IP Incubator Club Thread 2013: Bi-Week-006: June17-June 30- 2013

#1

[i]IP INCUBATOR CLUB:[/i]
[b]PROJECT SPOTLIGHT [/b]
(Every two weeks I will spotlight one of the Incubator projects. To have a chance for a spotlight, just post a WIP on out IP incubator threads.)
[b][/b][[b]PROJECT NAME: Blaster X HD

DIRECT LINK:](http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?t=1085457)https://itunes.apple.com/app/blaste…d615851024?mt=8COMPANY: 2GMG LLC (2 Guys Making Games)
CONTACT INFO: www.facebook.com/2GMGamesandwww.twitter.com/2GMGames[CATEGORY: Games

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: Blaster X HD is an Arcade Action-Puzzler that is designed for all generations of iPad and iPad Mini. Experience Over 400 Levels of non-stop gameplay spanning across 9 Diverse Worlds. You have free-reign to start from almost anywhere on the screen - Fling, Guide, and Manipulate your Blaster as you try to collect all of the Power Orbs. These Power Orbs are the fuel to your Blaster and keeps it moving. A perfect mix of reflexes and wit are needed to propel yourself to the next level!

STATUS NUMBER: 5

TEAM MEMBERS: 2

Rudy Gjurkovic / Co-Founder
Joshua Chapman / Co-Founder

START DATE: End of 2010

COMPLETION DATE: 5-1-2013 (Released)](http://forums.cgsociety.org/)[/b]

[u][i][/i][/u]
[b]Rob Note:[/b]

Welcome to the IP INCUBATOR CLUB
Past Threads:
IP Incubator Club Thread 2013: Bi-Week-005: June 3-June 16- 2013
IP Incubator Club Thread 2013: Bi-Week-004: May 20-June 2- 2013
IP Incubator Club Thread 2013: Bi-Week-003: May 6-19- 2013
IP Incubator Club Thread 2013: Bi-Week-002: April 22-May 5- 2013
IP Incubator Club Thread 2013: Week-001: April 15-21- 2013

Projects So Far:
—Click To Expand—
[SPOILER]
The Projects so far this week:

Project Name:____________CATEGORY:[color=dimgray]Start Date: First Post______Link[/color]

<B>[color=#ffffff][color=#fffffe]STASIS[color=dimgray]_________________Games ______Dec 2010_____04-16-2013 ___Link
NeverEndingPrincessStory[color=dimgray]Animation____TBD__________04-16-2013 Link[/color]
Le Gouffre[color=dimgray]_______________Animation July 2011______04-16-2013 Link [/color]
Top secret project[color=dimgray] ________Animation TBD_________04-16-2013 Link [/color]
<B>Spec Commercial__________Animation[color=#696969]___ April 2013___04-17-2013[color=#696969] Link[/color]
I am the Antagonist[color=#696969]______Cross Media TBD__________04-17-2013 _Link[/color]
[color=white]SCHIRKOA_______________Animation___ Mid 2010______04-17-2013[color=#696969]___ Link[/color][/color]
HYPERREALITY ENGINE_____3D Engine ___ April 2013_____04-18-2013[color=#696969]___ Link [/color]
Blaster X HD[color=dimgray]_____________Games ______End of 2010____04-25-2013 ___Link
Soliloquy of a Madman[color=dimgray] _____ Games _____January 2013___04-23-2013 ___Link
[/color][size=2]Le Gouffre _______________Animation_____ July 2013_____ 04-23-2013___[size=2][size=2][color=#ffffff]Link

[color=#fffffe]I LOVE KAIJU[color=#696969]_______Animation[color=#696969] April 2013______05-04-2013[color=#696969] Link[/color][/color]
NeverEndingPrincessStory __ Animation June 2010_______04-29-2013_ Link
[/color][/color][/size][/SPOILER]
THE IP INCUBATOR CLUB.

in·cu·bate

/ˈɪnkyəˌbeɪt, ˈɪŋ-/ Show Spelled [in-kyuh-beyt, ing-] Show IPA verb, in·cu·bat·ed, in·cu·bat·ing.verb (used with object)

  1. to sit upon (eggs) for the purpose of hatching.
  2. to hatch (eggs), as by sitting upon them or by artificial heat.
  3. to maintain at a favorable temperature and in other conditions promoting development, as cultures of bacteria or prematurely born infants.
    4. to develop or produce as if by hatching; give form to: His brain was incubating schemes for raising money.

Welcome to the IP Incubator Club
The idea behind this Club is simple

POST WEEKLY UPDATES of Original IP that you are developing. Hopefully IP that can eventually help the creator generate some income.
Also you should provide CONSTRUCTIVE FEEDBACK to the work posted by other posters of the club.

The idea of this “Incubator Club” is to get away from the gloom and doom and provide a lifeline of support for our fellow artists.

The artists will have at their discretion how much they wish to share on the projects they are working on, what program they will be using and the medium . But the IP HAS BE AN ORIGINAL CREATION.

YOU HAVE ONE WEEK TO POST AND UPDATE…

There are 3 ways to participate:
[ul]
[li]IP CREATOR[/li]Post bi-weekly updates of ip you are developing.
Some Examples:
[list]
[li]A 3d artist developing a line of Vinyl toys on ZBrush[/li][li]A game developing working on a mobile game that uses Geo spatial data.[/li][li]An Artist working to update his porfolio[/li][li]A group of animators animator working on a weekly web series[/li][/ul]
[li][size=2][size=2][color=darkorange]But If you post your idea, please provide feedback on other’s ideas.[/size][/color] [/li]

[/list]IP REVIEWER

Provide reviews and comments of the IP being developed.
[ul]
[li]I am looking for people like Roger Eberts of the world and not the Simon Cowels.DIVAS will NOT BE TOLERATED.[/li][li] [/li]IP MENTORSHIP
An experienced artist/ develop can offer mentorship for the IP creators.
Some examples:
[list]
[li]An AAA game developer looking to help upcoming talent[/li][li]Experienced feature animators could review game animations.[/li][li]Writers can comment on story points[/li][/ul]
[/list]ANYONE CAN JOIN.

DEVELOPER CO-SPONSORS
My wife is a social worker and she suggested the idea that we use a SPONSOR model similar to AA. [size=2]The idea is to match developers with individual sponsors. People whose responsability is to monito the progress of a specific project. The sponsors would be fellow developers. It would be their responsibility to provide support and provide guidance to the developer from an outsider’s point of view. I’m not advocating “mentorship” where there usually is an imbalance of expertise/knowledge between two parties. Rather, I envision sponsorship to be a vehicle for peer support, for consultation between and among artists who each have valuable tools, experience, and knowledge to share. Sponsorship is method for both parties to learn and grow professionally and perhaps personally as well.[/size]

[font=Verdana]
The Concept[/font]___________________________
Ok so lets recap:
[color=white]The idea behind this IP incubator club is to provide a cool hangout place for IP creators. [/color]recap…
Weekly threads will be posted, to provide encouragement for developer to keep working on their idea.

On way to see this is to think of us as a spotter on your local gym.
You use your WIP thread to post your regular updates, But ONCE A WEEK you post on the IP INC thread a summary, based on the forsmat posted blow.

GENERAL RULES:
[ul]
[li]FOR GEN DISCUSSION of the IP CLUB CLICK HERE: Your Own IP?[/li][li]WEEKLY WIP are encouraged[/li][li]On your weekly post please Fill the following information (you can cut and paste it:)[/li][/ul]

CONCEPT NAME:

STILL IMAGE: (VOLUNTARY)
CATEGORY:
Art
Animation
Comics
Design
Fashion (3D Printing)
Film
Games
[i][b]Merchandizing
[i][b]Publishing
Technology
Toys
Web Comics
Video

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
STATUS NUMBER: 1
TEAM MEMBERS:(Voluntary)
START DATEESTIMATED COMPLETION DATE : (Voluntary) -
WIP THREAD:
WHAT WENT RIGHT THIS WEEK:
WHAT WENT WRONG:
SHOW AND TELL:

[/b][/i][/b][/i]

[ul]
[li]WIP thread should be posted on the appropriate CGSociety/Game Art Sub forum and should follow the following naming convention: IP Incubator!:xxxxx:[/li][li]Only participants who follow the rules and submit a weekly Entry entry will be eligible for a monthly spotlight ( A frontpage plug).[/li][li]Any piece caught breaking the rules will be taken off the thread.[/li][li]When you are done creating your IP please do give at least a thank you to the IP. We need the press.[/li][/ul]RESOURCES:
ART LAW RESOURCES:
–CLICK TO EXPAND–
[SPOILER]
What is a Trademark?
http://www.uspto.gov/faq/trademarks.jsp
What is a Copyright?
http://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/

US
http://www.copyright.gov/
http://www.uspto.gov/trademarks/index.jsp

INT
http://www.wipo.int/portal/index.html.en

Notable Laws:
Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works
Copyright Act of 1976
Copyright Act, 1978
[/SPOILER]
MARKETPLACES:
–CLICK TO EXPAND–
[Spoiler]
Film/ Video/ Animation Content
[ul]
[list]
[li]http://vimeo.com/[/li][li]http://www.youtube.com/[/li][li]Stock Footage:[/li][li]http://www.pond5.com/index.php?ref=orbitrob[/li][li]http://submit.shutterstock.com/[/li][li]http://www.stockfootageseller.com[/li][li]http://www.stockfootageseller.com/w…ostock-logo.jpg[/li][/ul]
[/list]Games/Apps

[ul]
[list]
[li]http://store.steampowered.com/[/li][li]http://www.microsoftstore.com/store…DisplayHomePage[/li][li]http://developer.android.com/index.html[/li][li]Web Comics[/li][li]www.comixology.com[/li][/ul]
[/list]3D Models (for Animation)

[ul]
[list]
[li]http://www.turbosquid.com/[/li][li]http://www.daz3d.com/[/li][li]3D Models (for 3d Printing)[/li][li]https://www.ponoko.com/[/li][li]http://www.shapeways.com/[/li][li]http://www.sculpteo.com/en/[/li][li]http://i.materialise.com/[/li][/ul]
[/list]Clip Art

Custom Merchadize:
http://www.zazzle.com/
http://www.cafepress.com/cp/info/Make Magazine: Ultimate Guide for 3D Printing is a FANTASTIC resource. GET IT if you are interested in getting into this market:
http://www.amazon.com/Make-Ultimate…s=make+magazine

[/SPOILER]
CONFERENCES:
–CLICK TO EXPAND–
[Spoiler]
Digital Media:
[ul]
[li]SXSW[/li][li]Shepton Digi Fest[/li][li]NAB[/li][/ul]Gaming:
[ul]
[li]PAX[/li][li]PAX East[/li][li]Independent Games Festival’[/li][li]E3[/li][/ul]Europe:
[ul]
[li]Edinburgh Interactive Festival[/li][li]Eurogamer Expo[/li][/ul]Comics:
[ul]
[li]Comicon[/li][li]SPX[/li][/ul]Animation Festivals:
[ul]
[li]SIGGRAPH [/li][li]Bradford Animation Festival[/li][/ul][/Spoiler]
[/size][/color][/size][/size]
[/color]</B>[/color][/color]

</B>[/color][/color]

#2

Hi Roberto,

Thank you very much for plugging Blaster X HD for this two-week period. It is greatly appreciated! :slight_smile:

I am just going to post some of my additional screenshots since we are featured this week. This way any newcomers can see more of Blaster X HD incase they missed it before. I will be more than happy to answer any questions that anyone might have.

Blaster X HD: https://itunes.apple.com/app/blaster-x-hd/id615851024?mt=8

Thanks Again!
Rudy

Thanks Everyone!

#3

Congrats for the plug! Are you already thinking about your next move (sequel/new game) or is it still too far ahead? I guess advertising and fixing the bugs for this one must be taking most of your free time.

Hi Chris, I haven’t commented on your project yet so here I go.

I must say, I don’t really understand how your animated episodes and the dating aspect of your website are supposed to complement each other. If the goal is to attract people who are looking for their one true love, shouldn’t there be the least distractions in the way?

Right now, your website looks to me like it could use a lot of polish, yet you seem to spend most of your time working on the animated part of the NeverEnding Story. Would you mind explaining exactly what the episodes are for, and how you’re planning to develop this product further?

It’s a bummer you lost contact with your artist, the illustrations were pretty cool. Can you texture a little? Finding a modeler to do a few models shouldn’t be too hard, but if you plan on turning them into 100+ characters, you might have to use more than morphs to really sell it, like having different textures for each one.

I really like where you are going visually. I guess you used mocap in the second shot?

Anyways, keep up the good work. Can’t wait to see this with textures on.

Thanks! We can’t wait to show more of the landscapes. :slight_smile:

#4

It’s a bummer you lost contact with your artist, the illustrations were pretty cool. Can you texture a little? Finding a modeler to do a few models shouldn’t be too hard, but if you plan on turning them into 100+ characters, you might have to use more than morphs to really sell it, like having different textures for each one.

I found the artist. :slight_smile: They are now a doctor. I swear everytime I find the right person for the job they get a really good job. So if you ever want to get a job at Pixar, Dreamworks, etc. Model for me and next week one of those guys will call you. It has happened about 6xs.

I can texture and morph pretty good. :slight_smile:

I can retopo, rig, animate but modeling is not for me, except props and buildings. :frowning:

#5

Thanks Frotze! Currently, we are still focused on Blaster X HD. We both feel we have a really good game given the feedback and reviews we have received so far. The challenge, still to-date, is going to be getting our game out in the public eye. I tried some new things in the past couple of weeks that seemed to work - getting our game into a physical store on their display units, for one was pretty positive. It might be a trickle effect for us, but we are still looking ahead.

Since our release, we have also been working on an updated version for our game that will address some things that people have been asking for while also adding something that will help us monitor how people play, so we can make adjustments in the future to make Blaster X HD more accessible. For instance, we are working on the Tutorial section, SoundFX updates, and some minor bugs that we wanted to fix. For us, we are also adding Flurry Statistics. If anyone is unfamiliar with Flurry, it is a statistics system that gives more in-depth player data back to us, so we can then see where there might be any bottlenecks. It will allow us to see how far people play in the game, what are the most played levels, etc. We plan to always update and support our game in the future as well.

We always have ideas in our head for new games, but since it is early on with this release, we are taking a more focused approach rather than jumping to a new game so soon. Although, the “itch” is always there. :slight_smile:

#6

Oh Missing a week on IP thread is a big deal. :arteest:

Rez007

redCigarette -

Nice work, I really like the video you posted. You have a lot of detail in your shots which is always nice to see. I think the music and soundfx are well done too. They definitely set the mood for the piece and the timing is very good, I was actually disappointed when the video stopped, as I was intrigued to see more.

I was reading over your project description again and I think you have a good plan. Start out step-by-step and taking your time doing everyting right, rather than jumping in and doing it all at once. Keep up the great work - looking forward to your next post.

Thanks! Yes, this is the project I really love and I don’t want to rush it. Glad you liked this update. There are many things coming up together and right now what you see is separate pieces from each. I am hoping the whole thing works well at the end.

Since our release, we have also been working on an updated version for our game that will address some things that people have been asking for while also adding something that will help us monitor how people play, so we can make adjustments in the future to make Blaster X HD more accessible

This is a really good approach. This will give you a chance of making a better blaster X. Hmm by right, given the positive feedback you should be aiming at Blaster X 2.

#7

Originally Posted by earthboyjacobus
CONCEPT NAME: The Legend of Poke

This is looking quite interesting. I am curious where you head with your next update.

I really like where you are going visually. I guess you used mocap in the second shot?

Anyways, keep up the good work. Can’t wait to see this with textures on.

Thanks Frotze
Yes, the crowd shot is mocap. At this testing stage I just wanted to see some people walking or doing something. So it served the purpose. Sure textured versions are the next.

#8

Just keep up the great work and I am sure everthing will come together nicely. To me, projects that succeed and do well seem to have a lot of detail, which you have.

Thanks, I think having that Flurry system in place will give us the best outlook on how to proceed from here as well. A Blaster X 2 would be great, we just have to make sure the sales from the first one can warrant a second. It took us roughly 2 years to make Blaster X HD, granted we had some side projects along the way, so there is definitely a lot of time invested in this one in order to get the content and quality we were aiming for. :slight_smile:

#9

Here’s for this week’s update:

CONCEPT NAME: Le Gouffre

PRODUCTION BLOG: http://legouffre.com/en

CATEGORY: Animation

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

Le Gouffre is an 8-minute animated short film about two travellers who embark on the amazing journey of crossing an impossible gap. We are working full-time on this film, living on our own money, and we are basically trying to tell a great, dramatic story for everyone while creating a unique look that blends hand-painted textures with realistic animation.

PROJECT GOALS:

Win festivals, then make a big hit on the internet and gain the visibility and credibility that will allow us to eventually be able to live on telling our own stories.

STATUS NUMBER: 5

TEAM MEMBERS: 3

Carl Beauchemin - Animation and Rigging
Thomas Chrétien - FX and Compositing
David Forest - Animation and Art Direction

START DATE: July 2011

ESTIMATED COMPLETION DATE: December 2013

WIP THREAD: http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?f=153&t=1085457

WHAT WENT RIGHT THIS WEEK:

I’m about half way through reworking all our old compositing shots to match with the new look we developed over time. I figure I’ll need about three more weeks to do so, which is exactly how much spare time I had left for animating faster than what was planned on our schedule.

WHAT WENT WRONG:

Carl had to find a two-days-a-week job so that he can continue working on the film and still pay the rent. Life ain’t easy without funds, but we hang in there!

SHOW AND TELL:

Today, we posted a new tutorial on our blog showing the technique we use to render drops of rain running down the faces of our characters.

Also, here’s a frame of a new shot we’ve never shown before!

#10

@David - I share your pain of trying to work on something while paying the bills, but keep up the good work! It will be worth it in the end. Also, that render looks amazing, it’s almost got this great painterly feel going on, love it. Do you have any rendered out sequences you can share? No problem if you’re trying to keep them secret :thumbsup:

So I haven’t had much progress on my Soliloquy of a Madman game project, but I think I’m at a point where I’d like to start slowly sharing a second project I’m working on. Of the two projects I’m working on, this is definitely much more focussed on being a commercial product that I can monetize, while the other is much more for personal artistic expression.

CONCEPT NAME: Pole Force One

WEBSITE: www.poleforceone.com (placeholder)

CATEGORY: Comic Book, Video Game, potentially other mediums

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

STATUS NUMBER: 1

START DATE: January 2013

ESTIMATED COMPLETION DATE : Q4 2013 | Phase 1 | Pitch Package & Story

TEAM MEMBERS: 2

Chris Taylor - Concept Art
Grant Moore (me) - Everything Else

PROJECT GOALS:

To create a story, set of character and universe that can be adapted to various serialized mediums with opportunities to merchandise / license the franchise. Ideally, I would be slowly growing a base of fans first by releasing a comic book and eventually moving towards creating a side scrolling beat-em-up video game based on the same story.

Right now, I’m working on the story and building out a pitch package which I’m going to use to go after funding for a comic book. Thankfully a friend of mine is volunteering time to putting together some fantastic concept art, so that’s saving me some significant initial investment.

An additional goal is to foster the growth of a business which operates in a manner which is open (public updates for fans, supporting and contributing to creative commons and open source projects, etc…)

WHAT WENT RIGHT THIS WEEK:

I decided to share this project! Also, I discovered that sitting outside on the porch with my laptop in the evening is the most productive way for my to brainstorm. I might try biking up into the mountains next.

WHAT WENT WRONG:

Nothing.

SHOW AND TELL:

I’m going to be sharing my pitch package page-by-page in hopes of getting a “rough draft” feedback before I start really pushing it to the public.

Without further adieu, here is my Elevator Pitch

[SPOILER][/SPOILER]

#11

That is a very clever idea for the rain drops, and the results look very good. Thanks for sharing on how you did this, as it is something I am going to have to keep in mind for future animations - definitely beats having to simulate that all the time.

I do have a question though, you mentioned you used After Effects to animate the rain drops, if you don’t mind, could you please elaborate a bit more on how you did that part of the process?

Thanks,
Rudy

#12

Cool new project! I find it the most relaxing and brainstorm-worthyness to step away from the computer and go outside to come up with good ideas as well. Looking forward to see what ideas you may have from your pitch. I would recommend looking into Unity for the game part of things. I hear it is fairly easy to get something up an running and they also just reduced their pricing. Havoc is also releasing an engine soon too that will be similar to Unity. I haven’t heard too much about Havoc’s new engine, but Unity would be good to dabble in as you start brainstorming. :slight_smile:

#13

Thanks Rudy, I’m happy to hear it might help you at some point!

To answer your question, we hand animated every rain drop appearing and running down the face with simple nulls, which positions were then used as particule emitters. We cranked up the birth rate so that we get a nice smooth line, and adjusted the life duration to make the lines fade out after a certain distance. We animated about 5 seconds like this and then looped the whole thing so we can use it if we ever have a longer shot.

#14

Unity is definitely the way to go if you’re a single indie developer, and I agree, it’s very good for building a quick prototype just to test out an idea. When I originally came up with the idea for Pole Force One almost two years ago, I threw together a really quick prototype using a test model I animated and some stock city assets, just to see what it might take to build a 3D side-scrolling game. I wouldn’t consider this at all a representation of what I will be making, but it’s definitely good to make these little prototypes to test out an idea and see if it’s feasible.

//youtu.be/zHgQdHZUkw8

As a side note, I would actually consder this game significantly easier to make compared with my other project, Soliloquy of a Madman (SoaM). However, I want to make all my mistakes with SoaM before I move onto developing this project, because I feel there is more commercial potential with it and I want to get it right. Going to be a couple years before I get there though, so I’ll need to have patience!

:beer:

#15

Thanks for the tip and the detailed response :slight_smile: I was wondering how you did it and that seems very efficient. I am going to have to keep that in mind for sure. Thanks Again.

#16

That is the way to do for prototyping, you can get a real quick feel for the game and how you want it to play very fast, which in turn, will save you a lot of time on the art side of things as well. You will then see what you really need and what you don’t. I have tendencies to do a lot of the art assets first sometimes and then test it after, which is not always good because I find myself spending time on things that is not always necessary. Quick question, I saw you referenced Unity in your reply back to me, but was the protoype that you just posted done in Unity as well?

#17

CONCEPT NAME: NeverEndingPrincessStory

CATEGORY: Animation
PROJECT DESCRIPTION: Harry Potter Meets Dallas
WIP THREAD: https://www.facebook.com/pages/NeverEndingPrincessStory/210744261421
WHAT WENT RIGHT THIS WEEK: I have been spending some time updating my websites. I was able to upload a website successfully to Azure using VWD12 Express so this was great. I will have to play with the database end of it to make it work but it was certainly encouraging.
WHAT WENT WRONG: Seems like I’m continually fighting with new software, this is annoying. Looking forward to having a new development environment for all this.
SHOW AND TELL: If you have not checked out the youtube clip/update please do at:
http://youtu.be/MyYvpBlArW4 I moved forward a bit on this but spending more time on webs than 3d this week.

have a good one…

#18

Yes, I’ve been using Unity for the past few years on a mix of personal prototypes and client work. I’ve used other game engines before - Torque3D, Unreal/UDK and XNA - but have found Unity the easiest to just get started and make something. Over the years it’s become quite powerful and the cross-platform features are fantastic. Definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to get into game development on their own.

You have to version-lock! What that means is, once you are ready to go into actual production you stick with whatever versions of software you have until you have completed. It’s really difficult because you always want to play with the latest and greatest toys, features, etc… but constantly trying to keep up mid-production is a waste of time. For example, I’ve been working on a client project in Unity for the past year and the entire time I have been using the same installation even thought it’s a major and several minor versions older than the current.

You absolutely need to version-lock and just push through until completion to be productive as an individual. Leave the upgrades, experimentation and learning for when you’ve hit a major milestone and are ready to incorporate that into your project, until then, just work on the IP.

#19

Hello Grant,

Very impressive Unity demonstration.
How long did it take to put together this prototype?

#20

Maybe I missed it but is this IP thing available for 2d computer animation or 3d only?