a blessing in disguise

Happy Christmas!

(more work to be updated very soon, with special guest ... game engine shots!)

roads? where we're going, we don't need roads

So animating has been great fun but i have descovered a problem, when putting my stuff into ags i realised a few things, instead of saving the animations as .gifs it is better to save each individual layer/frame as a .png and make sure that the transparency is on and there is no white background. The problem being that if there is a white border shows up around the character and it looks horrible! Also the character needs to be drawn in and animated on the very bottom middle of the page in order for it to be centered in the ags editor. It is good finding out these issues now by doing a build early because i haven't tackled too many animations yet. I will have to re draw all of the animations and that way i can improve on them there and then, and i will keep this updated to say how that goes.

Have checked the background in the ags editor to make sure that the character can interact with it and the colours are okay and it doesn't look shabby and the resolution holds up just fine and dandy! Each small build is a new step to a working Pax Insectica!

In the meantime my lovely friends, enjoy yet another concept of the main character Blatta.

i shut my eyes, in order to see

I was recently lent a book on animation, which has helped me phenomenally! I have finished a walk cycle for blatta, it is a little clunky and certainly rough round the edges but in all honestly i can say i am pleased with it. Might need some cleaning up but overall you get the idea. Made him walk at a steady pace, as he is an insect and naturally they don't move too slowly. Still so much more work to be done on other characters, but this is fundamental work that should be gotten on with and it's a joy to do it and really work hard at it too.


One step at a time.

wise men and cups of tea

I have been posting here a lot lately, after getting into level design and animations i really can't help it because i want to keep this updated with what i have done. So if you saw my last small animation (Blatta scratching his head in confusion about what to do) then this animation should fit nicely. It is a simple static boil on the character which gives an overall feel for how the character should look in game. It was a very wise beardy man called Rhys Thomas that told me it would help gel all the animations together, so this is for him to critique as well as you all!


Put the kettle on!

pipe dreams, to wonder where a non-conformist, mild mannered cockroach lives

This is a concept of a screen appearing in the game, it is the front door to the main character's (Blatta) house. There is a grating underneath that is covered by leaves which will require moving to get down there. The image is compiled of different photographic elements and then played around with in photoshop. These images will probably have a faint black line around parts of the scenery to add a drawn feel to them, though as yet this is still undecided.

to itch a scratch, a scratch that needs itching

So i have been busy animating in photoshop once more, working primarily with gifs as i know that these will export to ags (adventure game studio) for when i put them into the game. I am looking over all the animations that will have to be done and it is fair to say it will take a lot of time but it is so rewarding if done to a fine polish.

If you notice this animation has a slight boil effect on it, this was not intentional it is merely due to me not drawing exact with a tablet but i like the effect so i may keep it. It would be nice to hear feedback on what people think about it. (that is you people, because you are wonderful!)

Without further ado, here it is... A simple animation, basically it is the main character (Blatta) scratching his head with his antennae when he is unable to perform an action. (a useful animation as it will be seen a fair amount in most point and click games, usually through dialogue)

Blatta Confused

I see your interesting picture, i raise you one perspective!

Here are just a few pictures that myself and my good friend Dave went out to take the other day, the aim was looking at places and objects that will form game screens and assets. It was interesting and more are being taken to get a good feel for the overall vision of the game. Enjoy and feedback is always welcome.

If we build it, they will come

So, have been doing lots of research for this project and things are moving along rather smoothly, the story is pulling together. The other day headed into town to get some inspiration, took pictures of lots of different things, which i will post here. Gave me a lot of inspiration for environments in the game and a feel for what the main character will encounter.

I also got to work on the logo that you see above, which features the concept for the main character "Blatta" the name refers to the latin for "Peace Insect" i am hoping to stick with it, but i am open to changing it too.

I will continue on with working more on character design and environments and as ever will continue to post on here so all you lovely people get a good update on where i am at.

mein name ist blatta

Have been doing my best at trying to nail an art style for the characters of the game, i am enjoying sketching and experimenting showing different characteristics through posture and expressions. I shall continue to refine until i settle on a style i am pleased with, so far i feel i am improving.

I saw the fruit and it wasn't half bad!

I recently purchased a fantastic new little program, it's called Artrage 2.5 and i have to say that it was worth every penny that i can't afford right now. To draw and sketch in it with my tablet is probably the best thing ever at the moment, and i can quickly manage to draw a lot of concepts that i am happy with. I am trying to get the bulk of character design sorted as i am happy with the idea and i think the story works too. The characters are interesting and if i can nail the animations after the characters are settled in designs then i will be on my way!

I have been working on concepts of the main protagonist of the game, Blatta the cockroach. He has been working out well and the more i draw him the more i feel comfortable with working with scale on making him larger and smaller inside the environment.

I am also working on the concepts for the slug nuns characters, these are obviously early concepts and still require a lot of work. I am trying to show how they are paraded around on their snail steeds, rocking back on forth on their small unstable chairs. Hunched over and shrouded in dark clothing, i wanted to show that they have an eerily serene face, devoid of any real detail.

In between working on concepts for the different characters that are in the bulk of the game, i have been playing around with environments. I am still trying to settle on the overall feel that i want. But i was keen to have weird and wonderful architecture that prompts you to really take in your surroundings and get the most out of looking around you and exploring. But yes, it is all still very much a work in progress.

they bite off the heads of males when mating, wow

I haven't done a cartoon doodle in quite some time, this is the best i have done lately. I really should draw bugs more often, it's fun.

the machine is your friend

I don't think i ever expected to be in the position that i am now, i am actually contemplating my third year of uni. It actually seems rather incredible to me, i think only because i doubt myself so much, and yes i know i shouldn't but a lot makes me believe that i am not destined for the games industry. I don't know where i am destined for but i will be trying my hardest to create a game that i truly am pleased with in my third and final year.

I have been working hard taking down notes every time something pops into my head, sketching down ideas for characters and environments and i am pretty sure i know what kind of game i want to make. I have also been looking at games engines that are suitable to help me easily implement my designs into a program that can let me stitch a game together. I am sure this is now going to be harder than i expected, but i have said it before i relish a challenge. Besides this could push me to go way beyond what i feel is my limit and that is only good right?

I would say something about what i want to create but i think it is better to hold off just a little while longer, i will say that i am studying short stories that can be adapted into the type of video game that i am making. This should be the most stressful, and yet interesting year of uni yet. My teeth are bared, my fists clenched, my eyes are staring into the darkness but i can see a faint light and that is what i run towards!

All this jumping is making me dizzy...

So we are now pretty much at the end of this project and it's been really crazy, there has been lots going on and regrettably i have not had all that much time to be keeping up to date writing what has been going on. The project has been a really good test of skills and although the build does not have everything we wanted in it, what has been done does look good and i am pleased with it.

I have enjoyed the role of producer but if i ever end up working in a group with people again i imagine i would take a role where i am less involved in being the voice for the group because speaking is good but i would like to get more down to the nitty gritty of the work and be less involved in the organising of tasks as at times i don't know whether that was my strong point. Well i imagine on my project for the final year i will be working alone and I'm looking forward to the struggle and learning curve of doing that and how much i will be able to create when it is just me working on my own game.

Seeing the future before it's happened

So i am steadily falling into a rich working pattern of tasks to complete and then moving onto more tasks. Recently i found out that in all the time that the course has run this project nobody has ever created a working demo (at least i think) in any case true or not it spurred me on to want to create a working demo that i am really pleased with in the time we have. Our idea is ambitious but i have my hopes that it is possible. We have produced a concept document and also a complete walk through for the level. I have included below just a few of the concepts that i did for the main Tempora boss character, but i think really the best of the ones i created, and pleased with them. I'm excited to see how this will all end up looking.


I'm finding that being a producer can be tough work, but it's a refreshing and ultimately interesting and challenging experience that i do welcome. Having the power is always fun, knowing how to keep everyone in order but not wanting to kill each other in the process? Well that is something else entirely.

Prepare to go on an adventure in time!

Truth be told it has been a long while since which i have had a moment to update this here blog of mine, but i thought that i really should or else it just looks like i am avoiding it like the plague. (which i was not by the way)

I also should point out that i am a producer on this project, it's a very new and quite daunting role for me but i am prepared to take full advantage of the responsibilities that it entails and work to the best of my ability, fun times!

So basically the current project we have been given is to design one level in a game based on a fictional tv show called TimeWarp. A fairly plain and boring "i've heard it before concept" i hear you cry. Well perhaps, which is why we intend to make it our own and i believe we already are. The aim is to get a working demo by the end of this project and we have just the small time of the rest of the secound year in order to do that. I still have to write up the concept document and have assigned tasks to all on the project including myself for us to complete by this coming tuesday, it's all quite fun.

I shall check back here to put up concepts as i go on with designing them so it remains clear the direction this is going in. Also if you ever feel like checking out where we are at, or want to see just how everyone is working together we have a team website which can be found at this address.