, which I normally don't do much anymore, because I had taken off a few days earlier in the week to visit friends. Taking a break, I sat outside in my garden to read a chapter or two of Mind of the Raven, a book on scientific and anecdotal studies of raven behavior. As I sat there reading (and napping), I realized that I was doing exactly what I wanted to. I was enriching my mind and in turn, that knowledge would go into my game (interpreted through an artistic lens) to be spread amongst kids and gamers. My reading doesn't really qualify as research since my personal interests so seamlessly integrated with my professional needs for deeper knowledge about the subject.
I'm not this effusive about Venture Arctic just because I love working on it. I'm effusive because it is turning out to be an incredible game. Our teammembers regularly stop what they are doing to marvel at how cool everything is turning out. I'm not kidding. Adam and I over instant messenger a little while ago:
[10:34] andy: have you heard john's music
[10:34] andy: you heard the first track and then a shitty track
[10:34] andy: you should hear the improved shitty track
[10:35] andy: (sends link)
[10:35] andy: listen to fall first
[10:35] andy: then listen to springFinal1
[10:36] andy: the music is awesome
[10:36] andy: i love it
[10:36] andy: its rouh tho
[10:36] andy: rough
[10:36] andy: there's some cleanup to do
[10:37] andy: summer and winter will also echo each other, but will be quite different from spring and fall
[10:40] Adam: freaking john
[10:41] Adam: this is totally venture arctic
[10:41] Adam: i didnt know what the game should sound like, but this is totally it
[10:41] andy: yep
[10:41] andy: add in ocean sounds
[10:41] andy: wolves howling
[10:41] andy: wind
[10:42] Adam: im hvaing such a good time making this game :)
[10:42] andy: ha
[10:42] Adam: we are definitely making something good
[10:42] andy: yes we are
[10:42] Adam: I'm in love with a stripper
OK, I made up the last line. If you don't get it you don't listen to enough bad radio.
At any rate, the reason John's music is so damn good is partly because we are working from a single aesthetic touchstone: Traditional Inuit Art. John's instrumental selection is entirely derived from instruments used by the Inuit people, instruments brought to the region by explorers, or instruments intended to sound like songs or sounds of the Arctic. Similarly, the animal models were inspired by the shapes of Inuit sculptures and artifacts, the textures are inspired by Inuit clothing, the story is inspired by traditional Inuit stories. Beth has been working with Inuit tribe-members and while we may never get an official blessing from the various powers-that-be, at least her work will closely correspond to the traditional stories and beliefs.
IMAGE TIME! All our animal models are low-poly so that we can pack hundreds on-screen at once.
Musk Ox:
Bowhead Whale:
Harp Seal:
On a personal note, I had been engaged to a wonderful girl, I announced it on this blog, but that ended about 5 months ago. Life was quite difficult for a while afterwards, but friends, family, teammembers, and a love for my work, my passion, helped me pull through. In retrospect, it's nice to know that the things that aren't meant to be generally don't last. I think the experience has also taught me the reverse: the things that are meant to be do last, through thick and thin. Pocketwatch Games has had its ups and downs, but we're riding hard and fast towards another game release, and this game is meant to be.
On Thursday I went to speak to a group of students at the Art Institute of San Diego in a Game Prototyping class. I was to be a Nigel Lithgow (or Simon Cowell or [insert hard-nosed critic here]) for their game pitches, which the teams of 10 would be working on for the next semester. One of the teams had a brilliantly beautiful concept for a historical game retelling the story in Last of the Mohicans. But then the concept wandered off into fantasy land with Native American dream worlds and spirit animals and stuff that was nowhere close to the subject of the film. The team leader said they did that because they were feeling creatively constrained. They actually liked the dream world stuff better. I think what that means is that they were in love with the original concept, but not in love with the thought of carrying it through. I hope they figure out where their interest lies before they go too far down a road they don't want to be on.
Sorry to end on a bittersweet note. I do hope to talk a bit more about the game as we roll through production. At any rate, if any of this piques your interest tell your friends and relatives to sign up for our newsletter on www.ventureArctic.com!
About the author
#2
07/30/2006 (9:38 pm)
Looks like I have another book to read. I like the Inuit art influence. I'd love to hear the game music. Best of luck to you, and keep us posted.
#3
07/30/2006 (9:51 pm)
Dragon- Hopefully you'll hear some snippets soon! (John if you are reading this, feel free to post some snippets, maybe write a little about your process) 
#4
You might be interested to know that many years ago my father was in Alaska observing spotted owls in their native habitat. While he was there, he spent some good portion of his time teaching the flock of ravens that lived near his camp how to talk. They eventually caught on to quite a few words, not the least of which was 'Hello'. He said it was eerie sometimes when no people were around for hundreds of miles, when you could say "Hello!" and get a response =)
07/30/2006 (10:15 pm)
This is looking utterly fantastic!You might be interested to know that many years ago my father was in Alaska observing spotted owls in their native habitat. While he was there, he spent some good portion of his time teaching the flock of ravens that lived near his camp how to talk. They eventually caught on to quite a few words, not the least of which was 'Hello'. He said it was eerie sometimes when no people were around for hundreds of miles, when you could say "Hello!" and get a response =)
#5
07/30/2006 (10:34 pm)
Midhir- That's a fabulous story. That book I mentioned is filled with stuff like that. Personal stories of people truly relating with nature remind me of how some people manage to live alone for long periods of time: they aren't really alone.
Torque 3D Owner Todd Pickens
Congrats on the progress.