Pyrrhic victory

Had a hastily arranged night out with some of the lads from Rockstar Leeds last night. We descended on the Showroom around 7pm and were all in high spirits. Was great to catch up with John Li, even vicky came out for a couple of hours. We wandered up into town later on, I think to the Devonshire Cat...We were obviously quite well done by the time we managed to get a taxi. So we sets off, I thought the idea was we went to Doncaster first, then Nottingham but no, Gordon had other ideas and we soon pulled up outside his house. No, I'm going home, taxi paid for, we set back off to Donny. After a few miles, the driver is tapping the meter and tutting, not enough that he'd already had 80 quid or so, he wanted more, in advance. After a brief exchange, I ended up getting out, mid service station on the M1. Walked a few miles. I felt like David Banner. Another pyrrhic victory in the bag.

Blue Skies

Well, back to UK with a bump. The game is looking really nice in most areas and is playing nicely too. Lots of polish and some time to balance and it will make a good first outing for Gamesauce on the Wii driving front.

Lots of follow-ups with publishers this week in between lag relapses and flashbacks to the great time I had in SF. I've been at home most of the week with outlook as my master so I've had some time to mess with the SB800. Still *far* from mastering that but I can virtually guarantee it will fire now! I need another lesson with Mr Waring, who I hear has just bought some VDrums.....with Mr Li more inclined to play bass at the moment, I feel a VJam coming...or at least some low impact collaboration. Blue Skies.

Hilton Heights

Got back from a truly epic trip to San Francisco. That place never ceases to amaze me. I was fortunate enough to be staying at the Hilton, just off Union Square. We were on the 41st floor, hence the rather grand, albeit slightly blurry picture (a feather pillow does not a beanbag make).

I was there to sell ideas for games along with the experience and capabilities of Gamesauce. Although we're a small team, the experience is known, we've done enough to know our onions and that is a nice place to start with the 15 or so formal and many many informal meetings I attended. The capabilities are also quite good these days given we know where to go and what to pay for anything we need beyond what the team can provide. The nice thing this year was to come with the ideas. Not for the gameplay I hasten to add, we're meant to know about such things. We're there to identify a clear market and to provide a needed and highly entertaining and innovative game to service it. It was good to be able to have all 3 elements, with wonderful friends in the most fabulous city I have yet to visit.

The stories. It was constant, we had everything it had to offer in a whirlwind of activity, chat, cajoling, piss taking, glad handing & jin swilling. Rip Roaring? RIP ROARING??..It was OK.

Crafty Butcher
It's not about you!
Bry Way.

Get Back.



Tonight, I'll largely be staying, awake. I have to set off by 4am to get a taxi to Leeds Bradford so might as well stretch the evening another hour or two on my newly updated AppleTv. San Francisco beckons. My enthusiasm for the trip has been waning of late, I've been concentrating on the gruelling nature of it all and completely forgetting what an absolutely ace place it is. I am determined to get the most from the trip and barring the flights, will almost certainly come back stronger and wiser. I'll also be taking advantage (albeit in a moderate fashion) of the favourable exchange rate. It's the first year I have my DSLR out there so I'm very excited about the photo ops. Also creating another spectacle down on the pier on Friday. My flower is firmly in hat!