Update on "The Mirror"

The interactive project called “The Mirror” is by far the biggest project I’ve ever worked on. And, due to both logistical realities and me being a control freak when it comes to the creative process, I’m stuck doing almost all of it by myself. Luckily, I already have—and know how to use—pretty much everything I need to do it, including Blender (computer modeling and animation software), Gimp (still image creation and processing), Reaper (sound and music production), and FinalCutPro (video editing software). (It would be fun to get my hands on a used Roland FA-06, for some of the musical score, but that’s optional.) For those who haven’t yet seen it, this will give you a bit of an idea what the thing will look like:

As I’ve mentioned before, the two huge parts of the project are the script-writing and the computer animation. There is still a lot to do on both, but I’m happy to announce that I think I see the light at the end of the tunnel regarding the script-writing. Unlike the script of a normal book or video, this “script” is actually a ridiculously complex flow chart, where each answer the user gives determines what he is asked next. That basically means that the entire script is many, many times longer than what any one user with experience, because it has to include all possible answers to all of the questions. (Those who have been to one of my “Candles in the Dark” seminars will recognize a lot of the topics and questions covered in “The Mirror,” although the visuals and presentations in “The Mirror” will be a lot more impressive and memorable.)

This sort of five-dimensional script is broken into main categories, and each of those broken into different lines of questioning, and each of those written out, word for word, in every possible direction. Most of the main categories and lines of questions are arranged completely, so mostly there is just the specific line-by-line wording to fill in a bunch of it, where it doesn’t yet have all the details. (By analogy, this is a little like saying that the thing has its skeleton and all major muscle groups, but the small details of all the muscles still need to be done.)

One annoying but necessary thing, that I’ve learned from past projects, is that if I ever start to feel like some chunk of the project is at all awkward, confusing, or anything other than perfect, I scrap that part completely and start again. (In short, I don’t want to be Microsoft: starting with an inadequate, short-sighted, clumsy idea, and then spending year after year trying to patch and repair it into being almost functional.)

Nonetheless, I’m now happy with a lot of the script, in all of the generals and most of the specifics, and I’m hopefully that in two or three months, the script will be finished. There will still be a lot to do on creating and animating all the CG scenes, which will take many more months. And no, I won’t release a rough “beta” version, and can’t release it in pieces. As annoying as it may be, it has to be released in its full, complete, and perfect (as close to perfect as it can be) form. I will be having a few people trying pieces of it, to see if there are any bugs, and just to see what the experience is like for someone who knew nothing about it before.

I know this is taking a long time to do, which I knew would be the case (and said would be the case) from the beginning. Imagine making a full-length computer animated movie. By yourself. Now multiply that by twenty or so, since what any one user sees is only a small fraction of what I have to make, since the experience, visually and conceptually, is constantly changing based on how they answer each question. Yes, it’s a little like the old “choose your own adventure” thing, but with about a zillion more variations and possibilities.

Again, since this project will be released to the whole world, for free, once it’s finished, and since I won’t be selling anything related to it, how much time and effort I can devote to the project depends entirely on whether other people—people like YOU—are willing to chip in a few dollars to help make it happen. Whatever time I don’t have to spend earning money to pay my rent and bills, is time I can devote to working on “The Mirror.” It’s that simple. So if you want to see this thing completed, and shared with the whole world for free, please consider donating. If you’d rather do a one-time donation, instead of doing a monthly Patreon pledge, you can do that too.

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=347021
Paypal: [email protected]
Bitcoin: 1MZMqUFvTkMPpv6bTEMFZMrF9MUwHwznNS
“Snail mail” donations:

Larken Rose
P.O. Box 653
Huntingdon Valley, PA 19006