Starting project and HTML5

So... Luckily, I'm rather relieved that my project idea was received quite well from the vast majority of people I pitched it to. They could clearly see a gap in the market and thought potentially... it could be quite a good idea.
I'm still not too sure about the delivery though... Part of me is seriously considering building it in HTML5... paritally because it would be future proofed and there is no point in running away from something like that and secondly because... well it has more functionality... and may potentially save a lot of Flash work as well (But I'm not yet certain about that...)
And also whether it will be something like an App... or maybe on the Internet... or even a CD-ROM... I think CD-Roms are kind of going out a bit now... due to the impressive capacity of the Internet... but I do want a rich media product...so we'll have to see about that.
I think I would like to experiment with the interface and how it will work, how it will be used.
SO
I started reading books and plays recently, so then I can decide what narrative I will prototype... Faustus was a great play... I have to confess... I mean... wow... even though it's so old... it could quite easily be brought up to date... I'm not sure about the language... but it has the classic line


Was this the face that launched a thousand ships...

Or at the very least on the TV tropes page...

In other news... I decided to play a new media narrative from a long time ago... called 'Clocktower: The first fear' it was a game for the SNES... but was also a PC game... and my word... it is so frightening...
You would think that a 'click and point' narrative doesn't have the capacity to scare... but this is the very reason why it does...

There is little text and almost no explanation... anyone (over the age of 13 due to scariness) could play it, I mean younger audience could play it... however it is a very distressing game.

but the story is excellently revealed (with over 9 endings... 6 of them blood-curdling). 

I don't know how far I can call it research... but all I can say is that it is so intriguing... that I had to look into it... and it is horrifically frightening.

The commands are simple, walk, examine, use item and run. There is very little dialogue... and to be honest, you don't need the dialogue either. You are trapped in a house and must escape by collecting items and using them at appropriate times, you have no weapons, and the ending you get is determined by the order you complete the tasks. No obvious moral choices... it's purely pot luck

... I think that is it really it being one of the most frightening survival horror games in existence (despite the fact it was made in 1995). Mainly because of the helplessness of your character.

Brilliantly done. Anyway, I'm not going to make a scary survival game, but the dissemination of the narrative is what was worth playing it for...

So soon I will be looking into devices and more rounded ideas.

Ciao

p.s. interview for placement happened today... I'll hear about it soon

Wow HTML 5 is blowing my mind... but how on earth does it work?

Okay... so I have finally got back to Uni now... good times.... However, HTML 5 is blowing my mind at the moment, not necessarily because of it's amazingness... (which is self evident)... but rather that I have to think about how I am going to make any of my future products... (especially flash)
I have been looking at this site today
http://gorillaz.com/club-room and oh my goodness... it is a thing of beauty... but how on earth does someone make something like  that? I mean it is possible to find out how in flash... but in this HTML 5... I have no idea... and it worries me.
Meanwhile... I am thinking of making an interactive novel... as I have mentioned and thus I'm doing a lot of research around it and what kind of books would be good (I'm thinking Doctor Faustus right now)
I'm sure I'll change my mind again.
But I think that my interface won't be as complicated as that Gorrliaz one... fun it is... but very frustrating... anyway...

More about books....

So I get out of bed this morning to be greeted with something on BBC news about how interactive novels are elping children in America become engage with books... This kind of evidence suggests that my current project would be a good idea. I also got a reply back from a tutor saying I can propose a number of ideas for my FMP and she'll help me decide the best idea to pursue... so that's good...

Secondly... I've handed over one of my websites (yesh)... and nearly finished another (double yesh)

It's all good in the hood :D

Having a great time....

So it's been a while... but I've reccently been out and about in the world, visiting Edinburgh and going to Liverpool at the Matthew street festival... both of which were fantastic... tomorrow I'm handing over to one clients and then handing over to another one next week

But... now comes to serious business... I was thinking of my project some more... On the way home from Edinburgh... I was reading the book 'invisable cities' which is a fantastic book, it's one of those very intellectual books to read, but at the same time, the themes in it and the story itself should be shared with everyone in the world regardless of what their reading ability may be... and this book is so very visual in it's lushcious descriptions... (THIS BOOK IS BEGGING FOR A NEW MEDIA MAKE OVER IN MY MIND)

it then got me a thinking....

There are so many books like this... so many classics that people may have heard of but have probably never read... so this lead me to thinking... surely new media can give something new to these stories?
and after watching this demo of HTML 5 http://www.thewildernessdowntown.com/ I thought it might be a good idea to buy some classic books and get reading.... So at the weekend I bought

Journey to the Centre of the Earth- Jules Verne
Doctor Jekyl and Mister Hyde- Robert Stevenson
Sherlock Homles- Sir Arthur Conan Dolye
The Picture of Dorian Gray- Oscar Wilde

All for a £5.... brand new... I love HMV sales... I'll let you know if anything develops

Wow! Thumbs up from clients (My heart is singing right now!)

Joy and salutations! Finally after a great deal of faffing around on my part, of getting colours to look okay and fixing layout problems, I'm at a stage where I have 3 unique website designs for 3 different clients... and they all like their own design (at the same time!)

This is the first time this has ever happened! I might even be getting paid soon! WOOT! This is good... and the money is much needed.

I am so happy about it! I'm lucky that all my clients have been nice and pretty patient with me :D...


I found this song today... and I understand this man's pain lol
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90vlUuu8eg8-

Basically it's about a web designer who has some clients who come out with unreasonable requests like...


Client: I want something that light is pleasant brightly Is cool; and a feeling with the impact
WEB DESIGNER: Its too vague I DON"T UNDERSTAND I DON"T UNDERSTAND I don't have ESP

Another Client: Can you match arrangement with the other pages There are many ways to do it?
WEBDESIGNER: I DON"T UNDERSTAND I DON"T UNDERSTAND I don't have ESP

Another Client: I want it in "pink" even though the image colours are"blue gray", I changed them, but it's not possible to change them anymore,

WEB-DESIGNER: What?? Let's make the site more than 50 pages and its quoted as 100,000yen? Too cheap!! 

haha... yea... so that's the song basically... there are other bits in it... but I don't really understand it so well.

Anyway.... I must away... I haven't done any project work lately but once these are done I can :D

Adieu

I've Been so busy reccently!

Wow! So there I was all set up to get on with project work, when suddenly a number of my leg clients start to shake a leg! I'm happy, but of course that means my project will have to go on hold for a while I suppose... well I'll get back to it soon enough!
Funnily enough, my friends and I decided to start a blog the other day about Japanese pop culture it's called Baka-gaijin (if you know anything about Japan, this will be vaguely amusing), it's about all sorts of stuff, so I've done the design for that and it's quite nice... ya know
Here is a link btw :D  Wonderful fun blog  It's great I can write about something I acutally know about :D good times.
So other than that, I decided I would try and learn PHP and Java-script... I've bought a big fat book on it, that should be interesting... if not a little tricky... AND I changed my modules so they will help me more after I leave uni...

Life is good... :D 

Thinking about ideas

Well today I thought I might think about doing a mim flash adventure in the time I have left over the summer, I've done some website design so it's not like I've been wasting my time... but I was thinking about digital storytelling and games...
Because... it's not so popular in the western world. In the east (but really Japan) visual novels are very popular, but they are a very specific type of game and not too interactive... really they are just books with dialogue and nice pictures really...
No what I'm talking about is this:

WARNING SCARY FRENCH GAME!

This is a great narrative... I don't know the language that well yet it freaks me out like no ones business! This is a great narrative device! POINT AND CLICK ALL THE WAY!... Maybe also with a book too? (Blame the documentary I watched on Ninokuni for that...)

I want it to be really interactive and intriguing... the short one I'm doing now... is just going to be fun and nice I think,... ho hum