I started working again. Yay! It has been almost a year since I had time to devote to my little prototype/game project. I’m not entirely sure how I lost my motivation (it all started with work), but once it was gone, it was very hard to get it back again. Ironically, I’m also not entirely sure what caused it to come back again, but hey, when its here, run with it right?
A couple weeks ago, the desire to pick it back up again hit me. I’ve had the desire before, but what stopped me was knowing what I was going to have to hurdle to get the ball actually working again. It was like the restitution coefficient (physics on the brain again …) was so high, I couldn’t even get the thing going. I knew I was going to have to figure out all my problems that I was having with the physics, etc. When I loaded the solution back up into Visual Studio, I knew I was going to have to update my middleware libs (Farseer Physics from 2.01 to 2.1.3 and Mercury Particle Engine from 3.0.0 to 3.1.0) and XNA itself (from 3 to 3.1). That didn’t seem like a very exciting prospect, but I bit the bullet and gave it a go.
As it turns out, it only took me 1 day (a few hours), to update all 3 of those things and get my project compiling the same way it had in the past. Then I had to take time to read through all my code again and try and figure out what the heck it was that I was doing. That ended up taking much more time than the new integrations. Once I had a handle on what I was trying to do, I started looking into the problems I had previously (see last year’s final posts on the prototype to see).
The physics just didn’t want to cooperate entirely, and the blocks didn’t really want to stack. At that time, one of the developers of Farseer Physics (FP) told me to look into their method, which they called inactivity. I tried using it and it did not do what I needed, no matter how much I tweaked. I then looked into Box2DX, a csharp port of Box2D, and found that it had what I wanted, which it called sleep. Essentially, it kept a list of bodies that are directly in contact with one another. If all those bodies weren’t moving, it would put them to sleep. Otherwise, they would wake up. I decided that that was what I needed, so I was going to add it to FP myself. Before doing so, I decided to post on FP’s forum and ask if there was any progress to my previous issues with the Inactivity Controller. I was pointed to their development version (FP3), which is still being developed. They also pointed out to me that there was a new Box2D port to XNA, which they, in turn, ported into FP3. This was very fortuitous, since it already had the sleeping bodies that I was after.
This then led me to then upgrade the FP lib again, but this time, it broke everything. This was different, though, because I knew that it was going to lead to some light at the end of the tunnel. Now, here I am about 3 nights later, and I decided its about time to rewrite my whole prototype while I’m redoing the code, to get it more ready for a game. That sounds like a setback, but I’ve already made more progress in a few hours than I had made in weeks before stopping. I think this means I am now officially pumped, and anyone who still reads this (probably nobody) can expect the videos to start up again very soon.
I have to start out and say that I am a fan of Xbox and I do like Microsoft, just so people can categorize my opinion accordingly. I have always payed attention to the console market, even when I wasn’t playing anything myself. Historically, I have owned almost every console ever made. And when I didn’t own them, I had friends that did (Neo Geo and Turbo Graphics 16 anyone?). More recently, I bought an Xbox, and modded the heck out of it. XBMC was the greatest thing on a console ever known to man. Nowadays, I have been a happy 360 owner for almost 3 years now, even when I got the dreaded RROD.
So, the slim came out and I had to finally enter into Sony’s world. I had a PS2, but was peer-pressured into it. While I did not want one, there was enough on there that let me know that Sony did have a few things going for it. One thing that I HATE about Sony is their hype machine. When PS2 was coming out, it was the “Emotion Engine” and how it was supposed to create the first video games that could make you cry. I think Sony did probably deliver the tears when people got one, brought it home, popped in a game, and discovered that it wasn’t anything like the promises. This time around, it was the “Cell” and how it was supposed to be the best newest thing ever. It was supposed to change the world, electronics, PC’s and all that. So far it hasn’t done any of that, so I have to admit that I am a skeptic just out of duty. Any company that uses tactics like that gets put on my I-don’t-trust-anything-you-say list (Apple anyone?).
So, it shows up and I have to then decide what games am I going to get? I’ve been paying attention, so I know I need to get Metal Gear, and play Flower, and a few other gems. That is really all I am interested in at this point. I just want to know what the PS3 can do that the Xbox360 can’t. So, exclusives titles and anything that might somehow prove to me that this thing is superior to my (still) cheaper Xbox360 and my Wii.
So far, I picked up MGS2, MotorStorm, Lair (I know this isn’t a good example, but I actually thought of getting a PS3 for this game), and Flower. There’s others, but I can’t recall them right now (not a good sign ). At the time of this writing, I still am interested in picking up the Uncharted Games and LBP, but the funds are forthcoming. I am absolutely looking forward to The Last Guardian too.
So, like I said, I am really interested in seeing how the PS3 is better than the Xbox, if it is. I liked the simplistic interface on bootup, but after using it, looks aren’t enough. The simple truth is that it pales in comparison to NXE (Xbox360′s dashboard). The Wii’s is also simplistic, but I only use the Wii for Mario Kart or Zelda, so it’s not really in the running here in my book. So the interface isn’t there yet, what about the games?
So, I put in MGS2 and figured I’d give it a go. I’d heard that it was Sony’s Gears of War (or is that Killzone???), so I was ready to be impressed. The first thing I noticed was that I couldn’t play. It had to “install” first. WTF??? Install? Is this a PC or a console, I was confused. I’ve never had the wonderful experience of installing a game (other than an arcade game) onto a console before, so I was a bit shocked. Okay, so just a minute or two right? I can handle that. NOPE! It was like 15 minutes (or maybe it just seemed like that). Who cares? That is entirely ridiculous. Remember folks, we’re talking about a big hard drive and the Cell processor standard here. These are all features Sony has been shoving in my face. I am an intelligent consumer so I figure if a company is going to tell me their product is the best, that it is the best in everything. So far, I have to admit, Sony is living up to my expectations.
Okay, so I am just hoping for it to suck right? It must be just me projecting my desires and tainting the results. MGS2 finally finished and I tell it to start a new game. The credits start, and some video. Well, and by “some,” I mean the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen. Maybe it’s because I know nothing about Metal Gear at all, so it just doesn’t make sense to me right? Okay, so I take a crap and come back and its still going, but it now is more of a cinematic. It looks like the action is going to start soon. The uber hardcore looking guy (who incidentally looks like he stole the bandanna off of CliffyB’s main character) is a bit cheesy, but okay, lets see if he can grow on me. The first level begins. It’s a tutorial level, so I figure I will get the ropes here. I always had a hard time transitioning to the PS2 controller from the xbox one, so a little warm-up will do me good.
Umm, so how do I put this gently? That is the worst beginning level I have ever seen. I died about 30 times. It was one of those things where I was a little distracted the first time they told me what to do, so I missed it. I figured I would die and it would explain it again, right? Nope. They just assumed that I got it the first time and was just retarded and couldn’t figure out how to move. Look here folks, I pwned at SOCOM when I played friends, so I know how to move. I also hold some of the top scores in the world in Droplitz, so my eye-hand coordination is pretty good. If I can’t get past this level, it’s not because I suck, it’s because its the worst level ever. Anyways, I think I played about 20 more minutes after that, and I haven’t touched it since. I will go back and play it again some day, but my experience was ruined, so I need some cool-down time (read: I need to get old enough that my brain has lost those memories) before I go back to MGS2.
Okay, lest you think that I am just a hater, it get’s better, so keep reading. The next game I tried was Motor Storm. I had tried this in stores a few times years ago and had liked what I saw. The same held true now that I had it in my living room on my HDTV. I didn’t even let my son taint my opinion of this game (he’s 3 and LOVES trucks, cars, anything with wheels); needless to say, he loves it. Motor Storm is why I bought a PS3. It’s not the deepest game, but then again, it’s a racing game. How deep does it need to be? When I come home from work and just want to get my mind off, there’s nothing like picking up a controller and then racing a crazy course against good AI (but not too good <- Mario Kart Wii anyone?). Okay, score some points for Sony here. This game shows off what it can do, and how pretty it can look. That being said, I know the Xbox360 has games that look this pretty. It definitely started to let me think I hadn’t just wasted my money, though.
I don’t think I need to go into great detail on anything else I have done with my PS3 since then. I’ve downloaded a ton of demos. Most looks great, but I don’t have tons of time to play, so they’re just reminders that this device can do things my PC can’t. I tried Flower and some other little arcade games. Flower stands out and is really cool, but is no Braid. What I mean by that is that I had Braid and it changed the way I thought about games. I know Braid has since been ported to PS3, but in my mind its a 360 game, because that is where it changed my thinking about games, so the point goes to Xbox on that one.
The PS3 scores some more points in that it streams a few movies that my 360 does horribly, so that is good. I also like their movie menu better than Xbox’s. When I am streaming movies from my PC, it’s quicker to navigate on the PS3 than the 360. That being said, there are a bunch of movies that stream fine from the 360, that the PS3 chokes on, so they are equal here. The Xbox ends up taking the win because of Netflix. I joined Netflix because I took the trial on my Xbox. I decided to have Netflix ship their disc to me for the PS3 (can’t have too many options right?) and then I found out that I had to have the disc in EACH AND EVERY TIME I WANT TO USE NETFLIX????? Wow, just wow. Sony sure knows how to screw things up don’t they? If I didn’t have a 360 which I stream from all the time, I would give them a piece of my mind over that BS. Lucky for them, the interface is crappy anyways, and we use the 360 every day.
The PS3 so far hasn’t become something we use every day, while the 360 has. Granted, we had 2 years to get used to using the 360, but it’s just easier. I have a harmony remote that works perfectly on all our devices. Now, apparently, I need to buy a $40 adapter to get it to work with my PS3. That’s just dumb. So far, nothing about the PS3 has been simple and easy. It hasn’t made my life any easier and better and I haven’t seen anything that makes me think it is the best. I’m sure I will love The Last Guardian, and some other select games that come out. I’m sure my son will love LBP when I finally get it, but until then, the PS3 is doing what it has earned in my books: collecting dust.
The final result: the PS3 met every expectation I had for it, and then some, which is to say that it sucked even more than I thought it would. It is definitely not the best console of this generation. It currently gets used more than my Wii, but that’s just until the next Zelda game comes our or if I get the new Mario for Christmas. Sorry Sony, but I knew it all along. You made a cool device, but it’s nowhere near as cool as you think (and say) it is. It’s nice that it has Blueray; at least I know I will use it someday (although I still refuse to pay for Bluerays because they are still overpriced).
For all 4 readers I have, it’s been right around 3 months since my last post. I have a number of posts bottled up in my mind that are screaming to get out, so I figured rather than jump right in, I’d break the silence here and then follow with the posts as I complete them. I have been super busy with work still, and that probably won’t change for a few more months, at least; but fear not, I have been programming! Too bad it has been stuff for work, but it definitely has been reminding me that I need to get back to my game. I still have yet to see anything that is similar to it, so I still feel that Blonk (the name I came up with for my game) has a place in the world.
Since I got a PS3, I figured I would write a review from my perspective as a Xbox Live subscriber, and someone who typically dislikes the tactics of Sony. I will also start reviewing some other games that I have played recently, which I feel are worthy of praise. Expect those soon (hopefully this weekend).
So if you haven’t noticed, I’ve been busy lately. As I sit here babysitting a 4-hour file transfer for work, I am realizing that I’ve been working waaaaaay too much lately. The good news is that I do good work, and make sure that stuff gets done. The bad news is that it comes at the expense of my hobbies. I’ve had way to many things going on that have been keeping me from my blog/twitter/etc.
There is some good that came from it all though:
1) I found the joys of Netflix! Holy cow how did we ever live without Netflix?!?!? My wife and I would DVR our favorite shows, but on nights when there aren’t any of them (most nights since summer started), we are stuck with nothing to watch. This leads to some pretty crappy television time. On one of those nights, while I was on my 360, I decided to try out their Netflix trial. It’s been pretty great so far. I get about 2-3 movies a week in the mail, and then have a massive list of streaming movies that are ready to go when all else fails.
2) This leads to another good from it all: The IT Crowd is the funniest darn show I’ve seen in a long, long, long time. I stumbled upon it on Netflix’s streaming shows and I have gone through the first two seasons (in one night!). My favorite had to be the episode where they go to the theatre. I almost wet myself about 8 times during that one. I was trying to hold my new baby while watching it, but it turns out that he doesn’t sleep while his Dad is coughing up a lung due to excessive laughter. How did I go this long without knowing about this great show?!?!
3) I bought Fallout 3 on steam on Sale. I’ve only played a couple hours worth, but so far its pretty fun. I remember playing the original Fallout long ago, and I must say: Fallout 3 stays pretty close with its atmosphere. I’ve got over 3 hours left of waiting tonight, so after I write this post, I think I’m going to play some more.
Well, even with the work lately, I’m still not quite done. We’re doing a ton of projects at work, which unfortunately are fun. I am truly a IT nerd when I get so excited about SAN’s and offsite replication. Not to mention new websites, new networking equipment, network redesigns with more VLAN’s and new Cisco equipment. Those are just a few of the reasons why my game/prototype has gone dormant for the last couple months. Plus the fact that there is a 6-week old baby here at home and that should be enough of an excuse.
Well, I just wanted to prove that I still am alive. ‘Til next time.
Ok, so I don’t just try and make games, but I can play them too. I am quite proud of this one, since this game required more skill than any I have ever played and beat before. Here is my attempts of the final level of the game. This level is the hardest by a long shot.
Props go out to lokiji for making a game that wasn’t watered down. It’s only a few levels, but they are sweet.
This is my first Life vs. Hobby post. I say first because I’ve been doing this long enough to know that there will be many more. I was pretty lucky while working on Project Wish that life didn’t get in the way more than it did. Having no kids yet helped quite a bit. Having a nice wife also helped . In fact, it got in the way so little, that I was able to do more than I had ever dreamed going into it. Things are not so easy this time around. Lucky for me (and my family), I am a wiser person now.
Wisdom comes from setting proper priorities, folks. You can’t live life like a video game for very long before you find out that hard way that RL is going to win every time. You can’t ditch class and expect to glide through college like you did high school. You can’t do crappy work and not show up and expect to keep you minimum wage job. You can’t put your hobby first over your real life, no matter what, and expect to be happy later. I am no Damon Grow, that’s for sure. That dude has some balls, to semi-ditch his family for his dream, or at least watch them semi-ditch him (however you look at it). I’m lucky that my hobby/dream never went to that extreme, or rather, I never let it. Make no mistake, it is all about your own personal choice(s). Addiction to your hobby is not a good excuse when it comes down to screwing up your life.
Anyways, enough of that rant that probably nobody will ever read. My site has been sitting here practically untouched for long enough. I knew I needed to post, so that was my justification for the update I now give. My second child was born about 2 1/2 weeks ago, so I have been making the smart choice to help out my wife when I am at home, and not just stay up late. That would make me a zombie, which isn’t much help to her during the night, when babies like to wake up.
My game is still sitting here. Visual Studio is still open, from over a month ago, but yet remains unmodified. That being said, I have spent some time working on my music skills. My game idea is more than just a simple concept. I plan on making the complete game experience by having good music, along with good graphics and gameplay (my fingers are crossed on all of those things). I had spent some time using Fruity Loops back for Project Wish, so I whipped it out again to get myself going. I’ve got some musical ideas going around, so I figured I would get them down before I forget.
Other than that, things are going well with kid #2, so I hope that that means I will be back to programming this month sometime. Hopefully I will even get some videos to post.
So I haven’t been terribly productive lately, but I am still around and still working on my game/prototype. I’ll have some more posts soon. I blame all the insane projects I have been working on at work and the fact that my wife is due any second with our second.
Despite the excuses, I saw an amazing act of duh-ery today, this time coming from Japan. Now Japan makes some cool technology, but they definitely do not have what one might call a “western” set of values/morals. To me, this is absolutely astonishing at how long it took them to realize that this was out of line:
It took the game getting published over seas and another country having a cow over this game before they decided to take some action against it. Now I am all about artistic freedom and all that, but in some cases, that is a total farce and facade. Some people argue that they are entitled to do something blah, blah, whatever. There is no excuse for something this heinous to ever make its way into the mainstream. There are places for stuff like this, should someone want to spend the time to create it. Sell it in some black alley at night, but don’t try to get this crap into the mainstream. I’ll call serious shenanigans on anyone making a case to defend stuff like this. It’s just way out of line, and doesn’t bode well for the future of the industry (or world for that matter).
I won’t turn this into a big moral rant, especially because I shouldn’t have to. So to sum up: A big duh goes out to Japan this week for finally doing something they should have done eons ago.
So I was reading TIG yesterday about an interview with Braid-creator Jonathan Blow. It seemed like a pretty good read, and I had nothing better to do, so I read some of the comments. It didn’t take long to see that TIG is full of anonymous children who think TIG is their playground to whine about everything that might seem like a good thing to whine about. I couldn’t resist chiming in a few times myself. Nothing I said, however, was as good as this response:
Now, what good are blogs if I can’t use it to unjustly force my opinion upon those who might read this (all 8 people)? I have noticed this more and more over my years on the Internet. It has truly become a place where people can get away with being pretty despicable human beings.
Anonymity is one of the greatest and worst things about the Internet. I still remember the first time I tried to PK someone in Ultima Online. Talk about a rush. To be able to do something you know you wouldn’t normally do in real life (via roleplay albeit), and somehow know that you will not get into trouble (like you might in real life) does give you that same adrenaline rush. This same chemical rush is something we get each time, but with less a degree. So, in order to get the same rush the next time, you have to take it a little farther. It’s really a classic case of addiction, only the “substance” is produced within. Similar things happen when playing games with repeatable content, like WoW. You play, get a rush, and then have to play more to get that same rush again.
I can only assume that these immature louts feel a similar exhilaration when anonymously bashing someone’s viewpoint. It must feel great to seem so smart while nobody knows the truth, that you are a child (whether truly or only in mental or emotional faculties is something unbeknownst to all except the person in question).
I truly respect anyone who puts their real name in a comment, because I know that means that they have the stones to make the same argument in real life. The amount of respect even goes higher when that person actually links to their own site/blog. I do it myself because I stand by every word I say, and I do that to add a little validity to it. Not that I know more or hold my opinion in higher regard, but at least you know I’m that same A-hole in real life as the one you are reading. It’s one thing to use a pseudonym and make a valid point, and its entirely something else to be yourself, rather than hide behind a guise.
What I really love is the “I don’t have to make games to be able to bash on them” argument. That is a gloriously dung-ridden justification. The analogy of “you don’t have to be a cook to comment on food” is the one that was being used last night in the comments. I mean, that is about as weak as it gets. I’m fairly certain (understatement) that you probably should be a cook when you comment about how wrong someone’s technique is, or that their cooking sucks. You can say you don’t like the food, but you can’t comment on the cooking unless you know something about cooking. You can say you didn’t like the flavor because ______. That’s just fine. It helps. But if you were going for constructive criticism, try a different approach, like one in which you don’t hide, for starters. Please spare us the space on a message board, especially if you are going to do it anonymously. It couldn’t get any smaller than that. Sure, everyone is entitiled to their own opinion, and if yours is so great, start a blog and get some readers. It all comes down to jealousy. If I’m going to bash anonymously, I’m jealous of whomever I’m bashing, period. End of story.
Well, you’ve seen the first few weeks of my prototype, coming from someone new to it. So here are the next few parts. These bring my prototype to an end … sorta. I’ll explain below.
New version of Jing creates better performing videos. I still have problems with only a single joint being created, rather than many. Still has performance issues.
Sometimes things don’t work the way you might think. I attempted using a patch which is supposed to cut down on excessive collissions. It definitely doesn’t work the way I expected, but the results are funny.
Introducing the particles. The graphical style I have picked for the game definitely will require particles. I picked DPSF after playing with a number of particle systems for XNA. The results are fun, although it is more of a proof of concept than actually looking the way I wanted. Being a noob, I just wanted to get them in the system, so as I progress, I can start getting the style going quickly. I also added my original concept background art as well. Now it doesn’t look quite so boring.
In this one, I finally fixed the camera class and the debug view of the physics engine to work properly. This was nice to finally see things the way they needed to be. The camera tracking the player (block) without going past the level was important.
In this one, I added fire particles for the fire block. This is a fun milestone because it adds to the visual style I was hoping to get. This still doesn’t match the look I intended, but it is a step in the right direction. I also discover some immergent gameplay ideas that I got while playing around in my sandbox.
Nothing too spectacular there, but you can see the evolution of a game fairly well. The idea and a moving block themselves do look incredibly boring, I will admit that. For me though, since I do see the final idea (or at least a large portion of it; there is still a lot up in the air) in my head, it feels great to continually make mini-milestones.
There is a choice with progress on a prototye, however. At some point the prototype needs to either get added to the pile of prototypes (assuming you subscribe to the Experimental Gameplay train of thought), or it becomes a game. When you make the decision is up to you. I came up with a bunch of game ideas in my idea phase, and chose this one. I am new to prototyping, so I have to wonder if I really am going to make this decision. I have assumed from the get-go that this is a game that I am going to take all the way to fruition. That only means that I am not sure I even want to consider the decision, I made it already when I started making this.
So, with that, I am decided to continue on, but how does the transition go? For me, I am still using the Farseer demos framework while I continue on. At this point I still like to think I’m prototyping, but really I’m working on the game, just slowly. It’s easier to call it prototyping, because then there are no expectations or questions about the game. So, its still a prototype until I announce the name of the game, how about that? For those of you in the same boat, there can be a vague line between prototype and game, if you are working on it like I did. I am sure that there are others who will stop coding in the framework the minute they know its going to become a game, and then start from scratch, more or less, on their own game engine. I guess I’m still just a noob. The framework is like my safety blanket. I’m still busy prototyping, so mind your own business .
Next post: The glamour of Gameplay (banging your head against the wall to get it to work right), aka the troubles I have been having.
I was on the #xna channel last night and someone linked up the best resignation ever. He work(ed) for 2k Australia and just dropped the mother-of-all-resignation letters on them. See for yourself:
). At the time of this writing, I still am interested in picking up the Uncharted Games and LBP, but the funds are forthcoming. I am absolutely looking forward to The Last Guardian too.
. In fact, it got in the way so little, that I was able to do more than I had ever dreamed going into it. Things are not so easy this time around. Lucky for me (and my family), I am a wiser person now. 
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