Sidetrip to graphics land....

On the creativity/graphics front, I'm learning Lightwave. 3d graphics has been a hobby of mine for awhile, and I'm sure this will come in handy when it comes time to actually create a game. I also have Cinema 4D and XSI Foundation. If I end up doing something character-based and needing character graphics, then I think XSI will be my tool of choice, but otherwise I'm not sure if it'll be Lightwave or C4D. Lightwave is my newest purchase, so it'll probably win out for sheer novelty factor, but C4D is pretty powerful too, so who knows....

That's the lovely part of this being a hobby and not a job...I can make decisions based on personal whim and preference rather than sheer practicality. (Many would no doubt argue that choosing Smalltalk is evidence aplenty of that...)