Hiking Club 3/20/10

Last Saturday we had the first sunny hiking trip of the year. Although it was technically not even spring yet, the weather was very warm, around 70-80 degrees. We hiked a variety of locations (3 in total) in one session, a nice change of pace from long treks.

Game Development Group 3/17/10

This week me, Sebastian and Ben met up with Mr. Knittle to discuss progress on the game. Although we have not gotten much farther in the game, it was nice to reflect on all of the work we have put into, and how far we have gotten since we last met up with Mr. Knittle. We were able to stand back and take a look and how far we have gotten and how much we still have to achieve. We left the room with a better understanding of how close we were to completing the game.

Game Development Group 3/8/10

Over the past week I have not be able to do much. I made the room larger and created temporary cloning machines with different spawn rates to make a test version of the game. Sebastian has been doing some networking, but the charger for his laptop broke and he cannot program more until he gets a new one. Ben has created sample sprites for the player with different weapons. I also spoke with Mr. Knittle about more meetings so I could continue to receive CAS, which I will do in the upcoming week.

Game Development Group 3/1/10

This past week progress has improved greatly. I figured out the flamethrower and officially changed the name, from the old "zombies_and_mouse" to a brand new game that is much more like the final product. Like the final product, enemies actually die when hit instead of respawning. To go along with this, I have created temporary versions of the enemies, including the walker and exploder, and have tweaked them so that they have appropriate speeds, damage rates, behavior, sprites and health. The sprites (what the enemies look like) are temporary until Ben can finish the enemy sprites. We have also decided on a newer simplistic style for the characters. Sebastian has been having trouble with the new networking but is working hard to fix the issues. Because of networking I also need a different way to drop weapons, and a different way to do bullet collisions.

Game Development Group 2/22/10

Over the last week were not able to speak with each other about the game, however I was able to port over many of the weapons from my personal build of Sebastian's old game. I also created a checklist to make it easier to figure out what we had and had not finished. I figured out how to make an "angle" and therefore could make the shotgun, minigun and rocket launcher. There were many instances where I had to relearn how to do things from my old game by looking at my own coding from months past. I have now relearned everything I knew about programming and much more. I am currently working through doing collisions with lines. We have also managed to get some art from Ben Doane, who has done lots of background art and will now work on the characters. Sebastian has done a little more networking, but unfortunately discovered that he needs to redo most of the structure. Hopefully next week we can have some character sprite ideas as well as more weapons, some sound effects and a good start on networking.

Game Development Group 2/8/10

Today we discussed plans to further work on our game. After a 4 month hiatus, a new version of Game Maker and the discovery of a way to do networking as planned have started. I have started working on adapting the "extra" weapons I had previously added to Sebastian's zombie game. I will make them more balanced, clean up the programming, and change them slightly in order to better fit our needs. Sebastian will be working on networking and trying to port what work I get done into the networked game. Ben Doane will be working on artwork, and we will see if Alan Haynes does sound. Hopefully a lot of work can be done on the game over February vacation.

Hiking Club Winter hike 1/9/10

Yesterday we went on a 10 mile across Falmouth. Because of the cold weather I wore a t-shirt, long sleeve over it, and a coat over it. This is also the first hike that I got to use my new hiking sneakers. The improved traction proved useful, as much of the trail was covered with ice. I also brought much less equipment on this trip to lighten the load on my back. Besides what I what wearing, I was able narrow down the contents of my pack to lunch, one quart of water, and a cell phone. I also took a camera and tried to get shots that got a good feel of the trip. Our next hike will most likely be in the spring, so I will have to dress appropriately.

Cover Contest, 12/16/09

Despite the extended deadline, I was still not able to hand in my submission due to issues regarding when the art room was open. Regardless, I think the extra time gave me a chance to make the picture more basic and I am no longer ashamed of it. Even though I did not have it in on time it was ready on time, and therefore is a testament to what I can do in a given time with creative limitations. Being able to work within limits is a very useful skill, even in things besides artwork.

Cover Contest, 12/4/09

Today I discovered that the contest has been extended until the 11th of December. As such, I will be revising my artwork. I've decided to remove everything cartoony from it to simplify the image so it will look more like a cover rather than an art piece.

Cover Contest, 11/23/09

Over the past week my idea for the drawing has changed drastically. At first I was going for a more realistic look, but instead I decided to make it more "cartoony," and more literary journal themed. At first I went a little overboard, changing everything to match the theme. I later tried to make it more realistic, but not completely realistic--somewhere in between my previous ideas. I added small things like the fish holding a pencil, papers falling behind him, and the crab holding a journal. I have also started work on the scales, a long but necessary task if I want it to look realistic.

Cover Contest 11/18/09

Today I began my cover for submission in the contest. I decided to keep it very simple, with a large fish in the center and a jellyfish and crab in the upper left and lower right, respectively. I tried drawing different fish from the fish tank to get the right shape. I used a picture of a crab as a reference for the crab, and drew the jellyfish from my head. So far I have the planning and basic shapes worked out.

Caffeine Formula 11/16/09

Over the past two weeks I have been attempting to acquire data for my formula. I first made googledocs spreadsheets for each of the three testing areas: Coffee, Tea, and Soda/Energy Drinks. I then made the form as simple as possible, eliminating all factors except the amount of liquid and the time until crash. I reasoned that enough data would overpower the error made by such a simple formula. I then posted links to the formula on Twitter and Facebook, and at a suggestion made a Facebook group. Initially it seemed I had a lot of interest, with about 3 sets of data per chart in the first day. The Facebook group grew to about 30 members in 2 days, and it seemed like I would be able to collect real data. Unfortunately, besides the initial turnout all the data has since been my own. I hope to further simplify the process by making the submission process into a survey-type document. I will also be adding an entry for day or night by suggestion of my advisor.

Game Development Group 9/30/09

Yesterday we had our first meeting of the Game Development Group. Although we were trying to limit the size of the group, due to a lack of contact info and a scheduling conflict that moved the meeting from Monday to Tuesday (I was out for a Jewish holiday), our group size consisted of me, co-creator Sebastian and one other member. We were able to collaborate on ideas and a better concept for the game, along with possible art style and controls, but we were not yet able to assign jobs or have "lessons." Hopefully more will be able to show up to our next meeting, where we can assign jobs and start work on the first version of the project.