I am Rorkimaru

Over a year since I posted...

2010-05-10T12:32:00.000-07:00

Bloging clearly isn't something I can stick too. There is too little feed back and its just not something I could keep to.

I have started vloging though which is something I enjoy a hell of a lot more and consider my self a lot better at.

Below is my latest video, you can find me on Youtube at youtube.com/rorkimaru

So much for a sabatical

2009-04-24T11:25:00.000-07:00

This is just going to be a quick post. I tried to quit the net. I tried very hard but I couldn't. It's like an addiction. I'm actually quite worried about it. Oh well, at least I cut down a bit... a little bit.

currently working on a new profile photo, sick of current one.

creativity leading to distraction

2009-04-18T17:43:00.000-07:00

I've been very creative lately. I've gotten big into solving problems, drawing, writing and making games. The problem is all pistons are firing in my mind at the moment and I want to start any and every project. I can't though, because I've a tonne of studying to be getting done and I'm not doing any!!

I cant seem to make myself study for the life of me. I don't know what to do but I'm going to figure it out.

The reasons I don't study are:
-I'm too tired/don't have the energy
-I'll just be on the computer for 5 min
-I just want to watch a little tv
-I'm cold/hungry/uncomfertable

Things that help people study are
-complex carb energy, slow released instead of hyper sugar rush
-being active, getting fresh air and exercise
-meditation, mind clearing exercises
-brain exercise, puzzles
-having clear goals and trying to achieve them in a logical manor
-an understanding of what is required to be known

Basically I need to ditch the computer, start exercising and eating healthy regular meals, getting more sleep and doing regular meditation and brain exercise.

I think I'll take a week off from computers. Starting tomorrow I won't use a computer for anything except college work. I won't use the internet except to check my college email and I will be in bed from 10 o clock so I'm well rested. I'll get up early and go for a before college swim and loads of stuff like that...

might happen.

It's two o clock in the morning and my mind is racing as usual. I'm going to sneak out and go for a walk to clear my head and then it's back to bed...

God help me get through these exams!!

I guess I can give myself 15 min to blog each day so as to keep a record of this. Monday to Monday starting tomorrow night... Probably no TV either. Welcome to hell

Games games games

2009-04-15T19:35:00.000-07:00

Siren Blood Curse came in the post today... well yesterday but I tried it today for the first time. It's great. Ugly, but very intense. I enjoy it quite a bit.

I picked up Daxter for the PSP today which is also great though it is rather different.

Finally I noticed that I got invited into another closed beta. My fourth invite, third play. Before now I got an invite to the soccom beta (which I never played) and the LittleBigPlanet and Home betas, both of which I did play. Well the hat trick just became a double brace as I logged on to the Free Realms servers today. (Yep, another Sony game but this time the beta is the PC version). As always I'm not allowed to say much but you do get most of the gist from the numerous trailers that are out for the MMO.

I'm still trying to develop my drawing skills back to the levels they used to be. I'm thinking that I will practice by making an assassin's creed parody. there is just so much to make fun of.

I'm also sick of the B&W photo below. when it's thumbnailed the effect is completely lost and I just look like a MySpace poser. It's not a good luck.

It's half three in the morning but all I want to do is go story board on my PC...

black and blue

2009-04-11T15:09:00.000-07:00

Well it's the weekend, Easter Sunday tomorrow, and I will be spending it being as awesome as anything by doing biology assignments all day...

I made a new picture out of boredom today. I'm very pleased with the results. I was torn between yellow and blue eyes. The yellow ones were creepy but I think the blue makes the photo seem a bit sad and distant. It's not exactly award winning but I like the composition.

I'm still sick but am getting better I think. I should be better for college on Tuesday.

I downloaded the newest edition of Cray's third person template for the blender game engine and it's amazing! He has implemented hanging states and swimming (two features I requested but know were widely desired) and has re-organized the whole layout to use the Yo! Frankie method of level design. Through his tips I have finally learned to use groups.

I also made a creepy looking enemy for Gloomy Sunday, a horror game I'm working on in blender. It's inspired by the bad guys of Silent Hill.

I really want to get around to vloging but I just never seem to find the time to start. Who knows, tomorrow is another day.

Swimming Superficiallity Sickness

2009-04-09T15:09:00.000-07:00

I got back into the pool for half an hour the other day. It was quite good but I did manage to tire myself. I enjoy swimming and am looking forward to getting into better shape but I have to say that the process isn't going to be the most pleasant.

When I arrived at the pool I noticed this guy wandering too the poolside shower. He was in perfect shape, the kind of physical condition that people are airbrushed to look like. So I go on ahead and hop into the pool and do a few lengths and then take a break at which point I notice this chap is still at the shower flexing and showing off to the water. I go back into the water and go again and then on my second break I look across and notice that he's managed to get dressed... well at leased he's swapped his trunks for jeans. He's now out of the changing cubicle toweling himself off at the pool side.

It's a bit awkward being a skinny pale guy at the pool just trying to get into better shape when there are chaps like that showing off and basically making us feel less. I know it's silly but men feel the pressure to look good from the media too and I've got a feeling that trying to achieve this goal is going to be a process that embarrasses me on more than one occasion. I think that all people are at times uncomfortable with their appearance at times and it's only natural given the stereotypic "perfect" imagery that we are presented with on a daily basis.

I guess the quest to better yourself is a tough one that isn't made easier by people that have already achieved those goals. I'm going to stick it out and not let people in better shape or better looking intimidate me.

In other news, I was in the doctors today. I've had a cough for ages and thought it might be a chest infection. Fortunately its just a virus but it's still not pleasant. I'm on the paracetamol and bed rest until I'm all better

I've found my car

2009-04-07T17:55:00.000-07:00

I've never been one of those "driving" people. I take the bus, I use the dart and if necessary I get a lift. That said the smart car always appealed to me. Well not anymore!

The Airpod is the car for me. It's cool looking, runs on compressed air, weighs 500kg and has captured my heart. This three seater has the driver's seat up front and the two passenger seats facing out the back. It's controlled by a joystick instead of a wheel and you don't even need a license to drive it (in France anyway).

The car or "transporter" since it's technically not a car will cost about 6000 euro and is becoming available at the end of the year. I have absolutely no need or desire to get a car at the moment but I still want it. I want it bad.

In other news I found out about google reader which lets me streamline my web browsing into one constantly refreshing window. The problem is that because I have so many sites linked into it that it updates every minuet. This I will solve by cutting a few subscriptions. I think i's handy because it organizes everything I want to keep track of in one place. The only problem is that it's kind of ugly. I'd like to reskin it...

the quest to become a nice guy

2009-04-06T17:24:00.000-07:00

I have mentioned before my desire to become a nicer, kinder person. I also would like to have a more positive outlook on life in general. I used to be quite a bit nicer and I think that the lecture I had in behavioral sciences today can help explain what changed and how to change things back.

The brain is scalable. Since brain matter is so costly to an organism the animal can choose to reduce the size of the brain physically when it's not in use. However we relearn faster and the brain will return to it's previous state rapidly if stimulated correctly. The thing I need to do to return my brain to the happier Rory of yesteryear is to look at the stimuli that I was receiving and try to repeat and possibly even intensify the stimulation.

Back when I was younger I drew, studied, read, watched TV, played games, played music and exercised much more than I do now. These are a range of cognitive activities that developed my brain in various directions.

Now days I rarely draw, study, read or play music and the exercise I take part in is sporadic, unstructured and highly irregular. What I need to do to develop my mind is to return to a situation where I perform these tasks. It seems from here that I don't have enough hours to do all these things but that is because the things I do to spend my time at the moment expand to fill the time. I watch far too much TV, play games for extended periods of time and waste hours every night online and on the computer. I need a schedule and I need to work to it. I'm not sure if a simple daily diary would be enough to make me stick to the tasks but its worth a shot. Tomorrow I will buy a pocket notebook and fill it out for the next week in order to test the theory. I will have to use trial and error to figure out the best way to schedule all these tasks and still live in a way that can cope with reality and the risk of plans falling through. I will have to donate evenings to reading, drawing and playing either guitar or keyboard as well as taking up a regular and realistic exercise regimen. I also need to factor in study, lectures and socializing to prevent myself going in the wrong direction. I feel that the wasted hours of breaks I have in college are the key to this. Perhaps I could even bring art supplies or instruments as well as books to college so I can use the hours for things other than study and exercise.

Well I'm rambling now and its rather late so I'm going to sleep. Got a big day ahead of me tomorrow, I'm changing my life (hopefully!)

So its four months on and what have I done?

2009-04-06T17:01:00.000-07:00

Well, as unfortunate and surprising as it is its four months on and I have kept not one of my resolutions. That is not to say that things haven't changed.

I didn't manage to bother myself studying for schols exams in school which means that I am going to have to brave the end of year exams with no exemptions. Exemptions are not announced until Friday but I think it's a safe bet to say I'll be sitting all the papers in all three of my subjects. What does that mean for me? Well it means that its about damn time I started going to the library and working for these exams. Tomorrow I will be hitting up the PCs in college to print exam papers so I can use them that evening as a study aid. I only hope I find the strength to do it. Apparently it takes about 36 days for a study pattern to become comfortable which means that I'm two weeks too late to begin working. Despite the research saying I'm destined for failure I have to push myself and hope I manage to achieve what I want from this.

I haven't picked up guitar again, started taking care of my skin or vloging as of yet but, again tomorrow, things are going to be different. I do have a new video camera that I can use to vlog. Its a nice one and I put a lot of thought into choosing it. I was very happy with my purchase.

I'm not taking up guitar again until after the exams but I do plan on getting back into drawing and painting. I also have to start doing the whole face care thing because I'm starting to look old.

Now up until now it seems like things are basically the same but there are a few changes to how I look and act. I am working hard at becoming a nicer, more positive person and feel like I'm making ground. I'm not back to the kind happy person I used to be but I'm working my way there. I feel like rediscovering art, hard work and exercise may help me achieve this.

Since my last post I have cut my hair and even done an honest days work! I was an extra in a photo shoot that was done to stage an album for a movie. I enjoyed the experience very much and hope I will have the opportunity for more extra work in the future.

As I said I have my camera now and I am going to use it to start vloging. It's been a bit of a mental block for me, getting into vloging. I'm afraid of what my friends will say when they find out. I mean it is just attention seeking really but it's also a desire to entertain and provoke thought. I hope when I get started in this that I don't end up coming off like a wanabe. I like to think people will be able to see a genuine side to me.

I know I just posted, Shutup

2008-12-22T16:32:00.001-08:00

I did just post but I remembered just now that I'm going on a "better person" trip again. I want to improve in body and mind so I have a few things I need to do.

-I'm going to start moisturizing, exfoliating, using toner etc

-I'm going to try exercise to become a healthy Rory

-I'm taking up guitar again

-I'm going to start vlogging.

-I'm going to be studying harder for exams and for scholls

-I'm going to try to be happier and nicer to people (I've noticed I've been less of both recently)

Friends are Family

2008-12-22T16:20:00.000-08:00

So my mate from Africa is come and gone. It was nice showing him round but it was so hard to track people down that he didn't get to see all he planed on. It was just a bunch of cases of unfortunate timing.

Recently we had a dinner at a college friend's apartment. It was one of the best dinners of my life. Two other people did the cooking and we all sat around the table joking and laughing and making light fun of each other. It was what I imagine having a big family is like. Since I'm an only child this was a great experience for me. I'd been out to dinner with friends before but eating in is a different experience. It was a great night and I hope the first of many.

I am a very strong believer in the saying "friend's are the family you choose" and my friends are truly my family.

Website stuff was obviously halted by all the goings on but I've decided in a few goal revisions to speed things up. I will not re-format found tutorials but rather I will link to external sites. I will also download the tuts and reformat & upload should the original content go off-line.

I can't wait to see if the UniHuman is received well, I hope it is!

African Visitor + more site update

2008-12-12T19:04:00.000-08:00

So one of my friends I met when I was in Africa is coming over to visit. He lives in England and is flying in tomorrow afternoon! I'm going to go meet him in the airport but since parent's are away it's taxi there and back!

I was playing around on my PC and decided I was sick of the old icons for folders for the folders I use most often. Because of this I decided to replace them with jazzy new icons I made myself.

I liked them so much I created desktop shortcuts for all the folders and have them nicely displayed across my screen now. They look great!

I then realized I still needed to make icons for the "game objects" section of my website! Since I already had my nice template I just recoloured the background from orange to a nice sky blue and then used my Bamboo to draw some nice simple icons with the ink brush. I streamlined the procedure by duplicating the background and drawing all the icons first and then saving each one separately as a PNG file. Within half an hour of coming up with the idea the icons were up. I now also have pages set up for each catagory on the site.

The icons are very happy and I really love them. Here is an example of the ones on the site. (I like the colour so much I am concidering changing ubuntu from orange to blue!!)

Ok, I had more trouble than expected, didn't want two google accounts

2008-12-06T12:39:00.000-08:00

Google like to know who you are.

Google like to know what you are doing.

Google like to know what you think, what you watch and what you say.

Google like you to use your google account for everything.

Because of this for multiple gmail accounts you need multiple google accounts. I don't want multiple gmail accounts so I had to use yahoo despite less functionality. This makes me sad :'(

Still bgecentral@ymail.com it is. submissions, compliments and complaints.

CHRISTMASS!

2008-12-06T11:49:00.000-08:00

College is over for a month!!!!

I can't believe how hard a week I had. I was working constantly to get all my assignments done and now I'm finished.

I went out last night and I was a bit tired as I left. I was kept out until after two running on sparse meals, a week of stress and barely any sleep. I finally managed to get away and into bed where I slept until about one today. I wasn't drinking (had one) last night but even though I had a sleep deprivation hangover. I felt horrible all day but am finally coming back into feeling normal. I'm still tired but another good night's sleep should sort me out.

I didn't do any UH site work today but I will get some done tomorrow. Maybe some tonight but probably not. I am still exhausted and like the plan of a nice nights sleep.

I really want to get a few nice tutorials up and running and I do need to get a few more models but I guess as long as there is a basis for a site then it's ok. It will expand over time.

Tomorrow is tutorials day.
Monday is models day.
Tuesday I want to upload.... I probably still wont though...

I guess tonight I could set up the E-Mail accounts... yeah, I'll go do that.

Doesnent work!? I'll make it work!!

2008-12-02T15:55:00.000-08:00

So the good people over at synthasite discovered (through other sources) that the software wasn't fully compatible with linux... and fixed it. I have just finished putting up some nice pictures on BGECentral.

I also put up what I feel are non invasive ads (I may put more obvious ones on the UH download page since it took so much effort to put together) and a "ad search" bar. Basically the ads are small banners at the bottom of the page and the search bar is a search bar at the top of the page. Simple as! I will pocket some of the earnings from the site as a sort of return for the work I put in but it's more likely to be a drink for me and some friends rather than a mortgage payment. The rest of the money will go towards things like buying a URL (The first 14.99 will go to this) and commissioning models for the site.

An idea I want to focus on as well is running a competition on the site. This can range from small competitions such as best addition of the month ($20 prize) to annual game competitions where the top three entries get prizes from $100 to $300 or maybe other things. This is in no way an official announcement it is just my musings on what the profits could be spent on. I am not making the site to turn a profit I am doing it to provide resources to a slightly unsung engine.

Aside from BGEC stuff I have been mondo busy with college and am killing myself daily to stay on top of things *sad face* but I fight on because I only have 3 days and on lab left.... (and three lab reports and a project and a group project to plan before the holidays) I'm sure it will be fine...

Still not up... but getting there

2008-12-02T01:55:00.000-08:00

Ok so yeah I said that within a week that the site would be up. I wasn't lying but its not up. The thing is that I just don't have time to power through the work I need to get done yet.

The plus side is that UniHuman is ready to go online. It has been rigged, UV unwrapped and is finally what I consider good enough for launch. He has enough morphs for basic shape matching and a bit of post sculpting will get models perfect.

The model repository is not quite what I would like it to be. I didn't come close to my launch targets. I also haven't gotten the E-Mail accounts for submissions and suggestions set up.

That said I did update the page and have it formatted so it will be easy to start adding content.

I have begun work on starting the tutorials. I have a few planned to make

-Creating a character with UniHuman
-Face matching with UniHuman
-Making custom UniHuman morphs
-Servo controls for realistic character movement

There will be a combination of video tutorials and written tutorials. Each Video tutorial will also have a written version, probably with screen caps and time signatures instead of sshots.

One of the main problems is that the online site editor is incompatible with linux (well partialy, I did all I've done so far on my ubuntu pc but now it reveals features it doesn't support, like image uploading!).

Anyway, I will keep working in my spare time. I have a tonne of college work to get through this week so I will probably need to take the week off but I will get it launched over christmas and hopefully within a week or two

UniHuman picks up the pace

2008-11-26T16:48:00.000-08:00

I didn't make a big deal about my 50th post, how very un-me...

Anyway I have just finished a test during which I baked a texture from one mesh to the other. not a big deal one would assume until, you of little faith, hear what it was. You see I loaded up a background image of my face and matched UH's face to fit it. I then projected my face onto the UH mesh. If I do this for a front and profile and then bake the two pictures onto the UH with the original UV mapping then the photograph gets reverse mapped to the UV map. In other words if functions in a similar way to the way facegen works and gives results that are just as good if not better!!

Now if I write a tutorial using this method and have it done for the launch of the site people will seriously believe that UH is a viable source of models! I am very excited with the results I have obtained using this method and know that when I finally release it will be a success.

Also here are some interesting statistics

Body Fat % 6.1%
Muscle Mass % 49.1%
BMI 20.1
BMR 1540

You would think according to the first two I would be a muscular powerhouse... not so :'(

Flawless... Ensemble

2008-11-26T13:47:00.000-08:00

So I was on kotaku today, as you do and I found this. It is brilliant. I want Epic Fail as my text alert. I want to be told I am well dressed this way every time I leave my house. Wow,It would make my life so much better!

As far as the website is going. I secretly let slip on the blender forums when I helped a guy out with character modeling by giving him a UH mesh. He loved it and not only that but I even got emails from other people asking how it was going (and of course expecting me to give it to them straight away!) I laughed...

Still though, I got some work on the website done. Most of the pages are up (albeit devoid of content) and I have a few models ready for upload. I need to get my starting models up to my own standards (UV mapped at least!) and I have to rig UH and then it's all good!

I didn't nearly meet my target for models at launch but I'm sure that once it's up on the interweb I will be more inclined to get the jobs done. I hope I will also start getting submissions to the site. Then it will really take off!

I have decided I will have ads on the site but they will be non invasive and located at the bottom of each page. As I previously said a percentage of the earnings will go towards expanding the site. Things like additional downloads, web-space expansion and competitions will be funded by this money. I also thought of a few t-shirts that would be quite cool to have for sale. Still I'm jumping ahead of myself.

I want the site launched ASAP, I might not make my due date but by gum I'll be close.

...Also I finished tomb raider underworld, it was alright...

Blogging takes effort and time.

2008-11-22T04:44:00.000-08:00

I have been killing myself with college and taking care of Max and in my free time I barely had the energy to read. I have a few things that I'm going to do though. I'm going to launch the website next Sunday. I just decided that now but without a deadline I will never get it done.

I am also about to start a new exercise routine. It's a full body workout from www.iwantsixpackabs.com. It's free and looks to be very comprehensive and realistic. Daily workouts (for the first week at least) appear to be ~half an hour! that is great as I haven't much time on my hands.

I will try to keep a training log here so I can track my progress. I wish our scales measured body fat% but it doesn't. I might buy a new one

Busy time, Kitty time

2008-11-15T06:26:00.000-08:00

Well I have been up to a lot lately. Thanks to the death of my computer and a million and one college projects that I been undertaking I haven't had all the time in the world to blog.

I have fixed my computer and finaly made it a linux only PC. It was a great decision, it is fast pretty and has all the software I need absolutely free. I currently run Ubuntu 8.10p.

not only that I have a new cat who is running around the new office I have set up. In my new office I have a windows xp PC and this ubuntu pc. I will Post a photo when I get the chance.

I have been putting a lot of thought into the BGECentral and I am currently concidering putting the site into beta. What I mean by this is I will have a basic version of it up and running with the catagories etc online. I will begin taking suggestions and submissions. I feel it will be a lot easier to convince people to donate models to the site.

I have a lot of work left to do in the house after the trauma caused by clearing out the box room to create my office so I doubt I will launch the beta this weekend but it will launch soon.

And by the way, My new kitten Max is the tinyest biggest legend ever, He is adorable and idiotic. I love cats and Max is one of the best. A perfect addition to the family

What's new pussycat?

2008-11-06T18:29:00.000-08:00

Ever since my cat died (*RIP Fluff*) our house has been quite empty. Sure we still have the dog trundling around like a miniature bull but we miss having a kitty cat.

Cue crazy cat lady... well not crazy but she is selling us a new kitten! A little cute guy with a white face and tabby back. He is adorable (only seen a photo so far) and we are getting him this weekend! It is going to be great!

I made 3 buildings in blender. a church, a house and the petrol station. they are alright (I don't like the petrol station) and they are not unwraped yet. I have to get around to that and to making textures for them.

ah tomorrow tomorrow...

All and all a good blending

2008-11-04T18:13:00.000-08:00

So a bit of progress on the UniHuman front. I have been watching tutorials and tutorials and tu... you get the idea... on rigging and rigging well. I am still a little torn on weather or not I should rig the model myself or ask an experienced rigger to do it. I think I will rig myself and just hope someone decides to provide a better rig in the future.

I did a bit of a test on the head and I managed to get a nice smooth jawbone deformation going on. If I get the mouth with working well then I don't think I will be using shapekeys for lip-synching as I originally thought.

I didn't add any keys to UH today. I couldn't think of any good body morphs and wasn't in the mood to begin working on the features deformations. I think it will be basic "eye size", "eye position", "nose size", "nose bridge", "ear size", "elf ears" (they are just fun!) and a few chin deformations.

Release early and iterate!!

I don't want to open the site until I have a few models up and running but unfortunately I haven't gotten around to making that many... well any. I'm going to make a few packs each with 6 objects in them. I have just decided. 8 packs. 8*6=48 models. That is the number of models the site will start with, 50 if you count the barrel and crate... which I do.

Ok, time to make up the packs:

1. Vehicles

Old Car
Sports Car
Truck
Van
Moter-bike
Truck

2. Guns

Pistol
Shotgun
Sub-Machine gun
Automatic Rifle
Sniper Rifle
Rocket Launcher

3. Buildings

House
School
Church
Shop
House 2
Petrol Station

4. Street

Post Box/Mail Box
Trash Can
Lamp Post
Traffic Light
Parking Metre
Phone Booth/Public Phone

5. Fun Physics objects

Palate
Chair
Table
Shopping Trolley
Tire
Mattress

6. Electronics

Lamp
PC
TV
Stereo
Standing Light
Photocopier/Printer

7. Furniture

Table
Chair
Couch
Desk
Coffee Table
Wardrobe

8. Farm

Tractor
Farm House
Hay Bale
Fence
Gate
Barn

BGE Central

2008-11-03T09:49:00.001-08:00

http://bgecentral.synthasite.com/

There it is, The Blender Game Engine Central site. I decided not to waste money on a domain as there is no real point. I have finished making the final topology adjustments to UH and have created the male-female morph. I even rendered it in a nice little video for you:

I Have been thinking about certain objects like barrels and Crates. Since there are so many possibilities for barrels and crates and it would not be of use to many people to download all of them in the one file there will be a standard barrell and crate mesh that are UV mapped and then the textures can be downloaded individually. This will make accessibility easier for those who want to use them. People can then build up their own directory of crates used in a game quickly and easily by duplicating the mesh along in a line and loading the textures/materials into the file. Then by naming the crates (wooden crate, rusty crate etc) they can link directly from this custom directory into the level file.

Say hello to UniHuman 1.0

2008-11-02T17:20:00.001-08:00

So I searched for a while and eventually found a mesh with great body topology but a terrible face. Not to be discouraged I continued my search and found a mesh with very good edge looping on the face however the body apeared to be an after thought. Proportions were off and the feet looked like flippers. Being the genious I am I grafted the head to the body and above is a render of the result, UniHuman 1.0.

In the render there is a 2x mesh smooth modifier applied to UH but the topology is brilliant and the model is very low poly. I will begin work on some shapekeys tomorrow.

I have even come up with a concept for showing the potential of UH. I will make an animation of the model striking various poses and then morph it into a different person at each pose. It should be quite cool! I have some concerns as to how the rig will be effected by the height modifiers but hopefully it will be fine (or there will be an easy solution...)

I am very happy the models responds so well to meshsmooth. Because it does it means that it can be used in pre-rendered FMVs aswell as in game. I will have to update the topology a bit to enable certain morphs (There are not enough polys for believable breasts on the current model) but what is shown above is a reasonable representation of what the final UH will look like

I killed my computer... again...

2008-11-02T15:51:00.000-08:00

So I killed the family's main computer, again. extra dead this time though... I have oficially given up on installing linux. It just doesn't want to be installed on that computer.

Fortunately I hadn't gotten very far into the bge repository so even if I do wind up loosing what I have made I will survive. I will try to make at least a model a day until I have enough to start the site off. I have also begun posting about the site on various forums (well just one so far) so I will be able to build up a reputation for the site. I think I will also make a forum so people can discuss the game engine and other things. Unfortunately I have failed to find a forum provider that doesn't advertise on the forum. (the site provider doesn't but the forum will have adds that don't support the website)

I just realised that a sound repository would also be of use. I will probably just provide a link to soundsnap though, It is such a great site already it doesn't need a replacement.

I also tried my hand at modeling a human head today. I am still quite bad at making humans so I have decided that the model (which I have pre-christened UniHuman) will have to be made by someone else. I will try and find one and if I can't I will ask someone to make it for me. I will however try to be the one who makes the first set of shapekey morphs and the first rig.

I would like to get started on UniHuman ASAP so I will look for a model I can use soon. Origional morphs will be limited to

-Male
-Female
-Muscular
-Fat
-Skinny
-Height

I will go on to in the second round of morphs added put in

-Arm Length (things like this could be done by having the slider start in the middle)
-Leg Length
-Cartoon
-Eye Size
-Head Size
-Mouth open
-Eyes Closed

I will make more as I think of them. I like the idea of having the slider start at .5 in some of the morphs (such as Male/Female), It is more organic than having them separate options. It will also reduce the number of keys without reducing function. One key concept is to have maximum flexibility with as few keys as possible.

Oh so spooky

2008-10-31T10:34:00.000-07:00

So its all hallows and I have a house party to go to. This makes me all warm and squishey inside as I love halloween and house parties are the best way to experiance them!

I'm going to be a pirate as I mentioned in an earlier post but my costume has improved greatly since the idirlín last saw it. well, I'll probably end up with my photo taken at some point tonight and I will transfer it from facebook to here as soon as I feel bothered...

Yo ho ho and ninjas are still cooler...

Yay for huge scope projects.

2008-10-30T20:56:00.001-07:00

So I've been messing arround in blender. I've been learning about how for game creation it is a good idea to link files rather than have all objects in the one file. (this makes it easier to make changes to objects behaviour and appearance).

I have also been looking into animation. Shape keys are a big part of animation in blender. Shape keys change the geometry of meshes... and work in the game engine.

I have been making models with MakeHuman. They are great induvidual looking ones and with the future release of the project it should be much better...

Still...

I have decided to begin work on putting together a repository of game models for use in the game engine. It will be expandable by users and all models will be of high quality and free for any use.

Not only that but there will be a seperate section. One for humans. But this section will be different to most. There will only be one model (apart from clothes). One model that has a variety of shape keys added to it. through blending of these keys it will be possible to create unique and interesting characters for your game. Not only that but by creating a "styalising key" you can go from human to manga to elf to chibbi. All the while using all of the other options available for customisation. It will be a MakeHuman for low poly game characters (MH is geared towards rendering).

This model will be fully UV unwraped and fully usable in the GE. Hopefully with a subdevision modifier it will also look good in pre rendered FMVs. It will come with a few "base textures" aswell. (Young Man, Old Man, Boy, Manga Boy, Deamon etc with female equivilents.

It will also be rigged and set up for expressions and lip-synching aswell.

Users will be able to submit their Morphs so the customizability is constantly evolving.

Eventualy the model will have to be upgraded due to engine improvements or simply a better mesh being made. Then 2.0 versions will be released. Both classic and new versions will continue to be hosted (as morphs won't be transferable from model to model) so users have a choice of which version they use.

It is an idealistic dream of a site but If I go about starting off the right way.

I have just found a website hosting site that offers 1GB storage and (More Importantly) unlimited bandwith!

Tomorrow being Halloween I probably wont get a chance to begin working on the site but I should be able to get started over the weekend. The idea of such a site is dear to my heart as it is a site I have always wanted to have access to. I will be working hard to keep the quality of models high and the site streamlined and orgonised. At first I will run it exclusivly and set up a seperate email account for recieving submissions. I will keep this up until the site grows past my own ability to manage it (if it does) and then get a programmer to set it up for automatic submition with user moderation. (If a model recieves x many bad reports I am messaged about it an decide if it should be deleted or not, I may just end up replacing the model with good quality one)

The site should be a good one and if I post a few adsense adds on it I may even get a bit of money from it that could be used to commisssion new models or even get a new, better, human model made.

I will be putting some thought into this site. It will probably have a tutorial section also. I hope it turns out well but I will need to put together a lot of content before I upload. There is no point in it being devoid of models when it first goes up. I will probably make a post on TurboSquid asking for donations before or just after launch. Yay I'm realy excited for this one

Beats me

2008-10-29T17:20:00.000-07:00

So I re-installed Beats on my PSP. I was playing Patapon on the dart on the way home and though to myself... I wana play beats, let me play now... but I couldn't. Now I can. It's awesome. I cant believe it only cost a fiver.

In college I went to all my lectures and events!! yes, all three! Actualy now that I think of it I may have had a lecture after that lab...

*checks the online timetable*

Error 404

that's weird, I never had that happen before...

Hmm...

Well I guess I will have to assume I missed a lecture. I am prety sure I have one at the time I was just so relieved to get out of that lab that I forgot.

I'll check my college email to see if there is anything about the Student Information error...

*logs in*

Email about science office being closed temporaraly. I guess that answers my question but they give no reason... Hmm...

Ah well, It cant be important.

Tomb Raider the extension of chemical doom

2008-10-28T18:41:00.000-07:00

Scheduals are fun, not making them is more fun.

So my parents are away this week (yes he still lives with his parents) and I have to take care of the house, which is already a kip. I have ordered pizza 2 of the 4 days they are gone but have managed to keep the dog alive thus far. I mark that down as an achievement.

I bought Dead Space a few days ago and I have to say I am in love. While at times the survival horror gives way to a scene too actiony it still manages to work and the game is so loaded with atmosphere I think my PS3 has swelled to a bigger size.

I like Survival horror and this game is one of them. (one of the best I've seen in a while not counting Siren as I'm waiting for a BD release)

Tomb Raider Underworld's demo is on xbox live... for gold members only... and is exclusive to live... I'm not buying the game. I refuse to be treated like this. To think it used to be my favourite franchise... oh grid movement where have you gone?

Blending away as usual, recently I have turned my attention to architecture. I am now a fully qualified architect... well not realy but I can draw up blueprints and make 3D concept renders. The reason I learned this skill is because we are extending the house and I want it extended my way and the best way to make this happen is to prove to the "legal owners" that their idea sucks and mine is practically devinely inspired...

Still pluging away at college, have to start studying soon... still I learned something in my chemistry tutorial and felt proud. Maybe there is hope for me yet!

Edu-wah?

2008-10-23T16:09:00.000-07:00

So when I came back to college this year I had every intention of working hard, studying like a trouper and exercising every day. That didn't happen...

Today I was down to the line writing a chemistry lab report with 40min until I had to hand it in! That is not good. In fact it's the opposite of good... Tomorro I have to get a biology report done by 4 o clock which will probably mean skipping a few lectures. Overall I am dissapointed with my current state of studentyness.

Next week I will have to turn over a new leaf! I will have to do something extreme like schedule fun and recreation. I don't want to have to but I will.

Over the weekend I will write up a schedual/ time table that includes all the things I need to be doing. I wont go overbord with either exercise or study but I will put in time for each as well as lunch being schedualed each day. I may also need to put in caffine boost markers to keep up my concentration. Today I had a bagel and tea before a lecture and then I managed to stay alert for two lectures (In the same venue no less!).

Yep, scheduals are fun... and they always work (o_O)

A day a muffin...

2008-10-21T17:21:00.000-07:00

Today didn't start out great. I was very tired and when my dog jumped on the bed this morning demanding I stay in bed a while I decided to agree. That said by 11 even she was growling and barking at me to get up. Stupid mutt...

When I dragged myself out of my bed I looked in the mirror. I wont claim to be the best looking guy in the world but I am usually happy with how I look. I am comfortable in my skin. This morning I looked like hell.

I couldn't put my finger on it but I looked like absolute crap. Not a great way to start the day.

By ten past one I had dragged myself into college and was just wandering in looking for something to do when I saw a friend of mine walking the other way.

-What are you doin?

-I just got in, I have an hour to kill...

-Wana go get lunch?

so we did. We went to O'Donavans, the weird little place that looks like it's out of the 80s but serves good food at a cheap price. I bought a spicey chicken wrap despite knowing they burn the mouth off me and we went to the Ham-Couches which are back.

It was a great meal and then I had 4 lectures in a row. I managed to see quite a few people over these four lectures which made me feel good. I was a bit lonely in college as of late but today I realized the place is still teaming with friends.

Then I came home and did nothing for hours. It's time for bed now. I had a great day.

Here is Lithium for you

I had a Lab!!

2008-10-20T17:53:00.000-07:00

So all I had today was a 3 hour lab. That said I didn't know anyone on my bench (Except 2 other guys who are best friends) so the very first thing I had to do was make a brand new friend to have as my lab partner.

This was very difficult for me as I am a tech geek science nerd with no social skills but after about half an hour stammering I managed to introduce myself to my new lab partner. I was pretty drained from the experience of having to talk to an new person AND look them in the eye but I got through it ok.

The experiment itself was easy as they come. A simple titration (Well three). We got the first 2 done in about 50 min and then there was a fire drill. we all had to march outside, stand in the cold as passers by admired our sexy lab coats, and then file back in. The process took about 10 minuets. When we got back we did our last titration, got our results, and said by by PhysChem lab. The 3 hour lab took 1hr20min including introductions, standing around wondering if we should start working and a fire drill.

not bad for a first day back

Time for college II

2008-10-19T16:43:00.000-07:00

Well I go back to college again tomorrow after my week of absence. Boo Hiss etcetera...

I have been playing with Blender a lot today and have managed to get some nice effects running in real time on my lowly PC so I'm hoping that if I get time for my little stylized horror game I will wind up with some nice physics and real time shadows. I have 5 of the 7 bosses decided on. Just 2 more to design. I still like the idea of having real people play all the characters. I think it would be a lot more intriguing to watch and a lot easier to get relate able emotion than inf I had to animate it. Either way I am going to use real people as models for the characters just because it's cooler.

I also went out driving again today. For the first time in a while. I had a shaky start but after a while I really got into it. I hope that this time I will actually gain some sort of confidence behind the wheel and be able to actually drive.

Tomorrow, If I have time, I will make a short video showing some of blender's great new real time effects as a tech demo for my new game. It will prob be basic stuff but may turn out nice

Sick and Depressed

2008-10-18T18:39:00.000-07:00

So I have been sick and prety much housebound for the past few days. I'm still not better entirely but I'm on my way. This is great because when I get sick or loose ability to do things I like, even simple things like jumping around or acting like an idiot I get depressed.

I mean it is quite normal. If you are used to being able to just run up the stairs or go climb a tree or swim in the sea and all of a sudden it is taken away from you you get depressed. It is very upsetting not to be able to do what you are used to.

I have been putting some though into making videos and I have a few that I would like to make. One is about time I spent in a hospital, another is about hats. I'm normal, I sware...

Well, aswel as this I have also been adding some Ideas, new and old, to my game ideas book. I am going to sort through all the Gemini stuff and stick it into it. I amn't going to make this game for a while. If anything I want to make a new survival horror game using the Blender Game Engine. I saw a showcase done in it lately and with the new softboddies and real time lighting it is becomming quite robust. My printer is broken so I cant print off any interesting little bits of information but I hope to be able to get the hang of it.

It seems the majority of these effects can be achieved quite easily using the GUI and Survival Horror gameplay isn't the most taxing to assemble. I even have a nice stylised universe created with (What I feel is) some interesting little things to include. I hope to use the depth of field filter in the game. I have to wrap my head arround it but DOF is one of those things that can make or break graphics and it looks fairly easy to impliment it to work in this. I just have to decide on the camera type (staic or trailing).

I think if I do make this game I will use actors for the cutscenes and concider getting help for the scenery building. I would like the levels to be dark and well made. There will be 7 levels, each with a boss and the story will be quite ambiguous. The combat mechanic still needs to be thought out as does the items and weapons but I am liking the direction I have been taking with this. It is inspired by Suda51's "No More Heroes" and to a greater extent his "Killer7".

anyway, here is the credit's song from portal for some reason:

Blog?

2008-10-15T04:28:00.000-07:00

college maked me tired and I just didn't get arround to blogging for a while.

I is sorry but is not in mood for blog time

just saying blog still exist.

Myself and Grammer should return soon

I finished Bionic Commando... oh well time for education

2008-10-06T16:30:00.000-07:00

Yep, It's true!! I have finally beaten the last boss in Bionic Commando Rearmed! I am proud of my overwhelming achievement.

However I have, today, learned of some harrowing information that has shaken me to the core. I am desgusted by some of the things I have learned today and have also come up with a super secret solution!

The S3 plan (That is it's true meaning Raiden!) will hopefully revive a market through a new pathway and hopefully re-instate some of gaming's major issues. That said it is to be kept under wraps untill it is time for the world to experiance it (or I get bored and hope someone else will do it.)

The harrowing information I will also reveal in a later blog after I have done a little more research into the situation. It is safe to assume however that this will be a deep discussion of many computer games affected by a common ailment.

back to college tomorrow. BOO!!

Another thing is that since I have started to enjoy blogging so much I am concidering starting to vlog aswell! yep, you heard it here first... because you're not going to hear it anywere else, no one cares...

The reason I feel vlogging is a better choice to blogging is that you reach more people. Videos on youtube tend to get at least a few views where as blogs have a habbit of staying on the internet without anyone reading it. If I vlog I can tell people my opinions and let them tell me how they feel about them. I don't plan on being successful like SxePhil or What the Buck! but it would be nice to have a few people share opinions with me

I killed a shead!!

2008-10-05T17:07:00.000-07:00

So today my dad and I finaly knocked down our old shead. It was pretty trickey as the non rotted parts were fairly solid and the rotted parts splintered into your hands and eyes!

That said, the shead is dead... heh, I'm a poet....

(cue seemless transition)

I dug out all my old poetry yesterday and gave it a read. I have quite a bit now. I havent written about this before but I use poetry as a way of controling emotions that overwhelm me. If I am very upset or happy or whatever I write a poem about it. This gets it out of my system so I can deal with it in bite size chunks by reading the poem back in the future. Because of why I write my poetry is very emotionaly heavy, especially for me.

Anyway I had lost one of my poems, a Haiku, but fortunatly they are short and it was a personal favourite so I had it memorised. I filled it into the book I write in (I used to use loose pages!!) and now it is safe.

That said it made me realise how easy it would be to loose it all. Because of this I have decided to digitise all my work and keep a copy on the PC, the internet and a seccond printed hard copy for reading. I will keep the origionals safe in a box or folder of some sort.

This way I won't loose one of my most prized posessions as well as my emotional memmories from the times I wrote about.

I also finaly made the book, It's empty but I have to start filling it with all the ideas I keep locked in my head!

Finished and compleated... someday

2008-10-04T01:25:00.000-07:00

-Final Fantasy VII

-Grand Theft Auto IV

-Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation

-Metal Gear Solid 4 the Gun's of the Patriots

-Pixeljunk Monsters

-Pixeljunk Eden

-Wipeout HD

-Ratchet and Clank: Quest for Booty

-Half Life 2

-Bionic Commando: Rearmed

The catagory? Games I'm in the middle of...

This list is a bit over the top. Some of these games I don't play that often. For instance Half Life 2 and Tomb Raider 4 are put aside to finish "some day"

Pixeljunk Monsters I only play as a multiplayer game. It is a lot of fun in single player but with a friend it is twice as much fun.

Metal Gear Solid 4 I have finished before I am just playing through again. The same could be said for all the MGS games. I have runs in all of them going all the time.

Eden is the kind of game you play whenever. It is a visual masterpiece and is beautiful to witness. It's gameplay is light and imersive at the same time. That said you can drop in and out of playing it without loosing any of the experiance. If you have one or two friends present they can join you. In other words it's not a game you try to finish quickly. It's a game you just play.

The other five games however, those I have to finish. MGS I'm at the last boss but I cant beat him. Hard mode is hard.

R&C I bought alongside BC:R and have gotten Wipeout since. It sort of fell by the wayside and I haven't made that big a dent in it yet. I will probably leave it until finish GTA4

BC:R I am on the last level. I got to the boss once but he destroyed me with ease. I haven't attempted since but I could beat him, I just need to try a few more times

Wipeout I just want to unlock all the stuff. It's not that big a deal since I bought the game for playing online against friends so I'll live.

GTA4 I want to finish. The game is great. However because of the "friendships" thing I hate getting back into it because I have to take my brother out, then my stoner friend, then my roid rage idiot friend, then go on a date... if I'm lucky I may fit a mission in between simulating life.

Don't get me wrong, I love the IDEA of the friends. And it works brilliantly, they have enough dialogue and locations so they don't feel repetative. You can even play minigames like bowling or darts. The problem is it works too well. In real life I don't have time to work at becomming a crime lord and in GTA4 it feels similar. I'm just so busy all the time!

All the side missions etc are good though because they mean that the game never ends. After the story there is still a wide variety of side quests to do that are randomly genorated.

Final Fantasy is a long but brillian game. I am thouroughly enjoying it. I have to play more of that too...

dammit I don't even have time to go out. I will have to donate a lot more time to gaming in the next few weeks. as well as studying since I start college on monday. Great!

Didn't shop, dang

2008-10-02T17:20:00.000-07:00

Didn't get the shopping I wanted to get done... this makes me sad :'(

Saw friends I haden't seen in a while... that made me happy :)

Had 2 dinners today... that makes me happy too :D

couldn't rent silent hill, it was gone... sad again :'(

Found my new jacket comfey... happy :)

Played wipeout hd some more... happier :D

In the end I am enjoying life back at college, at least untill lectures start... XD

Nyt nyt blog.

Stuff and more...

2008-10-01T17:08:00.000-07:00

So I finaly have my graphics tablet. Getting it to work in Gimp and Inkscape required some .dll nonesence but it works like a dream now and I heart digital painting. It is so fun and fast. I dont think I will have any problem making graphics for games now... except for inspiration of cource.

Havent gotten the book yet, I will tomorrow as I have a tonne of random things to buy.

-A filofax

-Duct-Tape

-An A4 sketch pad and refil pad

-A large white shirt

-Coloured Card

I want to play Silent Hill 5. It got shit reviews and looks crap but I think I will rent it on friday and play through it. Renting seams to be the new black. A tenner for a week and games are shorter thease days anyway. you almost always finish on rental unless it's an RPG.

No Gemini news... Should have some some day but none at the moment. I also have ANOTHER game concept I want to work on. I hate when this happens!

oh, and it's now October...

100 game maker games in 10 min!

2008-09-29T20:36:00.000-07:00

100 Game Maker Games in 10 Minutes from Paul Eres on Vimeo.

There is a list of the games on the vimeo page. This is a great video that shows how versitile the simple tool really is

The horror...

2008-09-29T09:57:00.000-07:00

I want to make a survival horror. There havent been many lately and I want to make one. I am in the middle of another project with a few more on the backburner and college around the corner but I want to make a survival horror.

It's not a good idea to be doing this much extra curricular activity when you are competing for a carrear path that defines the rest of your life but I want to make a survival horror.

I have decided on implimenting the book.

The book, is a simple filofax system with catagories such as Characters, Weapons, Items, Levels, Game Mechanics, Puzzels and Games. By using one of these books you create an organised grouping of content that you can mix and match to allow your creativity to flow and develop origional games "how would this character use that weapon in these circumstances" I could also have a USB drive slot and tilesets or 3d models stored on it. It is simply a way to output creativly without interfearing with life. It manages creativity and prevents it from going overbord.

It is time to implement the book.

Bed didn't happen

2008-09-28T19:04:00.000-07:00

So I played wipeout. It's better than I remember. It is so good. I am glad I bought it... that said it prevented me going to bed for about 2 hours. Then I dressed up like a pirate, see...

Don't ask, it's probably to do with haloween comming up. I am planning on being a pirate and that is the start of my costume...

I am sleepy but I dont want to go to bed or do anything that could be regarded as work. I could do some Gemini project but I just am too tired to think straight.

It's freshers week in college tomorrow so I can go in and join all my societys again. or not, I dont really care. I have to get up tomorrow though, otherwise I may end up having to collect my tablet from a center and god knows where that would be! no, its time to stop being a pirate and go to bed... soon...

Fast and Pretty

2008-09-28T16:01:00.000-07:00

So Wipeout is out. I bought it. It is installing right now. My tablet hasnt come yet so I have to be up early tomorrow in case of delivery but I want to play a bit. A mate of mine has been playing it for the last good few hours. That said I had a lot of fun playing games in a way I havent for a long time. bits and pieces.

In a single gameing session of about 2-3 hrs I played GTA IV, MGS4, Eden, Bionic Commando, and Tekken: Dark Resurection. It was good. I was also planning on a bit of Assassin's Creed but decided against at the end.

I think I'm going to play wipeout now. Finaly get to see it in HD... fast and pretty!!

Aditional staff... aditional fun?

2008-09-27T18:46:00.000-07:00

So Gemini was a larger project than I first anticipated. Much larger. Like I thought "2 weeks work" it thought "I will take your life away". Because of this megalomanic game idea trying to remove my nights out and strolls in the park I decided to ask for help, cue my mate...

No online colab for me. This is 2 people, working on a story, battle system and art style in the same country! The bonus is no lag and I can go to his house if he decides to disapear!

In all seriousness though, he and I got into game making together and have always wanted to colab. We have had various ideas but never gone all the way through. This time we have a foundation layed so I know we will get the job done.

in the real world....

We got a new shead today. It is made of wood and moderatly smaller than our old shead. It is also at the other side of the garden. That said it does have a lot less rot than our old one and as such I beleive it is a safer place to protect our rusty tools and neglected bicycles.

Also the day I get my Graphics tablet draws ever near. I dont want my hopes to raise for fear of dissapointment but it could be tomorrow... on the other hand it could be monday... monday would be worse but as long as it gets here. As soon as I get it configured to the gimp I am going to start doing Gemini concept work, possibly painting sprites, and making a tile set. I can also use it in inkscape If I choose to keep the vector sprites that took SO long to make... A graphical style I would like to use is that used in the concept art for Street Fighter. That would be awesome.

untill my next blog

Gemini revived!

2008-09-25T02:11:00.000-07:00

So I started working on Gemini again last night. For the moment I am going to say the project is revived. I actually enjoy working on it, I just find it hard to get motivated enough to get back to it when I take a break

I added a new character, a new location and defined one of the key characters that I had been skimming over. I now have the first act scripted, well keyed. I need to write the dialogue and all that but for the better part I have the overarching story for the first section complete. I also have the start and end points of the middle act which is more game based than story based anyway but I need to fill it in to get it right.

The concluding act I have an idea of in my head but I'm not sure how things will pan out yet. I'ts a wait and see type of moment

Embeding videos!

2008-09-24T20:14:00.000-07:00

So I'm officialy blind, I couldnt figure out how to embed videos from youtube and I was trying for about half an hour yesterday so I could post this Dead Space trailer. Well now I have it... I'm an idiot but Dead Space looks cool so It's ok... sort of.

It shipped!!

2008-09-24T15:48:00.000-07:00

So My tablet finaly shipped! After a bit of trouble with the address (there always seems to be a bit of trouble!) it is in the post and on it's way to my doorstep. It could be here as early as Friday or as late as monday. I can't wait to begin drawing and painting with my new toy!

I was playing MGS again today and I really have to get on finishing all my current games. The problem is my dad is home at the moment and while he is arround I cant play games in place of sleep and exercise. He likes me to do work!

I think I will use the tablet to make a tileset and begin putting together the contents for my RPG. It may still come to fruition. if it does however it will probably be with the old 2d style characters, 3d is a bit too much of a chore at the moment. I would still like to have a fully pre-rendered FMV opening and closing as well as my styalised opening story. I'm thinking pre-menu FMV, styalised opening, Key moment FMVs and ending FMV. no more than about 20 min in total.

I'm going to have a look at my wall now and add a few little things to it. This RPG will be a good opertunity for me to get used to using the tablet. I only hope I manage to apply myself.

Wacom Bambo Fun

2008-09-23T17:23:00.000-07:00

I Just ordered my graphics tablet. I know I just posted but I finaly ordered my tablet so I had to mention it and it didn't fit into the last post.

It cost me €164.49 and could be here as early as Friday. It is the medium size (the largest available size...) and is about A4 in drawing area. I cant wait to get it and hope I will learn how to use it well. I am a decent skecher and have practice drawing in GIMP when creating concept art. Combining the two should produce some nice results!

In theory I should be able to use it when sculpting (and possibly modeling) in Blender as well as using it to create vector art in Inkscape. I am looking forward to seeing how I can apply it.

I also just re-discovered my love of the classic megadrive title, GoldenAxe. I downloaded the Rom and had a quick play. I'm as bad as ever but I loved it. Oh, and I'm alowed download the rom as I own a copy of the game and the console I just didn't feal like going up into the attic, hunting for the two, bringing them down, setting up the console and then playing it. That said moraly I am oposed to pirating software but am for "pirating" games that are no longer available through the usual channels. There are times it is the only way to experiance classics.

Finaly Ali won the biggest loser and I was happy. Watching the show has inspired me to try to get into shape once again. I still go to the park on nice days but I am starting to do a bit of strength training aswell and will swim when I go back to college in october.

PS3 games courtasy of IGN

2008-09-23T16:48:00.000-07:00

Thanks to IGN here is a list of most of the upcomming games for PS3 and I added a little bit about what I think of them.

BioShock
Developer: 2K Marin
Publisher: 2K Games
Release Date: October 21st
Genre: First-Person Shooter

Rorki says: It is criticaly aclaimed and credited as being both terrifying and brilliant. I am interested but it is probably a rental.

Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway
Developer: Gearbox Software
Publisher: Ubisoft
Release Date: September 23rd
Genre: First-Person Shooter

Rorki says: I dont play these identikit war FPS games, colour me un-interested

Call of Duty: World at War
Developer: Treyarch
Publisher: Activision
Release Date: November 11th
Genre: First-Person Shooter

Rorki says: See above, and to think they re-invented themselves with huge critical and comercial success...

Dead Space
Developer: EA Redwood Shores
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Release Date: October 14th
Genre: Third-Person Action Adventure

Rorki says: I will be buing this game. The animated comics got me intrigued and when a friend showed me gameplay and explained some of the features I fell in love.

Fallout 3
Developer: Bethesda Game Studios
Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Release Date: October 28th
Genre: RPG

Rorki says: It looks like a good game but not what I usualy play. Since Final Fantasy VII is holding my attention so well it might get a look in but it's not guarenteed

Far Cry 2
Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
Publisher: Ubisoft
Release Date: October 21st
Genre: First-Person Shooter

Rorki says: Far Cry had many re-releases, I bought none of them. I won't be buying this

Guitar Hero World Tour
Developer: Neversoft
Publisher: Activision
Release Date: October 26th
Genre: Music

Rorki says: They are fun to play but I only play these games at friend's houses

James Bond 007 in Quantum of Solace
Developer: Treyarch
Publisher: Activision
Release Date: November 4th
Genre: Action

Rorki says: A Bond game that didn't suck...? ok, since GoldenEye

LEGO Batman: The Videogame
Developer: Traveller's Tales
Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive
Release Date: September 23rd
Genre: Action

Rorki says: I like the lego games but they are too short and too easy. I will play the demo and decide wether or not to complete on rental

LittleBigPlanet
Developer: Media Molecule
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Release Date: October 21st
Genre: Platformer

Rorki says: YES YES YES!! This game has delighted me since it's anouncement. I want bad!

Mega Man 9
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Release Date: September 25th
Genre: Action

Rorki says: Never been into Mega Man but am a huge supporter of the Retro Revial (with new games of cource) I may buy this just in support of the cause

Midnight Club: Los Angeles
Developer: Rockstar San Diego
Publisher: Rockstar Games
Release Date: October 21st
Genre: Racing

Rorki says: Aheh... no.

Mirror's Edge
Developer: DICE Sweden
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Release Date: November 11th
Genre: First-Person Action Adventure

Rorki says: Intriguing game with great visual style. I will play it, I may buy it

Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe
Developer: Midway
Publisher: Midway
Release Date: November 10th
Genre: Fighting

Rorki says: Mortal Kombat without the gore. All the batman in the world cant make that right

MotorStorm: Pacific Rift
Developer: Evolution Studios
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Release Date: October 28th
Genre: Racing

Rorki says: Not a racing game fan, that said I do still load up the MoterStorm 1 demo. Probably wont buy

Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm
Developer: CyberConnect 2
Publisher: Namco Bandai
Release Date: November 4th
Genre: Fighting

Rorki says: Visualy stunning... but I never watched this anime and the combat is too full of gimics

NBA '09: The Inside
Developer: SCE Studios San Diego
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Release Date: October 7th
Genre: Sports

Rorki says: My friends love this series. I play it sometimes at their houses. Still, Not going to buy it.

NBA 2K9
Developer: Visual Concepts
Publisher: 2K Sports
Release Date: October 7th
Genre: Sports

Rorki says: No

Prince of Persia
Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
Publisher: Ubisoft
Release Date: November 18th
Genre: Platformer

Rorki says: Great art direction. If only they didn't have that blue woman following you and saving you from nasty falls. A bit of hardcore platforming with the prince and this beautiful visual style I want. Hard Core this is not. I will finish it on rental

Resistance 2
Developer: Insomniac Games
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Release Date: November 4th
Genre: First-Person Shooter

Rorki says: R:FOM was my first PS3 game. I love it. It is in my PS3 right now. Single player, great. Online multi, Great. 2player ofline coop, great. This has all that, bigger and better with a separeate 8player online campain aswell. Sold!

Rock Band 2
Developer: Harmonix Music Systems
Publisher: MTV Games
Release Date: October 19th
Genre: Music

Rorki says: Guitar Hero my friends have, Rock Band they want. I want neither but won't object to trying out a song or two

Saints Row 2
Developer: Volition
Publisher: THQ
Release Date: October 14th
Genre: Action

Rorki says: Another resounding no.

Shaun White Snowboarding
Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
Publisher: Ubisoft
Release Date: November 16th
Genre: Extreme Sports

Rorki says: SnowBoarding is a fun minigame to throw into a bigger game. Ape Escape, Final Fantasy VII and many others have proven this. I have as much fun with the minigame as with these games. Coupled with having WiiFit's skiing minigame and Go!Ski available on PS3 for €10 this doesent make sense.

Silent Hill: Homecoming
Developer: The Collective
Publisher: Konami
Release Date: September 30th
Genre: Adventure

Rorki says: I love Silent Hill. I prefer SH2. I enjoyed the latest PSP relese a lot. This one has checkpoints. This one has no grain filter. This one doesent look like Silent Hill to me. I want it to be good. I want to buy it but will prob rent it. Siren: Blood Curse I know is good. That I will buy... on BD if it ever lands

SingStar Vol. 2
Developer: SCE Studios London
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Release Date: October 28th
Genre: Music

Rorki says: I would concider this. Maby. I cant sing but SS is great at a party and with the SingStore it means I can get a lot of songs I know and like. Still i probably wont as I cant afford it just to mess around.

SOCOM: Confrontation
Developer: Slant Six Games
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Release Date: October 14th
Genre: Online Shooter

Rorki says: The game that defined online on the PS2. I didnt buy onine for my PS2. This game just dosent intrest.

Sonic Unleashed
Developer: Sonic Team
Publisher: SEGA
Release Date: November 18th
Genre: Action

Rorki says: Why do you taunt us so? You show footage of classic Sonic speeding along. Sonic fans rejoyce. Then you show us the "werehog". Slow brawling streachy-armed gameplay at night. It mars the beautiful game you showed us. Why, when It was going so well. All that needs to be done to revive sonic is to do a 2.5D game that plays like the Megadrive/Genisis games but looks like this. instead you give us the WereHog. Fail. I will rent it for the fun Sonic bits though...

Valkyria Chronicles
Developer: SEGA
Publisher: SEGA
Release Date: November 11th
Genre: Action RPG

Rorki says: How nice that they make games for people besides me.

WipEout HD
Developer: SCE Studio Liverpool
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Release Date: September 25th
Genre: Racing

Rorki says: Pretty! Oh so pretty! A friend and I were watching the trailer and I slowed it down to 50% so we could admire the graphics. After a while we were like this game is so fast. Then we realised it was still in slo-mo. Pretty and Fast. Want.

WWE SmackDown vs. RAW 2009
Developer: Yuke's Media Creations
Publisher: THQ
Release Date: November 9th
Genre: Wrestling

Rorki says: I always loved making characters on my friends copy. It has a versatile person maker. still, you can get character editors for free on the net and I have been making 3D models for years. I dont play the actual game so I have no interest in this

I shouldnt care but...

2008-09-21T05:40:00.001-07:00

Tomb Raider is a cruel love of mine. I have never gotten the same experiance from TR1 from any other game. Uncharted: Drake's fortune came close. The fealing of adventure was there but the fluidity of combat and sense of exploration didn't measure up. Nor did the feeling of confidence that you had with leaps of faith in the old games thanks to the grid based system.

I loved every TR title on the PS1. I played them all to death. Then the Angel of Darkness came out on PS2. The controls were changed. The grid was gone. I wasn't happy.

Strangely I look back on AOD with fonder eyes than I used to play it. It is by no means a good game. Nor is it a TR game. That said, it had decent length and was closer to being a TR game than the next game in question, Legend.

Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Legend decided to keep the naming system used by the now ousted Core Design (the origional dev was replaced by Crystal Dynamics). This should have been my first sign. AOD's story was long winded and over the top. If the game play was better it could have worked though. What the two games have most in common is a desire to focus on Lara rather than the tombs.

It's all in a name. "Lara Croft Tomb Raider" as oposed to "Tomb Raider featuring Lara Croft". The tombs had precidence before the character out grew them.

Legend was a bad game. It was short, buggy, easy and most of all, It wasn't Tomb Raider. Even on hard mode a decent gamer can finish the game in about 2 hours. The game has decided to keep the 2D type controls of AOD but loosen them up a bit so as to make the game more "fluid". Instead they made them slippy and sloppy.

In the origional games the "clunky" controls gave you precise control over how you moved and with practice you could pull off complicated manovers that required skill and dexterity. In Legend there is always the element of chance that the camera will decide to swing around, changing what up on the analogue stick means and causing you to plummet off a cliff. I died a lot in the old games but at least then it was my fault.

Legend was a critical success. A "return to form" for Lady Croft. Alas the core gameplay that created the legendary adventurer was left by the wayside. Because of the Lara fans far outnumbering the TR fans the game went on to spawn a remake, no, a "Re-Invisioning" of the 1996 title that started it all. All the "key moments" were there. What wasnt there was the bulk of the tombs, (some levels like the Cistern were condensed into a single room. It wasn't even concidered a level in "Anniversary"), The exploration, the origional character that delighted fans.

These "unimportant" features were replaced with the dodgy controls of legend (with more bugs!) A plethora of check points (some of which were looping as in the Midas level), Arena boss battles and of cource the "new and improved" Lara Croft.

Allow me to explain what I mean by this. In the origional game Lara was tough. She was a mysterious character who displayed small snippets of her personality in the short, action packed cutscenes. She was a strong and independant character. In the re-invisioning she was softer, more afraid and less intriguing. The story is altered and expanded changing beyond recongition the classic character. What we are left with is a warbaling character who bursts into tears after gunning down one of her assailants. Why? This is not explained. All we know is that the Lara that set the world on fire, inspired girls to become stronger and taught boys that women can be heros while retaining their femininity is not present in this game. We are instead left with a stumbeling mess who wouldn't have made a dent in the gaming industry if she hadnt the 7 other console games, 2 movies, comic book series, books, and hand heald games behind her to hold her up.

I should be content with the still vibrant TRLE community that to this day releases several levels a week using the Tomb Raider 4 engine. But I want a title that I can buy. I want to feel like respect for the classics still lives on. I want to play a full, official Tomb Raider game.

This brings me back to the origional point of the post, Tomb Raider Underworld.

That is it's name. Tomb Raider. Not Lara Croft Tomb Raider, just Tomb Raider! It could be a return to what a community that still uses a game engine for a game released in 1999 wants. A revival of the grid, or at least the true exploration. Now the trailers for the game do little to comfort me in my hopes but a part of me cant help thinking this time, after moving on from a PS2 era of atrocious games that this time the new Tomb Raider game could be good.

So it's been a while...

2008-09-20T16:56:00.000-07:00

Havn't bloged in a while due to real world busyness. (Havnt any more progress on the game either. Hope it gets done!) the main reason is that I have been going out more than I should and when I'm at home I am honing my GIMP skills. (I have fallen in love with photomanipulation again)

I suppose tomorrow I will try to get some progress made on the RPG. I may end up having to gimp the origional vision because of time constraints and general lack luster feelings towards it. I like the story (what I've done so far) and the character progression. I still have the "wall" up aswell and all my little character sheets. I may end up using a simplified battle system becuase it is the most difficult coding in the game. it would be a shame though as it is also the core gameplay.

I want to start making tutorials for youtube on blender and GIMP and how to ust the two (maby inkscape too) to create videos, images and even games.

I guess I should upload one of my latest pictures to stop this blog being a total waste of time so I'll go pick one... Here we go, this is a test of playing with colour balance and also an attempt at enhancing eyes in GIMP. they look a bit fake but are quite good I think.

Dramatic Composite

2008-09-14T14:35:00.000-07:00

So there is admitadly little progress on the game (I blame the flu...), but I did put together another image. I was watching a video on youtube about emo and scene kid makeovers in photoshop. I decided to load up the gimp and give it a shot. After a bit of fun I decided to take it a bit further and make some real art.

I ended up going a bit Andy Warhol on the photo. I watched factory girl last night, must be the reason. Anyway, It is a nice shot that has quite a bit of drama in it and I am proud as always. The central photo is the origional colours and the surrounding are different hues.

Anyway, here is another self portrait:

"Drama"

Hair is hard to render

2008-09-11T10:29:00.000-07:00

So I have been doing some test renders in advance of the FMVs for Gemini and I have to say that despite all the time it took me it has payed off. I have finally managed to get blender's hair system to give me realistic results. the secret was sub surface scattering, something I had never tried to touch before now.

Not only that but styling the hair proved more difficult than originally anticipated. that said I finally have it down and It looks great. I am putting together a video to show what the game and movies will look like but it is a bit away yet. I still need to get a good, rigged human model. I might make my own or just rig the makehuman model but I would like something a little lower poly. all this rendering will kill my computer dead!

Lip synching is going to give a bit of trouble as well. the models exported by the software I'm using doesn't leave space for movement data. only a few characters will be speaking in the FMVs so I can rig them for speach manualy with no bother.

I'll post the test video when I get the chance, until then, happy blending

Goodbye cruel world... well not really

2008-09-10T00:15:00.000-07:00

Oh noes! its teh endof da wrld!!1!

Today an experiment will take place in the LHC. It is a large hadron collider (I know its juvenile but its one letter swap from being hilariously innuendo filled... fine I'll say it, Large Hardon Collider, HaHa)...

Ok I'll try that again. It is a hadron collider, similar to smaller ones in the same general area. The experiment is basically a repeat of one that has been repeated a thousands times before only on smaller scales. In other words I am not getting into the bunker just yet...

Not much else going on, I was unconscious for about the last 7 hours so not much news yet. just wanted to get one last blog before I get sucked into a black hole.

See you on the other side

The wall is a wall, pre-rendered cutscenes and 3d me!

2008-09-09T12:48:00.000-07:00

I have finaly begun the arduous process of compiling the story of Gemini for scripting. I have post-its on my wall. I have to say the process is quite fun to do once you get started. Crank up the volume on a youtube playlist, grab a drink and start writing and sticking. It even helped me come up with some great new characters and a cool baddie. I have noticed that even the wall is limited in space so I may end up building the story in the 3 acts seperatly. (you have to have heard of 3 act story structure in english class...)

I have also decided to consider possibly making 3D prerendered cutscenes for the intro and ending. I am already decided on doing a styalised opening cinematic but I may wind up creating a cool "realistic" video opening with nice looking characters.

The final thing I want to mention is the FREE face generating software I discovered today. It lets you easily make a 3d head model that looks kindof like a pair of source photos. The only problem is that I have been having trouble getting blender's hair system to work on them. If I can I will use it to render cutscenes and possible the in game sprites... and I went to all that trouble on the vector sprites...

Sticky notes... billions of them...

2008-09-08T17:26:00.000-07:00

So I am still looking at my sticky notes, blank and yellow like wafers of butter... (was that supposed to be poetic? lets just let it slide)

The problem is that it's half past one in the morning and I am in the mood for working on the story but I know that if I start I wont stop before five and then I'll sleep all day tomorrow. I might start filling in some baddie sheets for my fix but I wanted to leave that until I had them on the wall so I could fit them in with the map and story well... gah life is complicated!!

I still haven't decided weather or not to make different character sprites for the battles or just up-scale (and add a few frames) to the map sprites. Given the upload limit I don't want to include too many pictures. I also tried out this cool pre-rendered logo intro idea I had for the game but when I converted to logo to polygons blender's fluid simulator refused to bake the settings... didn't crash, didn't bring up a message, just refused... stupid brilliant blender :S

Anyway, tomorrow is another day... well not really as its after midnight but you get my drift... so tonight I sleep for in the morning I have a wall to populate.

Still planning and a creepy portrait

2008-09-08T08:28:00.000-07:00

So I have a pack of sticky notes and I am going to use them to sort out the main story events. The basic idea is that they can be moved, replaced and seen easily and clearly. I wonder if there is a 3d version... I also adjusted the colours in the sprite and decided that when I have the spritesheets done I am going to do some batch processing in GIMP so I can alter the atmosphere of the game a bit making it slightly more gothic. It will also make the sprites more coheasive.

I was sick (flu!) and feeling creative today so I decided to make a picture. It turned out rather creepy and kind of scary but I think it conveys the message I was trying to put accross. Despite morbidity I am proud of my picture.... though it is very morbid!

"The world was here"

Template finished, lots of rules

2008-09-07T16:24:00.000-07:00

So I have finaly finished working on the template for the RPG I am working on. Boy it took ages, and I was only tracing someone's pixel art template to get a nice vector one! I think it is quite good and am very proud of it. After I have filled in a few more of my character sheets I will start vector spriting my characters.

The sprite to the left is an example of what a character may look like. It is my first attempt at drawing the lead character. His likeness will probably change quite a bit but this should give a gist of the style of graphics I am going for.

I finaly got round to reading the rules and boy are there a lot of them! Many of them I would expect but I was suprised to learn that I would have to include a splash screen at the start of the game (and they are strict about its presentation, very!). Not only that but there is a file size limit. Not overly suprising and It realy just presents a bit more of a self limiting challenge but I hadn't even concidered it. It looks like some of the fancyer looking sections I have been planning are out. The limit is moderate, 50MB, not tiny but not cutscene and audio friendly. I was planing to include some of my "dream scenes" set to songs that I love and that have inspired me over the years to make games/ other art but now it would be a true challenge to fit them in. Hopefully I will get to keep a couple of them.

Well I have a lot of planning left to do. I cant start map design untill I have the story cemented so I will begin on cementing tomorrow. I also need my list of items, attacks, baddies and party members so I can finish designing the battle system.

A title and a logo

2008-09-05T20:17:00.000-07:00

So I spent a large part of the day working on a title and story for my RPG. I have the basic plotline worked out but need to fill in a few gaps allong the way. not only that but I managed to throw together a logo for the game (it's actualy an old photo of me vectorised).

So the battle system is my current main concern. The majority of the planning has been done but I need to compleat the character list (playable and bosses at least) as well as a list of all weapon upgrades, spells and items. I'm well on the way though. I'm not sure If there will be "states" probably sleep and poison at least.

In tearms of length I know it is a competition entry so It shouldn't be too long but I'm aiming for it to be between 8-20 hours depending on sidequests and how good you are at solving my fiendish puzzels.

Apart from this project I will hopefully enter 2 more games that are a lot shorter but inovative in different ways. One is a platfromer that uses only one button, the seccond is another "eyetracker" game. This time a FPS. The main problem with FPS games is the dedication it takes to put the graphics togther. Unless I deside to styalise them in an easy to make way it means a lot of poly modeling which is why I will leave it 'till last. Not only that but as it is 3d I will wind up having to code in in Blitz3d which I havent touched for about a year!

The other two projects are kind of secondary entries that I would like to make some day, hopefully for the competition, but if not some day. Right now however I have to focus on Gemini, who's story I am quite proud of.

Retro Remakes, a game for Helen

2008-09-04T07:34:00.000-07:00

So right when I am working on my ultra fun high octane fighter I hear about this competition run by retro-remakes. It is a bog-standard game creation comp except for one entry category "A game for Helen". Basically it is a competition to create a game that can be played by the mobility impaired.

Obviously if I were to just create a game following these guidelines getting it to the right people would be a tricky task, that is why I have decided that I will put the game I'm working on currently on ice (always a bad choice) and enter the competition to support the cause. I was unable to come up with a way to make the full version of my game compatible with the constraints put upon me by the mobility impaired controls (mouse and left click) so I have decided to work on an RPG... could Final Fantasy be influencing me? I have never wanted to work on an RPG before...

Anyway I have the basic movement engine up and running (in game maker) and I am now going to begin working on battle systems and character design. The entirety of my source material will be released free to encourage others to mod and edit it. The thinking behind this is that more of these RPGs will spring up that are fun to play for everyone, disabled or not.

The way I hope to avoid falling into a trap of developing for only the niche is that I will go about creating an RPG and only the controls will be affected by the constrictions.

Here is hoping it is a success

Game-play and Game design

2008-09-01T07:04:00.000-07:00

So I have been continuing on my journey of creating the game I was talking about. So far I have the basic story and area transitions mapped out but I think I will wind up getting other people to help with level design. I have decided to sprite the game myself as I have discovered a nice technique for making high quality (high colour, sorry purists) sprites fairly quickly. It goes like this:

-Make a basic 3d character with the proportions you want your character to have
-Colour him in a bright colour and UV on basic details such as eye position etcetera
-Set the material to full bright (or use toon shading for help shadowing the character's sprite)
-Set the render mode to outline
-Animate your character and render single images orographic (optional) from the side (or whatever view you need)
-Import as a background into the Gimp
-Create a new layer and draw the outlines
-Paint in the colours and more details under this layer
-Save & organise your sprites into a sprite sheet

it is surprisingly fast and gives great results.

I have also been looking into tutorials on youtube and elsewhere to brush up on game maker. I have now learned how to create perfect platforming controls thanks to them. I am going to animate and render the basic outlines of the main character so I can start prototyping gameplay as I start editing the sprites to look nice. Since the game play is quick I need the timing to be spot on and so this is currently ahead of making pretty graphics for the game. With a functional room completed I will be able to begin working on the final sprites.

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Aside from game making I have began playing Final Fantasy VII. I have never played a Final Fantasy before but I am already loving this one. The story is far more mature than I would have predicted and the characters are quite intriguing. Not only that but the use of pre rendered graphics is very well done and it transfers almost seamlessly from still game play to pre-rendered camera movement. The combat, due to the timing system, is also very engaging. My only other turn based RPG experiance was pokemon where you could relax and let the battle play out slowly. In FF you have to concentrate... It is a mechnic I may steal in future projects!

Well thats what I've been up to lately, I guess I will post updates tomorrow. hopefully I can tear myself away from FF to animate and render my guy... hopefully ;)

Computer Games and chocolate

2008-08-28T15:10:00.000-07:00

I'm not a huge fan of chocolate. Most people fail to understand this. I can take it or leave it where as the majority of people I admit this character flaw depend heavily on the substance to get through the tougher days. The fact is the world is full of chocoholics who don't understand why anyone would choose any other sort of life.

I'm not a huge fan of chocolate but Lindor is an exception to that rule.

So last night I saw The dark knight (great film) and I opened a pack of Lindor. I had quite a few but left about half the box. Today I was sitting at my computer and the box was there. This is not a good thing... I ate the second half. That's right, I ate an entire pack in under 24hrs... It was disgusting. The worst part is that its not all the junk food I ate! I had some cake and crisps as well. It looks like I will have to have an extra park session to make up for the travesty.

What I did do that I'm proud of is I bought Bionic Commando: Rearmed off the PSN. It was a good purchase. It is fun, challenging and has a funny yet compelling storyline. My favourite joke so far went as follows [SPOILER ALLERT]

Soldier 2: We wont be finding anyone able to break in to that (or something, Its not important)

Soldier 1: No, ROFL

Soldier 2: Stop laughing and get off the floor

Anyway, I'm enjoying the game because of its classic flair. It has controls that are not intuitive to start with but allow you to preform a wealth of maneuvers that require genuine skill. Games aren't like this any more.

Its games like this that make me want to return to game making. While its true I never really left game making I haven't undertaken a project with serious view to complete for quite some time now. I have been coming up with quite a few ideas lately but I think I know which one I would like to develop. It is a side scrolling action RPG as yet without a name.

I think the tool set I will use to make the game is the ever controversial "game maker" by yoyogames (free version of course). I'm going to do a bit of planning but if I decide to go ahead with this project it will need to be done before October as that is when I go back to college. That means strict schedule and a lot of hard work. I may try to make it a collaboration but chances are that I will end up doing it all myself which means music, graphics and "programming". It will be fun!

I climbed a tree!

2008-08-27T08:48:00.000-07:00

So today as I planned I set out for the park at around one. I brought climbing gloves, water, a hat and my phone and wallet in a backpack. As I approached the park I saw the wall ahead of me and the gate about 300m down the path. Since the plan for the day was to have fun climbing and running etc. I hopped the wall and began my day.

In the first area, an area with a tonne of ramps made for mountain biking there were a few nice trees. I spent about 20 min running up the ramps and climbing random trees. After that I decided to go for an explore. I climbed a few more trees and sprinted down and up between the small hills before climbing a few of the steeper parts. I wound up making my way out as far as Clontarf and back over a period of about 3 hours. I went up and down quite a few trees and did a lot of jogging, sprinting and walking. I had a really great time but was exhausted on the way home. I like how each tree is like a puzzle. You circumnavigate before deciding the best way up. Sometimes when you get up a bit higher new routes look more interesting. the solution is constantly evolving and always interesting.

I don't know if I will go back tomorrow but I will be going to the park a few times a week for a few hours. It is just a lot of fun. I might even get some friends in on the act. We could have races, time ourselves running up banks and it would be nice having a bit of company despite how calming the seclusion is. Four eyes are better than one and that means interesting paths to follow etc. will be spotted more often.

Got to love the public park

Park life

2008-08-26T13:14:00.000-07:00

So today I began my new lifestyle... well sort of.... I did manage to avoid eating much more junk (I ended up eating that pack of crisps). That said I did manage to get up off my backside and go for a walk!

I was just going to walk up along the coast so I brought my PSP for music, my phone and my wallet so my pockets were pretty full. not only that I wore my new vans which have a bit of white on them. As I walked down the cycle track that runs along the coastline I saw St. Anne's Park looming ahead. I decided that I would be a nice place to go as I haven't been there in a while. I walked in the main gate and was about to go up the main path towards my home when I saw an Alsation/German Shepard running down the path and on the smaller one down to the side. I decide to follow and soon I saw one of the duck-ponds up ahead. It was a beautiful sight (despite gratuitous amounts of litter and algae) and I stopped there for a few minuets and watched a duck who had an itchy foot. There are few things quite as awkward as a Duck trying to swim and chew its foot at the same time.

After I had amused myself for a while I got back to my walk. Eventually I realized the potential for fun and exercise. There are trees to climb and hills to hike up and down. there is even near vertical slopes for climbing. The problem was that all the paths, hills, and cliff faces are dirt. The fun stuff was dirt and I had loaded pockets and white shoes. I decided to refrain from the park as a playground and just walked through normally.

Tomorrow, however, I shall return to the park in track gear and hiking boots and I will climb a tree and the hills and all that stuff in the name of fitness... ...as long as it isn't raining...

Bars, Booze and Biscuits

2008-08-26T06:18:00.000-07:00

Ever since I have come home from South Africa I have noticed a sad little change to my lifestyle. I am not living as healthily as I would like to, as I used to or as I need to. Last night I went out and had far too much to drink. this morning when I woke up I decided to go for a few milky-way bars, 6 jammey dodgers (biscuits or "cookies" if you are American/Canadian) and a banana. That is what I ate for breakfast. I also had a pack of salt and vinegar crisps to devour but I was so sick with what I had already put in my body that I couldn't stomach them. They are still on the coffee table waiting for me to eat them. This is an especially bad change in life-style as I used to be made fun of for only eating healthy foods.

I watch a lot of reality t.v. and one of the shows I watch is the biggest loser. It is a show about very obese people who are trying to change their lives for the better by exercise and eating healthy. When the contestants are on screen and they start talking about the eating habits they used to have and how they got to where they are I get very scared. This is because I see myself at the beginning of the path they went down. These days I live a sedentary life fuelled by junk food. This has to change.

I am not overweight. I am still in moderately good shape but I am not fit and if I continue eating and living the way I am at the moment I will become obese. That is not something I want. Because it is hard to get motivated to go outside due to Irish weather it will be difficult getting out and doing regular exercise. I also live an hour or two from the nearest mountains so hiking is a tricky thing to organise. I will change my eating habits and prevent developing heavy drinking habits. Instead I will organise healthier ways for me and my friends to hand out and hopefully get off the fast track for the grave that I seem to be desperate to get on.

A new computer and its time to blog

2008-08-24T13:46:00.000-07:00

I am now the proud owner of a brand new Acer Aspire one. It is a netbook sold by, well you guessed it, Acer. I decided that since I have this new handy piece of hardware it is about time I started blogging. The machine is so light and portable I will be able to use it to write wherever and whenever I am near an internet access point. It really defected my final excuse for keeping my thoughts locked up in my head.

I guess that, If you are reading this, you want to know a bit more about me than the computer I am typing on. Well I could summarize myself into a few brief sentences or I could write an epic depending on my mood. I will try to find some middle ground. I am an Irish student who just turned 20 last month while I was doing conservation research in South Africa and Mozambique. I like music, computers, video games and art. I love making things from clothes to computer games. I love all types of expression through different mediums and believe something like a bag or an indie game can be as expressive as the most soulful poem.
I am a biology and chemistry student and I love nature and everything about it. I like the luxury of a bed and a warm place to sleep but I don't see myself passing up an opportunity to go camping. I live near a beach and walk my dog Islay on it from time to time.

I draw and write poetry and am trying to get good at photography so I will probably post a few pictures and poems. I am also interested in making movies so its likely that I will upload a couple of animations or something here. whenever I get around to making them that it.

Well thats enough for a first point, in summary, Acer, Irish, 20, likes stuff, will post stuff... thanks for reading!