I finally uploaded here Blame Clotilde!, a game made in past August together with Héctor Vargas, ¡it was a great experience! I also seized the moment to upload several game I’ve done throughout several game jams, so they now have their own place.
I was leaving my worktown very late as I was with some friends after work. Thus, there were no longer any direct trains to my home, so I had to take one that passed through Gatwick Airport and then connect somewhere in London.
I was ready for the long trip, so I was leisurely reading a book while hearing music. I noticed some guy barely able to stand, right next to me, speaking loudly on his mobile; I wasn’t able to know what he was talking about as my music drowned his words.
He eventually sits in the opposite of the table I was sitting in. It was probably that the battery of his phone died, or hanged up, but he shut up and then started looking who to talk to. It was not difficult task as I was almost the only one in the coach.
The guy had a black cap, weared backwards, showing a very stylised figure of an Egyptian Sphinx. He also wore some huge pilot sunglasses that covered his eyes, and had a plastic bottle that used to contain water, and now contained some yellow alcoholic beverage that might as well be used for de-clogging sinks.
“What are you reading?”, he asked. At first I did not pay attention, as it is usually a tacit rule that someone with earphones wishes not to be disturbed, unless it’s a train guard asking for tickets. But since this guy was clearly so drunk, I guessed he was not much into etiquette.
So I started listening to this guy, who immediately switched to how happy he was. He had just left a girlfriend who worked in Gatwick Airport. He had two girlfriends, he told me. This one, and a correctional officer, who he met when he got out of jail. He had one baby with each one. He was particularly happy because he felt his future was assured by the jobs of one of these girls.
He asked me what I did for a living. I usually do not reveal immediately I make games for a living to strangers. So I answered that I worked with computers. He started a whole speech on how he has worked with computers and how he has assembled and disassembled them.
I was then a bit more specific, and revealed that I worked developing software. He then asked in what sense what I did improved his life. It’s actually a good question, regardless I develop games or not. I seriously doubted this guy had a bank account, so I couldn’t appeal to that, but even then, if you think about it, being shut out of modern finances is in no small part an influence from computers and what me and other programmers do. I gave a really clunky answer I couldn’t remember.
The final subject we touched was the latest money-making scheme he was devising. He asked me how much money per weight a fish costed in the High Street. To be honest, I did not understand to which fish he was referring to, as my vocabulary in English for fish is quite limited. I took my earnest intention to guess, and said between 5 and 10 pounds. He said it was about 7.5 pound, and claimed that for that price he could sell as much as four times the amount of fish.
So his plan was to buy fish from the Peckham market, and he also mentioned Hoxton as an alternative. Also buy one or two refrigerated vans, and distribute fish around the south of London. The only thing he needed to do was to have a laptop at his home where he would run the company. I asked him who could he hire to drive the vans, as this person would need to be trusted to drive well, or at least not to take the van away. He disregarded that as an important issue, he said he would just hire an uncle, or a relative that could take care of that. He surely seemed really confident and happy about this plan.
As I got to the station I would change trains, I said goodbye, got my stuff, and asked him before I left the train what was his name. “Craig”, he said. So I said bye to Craig, and wished him good luck in his endeavour.
And then all trains to my home in the next hour were cancelled and I had to take a bus in the end, but that’s another issue.
May I present you the first release of Dancing Cubes, a tool for making voxel art, available for Windows. With the tool the artist may build models to make tiles in 2.5D or models with voxel art, using basic constructions blocks. It’s available in itch.io, where you will be able to download it.
The tool is based in the prototyping challenge proposed by Daniel Cook in his blog Lost Garden. The program still has many rough edges, but I appreciate your feedback. Especially if you have used similar programs.
Here’s a quick timelapse on how to make a model inside the program:
¡Hola a todos!, El siguiente post fue enviado a los suscriptores de la lista de correos del Caracas Game Jam. Si deseas recibir correos del evento, suscríbete ahora mismo.
¡Bienvenidos al Caracas Game Jam 2014! Si estás recibiendo este correo es porque te suscribiste directamente a la lista de correos en http://www.caracasgamejam.com. El objetivo de este correo es abrir oficialmente las inscripciones del Caracas Game Jam y hacer algunos anuncios. Si no esperabas recibir este correo, lo lamentamos. Tendrás instrucciones para retirarte de la lista con un solo click y sin preguntas.
La Sexta Edición del Caracas Game Jam vuelve para el deleite de propios y extraños. Durante 48 horas, artistas y programadores unirán sus fuerzas para crear videojuegos y juegos de mesa desde cero. No importa si eres estudiante o profesional, si has hecho 100 juegos o no has hecho uno nunca en tu vida, el Caracas Game Jam es un ambiente que les da la bienvenida a todos por igual. Si nunca has hecho un juego, este evento te enseñará lo que es un ciclo completo de desarrollo. Si eres profesional, estarás animado de romper un poco el orden de un proyecto largo para hacer un prototipo rápido y, más importante aún, algo que puedas llamar propio.
El Caracas Game Jam forma parte del Global Game Jam, y durante el fin de semana del 24 al 26 de enero estarán participando simultáneamente junto a más de 300 sedes distribuidas en más de 60 países del mundo. Al finalizar el evento subirán su juego junto con todo lo que hicieron para que otras personas puedan jugarlo y estudiar su código. Sin embargo, todos los derechos del juego siguen siendo de ustedes.
En esta nueva edición contamos con un gran aliado. La Academia Wayra abre sus puertas para el evento, con un gran aforo, y excelente espacio para que todos puedan trabajar cómodamente. La Academia Wayra se encuentra en la Torre Xerox, en Bello Campo, a muy poca distancia del C.C. Sambil y a unas cuadras de la estación de Metro Altamira o Chacao. Puedes ver un video de la Academia Wayra en Youtube.
Las inscripciones se abrirán a partir de hoy 1ro de enero, y estarán abiertas hasta el inicio del evento . El costo de la inscripción es de 300BsF por persona. Este costo incluye la entrada al evento, refrigerios, bebidas y certificado de participación. El evento este año se hará en un espacio que está dotado, equipado y acondicionado para que la experiencia sea mucho más cómoda. El límite de participación es de 80 participantes. El espacio incluye una sala acondicionadas para trabajo con computadoras con internet inalámbrico, area de descanso, de esparcimiento, comedor con microondas, ducha, vigilancia, entre otras (el estacionamiento no está incluido). La edad mínima de participación del evento es de 16 años. Si eres menor de edad, debes venir con un representante legal y una autorización firmada por el mismo.
Para formalizar tu inscripción, deposita o haz una transferencia electrónica a cualquiera de las siguientes dos cuentas:
Banesco 01340225612253095148 Cuenta Corriente Mercantil 01050614010614009715 Cuenta de Ahorro Nombre: Ciro Durán / Cédula: 16005564 / Correo: ciro@caracasgamejam.com
Escribe a ciro@caracasgamejam.com con tu nombre, nombre del banco al que transferiste, y el número de referencia del depósito o transferencia. Ten en cuenta que si transfieres desde banco diferente el proceso puede tomar 48 horas. Se tomará en cuenta la formalización de la inscripción al momento de acreditar el monto. Iremos avisando a medida que las plazas se llenen y cuando ya queden pocos puestos. Atenderemos por orden de llegada de las transferencias. Te enviaremos de vuelta un formulario.
Deberás traer tu propio equipo ya que no contaremos con máquinas para prestar. Si traes desktop trae tu propia regleta para poder conectar todos los dispositivos. También debes traer tu propia comida: desayuno, almuerzo y cena. La torre tiene al Centro Comercial Sambil cercano, y un local de comida rápida (más adelante ampliaremos esta información). También recomendamos que lleves abrigo, pues el lugar puede llegar a ser bastante frío durante la noche. Debes traer también tus implementos para dormir (Colchoneta portatil o colchón inflable, recuerda que si traes colchón inflable, debes traer también la bomba de aire.)
Esta edición del Caracas Game Jam es organizada por El Chigüire Literario, y auspiciada por la Academia Wayra, contando con la colaboración de la Fundación Filantropía.
Si tienes alguna pregunta, puedes hacerla a ciro@caracasgamejam.com. Está pendiente de nuevos anuncios que haremos a través de esta lista de correos y nuestras redes sociales.
Twitter: @CaracasGameJam (Hashtag: #cgj14 (Caracas Game Jam) #ggj14 (Global Game Jam) Facebook: Caracas Game Jam
¡Gracias por tu atención!
I have something important to say today. I believe it is important to share it with all the followers of my work.
I accepted an offer to study a Master in computer games programming at the United Kingdom, with a year of duration. As you’re reading this text, we will have travelled and I will have started the course. I’m studying this course at Goldsmiths College, a university that has a long tradition in arts, something that attracts me a great deal. Although, the master itself is strongly oriented to programming. One of the teachers of the course has worked for over 30 years in the field, and in its most recent curriculum works with the compilers in Sony.
These last months have been for me a terrible pressure. Emigrating is not only a test that consists in completing all requisites and you’re done. It is a psychological test that strains your spirit and those of who surround you. Thank you, thank you, really, to all the family and friends that have supported us in this tough process.
The moment the thinking of leaving to somewhere unknown settles in your mind, that solid floor you sed to have disappears, and you enter in a freefall: what you knew stops making sense, and you must complete a series of sequencial steps so your life can continue. And in the meantime these steps are completed you must wait, and that threatens your mental health.
I do still think that Venezuela has an impressive talent in matters of videogame development. Moreover, I think it develops despite the things that happen around that affect or minimize their importance. As you know, the Caracas Game Jam 2014 will be done and will be bigger than 2013. El Chigüire Literario will continue publishing articles and tutorials in Spanish. My site, www.ciroduran.com, will have articles in both languages. It is necesary that you developers stand out with your work, and keep talking between you.
At some moment several of you made to yourselves the same question: “am I the only videogame developer in Venezuela?”. I think that’s a stage you have already overcomed, and the next question should be: “what can we do together?”. I have seen the results from the game jam, and other initiatives I’ve seen around. From this side of the screen, I offer all the support you need to spread your work.
Thank you for reading me, following me, and supporting me. I hope you still do it.
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