Week 13
Hello! This will likely be one of the last blogs I do, so let's end this off with a bang!
First,
the big announcement... it's done! All of the music and sound for the
game has been finished and implemented, and later this week, we'll be
showing the game off to recruiters! I'm very excited about this. It's
been a long journey getting here, but now that I am, I can look back at
everything I've done... I'm proud of it. I really, truly am.
Next
time... well, nothing next time! The sound's all done after all! I do
still need to do a postmortem, though, so you can expect that at some
point in the future.
So, until next time! And if there is no next time, then thanks for sticking with me all this time! It's been a blast.
Thursday, April 27, 2017
Monday, April 17, 2017
Kanji Samurai Development Blog - Week 12
Week 12
Hello all! Back once again for another update.
Once again, things have been busy! Only a few more days until all the sound is due! This past week, I spent a lot of time getting the last few music tracks done (finishing up a Forest song, and getting a decent way through an Ocean song!), while simultaneously gathering ideas for the ones that remain. Most of the sound effects have been finished up as well! Some need a bit of refining, but for the most part, the game now has every sound effect that it yet lacked. Exciting!
This week... well, this week I finish up the last few things! There are 3 songs to finish, a handful of sound effects to touch up, and then that's it! All the sound will be in the game! I'm not sure what I'll do after that, but damn... it's been a pretty crazy ride getting here, huh?
Well, that's all for now. Until next time!
Hello all! Back once again for another update.
Once again, things have been busy! Only a few more days until all the sound is due! This past week, I spent a lot of time getting the last few music tracks done (finishing up a Forest song, and getting a decent way through an Ocean song!), while simultaneously gathering ideas for the ones that remain. Most of the sound effects have been finished up as well! Some need a bit of refining, but for the most part, the game now has every sound effect that it yet lacked. Exciting!
This week... well, this week I finish up the last few things! There are 3 songs to finish, a handful of sound effects to touch up, and then that's it! All the sound will be in the game! I'm not sure what I'll do after that, but damn... it's been a pretty crazy ride getting here, huh?
Well, that's all for now. Until next time!
Sunday, April 9, 2017
Kanji Samurai Development Blog - Week 11.2
Week 11.2
Hello again! I'm back for yet another update!
Since last time, I've been working on - what else - more songs! The main focus of my work this time was the Mountain Song. This one was a particular challenge - how does one convey the power and majesty of a mountain with such a limited instrument set? I decided to go for using slow melodies and powerful drums, which gives the whole song a very powerful feel. I also added a very soft wind sound effect in the background, to give a hint of being very high up in the air. I think it worked out very well!
This next coming week, things start getting down to the wire. I only have a few more songs left to do, as well as a few final sound effects to record. Plus, I'll be recording another japanese sensei voice on Tuesday, which should be quite exciting! And once all that is done... well, I'm not sure what will be left for me!
That's all for now. Until next time!
Hello again! I'm back for yet another update!
Since last time, I've been working on - what else - more songs! The main focus of my work this time was the Mountain Song. This one was a particular challenge - how does one convey the power and majesty of a mountain with such a limited instrument set? I decided to go for using slow melodies and powerful drums, which gives the whole song a very powerful feel. I also added a very soft wind sound effect in the background, to give a hint of being very high up in the air. I think it worked out very well!
This next coming week, things start getting down to the wire. I only have a few more songs left to do, as well as a few final sound effects to record. Plus, I'll be recording another japanese sensei voice on Tuesday, which should be quite exciting! And once all that is done... well, I'm not sure what will be left for me!
That's all for now. Until next time!
Wednesday, April 5, 2017
Kanji Samurai Development Blog - Week 11
Week 11
Hello all! back again for yet another update!
Earlier this week, I completed work on two more songs! The first is the Sensei battle theme, which has been in the works for a long time, but was finally finished late last night! I kept the song fairly intense, to fit with the theme of a final challenge before moving on. The second song is a more ambient track to play in the Temple area of the game. I managed to squeeze in some monk chanting for that track, which I'm quite pleased with!
Coming up, we're entering the final two weeks for my sound work! All the final sounds need to be implemented by Wednesday the 19th, so I'll need to work double time (perhaps triple time!) to make sure everything is in perfect order by then! I still have a few songs to write, as well as a few more sound effects to get in place!
That's all for now. Until next time!
Hello all! back again for yet another update!
Earlier this week, I completed work on two more songs! The first is the Sensei battle theme, which has been in the works for a long time, but was finally finished late last night! I kept the song fairly intense, to fit with the theme of a final challenge before moving on. The second song is a more ambient track to play in the Temple area of the game. I managed to squeeze in some monk chanting for that track, which I'm quite pleased with!
Coming up, we're entering the final two weeks for my sound work! All the final sounds need to be implemented by Wednesday the 19th, so I'll need to work double time (perhaps triple time!) to make sure everything is in perfect order by then! I still have a few songs to write, as well as a few more sound effects to get in place!
That's all for now. Until next time!
Monday, April 3, 2017
Kanji Samurai Development Blog - Week 10.2
Week 10.2
Hello again! back again for another update!
To continue with our catching up, in the time I was away I managed to write and arrange another song! This song is going to be used for the Kanji Drop game mode, a sort of flash-cards-like game where players match English words to Japanese kanji. I was asked to make something like traveling music for this song, since the game was meant to be played while traveling between to levels. Now traveling music isn't a genre, but after a lot of head scratching I managed to come up with a song that I think fits the mood of the game exceptionally well.
Coming up this week, things start getting pretty busy! I still need to remove background noise from the interview clips our team recorded over the weekend, I'll need to write a couple songs during the week, and I'll be putting together a few sound effects on top of that. Hopefully I can keep myself from burning out too quickly.
That's all for now. Until next time!
Hello again! back again for another update!
To continue with our catching up, in the time I was away I managed to write and arrange another song! This song is going to be used for the Kanji Drop game mode, a sort of flash-cards-like game where players match English words to Japanese kanji. I was asked to make something like traveling music for this song, since the game was meant to be played while traveling between to levels. Now traveling music isn't a genre, but after a lot of head scratching I managed to come up with a song that I think fits the mood of the game exceptionally well.
Coming up this week, things start getting pretty busy! I still need to remove background noise from the interview clips our team recorded over the weekend, I'll need to write a couple songs during the week, and I'll be putting together a few sound effects on top of that. Hopefully I can keep myself from burning out too quickly.
That's all for now. Until next time!
Sunday, April 2, 2017
Kanji Samurai Development Blog - Week 10
Week 10
Hello all!
My apologies for the break between blog posts. A of things lot came up, hindering my ability to effectively communicate my goings on. But I'm back now, so I'll be doing multiple blogs this week to catch you up to speed!
The biggest thing that's gone on since last I left you is that our team started working on our game trailer and reel! This is huge, as this will be the first thing many companies see when looking at my team and our game. We recorded interviews with all of our team members, but the first take ended up with sound issues, so we took another try, this time leaving the recording to yours truly! By the end of it, we got some pretty high quality recordings, in my personal opinion.
Coming up this week, a lot of stuff. Alpha is rapidly approaching, which means that all of the content we want in the game needs to be in the game. Period. So I need to work double time on any songs that are still left to do. Additionally, I'll need to edit some of the video footage that was recorded to make sure the sound is as good as it can possibly be.
That's all for now, I'll see you later this week for my next update.
Until next time!
Hello all!
My apologies for the break between blog posts. A of things lot came up, hindering my ability to effectively communicate my goings on. But I'm back now, so I'll be doing multiple blogs this week to catch you up to speed!
The biggest thing that's gone on since last I left you is that our team started working on our game trailer and reel! This is huge, as this will be the first thing many companies see when looking at my team and our game. We recorded interviews with all of our team members, but the first take ended up with sound issues, so we took another try, this time leaving the recording to yours truly! By the end of it, we got some pretty high quality recordings, in my personal opinion.
Coming up this week, a lot of stuff. Alpha is rapidly approaching, which means that all of the content we want in the game needs to be in the game. Period. So I need to work double time on any songs that are still left to do. Additionally, I'll need to edit some of the video footage that was recorded to make sure the sound is as good as it can possibly be.
That's all for now, I'll see you later this week for my next update.
Until next time!
Friday, March 3, 2017
Kanji Samurai Development Blog - Week 7
Week 7
Hello yet again! Back for another update!
This past week, the name of the game was minor tweaks. There wasn't a lot of brand new stuff (did a bit of composition work and recorded a new sound effect that is awaiting approval), but I did a lot of minor tweaks to previously recorded things. I did some work splitting up the various sensei sound clips, fixed a minor looping issue on the normal fight song, planned out a couple new kanji sound effects, etc. Lots of little things to work on.
This next coming week, we start a new sprint! I still have a lot of sound effects I'll need to finish for that, so I'll have to knuckle down and get those finished. Beyond that, there are still a few more songs to compose, and a couple to finish arranging, so that should be more than enough to keep me busy!
That's all I have to say at the moment. Until next time!
Hello yet again! Back for another update!
This past week, the name of the game was minor tweaks. There wasn't a lot of brand new stuff (did a bit of composition work and recorded a new sound effect that is awaiting approval), but I did a lot of minor tweaks to previously recorded things. I did some work splitting up the various sensei sound clips, fixed a minor looping issue on the normal fight song, planned out a couple new kanji sound effects, etc. Lots of little things to work on.
This next coming week, we start a new sprint! I still have a lot of sound effects I'll need to finish for that, so I'll have to knuckle down and get those finished. Beyond that, there are still a few more songs to compose, and a couple to finish arranging, so that should be more than enough to keep me busy!
That's all I have to say at the moment. Until next time!
Monday, February 27, 2017
Kanji Samurai Development Blog - Week 6
Week 6
Hello all! Time for another update!
Last week was somewhat exciting - I got to do a recording session! Not like a music recording session, a voice recording session. I briefly mentioned this last week, but for our game, we needed pronunciations for the various kanji that appear in game. There were some previously recorded before I joined the game team, but our lead designer's Japanese professor offered to lend us her voice! Which was exciting, because it means we can have an authentic Japanese voice! The recording session went well, and it was great working with the professor.
For this week, I'm going to be working with the recorded voice clips, separating out all the clips and finding the ones that sound best. Additionally, I've begun composing a song for the alternate game mode "Kanji Drop", so I'll be continuing to work on that this week. I'd also like to get in a lot of work this week, as I believe I'm falling a bit behind on hours, so hopefully I can find the work to fill out my time.
That's all for now. Until next time!
Hello all! Time for another update!
Last week was somewhat exciting - I got to do a recording session! Not like a music recording session, a voice recording session. I briefly mentioned this last week, but for our game, we needed pronunciations for the various kanji that appear in game. There were some previously recorded before I joined the game team, but our lead designer's Japanese professor offered to lend us her voice! Which was exciting, because it means we can have an authentic Japanese voice! The recording session went well, and it was great working with the professor.
For this week, I'm going to be working with the recorded voice clips, separating out all the clips and finding the ones that sound best. Additionally, I've begun composing a song for the alternate game mode "Kanji Drop", so I'll be continuing to work on that this week. I'd also like to get in a lot of work this week, as I believe I'm falling a bit behind on hours, so hopefully I can find the work to fill out my time.
That's all for now. Until next time!
Monday, February 20, 2017
Kanji Samurai Development Blog - Week 5
Week 5
Hello again! Sorry for the late post, but I'm back again with another update!
Last week, I did a bit more work on the various sound effects for the kanji. Sadly, not all of the sounds had quite the effect I was hoping for, so I may need to complete some further iterations on them. Additionally, I completed another song for use in the regular battle mode! I wrote it with a slower, more intense melody and rhythm, as an alternative to the fast-paced sound of the boss fight music.
For this next coming week, I'll be continuing to work on the various sound effects for the game. I'll also be recording some voicework (courtesy of our lead designer's sensei) for use with the various kanji, so the player can hear what they are supposed to sound like.
That's all for now. Until next time!
Hello again! Sorry for the late post, but I'm back again with another update!
Last week, I did a bit more work on the various sound effects for the kanji. Sadly, not all of the sounds had quite the effect I was hoping for, so I may need to complete some further iterations on them. Additionally, I completed another song for use in the regular battle mode! I wrote it with a slower, more intense melody and rhythm, as an alternative to the fast-paced sound of the boss fight music.
For this next coming week, I'll be continuing to work on the various sound effects for the game. I'll also be recording some voicework (courtesy of our lead designer's sensei) for use with the various kanji, so the player can hear what they are supposed to sound like.
That's all for now. Until next time!
Friday, February 10, 2017
Kanji Samurai Development Blog - Week 4
Week 4
Hello! Me again, with another update on Kanji Samurai!
To be honest, things went a bit slow this week on my end. I've done a bit of composing for the third song we need (a somewhat quick-paced fight song for normal battles), and a good amount of conceptualizing for various sound effects, but to tell the truth, I've been fairly preoccupied with other matters this week that kept me from putting the time I would have liked into Kanji Samurai. I'm disappointed in myself for allowing that to happen, but I will own up to it, and do my best to avoid such failings in the future.
Speaking of, there is a lot to do! With a final list of Kanji prepared, I've been tasked with coming up with a unique sound effect for every single Kanji, of which there are about 50. Although each individual sound doesn't take long to make, 50 sound effects is no small feat, so this will be something to keep me busy for a long time, in addition to the songs I have yet to finish.
But that's all I have for this week. Until next time!
Hello! Me again, with another update on Kanji Samurai!
To be honest, things went a bit slow this week on my end. I've done a bit of composing for the third song we need (a somewhat quick-paced fight song for normal battles), and a good amount of conceptualizing for various sound effects, but to tell the truth, I've been fairly preoccupied with other matters this week that kept me from putting the time I would have liked into Kanji Samurai. I'm disappointed in myself for allowing that to happen, but I will own up to it, and do my best to avoid such failings in the future.
Speaking of, there is a lot to do! With a final list of Kanji prepared, I've been tasked with coming up with a unique sound effect for every single Kanji, of which there are about 50. Although each individual sound doesn't take long to make, 50 sound effects is no small feat, so this will be something to keep me busy for a long time, in addition to the songs I have yet to finish.
But that's all I have for this week. Until next time!
Friday, February 3, 2017
Kanji Samurai Development Blog - Week 3
Week 3
Hello yet again! Got another update on Kanji Samurai!
Last week I was working on a more calming and peaceful music track to be played in the tutorial stages of the game. I'm happy to say that track is now finished! I took inspiration from very zen-like tracks, mostly going with a very improvisational style. I also managed to iterate on a few sound effects last week, mainly being the brushstroke sound and the "undo" sound. Both, however, still need some improvements, so I'll be working on those a bit more.
Coming up, I've been tasked with working on some jingles to play for when you successfully complete a kanji, and for when you fail at completing a kanji. I'll also be attempting to create a better sword slashing sound, provided I can find the right things to make the sound I'm looking for! I have an idea involving an energy drink can, but we'll have to see how that turns out.
Well, that's all for now. Until next time!
Hello yet again! Got another update on Kanji Samurai!
Last week I was working on a more calming and peaceful music track to be played in the tutorial stages of the game. I'm happy to say that track is now finished! I took inspiration from very zen-like tracks, mostly going with a very improvisational style. I also managed to iterate on a few sound effects last week, mainly being the brushstroke sound and the "undo" sound. Both, however, still need some improvements, so I'll be working on those a bit more.
Coming up, I've been tasked with working on some jingles to play for when you successfully complete a kanji, and for when you fail at completing a kanji. I'll also be attempting to create a better sword slashing sound, provided I can find the right things to make the sound I'm looking for! I have an idea involving an energy drink can, but we'll have to see how that turns out.
Well, that's all for now. Until next time!
Friday, January 27, 2017
Kanji Samurai Development Blog - Week 2
Week 2
Hello! I'm back again with another update on Kanji Samurai!
First of all, I've started work on a couple music tracks for the game! The first one has some of the arrangement done, but is still work in progress. The second one I've been working on is still in the composition stage at the time of writing, but I'll be spending tonight finishing it up and hashing out a quick demo for it!
Additionally, I've done some sound effect work this week! I created several options for sounds to be played when the player correctly draws a stroke of their kanji, and a lot of options for when they draw it wrong! The next main sound effect I'll be working on is one that will play as the player is actually drawing the stroke. I'm going to experiment with combining the sounds of a brush with the sounds of a sword swing, and see how that turns out.
Finally, I've been tasked with piecing together some ambient sound effects for use in various game locales (a village, for example). I don't think I'll be getting to that this week, but that's something to look at in the future for sure!
Well, that's everything for this update! Still not much to say, seeing as we're still so early in the semester.
Until next time!
Hello! I'm back again with another update on Kanji Samurai!
First of all, I've started work on a couple music tracks for the game! The first one has some of the arrangement done, but is still work in progress. The second one I've been working on is still in the composition stage at the time of writing, but I'll be spending tonight finishing it up and hashing out a quick demo for it!
Additionally, I've done some sound effect work this week! I created several options for sounds to be played when the player correctly draws a stroke of their kanji, and a lot of options for when they draw it wrong! The next main sound effect I'll be working on is one that will play as the player is actually drawing the stroke. I'm going to experiment with combining the sounds of a brush with the sounds of a sword swing, and see how that turns out.
Finally, I've been tasked with piecing together some ambient sound effects for use in various game locales (a village, for example). I don't think I'll be getting to that this week, but that's something to look at in the future for sure!
Well, that's everything for this update! Still not much to say, seeing as we're still so early in the semester.
Until next time!
Friday, January 20, 2017
Kanji Samurai Development Blog - Week 1
Week 1
Hello again! It's me, Connor Meislahn, back for more Development Updates! Of course, this time they aren't for the same game as last time, but either way, I'm excited to be back!
The name of the game this time around is Kanji Samurai, a mobile game intended to assist in teaching Japanese Kanji to people hoping to learn it! I was brought on to this team primarily for my sound design skills, so I hope I'll be able to meet their expectations!
This week, the team met in class, and our first tasks were assigned. For myself, it was to start putting together some sound effects for when the player does the correct or incorrect strokes while writing the Kanji. At the time of writing this blog, I've downloaded base sounds that will give me a starting point, but I haven't yet put together the sounds in question. I plan on getting a few options for the sounds put together by the end of the week, or at least before our team meets again this Sunday.
And... that's it! It's been a short week so far, so there isn't much to talk about at the moment. So for now, I'll leave you with that.
Until next time!
Hello again! It's me, Connor Meislahn, back for more Development Updates! Of course, this time they aren't for the same game as last time, but either way, I'm excited to be back!
The name of the game this time around is Kanji Samurai, a mobile game intended to assist in teaching Japanese Kanji to people hoping to learn it! I was brought on to this team primarily for my sound design skills, so I hope I'll be able to meet their expectations!
This week, the team met in class, and our first tasks were assigned. For myself, it was to start putting together some sound effects for when the player does the correct or incorrect strokes while writing the Kanji. At the time of writing this blog, I've downloaded base sounds that will give me a starting point, but I haven't yet put together the sounds in question. I plan on getting a few options for the sounds put together by the end of the week, or at least before our team meets again this Sunday.
And... that's it! It's been a short week so far, so there isn't much to talk about at the moment. So for now, I'll leave you with that.
Until next time!
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