#pixel constructor

Shpigs are pigs with what looks like sheep wool but is actually, I have to tell you, incredibly powerful stuff. You can shear shpigs, but it takes some serious effort. The way the wool curls plus the incredibly strength of shpig-wool means that shpigs bounce like a bouncy ball. If you jump and land on a shpig, the shpig probably won’t even notice. You will definitely notice, because you will bounce like crazy, and if you aren’t careful you’ll end up a splat.

Don’t ask me how I know. 

They’re fluffy and snuggly like sheep and smart and cuddly like pigs. Some people like them as house pets/companion animals and will put their feet on them in the evening like a cushion. They make AMAZING footwarmers, particularly because when they fall asleep on your feet, no amount of you squirming is going to wake them up. If they notice, they just don’t care. 

When it comes to knitting and making cloth, you can’t beat shpig wool. It takes some work to spin, but while it’s harder to pull the fibers out, it’s a lot easier to make even a very thin thread without snapping on the spindle. You can make thick warm slippers or a lightweight waterproof hat. My great-aunt’s witch hat was made of shpig wool, which was really useful when someone rudely dropped a house on her. Bounced right off. 

I got started in the video game industry at NCSoft, organizing the first closed beta tests and training the other GMs. Later on I worked support at Blizzard, but at both places I did more than just reset passwords: I learned a lot about fixing problems and clear communication. My big dream, like everyone else, was to be a game designer. I pushed some of that effort into the Ultima 5: Lazarus project, one of the fan remakes that actually got finished!

I’ll go into more depth later on about what it means to be a generalist in an indie studio, but outside of talking to you, my very favorite people, I do a little of everything. I write, I do 3D art, I smash bugs… wherever I can use my skillset to help things along, I’m sure to be there.

In my spare (?) time, I spend time at the Vigilante Gastropub on Monday nights playing D&D with a bunch of other geeks like me. I also love performing with The Baron’s Men, a historic theater company here in Austin. That’s right: I live in one of the gamer heavens! If I left my apartment more often, I might even be able to appreciate it.

I did pretty well in school: I have a degree in English and a masters in Historic Preservation. That’s how I got my leet 3D art skills; well, that and a lot of practicing. I’m ALSO taking a course in Android development with the help of a scholarship from Google. This means I spend a lot of time happily showing people simple little apps and layouts I’ve done for class. Someday, maybe I’ll get to use these skills for Pixel Constructor!

Later on I’ll post a picture of my workspace. Today, I’m posting pictures of my cats, because chances are they’re begging for my attention in the background of everything I do.