Really Big Fish

I have been working in India for almost 6 months now and the focus of Gameshastra is more on smaller games and services for larger ones. This Friday we'll see the fruits of our labor hit the Big Fish Game portal, (not just The Pirate Bay). Without further adieu, Nocturnal: Boston Nightfall.

I was the Art Director/Team Lead for the UI, Mini Games and the Hidden Object Backgrounds. I had to run away screaming from the In Game comics. If the game was named for what takes place there it would have been called Nocturnal: Edwardian Vampire Incest Litigation Suit, or Nocturnal: EVILS.

To the 30 Plus year old housewives that will actually play through this game I hope you enjoy the puzzles and content. To the morbidly curious have at it. To the rest I hope most of the Art is forgivable.

Here is Stuff:

Indian Pulp Fiction

                                     JULES
                         – Okay now, tell me about the hash? 
                      

                                     VINCENT
                         What so you want to know?

                                     JULES
                         Well, hash is legal there, right?

                                     VINCENT
                         Yeah, it's legal, but is ain't a 
                         hundred percent legal. I mean you 
                         can't walk into a restaurant, roll a 
                         joint, and start puffin' away. You're 
                         only supposed to smoke in your home 
                         or during certain religious festivals.

                                     JULES
                         Those are the Puja's?

                                     VINCENT
                         Yeah, it breaks down like this: it's 
                         legal to buy it, it's legal to own 
                         it and, if you're the proprietor of 
                         large Ganesha statue, it's legal to sell
                         it. It's legal to carry it, which doesn't 
                         really matter 'cause – get a load of 
                         this – if the cops stop you, you just
                         give them a few hundred rupees and they
                         will act like they have never seen you.

                                     JULES
                         That did it, man – I'm fuckin' goin', 
                         that's all there is to it.

                                     VINCENT
                         You'll dig it the most. But you know 
                         what the funniest thing about India 
                         is?

                                     JULES
                         What?

                                     VINCENT
                         It's the little differences. A lotta 
                         the same shit we got here, they got 
                         there, but there they're a little 
                         different.

                                     JULES
                         Examples?

                                     VINCENT
                         Well, in Hyderabad, you can smoke in 
                         the restaurants. And I don't mean 
                         in a little cigarette either. They give you 
                         a giant hookah, like in an Opium Den. In 
                         Bangalore, you can smoke a Hookah at 
                         MacDonald's. Also, you know what 
                         they call a Quarter Pounder with 
                         Cheese in India?

                                     JULES
                         They don't call it a Quarter Pounder 
                         with Cheese?

                                     VINCENT
                         No, they don't serve beef
                         in McDonald's there and, AND,
                         they got the metric system there.
                         They wouldn't know what the fuck a 
                         Quarter Pounder is. 

                                     JULES
                         What'd they call it?

                                     VINCENT
                         Super Chicken with Cheese.

                                     JULES
                              (repeating)
                         Super Chicken with Cheese. What'd they call 
                         a Big Mac?

                                     VINCENT
                         Big Mac's a Chicken Maharaja Mac. A 
                         Maharaja Mac...

                                     JULES
                         The Maharaja Mac. What do they call a 
                         Whopper?

                                     VINCENT
                         I dunno, I didn't go into a Burger 
                         King.  But you know what they put on 
                         french fries in India instead of 
                         ketchup?

                                     JULES
                         What?

                                     VINCENT
                         Capsicum Spice!

                                     JULES
                         Goddamn!

                                     VINCENT
                         I seen 'em do it. And I don't mean a 
                         little bit on the side of the plate, 
                         they fuckin' drown 'em in it.

                                     JULES
                         Uuccch!

Also everyone Stateside is saying 'Burn After Reading' is great. I can't see it for at least a month.

Banjara

I have been living and working in Hyderabad for close to 3 months total this year. Thought I might long overdue to share some of the views and maybe make some art. This blog isn't just about taking the piss out of my friends after all.

I have most of the day off from work so I thought I would make some crappy second rate art. Well here is my speed paint of the view from my balcony here in Hyderabad. From here almost can't see the U.S. Economy collapsing...

Postuno!

Crypto Psychology my old blog that was read by, oh, no one, is now dead. I think I just need to put a better art/life focused blog together. I do lead a life that is at least of passing interest in synopsis form. Besides, this blog has a better name.

For those keeping score I am a seven year veteran of the games industry, having worked as an artist on several projects over the years. I have my third party employee merit badge, my failed start-up merit badge, my successful sell-out merit badge, and my years in the corporate grind merit badge. Now I am going for my Successful International Start-Up with Benefit's! merit badge.

At the present I am working for an 18 month old company based in Hyderabad, India and El Segundo California called Gameshastra. I was hired on in May of 2008 to be the art director for a group of about 35 artists (and growing) who work here in Banjarra hills. While can't be overly specific about all of the details I can say that this is a very interesting company to work for and it's been a really big eye opener to work at this level. I am still at the point where I am a bridge between the world of the boardroom and the working floor. It's an interesting dance but at least I like the beat.

But that's all kinds of secondary. I am on here to post up some art, wax inflammatory on the state of religion and politics, and generally do what I can to stir the pot without getting too overheated! Hopefully those in my circle of family and friends will care to read it. I will try not to bore everyone too much, and I will try to post frequently. But for now a story!

Today is Ganesha Chaturthi in India. I attended the puja(ritual) for it this morning. Good times as the elephant god walks the earth! For the ceremony everyone gathers near a little tent made to house a Figure of Ganesha. In the "auspicious" time for your ceremony (which coincides nicely with when a Brahman priest can fit you in) you have people gather and make offerings of food, spices and flowers to the Lord Ganesha. You get a fat bindu and get to shout if you love Elephant Dieties. The priest has a really long, loud chant to recite and should his wife call and need him to remember to pick up stuff at the market he will pick up his cell phone mid chant with a loud, "HALLO!" Oh, modern India, the phones are always on!

Here's pictures:

Ganesh prior to being anointed


Me after the Puja


And Ganesha afterwards


And the last thing of minor significance, Google Chrome is out. It's new, it's speedy and it has a really nice comic by Scott McCloud.

UPDATION! And Wired and everyone else under the Sun and there dog is all over it. Also if you don't want Google knowing all of your stuff, as if you can stop that, you can do this:


For those that have learned to stop worrying about Skynet and love the Bomb: use Google Reader. I share a ton of crap on there and soon as there is a widget for it I would love for it to end up on this here blog too...