Out of the (Assassin's Creed) Shadows

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Sometimes, you just need to stab a dude.

Not sure how, but apparently it's May already. Seems like 2027 is right around the corner, then.

Work on the Unreal Engine rebuild of MAKRANA continues - more on that below. But here's what I really want to know:

What are you playing right now?

It has been a pretty great year for releases, and it seems like folks out there are having a pretty good time with things that are coming out. Personally, I've been spending some much-needed time actually PLAYING games, and remembering why I got into this world to begin with. Assassins' Creed Shadows has been my main game of choice, and it's pretty great. Despite being mired in controversy, it seems that the game is doing quite well and is being enjoyed by many. You love to see it.



What an absolutely gorgeous game.



Outside of that, I've been in "dabble" mode. I complete my 3 daily bot matches in PUBG, still hoping I'll get that elusive trophy for 1,000 kills. I've also been jumping in and experiencing some matches of Age of Mythology: Retold. Despite my love for Ensemble's work (may they rest in peace), I'd never actually had the chance to experience this game in it's original heyday. Spoilers - it's pretty awesome! Good, old-fashioned RTS fare that even has Keyboard and Mouse support on PlayStation 5. What more could you ask for?


"But where are all the games?"

In addition to those listed above, I've spent some time with the amazing Oblivion Remaster, and even more with Forza Horizon 5 (just released on PlayStation). The word on the street is that Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Blue Prince are some of this year's strongest Game of the Year contenders, and it's barely May. If you're a gamer, there is no better time than to be out there playing amazing things and enjoying this hobby (READ: obsession) we all love.

It was just announced this week that Grand Theft Auto 6 - which we all know will be the biggest entertainment launch in all of history, no hyperbole - has been officially delayed to May 26th, 2026. It's a good thing they did, too. I'd hate to see their shareholder's disappointment and frustration if they had to try to launch alongside the juggernaut called MAKRANA.


Looking for help in all the right places

As I slowly ween myself off of fun things like "driving fast cars in the desert with the bois" and such, I look forward to returning to the development grind. That sounds kinda negative, but it's not meant to be. All it usually takes is about ten minutes of successful scripting, and then my whole day gets wrapped up in it. In my quest to get this game across the finish line, I've been re-analyzing how to deal with the conflict of "I want this game to be amazing" with "I'm one person and it's already been two years". I imagine this will be a constant topic of reflection for years to come as I work to make better and cooler things.

One way that I've addressed this is with backing off a bit on this idea in my head that being a solo developer means that I have to do everything myself. It's been a constant battle for me, but taking a bit of time away from making the game has helped me to come to terms with how ridiculous of a concept this is. As the Unreal build of the game looks better and better, I have found myself no longer satisfied with the crappy 3D models that I made previously, and decided to dip a toe into the world of outsourcing.

Here's an early view of the result:



It was overall a great experience. I was able to give this artist my generic blockout that I made in Blender, and then I said "go nuts". He did just that, and I couldn't be happier. Now I get to do the parts that I enjoy more - texture painting in Substance Painter and getting the ship to act like a ship in Unreal.

The End of Everything

I bet you read that and got nervous, like this was some sort of "we need to have a talk" moment. Nah, I just have to wrap this blog post up somehow. I'll leave you with some great musical selections that you can take or leave. A couple weekends ago, I got to go to a cool new venue in Omaha to see two of my favorite albums performed live for their *mumbles under breath* twentieth anniversaries. Now that we're all feeling a bit older, may I present "Ascendancy" by Trivium and "The Poison" by Bullet for My Valentine. Happy listening!




See you soon!

- Matt

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