Back in '94, recording supposedly started for the next Guns 'N Roses album, which would eventually be called Chinese Democracy. By 2008, a handful of songs that are supposedly on the album have been leaked to the public. There's been a Chinese Democracy tour (that was cancelled early, so the band could go back to the studio to finish the album). Axl freaked out when he heard that The Offspring were going to call one of their albums by the same name (with the subtitle, "You Snooze, You Loose"). The album has become a joke...whenever something is taking forever to come out, you might here someone say, "Its supposed to be coming out just before Chinese Democracy."
So, I've been working on this game...I've been designing elements of it for about four years. I can find notes on it scattered in notebooks all over my house. Every now and again, I can find some time to sit and work on it with another person. There's usually a big, groundbreaking moment where that person helps me over a huge hurdle, then the work goes to bed again. I keep saying, "(this part) should be ready to play-test by (February, April, whatever)..." Then life gets in the way, and the project falls into a notebook until I have time and energy to look at it again.
Its my own Chinese Democracy.
I'm not one for New Years resolutions, but this is as good a time as any to re-commit myself to the project. I had a great talk with someone over a week ago that helped me over a big design hurdle. It re-ignited my desire to see the project move ahead. It doesn't feel like its an overwhelming objective...it feels like it can be completed. This is, of course, sometimes the best motivation.
So, here's what I'm pledging for this new year:
At least one hour's work a day on the project. Either writing background material, fudging with the mechanics, talking over concepts...anything to keep the fire going.
A play-test version of the mechanics.
Samples of artwork: I want a few pieces done.
I'll have a solid business model done (regarding distribution, production, etc.).
I'll be posting info about my own personal Chinese Democracy. I won't (because of copyright issues) post actual examples of the mechanics up here. But I'll post information about the design process, maybe some samples of writing, that kind of thing.
I'm excited.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Congrats on the new blog!
Hehe, "Chinese Democracy"! This is a term I could use for my novel project(s)! Or really, just about any creative project I undertake. I didn't even bother including the novels in my New Year's resolutions, because it always turns out dismally. *sigh*
Good luck on the game!
Awesome! Thanks for coming by and seeing the new place, and thanks for the encouragement!
Keep punching away at the writing...set an amount of time ever day to write. Once you start seeing progress, it'll feel less dismal. :-)
Post a Comment