May.
Five months ago the New Year started, five months ago I started this blog, and five months ago I “entered” the game industry.
Looking Back
This month was definitely one of exploration. I developed two real-time strategy prototypes, both in the early stages of development. One (Waddlefield) was a generic, traditional RTS model while the other one was quite different.
I started a new project to research the current Unity networking resources and produce new tutorials/examples. It has the attention of a few people and I certainly do not want to disappoint. It’s a little tough to get off the ground because while the networking elements are easy to implement, I want a GUI overlay to be used to monitor the activity and status.
On the professional front I’ve spent the last three weeks integrating Unity with Facebook. Just like Unity, the entrance bar to get something up and running from scratch is easy. To polish it takes time. My Unity history so far has had each project be completely different than the previous, so this polishing phase always takes a long time.
That’s essentially what this ‘exploration’ period is teaching me. In the great scheme of things, the projects this month are simple. People who pick a particular interest and ride it all the way through, can easily start building a brand, a style, etc. The second generation of the product/service takes less time and resources because you have a building block to start from. Unfortunately I’m at a place where all I’m doing is continually making these building blocks, these key foundation scripts, processes, etc.
Though I shouldn’t sound so negative, because it’s a phase of learning, of acquiring knowledge which otherwise would simply be overlooked.
Looking Forward
Current projects will continue. Networking and Facebook are my primary tasks.
I’ve also put a listing for my services on the Unity forum and have some responses. I’m hoping to have some new side projects in the next week or so which will be great.
I’m also looking forward to trying this out, Unity iPhone 1.0.2. Apparently there is a 30 day trial. That’s pretty exciting. I won’t be digging in to it this month, I have enough on my little plate, but definitely something for maybe July-August.
May is here. Enjoy.
