Plan for Eric Risser
by Eric Risser · 02/01/2005 (11:22 am) · 10 comments
Hmmm, I guess it's been awhile since I've shown my face in these parts. I guess I've been a little embarrassed over what happened with Produce Panic. Seems that due to a bug in torques sound code, and the game just not being that much fun, it never realized a stable player base, and being a multiplayer only game... well yeah.
We (Dylan Sale and I) were actually close to a second much more robust release. I finished all the art, and a good portion of the code was ready. However at some point, and I'm not sure when, Dylan lost interest and explained to me in no uncertain terms that he didn't like the game anymore, didn't think anyone else liked it, and that he didn't want to work on it anymore. I tried to talk him into finishing the last bit of work needed for release two (in large part due to the fact that I had already put a ton of work into it), in an attempt to humor me he reluctantly sort of agreed, but never did it.
Unfortunately I was having some of the same feelings about PP as he was, I was just doing a better job of keeping them repressed and maintaining an optimistic attitude toward the project. In any case, with him on strike and being the coder of the group, the project was pretty much dead.
About this time school was starting up for me again and hurricanes were nailing the crap out of Florida, so my level of caring about this stuff dropped accordingly. Dylan also found himself awfully busy. He got himself a fulltime summer job and a serious girlfriend, so all of our projects were put on the backburner.
If any of the GG crew sees this, I really am sorry that PP wasn't more of a success for you guys
Anyway, the history portion of this plan is over, now for news about my latest work and plans for the future with it.
It might come to some surprise to those who know of my work through GG, but I am actually a computer scientist, not a digital media student (for those of you who don't know me, I've only done art around here). My plan was to learn art on my own (hence why I focused on it in my indie endeavors) and have school teach me programming. However, I felt I was lagging behind with my programming abilities. I've been getting straight A's in school, but that's academic programming, and lacks real world and often times real hardware related problems. Anyway, one of my professors in the fall happened to be the head of my Universities graphics department, and he mentioned a research assistant position. I applied, I got it and here I am six months later at the graphics lab at 4:20am, still here long after even the Asian grad students left, getting the shader implementation of my realistic, realtime grass rendering method finished so I can have my first paper on the subject submitted to Eurographics By the 11th. Out of some twisted stroke of luck, I happened to get a novel new idea on how to render grass the same week that Electronic Arts (they have a local studio here in Orlando) approached my mentor, offering him tons of grant money in exchange for grass rendering technology that would allow them to have realistic fields of grass (for things like madden, tiger woods golf, and that soccer game they make... fifa was it?). Anyway, with a little (or maybe a lot) of luck, all of EA's new sports games might use my grass rendering algorithm. In addition I'm hoping to take this paper on the academic graphics conference circuit. I'm getting a first draft ready for Eurographics this month, and then I'm adding a few features and a pretty demo (glad I have those art skills) and getting a siggraph sketch ready. I'll probably also submit it to GDC next year.
(software version from a few weeks ago without lighting)
Anyway, I've recently decided that I'd like to get a PHD, if for no other purpose then to make people call me "Dr. Eric". It seems I've managed pretty much straight A's so far in college, so with some solid GRE scores and a successful paper (along with having a math minor, and honors degree), I'll have a pretty good shot at Stanford and MIT, so that's sort of my goal these days. I'm really enjoying the work that I'm doing. If I have any complaints at all it's that I simply don't have the time to work on indie games or intern for GG this summer.
As for the technology I'm working on. I believe once I publish the paper on it, it will be public domain. I'd love to see a terrain full of realistic looking grass in TSE. That might be a project for the month or so I'll have off at the end of this summer. In any case, I've rambled on long enough, and I'd just like to declare my undying devotion to all of you who read all the way through this, go ahead and give yourselves a round of applause.
We (Dylan Sale and I) were actually close to a second much more robust release. I finished all the art, and a good portion of the code was ready. However at some point, and I'm not sure when, Dylan lost interest and explained to me in no uncertain terms that he didn't like the game anymore, didn't think anyone else liked it, and that he didn't want to work on it anymore. I tried to talk him into finishing the last bit of work needed for release two (in large part due to the fact that I had already put a ton of work into it), in an attempt to humor me he reluctantly sort of agreed, but never did it.
Unfortunately I was having some of the same feelings about PP as he was, I was just doing a better job of keeping them repressed and maintaining an optimistic attitude toward the project. In any case, with him on strike and being the coder of the group, the project was pretty much dead.
About this time school was starting up for me again and hurricanes were nailing the crap out of Florida, so my level of caring about this stuff dropped accordingly. Dylan also found himself awfully busy. He got himself a fulltime summer job and a serious girlfriend, so all of our projects were put on the backburner.
If any of the GG crew sees this, I really am sorry that PP wasn't more of a success for you guys
Anyway, the history portion of this plan is over, now for news about my latest work and plans for the future with it.
It might come to some surprise to those who know of my work through GG, but I am actually a computer scientist, not a digital media student (for those of you who don't know me, I've only done art around here). My plan was to learn art on my own (hence why I focused on it in my indie endeavors) and have school teach me programming. However, I felt I was lagging behind with my programming abilities. I've been getting straight A's in school, but that's academic programming, and lacks real world and often times real hardware related problems. Anyway, one of my professors in the fall happened to be the head of my Universities graphics department, and he mentioned a research assistant position. I applied, I got it and here I am six months later at the graphics lab at 4:20am, still here long after even the Asian grad students left, getting the shader implementation of my realistic, realtime grass rendering method finished so I can have my first paper on the subject submitted to Eurographics By the 11th. Out of some twisted stroke of luck, I happened to get a novel new idea on how to render grass the same week that Electronic Arts (they have a local studio here in Orlando) approached my mentor, offering him tons of grant money in exchange for grass rendering technology that would allow them to have realistic fields of grass (for things like madden, tiger woods golf, and that soccer game they make... fifa was it?). Anyway, with a little (or maybe a lot) of luck, all of EA's new sports games might use my grass rendering algorithm. In addition I'm hoping to take this paper on the academic graphics conference circuit. I'm getting a first draft ready for Eurographics this month, and then I'm adding a few features and a pretty demo (glad I have those art skills) and getting a siggraph sketch ready. I'll probably also submit it to GDC next year.
(software version from a few weeks ago without lighting)Anyway, I've recently decided that I'd like to get a PHD, if for no other purpose then to make people call me "Dr. Eric". It seems I've managed pretty much straight A's so far in college, so with some solid GRE scores and a successful paper (along with having a math minor, and honors degree), I'll have a pretty good shot at Stanford and MIT, so that's sort of my goal these days. I'm really enjoying the work that I'm doing. If I have any complaints at all it's that I simply don't have the time to work on indie games or intern for GG this summer.
As for the technology I'm working on. I believe once I publish the paper on it, it will be public domain. I'd love to see a terrain full of realistic looking grass in TSE. That might be a project for the month or so I'll have off at the end of this summer. In any case, I've rambled on long enough, and I'd just like to declare my undying devotion to all of you who read all the way through this, go ahead and give yourselves a round of applause.
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#2
02/01/2005 (12:30 pm)
PP was a good thing to do, it was just too buggy which is a shame. Keep at it and good luck with your PHD
#3
02/01/2005 (4:30 pm)
Sounds like you just might get the chance to test your mettle on some real hardware related problems with your grass rendering algorithm. 
#4
02/01/2005 (6:50 pm)
Congrats man, you have learned alot since the first nights IM'ing and showing you the Torque basics. Remeber you own me a job when you get your fancy degree and career.
#5
I must say, it looks like it's on the right track. The only thing that seems..err...ungrassy...in the snapshot is that the grass looks a tad bit too short...just a tad. If you look closely at the top of the hills, it's a lil smooth-ish...other than that, congrats!
02/01/2005 (8:15 pm)
XD Asian grad students...so true so ture...lolI must say, it looks like it's on the right track. The only thing that seems..err...ungrassy...in the snapshot is that the grass looks a tad bit too short...just a tad. If you look closely at the top of the hills, it's a lil smooth-ish...other than that, congrats!
#6
Anyways, Eric, I hope to see more of your art than your comp science here. There are lots of brilliant people around here who can bog down us normal brains quicker'n the new SG lighting system. Your art however, is of a truly 'warped' sense, and really reminded me of what Monty Python and/or the Second City guys would have done, if they had been born American.
02/01/2005 (9:45 pm)
Natural grass here in Florida really is that short, never requiring cutting. Its the garbage hybrbids they insist on planting in our new homes that has everyone forgetting the true nature of grass :)Anyways, Eric, I hope to see more of your art than your comp science here. There are lots of brilliant people around here who can bog down us normal brains quicker'n the new SG lighting system. Your art however, is of a truly 'warped' sense, and really reminded me of what Monty Python and/or the Second City guys would have done, if they had been born American.
#7
@Dylan, it's my phd, I'll call myself what ever I want ;)
@Anthony, man, that must have been back in High School, time really flies... anyway, consider that job yours... you can make coffee right?
@Josiah, good eye ;)
@Erik, well shucks, thanks man, it's always great when someone admires my art style, I know it's not for everyone.
02/02/2005 (2:52 am)
thanks guys!@Dylan, it's my phd, I'll call myself what ever I want ;)
@Anthony, man, that must have been back in High School, time really flies... anyway, consider that job yours... you can make coffee right?
@Josiah, good eye ;)
@Erik, well shucks, thanks man, it's always great when someone admires my art style, I know it's not for everyone.
#8
This is pretty sweet. Keep up the good work and it is good to see you back around here.
02/02/2005 (3:05 am)
Eric,This is pretty sweet. Keep up the good work and it is good to see you back around here.
#9
02/02/2005 (4:41 am)
Well Eric, it was a pleasure to work on PP with you regardless of the outcome. Best of luck with the PhD.
Torque Owner Dylan Sale
Sorry about the whole PP thing, but at some point you have to cut your losses. I do indie stuff as a hobby and if it stops being fun then I really dont see the point (just to clarify). We did make a rather interesting mod for racing though, I might see if we can get that uploaded somewhere.
Wouldnt it be Dr. Risser? :P Good luck on the paper! :D