Why the do we even try? :)

Jeeze- what's the point of all those marketing meetings where we bang our heads against the wall, trying to find the perfect name for our titles?

This toy is on a SECOND SERIES already! So it's gotta be working!

And I love the Z in BAD GUYZ...like was that JUST so they could trademark the thing or was there some sort of creative logic behind it? Like POLICE VS. BAD GUYS would not send the same message? Are these particular bad guyz of the Mountain Dew drinking, extreme skating variety?

Fucking love it! Not sure if I already posted this pic, but I was in RITE AID last nite and saw the second series and it jogged my brain that I had this pic on my cell phone.

And what was the game I saw yesterday? Something about Little Red Riding Hood's Zombie BBQ?!?! Genius!

Hell, that right there's the game version of SNAKES ON A PLANE. The game could be damn near unplayable and they will still turn a small profit on the name alone. I know I'm picking it up.

That sounds like a great biz plan for a new publisher: fuck the games, it's all about cool, clever names!

By the way, here are some names we were considering for some of our games at one time:

TWISTED METAL could have been named:
URBAN ASSAULT
CARS AND ROCKETS...I STILL love this...no one else does tho :(
HIGH OCTANE
FIRESTORM

GOD OF WAR could have been called:
AT THE HANDS OF THE GODS
DARK ODYSSEY
OMEGA
Just the OMEGA SIGN and no name....

CALLING ALL CARS was gonna be:
CRIMINAL CRACKDOWN
DAMAGE!

Oh and Kratos- from GOD OF WAR- was going to be named Dominus for a long, long time until uber marketing genius Susan Panico suggested Kratos (not sure where she got that from)...and thank God she had that idea because I had designers on the team for over a year doing the, "get the door, it's Dominus" joke...and I assume they would not have been the only ones.

David

ps. also saw this in the toy store! Love they are bringing these back!


My oldest wants this for her birthday! Can't wait to make these this summer!

YOU SHIT ON MY HOUSE!!! YOU SHIT ON MY HOUSE!!!

Ok, I saw this on a neogaf posting today:

++++++++++
Originally Posted by Edge 190:
First Nintendo will not be concentrating any significant marketing spend on the service - journalists attending Nintendo's preview event were told that it was their job to spread the word about WiiWare titles via reviews and other coverage.
... when asked a pertinent question about the limited Wii system memory was raised, Laurent Fischer, managing director of marketing at NoE, easily slipped into talking about how "geeks and otaku" were the only people who want this issue addressed.
+++++++++++

Ok, so if this is true, it's really, really sad.

And not so much because Nintendo seems to be telling a chunk of its loyal fanbase to go fuck itself, but because it's just reeks of junior high school vibe immaturity bullshit.

Ok, take this tangent with me for a sec:

Is it lame that I've seen the movie CAN'T BUY ME LOVE? Is it even lamer that I know the movie well enough that I can quote lines from it for a blog heading? Yeah, that is pretty lame. But fuck you, it's a good movie and Amanda Peterson- she of Explorer's fame- was the siren who sucked me in...and it ended up being a pretty damn good movie...

But anyway, stick with me here...cause Nintendo saying this- IF they actually said it- is like when Ronald put the lit bag of shit on the door step of the geeky kids he used to hang with...I mean, these kids were his BEST FRIENDS for years and now not ONLY is he too cool to hang with them, but he thought it was ok to shit all over their houses too?!?!

Well if this statement is true- if Nintendo said this- then Nintendo=Ronald. And you all know what happens to Ronald.

Well actually he goes back to being kinda geeky AND he gets the girl...but you get my point, yes? He was an asshole.

Now look: I like Nintendo. And I LOVE old Nintendo. And both old and new Nintendo have brought SO MUCH to this industry that they SHOULD be proud and excited and even a little cocky when it comes to their amazing accomplishments. Anyone in our business should envy their ability to read, direct, and redirect the market. And to also- when they want to- make some world class, ground breaking games.

But this statement, especially coming from a marketing person, reeks of one of two things:

a- arrogance at a level that should make Nintendo- if this statement reflects the core of the company- very ashamed.
b- a marketing person who has no real clue about games and thinks she's being cute and coy by dissing the 'geeks' cause she thinks the mainstream loves them now....if this is the case, she really needs someone to sit her down and explain to her which side her fucking toast has been buttered on for years and will eventually get back to being buttered on....

Ok, so that's what I'm thinking today.

Grr!

Back to work :)

David

One more thing...

..hey, Monday will resume more gamey posts, I promise :)

BUT I did want to clear something up real fast as I was concerned- for a number of reasons- about how my video post came across to some people.

And while I am SOOOOO grateful and honored that so many of you all were both supportive and willing to share your own stories of love, divorce, marriage, and all that other touchy-feely stuff (and I learned a lot from a handful of them), this will be the last word from me on it. Again, the details are personal and for my family alone. The video post was just to give everyone an update on my life (a key point- for me- of this blog). I will continue to share aspects of my life, the good and the bad and always the honest, with the reader's of this blog. But I've said as much as I feel I want to on the current subject.

And as to the video:

1- For those who thought I was being nonchalant about the break up, or being kind of like, "Meh, whatever" about it, please understand: this is semi-old news for me. I've had about 2 months to deal with the reality of it and much longer before that to work on the situation with my wife. I have been sad, I've talked to therapists to work thru issues of the break-up and- most importantly- to try and find a solution that will be the best for my children (who-if you don't get from reading the blog over the years- are everything to me). So I am 100% not flip about this situation. It's just that I posted the video months after alot of the shit went down. Trust me, if I had posted the video on the DAY me and the wife decided to separate, I would have seemed less pulled together, less 'it is what it is'....

2- The other thing is, I'm not trying to be a maverick or anything when I say I pretty much 'fart in the general direction' of quite a bit of the rules of society. I respect pretty much all the laws of society (even tho I may not agree with some of them) but the stuff about, "this is what society says you must do to be happy and good' I think- in many ways- is horse shit. And I don't reject these societal laws/rules because I think I'm cool or want to be different or anything like that. I spend a decent amount of time trying to live a soulful, spiritual, good life and I find more often than not that when I really tune into what makes my soul happy, the rules that society lays down for how we are supposed to live seem- to me- silly and not workable. I respect we all have our own internal barometers. And I respect that for many/most people the rules of society are gold and work great. I respect that. But my internal compass points me in different directions than a lot of people when it comes to things like marriage and politics and art. I am fine with that. And I am fine with the fact that- because of this- a handful of you may very well think I am the devil.

3- I don't hate marriage and I don't think it's wrong for people and families. I think it's wrong for me RIGHT NOW. I may remarry one day. I may not. My gut right now says I think it's kind of a- for me- silly institution... but I've been known to change my mind (just ask the teams I work with who want to kill me each time I do :) ). I also think there are many great kinds of families and the idea of a nuclear family being the only kind that works is a silly, naive idea that disrespects and hurts those families who have chosen- or who have been forced to choose- to do things differently.

Ok, not gonna respond to any posts. Lotta work to do this weekend plus, I've said all I need to say on the subject.

Thanks for all the support- see ya'll Monday with something less heavy...I promise!

David

Love and Marriage?!?! Maybe...but not today....

Pardon video quality...seems to be hit or miss these days...

VBlog: Adjusted Vblog Post (earlier post adjusted)

NOTE: The links and videos in this post- besides my youtube video- are CRAZY NOT SAFE FOR WORK and ARE NOT FOR KIDS/CHILDREN or ANYONE under 18!!!! DO NOT CLICK IF YOU ARE A KID or if you are EASILY OFFENDED by stuff of a sexual nature....





Click here for more Death Race Pics!


PORN ALERT! DO NOT WATCH IF YOU DON'T WANNA SEE PORN!!!!! I DON'T WANNA HEAR FROM IRATE PARENTS OF KIDS OR FROM IRATE ADULTS WHO GET OFFENDED EASILY....I AM WARNING YOU NOW!!!

DO NOT CLICK PLAY IF YOU ARE UNDER 18 OR EASILY OFFENDED...or hell, even semi-easily OFFENDED...this is PORN, ok?!?! IT'S PORN!!! DO NOT SAY I DID NOT WARN YOU!!!! But it IS some funny shit!!!

So if you WANNA SEE IT...CLICK ME!!!

Nasty, eh?

And finally: The teaser for the Kevin Smith flick....again: NOT SAFE FOR WORK and NOT SAFE FOR ANYONE UNDER 18!!!! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!

Follow your bliss...

Diary of a Mad, Black Woman

...

ok, I have no idea why I used that title. I'm a Tyler Perry fan...so shoot me.

Anyway...

Out in Utah for full time meetings as these pics can attest:





These meetings focus mainly on scope of the game, budget, feature set, etc. It's basically us meeting with Sony to review where the project is at, not so much game design or production wise, but more from a financial standpoint.

It's so odd/funny/wrong to say 'us meeting with Sony'....we've know these people- and worked with them- for like 13 years. And for many of those years, Scott and/or myself were Sony employees. So it's more just kind of like old times, like nothing has really changed.

Good meetings, got alot done.

Then we went out and smoke and drank a bit:



There's me (with the cee-gar smoke), Scott Campbell, Allan Becker (head of Sony Santa Monica), and Tina Kowlaldekdkwkjdweidjwiejdijsosidski. She is the new head of external development for Sony Santa Monica. And she knows like EVERYONE in the freaking biz. I mean EVERYONE. Most connected person I know. She rocks.

She's actually got this amazing book she's been working on for years that has little sketches/drawings from all of the most successful and well know game designers in the biz...West AND East! It's pretty amazing to see little drawings from Kojima and Miyamoto in there, right next to each other! She should really publish that thing one day....anyway....

Good times.

Ok, still out in the Utah, gotta get in for a design meeting. Chat with you guys/gals later.

David

ps. took a pic of this cartoon from a book on the Disney World theme park ride builders that my brother had. It reminds me very much of the process of making a game and the process of scoping out a game, which we are going through right now (hell, that process never ends, you are always adjusting design, adding, cutting,etc). It's kinda blurry but here ya go:



Panel #1 says: Concept Phase
Panel #2 says: Feasibility
Panel #3 says: Reality
Panel #4 says: Descoping (which basically means, the reality of money and time has gotten in the way so go back to your 'amazing, brilliant' concepts and chop them up!)....hardest- but often times the most important and best- part of making a game. My experience says that 30-70% of what you are forced to cut for money ends up being stuff you needed to cut anyway, so you can get to the heart of your product. And we've cut on this game, but there's alot of meat left on the bone and we're working hard to make sure we don't cut anymore cause I think where we have it right now is the sweet spot. But as always, I know ya'll will let us know if we hit the bullseye when the game hits.

Ok, running late. See ya!

Hmm....I dunno...

Ok...Kotaku turned me onto this flick, made my a prof. in Georgia. All about sex and video games...pretty neat, I suppose.





BUT

the problem I have with it is the same problem I have when academics, forum posters, and game makers- all folks whom it SEEMS (whom? who? whatever!)...but folks whom it seems have never actually been in a position to design a game- decide to go off on how games should be more artistic, emotional, and relevant; how games should deal with more serious subject matter than just power fantasy. They also assume that game designers/publishers are just pandering to the current fanboys instead of growing the medium, or that game makers are simply immature.

And yes, some of that is true.

But MOST of the reason games have not delved into more mature subject matter has to do- in my mind- with the fact that we don't know HOW to do it! Not because we're idiots. But because the medium itself has yet to show much in the way of a capability to examine more serious subject matter in a way that is compelling.

I remember being on a panel with the amazingly talented Harvey Smith a few years ago and he was talking about how he wanted to make a game about death. Now to me, my knee jerk was: sweet, it's an action game like Devil May Cry but you control a bad ass version of the grim reaper and you use his scythe in cool,violent, bloody ways! Love it!!! (by the way, no you can not rip off that idea...that baby is gold!)...

...but Harvey- being a very smart, deep thinker- was talking about DEATH as a force, as the thing that rips lives apart, that turns the circle of life,etc,etc,etc...you know, a deep, meaningful game.

And I loved it. Loved the promise of it.

But I asked him then- just like I would ask now- what is the actual GAMEPLAY!?!? What do you DO with the controller?!?!

And that- it seems- is where alot of us get stuck.

It is very, very, very easy to shoot the shit about our artistic ambitions. It makes us- and the medium- sound good and important and relevant to those who know very little about games. And it makes us- who know alot about games- feel- at times- like we are doing something more than just making electronic theme park rides. And this makes us feel more important and all arty farty.

I love those feelings. People should feel arty farty from time to time. It's nice.

But the reality is, the medium- so far- has shown a piss poor ability to actually deliver on these lofty promises.

And yes, the medium is KIND of young. But it's old enough to have given us SOMETHING along the lines that our critics say we should be making. And if you look at the medium of GAMES themselves, well, there's over 4000 years of road behind us at this point, and there's not alot- anything?- that I can point to in my board/card game collection that evokes deep philosophical discourse and/or deep, emotional release. Sure, you can claim chess is a metaphor for war, but that metaphor is not clear while playing the game unless someone tells you about the metaphor first. Playing the game of chess itself does not make one think of the sacrifices of soldiers or the tragedy of war. And if it does: you so crazy!

Now to me, all of that doesn't mean we should not try.

I played a bit of flOwer the other day, from That Game Company and I was like: hey, this makes me feel....well, it's not my place to spoil their game and tell you how it made me feel. But it DID make me feel. And there have been a few other games the last few years that seem to be doing SOMETHING that, in doing so, affects me on a fresh- for games- emotional level.

So it seems like it IS possible? But the question is:

is this just the start of deeper, more meaningful games now that people are able to start trying out these theories they've had about games for years but can only now- with the indie game scene- execute on those ideas? Or are we killing ourselves to be relevant and meaningful but even with all that work, we're only able to squeeze out a touch here and a touch there, and it's never going to go beyond that?


Ok, lots to do...gotta run! Later ya'll!

David

Some thoughts on Indy 4

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Killing my darlings...

Stephen King once wrote about how- in telling a story- it is sometimes necessary to 'kill your darlings' , meaning that even if you love something you've written or cooked up, putting it in your story can- often times- hurt the piece as a whole because the idea simply doesn't fit into the yarn you're spinning. Same goes for game design. As cool as a play mechanic may be, as cool as a level design may seem...sometimes, it just doesn't fit in with the game you're making. And unlike writing a novel, with game design, there is another reason to sometimes kill a darling: cause it's just too damn ambitious to create!

But that's the production phase...that's the hard part!

Pre-Production is one of the most fun times for a designer because it's- in many aspects- the blue sky phase of the game. A million seemingly cool ideas just floating in the ether, ready to be plucked from the air and inserted into the next great gaming masterpiece! No limits on your game, no limits to your imagination, and no limits to your fantasies that THIS IS GONNA BE THE ONE; this is gonna be the one time when you really do get to make the best videogame EVER!

And then reality sets in (if you have a great producer...which we do) and you have to start making hard choices. And you have to hope that you and the team have the experience and insight to make the correct calls, and that you are tuned into the gut/vibe/spirit of your game so that you kill the stuff that needs killing while greenlighting the stuff that really belongs in the game. If you are lucky, your gut will guide you in these decisions most days. But every project has those 'Sophie's Choice' moments where there is no good decision. Even when the game is done and- hopefully- has gone onto much success, you still wonder: did we make the right call?!?!

But for the last 3-5 months, it was easy and fun. Just blue sky for miles around.

During that time, me and other members of the team have been brainstorming and designing, trying to discover what it was we wanted to make. That work resulted in about 75 pages of notes and sketches and drawings (you can sort of see all those pages in the video blog post from yesterday, altho the video quality- for some reason- is shit).

So in prep for a Utah meeting next week- where we will need to start making some final decisions on aspects of the game- I went thru all those pages and crossed out the stuff that no longer felt right. The stuff that still made sense made it onto this list:



165 single line notes. Each one a mechanic or play idea or weapon or level concept. Each one representing between 3 days of work and 2-3 MONTHS of work! Which means, we ain't gonna get to do them all.

Which means my job today is to whittle these into Category A (the stuff I feel we MUST have and that I must sell the team on), Category B (the stuff I really want and hope to somehow get enough time and support to get it in the game), and Category C (the stuff that we'll probably end up saving for a sequel if we are fortunate enough to make second one).

And the fun part? The other key members of the team are gonna have their OWN lists and OWN categorization of those lists..which means next week should be a fucking blast of haggling, debating, arguing, and- best case- collaborating!

But as productive as next week will be, I know that some of my faves on this list are gonna get slaughtered. Some of my babies are gonna get murdered, and there's just no getting around that. And I'll- as often as Scott or Kellan or anyone else on the team- be the one holding the damn axe.

Wish us luck! :)

David

VBLOG: Indy (no spoilers!), Clifford B, SAG wants MONEY!!!

ps. I actually rented and watched NATIONAL TREASURE 2 last nite, as I was SOOOOO dying for an Indy type movie that I had to see something! I actually liked it- much more than the first one, which I turned off about 1 hour into it.

pps. not sure what is up with the shitty vid quality- sorry!

My GTA4 Ramblings

People have been asking my thoughts on GTA 4. Have not played tons of it so take this 'review' with a grain of salt. I put review in quotes cause it's not really a real review...more of a rambling. So take this rambling with a grain of salt. Or more to the point: take it as the ramblings of someone who has given about 2 hours of his life to it (both single and MP modes...and MAINLY multiplayer). So here goes:

++++++++++++++++++++++

Well I've never loved the GTA series...always appreciated and respected the hell out of it, but the mission design (fetch quests, checkpoint racing, and 'go here and get this object' tasks abound) and the 'we think we are edgy and satirical and funny but we are really just at a junior high school level of comedy but since at least- in games- it's more than most offer and since we've gotten alot of praise,we'll just keep on doing what we are doing' school of comedy really- as you can tell :) - annoys me. There's such an abundance of the comedy and world view that- even worse- it SEEMS like the makers of the game really feel they have discovered some unique world view/unique comedy styling and they just want to shove it down my throat. Not saying this is how they feel. It's just how I feel when I visit the worlds in the GTA universe. But that's just personal taste. It's done really, really well, I just don't care for it.

But so, there you go. Always stunned and in awe by every GTA game since #3 (the the 2D ones were sweet as well) but I've never been a convert to the GTA religion. So GTA 4 was not exciting me all that much...altho it clearly seemed impressive scope wise. To the point that it scared the SHIT out of me as a developer.

And I was VERY excited about the multiplayer in this one. First few nites I did Deathmatch games and the GTA race games and they were kinda MEH for me. But I finally got onto a few games of Cops and Crooks last nite (not sure if it was me or the GTA servers but I had not been able to log on for the last week and do any GTA MP)...I heard this mode was the crown jewel in the game's multiplayer and from a design standpoint, I really do think it's cool.

But the car controls are so bad- to me- that I could not spend more than 30 minutes with it. They are floaty and the cars flip over all the time. The physics model for crashes sucks because the density of traffic is so high and the speeds of the cars are so fast and the result of a crash brings the game to a dead stop...so it's a real momentum killer.

Also, because the city is so big and the road layouts so detailed, you really have to drive by the map. The city streets are kind of dark as well so it's tough to get going up to any real sense of speed and still be able to see the turns coming up in time. The other aspect that bugs me is the realistic city design (non breakable walls that you can't get your car over but you can't see until you are inches away from smashing into them, trees that don't get knocked down when you hit them,etc) does not seem conducive to the arcadey design of the MP modes. And so- with all these aspects- frustration easily sets in for me.

All that said: car control can be mastered. And a map can be learned. So I imagine if I had invested more than 1 hour in the single player, I would have learned the city a bit better and the driving mechanics would be second nature and my fun factor would shoot thru the roof. And I do plan on playing Cops N' Crooks again as I see the massive fun potential in that mode. I really, really like it. It just frustrates me right now.

BUT it does strike me as curious as to why Rockstar didn't fix these issues. Is it because they don't see them as issues? That's a fair reason, to be sure. I think a valid design argument could be made for needing to master a system before fun kicks in. It's just not the way I would go.

Then again- these guys are kings of the world sales wise and any designer would be wise to sit back and study the massive success- design and sales wise- that the masters at Rockstar have achieved. Now review wise? Well, that's something else.

Review wise, I'm sorry...the reviews this game has gotten seem nuts...and that's no backlash...I respect the hell out of Rockstar and am glad they are doing so well...they deserve it. But the praise the press has heaped on this thing seems a touch out of whack...it's like they are desperately trying to find a game that is 'important' and 'meaningful' so to prove they are more than just fanboys pounding out reviews for toys. I hate to be a jerk to the press because I like most of ALL the people I've met in the press and my goal is not to piss them off (hell, we all need the press in this biz) but COME ON...I am NOT saying GTA 4 is not an amazing game, I am NOT saying it's not a watershed moment, even. Perhaps it is. But Jesus, ya'll. There are some serious flaws in this game. Flaws that get in the way of the experience Rockstar has clearly busted ass to created. And I'm not saying some of the reviews have NOT mentioned these flaws, but the scores this game gets seem out of whack given that the game does- in my mind- have these flaws. But again, it's subjective and- to be fair- I have only played 2 hours while most of these guys have finished it. So you know, those flaws could easily fall away once mastery sets in and the gems of the game could then shine even brighter. I'm totally open to that. And if it turns out to be the case- as I play the game more- I'll be the first to admit the press was right and I was wrong.

And look, what do I know? Rockstar should be proud and excited for their massive success. And let's be honest. The majority of the people buying the game are willing to put up with tons of annoying elements (controls, annoying city layouts where the streets are too narrow for the speeds of the vehicles they let you drive,etc.) as long as they get to live the life of a modern bad ass. That is the real secret sauce to the series, to me. And in that regard- as well as many, many others- GTA 4 delivers. It just seems that it may not- once again- be my cup of tea.

BUT- a few more nights of Cops N Crooks and I may just change my mind :)

David

STANDEE HEAVEN!

Not sure if that is how you spell standee. Is it stande? Who knows...but you know, those movie theater and video store displays that advertise upcoming releases?

Man, they are getting more and more elaborate every year! Check out the one for The Hulk that I saw this weekend when I went to see Narnia (walked out of it, terrible, dull-as-shit movie)...



And Kung Fu Panda's standee rocks...and last year's Silver Surfer was- and remains- my fave ever. Hell, even the standee from last month's Prom Night (where you get to open the doors yourself to see what is inside) was amazing!

I used to beg and plead with the video store owners to get the standees when they were done displaying them (I think they are SUPPOSED to either send them back or destroy them, but sometimes they would look the other way). Still, I never got the good ones. But it didn't matter; I would take ANYTHING. I even had a KISS OF THE SPIDERWOMAN standee just because it was a big ass standee from a movie (that I have yet to see and have no desire to ever watch). But hell, it was a real movie ad from the mythical peeps out in Hollywood! That's all I cared about!

But man, the standees today would give movie-geek kids, like I was, freaking heart attacks! I mean, this Hulk one is - far as I can tell- actual Hulk size, so it was really cool to stand under it and imagine what it would be like to encounter the Hulk in real life. Ok, so now we know how big a geek I am because yes, indeed, that was a cool moment for me :)

Ok, gotta run. Been taking my kid to pre-school these days cause after next month, she's onto kindergarden. Man, it goes fast. I don't wanna miss a moment! And then it's back to the desk to start the week- hope ya'll had a great weekend!

Chat soon- David

The Muse Of Fun...

Come work at EAT SLEEP PLAY!

UPDATE:

Hey all: ok, so if you fit any of the descriptions below, please send to: jobs@eatsleepplay.biz...we'll be on the lookout!

BUT PLEASE understand....we are only looking for the positions listed below. I am so appreciative and grateful to all of ya'll who have expressed interest in working together. Who knows what the future holds. But for now, we really only need those slots filled. So if you do something else that is NOT those slots, you really don't need to spend your resources sending in a resume. I will alert you on this blog and on our eat sleep play site when new positions open up...thanks for your understanding!

David

+++++++++++++++++++++



Hey- wanna come work with us on our brand new Playstation 3 game? It's gonna be really cool, I promise :)

Well if you are interested- and you fit any of the below descriptions- then we're dying to talk to you. The company is in Salt Lake City (altho I work from San Diego, so you won't have to deal with my handsome mug every day!) and it's a great, great group of people. I've worked with them for 13 years- on and off- and they just rock.

We've also got a great deal with Sony (worked with them for 13 years as well) and a terrific producer who- unlike other places- will make sure the game actually ships and you get your work seen :)

So if any of this sounds good, let me know in the comments and I will let you know where to send your resumes.

Maybe we'll be working together soon! Sweet!


David


Ok...so here's what we need:

#1-Gameplay Programmer-
Overall, the position of Game Programmer is expected to partner with the organization to:

1. Implement code systems based upon:
• Technical designs as submitted by the Lead Programmer
• Game designs as submitted by game design and art staff
• Working cooperatively with team members to form or further enhance code systems

2. Develop skills to produce competitive and technically superior code systems by:
• Communicating with experienced staff on the team to learn techniques and/or design philosophies
• Working with existing code systems and learning how and why they have been developed
• Seeking outside development influences through either peer relations and/or conferences related to current field and project parameters

3. Support code systems including:
• Pre-existing code systems
• Newly developed technologies
• 3rd Party libraries / tools and technologies
• Provide technical support to art and design staff for tools and game logic code systems

4. Self-Manage programming tasks including:
• Task management based on schedules provided by the Lead Programmer
• Communicate with the Lead Programmer on amount of time required to finish tasks on a timely basis
• Identify tasks that require extra scheduled time or extra programming help to aid completion.


REQUIRED SKILLS – This section outlines skills necessary to perform the function.

• TEAM: Must be able to work effectively with other programmers, artists, and designers in a team environment.

• PROCESS: Must be able to take instruction from Lead Programmer or Senior Programmers and be able to provide insight into a broad range of technical challenges. Must be able to utilize a variety of tools to aid in programming and be able to think beyond the given challenge presented for a potential solution.

• TECHNICAL: Must have a competent knowledge of the programming languages and practices being used on the project. Must possess good problem solving skills and have a working knowledge of 3d Math. Must be able to tackle new challenges as presented, such as working on unfamiliar hardware or code environments.

• PLANNING/IMPLEMENTATION: Must be a self-starter and be able to follow implementation plans provided by the Lead Programmer.

• COMMUNICATION: Excellent communication skills are required to be able to explain programming solutions and ideas. Must be able to adequately provide instruction to non-programming personnel on how to use programmer generated tools and code implementations.

We also are looking for:

#2- Software Engineer: Looking for highly talented Software Engineers with 2+ years experience in some or all of the following: Flash programming, Online game programming, game scripting.

#3- Sr. 3D Modelers: Looking for Sr. Modelers with 3+ years of game specific modeling experience. Must be proficient in MAYA and Photoshop. Animation experience a plus.


So again, if any of that sounds like you, hit me up with a comment and let's see if we can make this happen!

Man, how I love this damn movie!

Just got back from Blockbuster with the remastered Indy flix. This is the third time I've bought them all and I am sure I will buy all three again when Blu Ray hits. Don't care. I'm that much of an Indy freak!

So now I sit, working away on the game while Indy keeps me company in the background!

Sweet! Boulder scene is starting- later ya'll!

David

The Man Who Heard Voices...

XANADU meets THE DUKES OF HAZZARD

Fuck the haters. I LOVED this movie! A little long and a little young/kiddie (for ME!) but overall it rocked...and that scene with the truck vs. Racer X on the mountain road?!? Pure Twisted Metal!

Shame this is getting hit as the first big bomb of the summer. I think it'll be remembered much more fondly than that.

I know nothing I write on my little blog will make any difference, but if you are looking for a good, fun, cool time at the movies, Speed Racer- to me anyway- really delivers. And I was never much of a Speed Racer fan. I knew of it, used to watch it on and off as a kid...but had/have no real allegiance to it. So I'm not biased, you know? With Indy 4, it could be terrible and I will still love it cause it's Indy. Not so with Speed Racer.

This makes me wanna go get the game- which I hear is darn solid, especially for a movie game.

David

O 2 B IN LA!

EDIT: Not sure why the video quality is so poor. Will check into it and make sure it's fixed for future posts- thanks!
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Where it all began! :)


Me and Scott, kicking it as toons!


Only in LA!


Thanks Rey! Fantastic stuff!!! Ya just never know!


Livin the dream, bitch!


My visit with Mr. Wheaton!

Gotcha,fucker!

It's nice to know that sometimes even the biggest, baddest mother fuckers out there have a weak spot!

And that's all I'm saying for now!

David

ps. more posts to come this week...last week was crazy insane. Fill you all in later!

pps. Yes, Iron Man was crazy good! In the rank of all time great summer flicks, it's in the top 20% for sure. In the rank of summer films from the last 10 years, it's in the top 1%. THIS is how they used to make summer movies; this is what summer movies used to be! Not just great fx, but great story, imaginative moments and set pieces, characters you LOVED...and that all added up to a movie you wanted to see again and again. I NEVER see movies more than once but I am SURE I will see this one more time in the theater. And if not that, day one Blu Ray purchase for sure. Get going on the sequel, already!!! :)

Don't forget! Our first LIVE BLOG BROADCAST (is it blogcast?) is TODAY so stop by at 5pm Pacific and interact with me and Brady Fletcher- newly appointed editor in chief of PLAY magazine!-as we talk about the game biz and interact with everyone on the blog LIVE!

Just scroll to the bottom of this blog, click the POPUP/POPOUT window tab, and join in the discussion!

Still scrambling for topics but I think we've got a couple of good things to talk about...and bring whatever questions you may have!

David

Interesting Observation

I was riding in the car with my father-in-law yesterday and he said something that stuck with me.

And I paraphrase:

'Man, the media sure can't get enough of that story of the swimmer being eaten by that shark...it's on the news constantly...'

If you have not heard the sad, shocking news: a man was bitten- and killed- by a great white here in San Diego, about 150 yards from shore! The attack occured- by the way- about 5-10 minutes from my house!

But so I guess it's been all over the news. Local or national, I don't know. My in-laws watch alot of local news. But I did see it on the front page of DRUDGE, so I guess it at least made a few national ripples.

But what struck me as interesting about this comment is how much it says about the way many of us consume media these days.

In the last year- probably two- most of my media has come from the surfing the internet and from playing video games on my tv. Yes, there are still some shows I TIVO and love...but nowhere near as many as back in the day. And sure, I go out out to the movies alot/Netflex stuff,etc. But my sort of bread and butter/daily media-and certainly my NEWS media- is net based. Which means I get to CHOOSE what info bombards me. And if I don't choose what someone else chooses- or if I don't choose what the cable networks are telling me is important- I really do have alot less of a sense of how important something has been deemed to be.

And I sure as hell ain't complaining. I just find it interesting.

For example, these days, based on the info I surf, my view of what has been deemed important is:

-Iron Man opening on Friday
-GTA IV hitting on Tuesday
- Indy IV fluff news
-What certain colleagues of mine in the industry are up to on a personal level
-Why Obama lost PA and what it means for his bid to be the Democratic nominee
- How to get two Asian women and a small, Uraknian folk dancer named Mimi to bend over in juuuuust the right way as to....er, wait...that's...that's private, that's just for me :)

But you see my point. This is the stuff that's on MY radar.

And it gets me wondering something...something that- by the way- I am WELL aware that much smarter and better writers from places like Wired magazine have been pondering for so long, they're bored of the discussion by now...but for me, it gets me wondering: what happens when tv is pretty much dead and we are ALL getting our personalized info off the net? What happens when we no longer- in the real world-have many/any of the same shared info/experiences because our frames of reference have become so specialized? Is this good? Bad? More importantly, it's going to happen so what will the world look like when it does? Will we treat each other better? Worse? No different? What will tie us together then? Maybe we'll then have to start to talk about issues that are more universal regardless of where you get your news.

It also gets me wondering about my father-in-law. He is in his sixties but loves the net and uses it like a pro. Why in the world is he still getting his news from television?!?! Old habits die hard, perhaps? I will ask him next time I see him.

Ok, going shopping- chat soon. later ya'll!

David

ps. don't forget! Our first LIVE BLOG BROADCAST (is it blogcast?) is this Wednesday afternoon so stop by at 5pm Pacific and interact with me and Brady as we talk the game biz! Just scroll to the bottom of this blog, click the POPUP/POPOUT window tab, and join in the discussion!

ROUNDTABLE EPISODE 1

Join me and Brady Fletcher- the new editor-in-chief of Play Magazine- this coming WEDNESDAY at 5PM PACIFIC for our first ever episode of ROUNDTABLE, our live blog show all about games and the gaming biz.

If you scroll to the bottom of this blog you will see the live blog viewer. You may need to click on the POPOUT tab to get a full window that will let you see the show and be able to interact with us.

But interact you will...er, if you want to :) Basically we're gonna be talking about the gaming biz for 30-60 minutes as well as taking live questions from viewers of the show. So any of those questions you always post in the comments section but I never get the chance to answer, now's the time to ask me live. And anyone wondering about game ratings (including Play Magazine's bold new rating system) or game journalism in general, Brady's your man!

We may never do another one of these, we may change the name, we may change the format, who knows (I really wanna get some industry folks on with us). But we're gonna try it...all prepared and everything, this time :)

So stop on by and give us a try, interact with us, tell us we suck...whatever floats your boat! Hope to see ya'll then!

David

Vblog: New Hat + Disneyland + Michael Bay Rocks!!!

I GO FOR MINE, I GOT TA SHINE!

Wow- what a great fucking concert! I have NEVER wanted to see the same concert more than once but dude, if Kanye West was coming back, I would SO see him again. The opening acts- for me- were just ok. I would have been VERY happy with just Lupe Fiasco and then Kanye. But whatever.

But the main show?!? SOOOOOO fucking good! I was always a big Kanye fan but now? HUGE fucking Kanye fan.

So what else?

Oh three things:

#1- GREAT to be back! Missed ya'll! :)

#2- See the upper right of the right side of the blog? If you have not noticed, I'm on twitter now, so you can follow my EVERY MOVE! It's kind of addictive...I was updating from the Kanye concert all night!

#3- I did an interview with The Escapist web magazine last month about a game we were working on called HEARTLAND. Never came out and this article goes into aspects of why. Check it out!

Ok guys- will prob. do a video post later today, so check back if you are so inclined!

Also, will be doing our first official live blogcast with Brady- the brand new editor-in-chief of PLAY magazine- end of this week. So watch for that too!

Talk soon!

David

Ok, I really promise...this is the LAST video I upload...

...tomorrow is a NEW post and no more of this stuff from the web that I think is amusing...but given that Forgetting Sarah Marshall just hit, I thought this would be appropriate :)

You may have already seen this...

...but if not, you really should.

I don't like posting videos to my blog that are not our own but I think this is really, really worth it.

Nice to be back. Will do a new post tomorrow.

David

I know I am on hiatus...

...but I ran across this and HAD to share:




With the exception of the confederate flag (which makes me kind of ill), this is ALMOST enough to make me join the army...just so I could drive and ride in this thing! Amazing!!! Man, when I strike it rich, I'm so getting me a General Lee!!!...with an American Flag replacing the confederate flag, naturally :)

Ok, back to work- see you guys in a few weeks!

David

10 Minute Break!!! Everybody out of the pool!

...err, everybody out of the blog, I mean...and a 1-3 week break is more like it :)

I think hiatus' for blogs suck. They are the quickest way to watch your readership plummet. And right now, with daily hits being at an all time high, I hate to duck out for a few weeks. But turns out, I gotsta.

Major time right now in the life of our design and while the blog takes little of my time- especially when I do video posts- I just don't want any distractions while I pound out a few key documents for the team. Also in the next 1-3 weeks I got:

a- my birthday
b- my mother-in-law's birthday (and a big surprise party....and she don't read this blog and no one she knows does either so we're safe! Don't tell her, dammit!)
c- Taking our kid for a surprise visit to Disneyland. I remember when Scott did this for his kids about 8 years ago and I always thought, 'Man, that sounds so cool! Making them think they are going to school and at the last second, you hit the freeway and head to Disneyland! When I have kids, I'm doing that!'....well now we have two kids and one is old enough for Disneyland so we's going! Hell, truth is, the trip is probably more for me than her but hell, she'll dig it too :)
d- Going up to Sony to pitch Allan and Shu on the current state of the game
e- GTA 4 hits and I'm gonna need a few days to digest what I am sure is going to be a bar raising- fuck it- bar SHATTERING experience.
f- I imagine I will head out to Utah for 1-3 days to work on the game and pitch the documents once I am done writing...

So with all that PLUS these key design days I got ahead of me, I really need my focus and energy.

I will be back in the next 7-21 days, no doubt. This is not a long haitus, just a few weeks. I'll miss the blog, I'll miss you guys. Hope to see you all very soon!

Thanks for all the support and thanks for reading- talk soon!

David

MARVEL MOVIE MADNESS + LIVE BLOG TEST TODAY!

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LIVE BLOG TEST NEWS:

NOTE: Me and Brady Fletcher will be testing out our live blogging 'show' today at 5:10 Pacific time. We are only going to go online for about 10-15 minutes just to test it out in prep for an actual show we are going to start doing. If you want to say hey and help us test out the service, scroll down to the bottom of this blog. If you can't see us talking, hit the button that says POPOUT and you should get a window that shows us chatting. Stop on by, interact with us, and help us get a sense of what the actual show should be about! Thanks ya'll!

David

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Ok...on with the post :)

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Something amazing is happening at the movies and I’ve gotten so used to it that the magnitude of this event almost passed me by.

Check it out: We are in the middle (maybe towards the end) of a Marvel Comics movie explosion!

Now to younger folks who may not know what the name Cannon Films means, who may have never seen what ‘The Boy Who Could Fly’ looks like dressed up as the Human Torch, who didn’t nightly curse the names of Golan-Globus before they went to bed, this is probably a ‘what’s the big deal’ moment.

To those youngies, they just take for granted that this summer Iron Man is gonna be tearing it up on one screen, while down the hall the Incredible Hulk is kicking ass and tossing around army tanks. To these kids, it’s no big deal that last year they got to see what Ghost Rider looked like on the big screen, they got to watch the FF battle the Silver Surfer AND they got a third installment of Spidey with not only Black Suit Spidey but Venom, Sandman, and Goblin II tossed in for good measure! And the fact that they’ve already gotten to watch Daredevil battle Kingpin and Blade battle vampires? No big deal.

But to me- a Marvel Comics geek- it’s a HUGE deal. And it took some amazing shots from the new IRON MAN flick to wake me up and get me to realize that this is really happening!!! (I would have posted those new shots but it seems Paramount has gone around to the various sites that were hosting them and requested they be taken down…but rest assured, they rocked!!)

I just never thought I’d actually see the day when so many of my childhood heroes got the big screen, big budget treatment. But now I walk into any multiplex, and I’m likely to be greeted by a standee of one of the Amazingly Masterful, Monumentally Magical, Mega Marvel mainstays! (That’s for you, Stan!!)

And soon, from what I hear, there may be an Avengers flick, a Thor Flick, and a Nick Fury movie?!?! I mean, come on!!! They should get Angelina Joile to do a Silver Sable movie, too! But that’s just me being greedy!

Do I have a point with this post?

A few points actually:

a- I’m just fucking crazy excited with every new IRON MAN still I see. And Favreau has never made a bad movie. This could be the biggest hit of the summer…bigger than Indy or Batman!
b- I’m just sharing the love cause as a kid growing up loving comics, I never thought I’d see this day. Which brings me to…
c- …ONE DAY- maybe soon- Hollywood is going to really get behind games in a big way and make some damn good movies out of these properties. It may take a few more years for games to really get mainstream…it may take another generation so the majority of the studio execs are the ones who grew up playing CALL OF DUTY, DEVIL MAY CRY, and METAL GEAR SOLID. But it will happen. It will be HARDER than making movies from comics because comics already have good-to-great stories and iconic characters. While the scripts certainly don’t write themselves, a lot of the ground work has been laid…Games on the other hand tend to be based off movies anyway and have shit-to-average stories that would not cut it at a pitch meeting for a low budget, straight to video flick. But the themes and characters and worlds of these games ARE worth crowing about and CAN be translated to film in a big way. At least I think so. Hey, maybe the God of War flick will be the first GREAT game movie!!!

So yeah, I’m excited.

Ok guys…I gotta get to work. But in celebration of Marvel movies kicking ass, this morning I picked up one of those Iron Man Slurpee cups at 7-11! I even got the $1.50 straw with shellhead on the top!




I felt like a bit of a dork buying a Slurpee, let alone a Slurpee in an Iron Man cup, let alone a Slurpee in an Iron Man cup with the official Iron Man straw, but what the hell.
Summer movie season is almost here, ya’ll! Sweet!

Later ya’ll!

David

YO ADRIAN! I DID IT!!!

Another reason I miss Los Angeles...

...massive movie billboards that take up entire sides of buildings!!!

My brother- who still lives in LA- sent me this yesterday. think he said this one was on the corner of Highland and...shit, I forget. But man, look at it! It's so big! Even tho I really do not like the final Indy poster (it's just boring and Karen Allan looks like she's posing for a portrait at the Sears photo studio), it's still great to see Indy back and larger than life!

Only in LA!...well, and in NYC and other big cities...but certainly not in the burbs of San Diego :)

But yeah, I used to love to drive down Sunset and see all the giant ads for the new flicks coming out. Heck, I remember for God of War we were toying with the idea of spending most of our marketing dollars on a massive animating Kratos billboard that would have loomed over Sunset Blvd! That would have been so cool! But doing so would have blown our marketing budget for the title, so I think Sony marketing chose wisely! :)

Ok guys- gotta get to work. Talk a bit later!

David

My new office...

Sitting at a Starbucks in Carlsbad, Ca while my wife takes a pole dancing class down the street. She's been pole dancing for fitness for like, 8 months now, and she's just nuts about it. And my God, it has transformed her body like you would not believe. I've taken a spin or two on the pole we got at our house and let me tell you, that shit is HARD! Now granted, I'm not in contention for World's Strongest Man, but hell, after just one spin on that pole, I was sore for two days. But anyway, she's there, so I'm here, working :)

We're back in LA for a wedding we went to last nite. One of the lead artists on the GOD OF WAR series got married. The wedding itself was personal and sweet and clearly full of love. Plus we had a blast seeing lots of the God of War/Sony Santa Monica team. It was tons of fun.

Then me and my wife went to the best Mexican restaurant in the world for brunch this morning...check it:



Mmmm....Panchos! If you are ever in Manhattan Beach, you gotta give Panchos a try. It is so good! And the chips alone are worth the trip!

God, it's been good being back in LA. Gotta get our asses back up here soon...I miss this town!

Maybe we'll swing by GATE OF INDIA on the way home so we can have Indian food when we're back in San Diego tonite! Yumm! Gate of India!!! :)

Man, I'm sitting here with the Sunday LA TIMES next to me, just begging to be read (LOVE the Sunday LA TIMES)....yeah, I gotta alot of work to do...already behind on the design...but damn, it's Sunday...what to do...Ok...I'll work for a good hour, then chill and read the paper as my reward! That'll do it!

Chat later ya'll!

David

LOVE IT!!!

Reader Da Dark Knight just sent me this pic he did of me, Kratos, and Sweet Tooth having a cook out! I freaking love it!!!



The orbs from the grill rock and check it out: Kratos is wearing a USC jacket! Fantastic!

Dark Knight, thanks! You made my day!

David

ps. gonna show the shirt I am wearing in this pic to Scott. Would LOVE to get Eat Sleep Play shirts like this for the fall! This design is perfect. If we get one made, I'll send you one Dark Knight!

Hey World...Check ME Out!

The amazing GAMETAP service has picked my games for its Playlist of the Week!

It's basically a game version of the itunes celeb playlist, where I post little blurbs about my top 10 GAMETAP games...

Check it out and you will not only learn about the world's best video pinball game and what inspired the level design in God of War, but you can also discover what a smooth playa I was back in junior high!

Click me!

Thanks to Gametap and Gametap's Doug Perry for the very cool opportunity! Appreciate it, guys!

Later!

David

VIDEO BLOG: Design Conundrum + BAFTA award! + wedding haircut blues :)

Lying Down on the Job...

...the last few days have consisted of compiling tons of new ideas about the game we're doing, writing tons of notes, chatting with Scott out in Utah about design direction. Today and tomorrow are all about putting all those elements together, killing some, reviving others, and putting it all in a document.

So for a change of pace and scenery, I spread all my notes on the floor and stuck itunes on shuffle (Duran Duran into John Williams into Nelly into 2pac into Gwen Stafani into Samantha James into Ray J into James Horner into Queen into Mary J into Hugh Grant channeling the 80's ((from Music and Lyrics!)) into etc,etc.etc......Shuffle rocks!)....and then I plopped my ass down and got to work.

Check it out: my workspace for today:


Something was/is so fun about working on the floor...feels like being a little kid, you know? The creative energy is just different down there. I love it!

Anyway, going to lunch. Just wanted to share! Take it easy, ya'll!

David

ps. oh, and don't let anyone tell you the whole 'rule of 10' is bullshit in game design (or whatever it's called). You know, the idea that you need to design your game so that there is something that excites/engages the player in the first 10 seconds, then the first 10 minutes, then the first hour,etc...that's a real important set of goals to design around and we're trying real hard to do it...check it out:


With a game like GOD OF WAR, you only need to worry about exciting the player moment to moment because it's a roller coaster ride. With what we are doing now, you let the player loose in your world and hope you've packed enough cool stuff in for them to make their own fun...so it's a much tougher challenge.

I erased my 'answers' cause I ain't giving anything away but thought I'd share a glimpse at my white board anyway to show one aspect of how we try to design our stuff.

Oh, and yes, that is my kid's art around my work...my drawing skillz do indeed suck but I CAN- at times- draw a bit better than a 4 year old! :) Ok well, the car up there, that's mine. But the smiley faces, those are my kid's, dammit! :)

pps. yes those are strategy guides on the floor with me. They help me go back to games that inspire me and see if I've missed any of the depth or core ideas that are not always apparent on a play thru. They are both instructional and inspirational and intimidating (when you realize how much STUFF goes into a AAA game these days!!!)

How Lucky I Am...

I sit here on a beautiful sunny day, the breeze floating in thru my open window, along with the sound of birds and the rustling of the willow branches just outside.

Music plays over a computer that allows me to do the work I love, and connects me to family, friends, and colleagues all over the world.

I have my health. My family has their health. As do our friends.

I am surrounded by the books, toys, games, and photographs that have made up 30 something years of my life. And while I know they are just things, it is still nice to have them around me.

And downstairs, I hear my two daughters laughing and yelling and playing pretend. They are happy and content and safe and loved.

I am blessed to have such joy in my life.

Ok, I should probably keep my mouth shut...

...but...I can't in this case.

I check my blog log every day, just to see where folks are coming from before they hit my blog. I'm always interested to track down the obscure and no-so-obscure links that lead someone here. It's often times fascinating.

Well on this morning's perusal of the blog log, I find this. Click me!

It's a web address for a game design/game art class at the the Illinois Instititue of Art. Looks like they are/were studying game design docs (not sure when the link went up). And it looks like they've linked to the CALLING ALL CARS doc/post I put up last year as one example of a game design document. No issues there. I'm somewhat flattered.

However, I do take issue with a doc I co-wrote being included in the assignment when the assignment tosses out such gems, regarding design documents as:

"In case the in-class lecture on game design documents didn't convince you of their importance, you can read this Adams article entitled "Why Design Documents Matter."

Look, Earnest Adams may be a great designer, I don't know. Have not played any of his games (I've played some of the Madden football games he's provided video for however and those were great). But as many of you know- and as readers who read the post attached to the linked-to-design-document know, I don't think design docs are worth much anymore. You need 5-15 pages to get the concept across. And then little emails for the rest of the project sent to the folks who need and want to know the rest. None of the GOD OF WAR games had a game design doc and we did just fine.

Here's another quote I love:

"...you do not have time to produce a 67 page document, but here's what a GDD looked like in 1996. Sorry, they just keep getting bigger."

Says who? Who says that design docs just keep getting bigger? I think it's a terrible thing to tell future game makers that EVERY GAME game HAS to have a mammoth 250 page bible/phone book in order to kick start production. Do some? Sure? Do most? Not sure. Do All? Hell no.

And it's a downright lie to suggest that game docs keep getting bigger and it's just the way the biz is and that is how things are going...in my experience they do NOT just keep getting bigger. They keep getting smaller.

My experience says that: no one reads one of those meaty fuckers, it takes TONS of valuable development time to write it, and it's a waste of several good trees. And game making is iterative. If you spend 4-12 weeks writing a doc, and THEN start production, within a week, a good 5-25% of your doc is useless because a programmer or artist or designer or janitor in the building had a, 'hey, what if we put this over here and make button X do this instead' moment and POOF! All that work you did is rendered useless.

But look, I am not suggesting the work, the design process is any different. You still should think shit thru on paper/white boards and with blocks/toys as much as you can...but that's for you, the designer, so you KNOW what your game is and so you can answer questions about it and so the team can build some faith in you that you are not making it all up as you go. And that design work occurs throughout the whole development process. If you sit and try to design it ALL up front you will miss out on the magic of production, the magic of iteration.

To me a design document is a roadmap at a very high level. It gives you the main highways and routes and even shows some of the individual side streets and interesting rest stops along the way. But it's not a Thomas Guide. And if it IS, I sure as hell don't want to take that road trip cause there's a good chance it'll end up taking me to someplace boring and dull and someplace I've already been 50 times before.

Later ya'll!

David

ps.again, hated to say something but damn, if you are gonna include a link to a doc I wrote and that link includes MY THOUGHTS ON GAME DESIGN DOCS that clearly contradict the person linking to me, at least acknowledge the difference of opinion on your page that links to me! Do not toss me into your philosophy and make me guilty by linksociation (hahah! See what I did?!? I made a new word! Man, I rock!)....

pps. I'm sure you will find many designers and teams who LOVE design docs. I know some of the GOD OF WAR team would have loved a design doc. No worries there. But link to them! :)

ppps. Not really upset, more annoyed/amused. I think it's great there are actual classes out there teaching game design! Yeah for us, our medium, and our industry.