Changes

Busy times ahead. Things have been in a flux for a while now, and are just now starting to calm down. And as they do, new things – new ideas – emerge. I’ll try and list a few of the things that have changed in the last few weeks, or will change:

·         New Retro Studio Site – the web site is about to go through some serious changes. Expect some more content (including art) and general overhaul.

·         New Retro Studio Facebook page – which was mostly dead until now – is about to get some more content in. Together with the site - I expect to get some traffic (and "likes").

·         New games – there are still 3 games in the making, but DIFFERENT 3 games! And the focus changed as well. We've dropped the interactive novel. It's still a great idea, if you ask me, but a lot of work for something that may or may not be popular. So, instead, we have a new game. It's a browser based game, that I got the idea for while playing extrasolar (which is recommended - a full review will arrive soon).

·         Podcast – New Retro Studio presents an indie gaming podcast! With me and the wifey. Coming real soon.

·         New hardware – yes, we’re finally getting new hardware - one that’ll be able to run faster. And better. That should make our coding process slicker. Not to mention that I'll be able to play more games!

·         Paris – though I’ll talk about it in a separate post, I think I can finally reveal what I’ve been keeping hidden for months: we’re moving to Paris! Sometime around August, my wife and I will pack up our shit, and move to Paris. New Retro Studio will continue working from the city of lights. Viva la France!

·         Education – in case you haven’t heard – Pluralsight and Digital-Tutors are now one! More courses than I have the time to watch are now at my disposal. That's the way I like it.

·         Shipping – a closed alpha of one of our games will be coming out soon. Hopefully in a couple of months (with our relocation, that time-frame may be VERY optimistic). Yay! Expect a separate post on that soon.

That’s it for now. Seems like a lot, doesn’t it? It is. But we’re all excited and happy with the changes. Interesting times are coming. Stay tuned.

-Shay

Work it!

It's been a rough few months. A lot of things have changed, both in my personal and professional life. But I'm back. And it's time to get things done!

Turns out - it takes a lot of work to get a game out!

big shock there, huh?

Well, I was prepared. Kinda. I think it was about a year ago I said that making a computer game - from scratch - takes a lot of work. Thousands of man-hours are required. And it's not like I wasn't prepared. I think it was around a year ago, on this very blog, that I said that making a computer game takes a lot of work. Well - I was right. And wrong.

Making a computer takes huge amounts of work. No matter how much work you think it takes - it's more. It's ten times more. And no matter how much work you think THAT is - you're still wrong.

So, let this be a warning. I'm not trying to discourage or scare anyone. What I'm trying to say is quite simple: making a computer game is a huge undertaking, one that you should consider carefully before committing to. And once you do - do it right.

Hell, if EA can do it - I'm sure I can!!!

-Laters,

-Shay

I'm back!

Yeah! Finally!

Serisously, though - I'm back. And I've got a lot more to say. Stay tuned!

-Shay