JBR, San Francisco, CA (2024)

11/04/2024

Hey all, After two days worth of debugging ChatGPT code (turns out GPT is trained on Godot 3.x, NOT 4.x) we finally got the game loop working in a Godot instance. While the screenshot before you might not seem like much, it actually contains all code we will need -- so doing things like making the UI prettier and getting the logs to actually make sense should (hopefully) be trivial now that we have base working code. I'll update you next week with our progress!

Hey all, After two days worth of debugging ChatGPT code (turns out GPT is trained on Godot 3.x, NOT 4.x) we finally got the game loop working in a Godot instance. While the screenshot before you mi…

11/02/2024

Previous Chapter It was a Sunday night, and several of the friends – despite better judgment – decided to spend the evening drinking and traveling around town. Among those in the audience were Kat, Sadja, Rodrigo, Aaron, Lukas, and – who had given up studying that weekend – Rose. As the roaming band walked along the suburban sidewalks, Aaron and Lukas led the group as they heard their respective girlfriends gossiping behind them....

[Note: BOYS & GIRLS: PART II is under production, and this preview may contain lines and content that do not reach the final book. In addition, this book assumes that you have read PART I all t…

10/27/2024

Hey all, Since W7K is a simulation, we're going to spend much more time in the design doc phase this time around than the actual building phase. The idea is to work backwards: We start with W7K's original set of 25 jobs, which should hopefully inform us of some potential event ideas. We then worry about crafting 100 events (enough to add spice to the sim loop) and then based on the events we can figure out what we need for all the events to make sense....

Hey all, Since W7K is a simulation, we’re going to spend much more time in the design doc phase this time around than the actual building phase. The idea is to work backwards: We start with W…

10/26/2024

Previous Chapter January 31st, 2015 Kinsky, California, USA Ash It was another late day in the art room for her. The girl – whose unfinished work stood in front of her – had been stuck on the project all week. And while she sat on a stool pondering where to take it next, she heard a voice behind her. “I like your painting....

[Note: BOYS & GIRLS: PART II is under production, and this preview may contain lines and content that do not reach the final book. In addition, this book assumes that you have read PART I all t…

10/23/2024

Hey all, With The Long Walk Back now finished, I've decided my next games project should be a *little* less ambitious. So, why not just take a game I've already made, and convert it into an engine I want to learn? Wars of the Seven Kingdoms (hereby shortened to W7K) is a simulation game I made that essentially lets you watch a fantasy world be built from the ground up....

Hey all, With The Long Walk Back now finished, I’ve decided my next games project should be a *little* less ambitious. So, why not just take a game I’ve already made, and convert it int…

10/19/2024

Previous Chapter April 4th, 2017 Kinsky, California, USA Swift Democracy Lukas sat on the floor of his bedroom. All around him were the scattered notes of Cole’s journal, occasionally brushed and lifted up by the small rotating fan on his desk. He felt he was getting somewhere, and nowhere at the same time. Most of the entries were nothing: quick little jots about Cole babysitting, or going out with friends....

[Note: BOYS & GIRLS: PART II is under production, and this preview may contain lines and content that do not reach the final book. In addition, this book assumes that you have read PART I all t…

10/17/2024

Hey all, After a few hiccups expected from a game launch, The Long Walk Back is now officially available on Itch.io! The game is completely free, and made in relatively a month. Check it out by pressing the button below! Download the Game

http://jbr.works/2024/10/16/the-long-walk-back-update-8-game-launch/

Hey all, After a few hiccups expected from a game launch, The Long Walk Back is now officially available on Itch.io! The game is completely free, and made in relatively a month. Check it out by pre…

10/12/2024

Previous Chapter June 20th, 2024 Kinsky, California, USA Utopia Maria’s eyes slowly rolled open. She found herself on a bed she did not recognize, lined with soft white bedsheets she knew weren’t hers. As she came to she heard the door to the room creak open, and footsteps approach. Still in a daze she suddenly shot up in the bed to see who might be there....

[Note: BOYS & GIRLS: PART II is under production, and this preview may contain lines and content that do not reach the final book. In addition, this book assumes that you have read PART I all t…

10/11/2024

Hey all, If all goes well, this will be the last update from me on The Long Walk Back. Next week will be the release announcement! Just have to light up some remaining houses and hope I don't discover any game breaking issues along the way.

Hey all, If all goes well, this will be the last update from me on The Long Walk Back. Next week will be the release announcement! Just have to light up some remaining houses and hope I don’t…

10/05/2024

Previous Chapter March 27th, 2017 Kinsky, California, USA Life Passing By The kids were gathered around their usual table for lunch. While the hole that Cole left was immense, this time they were about as close as they had been since before the incident. Things almost looked normal. “So, who did you guys vote for?” Sadja asked the group. “For king and queen.”...

[Note: BOYS & GIRLS: PART II is under production, and this preview may contain lines and content that do not reach the final book. In addition, this book assumes that you have read PART I all t…

09/28/2024

Previous Chapter September 25th, 2014 Kinsky, California, USA Emily and Maurice “Okay, is the camera on now?” “No, you gotta… you gotta undo the lens cap first.” “Oh… like, this?” The preview video on Rose’s Macbook suddenly roared to life. The friends were huddled together in Kinsky High’s technology room, which was about the same size as a broom closet. Using a video camera they were borrowing for the afternoon, Rose smiled into its lens, a fitted maroon suit and black dress shirt as part of her wardrobe....

[Note: BOYS & GIRLS: PART II is under production, and this preview may contain lines and content that do not reach the final book. In addition, this book assumes that you have read PART I all t…

09/23/2024

Hey all, Was a bit under the weather today, so decided to spend it making progress on The Long Walk Back. We've added the first version of the monster design, as well as some real audio (though we still haven't replaced the footsteps...). As you can tell things are starting to get real frightening! Alas great things also come with great responsibility -- as you can tell in the video, the game begins to lose frames the longer it runs, likely caused by some bloat in the running memory (we're looking at you, 30 minute ambiance track!). Next week will be special, as it will be an actually dedicated devlog with commentary. Look forward to it!

Hey all, Was a bit under the weather today, so decided to spend it making progress on The Long Walk Back. We’ve added the first version of the monster design, as well as some real audio (thou…

09/21/2024

Previous Chapter March 15th, 2017 Kinsky, California, USA Mother The St. Agnes Cemetery was quiet that morning. With spring slowly creeping in the trees and flowers that lined the yard began sprouting back into their vibrant focus. Yet few were there to appreciate them. Among the mourners were the Israels, more potently Russell and Billy as Mahalo stayed back to play with some toys at a nearby bench....

[Note: BOYS & GIRLS: PART II is under production, and this preview may contain lines and content that do not reach the final book. In addition, this book assumes that you have read PART I all t…

09/15/2024

Hey all, I know last week I promised the update would be fixing the win state and improving the monster, but I found two things were arguably more important. The first was a bug I spotted awhile back (and perhaps you even noticed in our preview video) where the enemy will not actually collide with the player in the end -- the player has to voluntarily collide with the enemy....

Hey all, I know last week I promised the update would be fixing the win state and improving the monster, but I found two things were arguably more important. The first was a bug I spotted awhile ba…

09/14/2024

Previous Chapter March 7th, 2017 Kinsky, California, USA Here, There, and Everywhere Lukas spent the last two weeks using any ounce of freetime he could get to look at the information from the chest. The first thing he read, of course, was the letter addressed directly to him. Right as he had gotten home from the McNamara residence, he sat down in his own room and opened up the envelope:...

[Note: BOYS & GIRLS: PART II is under production, and this preview may contain lines and content that do not reach the final book. In addition, this book assumes that you have read PART I all t…

09/11/2024

Hey all, Enjoy this (incredibly brief) look at the early stage of The Long Walk Back. We've figured out the audio for how we want the game to sound (in the footage is just test noise) and there is now a win/lose state built into the game, albeit rather shoddy given my limited Unreal experience. Next week we'll be tweak the game further to add the finalized audio as well as complete the win state UI.

Hey all, Enjoy this (incredibly brief) look at the early stage of The Long Walk Back. We’ve figured out the audio for how we want the game to sound (in the footage is just test noise) and the…

09/07/2024

Previous Chapter March 12th, 2014 Kinsky, California, USA Sadja The freshman felt a tightening in her chest. From the chair in which she sat she looked down at her feet, compulsively hitting her toes together as a way to try and manage her heart racing. “This your first time at an audition?” The voice the girl heard was unfamiliar to her....

[Note: BOYS & GIRLS: PART II is under production, and this preview may contain lines and content that do not reach the final book. In addition, this book assumes that you have read PART I all t…

09/03/2024

Hey all, Have gotten done with the preliminary lighting on the map (trying to keep it sparse on purpose) though I might add more in future playtests. I've also set the NavMesh to work properly for the stalker. Already sort of scary! Next week we'll be continuing to get things into an MVP state with audio as well as a goal/failure state.

Hey all, Have gotten done with the preliminary lighting on the map (trying to keep it sparse on purpose) though I might add more in future playtests. I’ve also set the NavMesh to work properl…

08/31/2024

Previous Chapter February 23rd, 2017 Kinsky, California, USA A World with No Secrets Ash was in the middle of Kinsky’s only park. She was here because two days prior she received the strangest phone call of her life. She was in the middle of studying late one night when she noticed her phone began to vibrate next to her notebook. She rarely received calls she didn’t anticipate prior, so she let it ring out....

[Note: BOYS & GIRLS: PART II is under production, and this preview may contain lines and content that do not reach the final book. In addition, this book assumes that you have read PART I all t…

08/27/2024

Hey all, Thanks to the Modular Neighborhood and Horror Engine Unreal packs, I've been able to already create a decent "template" for which The Long Walk Back could work. I'll be working out this template to create an MVP which will hopefully be done by next week!

Hey all, Thanks to the Modular Neighborhood and Horror Engine Unreal packs, I’ve been able to already create a decent “template” for which The Long Walk Back could work. I’l…

08/24/2024

Previous Chapter February 14th, 2017 Kinsky, California, USA Valentine’s Day To open Valentine’s, Kat and Lukas went to brunch. It was at the same place the girls often came to for gossip, and was a personal favorite of Kat. That morning, attendance was surprisingly sparse – the couple got a circular booth, and sat next to each other. “I’m glad we got these next few days off of school,” Kat commented as she picked up the menu....

[Note: BOYS & GIRLS: PART II is under production, and this preview may contain lines and content that do not reach the final book. In addition, this book assumes that you have read PART I all t…

08/19/2024

Game Design Doc ExampleDownload Hey all, As I've hinted at before, our next game project will be a horror game constructed in Unreal. I was looking to build out a design doc template for some of my freelancing activities, and figured I might as well make a doc for this game and publish it as both a freelancing example and as the first game update. You can tell its pretty barebones, though that's more so due to me wanted to go for something really simple as my first Unreal game.

Game Design Doc ExampleDownload Hey all, As I’ve hinted at before, our next game project will be a horror game constructed in Unreal. I was looking to build out a design doc template for some…

08/17/2024

Previous Chapter February 10th, 2017 Kinsky, California, USA Unlikely Alliance At the end of the week Lukas – as promised – went down to the Mulaney house. At least, that’s what he had always known it as. In reality it was house Marion had bought, and later rented, that had no trace of any Mulaneys other than Cole. But it was the only house any of the kids ever remembered....

[Note: BOYS & GIRLS: PART II is under production, and this preview may contain lines and content that do not reach the final book. In addition, this book assumes that you have read PART I all t…

08/14/2024

As the title suggests, here's a video demo of the full release version of Kingdom Cards! Subscribe to it now!

As the title suggests, here’s a video demo of the full release version of Kingdom Cards! Subscribe to it now!

08/10/2024

Previous Chapter December 2nd, 2002 Kinsky, California, USA Lullaby An old, jacked-up gray coupe rode into a suburban driveway. At the driver’s wheel was a college-aged girl with a penchant for the gothic. Her raven black hair was puffed up and curled into a style more reminiscent of the 80s than the 2000s, and her t-shirt of The Cure seemed to only add to that fact....

[Note: BOYS & GIRLS: PART II is under production, and this preview may contain lines and content that do not reach the final book. In addition, this book assumes that you have read PART I all t…