Sennheiser HD 598 - Review

For years now, I've been itching to get into higher-end audio. I don't know much about music and wouldn't even be pretentious enough to say I'm passionate about it, but bad sound drives me nuts.

Sennheiser has stood out to me during this time as the reviews on the internet are positive and test listening to the limited selection on display at Best Buy has made me a fan. My previous headset had worn out so now was my chance to get in on a good pair and what I purchased was the Sennheiser HD 598.

The Sennheiser HD 598 is an open back, around-the-ear pair of headphones that I would consider entry-level to the high-end audio market for discerning consumers.

Velour ear pads are over-sized to give maximum comfort around the ear while the leather-ish material they call 'leatherette' on the head band gives a mixed message about the quality as it feels cheap and plasticy. An issue some may face with the ear pads is them being this velour fabric. While I personally find it more comfortable than plastic, leather, or leather-like substitute, I'm more cautious when using them because I worry they might soak up moisture.

I purchased the black set, but it also comes in a cream/brown color scheme, but that doesn't suit me all that well. Appearance wise though, I would call the look competent and subtle. Not as flashy as say Beats by Dre or Skullcandy sets, these are classy with flat, almost satin black plastic and chrome accents. The only qualm with appearances would again be the head band being covered in that faux leather. It doesn't look all that good.

The rich tones the set can produce are beautiful if a little absent of bass on smaller devices. This could be a limitation of your audio devices as the power demands are a bit high at an impedance of 50ohms and the open back design that allows your surrounding environment to bleed in almost entirely. This would be good for more casual gaming than say a game where listening is important.

The set comes with 2 removable cables; a longer 3m with a 6.3mm plug and a 1.2m cable with a 3.5mm plug. It also comes with a 3.5mm adapter for those who want a longer cable for their smaller audio devices. I would advise against that though as it creates a large chunk of plastic and copper protruding from the device and while I've been lucky enough not to break it off, I did knock it a few times while testing.

The price for the Sennheiser HD 598 comes in at $150USD on Amazon while from their official store asks $249.95USD. Not the cheapest headset available for the quality it boasts, but it does deliver in comfort and performance while being priced below others, "high-end" sets from Bose and Beats.
If you do chose to invest in these bad-boys, do yourself a favor and buy them thru Amazon.

Bottom line, the Sennheiser HD 598 are a quality pair of headphones that are a good jumping off point into the world of high-end audio. Good for listening to various forms of media and even some gaming within reason. It might not be worth it for some but consider it

Smokin' Nerds - T-Shirt for DFuson

Hey everyone! (Or anyone, really)

Check out this shirt illustration I made for my college buddy David!

He's starting to pick up some steam over on twitch.tv/dfuson and he asked me to make a shirt he and his followers could enjoy! It features a brave undead claiming victory over a certain scaleless dragon from the Dark Souls series.

You can get one of these high-quality shirts for $20US over on TeeSpring at https://teespring.com/smokin-nerds-dfuson if that tickles your fancy!

Aside from that, been just grinding away at game development.

You know, modelling some 3D slums, drawing fierce barbarians, planning some devious dungeons; all the fun stuff!

Check back later this week, I might have a solid update for those willing to listen!

Until next time,
Dave

Design Work - Cyclops Concept 01

Hey there!

I've been trying to stay busy lately with more and more game development and what-not and as a result, I've been making more of pretty much everything.

Currently, I'm working on creating 3D environment assets for 'Blade Born' by Talos Studios.
Our other games 'Corruption Kings' and 'Root Canal' are basically on ice for now until we can revisit and possibly restructure them.

But, that doesn't mean I can't continue working on some of my solo/side projects!

One of my more recent ideas I spewed forth is a more classic, yet comedic barbarian RPG with strong fantasy elements in an isometric perspective. Think Diablo or Fallout 1&2 for a general idea. Depending on how well my test builds go, I'll either be making the game in 3D using Unity, or as a 2D game using Construct 2 or Game Maker Studio.

These concepts are for the cyclops' in the game. I wanted to step away from the classic look they're given with the oddly placed eye and nose and make something that really stands out as a new, unique take on the monster race while still feeling organic.

Hopefully I can get this project off the ground here soon, but in the mean time, I'm going to continue fleshing out my design document and art bible for the game and as I do, I'll keep updating with monsters and shtuff.

Until next time,
Dave

PS. If you're a bad-ass programmer that wants to team up on some side projects, hit me up and maybe we can churn out some cool stuff!

Enter the Gungeon - 3D Printed Bullet Kin

Hey there everyone!

I know I haven't been posting much lately, but I've been getting back into 3D and working on a more hush, hush kinda project.

In my down time though, I've been playing Dodge Roll's 'Enter the Gungeon' published by Devolver Digital.

I've only gotten to the 5th floor a couple of times, but I f*ckin' love it! It's tough, full of secrets to discover, and has a quirky sense of humor.

But, as I said, I've been doing 3D again and thought it'd be cool to make a Bullet Kin, so I did.

And that wasn't enough! I f*ucking loved it so much, I went ahead and talked my brother-in-law into using his 3D printer and making my own Bullet Kin a reality! I've always wanted to make toys and while I love making games, there's something about having a real life figure.

And here are the results of the print! On his little platform, he only stand about 2.5 inches tall with a hollow body and removable "cap". That's where I hide his little gun for storage.

While he has a foot pin to hold him to the base, he does stand on his own and I know his feet aren't 100% accurate, they're needed to help keep balanced.

I plan on painting him and the base to match the game, and I might make a few more like a Shotgun Kin and Sniper Shell; two other enemies from the game.

Let me know what you think of him! Or maybe some other characters from indie games that you'd like to see in 3D and printed and I'll see what I can do!

Until next time,

Dave

Spellblast now available on Steam Early Access

The game I've been working on, 'Spellblast', by Tonal Recall Games and published by Forever Humble PDX, has finally come to Steam Early Access!

Me and the guys at our studio, Talos Studios were contracted to create art assets for the game with our only limitations being that of the game engine; so nearly complete creative control. Its current build is made with Game Maker Studio Pro, but apprently they're currently rebuilding it in Unity3D, so if the game sees enough support, we can continue to update and expand the game.

'Spellblast' is listed at $0.99 US during early access and projected to go up when complete, but from now until the 29th of February, its an additional 20% OFF, bringing it down to $0.79 US.

My February 2016 Challenge of the Month Submission Process

Its that time again boys and girls for another submission to Jazza's Challenge of the Month!

This time around, we're celebrating love and to a lesser extent, mental health; which as anyone whose been in love can attest, go hand in hand or at the very least, have some correlation.

The subjects of this months challenge are Marvel's Deadpool and DC's Harley Quinn; both 'unstable' personalities that have been on both sides of good and evil. Now we find them breaking lines and finding love in each other.

Okay, enough fluff; here's my process for this months submission!

This time around, I decided to take a little more time to complete my piece and I think it turned out pretty well. I was going for more of a 'Boris Vallejo' kinda vibe and though I used more of a line-art/comic book style, I think the influences can be seen.

Here's a nifty animated gif showing my process! Woot!

Check out the full-size piece over on Newgrounds. Seriously, its pretty cool.

"New Resolution" - Newgrounds Art Contest Submission Progress

So I spotted this video by Jazza about an art contest in my YouTube feed, and since I was busy putting off work on my games, I decided I was going to make a submission!

The theme is "New Resolution" and it means taking an old game (pre-1990) and make a high-res version of it with all the detail you want. The artist has to acknowledge the original copyright owner, include an image of the character they've chosen to re-draw, keep them in the same pose, as well as show some form of progress to prove you aren't a dirty thief. (That's mainly what this post is; proof)

I chose to do an illustration of one of the knights in "Joust" by Williams Electronics.

This was easily one of my favorite games to play as a kid (before we got that Larry Byrd vs Michael Jordan game for the Atari; that shit was dope, yo!) and figured I'd have to do it.

The following is some progress and maybe even some of my process...

First, the planning stage...

Then, I ink the thing. Usually takes the longest...

Next, I plan my color scheme by blocking in color.
I don't usually do this step..

And finally, I shade that shit!
Once I'm happy with the results, I bring it into Photoshop and do a little color correction and clean up some goofs, but its done.

And that's that! My "process" and all! Now, I don't know if I'll win anything in this competition, but working on this was a nice distraction and helped me work on something away from my normal dev shtuff.

Check it out and some of my other work over at Newgrounds.com and look around; its a pretty cool place.  http://www.newgrounds.com/art/view/davetroyer/joust-knight-new-resolution-entry 

Until next time,
Dave

Games Updates - Dec 2015

Oh wow, it has been a while since I updated, huh?

So lets see, what have I been working on this fine year?

Joe and I were contracted to do the art on a game, "Spellblast" which will hopefully go into Steam Early Access here soon. It's a hybrid edutainment/SHMUP game where players fight off gruesome aliens while collection letters and forming words to progress. Pretty interesting concept and its been hectic making the art, but it's been a blast!

The player fights the majestic space norwhalicorn in Spellblast

Ont top of that, we've been chipping away at a few projects in our spare time including "Root Canal" and "Wreckin' Ball".

"Root Canal" is nearly completed and will be an in-browser game for all to enjoy for free. Gameplay, it's similar to games like "Flappy Bird" and "Jetpack Joyride" and can be played with a single button. Hopefully once I get less-lazy, I'll finish it off and upload it to a few online arcades and maybe Facebook. Check back every so often and I'll be sure to let you know where you can play it when it's live.

Here we see the dentist using a water-pick

And then "Wreckin' Ball" is a basic sports game that is in very early pre-alpha (ie. not really feature complete playable yet, but we got somethin'). It'll be a multiplayer focused, 2.5D, violent, quick/casual game that has the potential for more competitive play-styles that we're sure will be a hit with players.

While I don't have a screenshot I'm willing to share at this time, I'll give you all a small taste in the form of a concept...

WOO! SPORTS!

But yeah, that's whats in the works that I can share. "Corruption Kings" is still being worked on, but its taken a back-seat to other, more beneficial projects that came up. 

All in all, we've got a few games in the air at any given time.

I'll update more when we've got more to share.

Until next time,

Dave

Back to the land of the living... with gifts!!

Wow, it's been a while...

I've spent some time away from my blog (and even making games) for a little bit now and I just wanted to let anyone whose out there know I'm not dead. Close, but that's part of the reason I was away.

See, some of you know I have a bad heart. This bad heart keeps me from being an athlete or astronaut or even a dentist. It does let me go to the front of the line at airports and theme parks, but I'm not a fan of travel or roller-coasters, so its kind of a moot point. 

A couple months ago, I started to get worse. The ejection fraction for my heart started to get lower, I started bloating, and lost nearly all my energy through-out the day. Doctors wouldn't directly say it was heart failure, but it was a term that was used. I ended up getting some new meds and things were starting to look up until a few weeks ago.

I started to get fairly severe abdominal pains and heaviness in my chest. Long story short; I got a blood clot that ended up in my spleen and killing half of it. Most people can live just fine without a spleen, but I kinda need mine. 

So yeah, been in and out of the hospital for the past month or 2 pretty regularly and it was only recently that the whole clot issue happened, meaning I have tons of new meds, a struggling immune system, and some pretty devastating pain that I have to deal with for a bit.

But game making must go on!

And in the spirit of continuing on, I've made a little sprite sheet to share with folks who are looking to get into developing games or maybe are vets but aren't that paint-ily inclines; either way, they might be looking for some pixel'd doods and here they are!

Now I know they aren't perfect or even spaced out properly, but they should be a good cast of characters to help make some fun games!

Right-click; Save-as
If someone is trying to charge for the sheet, tell them they're dumb.

Now get out there and make some fun games and enjoy life! Its too short to not do what you love.

Until next time,

Dave

Game Dev Blog - Garbage Bird

I have no idea why I do the things that I do, but today... oh today.

I spent 4 hours of my day today making this silly little game just because of the above video....

Don't get me wrong, I love this country I live in, but this made me giggle and it was almost like I was forced to make this game because of it.

I hope it doesn't offend anyone but fuck it, download and have fun!

ENJOY!

It's called "Garbage Bird"

download links for Mac and PC linked below...

https://db.tt/x3E1dLRd 

Until next time,

Dave

Darkest Dungeon on Kickstarter

Kickstarter has been the home to many successful games and now a new title has captured my imagination with it's haunting campaign video; Darkest Dungeon.

Pulled directly from the Red Hook Studios press page; 

Factsheet

Developer:
Red Hook Studios Inc.
Based in Vancouver, Canada

Release date:
January 2015

Platforms:
PC, Mac, Linux, plus TBA

Website:
darkestdungeon.com

Regular Price:
TBA TBA

Description

Darkest Dungeon is a gothic roguelike RPG dungeon crawler about the psychological stresses of adventuring. You will lead a band of four heroes on a perilous side-scrolling descent, dealing with a prodigious number of threats to their bodily health, and worse, a relentless assault on their mental fortitude! Five hundred feet below the earth you will not only fight unimaginable foes, but famine, disease, and the stress of the ever-encroaching dark. Darkest Dungeon focuses on the humanity and psychological vulnerability of the heroes and asks: What emotional toll does a life of adventure take?

History

Darkest Dungeon was conceived as an antidote to the loot-piñata RPG experience which focuses solely on a character's numerical capabilities. Squad leaders and sports team managers have to contend with the human factors as they strive to maximize effectiveness--why not in RPGs? Combining this concept with a Lovecraftian-inspired grim setting, the game was born. Full development began in May 2013 after assembling a veteran team which had the artistic ability, system-based game design experience, and technical versatility to deliver a game that would meet the ambitious vision while also being entertaining to play.

Features

• Manage a team of heroes through the physical and mental stresses of adventuring. Try to stop paranoia, greed, anger, depression, and more from crippling the party.
• Affliction System: Make the most of character flaws and strategically construct your party to overcome hardship.
• Innovative turn-based combat with a nostalgic feel
• Striking hand-drawn 2d gothic art style
• Original score by Stuart Chatwood, composer for eight "Prince of Persia" games and founding member of multi-platinum Canadian rock band "The Tea Party."
• Meaningful consequences and permadeath deliver heightened tension and provide for truly heroic moments.
• A Lovecraftian-inspired story of greed, fallen greatness, and redemption.

If you're looking for an adventure in a cruel and unforgiving world and they carry unseen wounds of gruesome battle on their hearts and minds, then consider backing Darkest Dungeon. 

More Marvel Characters! - Cable

Hey there! So I'm just sharing another illustration I did for you guys!

This time, it's the time traveling, psychic super-mutant from the Marvel Universe; Cable.

I drew him a bit more slight in proportion than his usual Liefeld-esque build of 6'8" and 350lbs, but I still like the way he turned out.

Anywho, hope you guys like it and if you have any suggestions or requests for my next drawing, leave a comment and I'll see what I can do!

Until next time,
Dave

Symbiotes, Robots, and Bears.

A little gift for my lovelies.

Hey everyone out there!

I haven't updated in a while, and I wanted to remedy that! And to do so, here is a lil' sketch I did of Marvel baddie Venom! Enjoy!

Now, if you don't know me, you might not know I have some health issues; namely my heart.
Nothing too bad, but enough to screw with life every so often. This time, it was looking like I had a valve going out. Thankfully, that wasn't the case. The valve is still weak but instead of getting cut open again, I'm just taking a pile of pills and "taking it easy" for a bit. Speaking of Valve and valve-related things...

Though that did slow down my whole "make a game a month" plan.
Which might be a good thing, considering more and more of game ideas that I thought were totes original are coming out as beautifully polished indie games. (See Matador reveal trailer below; its gonna be amazing!)

Matador is an upcoming perma-death-adventure (read: rogue-like) by Stellar Jockeys and gausswerks featuring isometric action and giant gun wielding robots and one life before starting it all over again. What's not to love about this game?! Can't think of anything? Then you must be a bad enough dude to vote for it on Steam Greenlight. They seem like awesome dudes, so give 'em some love!

Now some of the last news from me. 

Even though my "make a game a month" plan has kinda fell through, some of my friends have agreed to help me press forward with a lovely little game I had pitched years ago. Its an action-y, arcade-y little shin-dig where you enforce the law with massive, fuzzy claws of justice! *Cough cough* bearcop *cough*.

Originally I was going to produce and finance this game (completely tapping me out every month), but once these medical issues reared their ugly head again, I got a new pile of debt really fast. My friends agreed to help in their free-time and have already helped so much.

Once we get a good alpha, we might shop it around to get those who worked on it the money and recognition they deserve.

Until next time,

Dave

(Psst, I heard you like making games. If you want to make games with me, send me a message.)

A special gift from me to you...

That's right, I made all of you a happy little zombie game for the holidays!

PLOT: Returning from his one hard day of work every year, Santa notices something isn't right at the north pole... his elves have started wearing hot-pink leggings... and they're ZOMBEHS!!!
Santa must dispatch these holly-jolly undead creatures with his red-hot coal luncher... to the FACE!

Enjoy some bloody holiday cheer on your platform of choice!

Windows!

Mac!

Linux! (32)

Linux! (64)

All you have to do is extract them and play! Woot! 

So, the game isn't very long, but what do you expect for free? It took me about 3-4 days spread out over about a week and a half to make. Its not the most polished game, but I wanted to give you all a fun little gift this holiday season. 

Anywho, happy holidays from me to you and hope you enjoy this game.

Until next time,

Dave

Holiday Gift - PREVIEW

So I'm working on a fun little holiday greeting "card" for all of you so check back on the 25th to get your present! Woot!

Until then,
-Dave

Foxy 70's Detective!

Foxy 70's Detective

Yet another quick sketch!

This time it's a strong and empowered female detective.
...
I'm not just pandering to viewers with scantily clad women...really.

Maybe I'll keep up this daily sketch thing going...

Until next time,
-Dave

Color Practice; the Hulk

Da Hurlk

Just getting some more practice in with my tablet and sharing it with you guys!

Female Robot cross-section.

Just posting some of my practice sketch work.

Tomorrow, I post more.

Until then,
Dave

More Art for the looking at and the what-not!

Hey there!

I'm glad you stopped by because I've got some new art that you might like!

Like this hummingbird! 

I've started really getting into digital sketching on my tablet and hopefully will get more chances to create and share with you!

Until next time,

-Dave

(Try

Dave Plays: How to Survive - Episode 1

Hey there everyone!

So, I finally buckled and starting something I've been wanting to do for a while; a lets play series!

I picked to start with the zombie, action-adventure, role-playing game "How to Survive" by 505 Games.

With Diablo-esque perspective, weapon and armor crafting, character leveling, and survival elements, this game has it all.

The graphics aren't great, but who cares?! It's a fun game!

Anyway, check out my video below and give it a like! (And go easy on me; it's my first time...)

I sound like a fuckin' mid-afternoon radio DJ on the least popular station, but I'm having fun with it!

If you want to check out the game, you can buy it on Steam for $15; which is a great deal for a game that in my opinion will net you at least one play through by yourself and maybe one with a friend.

Welp, let me know what you think in the comments down below if you like the video, want to see more, maybe suggest a different game to play, or you could just hassle me to finally make a tutorial video that I promised like 2 years ago....

Until next time,

-Dave