The Shining Source

Hi Elv, Dev and Ty (or "hi everyone", as I used to say)

Ty and I have taken on a challenge, where we must both complete pretty big challenges before midnight on October 31st.

I have to write a novel of 40,000 words or more, and Phil has to code a working game with at least four sub-games and twenty playable levels.

We are doing this to ourselves as we both want to do these things but are too lazy to do it without some form of motivation. Our motivation is such:





Neither of us wants to do these things (though I'd like a working copy of Shenmue), so they should be motivation enough. We also have rewards, though:





We even have a contract and everything.





The question, then is this:

Who has the shittier end of this particular stick? I think both are fairly turdy.

I await your responses!

By voting or replying you agree to purchase one unit each of both our particular products, and enjoy them to their full and unrushed conclusions.

Hmm... with your products being the fiction and the game? I'm in!

I think Ty has the shittier end. Fiction can be done in 3 weeks (see www.nanowrimo.org), but a computergame with 4 sub games and 20 levels? That will be truly mind-membranal devastation!

rather interesting development here

perhaps a unique bookie opportunity as the bets are placed eh mates?
Best of luck to both of you!!

That's impossible Ty, you're out of your mind.
You should make a documentary on this. Film a couple of scenes and play it back with a techno background.  

It is quite likely that I am crazy. I'm already preparing myself to pull some all nighters, which can't be a good thing. Still, I want to keep my Dreamcast.

I'm keeping notes so I can write a book about it once it's over, and I like the idea of recording some video to document my plunge into madness.

I've been keeping various audio files of me talking through my ideas, but nothing on this scale. Perhaps a week's end progress diary from us both would be welcomed?

No all-nighters planned here yet, but they'll proibably happen from October 28th onwards

I think Ty has the short end of the stick there! Hows life all?

I should have known posting this on a games forum would bring out all the Ty-loving

Everything with me is fine thanks, Loki. How are you?

I think ur loved ones have the harder task. Obviously. Dealing with u too insane freaks, i pity ur loved ones. haha but personally, Ty is the one with the monumental task. Not to bog down Newts' efforts as well, writing quality fiction isn't easy as well. Writing fiction is easy tho, but quality fiction? We all know Newts is picky about grammar and syntax as well. We should throw in the challenge that he shouldn't use a spellchecker

Having managed to write a novel, and not managed to finish a game of that scale, I have to agree.. however. . .

Perhaps in the back of our minds, we might think it is easier to write because you can.. write shite and get away with it, if your conscience is clear.  However perhaps we all know the perfectionist qualities that come about when you try to make a game. . . you want it to be so good.
it can be the same however when you write a novel(rewriting whole segments because you decide to change something later on is.. mindnumbing), it just depends on your style and personality.
and of course, you could make a shite game much easier too, if you sped through it and didn't care so much about certain time consuming things.

So the stick is only as shite as you make it, really.  Still. . . I think it's great, my brother and I while travelling came up with something very similar.  (In rome right now)

Good luck to both of you.

10 days left, hows it going?
Either of you giving up yet

I will die before I give up!

Unfortunately that's not a statement of bravery or defiance, but a medical fact.

I haven't done a great deal recently, and with ten days to go I have about 2,500 words to do every day if I'm to finish in time.

Luckily I'm going home next week and I should have precious little else to do but write for two days. Should be good.

It will get finished!

The last 48 hours is here.

Who will complete their task?

Will Ty come up with a playable game AND a website in time?  Or will he succumb to perfectionism and whittle away his last precious hours making that sprite look like it really is jumping?

Will Newts have a decent ending to his book?  Or will he throw around words like "happily ever after" with no concern for who they hit??

We can only wait and see, and hope neither comes out the other side thinking every day is halloween, so they have every day to finish it.  Because well, then we'd have a werewolf and a vampire kinda trying to kill us all the time, and that just wouldn't be cricket.

We are weak and have given ourselves an extra two weeks to finish our projects. To be honest, my heart's not really in it any more, but perhaps with another two weeks I can gee myself up a bit more.