November Surprise
“In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer”. -Albert Camus
This has been a profound month for me. Hell, its been a pretty crazy year.
For the past five or six months I’ve been working primarily as an indi developer. For a lot of reasons making the jump back to that from studio work was one of the smartest and healthiest things I have done in many years.
They say that “life is what happens while you’re making plans”. Well life is also what happens in spit of your plans.
They also say that “luck is what happens when preparation and opportunity meet”. Well I say that you’re damn lucky if you’re paying enough attention to recognize something real when the opportunity comes along.
I have always been amazed at the chain of events that lead us from one point to the next in our life. Sometimes they are clear, obvious and even predictable. But more often they’re circuitous and dizzying combinations of chance and circumstance, opportunities and unexpected encounters.
I have never believed in the notion of reinventing ones self, as if such a thing were truly possible. But I do believe in the wisdom of occasionally assessing who we are and what we are doing. What’s the line from the movie? …”all we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us”.
Well, my roller coaster ride has brought me here, to this time and place. There are a million little things I could have done differently, and anyone of them could have found me in profoundly different circumstances today.
Hindsight is 20/20. But I am finding that this here and now is not such a bad place to be after all.
I still can’t show off any of the projects I have been working on so I thought I would dig up some concept stuff I did back before I left Garage Games.
Here are a couple of character concepts for Fallen Empire: Legions, and some workups for a “300″ style RTS project that was never developed.
Almost forgot, the 100 Push up challenge is going great. Next up …the 100 Donut Challenge. That’s right I said Donuts.
Start Slide Show with PicLens Lite
Todd,
I’ve always thought that 300 style RTS was awesome concept work. I’m actually way surprised no one’s rolled a full game like that out yet. I would love to these concepts go further though.
Glad to hear the 100 Push up challenge is going well. I could use something like that myself. Now that the weather is turning gray and wet again, running’s that much harder.
Keep posting up your work! It’s very inspiring
-Brett
Thanks very much Brett,
If memory serves me, the 300 concepts were cranked out in a last minute rush by Alex and I. I think it was something like one push to about 11pm or so and then a very rushed Friday. You are right, there is a ton that could have been done with them and the concept as a whole. But they’re not bad for a pitch doc, which was pretty much the objective.
Todd, excellent post. I cannot see you, but you irradiate joy
Awesome 300 concetps!! That would be an unmatched universe for putting some gore elements into an RTS. It doesnt cese to amaze me your capacity to portrait ambience and mood in the concept workups .
Is also notable how near you always are to RTS projects. One day mate, you and me will do bussines.
And btw… you insolent bastard… that line was written by JRR Tolkien for TLOTR much before beeing on the movie. XD
Novak,
I think you would be the first person to ever accuse me of radiating joy. :O)
Yup, I can’t seem to get away from RTS projects, and that is not such a bad thing. Thanks very much for the praise on my work. It is much appreciated.
And I know where the line comes from, but most these days don’t, so I was catering to the masses on that one.