Development Blog

So next Tuesday is going to be my last exam, and then I will have enough credits to graduate :). Haven’t done much since my last post as I have been a little busy around home. I updated entries in the projects section as well as added a video for dodge and destroy, and if you did not notice I did end up getting the source code posted for that project. In my spare time I have mostly just been learning some more PHP and learning a little bit about reading memory from other processes. Been taking a couple weeks off from the job search but I will probably resume this as soon as I get my exam over with for the online course I have been taking. Hopefully will find something soon, I really miss programming in a group environment with others. I just find it really motivating, fun, and productive while working with other people closely on projects. There is nothing better.

Still don’t have a good enough internet connection to play any SC2 :(. I was really wanting to play some tournaments and get better during the downtime of not having a job. It frustrates me that in this country we don’t even have cell service along our main transportation routes, let alone high speed internet. We were supposed to have a decent connection available a few weeks ago but due to technical difficulties with their equipment the CANOPY site is still not running. I really miss eSports, both watching and participating. Also miss gaming with friends :/ .. oh well gotta do what you gotta do!

Hey! I am planning on posting the source for Dodge And Destroy soon, just my internet where I am isn’t the best and won’t let me do so right now.

I ended up adding in a few new AI types. One which follows a pattern, and one that searches for the player, locks on and charges them. REALLY adds to the simplicity of the game, and with the way the code is set up it is not hard at all to add in new enemy types. A better algorithm for spawning enemies could be worked on though, right now its mostly incremental depending on the level you have reached. Another thing I may work on is adding in a quad-tree for collision detection because if you play to the point where there is a lot on screen, sometimes the frame rate will drop and its mostly due to the really inefficient way collisions are found. Not hard to add, will have to restructure the code again though, but thats always fun :).

Anyway, the code should be available soon, I also hope to make a video as well. I tried putting together a video before but what I am using to capture the application seems to slow down with OpenGL for some reason :/ and the frame rate becomes really choppy. But at least the code should be available soon.

Forgot to post this. I finished shortly after my previous entry updating the code to Dodge and Destroy. Holy crap was that fun too! No longer are there possible fragmentation issues, or other memory issues that existed in my first implementation of the game. After rewriting the code I was just amazed how much better my C++ is compared to last year. The code I wrote for it is much faster, much better encapsulated, and much more understandable, readable, better for maintenance etc, just a million times better then it used to be, and I’m pretty proud of it. So much fun I’m thinking about adding on new features to it, and I will be posting up the source code for download on the project page for it soon. I also feel like rewriting this project really boosted my C++ skills, as I learned a few new tricks here and there while rewriting it.

Update on the Android stuff. Basically I found out the emulator is incredibly slow, which sucks because I can’t afford a device :(. However I did learn a lot about the API and started programming up a nice framework of classes in order to produce 2D Android games. Currently have a scene manager implemented and just need to add in menu functionality to my code base. The Android API is really nice and flexible, makes programming for it a lot of fun. I really wish I had a device though but oh well maybe in time.

Anyway thats about it for now. Still looking for a job, and currently just messing around with Dodge and Destroy, because it is just fun as hell! Really miss playing SC2 :(, hopefully shortly however we will be able to get a decent internet connection in our area so I can actually play some games again. In the meantime been playing some oldschool games like the origonal Grand Theft Auto, and having a blast. They sure don’t make games as difficult anymore :s. Also been playing some Brood War just against the computer to work on some mechanics, and hopefully fix my hotkey setup so when I get to play SC2 again I will have a much better setup, and better mechanics overall. Peeaaccee!

Hey all! First I want to say congratz to Liquid’HuK for winning DreamHack :D.. gogo Canadian Protoss! 😀

Second just some small updates. Unfortunately I am going to have to be doing less work on my new game :(. The reason why is because with my lack of income currently I need to focus on some smaller projects.

One of which is updating the code to Dodge And Destroy as the current code for the project isn’t well done to my standards today from when I originally wrote it. Planning on finishing this update in a couple of days.

I have also been working on an template and tools for some Android 2D games, so that I can work on developing for the Android market while I am still searching for a job to possible get some income coming in. These updates are currently priority over my XNA-3D title due to its scope being large enough that finishing it on my own will take a lot of time compared to some smaller mobile games. However I will still be working on it, just when I have time while I am not working on the Android stuff!

Why Android? Well I would love to develop iOS games however I cannot afford a Mac in order to due so TT. The Android OS is very well supported by Google and has a really nice API for development so I have chosen to focus on this market in the short term, and hopefully produce some fun mobile apps :).

Hello! Just a small update on the progress I’ve done on my game. I haven’t had much time to work on it in the past week but I have finished the algorithm to generate the geometry for the level. Still working on the math to properly convert the tiles world co-ordinates to view co-ordinates, which is proving to be tricky due to how my camera works. However I am still confident I will find the proper solution soon I just have to work on it some more. To be honest in some ways I feel like I am over complicating it, but we will see. Once I finish this I should be able to calculate indices so I do not have to draw all of the vertices in the mesh, but rather only those needed.

Also along with this I have also been implementing a debug mode to monitor performance issues with the game so I can isolate where problems are occurring, which is nice.

Anyway just a small update. I have been mostly away from working on my game for a week due to job searches/some work. Haven’t found a job yet but I am still confident that I will as I know I have a lot to offer to a company. Peace.