~ Log008 ~

MIDI VS MP3, Part 3

MIDI will be used as the main audio file format of Eternal Eden 2. There are several explanations behind this motivation. The final reason I want to discuss is:

ARRANGED ALBUM

The best way to support a music composer is definitely by giving him (or her) the chance to produce and sell an arranged album inspired by the original soundtrack.

The nicest thing with arranged albums is that they make a great companion to the original soundtrack, fans and collectors greatly appreciate them. It’s mostly due to the fact that arrangements often take a different route than the original tracks; vocals, orchestral samples or recording, piano arrangements, acoustic or electric guitar rock versions, etc.

Scheduling a soundtrack in an *indie* RPG project is challenging, and you have to believe me when I say this. The sales of a game alone in this niche market make it difficult to make the experience monetarily rewarding for everyone. So I simply just cannot go to  Xavier and tell him “do me a 3-cd soundtrack like Nobue Uematsu illico presto, maestro”. That’s not realist. I’m not an evil businessman anyway and that’s none of my intention to abuse of other artists to create my games. However the soundtrack of a RPG cannot have only ten tracks in total. That’s not realist either. That’s why I’m trying to adopt new strategies to allow other freelance artists to earn more money and make a living out of their talent, and I think the best ingredient to this formula is to please fans with other stuff they can treasure. Arranged albums seem to be the solution as far as music composer is concerned (and I have other ideas under the sleeves for other type of artists joining my projects).

I still remember my huge excitement when, for the first time of my life, at nineteen, I made the discovery of VGM arranged albums. The Legend of Zelda Sound & Drama, Final Fantasy IV Celtic Moon, Dragon Quest Symphonic Suite, Orchestral Game Concert 1-5, Dracula Battle Perfect Selection, etc. Those arranged album made me rediscover my love for video game music. It was also my discovery of the MP3 format. Man, it’s almost fifteen years ago… time goes pretty fast.

Well to conclude, just know that encouraging the music composer will play a huge role for the next project. At this stage it’s already tricky to expect a soundtrack larger than twenty-five tracks for Eternal Eden 2, maybe we will have to use some stock materials, maybe not… Hopefully if everything goes for the best after EE2 is released I hope we can have a sixty-track magnum opus for Eternal Eden 3.

All money earned from arranged albums in the future (if Xavier, for example, actually dig this idea) will go in the composer’s pocket, not mine – except for an extremely small percentage to cover administrative fees, that’s all. I’m truly doing my best to have a sincere and fair approach to expand the career of everyone. Furthermore it’s also a possibility to make a plugging to allow playing arranged albums directly in the game.

FROM VERMONT to New-York

The state of Vermont is amazingly beautiful. I think we are going to stay here for a couple of days. Have a good day everyone!

~ Log007 ~

FROM VERMONT to New-York

Oh, neat. Several rest areas provide WIFI for free at their facility. I can use Internet directly in my car hours before falling asleep while Constantin is sleeping already in his tent. Man, I couldn’t ask anything better to make my old Saturn a sumptuous office!

Road tripping is magic. It’s a paradise on four wheels.

MIDI VS MP3, Part 2

MIDI will be used as the main audio file format of Eternal Eden 2. There are several explanations behind this motivation. The next one is on a personal level and important to me.

OLD SCHOOL TRIBUNE

What’s the point of making an old school game when the original soundtrack itself is losing the influence of the 16-bit era??

There’s something about old sound chips that even recorded orchestra or real acoustic instruments won’t surpass in a video game. Zelda a Link to the Past, Final Fantasy VI, Secret of Evermore, Chrono Trigger; they are examples which spring immediately to mind when I’m developing an old school RPG like Eternal Eden. I dunno about ya, but it’s really the synthesized melodies of those cult games that transformed my life into an avid gamer, and that’s why in the first place I became an addict of video game music, which I don’t think I will ever grow out of. It’s this characteristic alone that gives a cultural substance to video games; it’s what making game music stand apart from music bands and movie scores. Amen.

That said I strongly believe that the biggest majority of fans that played and loved EE1 sought that nostalgic feeling from the16-bit era, and I hope to deliver it again in Eternal Eden 2 and Eternal Eden 3.

There’s no reason to fail in delivering a great musical experience using MIDI music in a RPG Maker game, because the software allow the use of a rich synthesizer reminiscent of the 1990s sound chips, with greater clarity. Think, for example, of the sound processing unit used for the Playstation, think of Final Fantasy VII-VIII-IX, Xenogear, Chrono Cross. The coolest thing with RMVX is that compatibility isn’t a problem at all, MIDI files play back exactly the same way in all environments, it’s actually thanks to the DirectMusic Synthesizer from DirectX, the technology that revolutionized the world of PC gaming a decade ago.

MIDI music kick ass, especially when it’s used cleverly!

~ Log006 ~

MIDI VS MP3, Part 1

MIDI will be used as the main audio file format of Eternal Eden 2. There are several explanations behind this motivation. Here’s the first one.

DOWNLOAD SIZE

Download size matters a lot, I believe. Rather than requiring every gamer to download a 100+MB game file I hope to maintain the size below 15 MB.

In my humble opinion it’s a wiser approach to get new fans download the game faster and play it right away, thus making instant purchases favorable.

Not everyone – even these days – have the privilege to use a fast Internet connection. A download session longer than one hour may be a source of discouragement to many people. Hitting the ‘cancel’ button and jumping to the next game demo available by another competitor can become the sad course of events unfortunately… (P.S. I used the word ‘competitor’ here although I don’t envision other developers like competitors. They are, just like myself, aspiring creators trying to make a living out of their passion, anyway I think you understood my example he-he).

Besides, on the administrative level, a low download size is less expensive for the bandwidth consummation of the web server, and causes less trouble too. I heard from two other developers they had to pay lots of extra bucks because their bandwidth limit exceeded crazily, and to make things worst, their server crashed for an entire day due to the traffic jam caused during the launch of their game.

That’s why I vote for a  compact download size.

FROM NEW-HAMPHIRE to Vermont

Finding a decent spot to camp for the night isn’t always an easy thing to do you know, especially when you’re unfamiliar with the surroundings. Last week, for example, after being totally unsuccessful in finding any sort of public trail leading in the woods we got exasperated and we were forced to camp next to a dumping ground. Yikes. Even though Constantin didn’t complain I didn’t feel at ease at all with that place. It was probably due to the fact that a creepy doll sat among the litters at the edge of the dirty road, and that element alone made me feel as if the place was cursed. Let me tell you that I didn’t sleep well… I startled at the noise of every crack in the night and I expected a bunch of misshapen hillbillies come out of the woods to cut us into small pieces with a chainsaw – eh, watching Deliverance (1972) a little before didn’t help me to feel relax.

Even though I lacked of sleep because of that haunted night it didn’t ruin my fun at Funtown Splashtown the following day. It was superb!

To avoid searching for camping spots for hours we are now sleeping in Rest Areas. There are plenty of them next to highways and they are easy to locate with a GPS. Rest Areas are public facilities at which drivers can sleep for the night or rest during the day. It’s free of charge  and the view is generally pleasing. More importantly there’s no evil teddy bear sitting among discarded bottles and cans gazing malevolently at me with what seems to be its only remaining eye.

G’night!

~ Log005 ~

RGSS2++, the base source code used for Eternal Eden 2, is coming along greatly. There are many obstacles but I’m surmounting them one by one. At least I’m glad that the mapping system is almost finished. RGSS2++ is implemented in a different way than the original RGSS2 script, most of the new features will allow to build world maps and dungeons with a superior level of detail.

Min Kwon should send early drafts of the characters soon. I’m so eager to have a first glance at the sketches of Rhys and Moses – especially Moses. I simply can’t wait! That’s the most gratifying pleasure of being a game developer, watching the creativity of other artists working on the same project.

FROM MAINE to new-Hampshire

Bangor. It’s a nice looking town -  though it seemed very quiet when I visited it, almost as if it was a ghost town, it actually reminded me of Shawinigan my hometown. It’s where Stephen King is rumored to live, you know. I didn’t try to locate his house because I believe that privacy for any popular author like him is precious.

PORTLAND! Woawww! I HAVE to praise this town without hesitation! It’s similar to Bangor but in a much much much more charming way. There is something here that makes the atmosphere very lively, vibrant… special! The most noticeable aspect of Portland is that it’s a harbor city surrounded by the sea. Ships and piers lay at every corner of the town. The docking facilities don’t look industrial or dirty, you know, it rather have a cultural look, historical. Buildings and architectures here are beautiful and most streets in downtown are paved with stones forming patterns. There are a lot of cool places including sea food restaurants, art galleries, jazz bars, bookstores, cafes, wireless internet spots, bike trails, beaches, etc.

When I arrived here with Constantin in our first night a thick fog was covering the whole place, and seeing the rays of light piercing through it from the street lamps was of an unparalleled beauty. From every side we could hear the loud sound signal of vessels indicating they are underway in fog. Eerie and dreamy!

Anyone making this place their home can feel fortunate!

~ Log004 ~

FROM MAINE to New-Hampshire

Hey to be honest it’s reaaally difficult to keep my blog updated lately. What can I say for my defense?? Old Orchard Beach is wayyyy toooo much charming and fun! It’s my first time swimming in the sea! Terrific!

There’s a wooden pier on the white sandy beach with lots of shops and restaurants on it. Walking on it (day or night) is so dreamy. One-dollar-hot-dog stall *with one free soda!*. Pub with lively music and performers. We got approached by two cute ladies! Girls in the United-States are more easy to talk to than the ones in Québec.

Constantin used this opportunity to show his outstanding performance near the seaside amusement park. He’s a professional juggler. Small crowds grouped around him and they were impressed with the exhibition.

During bedtime we’re simply sleeping behind a church on Pine Point Road in Scarborough. No need to waste our money on Inns or campgrounds.

In all honesty I haven’t labored on Eternal Eden 2 that much during the previous days in Old Orchard Beach… Sob, sob. Understand me, the heat wave is insupportable and the pure green water of the sea is soooooo irresistible and refreshing! I am a human too, you know! (he-he)

Stay free from anxiety, we’re leaving the beach tomorrow to pursue our road trip and I’ll keep working on the road. *smile*

~ Log003 ~

FROM MAINE to New-Hampshire

Yippee! Another amazing road trip in the United-States! I wasn’t exaggerating when I said that my car and the globe would become my office. It’s for real!

My best friend Constantin joined me on this wonderful journey. When he’s driving I’m making progress with Eternal Eden 2 on my laptop, AND all this while I’m watching those spectacular landscapes scrolling away behind us through the window. Wow, I tell you, it’s absolutely exciting and motivating for game development!

I feel like the luckiest game developer in the world working under such amazing work conditions  (he-he!)

~ Log002 ~

I’ve been in touch with Min Kwon recently and she wrote that she’s eager to resume her work on Eternal Eden 2. She’s the artwork designer that created all the mug shots in EE1.

Actually, a few months ago she created a sketch of Japhee, the main protagonist of EE2.

I’m currently preparing a list of the next characters for her new assignment. They are: Rhys, Kaeli, Dogan and Moses.

I can’t wait to watch her amazing illustrations again!