I’d previously posted saying that I would work on games again.

And I will.

But that time isn’t now.

The last few years have been incredible. Marriage, a house, land, great-paying job. I couldn’t ask for much more.

Except to live the dream that I’ve always wanted.

And I will.

This blog is effectively done as of today. It has served its duty and journaled a portion of my life that no longer exists. Jesse, the single guy living in a studio apartment with his cat and no job, is gone. Jesse, the married guy with a house and 40 acres and a job that demands attention, is here.

I’m very quiet about sensitive aspects of my life. I don’t talk a lot about my big problems or serious concerns, as I tend to keep them to myself and those close to me. My faith is one of those quieter portions of my life. While my behaviors can run afoul at times (often), I trend Baptist in many of my beliefs and have a  faith in the Christian God.

I’m not one to speak much on this topic, but I’m absolutely certain that none of this that has happened or will happen will have been in vain.

I believe that I’ve been set on a course to do the exact things I’ve always wanted to do, but it’s taken some time and some struggle to get there.

My job is going to teach me the finer points of management and leadership. As I’ve been in management roles, I’ve learned a couple of things already. For one, management is a skill. Leadership is a skill. They’re two separate things, and they’re not the same thing as expertise. Those are what I would call the Leadership Excellence Triad, if I were to try to sell you something on it.

My home will get us into the country, where I’ve always been more comfortable and found more inspiration. The city thing isn’t for me.

My hobbies will allow for creative outlets that will take the place of games/stories while I’m working on the other things I need to finish. I’ve some wood-working projects, garden projects, house projects, property projects and software projects that will all help me develop planning/implementation/completion skills that I’ll use one day with games/stories.

Life is too short to spend it pining for what we haven’t got, and life is too short to give up hope for those things we’ve always longed for.

I’m going to live my life. And should God desire me back on this path, He’ll put me there. Until then, I’m going to charge ahead with what I’ve got and what I know.

Thanks for the support.

It’s been a while and I’m back. Using Unity and looking for a team.

The last few years have been interesting; running up the corporate ladder in healthcare, learning to make soap, buying land, buying a home, etc.

Acquisition means nothing, appreciation means everything.

I’m working on games again and I’m going to start an organic farm. Stay tuned.

Coding is a habit. Habits are built.

I’m writing at least one line a day to get myself back into the habit. I’ve been tinkering with graphical stuff for Fowl Ball’s main title. Most of it is just me learning to work with Swift, but it may be worth keeping.

It’s only Tuesday? It feels like Thursday/Friday. Going to be a long week.

It’s been a while, right? 

I forget what I last mentioned. Bought a house. Started a new job that isn’t working me to death.

Been tinkering with Swift. Deciding between Apple-based projects or using Game Maker for my tinkering. I like the idea of learning a programming language, so I believe an Apple-centric future may be ahead for me. But. Who knows.

I’m not dead. I’m feeling well. And I’ve started tinkering again. Working on a Swift-based version of Fowl Ball. I’ll update again tomorrow morning.

Haven’t updated in a while. Tony Hawk 5 looks awful. I didn’t play the others, but it looks like a PS2 demo.

That is all.

I’d mentioned before that I was beginning work on the next game.

It progresses. Slowly. Adulthood is a bitch. I’ve been working … roughly 60 hours a week. I don’t get as much time to work on the game, but I guess what time I do get, I enjoy.

It’s also been a real blessing to work with Greg again. I get the feeling that we’ve both grown as people and developers since we last took a stab at this sort of thing (over ten years ago? shit).

The Next Game. At first, it was really an homage to Earthbound. But now, it’s turned into a dedication to all of the RPGs that really inspired me. Final Fantasy 6, Chrono Trigger, Mario RPG, Zelda: ALTTP, and Earthbound. 

Sorry, folks. I was a poor Nintendo kid. The Genesis RPGs mean nothing to me. And … Lufia was good. But didn’t really hit me. FFVI had the opera and the post-apocalyptic world. Chrono Trigger had an immense amount of secrets, stellar writing and, of course, time travel. Mario RPG had humor and action. Zelda had the best puzzles; hell, I hate even calling them puzzles. It was a fuggin’ adventure and you found your way through it. 

And Earthbound? I want to make games because of Earthbound.

So. No Genny RPGs for me. Or PC.

Though, I did play a fair amount of Final Lap Twin on the TG16. Effin’ rad. Even today, I see it as a real step ahead of most other RPGs. The driving battle mechanic is a super idea.

Further, what I’m really working on is a conflict system that is enjoyable to play and addicting. As someone who works too much, I don’t have time for turn-based battles anymore, but I want to have those same experiences again.

The best reason for coming back to Tumblr? lookitspineapple. Every time I come back, he’s got a shitton of stuff for me to peruse.

So, new game. I’m really excited. More than I have been in a long time. 

Also  little scared. This is the biggest undertaking I’ve started in years. Not since I started working on Asparagus in … 2005/2006. Never finished that one, either.

New Game has a name, but I want to wait to disclose that at a point where I feel we can actually show it off. Lord knows I’ve talked too early too many times.

New Game is being worked on in earnest by Greg and myself. Greg’s my friend who got me into game development. When we were kids, we wrote each other letters (because, we’re fairly certain, we killed the Juno free e-mail service). We were both gamers and into tech, so Greg said we should do this sort of stuff when we grew up. There’s a longer story. But. That’s for the kids at bedtime.

New Game is an RPG … of sorts. Most of the inspiration to work on New Game comes from Earhbound, Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy VI. However, as we’ve aged, we realize that we haven’t got some for slogging out battles the way we used to. Hell, Greg didn’t even really play a lot of RPGs. Maybe Phantasy Star, as he was a Sega kid.

Point being: we’re working on ways to include battles but keep them enjoyable and quick. I played Final Fantasy XIII and wanted to hurt myself. I don’t have time for the battles anymore. It isn’t ADD or anything else: it’s cold, hard adulthood that has me working full-time, married and trying to maintain friendships/relationships. 

So, this is one of the big goals for us, is designing a battling system that allows for character expansion/progression but doesn’t carry a heavy burden of time.

Earthbound and Chrono Trigger are probably my favorite classic systems, and Earthbound is really just Dragon Quest. They’re both pretty quick, but I think we’re going to go with something further away.

One of the major issues I have with RPGs is that every one of them has to develop their battle system according to it actually being a “battle.” Conflict exists in many areas of life, so I want to involve this instead of necessarily fighting people.

Largely, New Game is about adulthood. It’s about finding out that things aren’t going to be as easy or great as you thought they’d be. It’s not saying everything sucks, but it’s saying that you’re most likely going to be the guy making swords for the hero instead of being the hero.

New Game is set in the future. I’ve been working on tweaking the old story and applying some new features, and it's really helped. Greg and I have different viewpoints on things; we like different genres. Working with someone with a different outlook on games has actually made the story stronger and the rough game outline more palatable.

Imagine that.

So, today: character work, story work and battle design work.

How is everyone? I hope the holidays and new year have been pleasant. I hope Christmas was spent with those you love.

It’s been quiet on my front. But for a good reason. My last post mentioned working on games, and I’ve been busy pulling together people to work on a big, super awesome project. By awesome, I mean it’s been a dream project of mine since … 2002, I believe. It’s been something I’ve been thinking about for a while.

Initially, the game will arrive on Mac OS, Windows and Linux. Followed by tablet releases on Android and iOS. Followed, hopefully, by console releases.

The game? It’s a 2D RPG/adventure similar to the SNES RPGs of yesteryear. Let’s just say, Earthbound grows up and becomes bitter with age.

More soon.

I played through Gone Home this weekend. My general feeling on the title is: “I’m happy I bought it, but I’m happier I bought it on sale.”

 This isn’t to say it wasn’t a worthwhile playthrough, because it was. I enjoyed the atmosphere, music and easy puzzles. Hell, it really was a great relaxation title. If you want to play a game to unwind, play Gone Home.

No, what I mean by “happier I bought it on sale” is that the game is so short and doesn’t blow me away in that amount of time. I completed it in less than an hour, which is fine: I’m all for short games. I’m an adult. I work 50+ hours per week. I really want to complete something without devoting all my time to it. So, I enjoy that facet of Gone Home.

What loses it for me a bit is this: whenever I play a short game, I’m reminded of Rez. I paid $50 for the game and didn’t regret it a moment, because the opening level blew me away. I’d never experienced anything of the sort. To this day, it’s on my list of games that have influenced me most.

Gone Home, while exceptionally unique, just didn’t blow me away. And really, one could argue against me that Gone Home already costs less than Rez, and I’d give you that.

I’m only arguing that, for me, Gone Home was a fantastic experience that didn’t blow me away and I’m happy I bought it when it was on sale on Steam.

3/5. Haters are welcome. I understand.