I've got a board meeting coming this week, so I'm working late getting ready for that, but I'm sure some people would be very interested how we went around raising our capital. It was a facinating process and I have to say I'm very pleased with the result so far, but it was a long process and I learned a hell of a lot.

Now I just can't wait to start talking about what we're doing with that money...

Billy Cain over at Critical Mass has inspired me to practice regularly, which I've bene doing. I feel sorry for my family as I pick my way through "Yankee Doodle Dandy," but at least I can hear some improvement.

I also enjoy RC hobby activities (remember my plane from 2002? I bought a cheap-o monster truck right before Xmas last year, and it conked out pretty quickly, but I really wanted one to tear around in the big back yard and the park...so last week I dropped way too much money at Hobbytown USA and bought a TRAXXAS E-Maxx. It looked like this when I bought it:

The thing is awesome. Fast. 4X4. Just plain mean. I had a problem with one of the battery packs, but the folks at Hobbytown USA replaced it without much trouble (thanks Chuck). So I was jumping off of a big pile of sand today and on my 9th or 10th run...well...I missed the pile and hit a large stone retaining wall. So now I'm a serious hobbiest. I get to fix it.

Yesterday, I spent some time with a local Halloween group at a "make and take" with Chuck, my father in law. We're building talking skeletons, so we spent most of yesterday soldering the circuit boards that will control the audio and servos. Very cool. Both of ours boards tested out okay. Pictures forthcoming.

Secondly, I'm very pleased to announce that Kevin Saffel has been promoted from Director of Engineering to Chief Technology Officer!

Kevin has a great attitude, is highly reliable, very driven and detail-oriented. He's also a great friend.

Here's to you, Kevin.

In other news, the Heatwave team is growing rapidly and we're moving into our temporary space while our permanent offices are being fit out. We've had many qualified applicants for our Studio Art Director and Concept Artist positions. Interviews will be completed next week and the offers will go out, so if you haven't applied, you'd best do so now.

Last Tuesday, the first monies from that effort hit our corporate account. I'm sure that the details of that experience would be interesting and valuable to many, so I'm in the process of reconstructing it now. Once all the concerns are finalized, there will be all the usual pomp and ceremony (otherwise known as a press release and a re-launch party!).

In the meantime, we’re currently in the process of choosing our first physical office location. Until now, we’ve all been working virtually, which is a euphemism for “at home.” That’s been an interesting experience all around, with many pros to go with the cons, but the team is certainly ready to check out the alternative. ;)

In addition, we’ve begun a new round of hiring in earnest, which starts this week. We’ll be updating the Heatwave website with all of the job descriptions and requirements, but just to prime the pump, here’s a simple list of some of the positions we’re currently hiring for the Central Studio:

• Chief Financial Officer
  
• VP of Marketing
  
• Executive Producer
  
• Art Director
  
• Senior Animator
  
• Senior Modeler
  
• Concept Artist
  
• Web Designer
  
• Web Developer
  

Heatwave is a fully funded entity and all members of the Central Studio will be offered stock options along with highly competitive salaries (we’ve always paid well, even in bootstrap mode). If you’re interested in learning more, send email to jobs@heatwaveinteractive.com with the job title in the subject.

Here's what the new one says, and I think it sums up my feelings nicely:

I co-founded Heatwave Interactive on the premise that interactive entertainment is more than a way for young men to combat boredom; games are an important medium that can challenge individuals on multiple levels and tell stories that matter. Stories about ourselves, and stories about people we may otherwise never have the opportunity to understand.

I believe that by providing an environment that fosters not only creativity, but also respect for the individual and the highest of expectations, we can create powerful experiences, and be an example for the rest of the industry.

I truly believe all of that. And combined with a strong understanding of how games are and should be made, I'm looking forward to the challenges of re-entering this space in big way.

As we talked to various people at the conference, one thing was clear, some people are really down on the "MMO" space because of predictable failures like Tabula Rasa, Gods & Heroes and Hellgate: London, but I have two thoughts about that.

First, they WERE predictable failures. Anyone who paid any attention to those games (even if you just checked them out at E3 each year) should have had a good idea about how they'd do in the face of WoW, even if they avoided major launch problems (which some of them did not).

My criticism of those products isn't a reflection of my opinion of the many talented people who worked so hard for years on them, but rather it is an expression of my frustration at the business/production leadership that allows these things to happen.

I can guarantee you two things. First, neither of those teams had a working version of the game that they fundamentally believed was KICKASS within the first three months of pre-production. Second, neither of these teams had measurable feedback from the audience that they had a KICKASS idea within the first three months of pre-production. I'm sure I'm upsetting a lot of people I know and hope to work with in the future by these comments, but I have a tendency to tell it like it is (which is why I post so infrequently here, most of what I have to say is bound to irritate a lot of people).

My second response to that concern is that Heatwave isn't an "MMO company." Sure, we're considering an MMO concept or two, but don't be surprised if the first thing we do is a console RPG with a twist or a multi-platform action game with a cool story. Yes, they will all have persistence and connectivity, but no, they will not all be long-session multi-user dependent slog fests.

In any case, my personal goal for Heatwave is to provide a strong business for highly creative people to make successful products in Austin. There are tons of talented people here, but for some reason, the same few keep mucking it up for everyone else. No more.

More details about how this program will work will be released in the coming weeks.

The Heatwave website has some big news on it about our Board of Advisors. Many of you might know that Jason Bell and I worked together on UO, oh so many years ago, and he's always been an extremely intelligent, creative and savvy mentor of mine. He's got a lot of high level publishing and online experience and has an excellent critical eye for the creative. I'm really pleased to be working with him formally again. With just three initial members, the Board is amazingly experienced. Hell, we've got someone who worked in an executive role on "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and "Star Wars: Empire Stikes Back," not to mention folks who have worked in strategic roles at Disney, Atari and Turbine. Read more about them here.

I previously mentioned that we are going to be taking submissions for players to join our Player Advisory Council back in August. That plan was postponed because of several events last year, including an attempt to buy the company! Things were so fluid for Heatwave, that right after I made the comment, it no longer made sense to start recruiting. Fortunately, things have settled down and the original vision for the company is still in tact. So Tim Keating (MrTact) is putting together a sign-up survey on our site this week. I believe we'll have it deployed by next Wednesday or so (the 16th).

As for the rest, well, I'll just keep pounding away on until the all the hard work we've all put in pays off. If you're going to GDC this year, drop me a note and let's see if we can't meet up.

GameZombie.tv Presents Heatwave Interactive

GameZombie.tv Presents a conversation with Anthony Castoro, Founder of Heatwave Interactive, "an entertainment software company whose mission is to create original, character-based games that unite the power of online gaming with the excitement of traditional video games." Filmed at the 2007 Austin Game Developer's Conference. VJ'd by Jessica Frasher, Music by Chris Bates, Produced by Spencer Striker, Edited by Tyler Mager

Professional:

As the subject says, we're looking to form an advisory committee comprised of true blue gamers of all stripes. That's right, YOU could be a member of a select group of regular Jane's and Joe's who have the inside track on the upcoming products from Heatwave Interactive.

I've always wanted to do this, and as I'm up to my ears in other corporate muck, I thought I'd take a second to do something close to my heart.

So, pay attention to the Heatwave Interactive Website during the month of August for official details about how YOU could have serious input on Heatwave projects.

In other Heatwave news, some of our team members are working very hard on some very cool technology which will showcase at this years' SIGGRAPH. No, I can't tell you about it yet. Stupid NDA. I can hear you asking yourself, "Why does Anthony bother telling me about these things if he can't actually talk about them?" Well, because you should KNOW that there are four really talented guys totally busting their assess to make this company thrive. And they rock. And you should know about it. Now you do.

Personal:

You want to know more about that lightning strike, right? Okay, it's all repaired now. It did indeed hit the alarm box in the closet. It then spread throughout the house and either melted or shorted 50% of the alarm sensors in the house. Just to be sure, we had the entire setup replaced.

Here are some pictures of the damage and repairs for those of you who just can't get enough SunSword drama....

This is where the lightning entered the house in the master closet and arched across the room to hit the alarm box.

This is what the damage looked like from the outside, as it was being repaired.

Frequent scenes like this from my deck are part of the reason we didn't sell the house immediately after the lightning strike.

All fixed now. Next up would be a tornado I suppose?

With the family settling in, and one good cook-out on the new deck under my belt, I'm finally getting back into the groove. It's amazing how unsettled you can get (professionally/creatively) when your environment is in flux.

Just having a reliable Internet connection and a dual monitor setup can make a huge difference. And my goodness, how about that 10Mb Internet connection!?!

Okay, enough life stuff. Here are a few notes for you folks out there who want to make a virtual world:

1) Socializing is not a core mechanic. You'd best have a great reason for people to be in your 3D representation of whatever you're representing. People do the socializing part naturally.

2) Learn from the games business. Don't make all the same mistakes the games business went through while figuring out how to run and operate online services. Leverage the hard won lessons of battles long over.

3) Invest in quality technology. There are lots of folks out there saying they can give you a virtual world solution for a dime and a piece of string. They lie. You get what you pay for.

4) "THREE DEE" is not the new web. The web is much better at doing some things than a monolithic 3D application. Play to the strengths of 3D applications and let the web do its thing.

Want to know more?

Heatwave has added four highly talented individuals to the team. We've had success recruiting some of the top engineering talent in Austin. In addition, we've got two additional folks signed on and waiting to start.

In addition, there's been plenty of work for our first client, and things have really begun to take off. We've got more work than people at the moment, which is a nice problem to have, but certainly raises the question of securing more capital again.

Unfortunately, all of this starting your own business craziness has really kept me more busy than even before, and my blog has suffered for it.

Poor blog. Go Heatwave!

Heatwave is growing quickly, we've just added another team member. Now that I'm physically in town, things should really begin to cook.

Speaking of cooking...I've been eating out since I got back to Texas on Wednesday (spent the first three days in Houston) and I have got to say...all the groaning about how the food in the US is better... it's true. I just can't wait to get some Chuy's and Rudy's BBQ.

Time to pick up an excersize regime...

In addition, for those of you who don't already know, MrTact of Ultima Online fame has joined the Heatwave Crew! He's a well rounded and very talented individual that isn't afraid to say what's on his mind. Better yet, he isn't afraid to say "Anthony, you're full of sh*t." That's an important asset to have around these days, believe me ;).

So, why am I at a MacDonalds in the middle of Shakespeare Country? My phone line has been damaged by the wacky weather we've been having, so I'm internet-less in my home-office.

DAMN. I need to find a healthier place to work than a fast food joint...

The movers come to the joint on Wednesday and will take (get this) 5 working days to pack and load our house up for the transatlantic boat ride. I find that astounding. We have less stuff than we did in our last moves (including the one OVER here) and both times, it took 1.5 days...

Anyway, for those keeping track, my official return to the great state of Texas is April 4th, 2007. Mark your calendars, invoke your hexes, hire your hitmen, or do whatever it is that you do. Should be having a great Heatwave Launch Party in the coming month or two...

Same goes for Mad Toad as well, but for different reasons. (and he's not gay...or ghey...)

'nuff said.