Yawn... So, where was I?

Good question.

Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

Yeah. I figured. Good luck finding someone to answer THAT question. I'm the one that's been living (supposedly) this life, and even I can't answer with any clarity.

Oh, by the way, I'm using Ben Stein's image without his persmission. Don't tell him. OR, maybe you should tell him. Nothing would get me out of these doldrums so quickly as a lawsuit, preferably long and drawn out and high profile.

I was going to link it to his site, but... Maybe that would be going too far.

Anyway.... Last few months. I worked at Eidos Montreal for a while. On the new Deus Ex. Was hoping to get some Thief project too. Apparently my face is persona (more accurately faci or faca or face, whatever) non grata. Not a nibble. That Invisible Man syndrome coming back to bite me in the ass again. I may get some more time on Deus Ex in the new year.

Working on a graphic novel/comic with a friend of mine. Actually we're planning on a few of them.... Gives me something to do I guess. Our first attempt may be entered in an online competition very soon. Winners get a 1 year online publishing deal. Stay tuned.

Other writing... sigh. I'm not sure I want to discuss it. I'm trying to avoid any subject that might tempt me into throwing myself under a bus.

Well... so far this post looks like more of a diary entry than the incisive look at human foibles that you've become accustomed to from the Torch.

Did any of you buy that? If so, I've got a comic to sell you... or some half-finished short stories... or a barely used typewriter. (I know... but typewriter works better for this joke)

I Love the Sound of Leaf-Blowing in the Morning... Right.

Ah... Nothing says summer like the piercing scream of a leaf-blower. Not surprisingly, it also signifies (at least to me), the relative proximity of a DUMBASS or possibly a group of dumbasses!!!!
Yes, it's rant time again. Turns out people and their habits REALLY get on my nerves. Who knew?

By the way, this rant is brought to you courtesy of the pinhead who decided 7:30 was a good time to blow some stuff off his property onto someone else's property, so that the whole thing could start over again. Truth be told... it could have been at anytime during the day, night, or century and I'd still feel the same.

Wow... I guess nature is just not 'clean' enough for these people. And then to not even put out the physical effort of... oh, PICKING UP A F$%#ING RAKE!!!... No, instead, I'll just start up this noisy, smelly, gas-powered (yeah, some are electric... so what?) pollution-omatic machine and start blowing crap all over the place.

Here's what I think you should do with your Leaf-blower in a few easy steps:
1. Start blower
2. Bend over
3. Stick blower where the sun don't shine
4. Start blowing like there's no tomorrow...
Hopefully after step 4 the rest of us won't have to worry about you and your noisy toys any more.

Of course, not being a property-owner, how can I truly relate to the shame of 'messy lawn' or the dreaded 'bits 'o stuff on my drive-way'? How will I ever live down the country club members having seen a leaf on my front porch?

Geez... I'm so pissed I did even look for a pic.

Indiana Jones and the Middle of the Road

I saw the new Indy movie...

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of ** whew... take a breath** the Crystal Skull. That's a mouthful. Who comes up with these titles?

Some background - The first movie of the franchise, Raiders of the Lost Ark (note... no 'Indiana Jones and the' in the title), may well be at THE top of my all time favourite movies list... if I had such a list. The next two, while I don't think are quite as good, stayed true to the spirit of the genre and the character. This one... not so much.

Why? Hard to put my finger on it. The previous movies (especially Raiders) struck the right balance of pulp, b-movie, action, comedy, and slap-dashedness (add anything else you can think of to the list). The action sequences were perfectly interspersed with witty, tongue-firmly-in-cheek dialogue, so that you wouldn't get a crease in your butt from the edge of your seat... Maybe they were formulaic, but it was a formula that worked.

I think Kingdom missed the mark. Basically... it was too clean. Too 'polished'? I know... It sounds weird. Maybe all the CG did it. Maybe the subject matter (sorry, no spoilers). I know that the changes they made in the Indy character... I didn't like those at all. Yeah, yeah... he's supposed to be older and all that crap... I still don't buy it. Not in an archetype like Indiana Jones, especially one that draws on an established pulp tradition.

Honestly... the writing wasn't all that hot either. Most of the time, the wry wit that Indy is supposed to spout... fell right on its face. Barely a chuckle. The action sequences... TOO over-the-top. There's a fine line between suspension of disbelief and suspension of brain activity.

I think they (writers, producer, director) may have fallen into the trap of trying to please today's audience too much and of sticking to what made the Indy franchise too little. I know... some of you are saying... 'Today's audience rules! Who else should they make movies for, idiot?'

I say F&%$ today's audience. 85% of people are mediocre... Doesn't mean you cater to them. If you do that you end up with a country/planet run by the mediocre, for the medio... Oh... right.

What it comes down to is... Indiana Jones and the Kingdom...etc... is a thoroughly OK movie. Only I was expecting something more than just OK.

Tubin'

Ahhhh... What a wonderful way to waste time. For those of you who are into 'extreme' sports, or at least watching them.

Bah! Extreme. Whoever tagged that term should be shot into deep space with no life-support. Ruined a perfectly good word.

Anyway... some very cool stuff to watch at http://tubeguide.tv/. Easily seachable.... even more easily addictive. Sigh. Just what I need another excuse. Now I'm wasting time watching people doing stuff that I should be doing instead of wasting time watching people doing stuff I should be doing. Um... Well, you know what I mean -- Wow... That sentence could have kept right on going! Like looking into two mirrors facing each other. I think I may be at the nexus of the universe...

Don't know how often I'll be able to hit the surf this season. I've taken a pretty rigid stance when it comes to the oil industry/car industry/ pollution thing. That means getting to a surf spot is going to be nigh impossible without causing some psychic turmoil... unless I walk or something. Being this high and mighty is a real pain in the ass, But if you want to 'lord it' over everyone else, you've got to make some sacrifices ;)

Sigh... I can't wait until I turn into that hermit/mountain-man/ recluse living off the land in the wilderness. Then I won't have to worry about all this...

Runnin' Away Won't Save Ya!!!!

Getting restless!!! Looks like a long bike trek may be around the corner.

Frustration on the job-front, the writing-front, the life-front ;)... Well, they've conspired to give me a serious case of itchy-feet. No, not fungal. Maybe it's more a case of itchy-mind. Anyway... I'm sort of half-seriously, kind of into planning a partial cross-the-country jaunt... on a bike... alone... yeah, that's what I said, too.

Actually, this has been in the works for... Wait. Saying 'in the works' makes it sound like I've been 'planning' this for years. Anyone who knows me knows that's crap. More likely, if I do this at all, it will be a seat-of-the-pants, barely-survive, kind of endeavor. What I meant to say is that myself and a friend of mine used to tell each other that 'one day we should/would do this thing'. This was back when I was heavily into training and the outdoors. It didn't seem as daunting. What's a few thousand kilometers?

What it is, is crazy. Considering the shape of my bike and the shape of me, there should be no considering... Well, when has that ever stopped me? Turns out Mike (the afore-mentioned friend), lives in BC... Hmmm... sounds like a destination. How convenient.

Montreal to BC... Somewhere around 4000km's I think. I figure I can do that in a month. Yeah. I said that with a straight face. What of it?

Anyway, this is still pie-in-the-sky stuff, but don't be too surprised if one of these days I update from somewhere where I don't know where I am.

Spring!... Back in the Saddle.

Spring has finally really sprung in Montreal. Surf season is just around the corner. The antediluvian snowbanks are shrinking to mere ice-age scale... AND... I've taken the bike out for the first time. Woohoo...

This is always one of the best times of the year for me. Don't know why. Call it casting off the shackles of winter... Self-imposed shackles really, but whatever. I went for about 2h15 yesterday. A surprisingly comfortable ride. Felt strong. Felt fit. Felt altogether unlike myself :). AND, surprise of all surprises, I was NOT the victim of perpetual headwind-itis. This is the phenomenon where no matter how far you ride, no matter what circular/out-and-back/whatever route you take, the wind seems to be in your face. Incredible! Yesterday... headwinds only on the way home. Not so bad. I'll be going out again today. Maybe a short run in there...

What this means is less time for writing. Actually, that's not technically true. I'll just have to plan my time better... GYm/pool in the early morning... writing in mid-morn until the day warms up... riding in the afternoon... p'raps more wordsmithing in the eve. Yeah THAT'S it... a regimen!

Of course, we all know what's going to happen. While in the winter I had the entire day to waste and procrastinate and stay away from the keyboard, now I'll actually have an excuse, and less total time to account for in the end. YAY!

Violence Abounds... So Do Idiots.

Wow... What's it been? Almost two weeks I think. Thankfully, I get no traffic on this thing, so no complaints.

I've sent out feelers in the industry... Maybe its time to get back in a studio. One in particular I'm hoping to hear from. 'Twould be quite the thrill to work on this project in question (which I won't name).

Anyway, I ran across this interesting article (op-ed piece) by Mr. Stephen King no less, about the ongoing debate on violence in videogames...

http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20188502,00.html

Some great points... most of which I've been espousing for years.

The major problem is that videogames (all consoles, PC, genre, type, you name it) are still seen as something for the kiddies, and only the kiddies, at least by a majority of people... and that majority are what we would call non-gamers. Those of us in the industry are so surrounded by the culture, that we fail to realize that games are still not what you would call 'mainstream'. That's a failing on our part. The failing on their part is not doing their research.

Games are certainly not just for kids anymore. Consider the price, the subject matter, and the fact that more and more of the population have grown up gaming.

Violence has a place in games... Well, as much as it has a place in anything... film, literature, newscasts... life. Just as much as sex, or drugs, or whatever we do, does...

Don't get me wrong... I am NOT a proponent of violence in games (sex is a different story ;). BUT I'm not an opponent either. If parents (read politicians) want to cast blame they should look in their own backyards. The ratings system is there for a reason. Use it.

... and as far as the rebuttal of 'But kids can get a hold of it despite the ratings sytem' goes... Maybe you should be keeping a better eye out on your kids... Or better yet, actually talk to them about games, reality, etc... Maybe then they won't turn out as stupid as you are. After all don't we all want our kids to turn out better than ourselves?

Cool Free Stuff

I've been using this software for a few months now. Its called Celtx. They call it an Integrated Media Pre-Production software, useful for Film, Theatre, Radio, AV, etc... AND I've found that it could be VERY useful for Game Dev., even as is. It could do with some changes particular to game dev. but what the hell.

I've been using it for everything from scripts, to straight prose, to game narrative stuff, to grocery lists! Well, okay that's a little exagerrated. No prose ;)

It's free. Developed in Canada (NFLD)... and works very well. They also have some great online features. Collaborative type stuff, peer review, and an active community. Check out their Project Central.

Know Your Role

Geez!!! I just started this thing and I rarely post... I guess I just suck at blogging.

Anyway... another contentious issue in gaming. Writing.

This first article, an opinion piece made a case that writers were of little use in game dev... and perhaps were even a hindrance... http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=17902

Circle the wagons!!! Hoo Boy. Did this stir up a hornets' nest... and rebuttal from a member of the IGDA Writers SIG (International Game Developers Association Writers Special Interest Group... phew)... http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=17963

And then... a little more personal...
http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=18005

Now, I'm a writer and designer. I've worked on many projects of different scope, size, type... You name it. This comes down to an issue of scope and influence and knowing your role.

Funny thing...
The first article against the inclusion of writers in game dev reminds me of the arguments I used to hear when I started in the industry... only they were being used to make a case against designers.

Game Design was once seen as an 'open' discipline. That is to say, anyone could do it. By this I mean anyone could fill the role. Lead Game Designers were often the Lead Programmer or Artist. The growth of the scope and size of projects made this impossible uphold. Specialization becomes inevitable when projects and teams grow.

However, the idea that ANYONE could design a game persisted... this time I don't just mean filling the role. I mean that anyone (everyone) had the ability to design. This was not wrong... (I mean anyone can do anhything right? Yeesh), but it WAS wrong-thinking and caused friction in the industry and in individual studios. You had programmers, artists, janitors, second-guessing designers. Now, of course it comes with the territory. It IS true that anyone can think of a game idea, and so the perception was, anyone can design a game. I'll leave that up to you to decide...

Suffice it to say that Game Design has become more of a recognized skill... Training is even becoming widespread in various post-secondary institutions.

Now, game writing is going through the same growing pains. The thing is, much like game design once was (and to a certain extent still is), writing at its most basic, is seen as something anyone can do, at least physically. Launch Wordperfect and start typing. However, it doesn't mean they can do it with any amount of talent... and believe me... we've seen that lack of talent in games.

Granted games are mostly about gameplay (mechanics), but when projects are as big as they are getting today, when budgets are as huge, when expectations are as high... Everything MUST be polished to blinding gleam to stand out. Plus there are definitely game types where story plays more of a role. This will become the norm as new ways of presenting narrative in games emerge. The Narrative Designer will become a specialized part of the dev team... right from the start of a project.

What it comes down to is this... Knowing your role. You may think you know more about how to do someone else's job that they do, but you probably don't.

I can program (somewhat), and draw (somewhat), but I recognize two things in the colleagues I've worked with...
1. The programmers know how to program better than I do. The artists know how to 'art' better than I do ;)
2. I trust their abilities and knowledge in their fields.

A game dev team is just that... a team. Everyone on the team has a job to do, a role to play in the development of a game. Everyone should trust that the other members of the team are as dedicated and trained in the area of expertise... AND bigger projects mean bigger teams, more secialized teams... INCLUDING writers.

Reverse Airbags

Rant time! Expect them with some regularity, as I hate people in general.

The more I think of it, the more I think the design of cars and airbags is completely backwards...

(I'm not talking about the environmental issue. I'll probably address that at some point but suffice it to say that any species stupid enough to create/invent/develop something that spews out a poisonous gas into an atmosphere which they need to BREATHE TO LIVE... Well, maybe they shouldn't survive.)

Anyway, if it was up to me, airbags would be on the outside of cars, protecting people from the irresponsible idiots who are driving... and that irresponsiblity DOES include environmental issues along with everything else.

By the way, this rant is brought to you courtesy of my being almost run down by some dumbass yapping on the phone... AGAIN. This happens to me with an alarming regularity that REALLY intensifies in the summer, because then, while cycling, I may as well be invisible. Plus, there are more distractions around (some of these don't bother me so much... ladies, I'm talking to you).

For some reason people are so selfish/oblivious/etc (take a pick) , that even though 85% of them can't chew gum and walk at the same time, when they get behind the wheel they decide its time to make a few calls, or adjust their make-up, or get a hand-job from the tarted-up fashionista in the passenger's seat.

So here's the solution. Airbags on the outside protecting the world from the idiots... and on the inside? Spikes that deploy upon impact, right through the frontal lobe. They're activated if the car detects a cell-phone in use, or if its speeding, or if the driver's biometrics indicate that they are distracted, etc... Or if the radio is tuned to some bubble-gum B***S***. BS, I'm looking at you.

Does anyone really want these genes in the pool?

A bad, bad man

by Randy Humphries

Been working on a project (for too long a time), with a great artist friend of mine... Randy Humprhies.

I'd call it a graphic novel, but that term has been appropriated and mangled by another medium...

So I'll call it a novel with graphics ;).... Possibly some interactive elements included, if we can come up with something cool.

Above, concept of the main character. Randy's got a couple of other pieces relevant to this project (as well as other stuff) up on deviantart... http://rand1211.deviantart.com/gallery/

Out of the Frying Pan...

Well... it seems that former DC Studios head Mark Greenshields has stirred up a hornets' nest with his latest.

http://www.developmag.com/news/29488/Montreal-is-not-an-efficient-place-to-run-a-business

I won't really comment on the article except to say someone with his record of studio openings and closings should think before tossing that first stone... and to say that he had possibly the densest talent pool in Montreal working in that studio... and blew it.

So, who's inefficient?