This week’s blog post is going to be a special one.
And by “special” I mean even more boring than the ones before – or more interesting, depending on your outlook and your role in game development -, because it deals with the phase of production that can be the most scary and the most mundane at the same time: The homestretch; the finish line; the final stage.
At this point, apart from minor things, the game is basically done – speaking in terms of all the game mechanics and systems being in place. What is far from done, however, is the art.
I still have fully-colored animation cycles of both enemy types to deliver, additional sprites for the main character, the entire GUI still has to be done, with a title screen, victory/game-over screen, pause menu, buttons, a logo – and many, many more little things here and there.
Being the Art Director, I would really like to start diving into those details now and, specifically, try to fine-tune and polish all the artwork connected to player movement and collision, to make the game aesthetically “smooth” and sound. Which is, if you ask me, the hardest but most important duty of art/graphics in games. Graphics connect the player with the game’s mechanics. Together with the controls, they are meant to suck the players in and make them become one with the Player character (PC). Interfacing. So they have to be pleasant-looking, intuitive and unobtrusive while still being informative and fitting to the setting/IP.
I gave some general directions, like red-tinted texture flickering when getting hit, hit-stun with a little sprite shake, maybe some invisibility frames after getting hit, maybe a little stun-lock or knock-back to give better feedback of getting hit while flying on a broomstick (which the PC does) and losing momentum… but that is exactly the problem of this. So many of these decisions flow into Game Design territory and, me not being Lead Designer, I can only say so much. Me and the game’s Designer are generally on the same page and if not, we might have some fruitful discussions – but at the end of the day, the final decisions are up to him and the Producer. And you can’t argue taste.
So, dealing with those creative differences, with the changes resulting out of those, adapting them, combined with bearing all the graphical workload, tasks coming up at inconvenient moments (mostly assignments from Art class, that have to be calibrated to my project schedule, otherwise I wouldn’t get anything done) is making everything extra-hard and not as satisfying as I would have hoped going into the project, when I was wide-eyed and looking forward to be Lead Art.
One thing is always stealing focus from the other and I don’t feel like I am making any progress. I also doubt that I am learning a lot about my role in a production right now, because I am constantly cooking five meals at once… and I burn them all. I just wish I had the time to sit down and read a recipe or two, try things out… What is a knife? Spork?? But there’s no time – gotta keep cooking! Or isbthat the lesson?
Sometimes, I feel like I am drowning. Because, as a perfectionist (I know, that’s my problem), this type of constant makeshift work, prominently displayed through the whole development process, deeply saddens me.
I want time.
I want knowledge.
I want more budget. (In this case: more than 1 person in the art department. To do more interesting things, learn from each other, spitball, etc.)
Overall, everything I do, feels rushed, underdeveloped and sloppy. If it finally turns out like that, we will see. Until then, I will give my best to polish all the details to a degree that is adequate to the scope and budget of the project, and at least some competency shines through my work.
I apologize for getting a bit gloomy at the end and overall not very specific or scientific in this post… but I guess, that is what naturally comes with this part of the development cycle – fear and desperation. For some, at least. For others… boredom.
What kind of dev are you?
…
Oh, and here is a picture from when I was conceptualizing the GUI with my Lead Designer – one of my favorite moments of the entire development process! 🙂
florent (o)k. schmidt 
Hi Florent!
I think this blogpost is really interesting, and it is nice to see your thoughts when ending this project. Even though you might not really have shared the process of anything you actually did, you are talking about your role as a Lead Art, and how you managed this task. It is good that you are talking about things that you wish could have been better, and also things that you actually thought have gone well. It might have been better for you if you had focused more on the positive things however, since right now it feels like you are leaving the reader with a kind of gloomy feeling. You are however giving reasons to why you did like this.
I am not sure if you have talked about it in a previous blog post, but why is the picture one of your favorite moments of the developing process? That could have been fun to read about in this post, or maybe (if you have talked about it previously) you could have linked the post where you talked about it.
But overall I think the post is really interesting to read. Good job with the game and good luck with theme park!
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Hey Florent!
You start out your blog slightly confusing but at the same time quite entertaining. You provide a short introduction to the current state of the project and introduce your topic of your blog. When you talk about your art and your thought process you have a great analysis and you give the impression that you are very involved and aware of what an artist must do. This gives the reader confidence in your ability as an artist and you prove your knowledge in your blog.
It is good that you point out the struggle that can occur within a group when there is a difference of opinion. You have a great self-reflection that provides some insight in your thought process. I suggest using less analogies because it gets a little confusing, although it does provide some entertainment and it creates a dynamic and creative text.
The self-reflection is, I believe, the best part of your blog. The insight we get into you and your mind is very interesting and slightly entertaining. I would suggest, however, to perhaps be a little bit more concrete. Your writing and especially because of the topic, can get quite confusing. Picking a topic that is more concrete will ground your blog.
However, this insight into your mind and your way of doing things is a great addition to your whole blog. It provides the reader with more information about you and can thus understand future blog post better.
It was very entertaining to read, although there is much sadness there. I hope everything works out and good luck with your future blog posts!
– Chantal
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