Updates? Oh yeah…

I forgot to give updates!

So yes, there’s been some progress.

Yep.

Sure has.

Okay, all joking aside, the top-down process HAS been working for me.  As much as I don’t like to admit it, it is keeping me focused and on-task… it’s also helping me sort through some of the logic-flow of certain story elements.  The TWINE interface makes the whole process even easier.  Kudos, again, to TWINE’s developers.

Truth be told, I started using Twine to help me plot-out a work of fiction.  Kinda nifty.  Very handy.

Oh, and since I’m handing out Kudos…  here’s to Ubisoft, for another very interesting installment of their Assassin’s Creed series (Syndicate, this time).  I was fortunate to have a week of vacation come up during the release week, so I’ve had time to play it out of my system for a bit.   I’m a bit of a completionist who likes to explore anyway.  So, I’m feeling groovy.

Since I’ve never been to London… and never been to the late 1800’s…  take it with a grain of salt when I say that Ubisoft did a remarkable job of making me feel like I was seeing an accurate recreation of life in a city during the industrial age.  Templars vs Assassins notwithstanding, it was interesting taking in all the flavor.

There were some things missing, though… and some of those elements may come out in as projects of my own.  We’ll see.

I often wonder how much it would cost to hire people to make my ideas [into reality] for me.  The easy answer is:  “More than I can afford.”

However…  if my ideas could be monetized…  not with the aim of getting rich, but with the intent of being able to spend more time creating and less time working.  (Sadly, this notion has been creeping into my head more and more…) But with enough money flowing into my ‘creativity fund’, I could pay others to make those things I want to enjoy, but don’t have the time to create.

Like with food… I don’t want to spend four hours making a dish I will finish in 15 minutes.  So, I pay someone else to make it for me.

I sometimes find myself saying “writing is easy”… but that’s not quite true.  Being inspired is ‘easy’.  Following that inspiration is ‘easy’.  Putting words on paper (or screen) is ‘easy’.  Conveying the power of that moment of inspiration…  not so easy.   …and not cheap.

Ubisoft spent two years on Syndicate.  They had dozens (hundreds?) of people from around the globe involved in this fine product.  (Yes, I actually paid for it… and boosted my credit-rating in the process.)  I can only imagine how much it cost to make.  …and while I’m not envisioning such a high-end game for any of my projects, I still know they won’t be cheap.

So… we’ll see where things go from here.

Cheers, all.

— Cam