Lavishness is often the way, as exhibited by The Great Gatsby both in film and in Fitzgerald’s words from so long (and not very long, after all) ago. There is something to be said for sublimity. For letting a thing just be, in its space. There’s a bravery found in its nakedness, for just letting a thing be what it is without any garnish or garishness or distractions. Form following function in the proper order of things. While this can serve one well in game design, it also follows that extrapolating it outward enables one to create a resonance in [...]

I am still diligently working away on the tremulus materials. I’m enjoying developing it immensely, but am saddened by the delays. The bomb ticks. The guilt rises.  This is likely something I shouldn’t be sharing with you. However, I am. As much as I want to move swiftly through the materials (to better get them into your hands), there is a certain amount of thought and research necessary to pull some of this stuff together. I don’t want to shortchange anyone with my efforts, just want to give you a heads up. If there are moments when I talk about [...]

Hello All! I hope you’re having a great week. For myself, it’s been crazily busy. Got the new iMac up and running, data migrated, and have been puling double-duty to catch up on stuff. Today, I dabbled in some brainstorming on some Agents of Oblivion, discussed a few unannounced projects, did some tremulus layout, and finished my editorial pass of Karthador, not forgetting to do some promotion for the brand, spankin’ new Ravaged Earth: Second Edition! Since everything seems to be stable (for the moment), I look forward to diving deep into tremulus for the time being. I’ll talk more [...]

Today has been bone-crushingly weary. It was not entirely a bad day. In fact, parts of it were very, very good, if not downright outstanding. Yet, some of the other parts, dragged me down. I’ve been pulled in a lot of different directions, pulled off of center, pulled off my default setting of creator, and more into the role of technician, and administrator, and forced to dust off hats not worn in this capacity in some time. The reason? There is just some stuff I have to do myself, whether I really want to our not. Technical stuff, I generally [...]

Or something like that. I’m blasting a music medley of MTV’s first day of visual and audio assaults from back in the day (courtesy of ShareMyPlaylist and Spotify). Life is strange. I’m largely doing what I’ve done since my preteen years–messing around with computers, gorging on pop culture, reading randomly with a purpose, writing in all the in-between times. Lather. Rinse. Repeat. Sure. Some things have changed. Friends have drifted away. New bonds have been forged. Technology presses on. Instead of 8 tracks and cassette tapes, we have discs (for a while, yet) and streaming everything. I recall a conversation [...]

They say an artist is always as good as his brush, a carpenter only as good as his tools, and a writer, a designer, well, chaps like these get little attention. In fact, we’re supposed to be content with a notebook, a pen, and a brain brimming with creative bent. Let me tell you, we who take a turn at pushing the boundaries of endless imagination are getting the short shrift of that deal. It’s not all bad. Let’s face it. As writers we can (and often do) create wherever we go. Not a lot of folks can say that. [...]

When you first jump into a “thing”, be it badminton or backgammon, track or field, weightlifting or words, it’s often pursued with a righteous passion, a deep hunger that cannot be satisfied. Or so it may appear. Many folks move too fast. They burn out quickly. They find nothing is limitless. One most cultivate a quiet hunger. A desire to grow and expand one’s horizons in whatever endeavor they pursue. How does one go about this? It’s no real secret. It’s just that nothing is as easy as it seems. Discipline, regardless of skill or aptitude, is critical. With enough [...]

There are different phases to design, and one of the most important ones is passive creativity. This involves setting the stage where you can most readily come up with the necessary ideas to help you in your work. For example, as I work on tremulus, I am ever mindful to watch some scary stuff, but not exclusively scary stuff. I also watch a lot of drama and, with certain playsets, such as the Frozen Wasteland, I want to know more about ice and cold, not just that it’s white and if I stand out in it too long, it can [...]

Last Friday, I twisted my back. Despite some minor pains, I was largely okay until Sunday when I managed to wrench my back doing something so mundane, I shall spare you the details. Yesterday, work continued as normal. Today, however, I couldn’t drag myself to the Mad Lab, so instead took advantage of my iPad, more properly named the Portable Mad Lab. Combined with the fine wireless Apple keyboard, I’m able to get a goodly amount of work done without sitting in front of a desk. My favorite writing app is Notebooks which I have linked to my Dropbox account [...]

There’s an old Chinese curse which reads as follows, “May you live in interesting times.” Some folks may enjoy a life of roller coaster ups and downs, but let’s face it, even that can get a bit predictable. Far better to have a bit of stability, a solid foundation upon which to build your dreams and desires, a necessary foothold so one can get on with the proper business of creation. When I sink into the creative act of writing, the proper work of it all, I prefer an environment of few distractions, and little noise. Sunlight is acceptable, the [...]