This months update is a little short, mainly because I’m still feeling a bit ill, but also because I’ve been doing a lot of work that doesn’t really have much to show off right now. I’ll do my best, but you’ll probably need to check out one of my videos to fully understand what I am working on.
Blender Models!
I have been doing more models in Blender! They’re all still relatively “work in progress” models right now, as some still have weight-painting issues or texture mapping errors I need to sort out, but the foundations for the models is done at least!
To those who have picked up a copy of the Edris Compendium, you’ll recognise some of these critters. That’s because the models I am working on are all based upon the Specimen G-13 book series, and I have decided to start with the creatures of Edris. You can see test animations of the models made so far on my YouTube channel, under a new video category I have made called “Unity Tests and Blender Models”, or read further below to find the embedded playlist.
Delving into Unity
This is where most of my month has been spent; learning how the Game Developer Program called Unity works. Oh boy, it’s been hard on my brain, especially with all that maths and coding to decipher!
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/embed?listType=playlist&list=PLT4xJxlL1FbCq_bpFHidGXmlnFpskA1C6[/embedyt]So far I’ve managed to import my models, textures, materials, and even the animations, without any serious issues. There have been some inconsistencies, however.
A few models that looked fine in Blender have turned out with problems in Unity, such as missing polygons/faces, and those that looked a bit poor in Blender now look better in Unity, such as blocky faces/polygons now looking smooth. I’m still figuring out why these things happen, along with everything else to do with the program, so there’s nothing pretty to look at right now.
In my first ever test I managed to program character movement, with a broken camera code and looping animations, along with basic collision physics. In video two I got animations to change states based on player speed and input and figured out how the terrain is created. In video three I’ve progressed to making a better camera set up, additional animations, transitions between them, and new player controls. I hope to figure out how to make the player interact with the environment by next months update, such as picking up objects or activating buttons/levers.
Don’t worry; my books progress hasn’t been impacted at all by this new work. Thankfully with all the effort I put in last year most of the hard part for Wrath of the lancer has already been dealt with.
Book Progress
Sadly Barnes & Noble still aren’t providing shipment to the UK, so I cannot order samples for the hardback editions of my books right now. They haven’t issued any response to my queries regarding when delivery to the UK will resume, so I cannot say when these books will be available to purchase.
Wrath of the Lancer’s final draft is complete! It’s ready for launch, but I am sticking to that June 20th release like I did with part 1 of the trilogy, just for consistencies sake. The e-book/kindle edition is available for pre-order now on Amazon.
The final in the trilogy for Specimen G-13, working-title “Heart of the Feles”, is 1/4 of the way through its first draft. I hope to launch it June 20th net year, but it’s a much larger book than Wrath of the Lancer and may need to be postponed for 2023.
As for the other book series; I’ve been doing a lot of soul-searching on them, even whipped up some really quick drafts for a few, and my heart just isn’t there for them like it use to be. The Jinimaru project, Subject 218, and RAWR! It’s Donisaur just keep me focused and happy whenever I do work on them, but everything else just doesn’t do anything for me anymore.
What does this mean?
Losing Speed and Thulien Blue have both been axed from my roster of book projects indefinitely. They’re gone now. Forever. I have also removed “My Gakidou” as I am not in the right mindset right now to work on it, nor are any of my family members comfortable enough to fact-check it for me, as my childhood memories have largely been repressed due to trauma and severe dysphoria. The book was largely completed but is in no state to be published right now, and won’t be for some time, so I have removed it from my list of projects.
I have also reshuffled a few things in the website menu, moving “Games & Mods” with “Commissions” to the “Other Projects” tab. I have also drafted out the games I hope to make in the future in the Games & Mods category, but these won’t be worked on until all the books they’re based on are written.
The game on Subject 218? Not being done until the Maxwell Report is finished, and at least two more issues of the Comic are printed.
The games based on Specimen G-13 and Edris? Not being worked on until the Subject 218 stuff is done.
I am only doing some tiny things with Unity now so that I can get in practice early, so when I CAN do the game work I won’t waste months of development time getting familiar with the program.
Anything else?
Things are changing; book series are slowly coming to a close, Donisaur and the Subject 218 comic will be worked on sooner than expected, and there is finally hope for my work to be crafted into the 3D world of games (or at least animated media).
I’m also doing some 3D printing with my models for myself and my sister, but that’s a seeeecret for later!
Thomas