Fall is finally here. It’s my favorite season. When the leaves start to fall and there is a bit of chill in the morning air. It just has a calming effect on me.

The family and I have been in full school and after-school kid activities mode. Large summer adventures are done and preparations are starting to set in for the winter months.

The holidays are always a great time to build memories and traditions together. There are a ton of activities for us to do around town and I’ve already been asked about ice skating once it drops below freezing.

Personally, I’ve been inspired by some co-workers and friends to reestablish a practice of meditation and journaling. I used to do both almost daily, but lately I’ve drifted quite a bit from daily practice. They felt almost like chores or something I was just doing to check off a task.

I’m keeping my meditation time in the morning right after I walk the dog, just 10 minutes to really set the day. I moved Journaling to the evening,something I do before bed as a way to reflect on the day. This small change has so far felt pretty good and I hope it’s a practice I can keep going.

Paran Color Change

I’ve continued to work on my game project and I’ve been focusing on the overall look and style for Paran. I’m trying to find a balance between something that is quick to do but sets an overall mood and vibe that feels more like my style. I was initially going with a boomer shooter style but felt that just didn’t stand out enough. Then I came across the manga BLAME! and a project inspired by it.

The black and white aesthetic I felt matched my overall sketchy style when I’m doodling. It feels more like me than what I was trying to accomplish with low-resolution textures. I’m still working through the mood lighting and over all atmosphere since this look will require some changes to both.

I’ve also been working on a more sustainable level system. Before I was just making levels fully in Blender and exporting them. This was fine until I needed to make a change to the level design.

This more systematic approach will allow me to make rapid changes right in the level when I don’t like how something is feeling.

Narratively I’m also reworking parts of the story. So lots of things in motion at the moment. It feels like the game is sort of finding out what it wants to be as I’m working on it and I’m just kind of letting it lead me.

All of these changes will push back the release date of the early access build but I think the game will be much stronger because of them.

Team Week

On the design front there is a ton going on but I really just wanted to share a bit about our team week we just completed. It was a great time to connect with our team and get some much-needed face-to-face time. We spend a ton of time on zoom calls but nothing beats getting together in a room and working together, or spending an hour talking about buttons vs links.

I’m fortunate and grateful to work with such an amazing team and have leaders who prioritize these opportunities for us to connect. I’ll make sure to share the video once it’s done.