The Daily Davis

I recently purchased a Tell Tale Games pack on Steam and have been enjoying the Sam and Max episodes. I love adventure games, and would like to see many, many more. I am also quite impressed with the episodic game format that Tell Tale Games is running with, and think there is a lot of potential in there for other IPs. Needless to say, I was overjoyed to hear that they’re working on Back to the Future and Jurassic Park videogames.

So what other IPs would be right up Tale Tale’s alley, in my opinion? There are at least a few.

Futurama

Amongst all the IPs that I think could benefit best from the Tell Tale style of episodic game design, I feel that Futurama is THE perfect application of this model. Why is this? First, there are three excellent characters that could be playable throughout an episode. Bender, Fry, and Leela. Each one is a well developed character who would go about solving problems in their own unique way. Let’s not forget the amazing cast that would be great to interact with. Location-wise, you have the entire universe, but specific, key locations as well like the Planet Express ship, the Planet Express building, the decaying ruins of Old New York, and even the Supreme Court for a well done trial parody involving the Hyperchicken.

So Futurama is my number one pick for a Tell Tale game.

South Park

South Park is another TV show that would be a good fit for episodic gaming. It’d be a bit more crass and at least mature rated compared to prior Tell Tale offerings, but that wouldn’t be a big deal. You’ve got well defined characters and interesting locations. Just emulate the visual style of the show and you’ve got a damn fine game.

Sherlock Holmes

Public domain character with a huge background to draw from and a natural affinity for mysteries? I’d buy some episodes. Give him a contemporary styling similar to the recent movie and you’ve got a hit on your hands.

Cthulhu Mythos

This. Just. This. Slow placed creeping horror, collecting ancient tomes and going mad? Sounds good to me.

I really don’t. Perhaps I’m just not as cautious as most. The idea behind RealID is that is a way to communicate with friends across multiple blizzard games, and it requires your e-mail, and displays your real name to them. Much like facebook, it has a friend of friend feature where people on your friend’s list can see your name, but that’s it, and potentially add you. This makes so many people nervous, and I just don’t understand why.

I don’t mind people knowing my real name (David Davis), and my e-mail is not displayed in the friend list at all through WoW.

Can someone who is concerned by this RealID thing tell me what the big panic-point is?

Blizzard recently release some talent previews for some of the classes so far. The classes included Rogues, Druids, Priests, and Shamans. I decided to tinker around with what they have so far, basically modifying my existing builds with some of the new changes. Note that all of these are PVE, as I don’t PVP much.

First up is my combat rogue build. My build was all about getting a lot of energy and combo-points quickly to keep pressure on my target. My talent and glyph choices should correspond with that philosophy. The extra energy from Vigor and Glyph of Vigor just give me a larger pool to pull from.

The only problem I have had with the Combat tree so far is the amount of filler survivability talents I had to use, just to get to the next tier. I was able to knock it down to about 1 point in Steady Recuperation, but if at all possible, on the final builds I’d like something else to place that point into.

My philosophy as I DPS is to put out as much damage as consistently I can, while being a utility player. I made sure that my toolbox was fairly diverse, and put points into improved Kick because I always interrupt enemy casts whenever my Kick is available. As for survivability talents, I don’t hate all of them. For example, I put two points into Endurance because it’s a cooldown I use frequently, and it comes with a stamina bonus. I try to avoid those extra flat armor/health increases because I won’t take nearly as much damage as a DPS.

Overall, I enjoy some of the new changes. Stripping out the old weapon specialization talents absolutely thrilled me. I am definitely pleased I had plenty of points to head into the 3rd tier of Assassination as well. Overall, these are some welcome changes. I think this should make for a nice end-game Raid build. Too bad I don’t raid though.

Now? How about a Shaman? I don’t have an 80 Shaman yet, but that doesn’t mean I can’t mess with a build anyway! I’m thinking my Shaman is going to be a healer, ultimately. So how about I dive into restoration? My shaman experience is limited, so don’t expect a ton of analysis from me. Basically, I really wanted to take advantage of my totems and shields. I feel my build accomplishes this.

So, let’s go for a Bear Druid. I don’t play my druid much, and she’s only in her 20s. But I think I picked up all the important bear talents at least, right?

Lastly there is the priest. I prefer discipline, and was enjoying leveling my priest for a while, prior to discovering the awesomeness of warriors and mages. That being said, I freaking LOVE Power Word: Shield.

I can’t wait for Warrior/Paladin/Hunter/Mage trees, because that’s where I can really talk about these changes. Anyway, feel free tom chime in if you play WoW.

About 5 or 6 years ago, I had applied for a job with Pixar as a story artist. Yes, that Pixar.

Well, I clearly didn’t get the job, but I did receive a callback, and I theorize that one of the factors that worked against me was that I was still in high school at the time.

Well, five years later, and some practical story and art experience under my belt (helloooooo Spongebob), I may be ready to try again. Seems that Pixar is looking for a story artist.

So, I am thinking I might submit an application. I believe I fit the mold of what they’re after. My responses are in bold.

The responsibilities of a story artist?

- Receive written and verbal descriptions of a sequence from the Director (or Head of Story).  Check.
- Create quick thumbnail sketches through to finished detailed storyboard panels. Do that all the time anyway.
- Perform background research to inform the story process.  Half of my stories are researched through various sources.
- Illustrate script pages and come up with story ideas.  Comics?
- Pitch storyboards to the Director and other members of the team.  I am energetic, and my original application included a video of me pitching a storyboard sequence.
- Work with Director and Head of Story to define staging, pacing and camera action. As adamant as I am about storytelling and camera techniques in comics, I believe I qualify.
- Come up with inventive ideas with a sense of entertainment and humor. I’ve been told I have a knack for physical comedy sequences in my work.
- Develop character personality and dramatic/comedic action. Do that in my comics.
- Draw storyboards for scenes assigned.  Check.
- Refine dialogue where needed. I am a writer, and I edit people’s work all the time. I try to write how people would speak.
- Revise, edit and modify sketches as needed, per Director’s notes. Revisions!

What are the qualifications they’re seeking?

- Practical knowledge of cinematic language, acting and staging.  Bingo.
- Strong storytelling abilities that feature character, emotion and movement. Some of my Dash stuff definitely can fit under here.
- Strong understanding of the principles of animation; emotion, acting, movement is required.  I love animation and cinema, and have studied them.
- Ability to analyze scenes in written form and translate into visual product. Script to drawn panels.
- Ability to express story and character through drawings. I think I do that well.
- Ability to invent action and express it through drawing. See previous statement.
- Ability to present work in a clear and entertaining way.  I polish my work fairly well.
- Ability to work collaboratively. I love collabs.
- Ability to work under pressure, in a fast paced, deadline driven environment. Were they watching me during the last few weeks of any of my college classes?
- Must be open to direction and able to embrace change.  Yo.
- Experience with Photoshop and Wacom Cintiq drawing tablet helpful. Work with tablets all the time.

As you can see, I believe I am in good shape to apply here. So maybe I should focus on getting this together on the weekend? If you don’t agree, please tell me why. And if you think I should go for it, please let me know. I’ll go for it anyway, but some cheering on will really amp up my work.

Aww yeah.

I’ve narrowed down my species for the project, and I’ve begun working on all the visual elements. I decided I didn’t want to leave my friends and readers in a lurch, however, so I decided I will post a description and a hilarious paint doodle of one of the creatures.

Without further stalling for time…

Angler-Squid- This predator uses a modified tentacle to capture prey. The modified tentacle is long and “dangles” off the Angler-Squid. The length is coated in small, hook-like hairs, while the end is bulbous with larger hairs for feeding mixed in. Specialized cells on the bulb secret an attractive chemical to lure in prey. The prey then attack the bulb and are stung by the hairs. It is theorized that the Angler-Squid secretes some form of digestive enzyme that is poisonous to most-species. The trapped prey will eventually be dissolved, and the modified feeding hairs will consume while immersed in the liquefying remains of the prey. For locomotion, the Angler-Squid features two modified tentacles near the “top” of its head. These resemble oars, with tapered ends.

More spur-of-the-moment haiku? Hell yes.

Oh Haiku Madness

how come you can sometimes strike

when least expected

Here I sit sadly

Microsoft Word is open

a blank page lingers

I love comicbooks

I explore them constantly

often  my own worlds

browsing old writing

shocked and appalled at it all

although strangely proud

Friends of mine should remember at some point of time a discussion with me where I sing the praises of Seikai, or, as it is better known in America as Crest of the Stars or Banner of the Stars. I first experienced Crest of the Stars back when TechTV was still TechTV. The channel had an anime block, and though I was out of my anime-phase of adolescence, something about Crest of the Stars really hooked me. For those who haven’t experienced the anime, manga, or novels, I will summarize the basic idea, courtesy of Wikipedia:

Crest of the Stars and Banner of the Stars (series I and II) follow Jinto Lynn, a young count whose world is taken over by the space-dwelling race of the Abh. When Jinto was a young boy, his father, Rock Lynn, under threat of invasion, handed over their world, Martine, to the Abh in exchange for a position within Abh society. Young Jinto is sent off to school to learn the ways of Abh nobility and the story of Crest of the Stars picks up as he meets the young Abh princess, Lafiel as they are about to travel to military school for Jinto’s further training.

However, in the midst of their travels, Lafiel and Jinto (along with the Abh ship Gothlauth, aka Gosroth) find themselves at the very beginnings of a war between the Abh Empire and the Four Nations Alliance of humankind—an anti-Abh alliance of the democratic nations of the United Mankind, the Federation of Hania, the Republic of Greater Alcont, and the People’s Sovereign Union of Planets.

That covers the first series, which the author of the original novels, Hiroyuki Morioka, did not consider the primary story.

The typical first impression I expect people to have after a first watch-through of the anime is “Wow. That’s slow”. Admittedly, Crest of the Stars does indeed feel slow for a space opera. Action is minimal and comes between long stretches of dialogue and character development. The show is definitely a space-opera, but with a very hard sci-fi backbone. As an action-fan, I was a bit surprised how taken I was by a minimal action sci-fi epic. I hope that speaks for the quality of the non-action elements.

Well, since seeing the show, and reading about the original novels, I’ve had a desire to one day spearhead a live-action adaptation of the series. Ideally, I would wanted to write and direct a film adaptation. I find myself oten thinking about the challenges in adapting such a layered and complex universe to fill a film, and I’ve devised some solutions. My hope is that one day, I might be able to tackle this project.

I could speak endlessly on why I love the series so much, or about how excited I am about shipping the English-translation of the first 3 books in the series (the rest have yet to be translated),  but that may be a post for another time. I really want to see Crest of the Stars brought over theatrically for American audiences. I only wish I knew the best place to start.

Just a quick spoiler-free review I threw together, not a prompt, but it is some writing I did today. I’ll probably do a more detailed analysis of the movie later, that will contain spoilers, of course.

I admit I came into Shutter Island already banking on it being a great movie. Martin Scorsese is one of those living legends, responsible for some of the most amazing movies out there. Guaranteed strong performances by Leo DiCaprio and Ben Kingsley only furthered my expectations. To my surprise, it was a fun movie that contained some rather major flaws. Despite these flaws, I was amused and find a lot of merit in the film. While this movie will never be considered one of those truly legendary films, I expect it to be one that I will watch again and again throughout the rest of my life. Rather than dwell on some of the problems I found with the movie, mostly in structure and story, I would like to focus on what impressed me so much.

The initial draw to the movie for me, aside from the track records of those involved, was the very pulpy nature of the trailers. I am a sucker for a genre picture, and even more so for those dark, gritty stories that feel like that pop out of a 20s dime magazine. I devour these like candy, and to have so many renowned people playing to my interests naturally had an undeniable draw. This trailers had everything that I never knew I wanted in a simple movie: an asylum, secret sinister experiments, beautiful shots, and the aspects of a period-piece. On these qualities, the film succeeded remarkably, and then some.

The asylum looks amazing. The fact it is located on it’s own island creates an incredible sense of unease the moment you see it appear through the fog within the first few moments of the story. The island itself becomes a character through it’s layout and weather, when certain elements reflect the underlying paranoia. The lighthouse, the hurricane, the rats, and the suicide rock all add to the growing paranoia of US. Marshal Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio). When a set becomes a character, rather than a background, you know you have accomplished something, because then nearly every aspect of the film contributes to the overall point.

As far as the plot, while there are some issues, and the twist is fairly clear rather early on in the movie, it was still enjoyable. Much like one can enjoy a story they have seen before. The destination is not as important as the ride. The ride, in this case, is almost entirely the point of the film. There is only so much I can discuss concerning the plot, as I do not wish to spoil the film, but the narrative does fall apart as Teddy follows different threads. These shifts of focus make sense considering where the story is going, the structural decay of the story echoes the decay of a specific character’s sanity. But this ultimately disrupts the film at points, leading to an ending where the points are just addressed at once rather than resolving naturally. I do not want to use the term dues ex machina, but it feels quite a bit like that. Rather than emphasizing these connections, the film just comes out and says “by the way…”. I’d like to read the book to see if the shifting foci work like how I expect they would in a literary form.

Overall, the film is beautiful and touches up on some really cool things (secret Nazi-Communist mind-experiments, anyone?), but some issues with plot hamper things a bit. It’s definitely worth a watch, as you’ll recognize a lot of faces, amongst whom include Jackie Earl Haley and Max Von Sydow. The film brings in so much cool stuff together into one package. The only thing missing was a story that flowed well.

While my comics have ground to a screeching halt due to the new semester, I have been working on them when I can. In addition, I’ve done a lot more writing.

I’m still hard at work on my Expedition Europa project, which I promised to showcase some information from. I still intend to, but I haven’t gotten around to it. I can verify that so far, much of the locomotion in Europan seas are based on tentacles of flagellate movement. Fun stuff.

In addition, in the off hours at work at the LRC I’ve taken to writing what I can. I am working on Dash scripts, as well as a few writing projects, one of which is a short story for an NPR contest. I am in the polishing stages at this point, and I am extremely pleased with what I have thus far. The other project is a journal where I respond to a prompt. I’ll likely post one of those tonight. The other project is me dabbling with one of my story concepts called “Worldwalker”. It’s going to take me a while, but I am going to press on. I’ll post a rough excerpt here. If anything, the roughness should illustrate that writing in a process, albeit a long, maddening one at times.

Aluia wasn’t used to waking up so early in the morning, much less being woken up by screams. At first she was only half aware of her surroundings, but the acrid smoke roused her. And the survival instincts kicked in. She leapt to her feet and dove for her armor that was resting at her side. In fluid, hurried motions she had managed to slide into her plate. She grabbed at her sword and shield, barreling out of her small tent into the settlement.

In seconds, rotting fingers were rubbing against her armored shoulder, clawing at the metal unsuccessfully. She spun, knocking the hands away; she then brought her shield in front of her. She had wandered right into a pair of ghouls. Thrusting her shield forward to create a buffer zone, and with enough room to swing, she dispatched the first of the pair, followed shortly with the second. She turned her attention to the chaos at hand, as ghouls were swarming the settlement, swarming into tents and bringing down the minor shelters. She saw survivors spread throughout, fending off the undead with great efficiency. It came with living in the area, she imagined. She immediately got to work, rushing shield-first into a trio of ghouls approaching a distracted pair of settlers.

A lot of personal pronouns in this excerpt, but I’ll fix those in time. At this stage in the project, my main concern is just getting a story down on paper. it’s not until the later stages where I make it sparkle, like so many vampires these days.

Anyway, the titular Sara of this post is one classy lady. My post wins by sheer volume, however. I refuse to let her outdo me and I am throwing down the gauntlet. Rawr.

Stay tuned for your regularly scheduled program.

A panel I’ve been working on today. Mara looks so tough.