4.10 star(s) 50 Votes
Mar 27, 2019
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Sure and if they have rewritten the ending (which i doubt) i may buy it, otherwise i won't spend money on the game for a second time...
Yeah...funny thing is I finished the 1st 2 but never the 3rd one...but I heard about the ending and sounded pretty shit to me...but I DID like the games so went ahead and picked it up myself so I didn't have to keep going back to my PS3 to replay. Plus I'm not too thrilled about taking the focus off of Miranda's butt...
 
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MrFriendly

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Feb 23, 2020
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Sure and if they have rewritten the ending (which i doubt) i may buy it, otherwise i won't spend money on the game for a second time...
You can join EA play Pro for $15 a month and play it until you get sick of driving the Mako around and then end your subscription... Not like I have any personal experience with that ;)
 

Raziel_8

Engaged Member
Dec 4, 2017
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You can join EA play Pro for $15 a month and play it until you get sick of driving the Mako around and then end your subscription... Not like I have any personal experience with that ;)
Nah i'd rather support a indie dev, than giving EA a single cent.
Ah yes, Mako driving, the supreme discipline :ROFLMAO:
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MrFriendly

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Feb 23, 2020
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Nah i'd rather support a indie dev, than giving EA a single cent.
Ah yes, Mako driving, the supreme discipline :ROFLMAO:
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Yeah, for me I am learning quickly that I can't go back. Just feel like that nostalgia isn't going to be something I can replicate.

If I knew of some indie VN devs who had some completed games to support I'd go that direction. Finding good VN's and active devs is a rare thing.
 
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johnelros

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Apr 10, 2018
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It seems I really like setting myself back. The scene I am currently working on (not related to the image above) I ended up adding 10 more images that originally decided upon. I think I am just a glutton for punishment. One good thing to come out of that however was the discovery of an expression pack that, with a bit of work and some patience, you can get a decent looking lip bite.
Now maybe I am just in fact a moron, but making a good lip bite, let alone a good LOOKING lip bite was just beyond me with the sliders I had available to me with the phrase "Lip Bite" in it. Now this isn't to say that the image has the character looking like a piranha, but just... not something that looked good on screen. That being said, there are other expressions I wish had better options for, so it isn't like lip bite is the only culprit of the "What the fuck are you trying to convey?" scenario. Downside is now I also get to go back and put in 2 renders where I wanted a lip bite way back when... I need a drink.
Outside of that, making progress as usual. Some days are better than others, but that is the way of things. I am not holding myself as hard anymore to trying to get as many renders set up per day. I realize that what I envision has to take precedent and cutting corners diverges from the whole point of the art. The words matter, but if the words and the image are at odds, the whole thing will fall apart. When you marry a great pose to a great expression and then take out the words, you can infer what is going on. While you won't know exactly what is going on, you can still come to a couple conclusions. You can tell if the person is nervous, angry, happy certainly by the expression, but the pose and inferred body language can also argue the expression, and if this is the intent you make the image that much more juicy. The reason being, now you get to ask is the person uncertain and faking their expression? If so, why? I am learning this as I go, and I am finding it more and more fascinating how important nailing exactly what you want truly is. Anyone can put crayon to paper and make a picture. The difference is, can you make the picture talk without words.
I sincerely do hope that you guys like what the team has been creating over the last couple months. I really can't wait to show it to you. We don't have any kind of release schedule yet, but we are not backing away from this. Thank you again to all of you who support us, you keep us going more than you may think.
Next week I will be out of town for the week. My wife and I will be visiting her family out west so I will not be making any game renders sadly. I have made sure that Marg is set up for insta for the week however. So, for a change of pace, I will be coding. There are things that I want to add to the code and things that I need to add or I will have to make like 18 more renders for one scene. I've got a couple friends who will be helping, most notably Stoya from Stone Fox Studios and very possibly the friend who made us the pipeline will guide me through some other things I want to do. I figure I can use the time that I can't be at my desktop to do the coding as I have a development laptop (No GPU). My goal is to have that done during my week away so when I get the renders complete I can go right to coding in the game update itself and not have to worry then.
Well as usual I have babbled on long enough. Thank you again to all of you lovely supporters, and as always,

Bottoms up,

Xor

P.S.
Talking on the Dinosaur Phone: "A loud roaring vomit". Bud looks like that is him right now
 

johnelros

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Apr 10, 2018
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1624333250655.png

So, the image above is a great example of time, learning, ability, and creativeness. It is an earlier image for .4 If I had the time, I'd go back and most assuredly make changes. MC's eyes have not only the care bear stare, but I'm not entirely sure that he's actually looking at our boy Joseph there. However, time is not a luxury I currently have so..... I apologize for the crap you'll have to see in .4. Yet, I can say quality does get better as the episode progresses, that's worth something right?
I still futz with lighting. Situations that require lighting to be more specific, vs scenes that I want more realistic lighting. An unfortunate fact of making 3D art.
It's funny as in most industries, you're always improving. You always learn, you always grow, and you always evolve. You can help others find a new way to do something, taking out ancient techniques that are considered barbaric by current standards. Something that once made perfect sense now seems as illogical as wiping before you use the bathroom.
There are so many things I have learned, and so many more things that I want to learn. Things that you see at a distance and know the goal is ascertainable. Things that look silly, but executed well look glorious. I have learned so much since taking over as Thunderline's artist and I sure as heck won't change it for the world.
The expression one is able to do, when you take your time, with making 3D art is something that I unfortunately find indescribable. It is such an amazing feeling when you hit that perfect expression, that perfect pose, and that perfect lighting. Now, I must mention at this point that EviteGames metioned this today in StoneFox Studios discord and it rang very true. A concept that was in my head, but I was unable to put in to words. Ragardless, a very wonderful gentleman who I talk to probably not enough, but if I did, he'd probably never want to talk to me so yeah... there is that.
I am digressing horribly as usual.
Progress wise, I am doing well. Hoping to have my current scene rounded off tomorrow. Make sure to check instagram for another teaser image tomorrow as well!
I don't have much else to say. I hope this finds everyone well and please never forget how grateful we are for each and every one of you. Thank you so very much.
As always,

Bottoms up,

Xor
 

MrFriendly

Officially Dead Inside
Donor
Feb 23, 2020
5,875
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4 days from the 1 year anniversary of the last update.

Time flies when you're stuck in lockdown.
Too true.

I know I should be hopeful but at the same time I've found sticking to what I'm good at to be the best decision.

Whatever happens to this game I wish everyone the best.
 
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johnelros

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Apr 10, 2018
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1626193402862.png
1626193418294.png

Probably not a long update, but we will see. I generally do these off the cuff and talk about what has happened over the last week. I actually have to go back and look back at my previous post as I thought I had mentioned something last week then remembered I can't yet as Inkwell would hurt me. However I can mention this. The ever wonderful Mr. Puggy was kind enough to make me an asset for taptunes, or to really avoid copyright, should probably call them taptones, but then that sounds like an app to get ringtones from so... hell I don't know. All I know it he made us an asset that I wanted to help fill out the bar. Pretty sure he will be sick of me soon as I get these random ideas and I go to him and say "Hey, can you do this?" to which he replies "Who are you and how did you get in my house?".... Wait, I'm not suppose to talk about that until the case is settled so.... mums the word.

Regardless, Puggy:
Overall, progress continues. I'm very happy I am out of that large scene as that was a bear and then some. The current scene is a lot of fun as it still involves many path variables so you go from creating art for one segment to creating for the other. While there may be some similarities, it also has it's own minor variances. Most of this is due to me being a bit anal as I don't want to reuse, generally speaking, but with subtle changes in path would to me require subtle changes in tone and expression.
It's things like this that really suck you in and force you to think like a photographer or even a cinematographer. Framing just right, capturing just the right expression and pose. All of these things help sell a scene, and without them you fall on your face. Now and again I have played games where expressions are rarely changed yet the story is very entertaining. You find yourself wondering why put so much effort in to one aspect, but not into another. But alas. There have been times where I fight with the eyes of a character as they look like the Care Bear stare vs actually looking at the camera or another character. Just this dead look that sucks me out of the image and it's a struggle to get it to sit right so it doesn't look dead or fake. One of my least favorite things to have to fix. I have started to notice that eye lids can help with this. Weird I know, but the only way I can think to express it.
So, at this point many are probably wondering about the title and going... what about the puppy. Xena and I will have a puppy by first week in August, we actually got to see the little guys yesterday at the breeders location. Was absolutely wonderful. The parents and one grandparents were on site which was so cool to see. The mentalities of all the dogs was just all love. Red Golden Retrievers, for the record.. Hope you guys enjoy the attached picture.
One last thing, HopesGaming gave me a shout out and it only feels right to return the favor. Mr Hopes is doing a deep, in depth, Mafia story that is well thought out and wonderful, definitely give him a look, nothing out there really like this, and his art style is very fun. So without further ado,
As I say all the time, thank you so very much to each and every one of you guys. Your support means the world to us. Take care and as always,

Bottoms up,

Xor
 
4.10 star(s) 50 Votes