After much deliberation and soul searching, my plans and priorities for BitShift Studios are going to change. While no current projects will be completely abandoned, they will all be temporarily halted, escept of course the updating of this website.

This change is coming about from a realization that I am but one man and I can't complete the current projects to the standard I would like without help. Getting the assistance I require to complete these projects is a hurdle that can't be overcome at the moment as I don't have the finances needed and it is too much to ask anyone to do the work for free.

I have shown through my study with the University of Paisley (now University of West of Scotland, or UWS), my work for DC Studios, Kodetank, EM Studios, and now my teaching position at UWS that I do have good programming skills and knowledge. This however is not enough. I also need to work on my design and overall development skills to be able to complete the sort of projects that I have been undertaking.

I'm a code monkey. I can solve programming problems and implement solutions when given detailed tasks ... but why do I never complete any full games that I have designed myself? Either I focus too much on the implementation details and neglect the design, or I overload myself by taking on tasks that are too huge for one person to tackle given the time that is available to me.

Considering the projects running so far:

TTH - This was originally a 3-man project while we were initially learning about game development, and although a nice project, was just our attempt at creating a clone of the old Amiga game "Scorched Tanks". This project would need a lot of work to become anything more than a simple game demo.

BGE - A game engine being developed concurrently with other projects to consolidate shared features between them, for efficiency and code re-use. This may seem reasonable, but not considering my lack of time and the fact I have never completed a full game on my own. I am not currently in a position to develop a full-featured game engine.

Calysto - I have had ideas for the Kalerian Legends series of games for many years now, and this was to be the first. The main problem with this is that it again is quite a large project, and one that I would like to be completed at a high standard, which I don't have the resources for just now.

Pong - Ok, I can create a pong game. I can create different versions using various languages, APIs, and for several platforms. All this really shows is that I am a flexible code monkey who can work with various technologies. This was really started as a portfolio piece, but it doesn't show what it is I really want to do ... design and develop games!

The solution, is Tzod!

So, who, or what is Tzod? Tzod is the main character of a new game project I am starting. This game will be designed and developed incrementally so that I can create a full game, complete with menu, intro, credits, game progression etc. rather than simply another tech demo. Also, because of the incremental nature, I don't have to spend years developing an inticrate storyline, plot, and level designs just to get a playable game, so it is something I can tackle on my own, at least until I have the resources available to get some assistance.

Today, on August 30th 2009, Tzod has been called into existence ... more info to follow.