Running late, but still up for this week.
On the last Zero punctuation on The Escapist, Yahtzee reviewed MW3 and BF3, and though I'm sure that part was terribly interesting, the part that stuck out with me was the idea of building a game around the Anglo-Zanzibar war. For those who don't know, here's the rundown:
After the death of the most recent Sultan, a new guy came up to sieze power and crowned himself the new Sultan of Zanzibar. The British government had a problem with this, as they had their own man in mind, and told the new guy to step down. The new sultan refused, and the British bombed the everliving heck out of his palace until he surrendered. From the death of the old sultan to the surrendering of the new one, only 3 days past. The actual war portion of the conflict lasted only 38 minutes.
Now that the history lesson is over and done with, onto the design. Rather than try to build a game around such a short war, it seemed more appropriate to only build a game type that encompassed the whole war in one round. Without further ado, here's the design
Design a Week #7: Anglo-Zanzibar War
Not much else to report this week, folks. Paris is cold, and I'm still studying up on the toolset. Hoping everyone had an excellent Thanksgiving Day if your in the States, and talk to you all later.
- Rob
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Been a hectic Week
I am back in Paris, which is why this week's Design-A-Week is coming on the last possible day. I promise to get next week's DaW up by mid week at the latest.
Some news before we get started. Lee, the other half of BCC is having to back out of any work due to other obligations. It's sad to see him go, but I understand why he has to. What does that mean for the status of our internal project? Nothing at the moment really. No true development had started on it yet, with no art, scripting, etc being done. Parts of the design have definitely been written, and I intend to forge forward with the idea for the moment solo, learning what I can about the toolset I am using so that someday, maybe this project can get off the ground.
On to the Design-A-Week. This idea came from a talk I had with a friend of mine on a walk. We were discussing the DaWs when the idea for boxing came up. Specifically, applying a long-term effect to the boxer's stats. From that came this week's entry. It explores an initial design for a system where the injuries a player's boxer accrues over time slowly begins to affect their capabilities in the ring.
Design a Week #6: Boxing Injuries
Anyway, keep on keeping on, and have a great next week.
- Rob
Some news before we get started. Lee, the other half of BCC is having to back out of any work due to other obligations. It's sad to see him go, but I understand why he has to. What does that mean for the status of our internal project? Nothing at the moment really. No true development had started on it yet, with no art, scripting, etc being done. Parts of the design have definitely been written, and I intend to forge forward with the idea for the moment solo, learning what I can about the toolset I am using so that someday, maybe this project can get off the ground.
On to the Design-A-Week. This idea came from a talk I had with a friend of mine on a walk. We were discussing the DaWs when the idea for boxing came up. Specifically, applying a long-term effect to the boxer's stats. From that came this week's entry. It explores an initial design for a system where the injuries a player's boxer accrues over time slowly begins to affect their capabilities in the ring.
Design a Week #6: Boxing Injuries
Anyway, keep on keeping on, and have a great next week.
- Rob
Monday, November 7, 2011
A missed week
So obviously, I missed getting last week's Design-A-Week up, which is a shame really. The hope was to be able to pull off a weekly creative outlet for myself, but it was not meant to be.
That being said, here we are 2 weeks later, with design #5 ready to go. This week I explore creating a multiplayer gametype based on the light and dark mechanics and specifically how they can affect both the player's characters and the level design.
Design a Week #5: Light and Dark
Do note, these are not intended to be fully fleshed out designs by any stretch of the imagination. I consider them the design equivalent of a rough sketch. There's an idea to be seen, sure, but further work to bring it to a fully developed idea.
- Rob
That being said, here we are 2 weeks later, with design #5 ready to go. This week I explore creating a multiplayer gametype based on the light and dark mechanics and specifically how they can affect both the player's characters and the level design.
Design a Week #5: Light and Dark
Do note, these are not intended to be fully fleshed out designs by any stretch of the imagination. I consider them the design equivalent of a rough sketch. There's an idea to be seen, sure, but further work to bring it to a fully developed idea.
- Rob
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
I'll be a day late, and a buck short
Story of my life (and if you recognize those lyrics, then congratulations).
So I'm a day late on this week's Design-A-Week, but it's still here. It's also a bit short today too (only one page long), but it's built on the idea of stress. Everyone experiences stress, and heaven knows we like to bring that stress out in players through our games. If that wasn't true, games like Super Meat Boy and Dark Souls would never exist.
Design a Week #4: Stress
I'm aiming to be themed for next week's Design-A-Week, with something to do with Halloween and building a quick little game to play.
- Rob
So I'm a day late on this week's Design-A-Week, but it's still here. It's also a bit short today too (only one page long), but it's built on the idea of stress. Everyone experiences stress, and heaven knows we like to bring that stress out in players through our games. If that wasn't true, games like Super Meat Boy and Dark Souls would never exist.
Design a Week #4: Stress
I'm aiming to be themed for next week's Design-A-Week, with something to do with Halloween and building a quick little game to play.
- Rob
Monday, October 17, 2011
3 Ms in a row
First, Medicine. Next, Memories, and now we move on to Melee Quick Time Events. The core concept behind this idea was how could we get players more involved in quick time events, and make them really feel like they influenced the actions involved? Additionally, how could such a system tie in to the already existing systems within the game?
Design a Week #3: Melee QTE
Secondly, slight change to the rights on these designs. Instead of being public domain, I've moved them to a more appropriate coverage plan, which is attribution share alike. What this means is:
Anyway, with Lee poking his head into this blog now, hopefully updates will occur more often than the once a week I've been bringing. New fatherhood can definitely be a hectic time, as so much I've heard. I hear that in the first few months of a child's life, they are still trying to determine their form, and are constantly shape-shifting into objects within their vision. You must always check for duplicates of items in every room, lest you confuse your infant for a second couch.
- Rob
Design a Week #3: Melee QTE
Secondly, slight change to the rights on these designs. Instead of being public domain, I've moved them to a more appropriate coverage plan, which is attribution share alike. What this means is:
- You are free to copy, distribute, and transmit the work
- You are free to adapt the work to whatever you are doing
- You are also free to make commercial use of the work as well
- However, You must also attribute the work in the manner specified by myself
- If you do alter the work, you may distribute the work only under the same or similar license.
Anyway, with Lee poking his head into this blog now, hopefully updates will occur more often than the once a week I've been bringing. New fatherhood can definitely be a hectic time, as so much I've heard. I hear that in the first few months of a child's life, they are still trying to determine their form, and are constantly shape-shifting into objects within their vision. You must always check for duplicates of items in every room, lest you confuse your infant for a second couch.
- Rob
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Well, look what the cat dragged in...
As the other half of Bull City Creative, I figure it's about time I make myself known. I have a newborn at home and a full-time jobby-job so I've been a bit of a non-entity over the last month. I've been busy working at perfecting the diaper change/dodging getting peed on combo. It's a work in progress.
At little about me: My name is Lee Williamson, I'm a North Carolina native who has lived in Vancouver BC, Portland Oregon in addition to a few different cities here in NC. I've moved back to NC back in 04 and I'm currently residing in Durham with my lovely/awesome/patient wife and lovely/awesome/not so patient/newborn son. I have worked in the computer games industry for 10 years as a character animator, marketing artist and more recently a prop/environment artist. I'm currently employed as such by a Morrisville based computer games company developing titles for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Wii, 3DS and a few other "next gen" consoles.
I'm pretty new to blogging so the next few months will be my sussing out of how to most effectively use this outlet. At this point in time I think I'll stick to "hey check out this neat website/artist/software/robot/etc."
I'm looking forward to getting this outfit off the ground. I'm fortunate to be partnered up with a very talented and driven Rob Newns and am excited to see our project(s) come to fruition. I am confident good things will become of Bull City Creative.
At little about me: My name is Lee Williamson, I'm a North Carolina native who has lived in Vancouver BC, Portland Oregon in addition to a few different cities here in NC. I've moved back to NC back in 04 and I'm currently residing in Durham with my lovely/awesome/patient wife and lovely/awesome/not so patient/newborn son. I have worked in the computer games industry for 10 years as a character animator, marketing artist and more recently a prop/environment artist. I'm currently employed as such by a Morrisville based computer games company developing titles for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Wii, 3DS and a few other "next gen" consoles.
I'm pretty new to blogging so the next few months will be my sussing out of how to most effectively use this outlet. At this point in time I think I'll stick to "hey check out this neat website/artist/software/robot/etc."
I'm looking forward to getting this outfit off the ground. I'm fortunate to be partnered up with a very talented and driven Rob Newns and am excited to see our project(s) come to fruition. I am confident good things will become of Bull City Creative.
Monday, October 10, 2011
And another week comes around.
Another week, another design. This time around the concept is memories, and how to build a game mechanic behind the recording of them.
Design a Week #2: Memories
I've been working on what the next few weeks may hold for this, and I have some ideas in mind. One thought is the whole process of gamification. I wouldn't say I'm an advocate for the gamification of everything in life, but there's an interest there. There's definitely parts of life that could be improved by adding even something as simple as a points system, that's for damn sure.
Next week won't be any design on gamification, but they'll be coming. Up on the block for this next week's design will be an idea I've been kicking about for quick time events, and trying to get the player to feel more invested in what the character is doing during it. I doubt I'll figure out the solution to QTEs in a single week, but I'd like to try my hand at them.
- Rob
Design a Week #2: Memories
I've been working on what the next few weeks may hold for this, and I have some ideas in mind. One thought is the whole process of gamification. I wouldn't say I'm an advocate for the gamification of everything in life, but there's an interest there. There's definitely parts of life that could be improved by adding even something as simple as a points system, that's for damn sure.
Next week won't be any design on gamification, but they'll be coming. Up on the block for this next week's design will be an idea I've been kicking about for quick time events, and trying to get the player to feel more invested in what the character is doing during it. I doubt I'll figure out the solution to QTEs in a single week, but I'd like to try my hand at them.
- Rob
Monday, October 3, 2011
Bringing you designs!
So here we are, a week later with a design to show for it. The idea behind this design was specifically medicine, and its a high level for a game between medical students and professionals. I wanted to find a way for professionals to get in touch med students from across, all the while providing a fun atmosphere for the students.
Design a Week #1: Medicine
Now, I will be honest. This is one of my earlier weekly designs. I do have a backlog to put up, so you'll be seeing those come out in the next few weeks. Mind you, that hasn't stopped me from writing one a week, as I have to keep the backlog up.
Additionally, as far as copyright goes, these are all published at Scribd under public domain. I'm pretty golden with these ideas being used and being taken out of my control; if you're thinking of doing so, just give me a heads up. I'm really more interested in keeping my skills in design sharp, but I'd love to hear from anyone who wants to run with these postings.
Stay tuned for next week!
- Rob
Design a Week #1: Medicine
Now, I will be honest. This is one of my earlier weekly designs. I do have a backlog to put up, so you'll be seeing those come out in the next few weeks. Mind you, that hasn't stopped me from writing one a week, as I have to keep the backlog up.
Additionally, as far as copyright goes, these are all published at Scribd under public domain. I'm pretty golden with these ideas being used and being taken out of my control; if you're thinking of doing so, just give me a heads up. I'm really more interested in keeping my skills in design sharp, but I'd love to hear from anyone who wants to run with these postings.
Stay tuned for next week!
- Rob
Monday, September 26, 2011
Plans for the future (and more updates I swear)
Admittedly, right now, I know I'm screaming into the internet with no audience, but frankly, a man must perform, be it for one person or a packed house.
Work is starting on our first project (still unready for primetime announcements), but it is moving forward. Mostly, it's myself and Lee getting used to our engine choice first before any real asset creation occurs. With that, I've figured out a filler for the moment.
As a designer, there's a practice I've tried to keep with over the years, which is producing a design a week on anything, be it an initial high level pitch for a game, all the way down to a single game mechanic. With that, starting next week, I'll be making these public as part of this blog. They won't be in the blog posts themselves, but rather, they'll appear as a link in each week's blog post to a pdf.
Simple to say, but hard to get into practice. We haven't had the best track record with posting, but there's a solution coming. My wife has started her own blog as well, and just like two people meeting to work out at a gym, we'll be making sure we both post by making our Monday nights our blog posting night. This starts this week, with next being the first Design-A-Week entry.
For people who like pretty pictures, I'll leave you with this art project from earlier this year. It was a 9 canvas piece I put together. It is easily recognizable, but those who may be unsure, it's the stage select screen from Mega man 2. The photo was taken by none other than Lee, who is loving being a new father, and should be appearing on this blog in the near future.
- Rob
Work is starting on our first project (still unready for primetime announcements), but it is moving forward. Mostly, it's myself and Lee getting used to our engine choice first before any real asset creation occurs. With that, I've figured out a filler for the moment.
As a designer, there's a practice I've tried to keep with over the years, which is producing a design a week on anything, be it an initial high level pitch for a game, all the way down to a single game mechanic. With that, starting next week, I'll be making these public as part of this blog. They won't be in the blog posts themselves, but rather, they'll appear as a link in each week's blog post to a pdf.
Simple to say, but hard to get into practice. We haven't had the best track record with posting, but there's a solution coming. My wife has started her own blog as well, and just like two people meeting to work out at a gym, we'll be making sure we both post by making our Monday nights our blog posting night. This starts this week, with next being the first Design-A-Week entry.
For people who like pretty pictures, I'll leave you with this art project from earlier this year. It was a 9 canvas piece I put together. It is easily recognizable, but those who may be unsure, it's the stage select screen from Mega man 2. The photo was taken by none other than Lee, who is loving being a new father, and should be appearing on this blog in the near future.
- Rob
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Quite the hiatus and first introductions
Between myself being out of town, and Lee expecting his first child, posting has been a bit irregular (and this is only the second post). 2 more weeks until I return from Europe, and posting will definitely become a timely thing.
With that out of the way, the next couple weeks will be introductions of the team. At the end of that, we'll announce the first details of our upcoming project. So with Lee at nigh-fatherdom, I figured we can start the intros with myself.
Who are you?
Rob Newns, game designer and such.
What do you do?
I've been working in the game industry for 6 years now, mostly on AAA titles, along with some additional work on DLC. Outside of that, I've been trying to keep myself creative in a few various avenues, both in game design and traditional art mediums.
What do you want to get out of this companyt?
There are three points for me. First off, it's about games. Lee and I have a definite plan for games we want to make, and this is the avenue we want to pursue to make them. Secondly, there are other art projects that can definitely benefit from this pairing, and in the future, Bull City Creative will be the way they are brought to the public. Finally, I want this to be an open environment for people to view the design and development of a game title, from initial concept through to the final release.
Simple introduction, I know. Next week, Lee will be around to answer the same 3 questions as above. After that, we'll introduce our new game, I'll be back in the States, and we'll start our development.
- Rob
With that out of the way, the next couple weeks will be introductions of the team. At the end of that, we'll announce the first details of our upcoming project. So with Lee at nigh-fatherdom, I figured we can start the intros with myself.
Who are you?
Rob Newns, game designer and such.
What do you do?
I've been working in the game industry for 6 years now, mostly on AAA titles, along with some additional work on DLC. Outside of that, I've been trying to keep myself creative in a few various avenues, both in game design and traditional art mediums.
What do you want to get out of this companyt?
There are three points for me. First off, it's about games. Lee and I have a definite plan for games we want to make, and this is the avenue we want to pursue to make them. Secondly, there are other art projects that can definitely benefit from this pairing, and in the future, Bull City Creative will be the way they are brought to the public. Finally, I want this to be an open environment for people to view the design and development of a game title, from initial concept through to the final release.
Simple introduction, I know. Next week, Lee will be around to answer the same 3 questions as above. After that, we'll introduce our new game, I'll be back in the States, and we'll start our development.
- Rob
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Welcome to Bull City Creative!
Hello and welcome to the blog of Bull City Creative! This is the kickoff of our presence for people to come and see who we are, and what we're working towards. With that in mind, let's move forward!
Who are you?
We are two game developers with over 15 years of combined experience working on a variety of titles and genres. Currently, the team consists of Rob Newns (designer) and Lee Williamson (artist), and we'll probably be that way for some time.
What is it you're looking to do?
The idea behind this pairing is two-fold. First off, this group is about game development. It's a joint passion of ours, and as such, we are using this group to explore game designs and art styles of our own interests outside of our day jobs. We already have out first project lined up, with the iOS platform being what we look at first.
Secondly, we are both very creative people, and want to use this space to let that creativity shine. Beyond our independent game development, expect to see other creative projects appear under the Bull City Creative name.
What's the next step?
Moving forward, we already have a few game ideas in the works. Our first planned game has already gone through multiple design iterations and development should be starting later this year. Life has conspired on both our ends to have us start later than we had hoped, but that has not deterred us in the least.
What will this blog cover?
From now until the start of development, we will be working on providing details on our first upcoming project, including the design for included features and art concepts as they come online. Additionally, we'll be using this space for everyone to get to know the team with in-depth introductions.
Once development actually starts, updates will continue to keep people posted on the project's progress. Additionally, as mentioned earlier, expect to see other creative projects pop in once in awhile.
Thanks for coming by, and we hope you stick around to see more!
- Rob
Who are you?
We are two game developers with over 15 years of combined experience working on a variety of titles and genres. Currently, the team consists of Rob Newns (designer) and Lee Williamson (artist), and we'll probably be that way for some time.
What is it you're looking to do?
The idea behind this pairing is two-fold. First off, this group is about game development. It's a joint passion of ours, and as such, we are using this group to explore game designs and art styles of our own interests outside of our day jobs. We already have out first project lined up, with the iOS platform being what we look at first.
Secondly, we are both very creative people, and want to use this space to let that creativity shine. Beyond our independent game development, expect to see other creative projects appear under the Bull City Creative name.
What's the next step?
Moving forward, we already have a few game ideas in the works. Our first planned game has already gone through multiple design iterations and development should be starting later this year. Life has conspired on both our ends to have us start later than we had hoped, but that has not deterred us in the least.
What will this blog cover?
From now until the start of development, we will be working on providing details on our first upcoming project, including the design for included features and art concepts as they come online. Additionally, we'll be using this space for everyone to get to know the team with in-depth introductions.
Once development actually starts, updates will continue to keep people posted on the project's progress. Additionally, as mentioned earlier, expect to see other creative projects pop in once in awhile.
Thanks for coming by, and we hope you stick around to see more!
- Rob
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