Campaign Roundup - Dino Run 2 Early Access

Today on the blog, I wanted to point out a current friend's campaign that I think you all might be interested in. It is a follow-up campaign for the sequel to a super cool game, and if you have not already checked it out, you should do so NOW!

The Dino Run 2 Early Access Campaign

Today, I am sharing the Dino Run 2 Early Access Campaign from my friends at Pixeljam. They share:

"Dino Run 2 is a momentum platformer where you play as a lone dinosaur fleeing for your life across an ever-changing prehistoric landscape, an all-consuming apocalyptic wall of doom hot on your tail.

The long-awaited sequel to 2008’s Dino Run, the classic browser-based runner released during the glory days of web gaming, Dino Run 2 is a game millions of years in the making.

Play solo or with your friends as you dip, duck, and dive across procedurally-generated pixel worlds in a mad dash for survival.

Dino Run 2 is a massive endeavor and will be released in stages.  The first major milestone is already complete: a multiplayer sandbox featuring tools we'll be using to create the rest of the game.  Everyone that pledges $10 or more will get immediate access to this sandbox (regardless of the project meeting its funding goal), and can start building with your friends right away.

The better this campaign does, the more features we can include in the initial Early Access launch.

After Early Access is out, we’ll keep adding to the game until it becomes the full Dino Run 2 experience.  This Kickstarter is our final push to the Early Access release, so have a look around and we’d love to have you join us!"

I have already been playing around with it, and it is SUPER cool! Head over to the campaign and check out the rest of the images, videos, and more. The more they can raise, the better it all will be! I hope you check it out and maybe help out. 

That's all for another exciting week on the blog. See you back here next week! Until then..

For more samples of my work or to contact me regarding my availability, head over to my website: www.christopherburdett.com

Gatorbytes - A Free Game for Desktop and Mobile

In early 2024, at my day career, the design team was talking games. We were tasked to come up with ideas, and the team would likely move forward with one between projects and deadlines. This was a group effort of an amazing team, for when we had the extra time to work on it. Jump ahead to late 2025, and we have made a game! The game is on the company's website and is free to play. It is playable on your desktop computer or your preferred mobile device. With the game now live, I wanted to share it with you all. When I think about it, after twenty years working in games, this is the first digital game that I have worked on that was actually completed and usable. First, let's have a look at the game.

Gatorbytes is a vertical jumper where you try to escape rising water, a jumping alligator, while collecting fruit, keys, and more!

Again, I can not stress how much amazing work and talent the team brought to the table for this project. We would not have a completed game without all of us coming together. In the end, the game, music, and sound effects were all created in-house by us. Here is a look at the game menu on the screen. I will circle back around regarding the game stats. 

From the website, you can choose to play the game or look at the game stats.

Now, for my contribution to the project. In the early days of thinking about this project, we as a team talked about some game graphics that were made for our website and how that might be a good jumping-off point for a game. Using the imagery from the graphics, I worked up a limited scope concept. At the time, I wasn't sure if we would ever get off the ground, if it was even possible, and how much time and energy we had available. So in the end, I aimed small with the options to scale up if possible. 

To that end, I planned out a limited area vertical jumper where you moved from platform to platform collecting fruit as you tried to outrun rising water and a leaping alligator. Nothing groundbreaking, but we all have to start somewhere. Using the existing graphic on our site as a starting point, I worked up a series of infographics, sketches, and an animated demo. Here are my super professional sketches that I started with. 

In the end, I always end up on paper at some point in my process to make art.

I quickly made elements in Photoshop for the diagrams and imported them into Adobe Animate (Flash) to create the animated demo. I used Flash for many years, so it was fun to use it again. Here is the breakdown I made for the team to explain my idea and concept.

As you can see from the date on the image, this was taking shape in March 2024.

I used a mix of found and made audio elements to complete the animated demo. My concept and plan were well-received for the most part. There were some that wanted us to go in a more educational direction with the game. I knew this was likely our one chance to make something fun that didn't need to be educational at all. This was for us to have fun and learn with. In the end, my concept was selected, and the team began to work on it. Here is an animated GIF to show a little of the demo I made. I can not share the full demo I made.

It is a bit jumpy and has no sound, but you can get the idea.

At this point, much of the project was out of my hands. I was still involved with working out design concepts and giving feedback on the work being done. The team explored some different options with the presentation of the game, but in the end, we moved back to my original concept and expanded it into an endless jumper. There is no longer an end goal beyond surviving as long as possible and achieving the highest score. Here is a super detailed and professional sketch showing how the spring platform should look and work.

Spring platform goes POW!

It has been a true joy to be a part of this and to watch the team create such a fun game. We haven't reinvented the wheel, but we made something that is ours and reflects the center and the work we do. While the mobile version of the game fills your screen, on the desktop, you get the full experience with 'cabinet art' and instructions. 

I prefer to play on a desktop.

Now it is your turn to play, if you haven't already. There are ways to power up your score, the distance between you and the water, and more. Make sure you collect the fruit to unlock a key, you might find something with a lock that it can open. And always look out for the jumping gater!

Gatorbytes is easy to play, but takes time to master.

While this project might look like all fun and games, the team was actually working on some important work on the back end. The game is actually keeping track of most everything you are doing in the game and is updating the Leaderboard with the high scores and quantifying most of the events in the game and updating those to the website in real time. This was so we could better learn how to link these sorts of things to the courses and projects we usually create. Try to beat the high scores and get your initials up there! You might see some familiar initials on there.

Can you push all of the CABs off the leaderboard?!?

Speaking of real-time updating and tracking, as I mentioned, the game keeps track of most game events. This includes collecting the types of fruit, spring platform usage, times spent doing specific actions, and more. You can see the current numbers in the game stats section of the game.

Can you add to the game states?!?

I could not be happier or prouder of the team's work. As proof of concept and execution, I think it is a phenomenal success. We are already talking about the next game, and I have some ideas I will be sharing with the team very soon. 

That is all for another exciting Wednesday on the blog. See you back here on Friday! Until then...

For more samples of my work or to contact me regarding my availability, head over to my website: www.christopherburdett.com

When Your Best Isn't Enough - Part 2

Last week I shared with you the first of two posts about a project that didn't go the way I would have ever expected. Today, I bring the second and final installment in the tale. If you missed the first post, this work is from 2012, when I was accepting any and all work to see if I could leave my day job and work full time in the gaming industry. These designs were for a video game that has since come and gone, and none of the work I produced made it into the game - as far as I can tell. In the first post, I shared the many downs and a couple ups that came with designing and finishing the first monster I was assigned. I bring you the second monster today.

As mentioned in my first post, I quickly felt out of my element on this project, and my years of experience felt useless to me. I felt lost on a project making monsters. Not the best place to find myself. As I got started, I did feel some confidence returning. I successfully completed the first monster, or at least I thought I had successfully completed it. I didn't learn that it was reworked by another artist until later. With this second monster, I was switching which roll it played in the game and the environment it represented. I got to work on some thumbnail silhouettes.

Phase 1 thumbnail silhouettes

The thumbnail phase for this monster went a lot smoother and quicker, which gave me a false sense of accomplishment and confidence. One of the thumbnails was picked as my starting point, I was given some notes, and it was decided that the animation skeleton for another similar monster would be used on the one I was beginning to design. This did limit me to some extent. I had to keep legs and other anatomy in set locations for the established animation skeleton to work. Even so, having a set framework to work around did allow me to not worry about some of the design. Legs had to be where the legs were, etc. Here are the first explorations into this monster.

Concept pass 1 and 2

From the beginning, I thought this one was proceeding very well, and as with the first monster, I truly felt that at any point, I was almost to the point of being approved. As before, at every stage, I was shown to be wrong as the design would give way to more and more iterations and changes. One of my first versions was selected, and I was asked to rework the head and only the head. I felt that things were proceeding much better this time around. Here is the head update.

Concept pass 3

The head was still not working, but apparently, everything else was. I was asked to do some head variations to explore what other options I could generate. This kind of stuff is fun to me. Drilling down to make one aspect as good as it can be. I used what I thought to be the approved body to influence and dictate the shape and kind of head this creature would have. There are several of these that I like, but sadly, this monster only has one head.

Head variations set 1 and 2

As I recall, and from what I can tell from these drawings is that the very last head option that I created was selected. When I thought we were getting somewhere with the design, I was asked to go back in and simplify and rework the spikes and spines on the monster's back.

Spike simplification

As soon as the spikes were addressed, I was asked more head variations. This is at the point where I was beginning to worry. I thought I had a locked-in body and was working on the head. Then the head was selected only for me to start work again on the body. Once the body was chosen again, now more work on the head. I will be honest, the final head selected was one of my least liked. I know you should never submit anything you are not happy with or would want to work on, but in the process of exploring iterations and versions, not all of them are going to be as successful. At the end of the day, for me, one of the less successful options won the day.

Head variations set 3

As soon as the head was established again, I was asked to rework the body again. It was decided that the organ or whatever those round things are that hold water shouldn't be on the outside of the shell, and I needed to work up a design with them under the shell. I got to work on doing that with the newly selected head.

Body rework pass 1

I remember these new versions not being well received. The last request broke the look and feel of the creature that was established early on. You usually can't make a massive change like that without doing some significant modification. And that was what I was then asked to do. I needed to go back in and rework the entire body/shell aspect of this creature. Keep in mind I was also still having to design around the established animation skeleton from another monster. I tried my best to make something work.

Body rework pass2

None of these hit the mark. I was having the worst feeling of deja vu at this point. What at first felt like a better, more successful start to the design has now begun to spiral out of control. And yes, again, I do know that I am designing and not illustrating. I am exploring all options in a design, and I will likely have way more misses than hits and will probably find myself at deadends. My issue is that I was getting the impression that things were working and that I was moving in the right direction, only to be told to start over. Again. I was asked to drop the water pods and give the entire piece a new start.

Body rework pass3

Working with the head they liked, the animation skeleton that I couldn't deviate from, and the three or four spikes on the shell, I produced a bunch more concepts. I think some of these are really working and would make for a cool monster. 

This is at the point I was asked to leave the project. I will never know why this particular time was when it happened, but there was a part of me that knew it was inevitable. I would be lying if I told you I was not relieved that I was no longer working on the project. It was not fun and only caused me stress and anxiety. This project made me feel like a bad artist. I did get paid for my time, but that time resulted in nothing useful to the game. 

Needless to say, I never quit my day job. Good thing, too, with all that has been happening these past two years. Global pandemics aside, if I had left my day job, the likelihood of The Grand Bazaar of Ethra VanDalia getting published would have been next to zero. It all works out one way or another. I wish that this project didn't leave me feeling like a failure, but not ever endevor can be sucessful. I had to spend the next nine years learning from this experience and putting that knoweldge to good use elsewhere. One day I hope to see my work in a video game, but for now, that day is a long way off.

That's all for another exciting Wednesday on the blog. See you back here on Friday! Until then... 

For more samples of my work or to contact me regarding my availability, head over to my website: www.christopherburdett.com

When Your Best Isn't Enough - Part 1

This is the first of two posts sharing work that has never seen the light of day. The work was for a video game I worked on in 2012 and involves extensive concept and design work for two creatures. For a long time, I wondered if I would ever share any of this work. One of the main reasons for not sharing the work being that this project didn't go well for me and ended up squarely in the fail column. Another reason I never shared the work was that I believed the work was never used, and I no longer knew who to reach out to to secure permission. The game sessed operations in 2017, and about that time, I received a somewhat cryptic email stating that all NDAs were lifted. That covers my secondary concerns. Getting over the fact that I feel like this was a failure was another thing entirely. Needless to say, I now look at this as a learning experience, and that is why I am here sharing the work finally. 

I think some backstory would be in order to put this work, and my performance on it, in context. While 2012 feels like a long time ago, it doesn't feel more than a year or two ago. Around 2011/2012, I was seriously considering going full-time freelance with my art. I was receiving more and more offers for work, and the work was increasing in notoriety and pay. In an attempt to see if I could successfully transition away from my day job, I was taking more and more work to see what it would take to make it work financially. For about a year, I worked day and night on various projects and my day job to make it work. If it was offered to me, I said yes. This was one of those projects. Designing monsters for a video game has been a dream of mine and one that, even to this day, has never fully worked out. I have made art for several video games, and every single project has either never made it release, or the work was never used. 

I will not mention the game, the studio, or who I worked with on this project. At this point, it is not relevant. I am focusing on my work and how it didn't hit the mark.

I was brought on to design some support creatures. The style guide was thorough, and I had a lot to go through. If I remember correctly, we could pick the type of support creatures and the environment they go in. That said, they needed specific creatures as well. I wanted to do something for the swampy environment and got to work on some thumbnail silhouettes.

Phase 1 thumbnail silhouettes

 

More phase 1 thumbnail silhouettes

Right out of the gate, I apparently looked at the wrong stuff in the style guide and misunderstood what they wanted from me. I thought I was working on some of the crazy cool monsters in the style guide when I was supposed to be making more mundane but weird animals. I needed to reign things in a lot. I remember feeling so overwhelmed and out of my depth while working on these pieces. I had taken on too much work, and it left me with little time to devote to any given project. It also was effecting my creativity and motivation. I recall really stressing out about these concepts. I was not happy with any of them, and I didn't have any good ideas. Me, the guy that loves drawing monsters. Here was the second round of thumbnail silhouettes that I submitted.

Phase 2 thumbnail silhouettes

These were better received, but not by much. As I mentioned, I was having considerable trouble finding my way with these and coming up with ideas. When I looked at all this again to make these images for this post, my mind was full of ideas and options that never occurred to me at the time. I attribute this to two things, one - I have nine more years of experience under my belt, and two - I am not under pressure and deadlines as I was then, and I have space and mental room to concept and create. If I could redo this over now, it might have all turned out differently, maybe. The center thumbnail was picked, and I got to work on a weird possum creature.

Concept pass 1 and 2

While there are many images here, this was just the tip of the iceberg that went into this design. Copious notes were coming from the art director/lead designer that included draw overs, reference, and general suggestions. The game had a very distinct visual style, and at the time, it was a chore to stick to it. Especially when the style seemed to change from one iteration of my designs to the next.

Concept pass 3 and 4

I felt things getting out of control early on and was beginning to doubt myself. While this has happened previously in my career, there didn't seem to be a point where I felt like I was 'getting it.' That I was beginning to understand it all better. Every single drawing I did was not correct and needed revisions. I know that I am doing concept work and that there would be iterations and failed directions, but each pass was received as if I was getting very close to the end, and then I would be given notes and suggestions to take it in a new or different direction.

Concept pass 5

Some of these versions might seem very similar, but they were involved updates and changes trying to hit a target I could not see. At this point, I still liked what I was making, but I felt no closer to the unseen goal of a successful creature. I was implementing every bit of feedback that I was receiving, and with each pass, I felt more and more like a pair of hands doing someone else's work.

Concept pass 6

At this point, I feel like I lost any connection with the work. While I had been working on this cool possum monster with a club tail, the feedback and directions kept taking me further and further away until the creature became a giant fat rat monster.

Concept pass 7 and 8

Even at this phase, I was being corrected on nearly every mark I would make. Every angle, turn, curve, and line was not correct. It needed to be more dynamic, or angled, or convex, or concave. I was worried that I had made a terrible mistake in taking on the job. I was afraid that I was jeopardizing my career. I was concerned that I was not a good artist or designer. I was literally concerned while working on these designs that I was not a monster maker, and I was not cut out for this work. And yet, things continued.

Concept pass 9

More and more feedback came to me, and I implemented it all. Version after version. I have no memories of putting any of myself into these at this point. I was simply doing as I was asked. You might be wondering how things got so bad so quickly. The issue was that this didn't happen quickly and there was so much happening beyond these drawings. As I mentioned before, there were scores of emails, draw overs, notes, revisions, and work happening in between these official stages. And from thumbnails to final render, it was at or just over twenty days worth of work. I doesn't take me twenty days to complete a painting, but here I am, working on a single concept for that long. This was unheard of to me at the time, and it hasn't been repeated beyond this project. And yet, the work goes on.

Concept pass 10 and 11

Finally, things were getting to the point that the folks I was working with were happy with what I was doing. I finally had a creature profile that they were approving. Looking back now, I am not sure I should use the word happy or approved. They accepted it, and I could take it to the next stage.

Concept pass 12

While some of the final designs were in color, many were black and white renders to give the modelers an idea of what they needed to make. I was finally feeling a little better. I was at a point I could sit back and finalize the concept and put it to bed. I got to work on rendering, something I had plenty of experience with and it is straightforward for me.

Render pass 1

Even the rendering didn't pass without revisions. It was felt that the render was too dark, and I had to lighten the entire piece and make additional updates. Once that was accomplished, the piece was marked approved and accepted, and I turned it in. For some reason, I even accepted a second assignment, and that will be covered in part two next week. Here is the final render for the possum rat monster.

Render pass 2 and final?

There is no point trying to hunt this down in a game. Even though it was approved and I was paid, I know that another artist was brought in, and they completely redid this piece with my version as a starting point. It went in a totally different and cool direction. One that I would have gladly taken it if I hadn't had my drive and motivation crushed with nearly three weeks of revision grind. I am not blaming anyone but myself, but it all didn't go well, even from the beginning, and I had another creature to design after this.

That's all for another exciting Wednesday on the blog. See you back here on Friday! Until then... 

For more samples of my work or to contact me regarding my availability, head over to my website: www.christopherburdett.com

Dino Run 2 - Pixeljam Kickstarter

The good folks at Pixeljam are at it again! Pixeljam is currently running a Kickstarter to fund the production of Dino Run 2, the sequel to the smash hit Dino Run. I have spoken about Pixeljam here on the blog before, and I can not speak highly enough about them and their work. I have known Miles and Rich since college and they do great work and make fun games. I STRONGLY urge you to take the time to head over and check out their Kickstarter and hopefully support it. If you like super fun games, dinosaurs, or super fun game about dinosaurs... then Dino Run 2 is the game for you!

Dino Run 2 Kickstarter is now live!

Over on the Dino Run 2 Kickstarter you will see all kinds of great sample art, VIDEOS(!), and more. They have a lot planned out and there are many ways for you to get involved with making this campaign a reality.

Dino Run 2 art courtesy of the Dino Run 2 Kickstarter

Did I mention that there were game play snippets that you can watch? Pixeljam has a lot in store and I can't wait to see how the final game turns out! I can't say it enough, please go check out the Dino Run 2 Kickstarter and see with your own eyes what they have planned! RAWR!

Dino Run 2 art courtesy of the Dino Run 2 Kickstarter

That is all for another exciting week on the blog, see you back here on Monday! Until then...

For more samples of my work or to contact me regarding my availability head over to my website: www.christopherburdett.com

Cheap Golf - Pixeljam Kickstarter

Miles Tilmann of Pixeljam is running a 7-day Kickstarter campaign for a new game that looks like a lot of fun. The campaign that ends on Monday is a super retro humor humor-packed golf game. Even if you pledge on the campaign and it is not funded, you still get stuff! All the details are over on the KICKSTARTER! To quote the Kickstarter, "To be clear - if this campaign isn't funded, you don't get Cheap Golf, since it won't exist, but you won't be charged anything and you DO still get the Pixeljam game/album." The more you pledge, the more you will get. It is a win/win situation, so there is no reason not to head over.   

Cheap Golf by Miles Tilmann and Pixeljam

If Pixeljam seems familiar, that is because I have shared some of my work that I did for some of their contests. I have known the guys behind Pixeljam since college, and I can not speak highly enough about them and their work. Do yourself a favor and go help fund Cheap Golf!

That's all for another exciting week on the blog. See you back here on Monday! Until then...

For more samples of my work or to contact me regarding my availability, head over to my website: www.christopherburdett.com