It Just Dawned on Me...

...That I should probably have made this post back on Friday.  Lindy (theSardonicGirl) and I are moving into our first condo!  Yeah, this means I'm probably going to be pretty quiet for the month of May as we scramble to get everything wrapped up in our apartment and into the new place.  As you've probably guessed, no new Let's MAD, and probably no new DevDiary.  I'll try and post updates, and it looks like everything is back to normal come June - barring any disasters.

Untitled Game - DevDiary #3 - A Different Kind of Writing

Writing presents many unique challenges.  Making sure that there's an internal logic, keeping and maintaining a voice, being certain that characters speak and act in a way that makes sense for that particular character, etc...  Most of the issues that can come up in writing appear in different formats of writing.  You will always need to check for inconsistencies, you will always need to be sure that your characters sound right, and you will always need to read lines out loud to hear what they actually sound like.  All formats, however, do contain unique challenges.  Writing a short story requires less verbose prose to get points across quickly, comic book writing requires detailed descriptions to convey information to the artist, audio drama scripting forces the writer to convey visual information by different methods than normal.

Let's MAD 9 - Shogo: Mobile Armor Division

With the discover of Cothinial, Sanjuro must choose between using the Kato cannon to destroy a Gaian entity that seems to be minding it's own business, whipping out thousands of innocent lives in the process; or joining a mad cult that worships the Gaian entity that doesn't seem to care much, likely whipping out thousands of innocent lives in the process. Which route will he take? Do we honestly care? Let's find out.



Let's MAD 9: Shogo Mobile Armor Division by Boundcompass

Let's MAD 8 - Shogo: Mobile Armor Division

What...  What was that last episode?  Wait, I get who Gabriel is, but I still don't get who Gabriel *is.*  Whose Uziel?  If Shogo has a hand in Gabriel, than who are the CNC?  Will this plot finally start making sense?

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Untitled Game - DevDiary #2 - The Hard Cut

In gaming, there is a particular concept that always gets my attention.  It usually shows up in table top war gaming and card games, but also appears in video games, board games, and RPG's (both pad & pencil and digital).  It is a concept that will usually make or break a game for me.  If done poorly, the game will be broken, frustrating, too easy, or even sometime just unplayable.  If done, right, the game will be absolutely timeless.  This concept is what I like to "the Hard Cut."

The Finale of the Amazing Adventures of Captain Farr Novarider and the Wild Horses

...Is up on Bandcamp.  Right here.  No, here!  Over here!  Ha, ha!  Can't catch me.

The Amazing Adventures of Captain Farr Novarider and the Wild Horses - Season 3

...Is now available right here on Bandcamp.  So smooth.  So tasty.  So cheap.

Still free here, though.  For you.  To not buy.

Let's MAD 7 - Shogo: Mobile Armor Division

Can Sanjuro free his dead ex-girlfriend from the dark and sinister halls of what looks to be a mere public services building?  Will someone, for the love of God, please put hand railings on all the precarious walk ways?  Find out in Shogo: Mobile Armor Division.


Let's MAD 7: Shogo Mobile Armor Division by Boundcompass

Season 2 of the Amazing Adventures of Captain Farr Novarider and the Wild Horses Is Now Available (Again)!

Season 2 of the Amazing Adventures of Captain Farr Novarider and the Wild Horses is now available for purchase on Bandcamp.  Go check it out, and help me fund future projects!  Not sure?  You can still check it out on this very website for free.

The Amazing Adventures of Captain Farr Novarider and the Wild Horses Now Available on Bandcamp!

Exciting news!  I've just put the first season of The Amazing Adventures of Captain Farr Novarider and the Wild Horses up for sale on Bandcamp.  Check it out!

But why put it on sale when I can still get it for free on Boundcompass you may ask?  Well, I'll level with you: I need the money.  Yes, the series will continue to remain free here.  You will still be able to download it, watch it on site, etc...  Buying it, however, at the astoundingly low, low price of $10.00 per season helps me continue to work on art, writing, and other projects, as well as puts me one step closer to making this my full time job.  A job that I would love to have as comparison to my boring cube-rat job at a stuffy bank.  This also comes at a critical time for me and my wife, as we're looking at buying our very fist condo, so any amount of single episodes or full seasons purchased, helps me off set that cost.

I know there are a small amount of you, but I don't care.  The amount of traffic is pleasing to see, and as long as you're getting some joy out of my work, be it the series, art, or other works I put up here, I'm happy.  If you want to keep coming to Boundcompass to check out my stuff, great.  Buying does help me immensely, regardless of how little it seems.  It's a big ego boost, and I can push forward on getting the new project off the ground.

Enjoy!

Untitled Game - DevDiary #1 - A Work in Progress

Back in November-ish, I decided to shelve Express Line Number Seven; a point and click style adventure game that would have released for the PC (and potentially other platforms).  I decided it best to ultimately shelve the project as the narrative, as I had envisioned it, did not fit a game format.  The project would be much better suited to a graphic novel.  Express Line Number Seven is still very much a possibility somewhere down the line, but I decided it best to continue on the video game vector because I want to challenge my self, much the way that I did with The Amazing Adventures of Captain Farr Novarider and the Wild Horses.  When I shelved Express Line Number Seven, I already had an idea of the story that I wanted to try.  Honestly, when I decided that I wanted to try developing a game, it was between Express Line Number Seven and the story that I’m currently working on.
 
You'll probably notice that it seems I'm playing coy with new project's title.  This is part of the reason that I had originally picked Express Line versus this story.  I had very little laid out in terms of what the narrative is going to be, the major themes that I would be playing with, the over-all world design, and even the title was nonexistent.  The most I had were a few early character concepts, and few ideas for game mechanics, and maybe a couple of themes.  Maybe.

I'm happy to say that after the last few months the world, themes, character concepts and motivations, and game play are all starting to coalesce into something a bit more tangible.  Mostly.  Some major steps still need to be taken, including finally getting an idea of what I want the story to look like and writing said story, what the ultimate conflicts for the characters are, major antagonists if any, and, yes, even the title of the game still needs to be figured.  Fortunately, my schedule has progressed enough to where I can finally begin working on these very important items at full speed.  What do I have so far?

The year is 1915, and World War I is in full swing.  Factories across the United Kingdom are producing vast quantities of munitions and supplies to ship to British Forces on the front lines.  Archwood Ashland (better known as Archie) has found dutiful employment at one such factory pumping out ammunition.  Archie’s talents with machines has lead to him being able to push the factory well above it’s expected capacity.

Things are not going well on the front lines, however, and the British Government is desperately looking for young bodies to pour into the trenches.  Due to Archie’s talent for machines, he’s managed to stay safe at the factory to ensure that it continues to operate and send ammunition to the front line.  With the increase in mechanized warfare, Archie’s talents are becoming more desirable on the front line rather than behind, and recruiters are becoming more pushy and demanding.

It wasn’t long before drafting papers were taken, meaning Archie was under government order to report to a recruiters.  The air sirens blare, however, signaling a Zeppelin Raid.  Archie attempts to find safety with the others, but bombs begin to strike the shelter and factory, forcing him to find safety elsewhere.  As he runs, a rip occurs a head of him.  He falls through just as a bomb hits.

He finds himself in a green meadow of an unknown land.  Debris from the chaos around him remains.  He’s greeted by a young woman who speaks a language that he’s not familiar with.  After a bit of work trying to communicate, he finds that her name is Auryon.  Alone and far from anywhere resembling home, Archie must find his way in a world scarred by a long forgotten war.

The game follows Archie and Auryon as they travel throughout the environments of the world, in a Metroidvania-style adventure game.  Can Archie find a way home?  Does he want to return?  What mysteries are hidden in the wounds of the war?  That will all be determined when I figure the rest out.

Let's MAD 6 - Shogo: Mobile Armor Division

In the sixth installment the game gives up and decides to take a big steaming plot and character dump in our shoe.  Who are these people?  What does their introduction mean?  The game doesn't know nor does it care.  Let's MAD: Shogo - Mobile Armor Division.



Let's Mad 6: Shogo Mobile Armor Division by Boundcompass

Let's MAD 5 - Shogo: Mobile Armor Division

It's finally here!  After numerous delays, Let's MAD number 5 is ready to watch.  Will Sanjuro finally figure out his girl troubles?  Nope, he's going to go looking for some old lady's cat.

You think I'm joking?


Let's MAD 5: Shogo Mobile Armor Division by Boundcompass

The Dublin Man

The music selection was mostly safe.  Nothing as jagged or broken as Brit Punk, and nothing as asymmetrical as Prog or Art Rock.  Most of the albums were ripped from the top 40 charts; a few outliers such as easily recognizable classical composers, the occasional Indie name, and nostalgia fuel - for those who insist on remembering the 80’s.

Let's MAD 4 - Shogo: Mobile Armor Division

How will Sanjuro deal with his dead ex coming back to life? Will he tell her that he's been dating her sister? Will he find his brother and best friend? Seriously, who is Gabriel? These and many other questions will not be answered in this month's Let's MAD: Shogo.


Let's MAD 4: Shogo by Boundcompass