Month: June 2019

Thursday and Friday were the final two days in Germany. Because of how short Friday turned out to be, I decided to include it in this blog post as I primarily used it as a resting to day to prepare for the journey back to the United States.

Thursday began as an earlier than usual day, as I had to wake up early to prepare myself for the journey to the town called Worms. We went to the train station to catch the first of two trains required to get to the town. The two train rides were not particularly long, though I did spend some time on the first train napping to try and get as much sleep as possible.

Once we got through both trains and arrived in the two, we began the day by walking around the town and seeing some monuments as we made our way to visit Kalypso Media.

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At Kalypso Media, we were given a presentation about how the company is structured and the various locations and roles within the company and its various other studios/offices, as well as some sandwiches and soda to snack on (Tropico themed soda at that). From then on we were given a tour of the office in Worms and shown the various departments and given a rundown of what the responsibilities of the different roles were. After the presentation and office tour, we were then let out to go explore the town of Worms. Some in the group opted to visit an old Jewish cemetery within the town, while others opted to go out exploring on their own.

I personally opted to go exploring on my own with Amanda, and spent a large portion of the time in Worms visiting various shops looking for souvenirs and neat things to buy to bring back home and give to family. We also stopped to get Ice cream along the way (a running theme for this trip) and saw many different areas of the town.

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After shopping for a bit around Worms, we met back up with the group at the train station, and departed back to Frankfurt. Once we got back to Frankfurt, we decided to get dinner at a restaurant that was what seemed like a half hour walk away, give or take some time. I was told while walking to this restaurant that it was incredibly “German Themed”, and this got me excited as I really wanted to have more traditional German food. These claims did not fall short, this restaurant was incredibly “German Themed” with plenty of wooden carvings and beer to go around. I decided to order a dish called, if memory serves, the “Frankfurter” which was set to be a bit of everything in regards to some of the more traditional German food. It was quite delicious, and something I would definitely eat again. In addition to that meal, I also tried some of the restaurants Apple Wine, which was also quite tasty.

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After dinner we decided to head back to the hotel, and some of us decided to go to the “O’Reilly’s” pub one last time as a sort of farewell dinner for the German students as they would be leaving before us early on Friday.

After the pub, I went back to the hotel to call it a night for Thursday, and rest up for the final day in Germany on Friday.

On Friday, we were given a free day to explore the city and finish up and business or shopping we needed to do. As such, I decided to go to a place called Skyline Mall, as I had been recommended to go there by a friend who had been to Frankfurt in the past, and I still had some shopping I needed to do. Before going there, however, I got the chance to say goodbye to the German students before they left to return to Paderborn, and it was quite the sad farewell as I was and am unsure if I will ever get to see them again.

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After wandering around the mall for a bit and doing some light shopping (and getting ice cream), I returned to the hotel to spend some time sleeping as I began very tired while walking around the three different shopping floors within the mall (and I hadn’t gotten much sleep the night before). After a quick power nap, I met up with Alex and Amanda to go get noodles for dinner at an “Authentic Japanese Restaurant” that was a several blocks away. The noodles at this restaurant were fairly good, however they were not as good as a noodle restaurant that we had gone to as a full group with both German and American students a few nights before. After finishing up at the restaurant, we began heading back towards the hotel as we were told the farewell ice cream meetup was going to be starting soon. Once we got back to the hotel, we met up with the other students, and proceeded to an ice cream shop that was only a few blocks down, where we had our farewell ice cream dinner then headed back to the hotel, officially ending the trip.

Wednesday, after resting up from our fairy-tale like adventures in Eltville, we ventured out to visit the Nintendo and Crytek studios in Frankfurt. While I am not able to share the finer details of my trip to these studios, I will share what I believe I am allowed to.

The first studio that we went to go visit was the Nintendo studio in Frankfurt. We boarded a train that took us relatively close to the studio itself, and then walked the final short distance to the business plaza the Nintendo building is located in.

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While at this studio we learned that it isn’t focused on developing the games, as most if not all of the Nintendo game development is done in Japan, but this branch manages marketing as well as the publishing and legal aspects of getting Nintendo games in Europe, and more specifically in some cases in Germany. From then on we discussed more aspects of the processes involved with what this branch does in Europe, and some of the experiences that those that worked there had.

From then on, we went to a room where we were allowed to take pictures in, and this room contained many (if not all) of the games and consoles Nintendo had published and created, many of which were setup and ready to be played.

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After spending some time in this room playing video games and competing in a few impromptu Super Smash Brothers matches (where I learned I cannot play Bayonetta to save my life), we then left this office building and made our way over to the Crytek studio building on the other side of Frankfurt.

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At Crytek, we were given a presentation by our gracious host on getting into the games industry and some of the various positions one might expect to fill while getting a job in games. After that, we were given a demonstration on how to use different elements of Cryengine, and how some of the different tools in the engine work together. There was a big emphasis during this presentation on the visual scripting tools built into the engine, and the various game development roles that could utilize these tools for building different aspects of a game. After that, we were split into groups, one which got to play one of Crytek’s latest games “The Climb” which is a VR climbing game, and the other group got a tour around the office. After the first group finished the tour, the two groups swapped so that everyone got to see how the studio was laid out, and gome some brief glimpses of what was going on around the studio. After the tours were complete, we ended our journey around the Crytek studio, and began our journey back to the hotel.

Soon after getting back to the Hotel, we set out once again but this time in search of dinner. We decided on getting Ramen at a place a bit far away from the hotel called “Ramen Jun”. Over the course of the day I had gained a significant hunger, as did many of my other fellow students. To quench this hunger, Alex and I decided to order Large portions for our ramen bowls. This resulted in the two of us receiving bowls of ramen that were bigger than our heads. While I did manage to finish my bowl of ramen, it was definitely a challenge (a delicious one at that). After finishing up our Ramen, we all went back to the hotel where we ended the day to rest up for the next one.

Tuesday we took a train down to a town called Eltville. Little did I know that I would be visit one of the most stunning towns I had ever been to, or that we would be finishing the day in pure elegance in the town’s castle.

Tuesday morning, after taking the train down to Eltville, we briefly spent some time walking around the town together. After seeing some of the streets and looking at the older buildings, which I learned some of which were older than the United States, we decided to break up to get Icecream and some people went off to explore the town for a bit, before meeting up by the river that runs through the town.

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I went with Professor Jacobs, Volker, and Sam to get ice cream and a smaller shop than the other people on the trip were getting ice cream at. We ordered our ice cream, and sat down to enjoy it as people typically do. Once I finished my ice cream, however, I remembered that I had seen a restaurant that had the word “Doner” on it. I was told by a friend of mine that had been to Germany many times in the past that I needed to go to a restaurant with this word in the title, as it would be some of the more delicious street food I had ever eaten. As a result, I decided to briefly step away from my ice cream companions to go order something from this restaurant. I decided on ordering a “Doner sandwich with cheese”, and was not at all disappointed with the results!

After getting my Doner sandwich and returning to the group I had gone with to get ice cream, we walked down to the river bank, and not only did I get to see a stunning ground-level view of the river, but also got to sit down and enjoy my delicious sandwich. We also some some bits of the old town wall on our way down to the river, which fit perfectly in with the old style buildings of the inner town.

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After I finished my Doner sandwich and had some time to admire the river, we were informed via the group chat that there was a place down the way along the river that had delicious cold drinks, which was perfect as it was a rather warm and sunny day. I, as well as the nearby students from Germany, decided to make our way down to this building that we had been sent a picture of. Inside, I quickly learned that they had a drink called “Longwein” which was a mixture of lemonade, mint, ginger, and the local town’s special wine. This drink was absolutely delicious, and a perfect drink to have while relaxing at a table alongside the river. In the end, I ended up ordering two of these drinks because it was so amazing, and I had several flashbacks to lounging on the beach and a sea-side restaurant from a trip I went on to the island of capri many years back. It was an amazing and relaxing experience.

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After enjoying our “Longwein” and talking for a while, we decided it was time to go explore the nearby castle, and as I soon found out would we actually be meeting the Mayor of the town in that castle.

We walked castle gardens for a fair bit, and I was amazed at how beautiful the flower displays around the castle grounds were, as well as the overall architecture of the castle itself. After a while I began to feel like I was no longer actually on earth, but in a fairy tale of some sort.

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After walking through the gardens for a while, the castle began to close up for the day. Despite this, however, we went up to the interior part of the castle, where we met up with the Mayor of the town. We were then invited to climb up one of the towers in the castle, where several historical displays were setup, and when we get to the very top we were able to get a higher up view of the river and the surrounding town.

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After concluding our tour of the castle tower, we then joined the Mayor in an upper-garden section of the castle where we enjoyed champaign, pretzels, and a dip for the pretzels that was incredibly delicious.

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The reception lasted for about an hour and a half I believe, but after that we thanked the Mayor for this wonderful gesture, and sooner after returned to the train station in order to get back to our hotel. After getting back to the hotel, I decided to call it for the day there, as I had experienced a wonderful but eventful day.

Monday began our departure from Paderborn, which was a very sad event as I had grown rather attached to the small but beautiful city. Alas, Monday morning we headed down to the train station so that we could take two trains in order to get to our destination.

On the first train we were all lucky enough to have our own assigned seats. Because of my exhaustion from the Game Jam, I was in and out of sleeping during this train ride, but when I was awake I spent most of the time just looking out the window at the surrounding landscape. I learned firsthand that Germany seems to have a lot of windmills scattered around, as every few minutes I saw a new one.

AFter some time we got to our transfer stop, and once we boarded the new train it was discovered we didn’t all have assigned seats like the first one, and it was a sort of free-for-all treasure hunt in order to get one. Unfortunately, I did not find a seat in time, and was too tired to walk up and down the halls of the different carts looking for one. Instead, I and a few other students, opted to sit on our suitcases in a semi-spacious hallway near the restrooms. My fellow students decided it would be a perfect time to pull out their switches to catch a few games of Super Smash Brothers. I initially joined them for a few rounds, but once my Switch battery was getting low I decided to just check the news on my phone and play some games on that device until we got to our destination.

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After getting to the Frankfurt train station, it was a surprisingly short walk from the train station to the hotel. We all traveled together to the hotel, then got checked in and sorted into our rooms. After that, some students opted to go on a bit of a tour/walk around of the City with some of the students from Germany, while others were allowed to get settled in and spend some time resting and recovering. I opted for the latter, and after unpacking a bit in my room and getting the essentials setup like my laptop and switch charging. Once that was complete, I decided I wanted to go get food and walk around slightly in the direct area. I teamed up with Sam from our group so that I wouldn’t be traveling alone on my first day, and we went to the ” Sapôres Sàigòn Street Food ” restaurant, which was only a block or so away. I initially though from the name of the restaurant it would be more like a food stand giving away street food, such as gyros and sandwiches. I was, however, completely mistaken. This restaurant turned out to be more of a sit down restaurant where you ordered food and it came in plates that you shouldn’t just walk away with. I decided to order something I couldn’t even pronounce, but was not disappointed with the results.

Once I had finished up eating this delicious dish of meat, noddles, and various vegetables, we learned that we were meeting in a nearby pub called “O’Reilly’s”, where some were getting food but most were just getting drinks. We walked back in the direction of the hotel, as this pub was basically right outside it, and found the table our fellow journey members were sitting at. I ordered some drinks, and spent the rest of the evening hanging out with the students from Germany until I decided to return back to the hotel to get some much needed rest.

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I woke up at 5 am sneezing like a plague victim. It sucked. While I camped out in the shower I realized I had to put my foot down.

I called down and listed off all the issues and was swiftly given a new room. Everything was fixed except the AC because they literally just don’t have it. Plus I have a bathtub now.

Amanda, Mike, and I went exploring around the area. We did some laundry at a very confusing laundromat. We got some tasty Vietnamese noodles and found a comforting starbucks nearby.

Amanda and I even walked to a super mall a couple blocks away. But as we did so we got a call and had to immediately head back to the hotel because apparently, we had to go to some fancy political dinner a town over. Now I had no idea what he actual plan was but we hopped on a train an headed to a cute german town with winding alleys and a cool breeze from a nearby river. We were perusing the streets and ended up getting ice cream and sitting on some benches in front of the river and near a big castle. We were told to meet back up in 2 hours. So Amanda, Sam, and I went for a walk around the river and to some of the local shops. We took a lot of pictures of flowers and almost fought a swan. Then we met up at a wine bar with some of the other students.

Apparently the town is known for its local white wine (long wine) so I got their local wine cocktail. It was a ling wine cocktail but I’ve had longer.

Suddenly the bells in our minds started ringing and we made our way into the castle. It started as a courtyard and a flower garden but ended when the Mayor of the town appeared. It really caught me off guard because there was no event. He just walked in like “Hey guys lemme show you the castle.”

So we got a private tour of the castle, climbed the tower and got to see some ancient tome. The tour ended with champagne, and fancy pretzels in yet another flower garden. I honestly felt like royalty. A private party in a German castle drinking champagne with the mayor. Never thought I’d do that one before.

We started this day as we started many. Oversleeping and panic packing all of our stuff. We raced down to the taxis and hoped in just in time. We drove over to the train station we came into Paderborn at and took our seats. While Amanda power napped, I got to see a lot of the german countryside. I still love seeing the turbines in the distance. They’re literally the most aesthetic things. It like oh look at that thing that’s environmentally friendly, futuristic looking, and reassuring to my planetary moral compass. The first 2 hours passed quick, but the second half involved sitting on the floor outside the bathroom of the train which was less fun.

We got to Frankfurt and I was overwhelmed. It was nothing like Paderborn. It felt like I had stepped into a refugee camp. People were crying and yelling and sleeping on the ground and begging for money. It really came out of left field for me. We got to the hotel and I was put in probably the worst hotel room I’ve ever seen. Broken sink, broken toilet, no AC, a view of literally just cigarette butts and dumpsters, and smelled like a cigar took a piss on the walls. It was appalling. Not to mention my allergies absolutely hate this place and my nose was running like a faucet. But I was too tired to complain. Hopefully tomorrow will be better.

The final day of the game jam. I was a little groggy from the night before but only had a couple small tweaks to do before the final submission. I sped up a couple animation loops and UV’d a few more models and suddenly it was 3 o clock and we were lining up to go present our games. I was nervous and excited. I’d never participated in a game jam let alone produced a finished game and I was anxious to see how our game would hold up. And I may be bias but holy crap we blew these games out of the water. Our game was gorgeous and “functional” and most importantly fun. Plus it had 4 player capabilities while some games barely had 1. I was so proud of my team and myself.

Afterward we took a big group picture and said our goodbyes. I’m not sure if I’ll ever see any of these germans again. Maybe if they come visit RIT ill opt in to be one of the guides. We took a big group photo which I’m told will be on the wall of fame in the games lab.

After a tasty burger dinner and some tearful goodbyes we headed back to the hotel to start packing for the next half of our german adventure.

After finally getting the kinks out of the boss rig I went on an animation power grind. I had to do like 15 movements with all those tentacles moving. It was nuts. But I loved it. I made a couple assets for the rest of the group and animated a walk cycle, a couple attack cycles, idle movement, falling and getting up, the whole shpeel.

Around the time my hands were starting to deteriorate we got to go on a barbecue with the germans to a nearby park. I had so much fun. I don’t know what came over me but something about the fresh air, and my feet in the grass just made me so happy. I found a sharp rock in the grass and I somehow made a hatchet. Like a working one. I’ve never been outdoorsy or crafty, but I was somehow both today. Then we got to play this fun drinking game with the Germans that involved a ball and drinking which was obviously perfect. And we got barbecue schnitzel and burgers which were soooo tasty. I knew I had a lot of work to do so I really didn’t want to go back but eventually things started powering down so I got back on the grind.

Or so I thought. As soon as I stepped into the games lab Tobias and Christina invited some of the americans to go out to this indie night club. Now I haven’t gone clubbing in a long time but I had so much fun dancing and drinking and repeating. The dance floor had a smoke machine and some ceiling lights that offered a fantastic visual effect. Plus the dancing was a great way to not feel like I had been sitting for 9 hours earlier that day. We headed home late into the night and prepared for our last jam day.