El artista in-house de personajes Jason Gil ha venido creando en su tiempo libre un set de dioramas digitales de baja cantidad poligonal basados en situaciones y personajes populares de Nintendo. Llamó a estas creaciones “Nintendiorama” y se caracterizan por tener una cantidad de polígonos muy baja pero al mismo tiempo contienen un increíble y complejo nivel de detalle en las texturas. Este trabajo no sólo refleja el gusto de Jason por los juegos icónicos de Nintendo, al mismo tiempo presenta uno de sus más fuertes talentos: la creación de personajes y escenarios de bajo nivel poligonal. Un talento que es sumamente importante para la creación de videojuegos de plataforma móvil.

A continuación presentamos una muestra de sus trabajos y una pequeña entrevista.

P: Que lo llevó a crear estas piezas, de dónde salió la idea?

R: Nintendiorama fue una idea que surgió a principios de este año, debido al número de competencias en 3D en las que, infortunadamente, no estaba en condiciones de participar debido al poco tiempo libre que tenía. Decidí entonces asignarme la tarea de crear este proyecto, que por cierto, reúne la mayor parte de los requisitos de estos concursos*, en los que se necesita crear personajes de bajo nivel poligonal y una escena de bajo nivel poligonal a la cual el personaje pertenece.

*Usualmente estas competencias tienen los siguientes requisitos:

• Las texturas deben tener un  pixelaje no mayor a 1024 x 1024.
• La cuenta de polígonos no puede pasar de 2500 triángulos.
• Una página de construcción
• Una página de texturas.
• Un página de presentación.

P: Cuando o de dónde salió esta pasión por desarrollar personajes y niveles/escenarios de bajo nivel poligonal pero con increíble detalle en las texturas?

R: Mi sueño desde niño fue hacer videojuegos, crear personajes, crear historias y aventuras en un mundo de fantasía. Desde el momento en que conocí el 3D como herramienta de trabajo sabía que estaba más cerca de cumplirlo así que decidí aprender. El 3D es un mundo muy extenso, con muchas aplicaciones, todas con un proceso y un nivel de detalle muy grande.

Me quede con el low poly porque es mi favorita. Es un proceso casi artesanal. Además de ilustrar las texturas, que son las que dan el encanto a los modelos de bajo poligonaje, es como si los personajes de los libros de fábulas y cobraran vida.

P: Porqué escoger personajes y situaciones de nintendo?

R: Los juegos de Nintendo marcaron mi vida. Juegos tan memorables como “The Legend of Zelda: a Link To The Past” me motivaron a tomar la decisión de dedicarme a crear personajes, cómics, o cualquier tipo de arte relacionado con los videojuegos. Por otro lado hacer los Nintendioramas es como volver al pasado y recordar, con  felicidad y nostalgia, lo que más me gustaba hacer de niño que era jugar Nintendo durante horas.

P: Planea hacer mas? Todas de nintendo? Que otros personajes quisiera hacer?

R: Claro que sí. Afortunadamente hubo muchos juegos excelentes. De manera que lo que tengo es un proyecto a largo plazo por concluir. Además no sólo van a ser juegos desarrollados por Nintendo, también quiero hacer dioramas con juegos hechos por Capcom, Konami, Square y muchas otras empresas que produjeron juegos  para esta maravillosa consola. Algunos ejemplos que quisiera incluir son Street Fighter y Samurai Shodown. En cuanto a personajes que quisiera hacer están: “Firebrand” de “Demon Crest”, Megaman y Earthworm Jim. Mi próxima creación sin embargo va a ser StarFox.

P: Qué tanto ha servido su experiencia en Brainz para perfeccionar este talento para modelos low poly?

R: Brainz a mi me ha dado todo el conocimiento necesario para seguir adelante con mis proyectos personales. Trabajar acá  me ha servido para dejar atrás el miedo de arriesgarme con una idea.

Brainz ha sido una  escuela en donde aprendí a pulir los modelos de bajo nivel de polígonos, pues no sólo hay que pensar en uno, si no también en los compañeros. He perfeccionado técnicas debido al trabajo en equipo. Por ejemplo, el modelador está ligado al rigger, y este a su vez con el animador. Si no hago mis modelos pensando en las necesidades de los demás el proceso no srive para nada. Acá el trabajo en equipo es muy importante ya que de ti depende todo un equipo de artistas y una línea de producción. Esto es lo que hace a Brainz no solo una empresa de Videojuegos sino una familia de artistas en donde todos nos apoyamos solucionando problemas. Definitivamente lo que aplico a cada nintendiorama lleva la firma de Brainz.

Puedes ver mas trabajos de Jason acá. También puedes ver su trabajo de niveles y texturas en Vampire Season(Sólo para IOS)

(Entrevista en español acá)

In-house character artist Jason Gil has been creating on his free time a set of low polygon digital dioramas based on popular Nintendo characters and situations, Dubbed “Nintendorama” his creations are characterized for having a low polygon count while maintaining wonderfully complex detail in the textures. This work not only reflects Jason’s love for iconic Nintendo games but it also features one of his strongest talents: low polygon character and level construction. A talent very much needed for mobile game creation.

What follow is a short Q&A with Jason and a small sample of his awesome portfolio.

Q: What drove you to create these particular pieces?

A: Nintendiorama was an idea that emerged earlier this year due to the number of 3D competitions that unfortunately I wasn’t able to compete in because of time restraints. I decided to assign myself the task of creating this project, which by the way,  meets most of the requirements of these contests, that is to create low polygon characters in an accompanying low polygon scene where the character belongs.* 

*Usually these contest have the following requirements:

•  Textures must have a maximum pixel size of 1024 x 1024.
•  The maximum polygon count must be 2500 triangles.
•  One construction sheet.
•  One texture sheet.
•  One presentation sheet. 

Q: When did you develop this passion for low polygon character and level creation?

A: My childhood dream was to make video games, creating characters, creating stories and adventures in a fantasy world. From the moment I discovered 3D as a tool, I knew I was closer to fulfilling this dream, so I decided to learn it. The 3D world is a very extensive one, with many applications, all with a specific process that demand a great level of detail.

Low polygon modeling became my favorite. I love it because It is an almost artisanal process. Out of all the processes it is the one that feels the most “handmade”. There is something very fantastical about the low poly texturing process. When I’m illustrating the textures, the models become charming, it is as if the characters in the books and fables came to life.

Q: Why nintendo characters?

A: Nintendo games marked my life. Games as memorable as “The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past” motivated me to make the decision to dedicate myself to create characters, comics, or any art related to video games. On the other hand, making these Nintendioramas is like returning to the past. while recalling, with happiness and nostalgia, what I liked to do as a child most, which was to play Nintendo for hours. 

Q: Are you planning to create more in the future? How many? What characters?

A: Sure. Fortunately there were many excellent games. So what I have here is a long term project to complete. But I’m not only going to do games developed by Nintendo, I also want to make dioramas based on  games made by Capcom, Konami, Square and many other companies that produced titles for this wonderful console. Some examples I will include are Street Fighter and Samurai Shodown. As for some of the characters I want to do there are “Firebrand” from Demon Crest, Megaman and Earthworm Jim. My next creation however will be StarFox. 

Q: How has your experience with Brainz helped you perfect your natural talent for low poly modeling?

A: Brainz me has given me all the knowledge needed to carry on with my personal projects. Working here has helped me to let go of the fear taking on different projects and ideas.

Brainz has been a school where I learned to refine my low polygon modeling, in here you can’t just think about yourself,  but also in your co-workers. I have perfected techniques because of teamwork. For example, the modeler is linked to the rigger, and he in turn is linked to the animator. If I do not created my models while thinking of the needs of others the whole thing will not work. Here, teamwork is very important as a team of artists as well as a whole pipeline depends on you. This is what makes Brainz not only a video game company but a family of artists where we all support each other overcome obstacles. Definitely each nintendiorama of mine bears the signature of Brainz.

Check out more of Jason’s personal works here. Also check out his level and etxture work in Vampire Season (IOS only)

Today, we gladly announce our partnership with one of the world’s leading publishers of social video games for mobile devices, GREE. As it’s known, our goal is to bring unique and innovative content to users around the world, and we are confident GREE is the best partner to help us achieve this.

From GREE’s press release:

“Supporting developers has always been a personal passion and I’m excited about the diversity and creativity these four new partners will bring to the market,” says Jim Ying, VP of Developer Relations and Publishing, GREE International, Inc. “We’re ready to guide these developers towards success by sharing our best practices and tools, and we’re excited about the impact each of them will have on our growing mobile games space.”

Read the entire article here

And then there are those jobs that fill ourselves with a certain drive. One time I heard someone at work say the following thing, regarding a design for one of our games, and it has to be said the way it was: “métale cariño”. It roughly translates to “put some heart into it”. Sure Brainz has deadlines, crunch times, a fast pace, you name it; it’s a business after all! But there’s something else in the mix: passion. You see, that phrase was not a one time only thing, on the contrary, it’s something that can be heard quite often and it’s not that we don’t love what we do, trust me, we all do. It’s about reminding us that we are putting our hearts into it. There’s a big difference between having to do something and being driven to do it. This drive sets the bar higher, because it can always be better, because it comes from within.

It comes to my mind the expression “find a job you love and you’ll never go to work again”. Well, I found a job that demands this from me: to put my heart into it. Why? Because it’s what I love and I haven’t gone to work a single day.

When we started making games, I feared I might have made a mistake making my life’s passion my job. I tried not to delude myself into thinking that liking games and making games were the same thing. They are very different.

Before my first day on the job, I sat down for a while and tried to find the one game that had the greatest impact on me. The one that would flash before my eyes as I died in my hotel room during my 79th Blizzcon. It was, to my surprise, Might and Magic III. I admit it surprised me, because off the top of my head I would have said any of the old Lucas Arts or Sierra Games, Mario 64 or even Starcraft. But no game made me feel as nostalgic as Might and Magic. I wish I could go back to those months when I played it over and over. I was having so much fun I carried those white 3 1/2 disks around with me, and installed them everywhere. I didn’t care if I had different progress in the school’s computers. I wanted to play the game over and over again. The reason for all that reminiscing was to find something to aim for. Not in the type of game per se. But in the feeling the game gave me when I played it. I wanted to give players that experience. I wanted people to know that a certain game could make your day extra special. And that hopefully 10 years down the road, they would recall that feeling and would wish they could relieve it. So yeah, it was very ambitious. Probably impossible. But it kept me focused. Nostalgia driven design, memorable experiences, fun first. Whatever you wanna call it. It was our compass while we screwed things up, remade and learnt over and over again.

Once you play your own game for the 1000th time, a lot of things will be impossible to determine. So you must base decisions with a certain direction in mind. “Will this make me remember this game?” It is a question that I started asking myself repeatedly as we looked at new features. Will it deliver that feeling?

So when my partners ask me if I think the game is fun, I tell them I can no longer answer that question. Later, I ask the Might and Magic obsessed kid, and he answers: I would play it. For now, that is enough for me.

I want to cry sometimes. Of excitement one minute. Of desperation the next.

I am the business guy who has sworn to protect our creative vision. Too may nights I have known that I picked the wrong industry. Panic has frozen this non-gamer’s heart more than once, as our engineers tell stories of how some of the best games are delayed years, even decades. I don’t see fear in their eyes.  I see a sort of magnetic fascination.

I want to cry sometimes.

But then I play the build that just went up on the Apple Store. And this non-gamer is in love. At first I can’t stop as I blow through the first half dozen levels; I lose track of time as my armies of monsters gets more and more sophisticated. Then I want to throw the iPad against the wall when I just can’t get past level 12. I suck. And I am so freaking happy.

Normally I live in the world of valuations, venture capital, boards of directors, convertible notes, cash flows, projections, strategy, investor decks, and business operations. But today, one week from the global launch of our first title, I live in the magical world of vampires that collect paintings of dogs playing poker, werewolves that wear bunny slippers, and nuclear pumpkins.

We have no idea if this game will do well or not. But as I watch our team of 30 amazingly talented artists, programmers, producers, and copywriters play this game on their free time, holding contests against each other, laughing and screaming their asses off, I know we managed to make something special.

Our fate now rests on the marketers, reviewers, bloggers, and on the millions of people in dozens of countries who could potentially download our game.  But that doesn’t matter right now.

We made it. We created something world-class here in Colombia. We can compete with the best of them. And the best part, is that we have a bunch of other cool games to get out the door.

Wow, I think I might be a gamer now. Maybe. Either way, it truly feels like an honor to be part of this bunch.

Warning: The truth will piss you off sometimes.

There is a misconception I often see and hear when I meet anyone that is passionate about making games. Particularly people who are passionate about them, but aren’t making one. In interviews, whenever I ask these people if they would enjoy making videogames, the answer usually is: “Yeah, I’ve got this great idea for a videogame”. These are people who are trying to get into the industry, and would probably have the time of their lives participating in the mental orgy that involves making games, but they don’t think they’re making videogames unless it’s their game. This is bad. Especially in a growing industry like the colombian industry, where we need all the professionals we can get throughout all disciplines. And yet, some of them prefer doing freelance, or stay at jobs that are not as personally satisfying, because they are waiting for the chance to make a game. Their game.

Guys (and gals), on paper, everyone is a game designer. But the abyss between what seems like a good idea and a finished product, (which might suck) is enormous. Huge. Gargantuan. I learned this the hard way. Maybe your game really is the next big thing. But I would recommend collaborating in at least one project with similar characteristics to that of the game you are envisioning before even trying to go solo. The detail that has to go into a game is excruciating. It will keep you up at night, unforeseen issues will come from behind and make sweet love to you while you are still trying to figure out if you are liking it or not. I myself cannot look at a SCRUM board without clenching my ass. Don’t get me wrong: If you have an idea that you think is good, by all means make it happen. Do everything you must to make said game come true. I’m just saying that belonging to another gaming project first, is usually one of those things you must do.

I believe the “it’s my game or nothing” misconception is founded on another one: The game designer is the guy that decides what game will be made. Lies. If anything, the game designer is the person who has to hear the most ideas from the rest of his co-workers all day long. Years ago at the agency, I sometimes worked with our top chief creative. He is still probably the most respected agency creative in our nation. His ideas are brilliant. But that is not what made working with him so inspiring. He was like a hound. In meetings, he had this talent to detect every single idea that was worthy and put it on the table for discussion. They didn’t need to be his ideas. His job was to find the best idea, not come up with it. I still miss working with him.

This is for me the essence of the game designer: an idea finder. Quite different from “Yeah, I’ve got this great idea for a videogame”, isn’t it? Not everyone likes listening to people all day long. Even if the game is yours, even if you are paying everyone, you must listen and implement other people’s opinions. Dictators make shitty game designers. If you are passionate about games, try to contribute from the area you are most talented in. Be it music, narrative, programming, voice acting, business, or even playing. It doesn’t have to be your game. Making a game is so hard and challenging that any game will inspire you. I promise.

Please, find out first if being a game designer is the only way you can be a part of the gaming industry. Who knows. Maybe your princess is in another castle.

Jairo Nieto

But then I looked around me (figuratively speaking). Most of us “hardcore” players had one thing in common: We were either unemployed, sub-employed, or rich. By investing time into the game, we were investing money. Yes. Money we stopped receiving because we weren’t working, or because we were underachieving. I have nothing against people quitting their jobs to play an MMO. You have to do what makes you happy. But people that are successful in those games are doing so by investing their time into the game. It is not so different than the 15 year old with his dad’s credit card. Here’s the catch though: No one likes to play in a server with no people. We gaming companies need the people that can invest half of their lives on our game as much as they need us to provide them with a fulfilling gaming experience. So time is O.K. as currency, but dollars usually aren’t.

The problem with in-game monetization is that most people don’t have 12 hours a day to spare, but a lot more people can spend $200 to catch up. So you would end up with a large amount of well-geared players. An amount larger than would be acceptable from a game design point of view. But as games grow cheaper and cheaper, as more and more players become used to paying small amounts for in-game advantages, the larger publishers will have to face the music. It will be interesting to see how we as an industry achieve this. For now, all that can be said is that the old adage was right: Time is money.

Jairo Nieto