The Retro Conduit

I've been following this game for a while now (well actually from it's very first announcement), which is something i don't normally do any more, possible because it can build up false hopes expectations, along side this i tend not to read reviews anymore, I'll decide weather i like it or not thank you very much.

But yeah I'm hoping good things for this game, the one thing is it has it's own engine that high voltage have made specifically for the Wii, which will hopefully give the games that extra faness.

Right now to the point of this post, the box art. I actually really like this box art for the simple reason that it looks like an old retro box art from the Atari era. in those days games consisted of a dot following another dot, (hmm reminiscence of a old first year task here...) but these 'pixel' games had a lot of life because of the box art. I remember playing games that had on the cover some extravagant art of a dragon and some features character surrounded by flames, it was awesome, and then when you moved your dot in the game you just imagined it was what was on the cover of the game, just proving the power of our imagination. hmm i could go on here but i know I've blogged about this before, http://jasongarlick.blogspot.com/2008/02/week-eigth-squares-and-dots-realistic.html it's in there somewhere, read if you must.

Real Life

Just fancy sharing a few thoughts I've got going on, works all in for next week and it's starting to take it's tole so need some venting.

First off just wanted to comment on the dominance war, and i must stress these are my personal opinions and i think none less of people who do take part. But i was reading through the brief for this years and realised that it just wasn't exciting me at all. There's a new 'type' for this years war which is the demons, and while i was reading about it, not at one point did i think ahhh cool i need to enter this, i think the closest i got to this feeling was in the mechanical section where it was talking about vehicles. And the reason for this is fantasy and making up these 'creatures' just doesn't appeal, I'm much more happy and driven to do realistic things. Now because I've said that I'm not cutting it out completely, i enjoy the concepts that people can come up with, but still i think the best things are ideas/designs that are closely related with realism, or at least had a solid starting point a plenty of research done.

Anyway just to flow on from that, life drawing is something I've got more excited about this term, i think it's because I'm now starting to really 'get' it more and enjoy trying out different techniques, styles, angles and whatever. slightly disappointed that as soon as i was realising this we don't have any now, might have to look into doing some over the summer if i can. So here's a few from this term I'd like to share.

These were done using oil pastels which i hadn't really used before so i was slightly apprehensive, but once Chris gave me a couple of pointers i had so much fun using them, and learnt more than i did if I'd spent the whole session using just a pencil, glad i used them!

Again following on from my little rant, me and Tim started going out and about in Leicester to do some watercolour paintings, which has just been so much fun, going out and actually doing something is a far better way to learn, and as i said fun! i would seriously recommend it, and even if you go and you end up with a piece your not too happy with it doesn't really matter, i guarantee you'll have had fun doing it and learnt something. I'm planning on regularly going to better improve my skills and so I'm actually seeing real life. That's one thing i will not like about an office job, sitting in front of a screen all day, I'd just have to get out to do real things and physically interacting. So here's a few of the paintings I've done so far.

This was the first one i did, was at abbey
park, was pretty happy with it as well.

Also at Abbey Park, found the old ruins of the Abbey which
was cool, this is a view from the ruins looking
at that building which sells ice cream!

This time we decided to go in the complete opposite direction, found some country lanes and cool stuff, nice bit where the river came through an old bridge, unfortunately it then poured down with rain so couldn't actually do the painting while we were there, so did one at home, which was just not as fun as being there.

Unreal Engine

So you say Unreal Engine to someone in the games industry and it's a certainty that they'll have a few wars stories to tell, and this term I’ve had the 'pleasure' of getting acquainted with this destroyer of minds.

Well to be honest I don’t think it's as bad as all the talk, like any program really it has it's moments, and yes I’ve lost my temper with it once or twice...maybe thrice, but it has some really nice effects, and gives a more accurate display of models than max does.

At this week in GDC they've been showing of some of the new engines toys and gadgets, and they do look really really nice, the only thing I’d be worried about is it might be making it too easy for people to do. What I mean by this is people who use it may do things not really understanding what’s going on, they'll end up with something pretty, but unless you understand you'll never get that step further. That applies to a lot of things in general, if someone tells me do this this and this to make this I’m always wanting to know why, and what happens if you do this instead of this, this is the only way you'll truly learn. Anyway back to the point I was getting to, one of the new things was a realistic bounce light system, now yes this will give great feel and life to levels, but unless you understand bounce light you'll never get that step further.



This is a nice shot where the light hitting the red drapes bleeds onto the surrounding objects, in the current engine if you wanted that effect you'd have to figure it out for yourself, and these are things you only learn from seeing it in real life and trying to recreate it yourself, that’s the point I’m trying to make, you only learn something if you actually try and do it your self, not just reading about, it's why practical sessions are quite often the most effective.

Anyway talking about unreal, I’m almost finished in putting my environment from last term into the engine. I wanted to improve upon it, although I did like it I always felt it was lacking slightly, so I’ve tried to create more of a mood by making it night time, putting in some realistic lights, and just all round trying to make it better. Just needs going over with a fine comb now, enjoy!

Frame Of Mind

So it may seem like I’m just on here now for sake of being on here, and possible I am a part, but that does not mean this isn’t going to benefit me. I think one of the best things I’ve learnt and got into the habit of doing this term is doing things because I want to do them, and not just for the sake of a grade. Now that may seem like a contradiction as I just said I'm writing in here for the sake of it, but sometimes you need a little push in the right direction. I did often enjoy doing blog posts, it's a good way of getting the thoughts down that are all swirling around in your head.

So yeah I haven’t wrote on here much this term, but now I feels as if I’ve got a lot to write, I suppose I’m going to treat these next two weeks almost like a test of what I’ve learnt, and they will include a sum up thoughts of the course thus far.

I did actually want to write in here a few days ago but I thought I’d wait till the assessment and see what feedback I got from the tutors. Now the marks I got weren’t brilliant, but for some reason this really didn’t phase me, if anything it's just made me want to do more, and not just to get the top mark (although that is always nice) but because Heather Chris and Mike gave me some really positive feedback that I can build upon and take further. Cheers.

I can really say even know the course is finishing soon I’m so looking forward to carrying on doing work, I’ll still be going to Abbey park (or even other places) to do watercolours (or even other techniques) every week, and just drawing in spare time that I have. Because this is what I love doing.

One of the points last term I had was when you have to do something for work, even if it's something you enjoy, it ends up not being enjoyable, and not getting done because you feel as if you have to do it for this tick box and that merit point, as soon as you get out of this everything because much more enjoyable and objectives become more achievable.

I think I may not have being blogging this term because I felt it was some thing the uni wanted (and that’s uni not the course), and I felt I’d been talking to the tutors and involved in the course happenings, but obviously this needs documenting, so this I me documenting, and I plan to do much more of these over time, not for the uni's sake, but for mine, because as I’m typing this I’m feeling much better about it all, I think I did actually say in one of my first blogs this is helping sort that swirl of thoughts in my head, expect some more not so random dribbling, because I’m back baby!

Speed Paint

Word: Cast
30 mins

Speed Paints

Decided to start doing some speedy paintings, and here's the first 2.

Word: Vision
30 mins

Word: Imagination (dont ask why i thought of a turtle on wheels)
20 mins

The Secret Of The Legend

So i was looking through some old files on my pc and came across this little gem, it's a creative writing piece that i did somewhere around year 9, which at the time i thought was pretay good. I looked through it with my house mates other day and we all cracked up laughing, it's good and interesting to see how my mind worked back then, Tim was saying he could understand exactly what i was seeing and trying to do but the clichés are just so funny. now i did do this a long time ago and for some reason i dont have the final draft saved so there are a fair amount of mistake but im sure it all adds to the fun, but enough of the preview, time to sit back and enjoy this 6 page story titled 'The Secret Of The Legend'.

The Secret of the Legend

‘She closed the door and was never seen again’

That was the legend of what happened on the island ‘I.B.B.’, and to this day nobody knew what happened, why it happened or how it happened.

Bang! The wheels of the plane hit the runway hard and fast. A young lady walked down the stairs of the plane. She was a fine looking lady, in her twenties wearing a long white coat and a flat but wide white hat with her hair dangling from it. She was then followed by a strange looking man wearing greenish combat trousers and an old army style jacket. He was struggling with rather a lot of bags which were on his back, under both of his arms and every other place he could manage. He looked up at the sky with his hand sheltering his head and said.
“Great day, isn’t it Jose.”
“Yes.” she slowly said “now let’s get going.”
A new Jaguar pulled up and Jose jumped out and flipped her hair from her sunglasses. Jose was the kind of girl who knew what she wanted. She didn’t let adventure find her; she went out and found adventure. Then when she found it she attacked it with full determination, and never left a job unfinished.
“Um, Jose I need some help, with these bags, ah, Ahh, help!” Malcolm yelled.
“Okay Malcolm.” She walked up to Malcolm, looked at the large jumble of bags and picked a small handbag. She smiled at him and walked off.
“Cheers.” Malcolm said sarcastically.
She pushed both of the doors open, and as she did the wind pushed her hair and coat in the reverse direction.
“Hello.”, a voice said from behind the desk, “And welcome to the Big Blue Island Hotel. Have you pre-booked or will you just be staying the one night.”
“The names Jose Sharday.”
“Oh we have been expecting you Jose.” but as he said it he cocked his head to one side, and gazed into her eyes. Jose looked back at him and said in confusion, sorry. He shook his head and said
“How many rooms, miss.”
Just as he said that Malcolm fell in lugging all the bags behind him.
“Two please.” she smiled as she said it.

Malcolm walked into Jose’s room with his head backwards saying “Hey, I thought we were getting window view roo………….WOW!”
“Something wrong Malcolm?” Jose remarked.
Malcolm looked round her room with his eyebrows raised. He didn’t say anything but he wasn’t very happy
“Now let’s go shopping.” Jose told him
Malcolm didn’t ever want to go shopping but he didn’t have much choice. He told her that they were on vacation but she just said on vacation she goes shopping. He sarcastically commented “Oh yeah of course we do.”

On their way out they bumped into the hotel manager.
“You must be Jose Sharday, my, my you have grown indeed.”
She looked at him with confusion. She hadn’t the slightest clue who he was or how he knew her.
“I’m sorry you probably don’t remember me. I’m Niles Spedmen.” Niles had worked with Jose’s dad, but about 2 years ago he had died on a dig in South America.
“I’m truly sorry for your loss and I would like to take his daughter out for dinner some time. Maybe tonight eight o’clock.”
Jose looked at him and said “maybe.” then walked off as Malcolm commented on him being a jerk, she agreed.

It was a really hot day on Big Blue Island. Big Blue was a small island off the Spanish coast, it got its name from the fact it rarely rained on the island and the sky was always big and blue. But this was no normal island it was mainly an ancient volcano and from it made the island a great place to be. There were hot springs all round places to go and see and regular trips up the volcano.
“So ever been on a volcano before Jose?”
“Yes, several times.”
“And if we continue on the tour mam.” the tour guide was getting impatient, and frankly who wouldn’t in the tremendous heat. About half way on the tour Jose spotted some men carrying large boxes. The tour guide explained that they had recently found an ancient hidden chamber that had some very, very old treasure in it. But there was something else to it, some sort of great power, some thing that was so amazing that it could change the very way of life, but nobody knew how to get this great god like power.

Later that night Jose came out of her room to wake Malcolm up. Malcolm wasn’t too happy that he had been woken up on vacation to go out night crawling.
“This had better be good.” Malcolm was still half asleep.

They were both walking out in the back streets of the island but Malcolm didn’t have a clue why.
“What are we doing out at this hour again ON VACATION!!”
Jose being adventures wanted to find out more about this ‘ancient chamber’ but Malcolm wasn’t too happy about being up that late on vacation, but he still went along
“Look over there.” Jose had spotted the boxes that the men were carrying down the volcano earlier “let’s go.”
“What was that noise?” There were two men on guard and one was saying he was hearing noise. At first the other man didn’t believe him but the he heard it too.
“Let’s check it out.” the men agreed
As the too men walked between some boxes, a voice from behind said “hello boys.” the two men snapped round, but as they did Jose flattened them both. Malcolm looked down at them and acted as if he had done all the work
“Can we go now Malcolm?”

They’d been walking for a while and Malcolm was starting to worry that they had took a wrong turn on the way. But just as he was about to open his mouth, the door to the chamber appeared. The entrance was only illuminated by the light of the moon, but inside it was pitch black. Luckily Jose came prepared as she had a flare to light the way; it was as if she new perfectly what to do. Eventually they came to a large chamber. She moved the light into the middle. The room was amazing full of gold and stone pillars, and at the end was a very large stone door.
“Well we’d better start looking.” Jose always loved a challenge and Malcolm was going to ask what they were looking for but it was probably the usual, handle here, lever there, and poof, it was all solved.
“Jose, JOSE look what I have found.”
“No you come here.” Jose had found a very old stone tablet, it read;

‘She who is destined will find the way and see the wonders
that have never been seen before’

“What’s it mean then?” Malcolm said
Jose didn’t know but she also thought that the people who found it didn’t know either. Then Malcolm showed Jose what he had found. It was a small green diamond, but as he got it out a voice spoke.
“Jose, what are you doing here?” Jose looked up and saw a man but he was just a silhouette.
“Well, why are you here?” the man asked.
“That all depends on who you are.” Jose didn’t want him to know why she was there, yet.
“Maybe, but I think you are trying to steal what I have spent so long trying to find.”
“Oh really, and what might that be.”
“Oh I think you know after all you are the daughter of a great man.”
“Who are you?” Jose asked impatiently.
The man stepped forward into the light……as the light hit his face Jose saw that it was Niles.
Niles then said “You see as our dinner arrangements were at eight, and it’s now nine thirty.”
Jose rolled her eyes. He then went on to explain how her dad always said she was very adventuress so she’d probable found her way in to his chamber as he called it.
“You don’t even know what this place dose.” Jose yelled at him
“Well, we’ll see about that. Did you know I have very persuasive methods of getting to know what I want? And also did they ever tell you how your dad died?”
Jose’s eyes grew big, and as she stared at him she felt a mixture of feelings. Sadness but rage on how he dare say that.
“I bet that they told you he got cut by a blade or had an illness and just dropped off.” Niles seemed to be getting to her now she let her anger fill her mind and was ready to lash out him. Then he said something that shed never forget.
“But he was actually a very pathetic little man. I’ll tell you what happened two years ago. It would be my pleasure.”

Two years ago in the South American desert, a tragedy happened that was hidden till now. “Niles what are you doing, what are you doing?”
“Oh Peter Sharday you are so weak.” Niles walked round Mr. Sharday pushing him down to his knees telling him how pathetic he was and how he could never live up to anything.

Peter told him he didn’t have the guts to do anything to even harm him. Niles didn’t agree, and pulled out a little pistol.
“What are you going to do with that Niles?”
“Oh what do you think, kill you of course.” A drip of sweat ran down Peters head.

“So you are going to kill me, but you know if you do, my daughter will be out to get you.”
“Well I’ll have the pleasure of her as well. Any last words?” Peter straightened his back and tried his best not to show any fear but it was too late. Niles pulled the trigger and the bullet flew out from the chamber, piercing the air, then into the head of Peter Sharday stopping life in a few fatal seconds.

“No!!!, I don’t believe you.” Jose released all her rage out on him telling how he was wrong. But the truth was that her dad had died by the hands of a made man. Jose reached back to her guns lining them up with his head. She released the silver devils out of their dark cave into the open. Niles pounced behind a wall. He talked about how she was just like her father, so small and worthless. But as he was he was loading his angel of death. Bang! The two now very apparent enemies were in a gun fight, with bullets blazing across the room pounding into pillars and walls.
“You can’t win Jose.”
They were emptying clips like there was no tomorrow. They both then came within one meter of each other pointing there weapons at each others heads.
“You’re empty.” Niles thought he’d got it but then she said the same. They looked at each others guns. Then at each other. There eyes glared hard. Jose then swung her leg at him as Niles threw a punch at her, but they both missed.
“Its like I said Jose you can’t win.”
They were both standing on a ledge several feet from the floor. If one of them fell the other would have the advantage, but then Jose jumped down running to the other side with Niles following her. She then rolled over grabbing a gun, and with one shot let a bullet fly to Niles. Niles looked down; he’d been shot in the leg. Blood was pouring from his leg quickly changing the colour of his clothes. Jose thought she was now going to get him back but then he said
“I wouldn’t do that if I was you.”
“Oh really, And why’s that.”
As she said that men in suits came out from all corners pointing guns at Jose and Malcolm. She looked hard at Niles while she was taken away.

They were carried back down to the warehouse where they were tied up. Niles walked in and was trying to get Jose to get here to tell him what the place did and how to get it but shed just kept saying she didn’t know. Niles kept trying but in the end he just told her that maybe by the morning she will have changed her mind, he then walked off.
“So got any plans on how were getting out of here?” Malcolm said.
Jose looked at him and nodded. They were both tied but to separate chairs
So, she jumped up and down moving towards the boxes.
“What the hell are you doing?”
She said nothing and leaned next to the box and rubbed the rope on the side till it snapped. She smiled at him then freed him with a knife.
“Careful.” Malcolm wasn’t the one who wanted to be cut. As they run off Jose said to Malcolm that she said she had an idea of what to do.

When they got there it was very quiet, a bit too quiet. They quickly started to look round to see what to do. It wasn’t long before Malcolm found an eye shaped hole in the wall.
“Jose what’s this do?”
She looked at it and told Malcolm to give him the diamond. She put it in the hole and a bright beam of light shot out and hit a fallen pillar.
“I don’t think that’s supposed to happen.” Malcolm liked to point out the obvious. Jose ran up some stairs, looked at the pillar and drew her guns and blasted the pillar to pieces. The dust settled and the beam hit a mirror, reflecting into a very big blue eye. The eye light up and as it did the two stone doors opened and a bright white light appeared from the other side.
“And she closed the door and was never seen again.” Jose whispered to her self the legend of I.B.B or Island Big Blue. Jose moved into the light but as she did Malcolm shouted out, “NO! Wait let me go after all who will save the world next time?”
“You will.” she said smiling
Then she turned round, looked at the light and jumped through, and was never seen again.

Years later……… Legend says “from the white light she appeared and it was said she had the power like a god.”

THE END, or so legend says…