Hairburger

The Countdown Thing

2012-03-05T20:29:00.003Z

So I decided that Countdown needed to be invaded by the Thing.
One of my fave films.

be prepared! lol

cheers,
Matt

How to make and sell a game

2012-02-13T20:31:00.000Z

I've worked on lots of games over the years, console and handheld titles. Some of which I'm sure you have played. So I thought I'd write a few things about it, just in case you fancied trying your hand at it.
I won't hold anything back as it's a tough biz and you need to know the facts.
here we go....

1. Make sure you have a good idea.
Nothing worse than a mediocre idea that has been developed into a real full game that sucks. If you look at your idea and think 'meh!' then it's probably going to be a sucky game for everyone else.
A no brainer you might think, but sadly no. Some people will just push ahead without really thinking this through, the results are out there in their millions. Forgotten games that get lost in the sea of mediocrity.
So get a good idea first folks.

2. Make it look and sound nice.
Another no brainer, so you have that great idea, now get some good graphics and sounds. Take some time to get the feel and mood of the game right. Don't settle for first draft rough ideas, see where it can go to make it stand out from the crowd. Again, there are so many games that are clones of others that are clones of something else. Don't be dull, make it look real sharp. Get an artist if you don't have one, I've seen so many games that clearly has the artwork done by a coder or uses stock images . This is a massive no no, get an artist/animator and let him/her do his job, you'll be better off.
Also the sounds and music should fit in with the graphical style. Don't use annoying sounds and music. It will just, well...annoy people and they won't play the game. If you can't do it yourself, get a musician/sound engineer. And let them do their job, and voila....all wil be better.

3. Make the gameplay fun.
If it isn't fun, your game sucks. Simple as that. Defeats the whole point of making it really.
Spend some time tweaking and balancing. If you have a good idea then this shouldn't be too hard.
Level design can be quite simple as long as you have played games before and know why you like them. Really hard games don't do very well as they put people off. You don't see many hardcore games these days for this simple reason, people just don't like them any more. Times changed, people want simple fun.
But don't make things too easy either, as people feel cheated.
Just like the best songs, a good game will still be a good game when stripped down to it's bare bones. Don't faff with all the bells and whistles until you have this right. Too many things going on in a game is just annoying to pretty much everyone and will cost you valuable time in development. This brings me to coders, if you can't code for crap then you're probably going to need some help. There are millions of talented coders out there that do this for fun, try joining up with one. Work on it together. If it's complicated to code then maybe you've over complicated the gameplay, so take a step back and look at what can be done.

4. Test it
Test it A LOT. get as many people to test it as you can. Don't just give it to your family and friends. You'll never get any real feedback that you can rely on there.
Get as much of the feedback as you can, take it on board and make some changes. Learn to take bad feedback on the chin. There will be bad feedback, so get ready for it and listen hard , it is your friend.

5. Get it out
So if you've made a game or wanting to make a game, you probably want to make some money from it. It's quite easy to get a game out there on iTunes or android these days.
Overcrowded markets they are, but if you have something that stands out you may just get noticed. See point 1,2 and 3 for that!

6. Let the people know.
OK, so your game is out there and you need people to download it. Ask yourself how they will stumble upon your creation. How will they know it exists?
Get yourself a facebook page, twitter account, a blog....anything, as much as you can. Build relationships with your target audience. let people know what's going on in your game dev world.
Show them pictures and videos of progress as you make it. If no one knows about it how on earth do you expect any downloads? so get to it early on in development. Spread the word, no one's going to do that for you. And no one downloads a game they don't know exists.
Oh...and DO NOT SPAM! nothing worse than a spammer. Your twitter and facebook friends and followers will just ignore your posts if you do this. Resist temptation and you'll avoid looking like a spambot.

7. Expect the worst
Simple fact is, there are many many games released every day. Some poor and some great, and your game is just one of many. Now don't get me wrong, if you've checked all these points then chances are better for you, if you haven't then chances are you won't see much of a return for your efforts. It's just a cold hard fact that the market is over saturated and getting more crowded every day.
You could try the freemium option of course, but again, that market is becoming just as saturated as the paid. People don't want to settle for a mediocre game just because it's free.

It's a tough biz, so if you're going to bother, do it right. Don't blend into the crowd like so many failed games do. Make something you can be proud of and let people know about it. It can be very hard work but the reward of making something to be proud of should be worth it.

hope that helps : )
Matt

Alien in 60 seconds

2012-01-22T14:46:00.000Z

quite tricky to get all the scenes you want from the film into 60 seconds. There are a few I wanted to put in but left out, never mind. Still fun to make this.
I have more planned, for now though, here's ALIEN.

More blogs

2012-01-09T14:03:00.000Z

I should mention a couple of other blogs by some talented people I know. Both of them are working on exciting projects and have a great understanding of animation.
first up is Dale and Short Progress
http://dalemation.blogspot.com/

A great animator who I worked with in a game studio that I shall not mention. Check out his progress and tips of the trade.

Next is Andy's animation blog.
http://andysanimation.blogspot.com/

Another animator I worked with who has a great passion for animation and as well as Dale, also shares what he knows.

Have fun and visit them, follow and take in as much as you can.
: )

Matt

Everyday I'm shuffling

2012-01-05T12:49:00.000Z

I thought I'd post more stuff here, not just my own crap.So to start off, have some of this...

I don't know the embed code thingy so just copy this link..

http://z0r.de/L/z0r-de_3714.swf

it made my day.

Bumble Alarm!

2012-01-03T02:23:00.000Z

I've also been making weird videos over the last week. Mostly featuring Bumble, my cat.

Watch if you dare!

there's also this!...

and this...

Matt

Looking back at 2011 or 'A year of my life in one handy bite sized blog entry'

2012-01-01T12:34:00.000Z

Well last year went pretty well really. Crazy busy with everything but I like that.
I got a YouTube partnership at the beginning of the year, I enjoy making videos so that was nice to get.
I also ended up winning the NextUp contest and going to Google HQ and all that for a week. Cray times. It was great to meet some creative people for a change, people who adapt and move with current times. I get inspired by that and really it really helped me let loose a little more.

Another big event for me was finally moving back to Wales.
So much nicer here.

Close to the sea, not as cold as up North and to be honest, the people are much friendlier here as well (I remember the first day I was at work in Knutsford, I got stones thrown at me by some idiots at the train station, and in the evening harrassed by some weirdo eating cold beans from a tin outside Sainsbury's! went downhill from there lol!).

Anyhow...I'm looking forward to this new year, got lots of stuff to get on with and I'm pretty excited.
Here's a little new year video to get things going.

Happy new year folks : )

Matt

Happy Minecraft FPS Christmas

2011-12-24T15:34:00.000Z

I made this minecraft set for the video. I think I'll expand it so it gets HUGE!

Happy Christmas,
Matt.

Desktop Santa

2011-12-17T20:22:00.000Z

I made this the other week but forgot to post it here.
What an idiot I am. : P
well, here it is....

I'll be mixing live action with animation a lot more in the future, I have plans. Big plans. Big big plans. Big bi...... you get the idea.

: D

3000

2011-12-14T13:50:00.000Z

Moved back to Wales at last. A million times better here, close to the sea, warmer (a little) and closer to things that are going on. Been to the beach for some location scouting, good stuff.
No internet atm, well, limited. Sky take aaaaaaggggees to get it sorted, I've been using this dongle for now. Hope to get online this week.

Anyhow, more later. Here's a new video...
3000

: D

Brace yourselves, December is coming.

2011-11-04T02:28:00.002Z

What is it? 8 weeks away or something? it's starting to get cold and Bumble is in a lot. Time to buy a new jacket I think, for me I mean.
We got this stuff to calm his nerves for the journey to Wales as well. You rub it on his paws and when he cleans himself, he licks the stuff. Can't wait to try it for some reason.

I'll keep you posted on that.

For now, here's a quick video I did when I saw the GTA V trailer. I noticed the drunk dude right at the 1 min mark. He's only in it for like a second or something, but thought he'd be good to play as.
So I did this.

: D

BLOODY MARY!

2011-10-29T17:03:00.000+01:00

it's Halloween soon.
I should do something for that.

hold on....I did!
: D
here 'tis

Interactive Video

2011-10-11T02:37:00.000+01:00

Just for fun I made this interactive video

I've made a keyboard one in the past and thought I'd give this a try. I may do another soon, speed it up a little. This was fun to make though. : )

Busy on another video at the moment, I'll post that soon, and some more drawings.
We'll be moving soon as well, I think Bumble is going to meow in the car for hours! he'll enjoy a nice new garden though.

Deadly Space

2011-10-04T23:49:00.002+01:00

Here is another series I've started, called Deadly Space.
There's an into and title sequence coning soon and a part II. I'm looking forward to having my very own sci-fi series where I can do anything I like :D

Hope you enjoy it.
: )
Matt

The real Bumble

2011-10-03T20:19:00.000+01:00

Just to make him look silly, I have updated my header image to include Bumble with a bow tie.
He will never forgive me for this.
Never.
: D

Intergalactic Black Ops

2011-10-02T14:41:00.000+01:00

I spent a week in London with a big bunch of other YouTubers, we collaborated on videos, had lunch at the Google offices, got some great info and had a good time.

So much onfo to take in and so much to do in the coming months, it's all so very exciting :D

Anyhow, I'll be working on various projects now including some animated series I've always wanted to do.

One of them in Intergalacit Black Ops featuring the voice talents of Khyan and JPelirrojo, I even got Mystery Guitar Man in this first episode. I got to meet him in London and what a nice guy he turned out to be.

enjoy part I

http://www.youtube.com/jpelirrojo
http://www.youtube.com/Khyan1
http://www.youtube.com/MysteryGuitarMan

The Book

2011-09-22T20:07:00.000+01:00

I'll make a new post in the weekend as I'm so busy at the moment. For now, have this short film I made. I have another I will post on the weekend, but for now...watch this... : D Matt

Random drawing time

2011-09-06T22:17:00.001+01:00

One Year

2011-09-06T15:44:00.004+01:00

Has it been one year already? yup, one year since I started this blog. I've been a little slack with the posting but I shall do more. I think I'll write another Spooky story for the 31st of October this year again, I enjoyed that. : ) For the most part of the year I have been stupid busy with all sorts of things like Youtube and Kami Retro. And stuff like this... I had fun with that little video. I'm playing around with some new styles and sounds these days, ramping things up for better things to come shortly. : D yay.

What's going on?!!!!

2011-08-22T01:35:00.001+01:00

Well my friends, quite a lot at the moment. Tired of hearing how busy I am? well join the club!!
This summer I have mostly been working. Some time on some new vids but mostly on new games.

On the plus side, I'm happy to say I won the YouTube NextUp compo. Which is great because I now get to update all my kit and finally get a load of HD going on.

I have huge plans for the next year or so. It will be a lot of work bringing games, animations and a movie some time soon. All stuff in the works, I'll get more info to you soon enough. For now it's just busy busy busy, but all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.....

so look out.
: )

Here's my NextUp videos btw...

Entry..

and a winner video...

Lots more work to come of course, more news on our new game when and as I can give details. Exciting stuff eigh?

you bet!
:D

The cats are coming.......

2011-06-24T03:44:00.000+01:00

Here's a scary thought.

OK, now I think the age of teh cats is almost here.
Their time has come. It happens in 6 stages....

Stage 01.
First it's the 'wide open sleep'. Sleeping with their eyes open. Looks weird, is weird. It begins.

Stage 2.
yes, stage 2 is number 2.
Using human toilet. Be afraid.

Stage 3.
Angry cats. We see them, they see us. Man, they are not happy.

Stage 4.
Slayer, you know you're cat isn't right when it starts litening to slayer. In case you haven't realised, cat's don't listen to music, so when this happens, it's not a good sign.

Stage 5.
Doing drugs.
not cool.

Stage 6.
The great pretender. Oh, he's the great pretender. Pretending that he's doing well, or that he is a dog. Either or really.
This skill is for the advanced kitty. BEWARE.

Now listen to all the videos at once, press play on all of them from the start and you will hear the sound of the future.
You like?

.....didn't think so.

More stuff.......

2011-06-19T03:51:00.000+01:00

what? you like stuff?
I got stuff.

here's some stuff....

what? you want more stuff?......

...waht now??? you want more stuff????
jebus!....more stuff?????
ok...

Here's more stuff...

that's enough stuff for you for now.
you've stuffed yourself now.

: )
he he he.

AT-AT on my desktop

2011-04-25T20:21:00.000+01:00

Finished up on KAMI RETRO for the time being and onto a brand new shiny project. It'll make a nice change to start a new project after all this time for sure.

In other news, summer is on its way. I can't wait. Bumble has been outside a lot these days and his black fur is going ginger in the sun. I notice he has a few more grey hairs these days too. Just like me.

Well I have a ton of work to do, so I'll leve you with my new toy, I bet you'd like one one these as wel.

I present to you the AT-AT space master.

Some things I just can't explain...

2011-04-05T00:23:00.000+01:00

Firstly there's this...

I'm not quite sure what to sa about that.
But the less I say about this one the better...

: )

In other news, still busy getting the HD version of KAMI RETRO out the door. You wouldn't believe the effort that has gone into making this work. Anyhow, I'll let you know when that'll be out.

As far as new videos go I have two! yes TWO!! : D

Firstly is a TF2 first level sentry gun, only small and usb connected. Like this....

And next up is a big bunch of my animated gifs, all in one video.
I didn't realise I had done so many. About six and a half mins worth.

And that's it for now. More to come this month. I'd like to write another short story like I did on Halloween. Maybe I'll do that for Easter.
: )

Matt

01:33 a.m.

2011-02-25T01:40:00.001Z

ohh, it's ealry and late at the same time now. Although I have been going to bed a lot later these days due to crunch time on KAMI RETRO. Well almost there. Good job I say as well as I'm pretty much worn out now. A year worth of hard work has gone into that game and we're very proud indeed. Can't wait to get it released on the internets now.

That's all to come next month, so at this time of the morning I would like to present the Interactive Cat Keyboard.

you will have to let the video load fully then you can play the keys with the number keys on your keyboard right there in front of you. Yes, right there.
(sometime you may have to skip the video around a bit once it loads, not sure why, youtube bugs!)

have fun : D