This Character Create menu also had to be trimmed away for release day.u
I've been carrying the same rotten $2 bill for the duration of this game's creation. I just spent it on a dollar coffee and tipped RosaLee the other half. That's all the money I had. I am finally, numerically, zeroed.
But it's what I chose. Feels damned magical to be free of past money as the new, post-release future dawns. I held my breath and my pennies as long as I could, makin this thing. Any other activity brings a guilt, as though it's stalling. I've been real fucking lucky, I realize, in having the blessings of time and tools.
That's over, now. I'm out of rent money, so I had to release it! Sure did hurt to cut huge chunks out for release, but when the free time grows back, I'll invest its harvest right here, cleaning up and debugging stuff like what you see above.
For example: There's a big section called "ROAD Mode" which isn't ready to share, yet. The player goes back to 1892 and travels across the US, going type race to type race. I'd like to develop it more fully in the coming days. But, first, I'm gonna listen to you, stranger, and other type-dreamers in determining whether or not further development of this game is viable
Fire season's upon us. Taking my pack test in a week. I'm an "FF1", now, which means I can expect to lead a small squad this summer. I plan also to finish my EMT certification etc etc
I bring it up because... just like anybody, I'm trynna decide what to do with myself. Rent costs determine my decision-making, and that's a thwarting fact.
Some of you reading this (who ARE you?) are likely (?) familliar with another game of mine called Cart Life. After an awesome, unforgettably great year in which that game netted me forty bucks or so, it gained the favor of some luminary games-subworld chinscratchers. They took the time, refused to dismiss it when it behaved unexpectedly, etc and, because of them, it caught the attention of a number of people. I couldn't fathom the number, still can't. But that project carried me across the subworld of amateur games, into the company of some favorite critters, and it paid my rent for awhile. It bought me coffee. Maybe I wasted it. I don't know. I gave it all away.
When I fight fire, I'm an artist fighting fire. When I cook or work in a hospital or a research lab, I'm an artist that *works there*. I was an artist in jail. I was a homeless artist, etc. Those subworlds thrill, too, but they ain't where I want to make a dwelling for my future days. They're formative, essential experiences, I think. They're rich and visceral adventures which make me the person I am, but undertaking those vocations (absolutely in earnest - I ain't half-assing NOTHIN)... toiling for expertise and success in other fields is, I know, just one crucial aspect of living a creative life. Those (scarce! holy-seeming!) hours I'm free to script code, or paint, or make fucken poker portraits or slap piano keys or WHATEVER. They're the only hours of my life that feel worthwhile (aside from, yknow, Love-stuff, on which I'mmonna stay silent haha).
It's release day. I've spent years anticipating the moment I could Thank You, stranger, typist, type dreamer, for your kind attention to this project. People I've never even met are dowloading this game while I type this, which makes the journey here worthwhile for me. But, see: Now, it's yours. Where will you take it, with whom will you share it? Will you play it at work? At home at night? Do you want to improve your typing aptitude, or do you want to escape, or do you want to scratch an itch for unseen art, unread poems, unheard songs? You'll get faster and more accurate regardless. That's the whole point.
When I first heard Troy Calvert play his guitar, it changed my life. He contributed music to this game. Ditto Mood Area 52, Arrows to the Sun, Dustyn Moore. I hope you love the music, I hope to walk by you as you whistle or hum these tunes in public, like I do. Musicianship, especially piano, shares an obvious parallel with typing. I find they pair nicely. Dream come true for me to have their tunes in this game.
Same with the writing, of course. Half the reason of making this game in the first place was the thin excuse to solicit writing from those I admire. Some said yes. Some didn't. Which ones do it for you? Again: they're yours, now. Do they stick, slide off? Do you retain types material, or is the content merely incidental to the act of having typed it?
I'm typing this on my phone and I hate it haha. The world's fastest txt-messager, Marcel Fernandez Filho, agreed to be depicted in this game, but I suspect (like the Smut chapters) he's too deeply hidden and should be easier to find. Screenshot it and I'll buy you a beer.
Ok, they're getting tired of refilling my cup and it's time I got scarce. Enjoy the game and please throw a thought my way if you have a minute!