Blog for Hallam Lowmass at GarageGames.com

Time to get motivated.

Hallam Lowmass — 2007-05-28T04:49:04+00:00

Have you ever been so keen to do so many things that you end up not knowing where to start and eventually doing nothing !!!

well, in my previous blog post i think i talked about setting my self goals to actually get things finished, well, that was so long ago that i can't remember what the next bit of my game i was gonna finish. I just happened to be listening to a song the other day which i had been listening to when i was all keen on making a game and it has resurrected my enthusiasm, and thus i am now making a game . . . again . . . abliet with some changes in scope.

Previously i was doing a top down view scrolling shooter in TGB with plans for about 15 levels. Now, i'm doing a top down view scrolling shooter in TGEA with 5 levels.

i need to now resurrect the document with the game plan, art asset list and mission briefings from my old computer and modify it accordingly.

I've begun making the player ship, a view of the WIP model is on my deviantart page

http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/56143200/

Best Laid Plans . . . etc.

Hallam Lowmass — 2006-12-29T04:11:24+00:00

Well, in my last blog post i layed out my big plans for a little game i planned to do. i even set myself some goals that weren't unreasonable, that was all back in october.

on oct 25 i set myself the task of doing a few things for my planned scrolling shooter. these were the goals . . .

Next Goals: Write Mission Briefings, Create Art Asset List for Level 1, Concept Sketches for all 3 Player Ships
Goals to be completed by: Sunday Morning, 29th of October

i actually got fairly close to completing them too, by the 29th i had written mission briefings for 10 of the 15 missions, created an art asset list for level 1 and done a concept of 1 of the player ships. and since then, i've done not much, i have played with code in TGB which was fun, i managed to sort out some paths and spawning and GUIs, scoring and timing too.

so the question is, do i push on with the game? maybe i should because now it's just really a matter of making the graphics for it and plugging it into the code i've made. it's just there's other projects that are interesting me aswell. My major one is i'd like to look at making a multiplayer version of uplink, man i love that game, it's cool fun.

anyway, i'll try and make a decision on what i should do in the next couple of days and then stick to it and continue to set myself goals, and reach them too.

A New Start

Hallam Lowmass — 2006-10-24T17:18:24+00:00

Wow, it's been a while since i've been here, well, this little blog is to announce that i'm planning to make a game . . . funny that, anyway, below is the marketing spiel for those who don't like lots of reading, and below that will be even more stuff to read about the concept and where i'm at so far.

//-----------------------------------//
Space Shooter Game Plan
Format: Vertical Scrolling Space Shooter
About the Game:
In 2252, the human inhabitants of the Earth, a fledgling space faring people are viciously attacked
by a previously unknown alien force. The Earth, unprepared for an attack from outspace is on it's
knees, at the mercy of the alien invaders, it falls you . . . Mercenary . . . to give the earth forces
enough time to regroup and counter attack.

Battle Invading alien hordes across 15 levels choosing one of 3 different ships, each with it's own
strengths and weaknesses as well as it's weapons, collect upgrades to shields & weapons
as you try to save the embattled United Earth Defence Forces (UEDef) from total annihilation.
pick up automatic drones to assist you on your way, and save your precious mega-weapon ammo
for those times when there's just too many bad guys !
//-----------------------------------//

So that's the marketing speil, i knew i should have been a salesman! the reality is i need a game that i will actually finish. a scrolling space shooter (2d in TGB) looks like it'll be the easiest out of all my grand computer game schemes.

I've had TGE for 2 years now, Cipher game engine for over a year, and TSE for a few months and so far haven't really done much with them, i installed the TGB Demo on the weekend and i think it's just fantastic.

I decided, last night, to create a game with it. What would be a game i could finish? a simple one, that's what ! and what's simpler than blowing up hoardes of aliens, i mean, you all know that we're gonna be invaded by vicious aliens at some stage in the future, my game will just be preparing the next generation to fend them off !!!!

The game will be a vertical scrolling shooter, something like those arcade games like . . . Rayden Fighters? i'm not sure if that's the name of the game i'm thinking of, but you can get the idea, i mean, saying the words arcade, vertical and scrolling in one sentence you can imagine what i mean.

I've started outlining the game already, for example, listing the setting for each level (eg, earth, moon, space etc. etc.) the next step will be writing a mission brief for each of the 15 missions / levels. I think that will help me in the level design stage and also give me a goal to work towards for deciding on art work and enemies etc. after the briefings, then i'll make a list of art assets required (for level 1 at least). after that . . . concept design . . .

I think that i must set myself a goal each week to reach in making this game.

Next Goals: Write Mission Briefings, Create Art Asset List for Level 1, Concept Sketches for all 3 Player Ships
Goals to be completed by: Sunday Morning, 29th of October

bugger, i think i'm going scuba diving on the 27th and 28th . . . anyway, that's the goal