Hi, I'm Liam
The story of how Liam, the tour guide, came about is kind of a train wreck but in the end I feel things worked out how they should of. Let's just say don't try to use adobe stock photos to create your masterpiece.
When creating the game I knew that I wanted a face for the game. My idea was to have a fun, welcoming, figure; someone that people follow or take direction from. If you have played the game then you know why this fits the profile. At first I thought of a pilot or flight attendant. I found some images online and thought that would be fun. But I didn't want to just settle on the first idea that popped into my brain. So, I continued brainstorming and thought... well, how about a hiker. Someone that people follow through mountains, and forests, a person that leads the way. I ended up settling on this idea.
From there I decided to start looking for images online of someone with that look. Someone kind of cartoon like with a backpack, maybe a canteen... you know, just someone that fit the profile. After searching I found a picture off of adobe stock. Great, I have a picture lol, know what? So, I searched some more. I looked up metal fabricators, mold makers, you name it I looked it up. After a few days I went to Holly, my graphic designer, an I explained my problems. "I have this image but I need to make a figure out of it. Do you have any idea what to do or where to look." She explained that she knew someone that had a 3D printer, Brian, and that he may be able to help. From there I took the image to Brian and he was like, I think I know a guy. He contacts this guy and ends up making a file that can print this figure off of a 3D printer. After a few tweaks it ends up looking great. He prints me out a few pawns and I roll with the idea. The next thing I know I am on Amazon ordering my own 3D printer so I can balk print these pawns.
After the printer comes in it is very exciting. I open the box and after two to three hours of assembly and pulling what hair I have left out it's assembled. Ok, lets print this thing. No no no. I power the printer on then I need to learn about leveling the bed of the printer, load the filament, find a 3D software that can slice my file and turn it into a "g code" file, play with the temperatures of the bed, the temperature of the filament nozzle, yea this thing is no joke for a beginner. I finely get to the point where I get this printer to print and it works. Yes, success!! After I print one I decide to ramp up production then try two. Then three at a time; double that to six per print. After a while I am printing out fifteen to twenty at a time, perfect. Well, it did not last long. After a while, the prints stopped sticking to the bed. I was only getting a few usable pawns out of a entire print so I scaled back to little numbers per print because it ended up being pointless when there were so many misprints.
At this point things are going good. The printer is locked in. Holly, at this point is creating the box graphics and we are putting the adobe stock image on the box. Things are looking great. It comes up in conversation that I should probably make sure I have permission to use this image. I said well, "I looked on the site and it says you can use the image as long as you purchase the rights to use it." Digging deeper I find out that I can only use the image I bought. I can not recreate it into a pawn, change anything about the image, the list continues. I decide to figure out the artist who made the image. After some digging I send and email and after some words back and forth, I can't use the image.
After all of this I am back at square one.
Holly!! I need help! She tells me, well its ok. So we come up with the idea of using myself for the character. I take some picture, well, I take hundreds of pictures. Trying to get the arms the right way, the smile how I like it. We eventually get something that we both like. I send it to Brian and within a few days I have a new figure; a figure of me. No one can say that I can't use my picture. Currently, after a lot of tweaks, I believe that we have a good product to add to the board game.
I say to you Holly, thank you so much! You have helped me in ways that are far beyond what you signed up for. Cheers all and happy travels.
Justin Bores - 12/17/2021
