About Xanist
Well I guess a little introduction is in order. My name is Jeffrey House. I have been a programmer for 15 years. I have always enjoyed graphics programming and made many unreleased products for my own enjoyment and personal education. When the iPhone was released, I was determined that I would do what I had always wanted to do, and that was to make games. Back in 1998 I had created a small space sim. It was not much more than a proof of concept. I had always loved the Wing Commander series and it has been a huge inspiration for me. As with what happens with most people, real life got most of my attention…college, deaths, marriage, and then becoming a father.
Through the years I had created a decent library of many graphics related technologies in the hopes that one day I would have the time to create something and use those as the building blocks. In 2008 I realized that time was not going to drop into my lap. I spent nearly every night after work and playing with my son, putting the building blocks into place, programming and creating art work for Black Space. I was even able to get my wife to do the nav computer’s voice. Working on Black Space just by myself, I finally conceded to the fact that although I could do everything myself(given time) I decided that to make the game better(and actually release it) I needed to license some of the game assets. I licensed the fighter models from www.3drt.com and the music and most of the sounds from www.soundrangers.com. This realization that I could not complete the game 100% while working working a normal job as well was profound. This allowed me to focus more on gameplay and AI than worrying about modeling or composing. In the end, I believe it was a great choice. In the next game from Xanist, my entire development approach will change, allowing me to focus more on features and gameplay. Although the next game won’t exist in the ‘Black Space’ Universe, it will be fun. And those who want more ‘Black Space’, just keep your eyes open:)