Messages

I love the colour scheme. Very original. The idea is also quite unique. Looking forward to trying it!

VW, you probably feel like you're being ignored, but I think we're all honestly really stumped!

Yeah that is weird that it won't play here. I clicked through and listened to the live track. Quality isn't too bad. I thought you meant it would be unlistenable. I actually like watching the live version and seeing how that music is made. Definitely a distinct sound. 

I've always loved this track:

...loved it so much I included it in my one and only AGS game. Just has a grand, ballroom party pride to it with undertones of something sinister. Anyone recognise the movie it is from? Here's a clue:

Looks great!

Kweepa, which book would you most recommend?

we trumpeted using our

Yes! It's Commander Keen 4: Secret of the Oracle.
I'm still not sure what the secret of the oracle actually is...

Yeah that was like the Super Mario 2 of the Keen series in how weirdly unique it was. 

[what is your recipe for productivity?]

OK so this thread is inspired by that recent Yahtzee interview (see here: https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=57003.msg636603172#msg636603172), a guy that seems to create a superhuman amount of material in any given year.

I'm just curious what others do to stay productive in their work, private life, game design, writing, artwork, audio recording, film making, etc? How do you keep yourself organised and ensure every day pushes incrementally towards your goals? What programs/apps do you use? What music? What stimulants? What sources of inspiration?

Basically: what is your recipe for productivity?

Me? I use a program called 'Scrivener' (it's a word processor geared towards writers; really structured) to sort of file everything I do, and I save this file to DropBox so I can access it from anywhere. I keep lots and lots of physical pocket notebooks of just general ideas, doodles and the like, and I find it helpful to add to these books while I'm in public somewhere (i.e. doctor's office or waiting for my wife to do some shopping or whatever). I'm completing a graduate program while also trying to write and record videos for a small YouTube series while also holding down a day job while also being a dad. I would love to write a book or make another game, but it's unfortunately something I need to put off for the time being.

I get into 'the zone' through lots of homemade Starbucks coffee (yes! it's good!) in a French press with milk and sometimes I'll put on some background music that I'm unfamiliar with, such as the softer tracks shared at this thread: https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=48569.0 When not at my day job, I'm up at 4:30am cranking as much work as I can. I really enjoy just generally working on something, but I sometimes feel like I'm not being as productive as I could be.

Anyway, would love to hear how others keep themselves productive. Maybe we can learn a few things from each other!

Just listened to it today. Quite an articulate fellow. Man, that guy keeps busy. I wish he could have spoken more about how he manages to get so much done. I mean, books, youtube, games, blog, etc etc - he's seriously productive in that "is there a secret identical twin helping him?" way. Was cool to hear him talk about life in general though, and even how he deals with stress, anxiety and finding a place in the world. I like interviews that go outside simply talking about work.

alleviate the rug burn.

I guess it depends on the sentence?

Well it's an interesting concept, but Joaquin Phoenix is hit or miss (HER was great; I'm still here not so much). Just hopes this doesn't turn into a predictable New York City romance story gone wrong.

Ed Wood?

Home Alone 72?

Starship Troopers?

"And...cut!" the director

A helpful hairdo

Catch Me If You Can?

I was entirely sunk into its world when i was 12-13.

Me too! When I was playing it I seriously existed more as that character than as myself. 

Anyway, sorry to derail. Hope the translation project leads to lots more work.

Lovecraft isn't a hack, but he has various issues with his writing.

Yeah, I was wondering about this. Lovecraft has an exceptional horror imagination, but he's not really a particularly good writer. (Or at least, he wasn't to begin with.) Translating his over-wrought prose and phrases like, "nighted, penguin-fringed abyss," must be quite frustrating.

I actually don't remember having any difficulties with Lovecraft's works when reading them in English, but then again, I had no problem following the plot of Final Fantasy XIII, so I suppose I'm not the best to judge on weather something is convoluted.

Anyway, I'm actually grateful for Lovecraft using a lot of purple prose, because his descriptions of the titular mountains in At the Mountains of Madness
and comparing them to the paintings of Nicholas Roerich is what introduced me to one of my absolute favorite artists.

Never heard of this guy, but that artwork is spectacular. Must have had some influence on the artwork in Out of this World (one of my favourite games of all time - still remains a completely original gaming experience):