Pag on Games

The original Doom just got released on Xbox Live Arcade. I tried the demo out and realised just how much demos have changed. The original game was released as shareware: the first third of the game was available for free and you had to pay to play the rest. On Xbox 360, only the first level is available for free, and you must pay for everything else.

I can’t say I’m surprised, but I think the new demo is a bit too limited for its own good. You can’t appreciate what makes Doom good from the first level only… The original game became a mega hit by offering a large fraction of the game for free, you’d think this proven success would lead them to repeat this approach…

Strangely, the demo is also quite a bit larger (in file size) than I remember the original game being. I wonder why that is, considering the game is identical.

The last week has been one of the busiest in my life. It started last week-end, when I moved to a new appartment. A lot of work and sweat, but the new place is much better: it’s bigger, newer and located right next to a park. I took a day off sunday, before returning to work monday morning after two weeks vacations…

…Only to be shown the door before I could turn my computer on. Long story short, I took the fall for a project that was going badly before I joined it. My boss disagreed with the decision of letting me go, but the decision came from above. I didn’t really fit within the company culture anyway — I had considered quitting before — so it wasn’t too big a loss for me. It’s just too bad I won’t be working with the folks at the Montréal office anymore — lots of great people there.

On tuesday, I found a contract to work on: I’ll be contributing new contents on David Perry’s game development wiki. It’s still in its infancy, but the site is shaping up to be a great ressource for everything related to game development. Everybody can contribute to the site — just like wikipedia — so go in there and add links to your favorite game development articles or write your own! I’ll be writing a lot more for that site than for this blog in the next few weeks, so check it out regularly.

And so begins my work as a game development consultant. I’ll be working this way until I figure exactly what I want to do with myself. I like it so far, so I may continue this way if work is good. I’m also considering other possibilities, like continuing at a “regular” game design job or even making a start-up (I have a great idea, but I’d need funding).

If you have need of an experienced and talented game designer and programmer, permanently or for a contract, don’t hesitate to write me. I have 5 years of experience as a programmer and designer, and I’ve worked on 17 games (on mobile, set-top boxes, GBA, DS and PC). I can help you improve your game (from the earliest conception stages to advanced production) and your development process. Just tell me what you need and I’ll tell you what I can do — you have nothing to lose!

A definition of design that’s too often true (by way of Guy Kawasaki’s blog):

Design consists of creating things for clients who may not know what they want, until they see what you’ve done, then they know exactly what they want, but it’s not what you did.