It feels like it's been ages since I've spent quality time on Artician. Is there any hope of becoming nearly as active in the near future, afraid not. My time has become ever so prioritized, and as sad as it is I'm as far from Art as I'll ever be. Two years ago I made the decision to program video games, and I am five months away from living my dream (well getting paid for it).
I started final project last week. Essentially it marks the end of our education, and now begins a different form of learning. The kind others are only privileged to experience in the industry or in post grad studies. We'll be pitching two game ideas this Wed, one of which will be fleshed out into a Game Bible, accompanied by Gantt charts, intense UML diagrams, and than development into a polished product (well I hope). Despite lack of final exams, coding labs, we are busier than ever. I particularly took on the role as project officer, and my main job has been to keep the team on track (I was lucky enough to be part of the ultimate dream team of programmers, and this has been largely a non-issue). But I think most importantly my job has been to motivate and inspire others.
My approach has never involved, criticism (constructive or not), and it has always been about hands off leadership. In certain cases this is very dangerous, and I would recommend this for everyone. My method is based on inspiration. I work hard everyday, and don't ask the same of others. If you wait long enough, people begin to feel uneasy, and soon enough you'll be shocked and amazed at the sort of things that they will do without even saying a word. I think the job of any project leader is to do one thing and one thing only. Make the job of other easier, and more productive. As long as you can justify what your doing as such, your safe, and in time you'll gain the sort of respect that doesn't go away. Better yet, you make friends.
I've got a new website up btw.
http://www.michaelkofman.com/
It's in development-ish, I don't do web design anymore, and I actually had to spend a good minute to get back into CSS yet alone learn some PHP (I just can't take it seriously, no matter how hard I try). Hopefully in the coming months I'll beef it up just a bit, and feed my obsession for perfection.
My immediate goals are to drive the game project forward, and keep up with my other duties ( a Mars based education game for NASA, a research internship for AI, and the ever difficult task of maintaining a proper living environment; cooking, cleaning, laundry, paying the bills ).
I hope that Artician is doing well without me trolling the forums and new submissions. Eric is a great guy that is determined and I'd go as far as to say destined for great things. Along with Henry, one of the few people who I can truly be myself around, I wish you guys the best and of course keep on doing what you guys do!
Game Developer