After my last post, I suddenly found myself remember a lot of stuff from my past. For instance, I remember the exact moment when I knew I wanted to create my own video game before I die. The year was 1999, when the world was a buzz with talks of the end of the world caused by the Y2K bug, the West Nile virus was causing even more of a scare in the U.S.A., and the events of Columbine High School had just happened a couple of months prior. Bill Clinton was being impeached, Beanie Babies were on their last leg, and a bunch of great movies came out like Sixth Sense, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, and Toy Story 2, as well as a few not so great movies like Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace.
I had recently picked up a game that I had played before. A remake of an old Sega CD game that I loved called Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete. The first time I had played it I had loved the game so much that I couldn't resist picking up an updated version. From the moment I started the game, the updated visuals floored me. Here, take a minute just to enjoy the intro.
Beautiful, isn't it. As I proceeded through the game, even though I knew the story already, I was still captivated by the way the characters had feeling, and how the story unfolded in such a way that my mind was in awe at each moment. Before I knew it, my mind was racing with ideas of my own for stories and game mechanics that would only add to the game, without detracting from what was already there.
At the time, I had a friend named Lee. Phenomenal writer for being only a freshman. If I ever see his name on a published book, I'm going to buy it because I know it'll be good. He and I began talking about various ideas that we had, both knowing where we were pulling these ideas from as we were both anime and JRPG fans. After a while of talking and going back and forth with each others ideas, feeding off of each other, we ended up figuring out that we could create an original game. While I wish I had known then what I know now so we could have actually completed it, it was still fun. I ended up tinkering with RPG Maker 95 and eventually RPG Maker 2000, Lee came up with some story concepts, and my best friend Dan, who is still my best friend and I now call him brother, came up with music ideas. Listening to some of the tunes he came up with back then brings back a feeling of nostalgia.
However, four years went by, and we had come up with some great concepts, but never finalized anything. If we had, we would have had about six or seven games and an entire anime series ready to go for production. Then graduation, and Lee and I fell out of contact, and Dan and I live far apart and have lives that don't give us the luxury of whipping up a game.
Yet, I think back on those four years of high school and think "What if?" What if we had actually nailed down even one solid idea and had flushed it out and finished the development of it for release? Would the three of us still be in contact today? Would our lives have been any different? Would we be rolling in cash from the console release of it? It's really not too good to dwell on the past that much, but it's an interesting concept.
Dan at least now works on audio for games. However, the last I heard Lee was still living with his parents and wasn't writing as much, if anything. It's a shame to think that someone that had so much talent in writing as he did would stop writing. Some of his stories were the inspiration for some of what I consider my greatest works of art and Dan's best music in my opinion.
At the time, I had a friend named Lee. Phenomenal writer for being only a freshman. If I ever see his name on a published book, I'm going to buy it because I know it'll be good. He and I began talking about various ideas that we had, both knowing where we were pulling these ideas from as we were both anime and JRPG fans. After a while of talking and going back and forth with each others ideas, feeding off of each other, we ended up figuring out that we could create an original game. While I wish I had known then what I know now so we could have actually completed it, it was still fun. I ended up tinkering with RPG Maker 95 and eventually RPG Maker 2000, Lee came up with some story concepts, and my best friend Dan, who is still my best friend and I now call him brother, came up with music ideas. Listening to some of the tunes he came up with back then brings back a feeling of nostalgia.
However, four years went by, and we had come up with some great concepts, but never finalized anything. If we had, we would have had about six or seven games and an entire anime series ready to go for production. Then graduation, and Lee and I fell out of contact, and Dan and I live far apart and have lives that don't give us the luxury of whipping up a game.
Yet, I think back on those four years of high school and think "What if?" What if we had actually nailed down even one solid idea and had flushed it out and finished the development of it for release? Would the three of us still be in contact today? Would our lives have been any different? Would we be rolling in cash from the console release of it? It's really not too good to dwell on the past that much, but it's an interesting concept.
Dan at least now works on audio for games. However, the last I heard Lee was still living with his parents and wasn't writing as much, if anything. It's a shame to think that someone that had so much talent in writing as he did would stop writing. Some of his stories were the inspiration for some of what I consider my greatest works of art and Dan's best music in my opinion.
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| Pulled straight out of an old sketchbook |
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| From that same sketchbook |
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| From one much later in high school |
Normally here is where I tack on a question, but not this week. This week I'd rather just have everyone think back to a random time. Your freshman year of high school, or another extended period of time that you look back to every so often and get a great memory. A time you can remember mostly in your dreams. Those magical thoughts where all things are real, unless you dream they're not.
Let rise the dreams of your heart. That innocent youth, careless and kind. Because when I remember high school, I remember Lunar, my friends, and the great times we had coming up with ideas, and it makes me feel like I'm a kid again, and will until the day I die.
Note: Yeah...it was tacky to tie on lyrics from the video into what I was saying. But damn if I can get that song out of my head.
Let rise the dreams of your heart. That innocent youth, careless and kind. Because when I remember high school, I remember Lunar, my friends, and the great times we had coming up with ideas, and it makes me feel like I'm a kid again, and will until the day I die.
Note: Yeah...it was tacky to tie on lyrics from the video into what I was saying. But damn if I can get that song out of my head.
I did write my best stuff when working off of a story.
ReplyDeleteThough I wouldn't say those two tracks are in the best.
The Stuff I wrote for Geosaga while in the Military, and trapped on a boat was my favorite stuff.
I'll admit I don't do much music composing nowadays. But sound design has been quite a fun experience for me. I wouldn't say it's any less of a craft to work on.
I try not to get too nostalgic of things in the past. It makes me more or less think that I missed my chance to do things in life. When to be fair, we're not that old really.
People do actually still make games with RPG maker, and license them, and sell them.
http://freebirdgames.com/to_the_moon/
^Laura Shigihara did the music for that game.
(Composer for Plants Vs Zombies)
Just look at Morgan Freeman. He didn't start acting till he was stupid old.
K man. So yeah. You can be nostalgic, but not to a point where it seems like you missed your chance to do what you've wanted in life.
Some of the Geosaga stuff was great, but I still love some of the old battle songs you did in high school. But pretty much all the songs you've written are awesome.
DeleteI never said sound design was less of a craft. I just enjoyed listening to your music more than arbitrary sound effects ^.^
People still use RPG Maker? Damn...I may have to get back into using that. And I don't think I missed my chance. I see it more as trying to find an old flame of inspiration that I seemed to have lost, and I want to find it before an opportunity strikes.