Yes, it is very apparent that this game is taking longer than expected. Before I ever attempted to develop a game I knew the difficulty many triple-A studios have with shipping a game on time. Why should I ever think I could deliver my FIRST game on time? Well, I don’t really, but if I don’t set some deadlines then this thing will NEVER get finished. I can keep coming up with new ideas and implementing new game mechanics that lead to more development time, but at its core, the game will probably not ever change. It’s a piece of software that evolves over time as we improve and innovate. Therefore, I do plan on pushing this game live in some capacity by the Summer of 2018. Fighting scope creep is real!
Another thing on my mind this morning is a live video that was streamed by @Pete_Alport through Instagram. This was my very first time ever tuning into Pete live and I thought to see a cool snow shoot or a dope scene as depicted in his photos. As the stream came into focus and the sound kicked in I could hear a very disturbed Pete that said some really heartfelt words about the importance of drinking responsibly. It made me take a look at myself and question why I do the things I do with alcohol when at the mountain. Granted I don’t drink and drive to or from the mountain, but yeah I do enjoy a brew or two in the parking lot before I go snowboarding. Usually, it’s one, but I can say I have had more on occasion. Pete kind of upset me because he said that constitutes me being a piece of shit. Well, I don’t agree, but for various reasons.
I go to Mount Bachelor to relax and chill out on the slopes. I started riding when I was 26 years old and TRUST, I have fear when I’m on the slopes. I’m not trying to set any speed records. I’m not trying to hit all the jumps and jibs while wowing people on the get-backs. I’m just there to float on the pow and ride through the trees on deep days. This is not necessarily a sport for me. I like to watch the sports part of it. I extremely enjoy watching the half-pipe and boardercross events, and I hope none of those guys are drinking beer, but for me that ain’t happening.
If you were to ask me why I drink beer when I ride… well, I enjoy craft beer. I enjoy the process that goes into making a craft beer. I truly enjoy the art that is put on a bottle or can of craft beer. I don’t sit and drink beer all day while working, so when I go to the mountain to relax and chill I also take some of that free time to enjoy a craft beer. If I have one beer I can casually burn that off with a few nonchalant runs. Beer and burn just bring joy to my heart. It’s much like a beer yoga or beer race event. You get to enjoy all the calories and burn that shit off too! Good stuff!
Now, if you see me at the mountain with multiple bombers in tow or on the river trail with a backpack full of beer please know that unfortunately I don’t get to drink all the beer I promote through my game or merch. Well, I don’t get to enjoy them at THAT particular time. I may have one, but the others are for pics and other promo material.
With all that said I am still taking a long hard look at myself. I do not want to ever put anybody through the pain of losing someone due to drunk/buzzed driving. There are just some risks that are not worth it on any level. So yeah, I agree with Pete on many things and will take in his words deeply. It’s good knowing that people care and that we are going to push others to clean up and be responsible. Because, yes I do see the things we promote and do as influencers. We just need to make sure we are promoting and doing these things responsibly. If you are over the limit then obey the law! Please realize that it’s not about you… it’s about a family of five in the other lane trying to get home safely after a beautiful day of skiing at Mt. Bachelor.
Alright, alright, alright… back to some good game dev bits for this week. I’ve used the past week to put some more polish on the game. There are now score effects when beers are cheered. Every time BEER CHEER is scored it is now easier to tell because the score animates when increasing. There is now a “Win” message at the end of a completed scene that gives some stats on how you did that round. In respect there is also a game over screen that lets the player know why they failed with a polite message from the Beer Snob. You should also notice the camera shake added for many many things such as bottle breaks, bottle explosions, bottle infections, bad bottle crosses, and game overs. In order to achieve this effect the camera had to be mounted to another game object. This threw off all my cameras for every scene which I had to manually correct. Ugh… Hey, this is game dev right?!?!?
This week I should be working on some more polish, and a few more scenes. Maybe… just maybe a new game mechanic. But that may push the release out a few months. 
Cheers!
Auzzzy