title: Start position: -157,-193 --- Bartender: Yeah, they're sitting right over there. #line:11330430 <> <> <> <> Ferris: Oh, hi there! #line:1768282 -> Good to see you! #line:11949485 <> Ferris: Nice to see you too! #line:241831 <> <> Ferris: Thanks for coming, I know you've been busy lately. #line:9767167 -> No problem! #line:3857565 Ferris: So, how is life treating you? #line:1194739 -> Actually, it's been rather tough... #line:117616 <> Ferris: Hmm, I'm sorry to hear. #line:8556292 <> Ferris: Since we last spoke, you started doing game development, right?. #line:13408442 -> As a hobby, yeah. #line:14604755 Ferris: Natural development from your gaming and programming hobbies, I venture. #line:8835991 -> You know it! #line:733854 <> -> I suppose so. #line:467387 -> Don't forget my artsy side! #line:14868721 <> <> Ferris: Hehe, that's right! #line:5058828 <> <> -> Yep, full time even #line:16657049 <> <= 1>> Ferris: Oh yeah, I can see where your stress is coming from then.#line:11682754 <> <> Ferris: Your life must be pretty exciting now! #line:9864868 -> Exciting, but also scary! #line:8478498 <> -> Honestly, I'd prefer a little more security. #line:6243530 <> <> <> === title: Experience position: 89,134 --- Ferris: I'm curious. What have you learned so far? #line:4868554 -> I've learned a lot about game design #line:15798771 Ferris: Well, that stands to reason. Did you watch these videos I get recommended all the time? How were they called? #line:12258759 -> Extra Credits? #line:229797 -> Game Maker's Toolkit? #line:7204706 -> GDC talks? #line:14498565 <> Ferris: Yeah, those! #line:12824156 -> I've been watching quite a few of them, yeah! #line:16079969 -> Actually, I've mostly been reading articles and books. #line:8042703 Ferris: And, did any of these feature a certain suppremely handsome crab on the cover? #line:15293577 -> Hehe, I don't think you're featured on many Rust game dev books yet. #line:10651764 <> Ferris: Then better make some good games in Rust so people write books about it! #line:12399876 <> Ferris: What was the most interesting thing you learned? #line:8566549 -> Hmm, that's a tough one to come up with on the spot. Gimme a sec. #line:11943124 Ferris: Sure, take your time. #line:8728396 <> -> My crappy art has improved a lot #line:1800106 <> Ferris: Oh come on, your art was never "crappy"! #line:12865043 <> Ferris: How did you improve it though? Did you just draw a lot? #line:2530264 -> I've learned some new 3D graphics things I didn't know before. #line:2311958 -> Not just drawing, but yeah, lots of practice #line:11817558 Ferris: Do you mind elaborating? You know I mostly know about programming, so this is all quite new to me. #line:10899769 -> I've gotten into 3D modeling. #line:8910434 Ferris: That's cool! I bet it must feel nice actually *seeing* the things you make instead of just writing stuff. #line:6852198 -> It's a great feeling. Quite motivating, too! #line:3715813 <> <> Ferris: I bet! #line:4627631 <> -> Yes, but it's also a lot of work until things don't look weird or slightly off. #line:15807880 Ferris: I can imagine. #line:9470465 -> It's a bit demoralizing when you also see how *little* you got done after hours of work. #line:15345629 <> Ferris: I understand. Don't beat yourself up about it, every artist I've ever talked to has said something similar. It's just part of the process. Getting better takes time, but it's inevitable if you keep at it. #line:15762446 -> I've written a couple of cool shaders. #line:12333512 Ferris: Whenever I see shader code, it all looks like dark magic to me. Is it as different from regular programming as it looks? #line:759809 -> You do have to think about things in a different way, yeah. #line:8590779 Ferris: I imagine. Maybe I should try it out sometime. #line:14893344 -> It's not that different, really. #line:10787113 Ferris: Huh, maybe I should give it a shot sometime then. #line:14465386 Ferris: Are there any other artsy things you can share? I enjoy hearing about things I don't know much about yet. #line:10734991 -> Hmm, lemme think. #line:4907851 Ferris: Sure, take your time. #line:2418024 <> === title: FullTimeInsecurity position: -373,7 --- Ferris: Wanna talk about what's troubling you? #line:4768964 -> I'd rather speak about something happier, actually #line:8437413 Ferris: Sure, I understand. Just know that I'm here if you ever want to talk about it. #line:15615185 Ferris: I bet you must have had some interesting new experiences, though. #line:10640211 <> -> I don't know if this is really what I want to do with my life #line:11812905 -> It started out great, but I'm not sure if I can keep it up #line:12295688 Ferris: What do you mean? #line:9979028 -> I thought developing games was about fun, but it's actually just draining me. #line:3704017 Ferris: I believe you. I've heard a lot about game developer burnout on Reddit. #line:3400154 <> -> Making games my job has sucked the fun out of them. I'm getting tired of them. #line:10888897 Ferris: I believe you. I think a lot of people who made their passion their job feel the same way. #line:14886996 Ferris: Are you working in a genre that you truly like? #line:8925654 -> Yes, and that's the problem #line:10938781 Ferris: So this genre that you used to love has now just become a chore, right? #line:9688601 Ferris: Maybe you could instead work in another genre and reserve your current one for off-work fun only. #line:14634580 -> Huh, that's actually an interesting idea. #line:12995000 -> I can't just throw away everything I built so far #line:2400858 -> Not really #line:9900469 Ferris: Maybe you feel like this because you're not really working on your passion, then. #line:10694386 Ferris: Maybe you could try switching genres and see where that leads you. #line:146125 -> Huh, that's actually an interesting idea. #line:11516874 <> Ferris: I'm glad I could help! #line:6442433 <> <> -> I can't just throw away everything I built so far #line:12118946 Ferris: I'm pretty sure whatever you come up with with passion and love will be better than what you build with exhaustion. #line:6734513 -> Fair enough #line:15564450 <> Ferris: See! I'm always right! #line:7281142 <> Ferris: But seriously, I think you should give it a shot. #line:14210724 -> I'll think about it. Thanks, Ferris! #line:16033165 Ferris: You're welcome! #line:8712297 <> -> It's fun, but it's an incredible taxing and thankless job. #line:15150846 Ferris: I believe you. I've heard a lot about game developer burnout on Reddit. #line:9097005 <> -> It doesn't feel like a real "grown up" job. #line:1206954 Ferris: I'm sorry to hear that. Other than the opinions of others, do you feel fulfilled when you are working on a game? #line:13633544 -> When I'm in the middle of it? Yeah, I definitely feel a sense of flow. #line:16334452 <> Ferris: That's good to hear. If you enjoy the work itself, you're doing better than most people. #line:14623007 <> Ferris: You and me both see video games as an art form, right? That makes you an artist. #line:1116576 Ferris: And artists have always been belittled by others working in fields with more manual labor or obvious results. #line:15864093 Ferris: But the truth is that people like you shape our culture and society. You're doing important work. #line:12776564 Ferris: I'm proud of you for that, and I hope that you can be proud of yourself too. #line:13669729 Ferris: If anyone says otherwise, I advise you to either show them some cool art or stop talking to them. #line:2392459 Ferris: You deserve to be surrounded by people who believe in you. #line:1505716 -> I... wow. #line:14601794 -> Thanks, Ferris. I really needed to hear that. #line:9724654 -> Fair enough, but I can hardly stop talking to my family #line:16482200 Ferris: Tell them how important this is to you. If they don't understand, tell them to at least try and respect your choices. #line:2901141 Ferris: Your family loves you and would not want to lose you over something like this. #line:8679205 Ferris: I'm sure they'll come around, even if it doesn't seem like it right now. #line:13242943 -> I'll try. Thanks, Ferris. #line:2376100 <> Ferris: You're welcome. I'm always here for you. #line:14926761 <> <> -> Not really. It feels like all my friends are moving forward with their lives and I'm just... not. #line:2723516 Ferris: So you feel like you're missing out on something? #line:13564826 -> Yeah, that's it. #line:16041985 -> Not quite. It's more that I don't feel mature compared to others. #line:7191380 Ferris: Alright, I see. You know, it's okay to not quite know where you want to go in life. #line:2774469 Ferris: Others might seem like they've got everything figured out, but I guarantee you one thing. #line:10100045 Ferris: Everyone, and I tell you, *everyone* is just winging it. #line:14346969 Ferris: Me, your friends, your parents, your teachers, your boss, everyone. #line:13611362 Ferris: And that's okay. It's alright to stumble. So game development isn't quite your calling, that's fine. #line:3249308 Ferris: You're doing the best you can, and no one can ask more of you than that. #line:3306653 <> Ferris: I'm proud of what you achieved so far and I know you *will* find something that makes you as happy. #line:1237066 -> I... wow. #line:4375824 -> Thanks, Ferris. I really needed to hear that. #line:6927534 -> I'm not sure if I believe you, but thanks for trying. #line:10380172 <> <> <> <> Ferris: You're welcome. Remember that all of your friends are here for you if you need us. #line:10407515 <> <> <> <> === title: WorkLifeBalance position: -378,277 --- Ferris: I'm sure you've heard the whole shebang about work-life balance a thousand times, but please remember to take care of yourself. #line:3045821 Ferris: You can't do your best work anyway if you're not feeling well. #line:16589268 -> I know, I know. But it's harder than it sounds. #line:9553133 -> Thing is, there is so much to do that I can't get anything done otherwise. #line:9230738 Ferris: Slow down there, Atlas. You can't carry the whole world on your shoulders. #line:16505820 Ferris: Have you tried reducing your scope? Maybe you could keep track of what takes the most time and find a way to cut it down. #line:12743600 Ferris: I'll give you an example: the guy behind the game "A Short Hike" knew that he didn't have enough time to make high-quality 3D models for the character. #line:13109790 Ferris: So, he instead added an aggressive pixelation filter on top of the whole thing. Now, the pixels are so big that any detail would be lost anyway. #line:2845206 Ferris: Which means that the details are all created in the best renderer of all: your imagination. #line:16002133 <> Ferris: And that is precisely one of the reasons why the game is so charming. It looks and feels gorgeous, despite very little time spent on the actual models. #line:15521172 -> Fair enough, that is worth considering. #line:3753862 Ferris: I'm glad I could help! #line:7035055 <> <> === title: ClippyEntry position: -73,499 --- <> ???: Oh hi there! You peeps are also here? #line:10644447 <> <> <> <> Ferris: Oh hi Clippy! #line:9970032 <> Clippy: WhazZzZuUUuup! #line:10846989 Ferris: WhAzzZzuuuUUP! #line:8645644 -> WHazzZZUUuuUp! #line:16260189 Everyone: WHAAAAAAAZZZZZZZUUUUUUUUUUPPPPPPPP! #line:4500003 -> You two are still doing that? #line:2996138 Ferris & Clippy: WHAAAAAAAZZZZZZZUUUUUUUUUUPPPPPPPP! #line:4775442 <> Clippy: What a nice surprise! Mind if I join your conversation? #line:7212152 Ferris: Sure thing! Our friend here was talking about their experience with game development. #line:4056878 Clippy: Oooooh right, you started creating games, I remember! What are you working on right now? #line:4346681 -> I'm working on a game about a lizard who wants to become a wizard. A wizard lizard. #line:8405964 -> I'm working on a game about a wizard who wants to become a lizard. A lizard wizard. #line:4103693 Clippy: That sounds awesome! I can't wait to play it! #line:10244776 <> Ferris: I'm sure it will be great! #line:3838147 <> Clippy: Well, it's time for me to go. Let's hang out again sometime, maybe talk a bit more about your game! #line:14517399 Ferris: Same for me. It was nice to see both of you! #line:11913139 -> Bye Clippy! Bye Ferris! #line:2015670 -> Bye friends! Thanks for the lovely time, Ferris! <= 2>> #line:11413068 Ferris: You're welcome! #line:12789698 -> Bye friends! Thanks for cheering me up, Ferris! <= 1>> #line:12711099 Ferris: That's what friends are for! #line:7692224 <> <> ===