Blog for Anton Bursch at GarageGames.com

Super Tuesday!!!

Anton Bursch — 2008-02-05T21:11:28+00:00

If you live in the US and you aren't completely consumed with your Second Life then you know that it is Super Tuesday.

If your state is voting today, don't forget to get out to vote.

Remember... Republicans hate sex in movies and Democrats hate violence in video games.

Your choice should be clear today.

Sex or Violence.

Movies or Games.

Sometimes having the freedom to choose requires making hard choices.

It's a bitch.

Can I say bitch on the internet?

Is either party against swearing online?

Which one?

I don't know!!! Damn it!!!

Indie First Person Shooter

Anton Bursch — 2007-11-05T02:16:27+00:00

So, the Gap is the latest corporation to get caught using child slave labor. They claim no knowledge, that it was a subcontract from one of their contractors. Ok. Maybe. Doesn't change the fact that children were working 16 hours a day, sleeping on a roof, using overflowed urinals, eating misquito covered rice, being beaten for slow labor and if they cried being beaten an oil soaked cloth was stuffed in their mouths. This brings me to the point of my blog. Something I've been thinking for a long time.

With all of the anti-terrorist and anti-nazi and anti-communist and anti-alien and anti-demon first person shooters to play... what about an anti-enslavement first person shooter? If I am going to mow down someone with a mini-gun, how about the people who are running slave labor shops?

How about sex slave traders as well. And the pigs who come from free countries who are paying for sex with children.

It would be like Splinter Cell... only it would go after a group of monsters who are being ignorned.

You know, when I think of why these people are being ignored, the only reason I can see is that these monsters are enslaving and torturing and killing women and children. They are not a threat to men. Huh. That's kinda messed up.

I wonder what the anti-violent video game people would say to a first person shooter in which you blew the balls off of a child rapist or took the pipe away from the guy who's been beating the woman who isn't sewing fast enough and gave him a beating.

What would we say to that game?

Would that cross the line between fantasy and reality too much? Would that make a first person shooter actually matter? Actually inform gamers of the kind of horrors that are happening in the world that they can stop, maybe not by killing, of course, but by not buying from stores that use slave labor. Or allowing porn from countries using slaves.

That would be an indie first person shooter. Don't know if it would make any money. I wonder if it would make any difference though?

Social Impact of Games or Are Games Just For Fun?

Anton Bursch — 2007-09-22T22:19:40+00:00

Are games just for fun or can games make serious statements and raise serious questions about social and political issues? Should they?

Music, paintings, sculpture, photography, poetry, movies... Art has been a means of social and political discussion. Should games join the discussion? Are games Art? Or are games just for fun?

For the mainstream games industry I think the answer is a clear and resounding NO! But what about the indie game industry? Is there a place for a social and political discussion in the indie game industry?

I watched a film about health care in the US a few months ago called Sicko. I walked out of Sicko thinking that regardless of what anyone thinks of the social and political statements made in the movie... could a game be made that made statements?

I watched a film last night on DVD, one of my favorites, called Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. It was an action/comedy from the writer of the Lethal Weapon series and other films such as The Last Boyscout and The Long Kiss Goodnight. It's a very very funny modern noir film. One thing I really liked about the film is that in the midst of humor and action it had a lot to say about some very serious social issues: child abuse, date rape, homophobia, fame, murder, self defense, vigilante justice. All dealt with very seriously even though it was ussually softened with humor.

I've been writing short private detective stories for a number of years now. Kind of an on/off again thing. I've wanted to tell private detective stories for a long time and I've debated whether or not to try to tell it in the form of a game. My hesitation has always been that the story and the characters are not shallow. There is a lot discussed(not with lectures, but with story and characters) that would be considered political or at least heavy social commentary. Can a game be accepted if it has something to discuss about society and politics? I honestly don't know.

What do you think? Can games handle serious discussions about child abuse, slavery, genocide, curruption, rape, theft. What about health care, education, peace, fame? What about lieing, cheating, stealing? What about religion?

Can games take part in the discussion of the things that impact society? Or are games just for fun?

Beowulf: an Indie game

Anton Bursch — 2007-06-18T06:12:27+00:00

Well, I'm busy for the next year working two part time year long contracts. A 20 hour a week and a 30 hour a week. Making pretty good money. Not to bad for my second year working full time on game programming. Both studios are very cool to work with so far. I'm pretty darn happy with my career right now.

So, now, I have a little free time again and I'm starting to work a few hours here and there on a game based on Beowulf. Yeah, I know there's a big studio game being made already and probably another based on the 3d animated movie coming out, but those are mainstream games. I want my Beowulf game to be very much my own creation the way I want it and I will probably release it for free.

I'm using TGE for now. Until I get up to speed on TGEA again. The game play will be action and adventure. A LOT of dialog and walking around with a bit of action here and there. I want to make this very dramatic. I'm going for a very story telling way of making the game. I want to see if I can make a playable story rather than just an action game. In fact, I'd say I'm shooting for only 10-15 percent action for the game.

My wife and I are planning a trip to Iceland to do some 'research' and photograph for this game sometime in the next year or two. Here's a few pictures from someone's trip to Iceland on the internet
http://www.simonho.org/Photos_Ice.htm.
Imagine this in Torque Advanced.

Click image to see fullsize.

Click image to see fullsize.

Click image to see fullsize.

Click image to see fullsize.

Here's a couple pics from the Gerard Butler( 300) Beowulf and Grendel movie from last year. I was lucky enough to be in one of the cities that screened this movie in theaters. I've got it on DVD now. Great film despite it's low budget. This movie is much more what I'd have in mind for my game then say... the 13th Warrior. More drama less action.

For now I'll be working on making the main setting for the game. The village. Get a good visual for the game while I'm working out from the book how to translate the story to a game. Or I may write my own Beowulf adventure and base the game on that. We'll see. If I can translate the book into a game I will. I do have a feeling I will be writing my own Beowulf adventure.

Car Datablock Edit Gui

Anton Bursch — 2007-05-25T21:23:22+00:00

Hey, I just made a gui for editing the wheel vehicle car and tire and tire spring datablocks while driving around. Would that be something worth posting as a resource? I know I sure hated messing with the wheeled vehicle datablocks manually going back and forth between the game and torsion. Not sure if other people would like this bit of work to use. It's easy to add to your racing game demo to tweak your car on the fly in game. I like it.

Congrats GG on the 50th game in the game store! That's awesome news! I've very excited for you guys!

An update on me... I'm working on some part time long term contracts. Having a good time. Not really much spare time to do my own thing nowdays, but, that's ok, cause I'm loving my contract work. The work I'm doing is with Torque Game Engine and TorqueX and Torque Game Engine Advanced. I'm all Torque, baby!

I saw the new Pirates movie last night. WOW. The 3d work done on Davey Jones just makes me freak out about the future of 3d. Amazing!! To think, in our lifetime, Davey Jones was created. That's an amazing thing. And in our lifetime games will be that amazing as well. That is so cool.

I'm waiting another 36 minutes to download this demo for the Tomb Raider Anniversay game. I wonder if it will be cool? I know it's not very 'indie' to redo a game just for the sake of sales, but I think everyone wishes they could go back and redo stuff they have done before. Artists are never really done with their art.

FREE MIT COURSES ONLINE

Anton Bursch — 2007-03-28T10:34:15+00:00

ocw.mit.edu/index.html

I am so excited right now that I can barely contain myself. This link above is to a MASSIVE repository of actual MIT courses from under-graduate to gratuate. You can't earn the degree from taking these, well, you might get a head start toward one, but you will LEARN.

Here's the list of links to the types of courses as found on this site. Now, let me tell you, this isn't just some half ass job on these... it's the lectures in audio and video, it's class notes, it's the fricken CHALKBOARD notes, it's EVERYTHING but the teachers. I am seriously in some kind of nirvana right now going thru this website.

I could never afford to attend MIT. Yeah, in college I did very well, 3.9, but my high school was C- and D + due to undiagnosed ADHD. Yeah, some of us really have it. I'm 32, almost 33, and I can't really think about going back to school fulltime while I'm working fulltime developing games now, but I can now take the classes I have been dieing to take!

Now, before you decide that my excitement is just being hyper... take a look at these areas of study from the coolest place on the planet.

ocw.mit.edu/index.html My new homepage. :)

Aeronautics and Astronautics
Anthropology
Architecture
Athletics, Physical Education and Recreation
Biological Engineering
Biology
Brain and Cognitive Sciences
Chemical Engineering
Chemistry
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Comparative Media Studies
Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences
Economics
Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Engineering Systems Division
Experimental Study Group
Foreign Languages and Literatures
Health Sciences and Technology
History
Linguistics and Philosophy
Literature
Materials Science and Engineering
Mathematics
Mechanical Engineering
Media Arts and Sciences
Music and Theater Arts
Nuclear Science and Engineering
Physics
Political Science
Science, Technology, and Society
Sloan School of Management
Special Programs
Urban Studies and Planning
Women's Studies
Writing and Humanistic Studies

I swear, my new dream in making games is to make it rich so I can retire early and spend 40 years in school!! :) Hey, it's a dream, I can dream can't I?!

One Year Anniversary

Anton Bursch — 2007-03-15T23:07:03+00:00

March 15, 2006 was the day I was hired by Big Time Games and began my career as a full time game programmer. Today is my anniversary. In this year I've gone from $10/hr to $30/hr. I've got my name on the credits for 2 published games. I've had the best time of my life. I've also had the biggest struggles of my life. I wouldn't trade this year for anything.

If you ever dreamed about this game development as your real job... I highly recommend doing whatever it takes to make that dream a reality. It's totally worth it. You'll work more than you ever have in your life, but you'll be happy. Also, it's great how fast you can give yourself a raise as you get more and more credits. :P

What's up for this year? So far... contracts for a soccer game and a sci-fi fps. I'm also doing prototyping work for games going on consoles like the Wii and 360! Very cool. I'm also doing some Flash game programming. Suprised by that. But games are games. Meanwhile... on my own... I'm making a space racing game with a couple artists I've met this year and a composer and I've got a studio interested in it already. I love this career!

Catch you all around the forums! Keep on Torque'n. You work hard enough... next thing you know... you're getting hired to make games with Torque. :)

Do We Need Game Producers?

Anton Bursch — 2007-01-02T11:59:13+00:00

A thread here got me thinking and talking about the role of game producers. The thread was a discussion about who should follow who's game design: artists or programmers. To which my response was: neither, how about a game designer. I also added that the artist/programmer pairing has clearly shown thru the life span of indie games to be a failed or at least rarely successful path to developing an indie game.

I suggested that games should be made by complete teams of at least: artists, programmers, game designer and producer. That leads to the question: what exactly does a producer do? I said my opinion and I shared this definition on Wikipedia. (click the quote to read the whole definition)

Quote:
A game producer is the person in charge of overseeing development of a video or computer game.

What do you guys think? Do indie teams need producers? Should someone be specifically in charge of overseeing development of a game? Someone besides the artist or programmer or designer?

What makes a good producer? Is it management? Is it communication? Is it breadth of understanding? Should people aspire to be producers? Or should only the artists and coders and designers be in charge? Can artists and coders and designers work together well enough for there to be no need for a producer?

I know my opinion, but what do you think? Game development teams without producers want to know.