What I Did On My Summer Vacation Part 1
by Alan James · 07/21/2008 (11:12 pm) · 8 comments
Hi Everyone!
Ok, so I don't really get a summer vacation, but I have taken a little more time off than usual this year. We are having some continued sales at both GG and on our site www.monsterpacks.com of the Warehouse Pack, the Downtown District Pack, the Alley Ambiance Pack and the RRGTS Sticks & Twigs Environment Pack. But I've not been especially productive as of late. We've got several projects in the works but I haven't devoted a substantial amount of my time to them for several reasons.
First off I've taken some time to do a few of the things that I've wanted to do with the kids...caves and hikes and waterfalls and such (by the way, the large image files are LARGE! don't click on them unless you'd really like to see the high resolution images):
Shasta Caverns - 15 minutes from our house (boat trip across Shasta Lake, bus ride and tour)
Large: www.monsterpacks.com/contentpacks/summer/Bb_0250A.jpg
King's Creek Falls - About an hour and a half from our house (trail head, 2.4 round trip hike)
Large: www.monsterpacks.com/contentpacks/summer/BB_0255.JPG
Kyle on trail to King's Creek Falls
Large: www.monsterpacks.com/contentpacks/summer/BB_0275.JPG
Castle Craigs - About 45 minutes from our house (trail head, 5.2 mile round trip hike)
Large: www.monsterpacks.com/contentpacks/summer/BB_0281.JPG
Motion Fire - About 4 miles from our house
Large: www.monsterpacks.com/contentpacks/summer/BB_0282.JPG
On top of the Cinder Cone at Butte Lake - Son in Law, Son in Law to be and one of Kyles friends
Large: www.monsterpacks.com/contentpacks/summer/BB_0284.JPG
Whiskey Creek (below the Falls) - About 45 minutes from our house (trail head 2.4 mile round trip)
Large: www.monsterpacks.com/contentpacks/summer/BB_0291.JPG
Whiskeytown Falls
Large: www.monsterpacks.com/contentpacks/summer/BB_0293.JPG
Skull Ice Cave - Lava Beds National Park - About 2 1/2 hours from our house
Large: www.monsterpacks.com/contentpacks/summer/IMG_2095.JPG
I've also been enjoying my oldest daughter, son in law and granddaughter. Last year they returned from the east coast where he had been stationed in the Army:
Emily - my granddaughter - About 4 months
Large: www.monsterpacks.com/contentpacks/summer/BB_0301.JPG
And finally we've been having to get some things in order since Kyle (my oldest son...if you didn't know who he was) has decided to join the Navy. He is scheduled to enter in the spring, but we've had to get a few things together and he's had to be gone a bit here and there for testing and medical exams.
What does this have to do with game development, our content packs and Really Really Good Things Studio?
Well, for starters it's put a bit of a delay on some of the packs that we had intended to release at this point.
It's also going to require Josh, Kyle's younger brother, to step up to the plate and help me out with the web site side of the Studio when the time comes in the spring. I really look forward to seeing Joshua grow in the same way I've seen his older siblings grow into young adults. They all make me very proud.
On the development side, we should have some good news regarding the "RRGTS Sticks & Twigs Environment PacK" in a few days. And in my "What I Did On My Summer Vacation Part 2" I should have quite a few screens to show off of the things that I have actually been working on, including some new Sci-Fi Spaceship stuff I've just started, some additional work on "Rubble & Ruins" Damaged Building Pack and a WW2 style content pack including some trench work, guard towers, sandbag barricades and such.
Lastly with all of these outings and such, Kyle and I have built up a couple thousand textures that we are in the process of making tileable and tweaking for game development. Kyle has already written a substantial portion of a new web site that includes a kind of "cart" for selecting and downloading textures that creates a zip file on the fly. I'm not sure when that will eventually go live, but his java/ajax/php skills are getting pretty good (way beyond what I can begin to understand!).
So I'll be posting "Part 2" in several days, and if you've made it this far, keep at it and really, really take time to enjoy life...no matter how old you may be...
Alan
Ok, so I don't really get a summer vacation, but I have taken a little more time off than usual this year. We are having some continued sales at both GG and on our site www.monsterpacks.com of the Warehouse Pack, the Downtown District Pack, the Alley Ambiance Pack and the RRGTS Sticks & Twigs Environment Pack. But I've not been especially productive as of late. We've got several projects in the works but I haven't devoted a substantial amount of my time to them for several reasons.
First off I've taken some time to do a few of the things that I've wanted to do with the kids...caves and hikes and waterfalls and such (by the way, the large image files are LARGE! don't click on them unless you'd really like to see the high resolution images):
Shasta Caverns - 15 minutes from our house (boat trip across Shasta Lake, bus ride and tour)
Large: www.monsterpacks.com/contentpacks/summer/Bb_0250A.jpgKing's Creek Falls - About an hour and a half from our house (trail head, 2.4 round trip hike)
Large: www.monsterpacks.com/contentpacks/summer/BB_0255.JPGKyle on trail to King's Creek Falls
Large: www.monsterpacks.com/contentpacks/summer/BB_0275.JPGCastle Craigs - About 45 minutes from our house (trail head, 5.2 mile round trip hike)
Large: www.monsterpacks.com/contentpacks/summer/BB_0281.JPGMotion Fire - About 4 miles from our house
Large: www.monsterpacks.com/contentpacks/summer/BB_0282.JPGOn top of the Cinder Cone at Butte Lake - Son in Law, Son in Law to be and one of Kyles friends
Large: www.monsterpacks.com/contentpacks/summer/BB_0284.JPGWhiskey Creek (below the Falls) - About 45 minutes from our house (trail head 2.4 mile round trip)
Large: www.monsterpacks.com/contentpacks/summer/BB_0291.JPGWhiskeytown Falls
Large: www.monsterpacks.com/contentpacks/summer/BB_0293.JPGSkull Ice Cave - Lava Beds National Park - About 2 1/2 hours from our house
Large: www.monsterpacks.com/contentpacks/summer/IMG_2095.JPGI've also been enjoying my oldest daughter, son in law and granddaughter. Last year they returned from the east coast where he had been stationed in the Army:
Emily - my granddaughter - About 4 months
Large: www.monsterpacks.com/contentpacks/summer/BB_0301.JPGAnd finally we've been having to get some things in order since Kyle (my oldest son...if you didn't know who he was) has decided to join the Navy. He is scheduled to enter in the spring, but we've had to get a few things together and he's had to be gone a bit here and there for testing and medical exams.
What does this have to do with game development, our content packs and Really Really Good Things Studio?
Well, for starters it's put a bit of a delay on some of the packs that we had intended to release at this point.
It's also going to require Josh, Kyle's younger brother, to step up to the plate and help me out with the web site side of the Studio when the time comes in the spring. I really look forward to seeing Joshua grow in the same way I've seen his older siblings grow into young adults. They all make me very proud.
On the development side, we should have some good news regarding the "RRGTS Sticks & Twigs Environment PacK" in a few days. And in my "What I Did On My Summer Vacation Part 2" I should have quite a few screens to show off of the things that I have actually been working on, including some new Sci-Fi Spaceship stuff I've just started, some additional work on "Rubble & Ruins" Damaged Building Pack and a WW2 style content pack including some trench work, guard towers, sandbag barricades and such.
Lastly with all of these outings and such, Kyle and I have built up a couple thousand textures that we are in the process of making tileable and tweaking for game development. Kyle has already written a substantial portion of a new web site that includes a kind of "cart" for selecting and downloading textures that creates a zip file on the fly. I'm not sure when that will eventually go live, but his java/ajax/php skills are getting pretty good (way beyond what I can begin to understand!).
So I'll be posting "Part 2" in several days, and if you've made it this far, keep at it and really, really take time to enjoy life...no matter how old you may be...
Alan
About the author
#2
I can see why you're being proud of your sons and granddaughter.
Can't wait to see what you have for Sticks & Twigs, and the WWII trenches sound really exciting!
07/22/2008 (5:02 am)
Really cool pictures Alan! My daughter just turned 4 months old a few days ago as well! I can see why you're being proud of your sons and granddaughter.
Can't wait to see what you have for Sticks & Twigs, and the WWII trenches sound really exciting!
#3
07/22/2008 (5:58 am)
If there was a fire that big 4 miles from my house I'd already be running! 
#4
07/22/2008 (6:22 am)
Great pictures and your content packs are great as well! 
#5
On a side note, do you really live near a creek made of whiskey?!??! It's not too late for me to move there instead of Oregon =)
07/22/2008 (6:27 am)
Cool .plan Alan! Very cute kid, and I look forward to your new content packs.On a side note, do you really live near a creek made of whiskey?!??! It's not too late for me to move there instead of Oregon =)
#6
'Summer' is not another content pack, is it? ;)
Nice pics too... gotta love the fire... :)
07/22/2008 (7:29 am)
I looked at your link locations: http://www.monsterpacks.com/contentpacks/summer/BB_0301.JPG'Summer' is not another content pack, is it? ;)
Nice pics too... gotta love the fire... :)
#7
Really appreciate the positive feedback on the packs so far. If you run across anything, no matter how small (weird aligned textures, funky collision meshes, etc.) let me know. I like to update the packs now and again with any bug fixes regarding the quality of the work and really don't mind some constructive criticism or feedback on improvements/issues.
@Steve
Here in northern California there's really no where to run. A lightning storm came through on June 21 and set off hundreds of fires (1800 statewide). Anyway the Sacramento River is between us there in the picture as you notice and that particular fire spread north to south and we're east of it. It's quite a bit farther south and west of us now since that picture was taken but I still think the bulk of it is uncontained .
@Michael Perry
Oh, man! That's not the half of it, about fifteen miles south of us is Hooker Oaks...
@Koushik
Nah...just happened to be the easiest directory for me to set up at the time....although it might not be a bad idea...? hmmmm....
-Alan
07/22/2008 (3:10 pm)
@Everyone,Really appreciate the positive feedback on the packs so far. If you run across anything, no matter how small (weird aligned textures, funky collision meshes, etc.) let me know. I like to update the packs now and again with any bug fixes regarding the quality of the work and really don't mind some constructive criticism or feedback on improvements/issues.
@Steve
Here in northern California there's really no where to run. A lightning storm came through on June 21 and set off hundreds of fires (1800 statewide). Anyway the Sacramento River is between us there in the picture as you notice and that particular fire spread north to south and we're east of it. It's quite a bit farther south and west of us now since that picture was taken but I still think the bulk of it is uncontained .
@Michael Perry
Oh, man! That's not the half of it, about fifteen miles south of us is Hooker Oaks...
@Koushik
Nah...just happened to be the easiest directory for me to set up at the time....although it might not be a bad idea...? hmmmm....
-Alan
#8
07/22/2008 (7:49 pm)
Quote:...about fifteen miles south of us is Hooker Oaks...Alan James = new community friend =)
Torque Owner Leroy Frederick