The Cleft

Things have come out!

2011-03-14T11:32:00.000Z

Hi all, bit of news.

My first iPhone game is out! Woo!

Get it here, it's free :)

Also, I have been featured in a 'Startup Spotlight' interview on CasualGaming.biz.

Lovely stuff, more to come soon with any luck.

Updated

2011-01-09T18:09:00.002Z

Hi all, I've updated the various areas of this site that reference games I've worked on professionally with links and news.

Essentially it boils down to links to reviews of the two Crackdown 2 DLC packs I worked on while still at Proper Games (and then again as my first job as Spilt Milk Studios), plus of course Crunch - The Game which is my first original game under my new studio.

That is all, happy 2011!

Been a while...

2010-12-16T12:11:00.000Z

So it's been a good few months since I updated this. Apologies.

I'll keep this short and self-promotion-heavy :)

I'm in Develop's 30 Under 30 again this year, which I'm going to celebrate in style tonight... cider bottles I'm looking at you!

I've also written a piece for Develop inspired by that Panorama program, talking about addictive games.

I'm currently busy finishing off the first new game from Spilt Milk Studios for an unannounced client, and am very excited about its (surely not far away now) launch. Not only that but the comic I'm writing is going full steam ahead, and I've got 2 more projects lined up for the new year.

Things have been crazy busy, but it's all good so far!

Till next time!

PS: As a treat, some sites I know you don't look at, but should.

Geekgasms

Action button.net

Indie Games.com

Things have been moving ahead

2010-08-09T10:45:00.001+01:00

So there all kinds of things happening in my world right now, the biggest of which (or the most certain) is that I'll be off to GDC Europe next week.

Maybe see someone there? If you're headed out and want to meet up email me andrew dot smith at spiltmilkstudios dot com.

Also, Brian Baglow sent an emailr ecnetly detailing a cool AppJam in Dundee... here's the details:

"Planet Of The Apps

Dundee, Scotland. August 9th 2010. On November 8th - 10th, Dundee will host the first ever International App Development Conference (or AppCon), plus a free 48-hour ‘AppJam’.

The App conference will cover all aspects of designing, developing and deploying Apps - across all platforms - mobile and online - including the iPhone, Android and Facebook. Featuring speakers from around the world, panels, workshops and sessions aimed at those interested in, or already active in these rapidly evolving App markets,

Alongside the conference, is a free AppJam - offering designers and developers the chance to create and build a new and original App in only two days. The Apps will be seen by conference delegates, judged by a panel of industry experts and given advice on deployment and getting the finished Apps out into the global market.

Part of the week long NEoN festival, taking place in Dundee, the AppCon is being masterminded by Dundee College, alongside project and industry partners.

Andy McKenzie, the Project Manager: Creative Industries for Dundee College, said, “The various Application markets have exploded in the last few months, opening up new opportunities and channels for designers, developers and creators. These new markets are changing the way consumers, businesses and organisations access data, use devices and interact with services. The AppCon brings together many of the world’s leading platform providers, industry experts and pioneers in these exciting new areas, to explore the future of Apps. The AppJam is a practical, hands-on event, which challenges developers to design and build their own App in only 48 hours. We’ve already had a great deal of interest and hope to see some unique and fascinating new ideas take shape during the AppJam.”

Tickets for the AppCon will be on sale very soon. Prices are as follows:

£99 + VAT Early bird special available until 4th October. £125 + VAT Thereafter
£30 + VAT Special student rate (limited number available)

Tickets covering both the AppCon AND the wider NeoN festival will also be available:

£150 + VAT Early bird special available until 4th October. £175 + VAT Thereafter
£50 + VAT Special student rate (limited number available)

More information, speakers, sessions and the schedule for the AppCon, plus entry forms, terms and conditions for the AppJam can be found online at http://2010.appjam.eu/"

Been a while

2010-07-07T11:35:00.001+01:00

Howdy strangers, it's been nuts the last few weeks and months.

I successfully delivered on my 1st contract as Spilt Milk Studios, I've started contributing more regular articles to Develop Online, and I'm currently in the midst of two 'big things'.

One is the collaboration between myself and Jon on an awesome little XBLIndie beat em up called Knuckle Sandwich (follow its progress daily here).

The other is a secret that I don't want to jinx :)

That's it for now, short but sweet!

New Frontiers

2010-04-08T08:44:00.003+01:00

Well this is my first day as the Managing Director of Spilt Milk Studio Ltd!

I've set up a games developer and games design consultancy company, and so no longer do I work as a permanent employee of Proper Games... I never thought the day would come but it's time to move onwards and upwards.

Wish me luck ya'll.

Crunch Time in the Games Industry

2010-01-22T10:02:00.002Z

As written for the regular Jury Service feature for Develop Online...

Overtime is a deeply damaging habit which is easy to fall into on both sides of the Developer/Management divide.

If you care about a game (and most of us get into the industry to make things we care about) then it's so easy to do the odd late night to make sure you get what you want done properly and on time.

If you care about timescale and budget, then it's ok to ask a few late nights of your troops on occasion. A few well-worded requests for extra effort usually produce the desired effect.

The problem is that it gets out of control very quickly, and there are a multitude of ways it can cause damage.

The most obvious is that it makes people tired and less productive over the long term, and shortens tempers. Small discussions can turn into heated debates at the tail end of a project, while simple solutions are missed while people get bogged down talking about the wrong thing or are distracted more easily.

The main worry I have is that the industry still doesn't seem to grasp the true scale of the long term effects. What essentially boils down to poor management by everyone on the team has a huge negative effect. Employees get disgruntled, families get affected, faith and trust in the company's ability to successfully manage a project (especially if mistakes are repeated), and tolerance for failure of any sort just hit a downward spiral. All of this stuff is accentuated by overtime, and can fester beyond recovery.

It's worth saying that this 'poor management' includes the coders, designers and artists who get used to doing overtime, but then forget to factor it into subsequent tasks.

For example, it's all too easy to forget the 3 late evenings you did one milestone when estimating a similar task on your next project. This can be solved by eliminating overtime in the first place so all estimates are used as reference when they're inaccurate, or explicitly tracking those inaccuracies and referencing them when it comes to planning the next project.

Not all the blame can be laid at our collective feet though. Vey few other creative industries have to deal with a regular, 6 year cycle of new technology.

This frequent sea-change means that sure, we can build up some experience with various tasks and become more accurate in our work over time, but before you know it half of that stored knowledge is rendered inaccurate, and you're forced to re-learn a large chunk of your skills again.

How can anyone accurately predict how long a level will take to make with brand new tools that don't even exist yet?

Of course some companies offer time in lieu, some pay for overtime, and some claim not to have it at all.

Honestly though, the only time people should be doing overtime is when they want to accomplish something outside the remit of the product - something that, if it fails, will not negatively affect the product or the schedule. Look to other industries - call centres where overtime is made available to those who want it, not because there is a deficit somewhere.

Nobody likes things being late, and we're a passionate and creative industry, but that doesn't mean we should put up with being exploited.

Geekgasms

2010-01-18T12:52:00.002Z

Not sure about the name, but hey that's not the point!

I'm part of a new website set up by a group of friends - geeks one and all - and the first thing to come to fruition is a podcast. The team (irregular, bear in mind) is myself, James, Edmund, Dave and Chris, and we hope to get a few more people in as guests over time.

Entitled PubCast, it's a weekly hour-long show where we just talk games, comics, books and movies - ranging from intellectual debate to fanboy-baiting banter.

Have a listen here, leave comments, and tune in soon when we'll announce an iTunes feed.

On a personal note it's really good fun to take part in, and it's very free-form and informal in structure, plus you get to hear what we all sound like.

Final Fight: Double Impact

2010-01-11T10:50:00.004Z

If you get the latest issue of Retrogamer magazine (issue 72#, with Gradius on the front cover) and then hop to pages 6 and 7, you'll be treated to a double-page feature on Proper Game's 2nd game! What's more, people really seem to like it, and appreciate the little things we've done to make it more authentic.

On a related note, there's an even more positive preview from the floor of the CES show on Destructoid.

I'm very chuffed to see such a positive buzz already, and in particular things that I remember being a bit contentious here at Proper HQ when I decided to push for them:

"They're so faithful that elements which would have been added to other ports of this nature are left out. A perfect example is the lack of explanation of the power-ups in Magic Sword which must be experimented with to determine their effects."

Brilliant stuff.

Me on the web

2010-01-04T11:18:00.003Z

I've been mentioned in a few places recently:

I'm one of Develop Magazine's 30 under 30 - young members of the worldwide games industry who are tipped as ones to watch. See the article here in this cool virtual magazine viewer, and see my appearance on p.30/31

I've also been quoted in Gamasutra's Top 12 Games of the Decade, gushing hideously over Mario Galaxy...

Finally, Develop Online has quoted my highlight of 2009. Well done, Batman!

Of course all of these have been added to the various sidebars all over my blog :)

Final Fight: Double Impact

2009-11-26T09:35:00.002Z

Woo!

Proper Games' second game has been announced - Final Fight: Double Impact is our current baby-in-development, and we're so honoured to be working with Capcom on such a classic game.

But wait, there's more!

There's a second game here - that's right, it's a double-pack, with Magic Sword joining in the fun.

Check out screens here, and go buy it when it comes out early next year, on XBLA and PSN!

BAFTA!

2009-11-11T13:44:00.002Z

Yeah it was inevitable I post about this...

I won (well, Flock! won...) a BAFTA for BEST GAME :)

Here is the full ceremony (the game award is at 56:00 ish)

Suffice to say - wahey!

I'm quite chuffed to say the least, maybe there are more on the horizon? Whatever happens, it has given me a big boost.

God Of War III

2009-11-06T09:10:00.003Z

I'm not sure if I'm turning lame, but this new demo trailer for GOWIII turns me right off.

The amount of gore really is verging on the uncomfortable, and it's not just that - I thoroughly enjoyed ripping my way through Dead Space, for example - it's the way the camera glamourises and fetishises (is that a word?) the extreme violence.

Watch till the end to see my point - it just makes me feel a bit queasy to be honest.

Oh well, GOWII was an inferior game to the original, and this 3rd in the trilogy seems to have gotten even worse (Not to mention the music. Sheesh!).

On a side note, I wonder if this level of violence is rammed down players' throats when they die or fail. It'll be interesting to see. The creators of the game are clearly in love with Kratos, and blatantly revel in the havoc he wreaks on all those legendary creatures and Gods... I wonder if they've the stomach to put the object of their (dubious) affections through the same.

My guess is that they don't, and the worst you'll see is a ragdoll version of Kratos falling to the ground.

Time will tell.

Perfect Dark - the drink

2009-10-20T19:37:00.001+01:00

And another one - this time based on the very awesome follow up to GoldenEye on the N64.

Here's to you, Rare! Remembering past days of glory...

New drink added!

2009-09-08T22:37:00.002+01:00

In the Food and Drink section, I've added the first cocktail recipe. Game themed of course, today it is the Shadow Complex, created a few weeks back in celebration of a mate's birthday and another mate's stag do!

Make! Drink! Enjoy?

Designer Questionnaire

2009-08-17T09:20:00.004+01:00

Found on Gamasutra this morning:

Turn-based or Real Time?

Real Time

Rounds or Respawn Timers?

Respawn Timers

Cutscenes or Scripted Events?

Scripted Events

Sliding Floor Tiles or Sliding Blocks?

Sliding Blocks

Free To Play or Subscription Based?

Free to Play

Crosshairs or Iron Sights?

Iron Sights

Skill Trees or Dialogue Trees?

Skill Trees

Console or PC?

Console

Coop or Multiplayer?

Coop

Block or Dodge?

Dodge

Open World or On Rails?

On Rails

What is the most beautiful feature or mechanic in games?

Movement

What is the most disappointing game you have ever played?

Oblivion

What is your favorite game judging solely by user-interface?

Wii Sports Resort

What famous designer do you wish you were?

Shigeru Miyamoto... or maybe Tetsuya Mizuguchi

What game's world is most interesting to you?

Halflife series'

What game would you most like to turn into a franchise with 13 sequels?

Rez

Food and Drink

2009-07-21T17:03:00.002+01:00

So I've added a Food and Drink section to my blog now, and the first recipe is up - a really nice summer salad.

Check it out!

2009-07-01T16:49:00.003+01:00

I've removed many games from my Now Playing list, due to the dreaded Red Ring of Death. Aye, it has struck.

Start Squirting!

2009-06-30T13:51:00.003+01:00

I've updated the Games page with Squirt!

I'm kinda extra-chuffed on this one as it is the second game out there entirely my own design (the first was the wonderful Lineboy)!

It's part of Proper Games Labs initiative, where we upload prototypes that we're not moving forward into production with.

Enjoy!

Game Character Names

2009-06-19T08:55:00.001+01:00

Spotted this very long article detailing theories for the names of videogame characters.

Well worth a read when you have the time. Seriously, it's looooong.

Braben - respect!

2009-06-18T15:57:00.004+01:00

So I caught this article on what David Braben of Frontier (a studio located not far from where I grew up in Essex) thinks is wrong with the perception of casual videogames - highlighting those in particular on the Wii - as the debate rages on about core games on the Wii and their sales.

Anyway, the man makes a very good point - one which I've been thinking on myself recently - basically that the core games press does not know how to review a casual orientated game, or even just those that are not targeted directly at the core gamer.

Having had some interesting and revealing insight into the whole 'problem' watching the launch of Flock! (a very casual game released on a bunch of very hardcore platforms, through hardcore channels - does anyone who is reading this think their mum knows how to download a game and play it on their PC? No, didn't think so!) it's nice to see some very considered and thoughtful discourse coming to the surface.

Proper Games Labs

2009-06-15T16:46:00.004+01:00

We're launching a new section of the Proper Games site soon, called Labs.

Here'we'll be letting people play, see videos of and maybe even download our prototype game ideas that never make it to market.

The first one to appear will be Squirt, a match-3 puzzler with a twist - a game concept entirely designed by myself, which makes it the second game to come out that is completely and utterly my design with nobody else's input (the first was of course the experimental game Lineboy!)

I've also added Squirt into my list of Non-Commercial Games over here...

Gundam

2009-06-10T09:35:00.004+01:00

I've been playing a lot of Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 2 recently (my 360 has decided it doesn't like connecting to the net, so all my multiplayer games are out of the question currently) and as such have been keeping an eye on Gundam in general. The fiction appeals to me, as does the very Japanese-style storylines and characters.

Anyway, I spotted this a while back - a life-size Gundam being built in a park in Tokyo. Seriously, they know how to celebrate stuff!

I'd love to see this in real life, I just hope they keep it up longer than planned.

Mini Mod

2009-05-27T09:31:00.003+01:00

A blast from the past, this one!

In 2nd year of Uni at Abertay, me and my flatmates from 1st year created a small (ouch, forgive the pun) mod for Half Life called Mini Mod. Essentially a Deathmatch game given a Toy Story twist, it was the first time I'd made anything and actually released it to the public.

I kinda wanna go back to it and see what I've learned since, maybe re-do a level for HL2... we shall see what happens!

I've added it to the Games section of my blog, or just click here.

Every Game... Ever!?

2009-05-13T10:42:00.001+01:00

Fun review site with every Snes game reviewed? Quite the repository.

Also a funny read.

UK Resistance

2009-05-12T14:17:00.002+01:00

I've had a soft spot for UK Resistance for a long time now - it's their mix of parody, harsh words and flat-out fanboy-baiting content combined with the best of caustic British humour that makes me giggle almost every morning when I check it out.

Last thing I expected to see was Flock! on there!

Blast from the Past

2009-04-29T09:57:00.003+01:00

I've had a few blogs over the years, and while I'm a bit too busy to keep this one regularly updated with new ruminations, I thought I'd share some choice cuts from the golden days... this particular one is about Gears of War 1...

"Why do I dislike this game so much?

Firstly, the game's visuals - generally stunning, but marred by technical deficiencies.

I'm all for the detail, the framerate and the sheer scale of some of the visuals this game presents, but when after every cutscene the textures take a few seconds to load in, it stinks of rushed coding and is particularly noticeable when the rest of the game is so polished. Why, with such an 'important' game, would you let it out to the public with such obvious visual problems? It was the same with Halo 2 and its goddamn flickering normal maps. Hideous, and detracts from the game as a whole.

Secondly, gameplay - solid, entertaining, but nothing new.

The cover system works fine but was seen in kill.Switch, the reloading mini-game is nice but ultimately pretty shallow, and several things niggle at me. The inability to accurately see where your grenades are going to land over larger distances, despite being presented with a handy arc. The stubborn refusal of some seemingly valid bits of scenery to allow the player to shoulder into cover. Overly simplified close combat - with only one option available to these hulking men in armour, they seem crippled by fear whenever a Locust gets near.

The incredible decision to make the vast majority of the enemy characters share a very similar height, shape and therefore silhouette. The abysmal AI, for both enemy and - more frustratingly - ally, which makes a mockery both of the elite unit you are supposed to be fighting with and the fearsome enemy you are supposed to be fighting against. The weaponry sets being shared by aliens and humans alike - eh?

The final boss is unexciting and unthreatening (simply pummel him with bullets until he falls over), and so are the majority of his cronies. Why in this day and age do enemies not react to being hit by goddamn bullets!? It makes no sense to me, as GoldenEye on the N64 managed it, but these morons simply carry on walking/shooting/running into walls despite you filling their ugly faces with hot lead.

Thirdly - inspiration and source material.

Nearly everything 'cool' in this game is ripped directly from another source. Now I've had arguments about the difference between 'ripping off' and 'being inspired by', but I honestly believe that GoW is guilty of the former more than the latter. First of all, the chainsaw-on-the-end-of-the-gun is straight outta Warhammer 40,000. Secondly, the only section where they try to make some interesting twists on the core gameplay is ripped wholesale out of Pitch Black. And I mean wholesale.

Staying in the light is one thing. Doing so because of the threat of hordes of hideous monsters in the dark would be fine too. But when the hordes of monsters are exactly the same as the ones found in Pitch Black, it becomes a crime punishable by me slapping you with my shit-covered hand (and I'm not talking about the main beasties in Pitch Black, I'm talking about the bat-like ones that tear up the poor woman from Farscape early in the film - yeah, those ones).

Fourthly - storyline and characters.

Well, anyone who has played it must know that the characters are all shadows of a cliche (Cole Train being entertaining as he actually has some personality), and the storyline is as vague and thin as the hair on Charlize Theron's navel. Without spoiling anything the manner in which the storyline is conveyed is lazy and sporadic, poorly timed and nonsensical.

Right, so all of that seems quite vitriolic, yes?

Indeed it does. And I'll tell you why - we were promised so much more. Even in the little booklet you get with the special edition Cliffy B goes on and on about how this was the future of gaming and how he had an epiphany playing paintball or somesuch... mate, wake up. This is not the next generation of videogames in any sense except visually, and even there it falls down with technical hurdles."

...and having read this again now, I'm of the same opinion - if a little more chilled out about it now :)

PS: You may also notice some similarities and lines of thought that eventually got properly aired in my Edge-Online piece.

Flock! so far.

2009-04-09T16:58:00.003+01:00

Well, we've got enough reviews for Metacritic to have an average - we blame Eurogamer's fairly harshly worded review for the yellow-tinted 74 we're on currently.

Also, the AVGamer review has gone to the PC version of Flock! on the site - admittedly as 100% which is ace - but it doesn't help the 360 scores! Why Metacritic insist on keeping the platforms separate I'll never know - it's identical across all 3!

Anyway, here is the list of reviews we've had so far...

AVGamer

Team Xbox

Gamesradar

Modern Gamer

IGN

Eurogamer

Flock! reviews continued...

2009-04-06T15:59:00.002+01:00

Well, an even better score today!

The lovely Samantha Nelson over at AV Gamer has given Flock! a very generously worded review, and we're all fairly pleased with ourselves at the moment here at PGHQ.

According to their rankings (on the right side of the review) Flock! is better than Resident evil 5, Streetfighter 4 and Killzone 2 - not bad for a debut game ;)

So far that's 80% and an A... c'mon, we need some more reviews to get a Metacritic average! :)

FLOCK! Launch Party...

2009-04-03T13:23:00.004+01:00

From Proper Games:

On the 7th, 8th and 9th of April, Proper Games’ first game is released on PC, XBLA and PSN!

We’d love it if you'd come and help us celebrate on the 1st floor of the Abertay Union on Wednesday the 8th April 2009. Doors are open from 8:30 and it will no doubt carry on into the wee hours.

We’ll be generally having a riotous time, with a competition on the night for everyone to enter, and of course playable builds of the game. We’ll even be saving any levels created on the night and uploading the best picks onto our map server!

RSVP to jenni at proper-games dot com as soon as possible so we can put your name, and those of any of your guests (or at least rough numbers) on the guest list... though if you are a student or affiliated with Abertay you should be fine getting in without being on the list.

Look forward to seeing you all then!

Full details:

Date: Weds 8th April 2009
Time: 8:30pm – late
Place: 1st Floor, Abertay Union, Bell Street, Dundee, DD1 1HP, Scotland

Blog pages updated

2009-03-31T21:25:00.003+01:00

Well, I've finally gotten around to updating all the pages to the same format as this main one, so they're all a little less drab than before.

Also, I've embedded two videos of Blue Moon Rising on the BMR page, along with links to a scanned preview a friend sent me. Check them out - BMR is like an old flame for me, I can never get over it 100%...

Also, I dunno if anyone noticed but Lineboy was broken - it's all good though because Jon has helped me fix the embed code. Cheers bruv!

FLOCK! reviews

2009-03-31T13:37:00.003+01:00

Well, it's another landmark for me - FLOCK! has had its first review, in the May issue of the US OXM. As such, we now have a Metacritic page and with just the one review in, I'm going to keep a watchful eye as more appear.

Fingers crossed they're all as nice as OXM's!

"...a terrifically enjoyable, lusciously good-looking, and admirably original Arcade game."

...colour me chuffed :)

FLOCK! Demo is out

2009-03-25T09:09:00.002Z

Well then...

The days are ticking by till release, and I'm pleased as punch to let everyone know that the FLOCK! demo is now available on Steam!

Go and get it, play it, go to our website and post on our forums about it... just generally enjoy our little baby.

:)

Best thing on YouTube?

2009-03-09T16:06:00.001Z

Definitely one of the best things ever to come out of YouTube, thanks to Andy Grier for the link...

Gotta have sound.

FLOCK! Release dates

2009-03-06T16:55:00.004Z

Finally!

We've got release dates for FLOCK! and they're official...

PC - April 7th
Xbox Live - April 8th
PlayStation Network - TBD :(

This project is definitely the most important one to me so far, both in terms of career and personally. I've learned so much and been able to input and affect so many facets of the product, I really feel proud of it.

Start saving those pennies!

CV Page Updated

2009-02-25T20:55:00.003Z

I've updated a few bits and bobs in my CV page.

I've added a post detailing some of the wonderful (even if I do say so myself!) recommendations I've had from people I've worked with. I've also posted a blog entry 'overview' of my career experience and areas of responsibility/experience.

All the things that make me a qualified Game Designer, with any luck...

Keynote

2009-02-18T10:13:00.003Z

I recently wrote a short 'keynote' for Edge Online, and today it went live. I've added the link in 'Me on the Web', but click here if you're as lazy as me...

Lectures

2009-02-12T21:25:00.002Z

Well, today at 2pm I gave my third annual lecture to the GDP students at Abertay University. We got to give them a sneak peek at FLOCK!, which went down great.

For some reason, Abertay seem to think I'm a good example of a games professional - I studied there to get my BA in Computer Arts, and have moved on into gainful employment so I suppose they may be right. They must also think I can talk, because this is the third year I've been invited in and allowed to ramble.

The first year I did it by my lonesome, the next year I took Geoff Gunning our project manager for a hand to hold, and then this year there was one more person - John Pile Jr. He actually cornered us at the lecture last year, and now he's working with us while he finishes his Masters... just goes to show!

Anyway, we talked about how we got FLOCK! signed with the legendary Capcom (something I have first hand experience of), the processes we go through to prototype, and how we develop ideas, execute on them and then see them through to completion. Having just finished an internal post mortem on FLOCK!, we were in a good position to offer some realistic advice.

Maybe we'll get to put a post mortem article onto Gamasutra - I think it'd be good to share our experiences, I may ask my boss about that in the morning...

2009-02-11T09:00:00.002Z

I just read this article on what it is to be a Game Designer. Very long, very detailed and very right. A small quote:

"You hold the vision, you protect it, you change it, alter it according to the demands made on you. You select the input from the team and add to and take away from the vision.

You hold it and take care of it but it is not yours."

Check it out.

Terry Pratchett

2009-02-04T22:54:00.002Z

It's funny how these things crop up. I was chatting to a friend of mine recently, and they mentioned watching a documentary about Terry Pratchett's Alzheimer's troubles. It reminded me that I love his writing and have read nearly all of his published works... but also that I have met the man.

It was at a Discworld convention of sorts, a good few years back now, probably 2002 or 2003. Anyway, I was queuing to get a book signed (The Colour of Magic) and when my turn came I asked him if he had any advice for a wannabe writer.

He thought for barely a second (hopefully a sign of this being a natural truth) before saying this:

"Pick a genre, and then don't read a single thing written in it."

...or at least words to that effect.

It doesn't take a genius to recognise what he was saying, and to this day I make an effort not to be influenced by other works that may share themes or other such similarities - and this applies to my efforts in games as well as writing.

Cheers Terry, I wish you all the comfort in the world.

Hello World

2009-02-04T17:24:00.002Z

Hi all, just starting to use this as a portfolio/blog - hopefully this'll be easier than maintaining my own dedicated website.