Finding Motivation

 I have the characters' personalities, a general idea of how the story is going to go, and the final designs of the characters.  This week I am finally diving into digital coloring on the computer.  Thanks to my seasonal job ending earlier than expected I have enough free time to push myself forward and finish my first Ren'py game.  Unfortunately having a steady schedule at a job was a major motivation for me.

During breaks, at my seasonal job, I would write my story or character bios, read Imagine FX magazines, or listen to indie game development podcasts.  Despite the distractions of hearing random people enter the break room, I was fine studying away as I have a hard time doing these activities at home.  Random people at work sounded like background music while family members and telephone calls was another story.  There is also a sense of laziness and a need for sleep when I am in my room all day.

This week I am breaking the habit of getting busy with indie game development when I do not have a steady paying job.  As soon as I wake up, I get down to the activities that I enjoyed so much during breaks at my last job.  There is no sense of time or a need to rush myself through my writing or drawings with in thirty minutes. I make my own stopping point when the sun goes down. 

Of course job searching will occur during my free time and maybe I will get a new job in a few weeks.  Hopefully I will keep this practice even after getting another steady job.

Deviantart Tme: DarkSirenftw

With dedication to my first indie game project I think people should atleast have the pleasure of seeing a visual novel with decent artwork. Deviantart is a place where people can submit their artwork for a variety of people to see.  I have been on this website for a while with little dedication devoted to my old profile name Lilith40 (curious?).  Here is my new Deviantart account for my art submiting pleasure.  The account is called DarkSirenftw (curiousity can be good for you). 

The account could have been called DarkSirenGames but such a tittle felt limited to drawing characters from my indie games.  Every blue moon I draw fanart from various anime and video games. I hope people can join me and help me progress with my artwork.  Reading "nice", "cool", and "kawaii" on my comments for my Deviantart submitions is a great ego booster and all but constructive critism is what really counts. 

Here is a picture that everyone will be seeing soon (maybe in a few weeks).

I am getting a new computer in a few days.  This may be my last blog entry while using this slow computer.  I can not wait to use a computer that can handle Windows Movie Maker or Photoshop without any issues. 

Why Ren'py?

After starring at a list of game engines for a long time, I decided to go with Ren'py. The game engine is easy, I can import my drawings, see my writing in action, and have fun with a hobby. There is hardly any effort in bringing a scene to the stage and having the characters talk either. I just need to know what are the names of the file that I want to bring on stage and post those files in the engine.

Example

label beginning

scene bg tank1 (insert scene here)

with dissolve

"stuff is happening" (narrative on screen)

A: "blah, blah, blah" (character "A" is talking)

B: "blah, blah" (character "B" is talking)

End Example.

Ren'py is mainly used for visual novels which means the engine requires a story. I have always wanted to make some kind of online series for people to enjoy and I have also wanted to revive my interests in writing for a long time. Ren'py will help me accomplish both dreams easily. I even began doing sketches in my notebook yesterday for the characters of my first game. Of course Ren'py is not the only game engine I will be using for life. There are other far more complex game engines out there such as flash and Unity3D (which I am experimenting with for a starting mainstream game company). For right now, I will relax and develop a few games in Ren'py.

By the way I ordered my first wacam tablet a few days ago. I cannot wait to use it.