The Buzzing of BiteyCastle Activity
Dashkin Progress
Last month, Dashkin was put on hold in an effort to continue getting those Kickstarter rewards out. Earlier this week however, we made some more progress on the game itself. I know I’m being too hard on poor old Bitey, but for some time I’ve been concerned that it feels somewhat repetitive. So while we’re aware of the dangers of “feature creep” we’ve been discussing one or two additions to avoid making a boring “dash-mash” game that’s too much of the same thing. We’re not giving anything away just yet but we think it’ll make a better game without causing much more delay.
The Dashkin Facebook page now has over 5000 subscribers! Check it out for the latest updates and screenshots. Isn’t that what you want?
BCA FX enters Month 7
The BiteyCastle Academy FX course continues to grow, now in its 7th month with over 260 members. Interested in joining? Sign up HERE and if you bring some friends with you, you can get free access. Conditions apply and details are in the course forum.
Designs for a serpentine fire style
Kickstarter Rewards
Three exclusive Dashkin wallpapers have been sent as rewards to all our beloved Kickstarter backers. The high resolution wallpapers are currently only for those who pledged to our campaign, but here’s a low res thumbnail at which you’re welcome to squint. At some point in the future (probably to coincide with the game’s release) this, and other goodies, will be available to anyone who plays the game.
Wallpaper #3
Drop me a comment below! What would you like to see at the next update?
Season’s Greetings
oh look, here’s 2012! First I wanna say thank you for the outpouring of support and encouragement since my heart surgery. The past couple of months of recovery has not been difficult. Sure there’s been the pain of a split sternum, but I actually feel like I’ve got off very lightly, as if escaping some kind ►►
Mechanical bits
My heart surgery’s over. It was just 19 days ago that I was on a table with my chest opened up to the eyes and fingers of surgeons but here I am, back at the computer with a mechanical part ticking away inside. I feel surprisingly normal, though it will take a while for my ►►
Effects and Shirts
The BiteyCastle Academy 2D FX animation course is now open! The place is all warmed up with almost 140 members, throwing back tankards of piping hot secret knowledge nectar and churning out their effects assignments. It’s $24/month for a course that animators would elsewhere pay through the nose. In fact, if you’re a passionate animator, you may have indeed ►►
Dashkin Credits
Dashkin is coming along. When I return from my little adventure we’ll apply some finishing touches and get the beta out there for testing. In the meantime, here are our Kickstarter backer credits. If you’re one of these people, check to see that we’ve spelled you correctly. If there’s any problem, please drop us a ►►
A Legend is Born
The intro cinematic I made for EA2D’s Dragon Age: Legends, now owned by Bioware.
tick tock hack chop
edit – thank you everyone for the wishes! I feel like I’m already in a room up to my neck in flowers and cards. Short version - I was told today that I need to have open-heart surgery as a matter of priority, which means in the next couple of weeks. Yeah I know, it sounds ►►
Overhaul Undergone
It took 3 weeks but BiteyCastle survived its enhancement surgery and is once again fully functional. The changes were entirely under the hood so there’ll be very little, if any noticeable difference for visitors. The main problem was outdated system components and redundant software so there was an increasing number of errors and only a ►►
Coming soon
This site is currently being overhauled so you may see missing bits, some slow loading times, etc. When it’s complete, you’ll see a few changes, but best of all I’ll teach you FX animation! In the works there’s an ongoing 2D FX Animation Course, but for Kickstarter backers, there’s a special deal. There’s only 2 ►►
Maintenance
BiteyCastle will be undergoing some maintenance over the next few days, throughout which the site may be down intermittently or loading slowly. When we’re done, it’ll be extra super fantastic and there’ll be a few new additions that will ripple your face with awespasms. Be assured that in true Bitey style, the Dashkin game has ►►
DnD Webcomic
I was recently given an opportunity by Wizards of the Coast to come up with my own ideas for a DnD-themed webcomic. I’m not sure exactly what their plans are for this new section but it appears they’re simply getting a bunch of artists together and gauging which makes an impact. Here is the full ►►
3 Quarters
The purpose of the following video was to inform my YouTube subscribers of the Dashkin Kickstarter project and answer some questions. That was 24 hours ago. The funding was sitting on 46%. Now, at the time of this writing, Dashkin is 78% funded on Kickstarter. update July 31: we have reached and exceeded our funding ►►