I should really start this rant off by saying that the idealistic part of my brain really enjoys massively multiplayer online experiences. The promise of an entire world populated by other people can bring with it some mind blowing possibilities.
Sadly, the idealistic part of my brain is also the most disappointed regarding the actual realities of the current state of MMO games. With even the best oiled roller coaster providing a rather stilted experience, it's also worth stating as of yet no amount of virtual make up is capable of disguising the fact that the majority of other people are shit.
Though despite these beliefs, I still feel that there is a level of worth simply to exploring a virtual environment, especially one as well crafted and artistically realized as World of Warcraft. So to word it optimistically - The point isn't that the world is full of idiots, but that the world is beautiful in lieu of those faults. Knowing this, is a sense of exploration something to value?
Apparently not.
People are actually buying guides so that the experience is literally whittled down to running between places and hitting the highest level in 6 days.
So how does this affect me? Surely I shouldn't care about what people do with the games they've bought. Right? Wrong.
Asides from exploring the world around you and experiencing what is essentially a primitively simulated, in some senses dynamic reality the other element to MMO games in general is simple : Play your role. Dependent on what class you chose at the start of the game, the role you play as part of a team differs vastly and if you haven't explored the game unguided and essentially learnt your limits as well as tactics to dig yourself (and often others) out of situations you're not going to be able to play your class correctly.
The end result of levelling guides is players at the highest tier of the game, with the skill level and role awareness of people less than half their level. And I am affected, because were I still playing I'd be having to deal with that.
That is, assuming I could find someone who spoke English to play with. Oh god.
-Hybrid.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Monday, June 29, 2009
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Status Updates
I often spend the journey home from central London filled with words to write here with the journey sapping me of my energy to do anything but relax as soon as I arrive home.
So I'll keep this is succinct as possible. Some really great things have been happening career-wise, I don't know how long it will last but the experience I am getting is permanent. I have been waking up and going to sleep grateful and happy.
I've also been having some thoughts about what to do with this space, where the line between here and my work blog lays and if there needs to be a line at all. The format of this blog could be more interesting, and perhaps less of the regular internal monologue. I'll give it some thought.
In the meantime, boosh.
-Hybrid
So I'll keep this is succinct as possible. Some really great things have been happening career-wise, I don't know how long it will last but the experience I am getting is permanent. I have been waking up and going to sleep grateful and happy.
I've also been having some thoughts about what to do with this space, where the line between here and my work blog lays and if there needs to be a line at all. The format of this blog could be more interesting, and perhaps less of the regular internal monologue. I'll give it some thought.
In the meantime, boosh.
-Hybrid
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
My rumpled bedsheets have been on Television.
True story. And if you pay attention, I will reveal how.
A couple of years ago, between the period of graduating and getting a job that wasn't making tea for people who had cooler jobs or working in a game store, I used to, on occasion, do favours for a friend of mine who was working as a researcher in a tv production company.
Graphic Artist type favours, don't get any ideas. On a couple of occasions he needed images for shows and fast, so I would illustrate things and send them off, sign a contract that guaranteed everything was my own creation and the copyright belonged to me and that was that - I never saw the £1 fee I had to charge to make things official. Often that was the last I heard of them as they were lost in the pitching process. All is fair and good when you are just looking to have something you've done appear on the television.
One morning I was slowly awakening to the sound of my phone ringing. I answer, it's my friend, he'd spent the previous week aboard a pirate ship sailing about the coast of England filming footage for a (big documentary channel) show about... Pirates. He tells me he needs pirate flags. Double quicktime. I say one word to communicate I'm onto things and I hang up.
That word. Shamefully. Was 'Arrrrr'.
So there I am, drawing several historically accurate (and I think, pretty cool) pirate flags for him to send to be used in the edit of the show. I cover the big names. The Jolly Roger, Blackbeards Flag, the Calico Jack. I send them off. The response is that they need to be dirtier, as though they're used.
Dirtying things up is nothing some grunge brushes can't handle, and this is finished post haste. I send them off. Another response. They need to look like they are on Fabric, distorted like they're on a flag. Which is more of a problem.
Distorting things like this is usually pretty easy, provided you have some footage you can use as a displacement map - which is a black and white image which the original image looks at - and then displaces/distorts a certain amount and in a certain direction dependent on the value of the pixels in the displacement map.
The problem was that I had nothing to create a displacement map with. I am sure you can see where this is going. I spent an hour rumpling and photographing high contrast images of my bedsheets. Removing the colour and applying filters to them and then trying them out as displacement maps. The end result was several pirate flag images that appeared as though they were on fabric.
And they were all used. I saw them on TV several times. In the adverts for the program and in the program itself. Over and Over. Most memorable being the first time, when sat around the television with my parents I stood up, pointing and shouting 'those are my bedsheets!'.
And THAT is how my rumpled bed sheets were on TV. I would post the actual images up, though I don't really feel it'd be professional - I will review my contract and see if I am allowed.
Incidentally - the guy I did this for is the person who recommended me for a job he interviewed for. Which landed me my first artist job and kickstarted my career as an artist. In a way, my whole career is based off of putting my bedsheets on the telly.
I've been meaning to share that one online for some time. It should be safe to now.
-Hybrid
A couple of years ago, between the period of graduating and getting a job that wasn't making tea for people who had cooler jobs or working in a game store, I used to, on occasion, do favours for a friend of mine who was working as a researcher in a tv production company.
Graphic Artist type favours, don't get any ideas. On a couple of occasions he needed images for shows and fast, so I would illustrate things and send them off, sign a contract that guaranteed everything was my own creation and the copyright belonged to me and that was that - I never saw the £1 fee I had to charge to make things official. Often that was the last I heard of them as they were lost in the pitching process. All is fair and good when you are just looking to have something you've done appear on the television.
One morning I was slowly awakening to the sound of my phone ringing. I answer, it's my friend, he'd spent the previous week aboard a pirate ship sailing about the coast of England filming footage for a (big documentary channel) show about... Pirates. He tells me he needs pirate flags. Double quicktime. I say one word to communicate I'm onto things and I hang up.
That word. Shamefully. Was 'Arrrrr'.
So there I am, drawing several historically accurate (and I think, pretty cool) pirate flags for him to send to be used in the edit of the show. I cover the big names. The Jolly Roger, Blackbeards Flag, the Calico Jack. I send them off. The response is that they need to be dirtier, as though they're used.
Dirtying things up is nothing some grunge brushes can't handle, and this is finished post haste. I send them off. Another response. They need to look like they are on Fabric, distorted like they're on a flag. Which is more of a problem.
Distorting things like this is usually pretty easy, provided you have some footage you can use as a displacement map - which is a black and white image which the original image looks at - and then displaces/distorts a certain amount and in a certain direction dependent on the value of the pixels in the displacement map.
The problem was that I had nothing to create a displacement map with. I am sure you can see where this is going. I spent an hour rumpling and photographing high contrast images of my bedsheets. Removing the colour and applying filters to them and then trying them out as displacement maps. The end result was several pirate flag images that appeared as though they were on fabric.
And they were all used. I saw them on TV several times. In the adverts for the program and in the program itself. Over and Over. Most memorable being the first time, when sat around the television with my parents I stood up, pointing and shouting 'those are my bedsheets!'.
And THAT is how my rumpled bed sheets were on TV. I would post the actual images up, though I don't really feel it'd be professional - I will review my contract and see if I am allowed.
Incidentally - the guy I did this for is the person who recommended me for a job he interviewed for. Which landed me my first artist job and kickstarted my career as an artist. In a way, my whole career is based off of putting my bedsheets on the telly.
I've been meaning to share that one online for some time. It should be safe to now.
-Hybrid
Wednesday, May 06, 2009
The Hunt for Gollum
Usually I steer well clear of either posting things about my work in here, even despite being described on a friends blog as a vfx guy. I have a whole other blog for that stuff, but whatever.
I worked on an Independent Lord of the Rings fan film, usually I'd stay a million miles away from any kind of fan film though for whatever reason, this time I didn't.
And it's been doing pretty well;
Check it out here.
Some of my work is also featured on the VFX reel here.
If you're interested in exactly what I did - those who know my actual name can spot it appear during my featured shot on the reel. And you could always you know, go to my other blog where I'll feature it on Friday.
-Hybrid
I worked on an Independent Lord of the Rings fan film, usually I'd stay a million miles away from any kind of fan film though for whatever reason, this time I didn't.
And it's been doing pretty well;
Check it out here.
Some of my work is also featured on the VFX reel here.
If you're interested in exactly what I did - those who know my actual name can spot it appear during my featured shot on the reel. And you could always you know, go to my other blog where I'll feature it on Friday.
-Hybrid
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