StarvedDog

I need a name.

2007-11-26T04:36:55Z

I need a name for my comic... please.

I only wish I had some creativity remaining to think of something witty, but... well.

More doodles from doodletown, USA (x-post from MySpace)

2007-06-29T18:19:09Z

More doodles/cheap shots - the first of which resulted from an acid splash mechanics discussion for our Aliens RPG...

...where the topic of mass of the alien vs. the amount of acid that would geyser forth was called into question.

Protecting against said acid splash also came to mind, but in D20 terms. Excuse me while I nerd out.

But this went into the idea trash can.

The topic led to other Aliens topics, including illegal aliens.

Any resemblance between this and the Destroy All Humans protagonist is strictly coincidence, but the propensity for violence is the same.

Here's a typical Obsidian food coma - 3PM.

If you are caught napping however, heads will roll.

But even with that, stay positive, and you can maintain momentum.

Have a good weekend, folks!

Star Wars comic book short story published!

2007-06-27T01:06:31Z

Clone Wars Adventures Number 8 hit stands 2 weeks ago, which is about 2 weeks too late for me to have realized it.

Not only did I do the Aurra Sing storyline, "Old Scores," where she returns to Nar Shaddaa, but I also took the time to ask Aurra some questions about her exploits, and to summarize how she feels about working with Chris Avellone and other authors like him:

When asked her opinion on Chris Avellone posing like a big faker on his brother's bike...

And finally, when asked her feelings on Dana no longer being single...

That's all, folks. Had to beat my chest, because I've always wanted to write for comics, and at last got a chance to do so.

Pix from Art Institute of California talk (x-post from MySpace).

2007-06-22T17:10:38Z

Pix from our art institute talk.

One-eyed monsters on hiatus (x-post from MySpace).

2007-06-08T04:08:42Z

I'm on vacation for part of next week, so most likely, no new cartoons are going up.

So on a random tangent, here are several sketches of one-eyed monsters.

On a second random tangent... a very nerdly tangent... long ago when I was working at Interplay, we were considering what new races to make for Icewind Dale 2 (one of our role-playing games).

Our marketing department had latched on to using a cyclops for our promo piece (not sure why, since you can't be one), but it fueled our speculation as to what a "Cyclops Thief" would be like and how his skills would transfer into the game.

See you guys next week!

San Diego Marathon Pix (x-post from MySpace).

2007-06-05T03:05:04Z

I rocked the San Diego Marathon with stylez.

Stickless Stick Figures.

2007-05-29T02:12:54Z

Someone asked me why I only draw stick figures. I don't. I draw ones with bodies, too, I just don't do it often.

I imagine them as sad figures, never quite as happy as the stick ones.

They would cluster together in groups for safety, their heads and rumpled hair signs of their sadness. The one on the end may have a poorly drawn mouth, as if he has ink herpes.

Perhaps they would be sad that I draw them too big. Perhaps they fear that stick society would judge them for being too blocky.

And this would make them sad, for unlike stick figures, they have the room to display their hearts for all to see.

But their indomitable spirits would rally.

And they would gather again, even if their hearts were broken.

They might cast spells. Or sit and think.

And this would bring them happiness. Why?

Because being big, they realize, is more fun than any stick figure can imagine.

And to be happy with yourself is all that is needed.

This Day, At This Moment

2007-05-27T18:46:25Z

Aliens and the myth of the "action" RPG.

2007-05-21T21:10:23Z

Vacation and Exercise.

2007-03-12T06:56:33Z

So I'm back from San Francisco and GDC, seeing friends in and out of the gaming industry, and man, I don't think there's any better motivation for getting back into the exercise routine than a week of eating crap and drinking beer. I got back on Saturday and felt like I'd swallowed an anchor. A few hours and a very satisfying crap later, I learned I was right.

I also learned I need to take some networking classes. I have no idea what to say to fellow game developers except "hello." And "man, can't believe they pay us, huh?"

Am posting GDC cartoons from all the doodles I did while sitting through panels. Fun times with parties and rampant drug use.

Lazik, Lasik, Lasick.

2007-03-04T06:32:16Z

So somebody at work got their eyes lasered to correct their vision, and they're pretty damn happy with the procedure.

After I heard that, I realized how much I hate my contacts. And while I like my glasses, they're not always user-friendly.

But it got me wondering - what's lasik like?

So to make a short journal entry even longer, I've been holding off judging Lasik until a few more years went by (I always worry about being in the first crop of test candidates for any new tech, mostly because I work in game development, and I know how alpha versions can be notoriously buggy). I just figure any day now, they're going to discover that Lasik causes face cancer or something equally horrible like "oh, if you ever had Lasik, you won't be able to drive at night ever again."

Anyway, if you've had Lasik, I'd love to hear your take on it. I'm pretty sick of my contacts.

GDC and the Fleets of Zargon.

2007-02-28T05:26:07Z

I am heading off to the Game Developer's Conference in San Francisco the first week in March.

I will fly there.

Unless I am intercepted by General Zargon's fleet of instellar warships.

If that happens, I will fight to protect the human race.

It will save me from discussing outsourcing with the latest slave labor taskmaster outside the United States.

Although I'd like to make my panel if I can, because I can speak confidently on this subject.

Note: The links below are tiny. I know this. This is not meant to diminsh the importance of these links in any way shape or form.

I'll be part of a panel discussing the future of the PC gaming market at the invitation of Mr. David J Edery, lord of Game Tycoon and master of various X-Box Live Arcade portfolios.

Perhaps Daivd seeks the destruction of all things PC and wishes to have us all in one place before calling in the Hammer of Dawn, but I doubt he intends such sinister aspirations. At least I am pretty sure he has no such aspirations.

Speaking of blogs, this one and others, if you're interested in writing (game writing or otherwise), feel free to check out the Writers Cabal blog – some good stuff, and far, far better presented than anything you'll see here.

Hope you're all having a good week. And if not, hope it gets better – save your strength for Zargon's troops.

Writing in Computer Games.

2007-02-26T05:23:34Z

Someone wrote me a letter this weekend, asking if I had any suggestions for breaking into computer game writing, and it occured to me I didn't. I had suggestions for breaking into computer game design, but...

Anyway, here's the response in case anyone else has a similar question about how it all works.

Writing for video games is something of a different beast compared to game design. My experience is that someone will contract a writer (and usually late in the process) once an idea and game direction has already been determined and then it becomes the game writer's job to flesh out the idea for the game. Sometimes you're employed basically as a script doctor for a title, brushing up the dialogue before it's taken into the studio.

If you wanted to propose your own world and characters for a game, though, one could do it through the mod community on the internet and then showcase those – that way, if someone ever expresses an interest in your work (or if you're trying to pitch it) you have a demo of game material to show someone.

Also, writing for games also is a little different than writing for novels or comics (usually in terms of brevity and branching options, at least in RPGs), and working on an actual game, even if on your own time, will cause you to make edits or even expand on your work and get it game-ready before you even pitch it.

I will say that it pays to find a concept artist or an artist friend that can showcase the visual qualities of your world and characters as well - pictures and concept art often give a reviewer or someone you're pitching to a much stronger view of the world, and people rarely have time to read more than 1 or 2 pages of a written pitch (sad, but true - although that forces people to get to the hook of your world and your idea much faster).

I will say that even after 10 years, I have never had an opportunity to work on my own world, I usually end up fleshing out other game systems or franchise (Star Wars, Star Trek, Dungeons and Dragons, Fallout, Planescape, Aliens), so it's pretty hard to break into if you want to show your own stuff.

First steps into Live Journal.

2007-01-31T07:29:31Z

Made the transition from MySpace to LiveJournal upon the advice of many friends. Many, many friends.

My cartoon blog can still be found here, however:

http://blog.myspace.com/SicilianChris