Aubergine GDD and Where I've Been

I'm back! More after the break. This part is just to say that Aubergine is happening again and that this blog, my twitter and my trello board are the best places to peruze for updates regarding the thing. I've actually just finished the very first version (0.1, whoop whoop!) of Aubergine's game design document for your reading pleasure. You can find that on the trello board I mentioned a sentence or two ago (but you can also click this if you want) or right here on this site on the Aubergine page (which is under Games, but you can also click this; click, click, click!).

For those who want to know more about where I've been and what I'm doing I'll see you after the break!

So around April this year I was super enthusiastic about getting back into game development and continuing work on Aubergine but then nothing happened. I didn't update my blog like I said (what a surprise) and I made no mention of Aubergine for quite some time. So what gives? I mean, what happened?

The sad answer is that my summer was incredibly unproductive; I fell into a slump and it's taken me a long time to get out.

There were numerous causes, I had a new job that was taking up a lot of my time and energy, but the real kicker was this: one of my nearest and dearest friends left the country in pursuit of a new and exciting life. I was a little envious but mostly I was happy for her and thought to myself that with her going forth to head on a big adventure in Central America I didn't have to be 'left behind' and instead could use this as an oppurtunity to really throw myself into my work; and when she returned 3 months later, presumably a new person, I would be renewed myself.

And on the morning that she left my PC died.

Now it took a month or so to revive my PC and it's arguably better than it's ever been right now, but buying new parts and fixing my PC did very little to repair my crushed motivation. It was purely psychosomatic but that along with the pressures of my job (which at the time was taking more of my time and energy than I care for), an ever distancing circle of friends and a brief stint of playing an unhealthy amount of Super Smash Bros. I found myself increasingly listless and lethargic. Bummer.

BUT WOW LOOK AT ALL OF THIS!

I visited my best friend in Sheffield around a month or so ago and after some therapeutic drunken conversations, several viewings of the movie "Red Line" and the realization that a number of tracks and sound effects from the Earthbound soundtrack were sampled from pop music, I found myself refreshed.

I'm trying to divide my time as best as I can between work, family, friends, music and Aubergine but it's a tricky balancing act (especially when I feel like I need to throw some more curve-balls into the equation: my health and my desire to save up money). However, along with the help, love and support of Corridor 64 I am managing to keep somewhat on top of things.

I am aiming to have something done for Christmas. It's still a little too early to say what is feasable to accomplish by then but there will definitely be something.

I know that I've spent years on this game and with (seemingly) nothing to show for it...it's been tough. Aubergine is my baby, though, and I'm not sorry for how long it's taking. This is my first game and I'm figuring out all of this stuff on the fly; how to design a game from scratch, how to code, and how to do it all whilst simultaneously living my life. It's hard but it's what I want to do.

I know this has been a somewhat more 'personal' blog post than what this blog is used to but I felt it necessary to explain my current situation. I can't imagine this will be a regular thing, although anything's possible!