Going to GDC

2-25-12

I don't know when I became that guy, but I'm going on a two week business trip.  Week one is a little under wraps but week two I will be in San Fransisco at the GDC.  We are scoping stuff out, but also looking to bring people on board to the Moonbot Interactive team, so if you are a 3D Tech Artist person, or a Programmer look us up.  The entire interactive team is going to be at the conference all week.

If you are there, please say hi!(I'm looking at you Dalluhn, Mclean)

(I look like this)

see you there!

-Tamte

some work on SWTOR

2-23-12

Something new happened to me today,  somebody saw the product of my work in a video game!  

About 3 years ago (A long time ago...in a galaxy far far away) now, I had a brief stint in Austin's game industry with the mega talented guys over at Bioware Austin doing some freelance concept art.  Our intern here at Moonbot Interactive was talking about playing a jedi in Star Wars: The Old Republic, and I was like "hey, I did a few concepts for that game", so I pulled up some of the control panel designs I did.

Do you play SWTOR? Have you seen these?

my contribution to the game is tiny compared to how big it is or the work those guys down there did.  But ya know.....maybe I helped you open a door, or maybe you punched some big red buttons I painted. haha

thanks for dropping by!
-Tamte

Cloud Surfing

2-20-12

Kim and I have been watching EVA, and Ghost In The Shell etc.  and man I just love giant robots.

thanks for dropping by
-Tamte

A painting of a Moonbot

2-17-12

There is not enough art on this blog.  I did this painting a couple weekends ago, over the top of one that I did in college.

Since my job is more and more managerial recently, I have these fits of agitation where I scream, "I'm still an artist! I SWEAR", then I eat ice cream and watch romantic comedies, like "The Graduate" (great movie)....and sometimes paint too. 

I heard that yellow paintings never sell, so I'll be hanging out with this one for a while.  That's ok with me, :)

thanks for dropping by!
-Tamte

2-16-12

a tribute to high fives

Brother Ali

2-2-12


Brother Ali,

this gentlemen gives me so much strength.  Is there anyone cooler??

 

the answer is no

thanks for dropping by,

-Tamte

drawins'

1-31-12

 some concept for the "bad guys" of a personal comic project in the works.

also, Moonbot got nominated for an Oscar!  Wow, what an honor.


:)
-Tamte

The Numberlys!

1-17-12


If you read this blog chances are you already know about Moonbot's latest app experience, "The Numberlys" but if you haven't check it out, and drop me a line (adam@moonbotstudios.com).   I'd be interested to hear what you think.  The App store comments seem to be fairly polarized, and I'm having trouble discerning whether the reaction is wholly positive or not.

The Numberlys

there are some things I am proud of in this story/game/app whatever, and like any project some things I wished we had time to tweak before publishing it.  Moonbot allowed me some more creative control than I've had on previous projects, and I really feel like I had my fingers in a lot of how it turned out.  For Moonbot and the fledgling Moonbot Interactive (a whopping 4 employees, plus an intern) it was an awesome learning experience, and the guys I was fortunate enough to work with on it helped me grow a bunch. 

When we began planning the app out in the beginning, we knew we wanted games and some cinematic elements.  When just storyboards weren't enough we actually ended up making it into a 'dummy book' model instead.  This was before we had started prototyping some of the games, but I kept one as we were cleaning house the other day....

"The Numberlys" in 37 printed pages  (interactions and story beats denoted)

also early on, we decided to go with a vertical format, which I think is one of the apps biggest creative triumphs....but it was hard to get used to boarding in.

Most of the decisions we made about game design had to do with pacing, or theme.  It's one of the areas I wish we really had had more time to buckle down, and fine tune things.

Each letter needed to get it's due, because letters were a brand spanking new revolution for the Numberlys and their world.  The idea seemed to work narratively, but it's something we are catching flak for on the internet, it seems like people are unhappy that they are asked to play through every letter as a game.  However, for lack of being able to find a skip feature that gave us the same feeling of achievement, and the unexpected draw of a non-artist audience over the age of 10, we shipped it as it was....I'm biting my lip on this one with a little bit of confusion as I sort through if there was a better choice for that one or not.  The app market is a funny place.
  

Here are some early previs boards I did, trying to figure out the space the games could be played in, and how complex they were going to be.

The Numberlys - gameprevis from Adam Volker on Vimeo.

I also wanted to share some of the storyboards I worked on.  The following is a sequence that the incredibly talented Joe Bluhm did the first pass on, and then I took over.  I remember thinking a lot about whether when jellybeans rained from the sky the Numberlys would be ecstatic or terrified.

The Numberlys - Storyboards 'Parade' from Adam Volker on Vimeo.

For the last of the musings....

all in all I had a lot of fun working on and boarding on this project.  There is a lot in store for Moonbot and video games in the future, and I'm loving the chance to get my hands dirty experimenting and messing around.

that's all for now, I promise....no more....NO MORE!!

thanks for stopping by!

-Tamte

2012

Holy Freekin world it's a new year,

There is a lot happening for me this year, video game wise...comic wise....work wise.  I'm very excited.  I'll post the details once things get concrete and I can legally talk about it, but it's gonna be big, even if the world does end in Dec.

I was in Austin over New Years and saw some old friends....got reinvigorated, and I can't wait to watch everyone grow and realize themselves as the super talented badasses I know they are!

I did this drawing at Zilker park too  :)

talk to you soon internet, thanks for hanging out with me,
-Tamte

Moonbot Interactive

 12-20-11

Howdy Internet, and Happy Holidays

It seems like it has been a long run when it's actually been a short one.  Recently, a few of us left the mother ship (across the hall), and set up shop behind the glass door reading "Moonbot Interactive".  Though nothing has really changed about our working method, it seems to be a declaration of a direction.  As we are about to ship "The Numberlys" which is Moonbot's next app/film/game/whatever experience, It's nice to be digging through my computer and find reminders of where we were.





Moonbot Interactive - empty office from Adam Volker on Vimeo.




We have done some nesting, but it's been a great environment to work in.  It still feels like a couple of kids in a garage, which is something Brandon Oldenburg, one of our directors always says when he references Moonbot. We've got big plans, and as things for 2012 start to block the sun on the horizon I'm excited about where we are heading, I hope we can keep the vibe we've got going with everyone at the studio.

thanks for dropping by! smiles for now :)
-Tamte