Month 7: 3D Content Creation & Windows Programming 2

Last month I had 3D Content Creation with Josh Fox and Windows Programming 2 with Chuck Rainey. We continue to learn new things everyday. In 3DCC we got a taste of the Artist's struggle when creating assets for games. In WP2 we learned how to make tools, such as tile editors, to help us create games.

3DCC started out with us learning the content pipeline and basic animation terms. We then got first hand experiance designing models with Maya and levels with Unreal Editor. These tools were very complex but we got a good grasp on their basics from modeling to animation to lighting to texturing. We even coded an exporter to get models from Maya mesh files.

We shifted gears in WP2. Where in WP1 we were focused on Windows based games, in WP2 we were more focused on creating tool to help in the development process. It was a nice change of pace from all the games and simulations we have been writing. It gave us a chance to learn a new skill and to create good self-made tools to have in our programming belts. We utilized the Windows Forms in order to do this and even made our own custom controls like a graphics panel and tool window.

Month 6: Windows Programming 1, Historical Archetypes and Mythology

Just finished up my 6th month at Full Sail. I am a quarter of the way done with my degree program. By now I am used to the workload and hours. This month we had Windows Programming 1 taught by Chuck Rainey and Rob Muscarella were we learned how to make C-Style Win32 Applications. We also had Historical Archetypes and Mythology taught by Pauline Pedersen and Mark Pursell were we learned many of the world’s great myths as well as how to analyze stories. Dave Arneson, the creator of Dungeons & Dragons, aided this class in design.

In Windows Programming 1 we got a chance to make some games like Tick-Tac-Toe and Pong. We had 2 weeks to make Pong and were encouraged to put our own spin on it either with a theme or gameplay. Many students used bitmaps, sprite sheets and special abilities of their favorite game. Others worked on unique AI, collision detection and physics. I implemented a picture guessing game as my Pong. For the final we had to fix a broken program and make Warcraft Risk.

Pongtionary - this is my version of pong where the player must reveal a picture by scoring points and then guess the picture.


In Historical Archetypes and Mythology we learned about creation myths, Joseph Campbell’s Hero Cycle and Archetypes. We got to find out our own Archetypes as well as come up with our own creation myth. We also had a chance turn our favorite heroes into antiheros and make a game that had the Hero Cycle. He learned about Shamanism, Celtic & Norse myths (Beowulf, Dagda the Good), Asian & Indian myths (Shinto, The Ramayana), Greek myths (The Odyssey), Middle Eastern myths (Gilgamesh, Osiris) as well as King Arthur, Heraldry and color symbolism.

Month 5: Data Structures, Flash Workshop and Ethics and Psychology

I just finished my fifth month at Full Sail. The classes are getting tougher but the material is also becoming more interesting. The drive to learn is pushing me farther along and making me enjoy the work that much more. I took a flash workshop on Sundays taught by Mike Arlington. He challenged us to make our own game by the end of the month and I am proud to say that I have finished the mechanics for mine (However, I am no artist and am in need of some better assets). He also taught us how to but our games online and make money off them.

I Crush Ur Head - This is my flash game where the player must click on the head of pedestrians in order to crush their heads. (inspired from the Kids In The Hall skit)

Rodney taught us data structures. He is a very cool guy who went through the course when he was younger. He gave hard tests that really pushed us to know the material. We would have to know how to draw the data structures and how all their operations functioned. Rodney kept us laughing throughout the month and gave us projects such as Simon and Boggle.

Lance “Doc” Percy taught us psychology. He told us that it could help us in three areas, character development, industry communication/marketing, and self-improvement. We learned about the three schools of western psychology. We also had to incorporate the theories we learned into characters as part of a story we wrote in groups. We took different kinds of personality tests and learned a lot about ourselves. We also discussed many movie and game characters as well as watched some funny, interesting videos.

Johnny Cupcakes

This past week I had the pleasure of attending a lecture by Johnny Cupcakes, at Full Sail Live. It was a great experience to hear his story and tips for running a business. Johnny said that there are different ways of thinking and making money but he always went with his gut and took lots of risks to bring him success. He also discussed many of his struggles and things he wished he had known when he was growing his business.

Johnny always wanted to do things himself, but soon found out that delegating tasks was an important part of growing with your business. He mentioned that going into business with friends was not always a good ides. He emphasized that “to make money, you have to spend money” and the more detail you put into the little things the more you build an experience that your clients will remember.

Johnny also emphasized the importance of first impressions, spending your time wisely (giving yourself extra time if needed), appealing to a wide audience, keeping your employees happy, ensuring your products longevity, location and utilizing your community (keeping it personal) and the Internet. We watched his webisodes off johhnycupcakes.com about the development and events at his stores. He mentioned that he has been able to keep people interested in his brand by making limited edition items and not selling out to large corporations. He exclaimed “people like what they can’t have” or what nobody has.

Johnny has done many promotions such as contests and sales. He has taken many risks, put work before play and has taken the not so common path but it has worked out for him greatly. He always wanted his customers to relive the past through his shirts and style. He loves what he does and will continue to grow his businesses. I have learned a lot and had a great time at the lecture, at the end he gave out prizes to students who could answer questions about old Nickelodeon shows.

Month 4: Physics and Programming 3

I just finished my forth month at Full Sail. Half my class from last month did not pass those classes so my class for physics was about half in size, and there were some new faces in programming 3 those who took it last month and did not pass. As the work gets tougher it becomes harder to keep your grade at the point where you want it, however with increased studying, in office hours, before class with classmates or by one's self, the work does not seem unmanageable. And of course it helps if you love what you are learning.

We had Mr. Bahin again for physics and he still kept us laughing even though many students were falling asleep in his class due to the fact that the nights before we had class until 1am and had to be in his class by 9am (that's Full Sail for you). He taught us well and did not overload us with work. We had many simulations to program which included friction, gravity and collisions. The lab assistants were very helpful as usual.

For programming 3 we had Arthur Johnson, a very enthusiastic man who taught at UCF (University of Central Florida). He taught us a lot about what to do on interviews and how to be an efficient programmer during different situations. Everyday a question box would pop up, randomly, on the projector with a random student's name and generate a question based on the topics we covered the class before. If the student would get the question wrong they would lose ten GPS (Global Professionalism Standard) points. After the question, which were pretty difficult if the student did not study, the generator would produce a movie/game trivia question to lighten the mood back up. Each lad in PG3 would be based somewhat on the lab before that. This means that through the whole month we made a simple tank game and learned all the different implementations of what we could put in a game from cheat flags to sound to cell based images and even high score displays. Also if you are going into PG3 be ready to learn a lot about file input/output.

Month 3: Linear Algebra, Programming 2 and my first Global Game Jam

In linear algebra we learned the basics of how math applies to programming in games. We had to make transformation simulations, among others, and our own vector and matrix math functions library. The lab assistants were very helpful as usual. Our professor, Richard Bahin, was very knowledgeable and always made the class fun and interesting giving us real world examples and telling us what we need to know when we apply for industry jobs.

Programming 2 was more complicated than programming 1 but we learned a lot more about classes and dynamic memory. Our professor, Justin Tackett, would give us assignments to make programs that one would find in games. We always had a great time coming up with hilarious spells for Wizard characters like "Summon Beans" and the such. The lab techs were awesome as well.

In my first Global Game Jam I worked with a team of 7 other people, from artists to programmer to producers and designers, to make a game in 48 hours. Our team "Lost Sheep" worked very hard for the duration of the jam everyone got along with each other and we were able to produce an awseome, working game in the end, "Shogun's Shadow". It is a side scrolling 2 player platformer were the goal is to be the first ninja to kill the shogun by avoiding the lights and decapatating him.

Download the Game Here!

Otronicon 2010

I just came back from my first gaming/technology convention, Otronicon at the Orlando Science Center. After killing some zombies in Left 4 Dead in the LAN room, my friends and I got to experience the birth of videogames by playing Pong on a genuine Atari 2600.

Next, we went to the second level. The first exhibit we saw was the Evolution of the Mac. They had old Macintosh computers all lined up on a shelf. We also saw a dancing fountain that made water dance to music. We even got to meet the programmer.

Afterwards, we jammed out at the Rock Band Experience. An auditorium set up with stage and Rock Band equipment. The game was projected on a large screen behind the band; each player had his or her own monitor, as well. The game had many songs to choose from, our band, The Grim Pirates, did In Bloom by Nirvana.

There were many flight simulations from helicopters to jets with realistic cockpits and controls.

There were driving simulations as well. PHENIX Design Group, Inc made one were they actually used a real Scion V8 and put in a seat that would simulate driving more realistically with movement. Another one was made by Full Sail it was called Stunt Racer. This simulation would let the player drive ridiculously fast, make insane jumps and drive up walls while still reacting like a real car.

 Lockheed Martin had some touch screen tables with games like Simon Says and Tick-Tak-Toe as well as a cool robotics team game controlled from computers. Google Earth also had a cool table to look anywhere in the world.

There was also Medical Sim City, which had the latest in medical technology for training surgeons and nurses. Such as the da Vinci machine, a stitching trainer, a simulated patient and wireless conferencing for doctors during procedures.

 

The military was also present to show off their training simulations. These included M-16s with air cartridges to make realistic recoil, a game that lets you pilot any military vehicle in a virtual world and a robot that could be controlled with a Wii-Remote.

Other cool exhibits included a giant chessboard, a painting simulation which was pretty close to the real thing and of course a costume contest which means you will find a storm trooper.

 The third floor had the Artronica Gallery which had a lot of nice art made by students at Full Sail including character sculptures. One artist showed us how he made his work in Maya. Inspired we signed up for a 3D animation workshop and got to play around with some pretty cool characters.

The forth floor had some older games and also had the best new games available. There were tournaments in games like Super Smash Bros. They had the new Super Mario Bros for the Wii as well as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Uncharted 2: Among Theives, and Tekken 6. We ended our day with on online interview with some game developers at Armor Game. They told us valuable information on what it takes to make a great flash game and how to deal with crazy schedules in the industry.

Overall I had a great day and I owe it to Full Sail  for giving me the day off of school to check our their event. It was an awesome experience and I cannot wait to go to more conventions. I learned a lot today, but one thing for certain, if their is a will and a need for the technology, no matter what that need is, there will be someone solving the problem and coming up with creative and innovative solutions.