Returning to My Roots with RPG Maker

Seemingly a lifetime ago, I was an illiterate homeschooler with a lot of free time on my hands and a love of video games. Just about the only thing I could ever think about was wanting to or trying to create video games. Not being able to read, however, usually put a stop to that. I did my fair share of copying Atari 400 command lines just to watch the river or the fireworks animations but that wasn’t really learning how to code. I was just copying symbols from a book. That all changed when my brothers “acquired” a copy of RPG Maker ’95.

Pictured: RPG Maker 2000 cause I didn’t find a good ’95 picture. Maybe it wasn’t RM95, I just remember it was the late ’90s when I used it.

Back in Unity

I’ve been pushing forward with my game development work. Last semester I ended up teaching a course at the university I work at so things got a little hectic. I’d been learning about Blender to understand 3D modeling but moved back over to Unity to learn some more coding. I found a great 2D Retro Platformer Tutorial series from Expat Studios and it has been a blast to work through.

Pictured, working through Part 15

When DMing Goes Bad

So I had an AWESOME idea for a dungeon. I planned it for over a month and when the day came to play it, I totally and utterly did really really not good at playing with it. I was a bad DM but I think I have some ideas to do better the next time we play.

This ‘Purr-fect’ DM has of course never had a bad hair day. However, he plays favorites to whoever gives him treats.

In My Head, I Was Degrading

I participated in Wizard Jam 10 by Idle Thumbs. It’s the last game jam they are hosting and one I’ve always wanted to participate in. After listening to the episode, I decided I should make a game in PICO-8 since I own a license but never used it before. Things could have gone better. I ended up with In My Head, I Was Degrading.

Letters to Myself

Hey y’all,

The last six months have been a blur. I started working at a library overseeing a makerspace and tried getting my health back on track. Things are looking up in most everything. Except for my creative output but I’ve been working towards getting that fixed too. I’ve been striving to strike a balance between work, play, and family. I did make a mini-game jam RPG though called Letters to Myself.