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:

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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

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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