Just a few of my own thoughts here, I don't know if these will help other developers but here goes...
I have to say that Grey is a real professional - probably because his desire for perfection is mainly what drives him, and the fact he comes from a professional programming background. He has a really keen eye for detail and movement and knows exactly what he wants, and how to express himself accurately.
Now, why do I say these things? Because this makes working with someone like Grey, a far more fruitful experience. The result speaks for itself. Grey provided a fully accurate brief, with some flexibility for change as the game objects developed. We tried a few things, and Sean (the guy who did most of the in game objects) was accommodating enough to ensure the results were stunning. (A foot note: Sean worked on PS2 titles such as WRC and WRC2 - along with other game, television and advertising projects, having been around since he developed the graphics for "Rise of the Robots" - he knows what he is doing!)
Having an accurate brief is very important. If you cannot state what it is you are after, in an accurate and desciptive way then you are going to go around in circles forever. So, it is very important to have a clear vision and an overall understanding of how a game and its contents will function with each other. Development is an iterative process, and this means graphical objects and music, and sound effects and text, and fonts, and colours, and timings and well just about everything. If it does not work as you thought it would, change it, do not suffer it. When you are almost there, make sure you arrive safely. (that's where a good, clear map comes in).
In terms of price, you do 'get what you pay for'. Grey, Sean and myself all do this for a living, it is our sole source of income and we work very, very, very, long hours sometimes - that's a given when you work for yourself. In this case Grey and I discussed how we could BOTH benefit from working together, and in some ways we both took a bit of a risk, but as Grey would say "Speculate to accumulate" - and I don't always mean monetarily here. SmartScreen's graphical work is once again out in the open for people to see now, so I benefit greatly from the publicity behind the publication of a better product. Grey and I found we have a very similar outlook on the whole work ethic and producing a "that'll do" is NOT AN OPTION.
Now the game is on the portals and selling, this adds a really impressive impact on my clients. They can see we are clearly a professional company, doing great work in an extremely and increasingly competitive marketplace. SmartScreen continue to deliver a final, professional result in a short time frame with a triple 'A' service too, and great value for money.
The people who really benefit this process of course are those who purchase and enjoy the game itself.
IPete2.
I have to say that Grey is a real professional - probably because his desire for perfection is mainly what drives him, and the fact he comes from a professional programming background. He has a really keen eye for detail and movement and knows exactly what he wants, and how to express himself accurately.
Now, why do I say these things? Because this makes working with someone like Grey, a far more fruitful experience. The result speaks for itself. Grey provided a fully accurate brief, with some flexibility for change as the game objects developed. We tried a few things, and Sean (the guy who did most of the in game objects) was accommodating enough to ensure the results were stunning. (A foot note: Sean worked on PS2 titles such as WRC and WRC2 - along with other game, television and advertising projects, having been around since he developed the graphics for "Rise of the Robots" - he knows what he is doing!)
Having an accurate brief is very important. If you cannot state what it is you are after, in an accurate and desciptive way then you are going to go around in circles forever. So, it is very important to have a clear vision and an overall understanding of how a game and its contents will function with each other. Development is an iterative process, and this means graphical objects and music, and sound effects and text, and fonts, and colours, and timings and well just about everything. If it does not work as you thought it would, change it, do not suffer it. When you are almost there, make sure you arrive safely. (that's where a good, clear map comes in).
In terms of price, you do 'get what you pay for'. Grey, Sean and myself all do this for a living, it is our sole source of income and we work very, very, very, long hours sometimes - that's a given when you work for yourself. In this case Grey and I discussed how we could BOTH benefit from working together, and in some ways we both took a bit of a risk, but as Grey would say "Speculate to accumulate" - and I don't always mean monetarily here. SmartScreen's graphical work is once again out in the open for people to see now, so I benefit greatly from the publicity behind the publication of a better product. Grey and I found we have a very similar outlook on the whole work ethic and producing a "that'll do" is NOT AN OPTION.
Now the game is on the portals and selling, this adds a really impressive impact on my clients. They can see we are clearly a professional company, doing great work in an extremely and increasingly competitive marketplace. SmartScreen continue to deliver a final, professional result in a short time frame with a triple 'A' service too, and great value for money.
The people who really benefit this process of course are those who purchase and enjoy the game itself.
IPete2.