Plan for Jay Barnson
by Jay Barnson · 01/16/2004 (12:16 pm) · 1 comments
This is not really a grand unveiling, but more of a sneak peek. Here's a partial screenshot from "Void Wars."
Shots like the one above are almost embarassing, because of how much progress has been done on the game in just a couple of weeks since I took this shot. We're getting an "internal test" version of the game ready to be released to the team this weekend (most likely Sunday night). The content guys... dang I envy them sometimes. I spend hours and hours cranking out code that barely makes a noticeable effect on the game... maybe the levels load faster and a collision bug is fixed. These guys can crank out a couple of models in the same time frame that feels like it transforms the game. Another remarkable note is that the content-development side of the team is VERY short on game development experience (as in NONE), but long on enthusiasm. The end result is that the quality of their work has been improving significantly with each submission... and it was pretty good to start with! They've been really easy to work with, which has been great for me, as my team management skills are sorely, sorely lacking... and I don't think I'm improving at the same rate they are. But like the old fighter pilot saying goes, "I'd rather be lucky than good any day," and I guess I'm just lucky.
Anyway - this internal test is something of a milestone for me. Void Wars has transformed from an interactive demo to a real game - a really incomplete game, but a game. I'm catching a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel. I can't wait for some real feedback. The game has suffered a lot of "feature creep" in the last four months, but I think it's been for the best. My initial design was intended more as an experiment than a real product, so it needed some enhancement. We're getting there. I'm having fun *playing* the game now, which is usually a good sign.
So - once I have this stage complete, what's next? One of the top priorities after this is getting the website up before the end of the month. The core gameplay is done, but we've got a lot of gameplay elements that need to get added. New levels, weapons, and enemies. The AI needs some attention. Then we have a TON of UI-related goombah that needs to be done, including player controls for things like sound volume, detail settings, and screen resolution. The multiplayer game, while playable, still needs a LOT of work. Then then there's all the business-side stuff.
I hope that light at the end of the tunnel isn't an oncoming train!
Shots like the one above are almost embarassing, because of how much progress has been done on the game in just a couple of weeks since I took this shot. We're getting an "internal test" version of the game ready to be released to the team this weekend (most likely Sunday night). The content guys... dang I envy them sometimes. I spend hours and hours cranking out code that barely makes a noticeable effect on the game... maybe the levels load faster and a collision bug is fixed. These guys can crank out a couple of models in the same time frame that feels like it transforms the game. Another remarkable note is that the content-development side of the team is VERY short on game development experience (as in NONE), but long on enthusiasm. The end result is that the quality of their work has been improving significantly with each submission... and it was pretty good to start with! They've been really easy to work with, which has been great for me, as my team management skills are sorely, sorely lacking... and I don't think I'm improving at the same rate they are. But like the old fighter pilot saying goes, "I'd rather be lucky than good any day," and I guess I'm just lucky.
Anyway - this internal test is something of a milestone for me. Void Wars has transformed from an interactive demo to a real game - a really incomplete game, but a game. I'm catching a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel. I can't wait for some real feedback. The game has suffered a lot of "feature creep" in the last four months, but I think it's been for the best. My initial design was intended more as an experiment than a real product, so it needed some enhancement. We're getting there. I'm having fun *playing* the game now, which is usually a good sign.
So - once I have this stage complete, what's next? One of the top priorities after this is getting the website up before the end of the month. The core gameplay is done, but we've got a lot of gameplay elements that need to get added. New levels, weapons, and enemies. The AI needs some attention. Then we have a TON of UI-related goombah that needs to be done, including player controls for things like sound volume, detail settings, and screen resolution. The multiplayer game, while playable, still needs a LOT of work. Then then there's all the business-side stuff.
I hope that light at the end of the tunnel isn't an oncoming train!
About the author
Jay has been a mainstream and indie game developer for a... uh, long time. His professional start came in 1994 developing titles for the then-unknown and upcoming Sony Playstation. He runs Rampant Games and blogs at Tales of the Rampant Coyote.
Torque Owner Vashner