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Newsletter Woes
Once again I’ve migrated my newsletter. Most readers have been moved over to it. However there are a few users who signed up to previous versions of the newsletter that weren’t on that list. If you did NOT receive a recent Newsletter mailing from me, then you are not signed up. Head over here to enroll. Why? Well in the near future (i.e., once my newsletter’s subscription base grows a tiny bit more) I’m going to start serializing book 1 of the Lazy Designer via the list. Basically the entire book will be doled out in segments over the next couple months, hopefully with a bit of an update. Also…
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GAME: HAULER VERSION 1 (PART 2 / ?)
Welcome to Part 2 in my new series describing my “Hauler” prototype. Links to the web and PC version are at the bottom of this post. (And you can read Part 1 here, if you haven’t). PROTOTYPE 1 (0.0.1.1) In the previous post I discussed the many (and serious) issues I had with my first Hauler prototype. This latest version was basically a rebuild and, in addition to the front-facing changes, many internal details (reorganizing code) occurred too. If you play the prototype you will notice that we now have: New Movement Controls. The controls are more logical, with the player deciding which direction to travel, rather than adjusting orientation.…
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Minecraft? Microsoft? (The Builder Generation?)
As I write this it is still only rumor that Minecraft may be sold to Microsoft, so my rambling here might be completely irrelevant (but what is the Internet for anyways, if not to host my rambles?) Minecraft is a valuable product. I think in more ways than any other game, it has really infiltrated culture. Yes, games like Mario and Pokemon and the like are huge, but I don’t recall them having quite such a hold on kids (that said, I was not a parent during the rise of those franchises, so I may be mistaken). My sons and their friends play Minecraft-themed games all the time. By this,…
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Game: Hauler Version 0 (Part 1)
As I mentioned I have started to work on an almost-game. I said I would start releasing prior milestones and discussing them and so this is the first of those discussions. THE IDEA Up until Spring 2014 I had been tinkering with a couple different prototypes, including one that I had put a lot of time into and really enjoyed (developing and playing). But I came to the realization that these games were too complicated for me to pull off on my own (at least for now). I need to expand my working knowledge of Unity first. I decided instead to work on a simpler game and push it all…
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Designer Checklists
Ages ago I bought a book called “The Writer’s Book of Checklists” by Scott Edelstein. This was a reference manual for aspiring writers, with everything they needed to know summarized in handy checklists. For whatever reason the checklist format has always been appealing to me. As part of my efforts to create secondary, bonus content to encourage readers to consider purchasing the Lazy Designer directly from me, I decided it would be [fun|exciting|worthwhile] to create my own set of checklists for the Lazy Designer. At the end of this point is the first third of the list. I’ll add the others in later posts. If you would like the full…
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How to be a Lead Designer
The final book in the Lazy Designer game design series is now available. This standalone volume in the Lazy Designer series provides insights on becoming an effective lead designer or creative director. Learn to manage large teams of specialized designers, improve your decision making process, and write clear and usable documentation. http://www.amazon.com/Lead-Designer-Lazy-Game-Design-ebook/dp/B00JUYRB18/ I know I mentioned this last week as part of another post, but every other book has received its own post, and I want to be fair :) And the excerpt for my Amazon Breakthrough Novel quarter finalist, “The Pool”, is still available to read here. I don’t know if reviews/downloads matter much at this point in the…
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Story Review and an Amazon Update
SOME WE EAT I stumbled across the following review for my story “Some We Eat and Some We Keep” which appeared in the second issue of Robots and Rayguns: “And Brent Knowles unique style was also awesome….reminded me of Blade Runner for some reason, which is great! I can see Philip K. Dick in him for sure.” I was very pleased to see that! I am always grateful when somebody enjoys something you wrote enough to take the time to write a comment about it. You can read the full review here: http://www.amazon.com/Robot-Raygun-2-Brent-Knowles-ebook/dp/B00J3519O4 (And as an aside, this particular story was written as an experiment. I wanted to try to…
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Back In Province
We had to make a quick trip out of province, but are finally back home. I don’t have much to say, still busy catching up on late tasks, but I’ll provide a quick update and if you have any questions throw them into the comments and I’ll be sure to reply. Lazy Designer — The Design Manager The final book in the Lazy Designer series is almost ready to go. I anticipate by the end of April, it will be available on Amazon. At that point I’ll start editing the variety of bonus materials I’ve written for those who have bought copies directly from me. My Unity Game Meanwhile I’m…
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Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award & A Story Published
A few notes to pass on for today: 1. My story “Some We Eat and Some We Keep” was just published in Issue #2 of Robot and Raygun. 2. I’ve made it past the first cut in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award, which is exciting (it means my pitch was well received). I also still have a couple other novels under consideration elsewhere, including one that a publisher is taking a (longish) second look at. So hopefully some positive news in the future. 3. In game development land, I’m continuing my consulting work, but I’ve also made a couple “big leaps forward*” in regards to a game I’ve been tinkering…
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Minecraft – Everything a RPG Should Not Be
While RPGs seldom are on the cutting edge of visual quality (unlike shooters) there’s always been a continual player expectation for improved graphics. Over the past decade or so there’s been a push towards realism and a higher visual fidelity — resulting in an escalation of costs to develop large-scale RPG projects. And then a game like Minecraft comes along. Minecraft has dreadful graphics. I know several people who won’t play the game because of the low fidelity ‘art’. Yet clearly, given its impressive sales, there are many more who do not care what the game looks like (or possibly they even play it *because* of the way it looks).…
