I’ve been thinking, and I’ve been blinking. It’s time for some change.
Today I’ve decided to reluctantly move all my previous dev logs on Tumblr over to the site. Now, it won’t be all posts as Tumblr will still retain live development recordings. Any completed game dev entries will be moved over here to the site and a snippet will remain over at Tumblr. Any concepts or work through entries will stay on Tumblr. It’s a great place to dump my progress. Plus it’s a great way to have another blog for SEO purposes.
I’ve also been slacking on posting to the site, primarily due to the massive renos happening in my office and home. It’s also partly due to very limited time in the evenings and weekends, but who’s life isn’t filled with stuff. I’m bad at keeping on time frames when it comes to my own stuff because I don’t hold myself accountable. I hope I’m not alone. I wanted to start updating the site but figured why not wait until I rebuild it. Rebuild it, you gasp. Yes! I’m rebuilding ADLi so it supports a cleaner navigation to the important bits. Game Design, Products, Blogs and Multimedia, the four branches of this brand. The current site is an ever changing blog and product site that, I feel, has lost its way.
Changes are on the way, and hopefully through the year end holidays I can bring ADLi into the New Year with fresh digs. Until then there will be posts here and there plus the migrated Tumblr content. If you’re new or haven’t been privy to the Tumblr blog give it a look-see. This site will be up and down, spotted with maintenance warnings and potentially broken pages. See you folks on the other side.
Injection code into a good deal of my pages has not F***ED up my damn evening. Hopefully I can get into phpMyAdmin and irradicate this SOB. Rrrrrrr. One thing that is ultra annoying about owning a WordPress site. Even with all the security features and plugins, there are small holes plugin developers may not see until it’s too late.
Thinking back on last year’s events, outings and sessions, I really didn’t do much. The 2017 convention in Orillia was amazing. There were small hiccups but nothing show stopping. There was even time to take a few pictures. Now, there aren’t many as I was working my table more than working the lens. The organizers are doing it again this year because this one was so successful. I was so jazzed after the show that on my way home I had a few nice things to share. We, Kurtis, Dean and I, registered for tables again. That time it was a 2 day con and it’s in June. [added: May 21] For more on that check out the deets. Going into 2019 there is a lot more going on than just CottageCountryComicon. I am attempting to register for the Spring edition of the Barrie Game Exchange, aid a good friend of mine at Anime North, do CottageCountryComicon again, maybe hit up a few small cons as visitors, and then close out the year with another small con exhibition just North of me. Who knows. I may actually sell out of the current stock of StormGate and Word•a•Bout I have floating around. This years comic scene is going to be met with caution though. I’m still in the hobby business phase of this board game design thing, so no need to break the bank. I just love the scene and being with the gaming community.
Game Design
Working through the holiday season was a blast. Well, mostly because of the free time. I normally take the 26th Dec. through to the 2nd Jan. It’s the best to time just turn off and not give an eff. I figured I’d have all the time in the world to work on games. WRONG!!! I was mostly lounging and filling my belly with food and drink. I did dabble in a bit of game refinement but never got through anything substantial. Kinda sucks because I was so looking forward to that time and I ended of faffing around. Oh well. I guess we all need rest once in a while. The last thing I posted in 2017 for dev was game concepts I was working on in Oct. That was it. I assure you I’m working on things, but I don’t have anything I’m confident in sharing quite yet. That may change next month.
Renovation Nation
The year end holidays saw me working mostly in my basement. Renovation season is 365 and I know this better than most. I’ve been in perpetual renovations since 2013 and somehow I don’t feel any closer to the end of it all. When one thing’s done, one more pops up in its place. Have you ever heard of someone say they’re tired of learning? Well, I got there a couple times since 2013 and it’s a terrible feeling. Like letting go of the rope that tethers your hopes and dreams, allow them to disappear into the void like an echo on the wind. Spacing them out is the key. Either way, they are not conducive to me working on my passion hobby. I’m sure some of you can relate.
Other than that it’s been the same old grind. Nothing new, Stew. I just look forward to coming home after work, clearing my inbox, browse a couple art community posts, eat dinner and then hit the sack. It’s so hard to stay motivated all the time but when that motivation turns to obsession and ruins your nights – a couple 4am stints and an all-nighter will kill most people. I used to be a nighthawk. High school saw a couple memorable 36 hour runs. I think there was a 40 and a 48+ hour moment in there as well. Not healthy for the mind or body. When you start to hallucinate midgets playing soccer, or a fat lady getting hit by a bus, or black birds swarming around you throughout the day, you might as well call it.
Now in my older years, one 24+ hour run ruins me for the next 3-4 days. But when you’re working on something you absolutely love (or watching something you absolutely love) it’s hard to stop. No more Netflix or CrunchyRoll marathons for me. Everything in due time. Just like my game designs, a theory I promised myself to put into practice. Well, some of the time.
And guess where I will be? Not at home, I tell you that much. I’m a busy beaver right now trying to get my stuff together for the 2nd Annual Cottage Country Comic-Con. Last year it was named the Orillia ComicCon and I had a blast. This year’s convention is extended to 2 days and moved to a larger venue. Dean, Kurtis and I were pleasantly surprised with how well it turned out last year that we pre-registered for this year’s event. Check out a few pictures from our 2017 convention outing.
When and Where
JUNE 23-24, 2018 @ Rotary Place (Orillia Sports Complex)
Saturday from 10am-6pm & Sunday from 10am-4pm Tix, details and directions
Table information has not been released as of yet, but when it does you can find that info here on ADLi, or follow me @adlinteractive on socials (which get updated. Not regularly, but updated none the less).
This year I’ll be offering to the con gods three of my actively designed games.
Word-a-bout: the word card game where you battle for points by spelling words with the fragments.
NUPUGA: a colorful puzzle game where you pair up colors and numbers to build squares that earn you big points.
StormGate: capture the flag meets chess in this head-to-head battle between two kingdoms.
It’s going to be pretty exciting. This is a big year for me as I now have 2 games ready for self-publishing, and a third close behind. If you are North of the GTA or the Casino Rama area, stop by. It truly is a show for all ages, all tastes and all fans.
I missed me. I hope some of you missed me too. Forgive me readers for I have sinned. It’s been months since my last communication. I’ve been late with my blogs and poor at managing time to keep my website relevant and up to date. What should I do?
The Convention Scene
Thinking back on last year’s events, outings and sessions, I really didn’t do much. The 2017 convention in Orillia was amazing. There were small hiccups but nothing show stopping. There was even time to take a few pictures. Now, there aren’t many as I was working my table more than working the lens. The organizers are doing it again this year because this one was so successful. I was so jazzed after the show that on my way home I had a few nice things to share. We, Kurtis, Dean and I, registered for tables again. This time it’s a 2 day con and it’s in June. [added: May 21] For more on that check out the deets.
Game Design
Working through the holiday season was a blast. Well, mostly because of the free time. I normally take the 26th Dec. through to the 2nd Jan. It’s the best to time just turn off and not give an eff. I figured I’d have all the time in the world to work on games. WRONG!!! I was mostly lounging and filling my belly with food and drink. I did dabble in a bit of game refinement but never got through anything substantial. Kinda sucks because I was so looking forward to that time and I ended of faffing around. Oh well. I guess we all need rest once in a while. The last thing I posted in 2017 for dev was game concepts I was working on in Oct. That was it. I assure you I’m working on things, but I don’t have anything I’m confident in sharing quite yet. That may change next month.
Renovation Nation
The year end holidays saw me working mostly in my basement. Renovation season is 365 and I know this better than most. I’ve been in perpetual renovations since 2013 and somehow I don’t feel any closer to the end of it all. When one thing’s done, one more pops up in its place. Have you ever heard of someone say they’re tired of learning? Well, I got there a couple times since 2013 and it’s a terrible feeling. Like letting go of the rope that tethers your hopes and dreams, allow them to disappear into the void like an echo on the wind. Spacing them out is the key. Either way, they are not conducive to me working on my passion hobby. I’m sure some of you can relate.
Other than that it’s been the same old grind. Nothing new, Stew. I just look forward to coming home after work, clearing my inbox, browse a couple art community posts, eat dinner and then hit the sack. It’s so hard to stay motivated all the time but when that motivation turns to obsession and ruins your nights – a couple 4am stints and an all-nighter will kill most people. I used to be a nighthawk. High school saw a couple memorable 36 hour runs. I think there was a 40 and a 48+ hour moment in there as well. Not healthy for the mind or body. When you start to hallucinate midgets playing soccer, or a fat lady getting hit by a bus, or black birds swarming around you throughout the day, you might as well call it.
Now in my older years, one 24+ hour run ruins me for the next 3-4 days. But when you’re working on something you absolutely love (or watching something you absolutely love) it’s hard to stop. No more Netflix or CrunchyRoll marathons for me. Everything in due time. Just like my game designs, a theory I continue to put into practice… most of the time.
I’m back on the scene, apparently. Orillia’s first ever comic convention had brought me and my game design prototypes out of hiding. This is a good thing. It was less than 2 years ago when I swore off big conventions. After the 2015 Fan Expo in Toronto, I felt as though my con-life would slow down. Maybe hit a few small one-day cons around southern Ontario, pick up swag and a few discounted art books, chill with the boys and be on my merry way. BUT NOOOO! Rinky-dink cons gotta pop up out of nowhere. Not to say Orillia’s Comic Con was of the rinky-dink variety, but the town is small and boring (according to the locals youths that cared to share at the show).
Orillia’s fandom has been begging for something like this for a long time. My sister-in-law had mentioned it to my wife, who brought it up several times. I figured “Yeah! Little comic con and a little town. Should be fun to just pass through”. Boy was I mistaken. The con proved to be very successful, guaranteeing the organizers a second year with 2 days instead of one. They had just over 7500 people pass through and everyone was in high spirits. It got crowded. Like, really jam packed during the afternoon. I hadn’t left my table except to get drinks for the pizza lunch Dean brought back. It took me 5 minutes to navigate 3 rows of tables. Totally packed.
True story
It hasn’t been since 2015 that I’ve presented the funny little prototypes I created. After finding out about this con, there was probably a month and a half until show time. I passed it off as a secondary action to my spring activities. If I was free I would go. Then I got to thinking. And from thinking to contemplating. Should I do the con? It wouldn’t hurt, seeing as I don’t really have to set up a whole lot of things. I still had my 2015 Fan Expo setup. At this point I wasn’t going it alone so I fired out a communication to the TYL crew. I received positive responses, but only 1 was down for sure. Enter Altered Earth Studios: 2015 Fan Expo setup ready to go. I got online and started to look up details. Tables were reasonable, and after I had checked with the coordinator of the show I found out there were 6 spots left. At this point it’s exactly 28 days til the show.
After confirming registering 2 tables side by side, Kurtis and I were set. Fan-con bound. It was exciting. I really didn’t think it was a big deal, but my mind knew better. Every evening I was instinctively fiddling and fine tuning my demonstrations. The prototypes weren’t changing, but I wanted to make sure my presentation and examples were tight. Coming down to the last 2 nights, I was anxious. Couldn’t sleep, couldn’t focus on work. I don’t know what it is. It’s not like I’m scared or nervous… well, a bit nervous actually. I never think I’m ready for a show. And with only 2 weekends to tighten up any loose screws I felt the games could have used more marketing support. I didn’t have all my rules printed. I didn’t have the online demos I wanted to share. I didn’t have any of my brochures or postcards from the prev cons. I was technically not ready for this show.
The Setup
After about a 45 minute rest I woke up late and headed out right away. I had everything, or so I thought. SHIT! Forgot my folding chair and only remembered after I was already at the show and setting up with Kurtis. I ran back out to buy one so I didn’t have to pay $15 for a rental. With setup near complete, Dean comes rolling in. It was getting real, and exciting to have the boys roll with me to this con. After Capt. Zapstrap (Kurtis) built his fortress we were pretty much ready to go. Dean hooked up a little setup to one side of my table. Everything was looking good and we were feeling great.
So where do I go from here? Well, seeing as the con organizers are already contacting vendors and exhibitors about next year, I’ll be doing Orillia once again. Pretty exciting stuff. Until then I have a truck load of tasks to complete, such as:
Contact con goers with ADLi newsletter (create newsletter)
Prep updated files for print
Complete rule set and upload Print & Play games on site
Finish custom StormGate tabletops for samples
Source out pricing and options for Print on Demand
Update the plethora of drafts I have sitting in this blog
Yeah, you may have not known but I had moved from Brampton to Barrie. If you haven’t read the precursor to this please do. It’s been a pain in the ass trying to manage a crazy busy schedule at work, pre-packing for the move, maintaining websites and meetings with clients, all while trying to STILL do game design stuff AND sleep. Not to tall of an order most might agree, but when you have negative time in the day after crunching the numbers sanity seems to crumble over time.
“So why did you move?” you ask. Well, it was a combination of things. We were already living outside of Toronto and the commute to work for me was alright. I was driving into Mississauga every morning. For my wife, she had it bad. Driving to Orillia, which by the way is 1h 40m on average, was more than exhausting for her. Plus she would leave on a Wednesday morning and stay over nights until Friday, sometimes Saturday before coming home. I wouldn’t get to see my family for 3-4 days and then jam all the family time in on Sunday. Play with my son for 1hr on Monday and Tuesday evening, then he’s gone again for the week. This was putting a damper on the family fun and on my wife’s composure. Yes, I was free for those evenings but after a while sleeping in an empty bed and not hugging your son gets a bit too much. I had worked so hard to build and maintain a balance of creative solitude and family fun that when the pendulum swings too far in either direction I get anxiety.
Because of Reasons
Other reasons fell under the obvious guises of money and cost of living. The commute was going to be farther (but not necessarily longer, funny enough) and more room for the buck, plus cheaper EVERYTHING. Limited access to Toronto and Mississauga, but not too far that I couldn’t make plans to make trips to see friends and family, or go dining or entertainment venues. Plus, Barrie is a growing mini metropolis with a hometown feel to it. Moving there for me wasn’t going to be any type of culture shock. If anything it’s a little more laid back. I like that.
So now we’re in our new place. The month of July was filled with anxiety and frustration due to house upon house being sold in a day or not quite being what was proposed. Without getting into a long story about a place on Chieftain, as well as dealing with a real estate agent that passed us off on his sales associate who works primarily in Orillia and not Barrie, we ended our journey on a high note. Awesome home, oldish but comfy, private backyard, mature trees, cul de sac, two story with extension over garage, 4+1bdr, 3bth and finished basement. I’d say we made out like bandits. House needs updating though. Like, everything needs updating except the windows, furnace and A/C, and carpet upstairs. The previous owners did some hack-tastic updates to the home and I’m pretty much tearing it all up and doing it proper.
It’s Renovation Season
Reno again, and again, and again. It’s okay though. That’s the fun thing about moving into a new place. Customizing it to be your own. Can’t wait to get my office in order. And when we finally tackle the basement, setting up a little workshop for my more adventurous crafting.
Just thought I’d share with you guys a little about what’s been going on since July 5th (my last post). Still have a truck load of Drafts to proof and publish, and I’ve been thinking a lot and have a few more ideas to share here. Well, on with the renovations and on with the game designs. See you soon and thanks for reading.
It’s been a rough couple of months for me and it’s all coming to a head. I’m moving! That’s the big news. My family’s been preparing for this day since we got back from March break and it’s coming up fast. In two weeks we’ll be listing our house and in about 30-60 days we’ll be in a new one. I’m currently burning the midnight oil getting the house show worthy for next week and there’s been a lot of mini reno and tidy tasks that have kept me busy for weeks on end.
So what about the game designs, you say. Well, that too had to take a back seat to the everyday. I’m currently backing up my project harddrive and I’ve also been involved in casually working on a vlog. It’s for a channel I created on YouTube called AutoRoboto. There, you will find a variety of auto related videos; daily commute vlog, gaming, sketch segments and other randomly generated content. It’s a way for me to keep compiling content and keep creative while being on the road.
Yes I’m still Thinkering & Tinkering with ideas for games almost every other night. My AquaNotes note pad in the shower is filled with fun ideas that need a proper think through to validate whether or not I should roll it onto the development shelves. Those shelves, by the way, are pretty packed as it is so new ideas have be logged to a waiting list – no matter how simple or light they may be everyone knows if it’s worth heavy thinkering then it’s worth heavy tinkering. And tinker-time is almost non existent at the moment.
This has just been a friendly note to those who find the little time in the day to ready my site and enjoy the little things that this hobby game designer does. As always, there is more to come.
