I like the crumbs and hints approach, personally! Partly because understanding Homestuck’s referential/symbol language is crucial to understanding it’s broader themes anyway, and partly because…I’m a Soulsborne addict and this type of storytelling has natural appeal to me so I’m not really an objective judge xD
I would be really happy to get more crumbs though. Given my model, I’m really interested in knowing if Xefros’ relationship to Butlers implies any relationship to Knights or Pages, either because he is one or because it’s a case of roleplay. If neither’s the case, I might have to reconsider everything, which is always exciting.
God I want Hiveswap. I’m so excited all the time ;w;
ok but evryone at first believing xefros was really timid+anxious+nervous but then the grubbels/grubbles music comes out and its like alternative ska-punk esque music where hes singing about rebellion and being like super fucking pissed and stuff is perhaps the biggest plot twist in hiveswap already before the game even is out yet
i was going to say “what about Grandpa being into musclehorse furries” but upon a moments reflection that really isnt a plot twist at all
A young girl awakes in her room, it’s a very pleasant November morning and there’s quite frankly no way that it could possibly go wrong! Infact, she’s certain it’s going to be as ordinary as every other day around this empty house.
There are many chores that will need tackling if she’s feeling up to it but there’s also a lot of fun to be had! Maybe she can even recount the dream she had last night.
What should she do?
The new interactive fanventure: Joey’s Adventure is now live on the Hiveswap discord, fans will be able to submit votes for actions and after a 24 hour period, the one with the most votes will be selected. Updates will come Monday and Friday.
Hey there folks, we’re back to our new normal: it’s Ash here once again! I’ve returned from my brief outing to E3 last week and – don’t you worry – I’ve got a brand-new Hiveswap development team interview lined up for you today, just as scheduled!
But before we get to that, I’d like to toss a great, big “Thanks, man!” Cohen’s way for posting last week’s interview in my stead and, in fact, interviewing me so I didn’t have to very awkwardly interview myself. I may not be a super-cool artist or animator, but hopefully you all found what I had to say to be sufficiently interesting nonetheless!
But speaking of our illustrious creative types, today I’ve got an interview lined up with James Roach, Hiveswap’s sound designer and lead composer! These weekly interviews have been focusing mostly on the game’s visual elements and aspects up to now, but why should eyes get all the love? Not that eyes aren’t awesome and all, but I have it on good authority that ears everywhere are alsolooking forward to Hiveswap. Fortunately, James has very graciously prepared a smattering of Hiveswap sound samples for you to listen to as you read through the interview, so be sure to get equipped with some headphones before you begin!
Take it away, James!
Introduce yourself to the fans! What is your specific role on the Hiveswap team?
I’m James Roach, and I’m the Sound Designer for Hiveswap! I teamed up with [Undertale creator and composer] Toby Fox to compose the soundtrack for the game. I’m also responsible for most of the game’s sound effects and ambient sound alongside Marcy Nabors!
When and how did you get your start on the Hiveswap project?
When I saw the opportunity I reached out to What Pumpkin and sent along my portfolio. I was never part of the “Homestuck music team” in any official capacity, but I was pretty active in the community, so they knew of my work. I was as surprised as any of you when they offered me a job! They paired me up with Toby, who at that point was already a Homestuck music veteran. We’ve both been on the project ever since then.
Tell us a little bit about your career background! How did you get your start in music and sound design? Do you have any advice for others looking to enter this field?
I have been playing piano since I was about four years old. My family and culture have a strong musical tradition, and my mom thought playing music would keep me out of trouble. I got my start scoring web cartoons and doing freelance work. I only started doing sound design in the last few years out of necessity. A friend needed sound work done for their thesis film and had nobody else to do it, and I can’t leave a friend hanging! As far as advice goes, I recommend having your work accessible and easy to find. Make connections and be easy to work with. Being reliable, consistent, and professional will go a lot further than solely being good at something.
We’re making a video game, so of course the question must be asked: what’s your favorite game of all time, and what games are you playing currently?
The first game I remember having a big impact on me was The Legend of Zelda on the NES. My favorite game of all time is probably Bastion, but I don’t play a ton of video games anymore. I play a lot of Dungeons & Dragons. It’s all I ever talk about. My friends are so tired of me. Anyway, did you know a group of Myconids is called a “Circle?” Myconids are like cool mushroom guys that live underground. A lot of people think they might have a hive mind, but did you know they communicate using spores? Another cool thing about Myconids is–
Are there any games that you currently use or have used as inspiration for your own music and sound work here on Hiveswap, or just in general?
Obvious notes are stuff like Transistor, Luigi’s Mansion, Monkey Island, and so on and so forth. A lot of the inspiration for Hiveswap’s soundtrack comes less from games and more from my own musical and cultural background. There’s also a third-wave ska song. I have a really complicated relationship with ska.
As someone who writes music for video games, surely you must have a favorite video game composer or two (or three)! Who are they and what games have they scored?
You can’t talk about video game music without mentioning Nobuo Uematsu (the Final Fantasy series’ original composer) in some capacity, and his work has always been an inspiration to me. I think there’s an obvious Darren Korb (Supergiant Games) influence on my work as well. I’m really looking forward to hearing more of the Pyre soundtrack. I don’t know if I’m allowed to say that Toby has greatly influenced my work, since I worked with him specifically on this, but he absolutely has. The way he writes counter-melodies is phenomenal.
What’s your workstation like? Do you listen to any particular kinds of music while you work? If so, tell us about it!
Because I’ve been doing a lot of Foley work, I have this bizarre assortment of things lying around everywhere in my apartment for the weird, specific sounds they make. I’ve had this bundle of straws (which I flick rapidly to make monster footstep sounds) on my desk for weeks. There’s a broken umbrella (perfect for a monster’s wing flapping) hanging on the door, and a big pot with a fork and a broken slinky in it (scraped and slapped together to make creepy, echoey laser sounds) just lying around too. It’s a disaster to live in.
Favorite Homestuck character?
Aradia Megido.
Favorite Homestuck ship?
I used to be all about Intermission shipping, but it’s a little complicated to get into.
Favorite Homestuck flash?
I think like most people who started reading as a carryover from Problem Sleuth, “WV: Ascend” was the big “Whoa!” moment for me, so it’s always had a special place in my heart.
Do you have a personal message you’d like to relay to all the Homestuck and Hiveswap fans out there?
Hey.
Where can people find more of your work? Link us to your own little corner(s) of the Internet!
Whenever you close your eyes and open your heart… I will be there. No, I’m kidding – please follow me. You can find me on Twitter and SoundCloud!
—
“Can’t hoooold on much longer… But I will neeee-ver let go!…” –oh, wait, I’m back on? Sorry about that, James’ last answer there brought out my inner Crush 40 fanboy. (Sonic Adventure had a killer soundtrack though, didn’t it?) Thank you again for letting us pick your brain for a while, James – and for those lovely sound samples, of course!
IT IS NEVER TOO LATE AND ALSO!!! even though the fandom isn’t as big as it used to be, there are still TONS of people out there who love it, even if they don’t post about it constantly. give it a chance, it’s really fun and it has so much history to it, and the community is so supportive, at least in my experience.
funnily enough, the homestuck fandom is one of the least drama filled ones I’ve been in, which says alot considering how big it is / was.
here’s the first page! :> you can save your spot on the website as well, which is really helpful. have fun!!
It’s also worth noting that Hiveswap is gonna come out sometime soon, and it’s the first project Toby Fox has been involved in since Undertale–to say nothing of such a big content release related to Homestuck.
So the fandom could be looking at a revival real soon, is what I’m saying. This might actually be the perfect time to catch up, and even if that’s not the case, Homestuck and Hiveswap will be well worth it :B
Hey there folks, Ash here! It’s that time again: time, that is, to grab a snack of your choice, get nice and comfy, and settle in for another illuminating interview with one of the people working tirelessly to bring you Hiveswap!
In the spotlight for today’s interview is Tauhid Bondia, one of the incredibly talented individuals on our art and graphic design team who also happens to be Hiveswap’s user interface (UI) maestro! He’s responsible for most of the game’s UI design, including visual elements like the heads-up display (HUD), cursors, menus, achievement and item icons… really, if it requires a special interface, chances are he designed it! He also helps out anywhere else he’s needed on the art and animation side of things; for example, he’s done clean-up and added color to rough animation. As you read through the interview, make sure you pause just long enough to gaze lovingly upon the examples of Tauhid’s work peppered throughout… and above all, enjoy this latest sneak peek at some of Hiveswap’s visual elements!
Introduce yourself to the fans! What is your specific role on the Hiveswap team?
My name is Tauhid Bondia (Tah-heed Bon-Dee-uh) and I’m a graphic designer, illustrator, and web designer. On Hiveswap I’m the UI designer.
When and how did you get your start on the Hiveswap project?
I’ve been with What Pumpkin for a little over three years now. When Hiveswap began to take up more of the company’s time, they asked me to pitch in with some of the web design and Illustration. I said, “Okay.”
(The top image shows a “style guide” Tauhid prepared for the game’s HUD. This guide was then used to implement the HUD into the game itself, which you can see in the bottom image. – Ash)
Tell us a little bit about your career background! How did you get your start
in art and graphic design? Do you have any advice for others looking to enter this field?
I’ve worked in graphic design for 15 or 16 years now, mostly freelance and local stuff. I am also a self-taught web designer. Everything I’ve learned about animation and game design has actually been on the job!
We’re making a video game, so of course the question must be asked: what’s your favorite game of all time, and what games are you playing currently (if any)?
My answer has to be World of Warcraft, just based on the sheer volume of years of my life and personal relationships it has eaten.
Are there any games that you currently use or have used as inspiration for
your own art and graphic design work here on Hiveswap, or just in general?
Not really. I mostly draw from print and web comics.
What are your preferred programs and applications as an artist and graphic designer? What are the tools of your trade?
Photoshop, Illustrator, and Corel Draw. I do all of my drawing on a Cintiq Companion these days, but I’ve worked on some model of Cintiq since they first came out.
What’s your workstation like? Do you like to listen to any particular kinds of music while you work? If so, tell us about it!
I work in a recliner in my living room. I’ll usually put The Office on Netflix as background noise. Barring that, I might bump a little Mos Def or Chance the Rapper. Basically, any authentic hip-hop that’s got my ear at the time.
Favorite Homestuck character?
My blackest secret is that I never mustered the stamina to finish it. But I like the one with the horns. He honks, I think. Gamgam.
Favorite Homestuck ship?
It has ships? I didn’t realize it was science fiction. Maybe I’ll finish it.
Favorite Homestuck flash?
Are you trying to get me fired?
Do you have a personal message you’d like to relay to all the Homestuck and Hiveswap fans out there?
Probably just that I really hope you enjoy this game. I don’t really know if there is another project I’ve been prouder to be a part of. The amount of talent that’s been poured into this game is just obscene!
Where can people find more of your work? Link us to your own little corner(s) of the Internet!
You can find plenty of examples of my work and more – including my own comics – on my website!
Hello there Hiveswap and Homestuck fans, Ash here! Now, I know what you’re thinking: “What madness is this? Ash said there’d only be *one* Hiveswap development team interview per week going forward! And he said they would be on WEDNESDAYS! This isn’t a Wednesday!”
Right you are, and that’s exactly why surprises are so much fun! Now, last week I mentioned that the next interviewee would be our superstar UI designer and all-around graphics guy Tauhid. Our interview with him will still be going live this week on Thursday, so definitely look forward to that, but today we’ve got another talented team member in the hot seat: Tom Hunt, our lead programmer and the prime coding whiz in charge of things on the technical side of things! Take it away, Tom!
Introduce yourself to the fans! What is your specific role on the Hiveswap team?
Hi, I’m Tom. I make stuff in Unity, which is a cross-platform 3D game engine and editor that can make all kinds of things – including the very 2D game you’re here to read about! My company neocade and I are working freelance on Hiveswap, with me as the lead programmer. Mostly, I direct and coordinate the team of programmers and quality assurance (QA) testers that are putting this game together. Sometimes I also write code.
When and how did you get your start on the Hiveswap project?
Sometime late last year, I was looking for a gig. At the time, What Pumpkin Games was looking for an additional Unity programmer. A mutual business contact introduced us via email, and we went from there.
Tell us a little bit about your career background! How did you get your start in programming? Do you have any advice for others looking to enter this field?
I’ve been programming computers since I was a little kid. I got my first actual programming job about a month after graduating high school, and did that for a bit during breaks while I was in college. It wasn’t very exciting, had nothing to do with video games, and didn’t pay a whole lot, but it sure beat taping up boxes of hot dogs in a factory all day.
The only advice I can really give to someone looking to enter the video games field is to just start making video games. Game development tools are more readily available now than they’ve ever been.
Also make lots of friends, especially with people who can draw or write or anything. If you live near a city, there is probably at least one game dev meetup somewhere – go to those and meet people. Get over whatever shyness you have, because almost every game that ever gets made is the result of a lot of teamwork.
We’re making a video game, so of course the question must be asked: what’s your favorite game of all time?
I played the heck out of Super Metroid back in the day. There’s something about that game. I would do speedruns of it – so now, every time I go back and play it, it all just feels so fluid. There’s a fairly robust set of inputs mapped out in a way that makes sense to my fingers. The entire game itself is fairly tightly bounded – a complete playthrough can take less than 90 minutes – so in a way, this beautifully detailed, explorable world is also actually kind of respectful of my time (more so than, say, a game like Skyrim, which is almost always a multi-hour/day/week commitment).
What games are you playing currently (if any)?
To be perfectly honest, I have not been playing NEARLY enough video games lately. That being said, aside from Hiveswap, I am currently into little mobile action puzzlers that I can play on the bus. Super Hexagon and Desert Golf are great. Just tried Polyforge this morning, too; that was pretty fun.
A lot of my friends are playing Breath of the Wild. I really want to just go get a Switch and play that, but I’m afraid of that eating up my time like Skyrim did.
Are there any games that you currently use or have used as inspiration for your own programming work here on Hiveswap, or just in general?
Not really – I tend to look at each technical problem on its own merits. The creative side of things is all handled by the What Pumpkin folks. I don’t really get involved with that too much. I just work to make sure their vision is implemented, however that needs to be done.
Imagine you’ve been given an unlimited budget and time frame to make your dream game. Tell us (briefly!) about that game in terms of genre, style, platforms, etc. Is it an original game or a long-desired sequel to an existing game? Go crazy!
Given an unlimited budget and time to work on a “dream game,” I’d have to go with some kind of deeply-simulated, massively multiplayer VR thing.
What’s your workstation like?
As a programmer, I like my workstations to be fast, reliable, and quiet. I always max out the RAM on a new machine if I can, because disk thrashing is just annoying as all hell. I’ve been really digging M.2 drives lately. Also, having extra monitors is always nice.
Do you like to listen to any particular kinds of music while you work? If so, tell us about it!
Mostly instrumental electronic music. Sometimes I’ll throw on some classical. Video game soundtracks are usually a pretty good bet. I can’t listen to anything with spoken words in it, though – too distracting.
Do you have a personal message you’d like to relay to all the Homestuck and Hiveswap fans out there?
Thank you all for being so patient with this project!
—
Thank you, Tom! Well folks, I hope you’ve enjoyed this week’s surprise bonus interview, and remember to check back on Thursday for yet another behind-the-scenes peek into Hiveswap’s development! As I teased last week, our very own Tauhid Bondia will be on hand to talk about his indispensable (my word, not his!) graphics and user interface design work on Hiveswap. See you then, everyone!
Flying through Storytelling 