Jason Nester Artist/Designer Available for Work! + Freebies

TeamLava8

Hello There! I'm Jason!

I have over 18 years experience in web design and over 22 in art and traditional illustration. I have worked at several big creative agencies as well as Kent State University as An Educational Technologies Multimedia Developer. I have also worked on several NDA projects with Sony Pictures, MTV Networks and Comfort Suites Hotels. I offer affordable design services of all kinds including but not limited to, graphic design, illustration, character design, branding, motion graphics and web design and development. My most important jobs however are as a husband and father!

I have worked on close to 200 mobile games 75% of which were gamesalad based, as well as the graphics for 75 of my templates.

Get in touch if you would like to work with me. I am going full time freelance, so my schedule is wide open.

Contact Info:

Visit my website @ www.jasonnester.com

My main Youtube: www.youtube.com/user/JayLeeDesigns

My studio youtube: www.youtube.com/user/PixelnautStudios/

My Flickr for more examples www.flickr.com/photos/jasonnester/

or just email me at jayleedesigns@gmail.com

Some Examples:

A Few Videos:

TeamLava8

Here is a ten minute example of how I work sped up to 30 seconds!

a Martin Scorsese Koala!

The Process:

Final Version:

and here is the file (Freebie):

https://www.dropbox.com/s/c9qsiiidqgi30ig/koala.psd?dl=0

A simple flappy!

The Process:

Final Version:

and here is the file (Freebie):

https://www.dropbox.com/s/sl2g3fjuahljuxo/flappy.psd?dl=0

The_Gamesalad_Guru

Nice stuff!

TeamLava8

Free Button Source

This is a simple button psd file! 5 minutes of work!

The Process

Final Result:

Source Files (Freebie) Font Included:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/6gtve6spswq5slq/buttonsource.zip?dl=0

TeamLava8

@The_Gamesalad_Guru said:
Nice stuff!

Thank You!

KillerPenguinStudios

Hey @jayleedesigns,

Are you still able to help me out with what we were emailing about back in May? I also sent you a pm on here a few months ago but you were probably extremely busy during that time. Please let me know. Would like to also talk to you about some graphic work for my game. Thanks in advance!

TeamLava8

@KillerPenguinStudios said:
Hey jayleedesigns,

Are you still able to help me out with what we were emailing about back in May? I also sent you a pm on here a few months ago but you were probably extremely busy during that time. Please let me know. Would like to also talk to you about some graphic work for my game. Thanks in advance!

Sure! Hit me up with a PM or email me at jayleedesigns@gmail.com
I will help you out for sure!

BazookaTime

I have worked with Jason a bunch of times, his art is top notch.

Thunder_Child

I'm a little peeved at you sir for taking my slots template and now selling it as your own work 3rd party. I can't see any reason to ever need your services but good luck.

CodeMonster

@Thunder_Child

same happened with my super ball juggling FREE template that i made, the art was changed tho, so at least a little work was done.

The_Gamesalad_Guru

@Thunder_Child said:
I'm a little peeved at you sir for taking my slots template and now selling it as your own work 3rd party. I can't see any reason to ever need your services but good luck.

Ohhh stealing code is not cool. Further clarification on these matters need to addressed @jayleedesigns I will withhold any judgement untill all the facts are in.

Thunder_Child

I can understand how you feel about it @The_Gamesalad_Guru.

Let me clarify just a bit....it is in some way my fault...I should say that it's not that it was "stolen"....as he came across the code in about a 3 day window when I made the mistake...again my fault of putting the slots template in the spare code section...which I later asked a mod to remove for me. When I put it in the spare code section, I did NOT expect someone to re-skin it...add a few bells and whistles and the SELL it...publishing it would not have been an issue.

I HAVE verified it literally was derived from my template...he even left some of the sound effects and coding that I had left turned off...due to my NOT "optimizing my code"

I have spoke to 3rd party and several people about it...kept it to myself until I saw his post here. All that resentment came back. If anyone feels I'm wrong I will certainly remove my comment but it won't take away the fact that I have said it...so far..via many PM's I am receiving already this morning...I don't think others feel this way. My comments may be treading a line against forum rules of bashing another user...I'm not sure.

But at least now "I" know he WILL take code from the spare code section should it be valuable enough to him and sell it as his own work...because in no instance via 3rd party sales site has he made any comments as such.

EDiT...I want to add and make my self very clear here I have absolutely no ill feelings to any 3rd party site he may be selling it through...maybe some places I haven't found yet.

MarcMySalad

@Thunder_Child it's quite bad that this has happened to you and info like this should be shared just as you have done.

TeamLava8

Yes

TeamLava8

@Thunder_Child said:
I can understand how you feel about it The_Gamesalad_Guru.

Let me clarify just a bit....it is in some way my fault...I should say that it's not that it was "stolen"....as he came across the code in about a 3 day window when I made the mistake...again my fault of putting the slots template in the spare code section...which I later asked a mod to remove for me. When I put it in the spare code section, I did NOT expect someone to re-skin it...add a few bells and whistles and the SELL it...publishing it would not have been an issue.

I HAVE verified it literally was derived from my template...he even left some of the sound effects and coding that I had left turned off...due to my NOT "optimizing my code"

I did in fact take the codebase from the spare code section of the site. I did add quite a bit to it. I had been working on my own version of a 4 reel slot machine, and some of the techniques within it were very helpful. I wanted to make it look as if all of the reels were actually spinning, instead of generating in individual silos.

I have spoke to 3rd party and several people about it...kept it to myself until I saw his post here. All that resentment came back. If anyone feels I'm wrong I will certainly remove my comment but it won't take away the fact that I have said it...so far..via many PM's I am receiving already this morning...I don't think others feel this way. My comments may be treading a line against forum rules of bashing another user...I'm not sure.

But at least now "I" know he WILL take code from the spare code section should it be valuable enough to him and sell it as his own work...because in no instance via 3rd party sales site has he made any comments as such.

People are mostly paying for the graphics and a completeness of a project in terms of templates. I spend a fair amount of time putting together interfaces that people enjoy.
If you would like me to clearly state that it was built upon a free codebase I found on the forums I can do that. I just didn't realize I needed to. I am sorry.

I added significantly to the original code, and basically just copied over pieces of the initial project. I in no way was trying to be shady, I spent 30+ hours working on it prior to releasing it as a template. I assumed that free to use code was free to use code.

I am sorry if I have caused any problems here.

EDiT...I want to add and make my self very clear here I have absolutely no ill feelings to any 3rd party site he may be selling it through...maybe some places I haven't found yet.

Using code that was put up as free isn't stealing. I am very sorry you feel I victimized you. I can send you along the actual project file if you'd like. It differs greatly from your initial project. Also I sell templates at one marketplace only.

Once again I am sorry. I didn't feel as if I was doing something wrong. I improved upon a piece of code that was given out freely. I recreated many of the mechanics and copied things over for sure. I didn't feel I was stealing. My moral compass must be a mess for sure.

TeamLava8

I'll put up here for free. I'm not a bad person.

The_Gamesalad_Guru

And there we go. A rational conversation and a rational outcome very transparent. Thank you both for your candor.

Thunder_Child

@jayleedesigns said:
Using code that was put up as free isn't stealing. I am very sorry you feel I victimized you. I can send you along the actual project file if you'd like. It differs greatly from your initial project

Actually I can say what you did as I know what you did and did not change...

1. You copied the project 100%...and made two versions. Each a different theme...all you did is rename the actors and game level attributes so they wouldn't conflict when you made two different themes. This would have been much easier to do if you knew to just make a Boolean of Theme Classic and Theme Farm true and false...and to use theme images as each Boolean became true or false...you literally have two copies in the project...most likely merged.

2. You don't even know this or it would be fixed...that when you changed the images you reversed them in order of value and so the pay tables aren't even correct.

3. You simply turned off my Bonus Round system and added your own. Unfortunately again...you don't realize the farm Bonus around you made doesn't work and only the Classic Bonus Round does.

4. You completed my In App Purxhasing system I had complete all the way up to adding the code to call for a purchase.

5. You put some FX into it.

For the most part you "visually" did a great job...there's no doubt you are a great artist. You should finish your own slots and sell your own game mechanics.

Personally I think at this point I have proved the template you spent so much time on was somewhat of a failure and I'm glad that if anyone has bought it they see it as "broken" and feel free to contact me to fix it...as I have...and published it and it is for sale on the App Store and doing pretty well....I can also tell everyone at this point that should you want a working copy of the game...fixed and free of errors...to contact me and I'd be glad to give them the original project with a very simple method of creating easily 10 themes vs having 10 versions of the same game in the project.

I'd be glad to sell you a actual working model of "your" template. You clearly wasn't familiar enough with how a slots game of this magnitude should be coded...there are many many deep links between actors and you broke them. Your version of this template...is not worth buying.

I feel and am now asking you to remove it from the site/s you are selling this template...remove your YouTube videos relating to this template. Halt any future sales.

Thunder_Child aka "The_GameSalad_Slots_Guru"

The_Gamesalad_Guru

@Thunder_Child said:

Hey hey hey no stealing my guru title..lol

Thunder_Child

Sure put the version your selling in this forum thread.

I'd rather it be free than for sale.

I don't feel your a "bad person" Jason...I feel you made a poor decision and you seem to regret it and that's a great step and I accept your apology. You do ha e some other great templates I do buy them occasionally and on that note I'd say keep up the good work.

Thank you

TC

The_Gamesalad_Guru

I think we can take a few things from this.

1. When you put something on the forum as a shared file, aka spare code thread, that is license for public use (by this I mean in your own games, not to resell.)
2. This is why people are tight lipped about their game development. Which is a shame because it kills the community bond.
3. Trust is everything, especially in business. There is a proverb that says "A great name is better than gold or silver." Trying to make a quick buck always eventually brings you up short.

Armelline

@The_Gamesalad_Guru said:
1. When you put something on the forum as a shared file, aka spare code thread, that is license for public use.

I disagree. The license is for personal use. It is simply not okay in my book to resell someone else's work without permission.

Unless otherwise stated, a license does NOT default to CC0. Legally, most of the stuff people post on the forums is actually not allowed to be used, but the assumption is people will be sensible in how they use it. Nothing I've released free is allowed to be used in paid templates, and I'd expect to be asked before someone used it in a free template.

To quote GitHub's VP of Marketing, Brian Doll:

Code without an explicit license is protected by copyright and is by default All Rights Reserved. The person or people who wrote the code are protected as such. Any time you're using software you didn't write, licensing should be considered and abided.

In other words, everything that gets posted on these forums without an explicit license is not actually legally free to use AT ALL. Most of the time nobody cares and wouldn't see any need to enforce those rights, but if you're reselling the code - in part or all - that's a pretty different matter.

The_Gamesalad_Guru

@Armelline said:
Unless otherwise stated, a license does NOT default to CC0. Legally, most of the stuff people post on the forums is actually not allowed to be used, but the assumption is people will be sensible in how they use it. Nothing I've released free is allowed to be used in paid templates, and I'd expect to be asked before someone used it in a free template.

I agree with you on that point. I should have been more clear as i was thinking of people building their own games.

TeamLava8

777 Slots Template

By Jayleedesigns & Thunder Child

TeamLava8

Free 3 Reel Slots Template 2 (Unfinished)

Here is a template I was working on but never finished. It is a bigger casino style 3 reel slots game with lobby, bonuses etc. It's rough but should come in handy.

Video

Screens

File

KnightStar

@Thunder_Child - I gotta admit after reading your comment about your code being 'stolen' by @jayleedesigns , I was somewhat taken back..

I distinctly recall you posting all of your Slots code up on the Spare Code thread and you ever so clearly stating that you were done with the game code due to countless months of frustration, etc. In fact, I too downloaded all of the files, in hopes of learning something you might have done or being able to tweak some of it into something of my own..

I'll say this - you're a huge asset to the community in that you've done a lot to help folks and your tutorials have been equally useful. That said, you're also been quite known for 'flaming out' after running into problems such as the infamous "Welp...I've hit enough walls to know...I cant make games worth a darn.." discussion thread or the "Ever get frustrated enough to just quit?" thread, or the "Im pulling my hair out !" thread..

I personally love your tutorials and I really appreciate all the help and contributions you've made but frankly, you can't just throw your code up onto the Spare Code thread, knowing full well that the thread is for folks to D/L code for public usage, only to turn around and cry foul when someone does just that.. You should have known that someone was going to grab the files when you posted them and more importantly, you should have taken a few steps back from your project and collected yourself before giving up the ship..

Please continue to work on your cool projects and generating great tutorials but also try to calm your inner fire before erupting like Vesuvius when you hit a roadblock.. Hell - look at @The_Gamesalad_Guru 's icon - he has mastered the Lotus position..

-- J

PS - Kudos to @jayleedesigns for putting the templates up for free as a show of good faith...

Thunder_Child

@KnightStar you make a very strong argument here and have me by the short and curlies no doubt as you have quoted me word for word :-( I made a comment and explained that I did not say it was "stolen" so much that I knew I had made a mistake putting it in the spare code section...had it removed and specifically stated in today's comment I had no idea it might be taken and sold as someone else work...my particular issue was that it was being sold. He had downloaded the files..as you fm said you did as well...and probably others...in less than 3 days that project was being sold after some additional work had been done. I felt..and do still feel if people tend to pay for the art and such...maybe the assets should have been sold. It's a very touchy subject...it was...my fault for the file to be downloaded.

Jason does great art work...he does make other good templates and I hope the best for his future art and template sales. As some other comment were said...there is a lesson to be learned here and I have...I did that day I saw the template for sale.

I feel it is resolved enough for both parties. I don't take offense to any devils advocate on this matter I appreciate your comments.

TeamLava8

Decided to post up another free template, it's an old one, but I think somebody out ther will get some use out of it!

It is my Blade Toss Template!
You basically throw knives at balloons and try not to hit the clown. I made this waaay back in 2011.

It uses the accelerometer / gyro to aim, tap to shoot!

enjoy!

ookami007

Did you create the slot machine graphics? If so, those are great! I've had a slot machine app on the backburner for forever, but if I get it going again, I'll have to contact you.

Thunder_Child

the graphics for the reels he used in the apps screen splash...(the 7's) and my 15 reel slots game most likely came from Graphicdriver not sure if an extended license was used to be selling it in a template or not...but I purchased a single license for a single app use pretty cheap and it comes with an entire UI graphics game asset.

neoman

@Thunder_Child said:
the graphics came from Graphicdriver

Can you please provide the link to the Graphicdriver site @Thunder_Child? I would like to check it out. Every time I do a Google search I get Graphic Card Drivers for Intel ... ha ha Thanks in advance ...