There's a sort of balance game designers strive for when creating video games -- the creation of gameplay that may seem deceptively simple to the player at first, but works its way toward being more difficult as the game progresses. However, while this difficulty curve strives to make the game experience more challenging, the "perfect" game in this scenario will make the player feel compelled to continue rather than feel frustrated enough to give up. Enter Puerto Rico, a very unique RTS-style board game.
Now, when board game comes to mind, I think more of an experience that remains constant throughout. Peurto Rico has different expectations for the player, requiring new strategies as the game progresses in order to succeed. I was tickled by my first experience with the game and hope to get back to it again sometime, but here are a few highlights of the experience.
-Every Turn is Everyone's Turn
There are a series of cards that each define a single action. Each round is a series of turns where a player selects a card with an action to follow. However, when a card is selected, every player performs that action. This is a unique twist to a board game, as it ensures that everyone always has something to do. Out of the action cards, when one is selected then no other player can select that card for the rest of the round. After a round is completed, all cards return to being freely available. Also, the person to start a round rotates each turn, so every player is guaranteed to have first dibs on selecting an action each turn.
-Purpose (or the actions)
Each player has their own playing field, which is split between an area to construct buildings and an area to place fields. As far as action cards go, players will have the ability to add a new plantation of land for growing crops, build a new building, add new citizens to their city (which must be stationed at plantations in order to produce anything), produce what their fields will allow them to produce, sell their produced goods, or ship the goods by ship to another country (which doesn't give the player money, but victory points). There are also two left-over cards that are "Do Nothing," where the person who picked that card receives one coin (the only card that effects no other players).
There are multiple victory conditions to the game. First of all, there are only a certain number of victory tokens available for players to take. There's also a limited number of citizens. If either of those tokens are depleted to nothing, the game will end at the end of that round. Finally, there are only a certain number of buildings a player can place (albeit a very large number), and using all of those lots will also end the game. However, the player with the most victory points when one of those victory conditions is met will be the winner. While each building has its own rule-bending purpose to the player (as well as being another requirement for the "production" phase), each building owned also gives the player added victory points.
-Planning of Others
In the beginning of the game, you don't have to worry so much about the other players. However, the problem comes at around the half-way point, when everyone gets established with production. Say the player directly after you plays the Production phase action. There are a limited number of tokens that can be taken for production, but each player takes the maximum amount they are allowed to produce. Being the last player for dibs on the production phase, you might get slim pickings -- sometimes nothing at all.
Just as well, the Trading phase and Shipping-ish phase have their own restrictions, that can screw you over if you're the last in line. For the Trading phase, there is a maximum limit to 4 items that can be shipped, and each item added has to be different than all of the others that are already added. Worse, the shipping crate only empties when it is full of 4 items, so if it has only 3 items on it then those 3 items will carry over to the next turn. In that scenario, the next player to fill the crate with the next Trading phase will be the only player to play during that phase. Only of slight assurance is that each player is only allowed to trade a single resource during this phase.
For the Shipping phase, there are a limited number of boats, each with their own limit of items storable on them. If a boat is empty, you can place any type of resource on the boat when it comes to you. If a boat already has a resource, you can only place a matching resource on that boat. However, if you have the opportunity to dispose of all of your resources (but only of a single type), then you may do so, unlike with the Trading phase when you are limited to a single action. Same with the Trading phase, boats only lose their cargo when they become full, and then only at the end of that Shipping phase. As these resources stay stuck within the Trading and Shipping phase, this further reduced the resources available at the next Production phase being called.
Watching other players to figure out where they currently are and what they need next is an important part to succeeding in Puerto Rico. If someone before you needs the same thing you do, some strategy re-thinking might be in order for what you can do as an alternative. BUT, don't pick an action just because someone after you wants it, intent on throwing them off -- an action that doesn't benefit you is a wasted action.
All in all, there are a lot of different strategies that can be taken, but knowing to be flexible is just as important. Personally, I know that I would play the game differently my second time around now that I have more of an idea of what to expect. It's definitely something that has to be experienced on your own to fully grasp. I had been told all of the rules, but as was said, it's one of those "easy to learn, hard to master" games.
09 December 2009
30 November 2009
Memory Lane: Overreactions
During the time, some action seems to be a good idea. However, when adults get involved upon hearing the action but not the context, there seems to become a problem. Solely for you. It always seemed as though "probable cause" was out of the question -- the act itself was punishable enough. In fact, I always got the impression that reason was seen as an excuse but not taken seriously.
Now, while my actions in general made me far from being a troublemaker, there were two thoughts of overreactions in my past that I thought about this morning. The first took place in second grade and the second took place in third. For some reason, these memories have stuck with me despite how much I might try to shake them.
On a bus trip home once, this girl in my grade level sat across the aisle from me. We didn't get along very well. I don't remember who started the drawing of the stick figure, but Heather added boobs to this stick figure. Thinking that I would one-up her, I drew a phallus on it -- a transexual, x-rated stick figure. For one reason or other, the drawing made its way to the back of the bus and in the hands of my older sister. Marie didn't know who drew the picture, but showed it to my mom. This stick figure, created purely out of spite, for some reason became a spectacle.
Phone calls were made about the picture, and the principal became involved. I had previously denied the drawing of the picture to my mother and sister, but my mother was present during my visit to the principal. Shy, easily frightened, young, pathetic Trevor denied drawing the image to the principal with his serious expression. Perhaps because of my academic standing and clean record, my word was taken as the truth. I'm curious as to what the incident dealt to Heather, and I'm also curious as to what would have happened had I come clean. I didn't think what I did was wrong at the time, and I still feel that way. Perhaps if I had felt positively towards Heather, the context being some twisted form of love rather than hate, then there would have been cause for concern. I had been deathly afraid at the time and just didn't want to get punished for something so trivial.
Anyway, the second incident was not nearly as involved, but stays with me just the same. I suppose this is entirely different as well, involving what I considered an overreaction from everyone in the room. Simply put, I had found out my third grade teacher's first name and used it during class. I never considered myself a teacher's pet, but I had always viewed my teachers as friends. This idea of mine is most enforced by my relationship with my English instructor I had during my senior year of high school, as we started as friends my junior year before I'd even had him as an instructor -- we talked almost every day before school started about virtually everything.
The class reaction to my "fib" was one of shock and disgust. I asked for an explanation then for why we had to call her "Mrs. Simon," but the answer was something I don't remember. I just remember being dissatisfied by the answer. Still, I never made that mistake again. Until UAT, where it's the norm to refer to everyone by their first name -- something I felt very comfortable with.
Sometimes, I believe some things are done solely for tradition -- because it was done when these people were younger, and they're just keeping a memory alive. There are some who don't seem intent on holding the tradition, but they do just because everyone else does. I know there was a certain relief after high school graduation when I met Clark Fair, shook his hand, and he told me "you can call me Clark now." The tradition of calling him Mr. Fair makes it seem strange, but the option is there and freely available.
Yes, so those were just two memories with a common theme that have been on my mind lately, and I just wanted to write them down to hopefully subdue them. The lessons from them were more of "how to fit in" than actual life lessons -- reactions of others. But who knows? Pathetic younger Trevor might have been affected by the first event to not become an artist -- some sort of subconscious thing. I never was that into art, though I am a lot better than those who say they can't draw at all and can't. I say I can't draw. I can, I'm just nowhere near as refined as either of my two sisters.
Now, while my actions in general made me far from being a troublemaker, there were two thoughts of overreactions in my past that I thought about this morning. The first took place in second grade and the second took place in third. For some reason, these memories have stuck with me despite how much I might try to shake them.
On a bus trip home once, this girl in my grade level sat across the aisle from me. We didn't get along very well. I don't remember who started the drawing of the stick figure, but Heather added boobs to this stick figure. Thinking that I would one-up her, I drew a phallus on it -- a transexual, x-rated stick figure. For one reason or other, the drawing made its way to the back of the bus and in the hands of my older sister. Marie didn't know who drew the picture, but showed it to my mom. This stick figure, created purely out of spite, for some reason became a spectacle.
Phone calls were made about the picture, and the principal became involved. I had previously denied the drawing of the picture to my mother and sister, but my mother was present during my visit to the principal. Shy, easily frightened, young, pathetic Trevor denied drawing the image to the principal with his serious expression. Perhaps because of my academic standing and clean record, my word was taken as the truth. I'm curious as to what the incident dealt to Heather, and I'm also curious as to what would have happened had I come clean. I didn't think what I did was wrong at the time, and I still feel that way. Perhaps if I had felt positively towards Heather, the context being some twisted form of love rather than hate, then there would have been cause for concern. I had been deathly afraid at the time and just didn't want to get punished for something so trivial.
Anyway, the second incident was not nearly as involved, but stays with me just the same. I suppose this is entirely different as well, involving what I considered an overreaction from everyone in the room. Simply put, I had found out my third grade teacher's first name and used it during class. I never considered myself a teacher's pet, but I had always viewed my teachers as friends. This idea of mine is most enforced by my relationship with my English instructor I had during my senior year of high school, as we started as friends my junior year before I'd even had him as an instructor -- we talked almost every day before school started about virtually everything.
The class reaction to my "fib" was one of shock and disgust. I asked for an explanation then for why we had to call her "Mrs. Simon," but the answer was something I don't remember. I just remember being dissatisfied by the answer. Still, I never made that mistake again. Until UAT, where it's the norm to refer to everyone by their first name -- something I felt very comfortable with.
Sometimes, I believe some things are done solely for tradition -- because it was done when these people were younger, and they're just keeping a memory alive. There are some who don't seem intent on holding the tradition, but they do just because everyone else does. I know there was a certain relief after high school graduation when I met Clark Fair, shook his hand, and he told me "you can call me Clark now." The tradition of calling him Mr. Fair makes it seem strange, but the option is there and freely available.
Yes, so those were just two memories with a common theme that have been on my mind lately, and I just wanted to write them down to hopefully subdue them. The lessons from them were more of "how to fit in" than actual life lessons -- reactions of others. But who knows? Pathetic younger Trevor might have been affected by the first event to not become an artist -- some sort of subconscious thing. I never was that into art, though I am a lot better than those who say they can't draw at all and can't. I say I can't draw. I can, I'm just nowhere near as refined as either of my two sisters.
13 October 2009
Interviews and Life
I've only ever had a handful of interviews, but after I had the first couple of them I stopped being afraid. I had originally thought that an interview was something to be feared, and I was worrying over how I should act. Having never experienced them before, I think I was only afraid because it was another form of new, untraversed territory.
Right now, I'm either suffering from my condition where I can become increasingly calmer the closer a situation I'm looking forward to approaches, or I've simply become comfortable with interviews. I would like to think it's the latter, as I've realized the important notes of the game. No, an interview isn't about pretending to be a God in your profession. No, an interview isn't about lying about yourself. An interview is about the honest version of you. After all, you would be working with these people, so your natural personality has to click as well as how much you know.
One of my personality quirks in life has been an obsession with being a people pleaser. I have been naturally embarrassed by the thought of not fitting in. Thus, my personality didn't have any true qualities. Sure, there was something hidden underneath, but even I wouldn't let it out. What came from was an aversion to anything debatable -- no true opinions on any subject that mattered. Maybe this was another reason I feared interviews -- how can I conform to the ideas of someone when I will be meeting them for the first time during the interview?
I wasn't being dishonest with everyone. I was being dishonest with myself. There is the telling that you can't please everyone, but I didn't want to listen, so I attempted to do just that. It might yet prove difficult, but I think it's time I tried to let out the real personality and become a real person.
Onward to an interview. Without fear.
Right now, I'm either suffering from my condition where I can become increasingly calmer the closer a situation I'm looking forward to approaches, or I've simply become comfortable with interviews. I would like to think it's the latter, as I've realized the important notes of the game. No, an interview isn't about pretending to be a God in your profession. No, an interview isn't about lying about yourself. An interview is about the honest version of you. After all, you would be working with these people, so your natural personality has to click as well as how much you know.
One of my personality quirks in life has been an obsession with being a people pleaser. I have been naturally embarrassed by the thought of not fitting in. Thus, my personality didn't have any true qualities. Sure, there was something hidden underneath, but even I wouldn't let it out. What came from was an aversion to anything debatable -- no true opinions on any subject that mattered. Maybe this was another reason I feared interviews -- how can I conform to the ideas of someone when I will be meeting them for the first time during the interview?
I wasn't being dishonest with everyone. I was being dishonest with myself. There is the telling that you can't please everyone, but I didn't want to listen, so I attempted to do just that. It might yet prove difficult, but I think it's time I tried to let out the real personality and become a real person.
Onward to an interview. Without fear.
21 September 2009
The ColorWare Dream
As some of my friends know, I once had a Playstation 3. A dark green one, actually, which I had bought from the amazing website ColorWare. I have recently been browsing around that website again, and I can't help but be vastly entertained. They have a really nice setup for clicking on colors and being able to see exactly how the selected color would look on whatever device you're messing around with. It's a great enough time consumer, and you will find yourself looking into the effects of coloring devices that you have no desire in ever buying.
I was caught today by the PS3 Slim being a now-selectable option. From checking several weeks ago, it had yet to make an appearance. And I would argue that the options for the Slim are much better than the original. The thing with the original was that the system had to be all one color. With the Slim, you can make the top and bottom pieces a separate color, as well as select the color for the new PS3 logo.
I don't have my Playstation 3 anymore, having sold it several months back, but I want to go by ColorWare again when I do get around to getting another. And I won't make the same mistake as last time. Choosing a very dark color when it's always in a dark place? It was difficult to tell that it was colored at all. With this two-tone business, I think this will be the look of my future PS3:
I was caught today by the PS3 Slim being a now-selectable option. From checking several weeks ago, it had yet to make an appearance. And I would argue that the options for the Slim are much better than the original. The thing with the original was that the system had to be all one color. With the Slim, you can make the top and bottom pieces a separate color, as well as select the color for the new PS3 logo.
I don't have my Playstation 3 anymore, having sold it several months back, but I want to go by ColorWare again when I do get around to getting another. And I won't make the same mistake as last time. Choosing a very dark color when it's always in a dark place? It was difficult to tell that it was colored at all. With this two-tone business, I think this will be the look of my future PS3:
That's from coloring the front with Sand and both the back and logo with Rootbeer.
What would my dream 360 look like? Well, maybe I'll follow the same color scheme for all of the devices I get from ColorWare. It's not exactly a unique route, but it would be a kind of signature.
Assuming this is not all an unfulfillable dream... But, hey, dreams keep us going as a hope for the future. There's certainly nothing wrong with having material dreams (especially since most all of my dreams are material).
19 September 2009
Windows and Video Game Cops
I have been playing a whole lot of Saints Row 2 lately, which might come as a surprise to those who know how I feel about sandbox games. I was never a fan of the sandbox games' silent motto of "do whatever the hell you want, there's this big world we created that is wholly accessible," but I'm trying my best to get over it. My solace comes with forgetting about world exploration and striving for a goal -- doing solely missions in one sitting, or trying to find all of *insert findable object here*. Beyond that, I rarely find myself going all Attention Deficit Disorder and trying to accomplish everything; that, my friends, is one way to make my head explode. Too many options.
But this is quite a stretch beyond the scope of what I wish to say here. Getting back on topic.
There is one diversion required of a sandbox game that I will always regard as the icing on the cake (all Portal jokes aside): the police chases. Even in the games where the police is attempting to arrest you, their methods are still drastic enough to say "we want to arrest you, but just as a second option." And really, this is one of the long-standing appeals of sandbox games. You can be thrown into a new world and still feel comforted to know that bumping into some random authoritative figure is enough to have them spew a strangely windows-sounding error message: "The player has performed an illegal operation and needs to be shut down." All I did was lightly nudge his shoulder, but now he wants to take it personal and contact my skull with his nightstick.
Does messing around with corrupt cops make me a masochist? I have the urge to shout out "no" almost instantaneously, but then I remember how all of those encounters end: me in a hospital.
I laugh on the inside to think of how these events can start out so trivial and escalate so quickly. I nudge cop, cop draws out nightstick, I use fists in self-defense, cop has friends, cops have guns, and suddenly there is a blur between now and the cops sending helicopters and tanks to eradicate one citizen who had been on his way to buy the coffee shop down the street.
I suppose it's positive they don't have the game mechanics act too realistic, and I actually have a choice for when to pick my fights. Realistic driving mechanics of some sandbox games aside, I don't want to obey the traffic laws to keep the cops from freakin' out. Getting around quickly when you have to worry about red lights? That would never catch on.
But this is quite a stretch beyond the scope of what I wish to say here. Getting back on topic.
There is one diversion required of a sandbox game that I will always regard as the icing on the cake (all Portal jokes aside): the police chases. Even in the games where the police is attempting to arrest you, their methods are still drastic enough to say "we want to arrest you, but just as a second option." And really, this is one of the long-standing appeals of sandbox games. You can be thrown into a new world and still feel comforted to know that bumping into some random authoritative figure is enough to have them spew a strangely windows-sounding error message: "The player has performed an illegal operation and needs to be shut down." All I did was lightly nudge his shoulder, but now he wants to take it personal and contact my skull with his nightstick.
Does messing around with corrupt cops make me a masochist? I have the urge to shout out "no" almost instantaneously, but then I remember how all of those encounters end: me in a hospital.
I laugh on the inside to think of how these events can start out so trivial and escalate so quickly. I nudge cop, cop draws out nightstick, I use fists in self-defense, cop has friends, cops have guns, and suddenly there is a blur between now and the cops sending helicopters and tanks to eradicate one citizen who had been on his way to buy the coffee shop down the street.
I suppose it's positive they don't have the game mechanics act too realistic, and I actually have a choice for when to pick my fights. Realistic driving mechanics of some sandbox games aside, I don't want to obey the traffic laws to keep the cops from freakin' out. Getting around quickly when you have to worry about red lights? That would never catch on.
16 September 2009
BlackBerry, here we come! Oh, wait...
After my recent completion of Blind for the Facebook Platform, well... My thought process has been running into other ideas for what I should do to pass the time. One of which was to re-create "Medea and Creusa" from the ground up. Though I really want to succumb to such an action, it would be the equivalent of pursuing the writing gig -- I need something that has sustenance right now, and it just wouldn't be able to fill that need. Truth is, I'm running out of time. I have until November before I have to start making loan payments, and I don't have to draw any attention to how serious that scenario is.
Without further ado, my original idea: to program for the iPhone. But wait! I don't have a Mac, so I can't do that...
The BlackBerry? That's a great idea! Why hadn't I thought of it before? And yes, I loved the idea. Up until yesterday, when I was about to submit a completed app to the BlackBerry AppWorld (after extensive tests to write out what specific BlackBerry models it did work with, which ended up including every Curve model. Can easily be made to work with Storm and Pearl, just that the screen resolution and control maps have to be completely different, the Storm being a touch-screen and having an accelerometer and the Pearl... well, the controls I have just don't map the same) and discovered that you have to pay $200 to do so. But hey, they say the positive is that the $200 is good for 10 application submissions! Well, that's not very useful to me. Right now, looking at my online bank statements results in a rare South American moth flying from my monitor. One other thing I ponder is whether it will be just $200, since that's just to pass a verification of BlackBerry's RIM-deal. There's another verification that needs to be passed if you don't want your app to be free, but in order to reach that process you first have to pass the first one. And yes, they are OK with you using your own name to fill in the "Company" position if you're working on a Sole Proprietorship basis.
I'm sure I could get the answer to my last... well, I didn't post it in the form of a question, but there's a question in there. I just had a temporary loss of will to find out for the time being. Here's to wishing they could "put it on your tab" and have you pay them out of your profits. That way, if you flopped then there'd be no harm or fowl, eh? I guess they make it up to you by giving you 80% of the profits, but if you run the risk of not even breaking even...
Think positive, Trevor!
I just responded to an email today that was a questionnaire over my programming skills. It's for a job directly south about 4 or 5 blocks from where I'm living. They're looking for programmers of all experience levels, from Interns to Seniors. They mentioned a pay range, and I wouldn't have a problem getting $15/hr to be an Intern in a Contract-to-Hire position.
Right now, I've got a completed BlackBerry Curve App that will be collecting dust for a while and have my finger's crossed over 2 jobs. In the meantime, I can work on getting completed BlackBerry Storm and BlackBerry Pearl versions of that Curve App... There are about 3 million BlackBerry users in the US (if that online source is to be believed), and it would be a nice medium to get my name out. And another thing to add to the ol' resume.
And it's been more than a month since my last update? Whew! I should really think about doing this more often than once a month...
Without further ado, my original idea: to program for the iPhone. But wait! I don't have a Mac, so I can't do that...
The BlackBerry? That's a great idea! Why hadn't I thought of it before? And yes, I loved the idea. Up until yesterday, when I was about to submit a completed app to the BlackBerry AppWorld (after extensive tests to write out what specific BlackBerry models it did work with, which ended up including every Curve model. Can easily be made to work with Storm and Pearl, just that the screen resolution and control maps have to be completely different, the Storm being a touch-screen and having an accelerometer and the Pearl... well, the controls I have just don't map the same) and discovered that you have to pay $200 to do so. But hey, they say the positive is that the $200 is good for 10 application submissions! Well, that's not very useful to me. Right now, looking at my online bank statements results in a rare South American moth flying from my monitor. One other thing I ponder is whether it will be just $200, since that's just to pass a verification of BlackBerry's RIM-deal. There's another verification that needs to be passed if you don't want your app to be free, but in order to reach that process you first have to pass the first one. And yes, they are OK with you using your own name to fill in the "Company" position if you're working on a Sole Proprietorship basis.
I'm sure I could get the answer to my last... well, I didn't post it in the form of a question, but there's a question in there. I just had a temporary loss of will to find out for the time being. Here's to wishing they could "put it on your tab" and have you pay them out of your profits. That way, if you flopped then there'd be no harm or fowl, eh? I guess they make it up to you by giving you 80% of the profits, but if you run the risk of not even breaking even...
Think positive, Trevor!
I just responded to an email today that was a questionnaire over my programming skills. It's for a job directly south about 4 or 5 blocks from where I'm living. They're looking for programmers of all experience levels, from Interns to Seniors. They mentioned a pay range, and I wouldn't have a problem getting $15/hr to be an Intern in a Contract-to-Hire position.
Right now, I've got a completed BlackBerry Curve App that will be collecting dust for a while and have my finger's crossed over 2 jobs. In the meantime, I can work on getting completed BlackBerry Storm and BlackBerry Pearl versions of that Curve App... There are about 3 million BlackBerry users in the US (if that online source is to be believed), and it would be a nice medium to get my name out. And another thing to add to the ol' resume.
And it's been more than a month since my last update? Whew! I should really think about doing this more often than once a month...
06 August 2009
Vacation: Little Bit of Everything
Programmer: I didn't reach my deadline for my facebook game (last Friday), and it would appear the deadline is being pushed back a bit due to a vacation. Well, it's not technically my vacation, but since everyone else in the household is always around then there's not much choice for me -- sort of an enforced vacation, I suppose? My cousin-in-laws(?) tend to be dragging me into boardgames or video games, and my aunt and uncle are both taking time off while they're around, too. Even if I do get enough time to hit a completed point, I may not release just for fear of there being bugs that I won't have time to fix. Oh, vacation. Thou dost pickest a wonderful time to apparate.
Gamer: There are only a handfull of video games that I have been playing recently. I continue to give Fallout 3 a "FUN-tacular" rating, due to its ability to never grow old. My uncle recently bought the Broken Steel expansion, but neither of us have managed to do any of it yet (me: because I was recently attempting to get all Bobbleheads, which I completed yesterday. Him: because he's being an exploration completionist and is scouring every inch of the capital wasteland, going on 150+ hours of gametime). I will probably get around to that soon, though.
Via Gamefly, I had attained The Last Remnant, which I thoroughly enjoyed, except for framerate issues. I think it was made with the same engine as Mass Effect, since it continually has texture popping issues, too. I just returned it the other day, but I would very much want to continue it in the future on the PC version with "the perfect machine" that might help to reduce the noticeability of framerate issues.
My rating: Bad outways the good. Try it on PC?
My aunt and uncle have a lot of crazy boardgames here, and I have had a chance to play a couple of them. I had played the Cheap Ass Games' Unexploded Cows before, and it comes highly recommended due to its simple rules yet fun gameplay ("I give you a Skinny cow!" "Yes, well... Spy cow!"). That one is basically just a card game, though fake money and a dice is also involved (though the game only includes the cards, since that is the way a Cheap Ass Game works).
My rating: FUN-tacular
I hadn't played Munchkin before a couple days ago, and... I don't know what I was expecting, but it certainly isn't as fun as I had imagined it might be. It seemed pretty unbalanced -- at least in that no monster was defeatable in the beginning until you got more equipment, and then no monster seemed to stand a chance against you after you did get some.
My rating: Could have been better
Yesterday, we had played Mwahahaha!, a game where every player is a villain set on world domination via a Doomsday device. This game requires a lot of dice to play, where choosing to initiate combat with a Doomsday device might mean one player rolling 8 dice and another rolling 5. It was pretty much about gathering resources, which you can use to either get minion/empire cards or power your Doomsday device. A successful roll with the Doomsday device when you choose to attack the world (which you can only do after successfully attacking the City, State, and Country) ends the game, as that player has successfully attained World Domination.
My rating: FUN-tacular
Finally, we also played Smugglers of the Galaxy lastnight, which is all about buying and selling goods -- going to one planet and buying a material with a low demand and selling that same material on a different planet with a high demand to make profit. There are all sorts of different kinds of planets, and the best deal you can get is by buying from a planet with a Very Low demand and selling to a planet where that item is Illegal. However, Illegal items have a high risk, as you can get yourself a bounty, get those goods confiscated, or get thrown in jail AND lose all of your goods while trying to get through customs. A safer route that still offers lots of profit is to sell to Very High demand places, as there is no risk in selling (so long as another player doesn't sell first, as planets disappear when goods are sold to them, causing a new random planet to appear). The game ends when a player sells 10 weapons to a specific military planet, but you are required to buy those weapons from another specific planet for 500 each. The planet you have to sell them to also marks weapons as being an Illegal good, so you have to successfully make it through customs to succeed, otherwise you just wasted that hard-earned $5000. Ouch.
My rating: FUN-tacular
Gamer: There are only a handfull of video games that I have been playing recently. I continue to give Fallout 3 a "FUN-tacular" rating, due to its ability to never grow old. My uncle recently bought the Broken Steel expansion, but neither of us have managed to do any of it yet (me: because I was recently attempting to get all Bobbleheads, which I completed yesterday. Him: because he's being an exploration completionist and is scouring every inch of the capital wasteland, going on 150+ hours of gametime). I will probably get around to that soon, though.
Via Gamefly, I had attained The Last Remnant, which I thoroughly enjoyed, except for framerate issues. I think it was made with the same engine as Mass Effect, since it continually has texture popping issues, too. I just returned it the other day, but I would very much want to continue it in the future on the PC version with "the perfect machine" that might help to reduce the noticeability of framerate issues.
My rating: Bad outways the good. Try it on PC?
My aunt and uncle have a lot of crazy boardgames here, and I have had a chance to play a couple of them. I had played the Cheap Ass Games' Unexploded Cows before, and it comes highly recommended due to its simple rules yet fun gameplay ("I give you a Skinny cow!" "Yes, well... Spy cow!"). That one is basically just a card game, though fake money and a dice is also involved (though the game only includes the cards, since that is the way a Cheap Ass Game works).
My rating: FUN-tacular
I hadn't played Munchkin before a couple days ago, and... I don't know what I was expecting, but it certainly isn't as fun as I had imagined it might be. It seemed pretty unbalanced -- at least in that no monster was defeatable in the beginning until you got more equipment, and then no monster seemed to stand a chance against you after you did get some.
My rating: Could have been better
Yesterday, we had played Mwahahaha!, a game where every player is a villain set on world domination via a Doomsday device. This game requires a lot of dice to play, where choosing to initiate combat with a Doomsday device might mean one player rolling 8 dice and another rolling 5. It was pretty much about gathering resources, which you can use to either get minion/empire cards or power your Doomsday device. A successful roll with the Doomsday device when you choose to attack the world (which you can only do after successfully attacking the City, State, and Country) ends the game, as that player has successfully attained World Domination.
My rating: FUN-tacular
Finally, we also played Smugglers of the Galaxy lastnight, which is all about buying and selling goods -- going to one planet and buying a material with a low demand and selling that same material on a different planet with a high demand to make profit. There are all sorts of different kinds of planets, and the best deal you can get is by buying from a planet with a Very Low demand and selling to a planet where that item is Illegal. However, Illegal items have a high risk, as you can get yourself a bounty, get those goods confiscated, or get thrown in jail AND lose all of your goods while trying to get through customs. A safer route that still offers lots of profit is to sell to Very High demand places, as there is no risk in selling (so long as another player doesn't sell first, as planets disappear when goods are sold to them, causing a new random planet to appear). The game ends when a player sells 10 weapons to a specific military planet, but you are required to buy those weapons from another specific planet for 500 each. The planet you have to sell them to also marks weapons as being an Illegal good, so you have to successfully make it through customs to succeed, otherwise you just wasted that hard-earned $5000. Ouch.
My rating: FUN-tacular
19 July 2009
Stalling
I tend to not have a problem when it comes to understanding logic, or so I think, but occasionally this one problem shows up that proves to be quite bothersome. In most circumstances, I would just give up and find some way to avoid having to solve the problem altogether -- for those who don't know me, compromise is one of my favorite solutions when the going gets rough. However, sometimes I find myself looking forward to the end result and imagining what it could become, which can find me miraculously pushing myself forward, tossing more fruitless solutions at the problem and watching them all become further victims of what could arguably be my favorite key on the keyboard: Delete.
I may be in one of those "I'm too close to the problem" sort of moments, where I am too focused on the problem to the point where I am incapable of thinking outside of the box for a solution. Sleeping over a problem is usually a good choice for me, since there's not usually a rush, but I do ever so want to rush right now that I don't want to have to sleep over it. Besides, I slept over it last night, and all it produced was a figuratively new angle that ultimately led to taking a step backward to a literally new angle.
I am a little excited by all of this positive emotional overload for if this works, but having to create algorithms to imitate lighting effects... Manipulating individual pixels and all that is perhaps beyond the reaches of my usual capabilities. But it's the basis for this program I'm working on right now, and everything else will fall into place afterward. Gah, it's ever so frustrating, though.
Happy thoughts, Trevor.
Soon you could be done with it.
Patience till then, 'k?
***Update
Not even a half-hour after writing this and I made an awesome breakthrough that solved pretty close to the entire problem. Just some minor tweaks with it, but the main headache has been resolved. The main part that's left is to perform the same steps with diagonal movement, and... well, let's just say that results for viewers like you will be seen very soon (like, within the next week or two soon).
I may be in one of those "I'm too close to the problem" sort of moments, where I am too focused on the problem to the point where I am incapable of thinking outside of the box for a solution. Sleeping over a problem is usually a good choice for me, since there's not usually a rush, but I do ever so want to rush right now that I don't want to have to sleep over it. Besides, I slept over it last night, and all it produced was a figuratively new angle that ultimately led to taking a step backward to a literally new angle.
I am a little excited by all of this positive emotional overload for if this works, but having to create algorithms to imitate lighting effects... Manipulating individual pixels and all that is perhaps beyond the reaches of my usual capabilities. But it's the basis for this program I'm working on right now, and everything else will fall into place afterward. Gah, it's ever so frustrating, though.
Happy thoughts, Trevor.
Soon you could be done with it.
Patience till then, 'k?
***Update
Not even a half-hour after writing this and I made an awesome breakthrough that solved pretty close to the entire problem. Just some minor tweaks with it, but the main headache has been resolved. The main part that's left is to perform the same steps with diagonal movement, and... well, let's just say that results for viewers like you will be seen very soon (like, within the next week or two soon).
10 July 2009
Autarky - Part II
The last I wrote, I mentioned the Real-Time Strategy genre, which might have created an inherent false perception of the overall idea; at least, from the stand-point of playing against an opponent with the intent to defeat said opponent through genocide. Now, before I continue working over the weekend on this, let me unveil a few important factors to this idea.
#1 - Economic simulator
Perhaps the most important tid-bit of information to point out is the specific genre I would define this game, which I have decided on the (at least temporarily) title of Autarky. The overall premise of the game will revolve around establishing one's own economy and attempting to stimulate it in order to attain profits. Now, the specific goals for victory will change depending on a number of different "scenarios" that can be at play, but the most notable of these scenarios will be to "attain X profits" or "attain Y population" with potential add-ons such as "the current economic status must at least be average."
#2 - Difficulty Settings
The other notable point of interest is how I intend to manage difficulty levels. Since the economy is such a difficult system, I imagine the game might seem overwhelming to newcomers until they are capable of managing little pieces of the game mechanics at a time. Rather than throwing the entire economic system at a player, the difficulty settings will allow for players to play through a scenario with more or less things to micro-manage.
Say the player decides to play on the Easy difficulty setting. In this setting, the player may only have to worry about creating new buildings and controlling what the individual citizens become in order to get jobs at those newly-created buildings. Such things as the controlling of taxes -- sales or otherwise -- wouldn't be editable by the player, but would be placed on an automatic control to be changed depending on the player's current economic state. As the player chooses more advanced difficulties, there will be more options that the player will be required to handle on his own and less that will be automatically controlled.
#3 - Your Own Opponent
Autarky stands for a self-sustaining economy, and in the beginning the player will have no choice but to be self-sustaining. The way the game works, the player's citizens and their needs constitute as a valid opposition, so the player will not have any other players as an opposing force. At least, this is how it will stand in the beginning.
#4 - Multi-Platform?
I've been seriously considering working this out in both XNA (what I am currently working it out on) and Processing. An XNA version would perhaps find its way on Xbox Live or Community Games, whereas a Processing version would find itself on Facebook. Certainly the Facebook version wouldn't be profitable (at least, from what I've read about Facebook development, which could essentially be wrong), but it would also be a little different. Mechanically similar, but visually not similar. Still something I'm just tossing around right now and am uncertain as to whether or not I'll step forward to work on. Being just me, the chances are a little slim of both.
#5 - Expansion-worthy?
As I have been coding, I have been keeping in mind flexibility for the future. I have been striving to make the code malleable enough to allow for expansions to become a possibility in the future. I have also thought up potential expansions that would revolve around an entire subsystem within the economic theme. Both expansions would revolve around having an opponent, adding this whole multiplayer complexity to the mix (and both are also unnamed. The following are just descriptive titles).
Multiplayer Economical Conquest - Ruin an opponents economy by buying out their buildings and expediting your citizens to temporarily work in their territory (nets you tax income that will not go to them). Just the basics, but a whole lot of other subtle ways to sabotage your opponent shall exist, too.
Multiplayer Military Conquest - Adds a military aspect to the multiplayer. From an economic standpoint, military is not very cost efficient and would take a lot of time for a player to set-up in order to work. Currently, I'm uncertain as to how this could work out, since it could make for ridiculously lengthy games, but...
"But" we'll have to see if I can keep my interest long enough in just the normal game before I put more considerable thought into expansions.
Until next week's update.
-Trevor
#1 - Economic simulator
Perhaps the most important tid-bit of information to point out is the specific genre I would define this game, which I have decided on the (at least temporarily) title of Autarky. The overall premise of the game will revolve around establishing one's own economy and attempting to stimulate it in order to attain profits. Now, the specific goals for victory will change depending on a number of different "scenarios" that can be at play, but the most notable of these scenarios will be to "attain X profits" or "attain Y population" with potential add-ons such as "the current economic status must at least be average."
#2 - Difficulty Settings
The other notable point of interest is how I intend to manage difficulty levels. Since the economy is such a difficult system, I imagine the game might seem overwhelming to newcomers until they are capable of managing little pieces of the game mechanics at a time. Rather than throwing the entire economic system at a player, the difficulty settings will allow for players to play through a scenario with more or less things to micro-manage.
Say the player decides to play on the Easy difficulty setting. In this setting, the player may only have to worry about creating new buildings and controlling what the individual citizens become in order to get jobs at those newly-created buildings. Such things as the controlling of taxes -- sales or otherwise -- wouldn't be editable by the player, but would be placed on an automatic control to be changed depending on the player's current economic state. As the player chooses more advanced difficulties, there will be more options that the player will be required to handle on his own and less that will be automatically controlled.
#3 - Your Own Opponent
Autarky stands for a self-sustaining economy, and in the beginning the player will have no choice but to be self-sustaining. The way the game works, the player's citizens and their needs constitute as a valid opposition, so the player will not have any other players as an opposing force. At least, this is how it will stand in the beginning.
#4 - Multi-Platform?
I've been seriously considering working this out in both XNA (what I am currently working it out on) and Processing. An XNA version would perhaps find its way on Xbox Live or Community Games, whereas a Processing version would find itself on Facebook. Certainly the Facebook version wouldn't be profitable (at least, from what I've read about Facebook development, which could essentially be wrong), but it would also be a little different. Mechanically similar, but visually not similar. Still something I'm just tossing around right now and am uncertain as to whether or not I'll step forward to work on. Being just me, the chances are a little slim of both.
#5 - Expansion-worthy?
As I have been coding, I have been keeping in mind flexibility for the future. I have been striving to make the code malleable enough to allow for expansions to become a possibility in the future. I have also thought up potential expansions that would revolve around an entire subsystem within the economic theme. Both expansions would revolve around having an opponent, adding this whole multiplayer complexity to the mix (and both are also unnamed. The following are just descriptive titles).
Multiplayer Economical Conquest - Ruin an opponents economy by buying out their buildings and expediting your citizens to temporarily work in their territory (nets you tax income that will not go to them). Just the basics, but a whole lot of other subtle ways to sabotage your opponent shall exist, too.
Multiplayer Military Conquest - Adds a military aspect to the multiplayer. From an economic standpoint, military is not very cost efficient and would take a lot of time for a player to set-up in order to work. Currently, I'm uncertain as to how this could work out, since it could make for ridiculously lengthy games, but...
"But" we'll have to see if I can keep my interest long enough in just the normal game before I put more considerable thought into expansions.
Until next week's update.
-Trevor
03 July 2009
Did someone say RTS? - Part I
Call me a liar, but I really hadn't been working on any programming projects around the time of my last update. However, I seem to have this whole oscillating thing going on -- my interest in writing and programming move forward as though one is a Sine wave and the other is a -Sine wave. Er, yeah -- trigonometry to prove a point... Hey, the image in my head seemed clearer than it sounded when put in words.
At the heart of my current (or rather "in planning") programming project comes one of the problems I see with the RTS genre: units being produced from buildings. No, I don't have a problem with requiring a building to exist in order for a unit to exist, but it is the physical action of creating a unit from the building requiring the unit to exist. In my words, that no doubt sounded drastically more complicated than it needed to be, so let's get to the basics of my idea. Just keep in mind that before you continue, you should toss the ideas lingering in your mind from those existing RTS games you are so familiar with.
In the beginning, let's say we have a House, Residential District, or some other sort of living-based area built (or even, say, a school). From the House we can generate our base unit: let's refer to him as the Citizen. The Citizen will be the only unit that is generateable via a building.
At this point, we might want to build some other form of building. So, we rally together some citizens and build something: let's say we build a Military Academy -- our basic military structure. From this, funds from the player are expended in order to pay the citizens who build the building.
So now we have ourselves a Military Academy. Now having unlocked the ability to train some form of military unit -- let's just go for the generic term Soldier for now -- let's go ahead and train ourselves one. Enter a Citizen into the Military Academy in order to train to become a Soldier.
Let's say we build other buildings, which allows further unit types to be trainable at the Military Academy. We also build some buildings which allow for the Citizen to become other non-military units. As a general rule, the Citizen must pay the player in order to train to become something else.
There are a couple other Citizen-Player scenarios which would come in play in order for both to attain profits necessary to advance. Rather than simply training at buildings, a Citizen also has the opportunity to work at buildings. The Citizen gets a paycheck from the building, and the player gets a tax of the Citizen's pay. The pay the Citizens attain from working is otherwise not taken from the player, but an invisible source -- presumably the company/corporation that owns the building. If no Citizens are currently assigned to work at a building, the building is still in business, allowing the player to gain a set minimum amount of profit over a period of time. And don't forget, from mentioned in the building-creation process above, that the Citizens assigned to build new buildings get paid directly from the player as well.
And... that about covers the basics. Trust me, I'll eventually post more, but I'd like to tweak around with the idea a bit and actually make some test runs with this and some of the other more advanced thoughts I have before posting more. In the mean time, I might actually get around to posting a snippet from my writing on here soon...
At the heart of my current (or rather "in planning") programming project comes one of the problems I see with the RTS genre: units being produced from buildings. No, I don't have a problem with requiring a building to exist in order for a unit to exist, but it is the physical action of creating a unit from the building requiring the unit to exist. In my words, that no doubt sounded drastically more complicated than it needed to be, so let's get to the basics of my idea. Just keep in mind that before you continue, you should toss the ideas lingering in your mind from those existing RTS games you are so familiar with.
In the beginning, let's say we have a House, Residential District, or some other sort of living-based area built (or even, say, a school). From the House we can generate our base unit: let's refer to him as the Citizen. The Citizen will be the only unit that is generateable via a building.
At this point, we might want to build some other form of building. So, we rally together some citizens and build something: let's say we build a Military Academy -- our basic military structure. From this, funds from the player are expended in order to pay the citizens who build the building.
So now we have ourselves a Military Academy. Now having unlocked the ability to train some form of military unit -- let's just go for the generic term Soldier for now -- let's go ahead and train ourselves one. Enter a Citizen into the Military Academy in order to train to become a Soldier.
Let's say we build other buildings, which allows further unit types to be trainable at the Military Academy. We also build some buildings which allow for the Citizen to become other non-military units. As a general rule, the Citizen must pay the player in order to train to become something else.
There are a couple other Citizen-Player scenarios which would come in play in order for both to attain profits necessary to advance. Rather than simply training at buildings, a Citizen also has the opportunity to work at buildings. The Citizen gets a paycheck from the building, and the player gets a tax of the Citizen's pay. The pay the Citizens attain from working is otherwise not taken from the player, but an invisible source -- presumably the company/corporation that owns the building. If no Citizens are currently assigned to work at a building, the building is still in business, allowing the player to gain a set minimum amount of profit over a period of time. And don't forget, from mentioned in the building-creation process above, that the Citizens assigned to build new buildings get paid directly from the player as well.
And... that about covers the basics. Trust me, I'll eventually post more, but I'd like to tweak around with the idea a bit and actually make some test runs with this and some of the other more advanced thoughts I have before posting more. In the mean time, I might actually get around to posting a snippet from my writing on here soon...
28 June 2009
The Time of the Writer - Outline
Moving away from my programming and gaming life, since neither of them particularly exist at the moment, let's focus on something I have been working on lately: writing. I thought what I'd do here was chronicle my writing process as I go. This way people can get an idea of how I'm going about my writing methods as well as get an idea as to my overall progress as I go.
One of the most helpful processes I find when it comes to writing is to create an outline of the chapters in a story idea. I simply break the idea I see in my head into chapters and create titles for those chapters, allowing me to see the chapter title and remember what is supposed to happen during it. Of course, I use the next chapter's title as an indication of how far along the chapter needs to go before moving on, too, but since my outline only encompasses the main storyline and no diversions or subplots, there's room for other chapters to take place in between.
I have been writing this one particular story which I started during the past week, and I was planning on posting chapters as I go, with Chapter I being planned to be posted today, but... Unfortunately, it's not quite finished yet. However, I will still make an update on here by revealing my chapter outline, though you'll just have the benefit of seeing chapter titles and not knowing what's going on within them.
Chapter I - A Familiar Face
Chapter II - Garrett Awakened
Chapter III - A Damaged Bond
Chapter IV - Rash Decisions
Chapter V - Shadows of the Past
Chapter VI - Subversion
Chapter VII - A Summoner's Decision
Chapter VIII - Unnecessary Distractions
Chapter IX - Never Again
Chapter X - Garrett's Guidance
Chapter XI - Reunion of the Fallen
Chapter XII - The Demon's Demon
Chapter XIII - Brotherly Love
Chapter XIV - A Sister's Shadow
Chapter XV - Walk on Water
Chapter XVI - A Contract Found
Chapter XVII - A New Strength
Chapter XVIII - Union of Thought
Chapter XIX - A Presence Expected
Chapter XX - The Light in the Darkness
Chapter XXI - The Summoner's Promise
So far 21 chapters to separate just the important main storyline ideas. And now we can get a better idea of how my progress is as I move forward. Expect more to come in the near future.
One of the most helpful processes I find when it comes to writing is to create an outline of the chapters in a story idea. I simply break the idea I see in my head into chapters and create titles for those chapters, allowing me to see the chapter title and remember what is supposed to happen during it. Of course, I use the next chapter's title as an indication of how far along the chapter needs to go before moving on, too, but since my outline only encompasses the main storyline and no diversions or subplots, there's room for other chapters to take place in between.
I have been writing this one particular story which I started during the past week, and I was planning on posting chapters as I go, with Chapter I being planned to be posted today, but... Unfortunately, it's not quite finished yet. However, I will still make an update on here by revealing my chapter outline, though you'll just have the benefit of seeing chapter titles and not knowing what's going on within them.
Chapter I - A Familiar Face
Chapter II - Garrett Awakened
Chapter III - A Damaged Bond
Chapter IV - Rash Decisions
Chapter V - Shadows of the Past
Chapter VI - Subversion
Chapter VII - A Summoner's Decision
Chapter VIII - Unnecessary Distractions
Chapter IX - Never Again
Chapter X - Garrett's Guidance
Chapter XI - Reunion of the Fallen
Chapter XII - The Demon's Demon
Chapter XIII - Brotherly Love
Chapter XIV - A Sister's Shadow
Chapter XV - Walk on Water
Chapter XVI - A Contract Found
Chapter XVII - A New Strength
Chapter XVIII - Union of Thought
Chapter XIX - A Presence Expected
Chapter XX - The Light in the Darkness
Chapter XXI - The Summoner's Promise
So far 21 chapters to separate just the important main storyline ideas. And now we can get a better idea of how my progress is as I move forward. Expect more to come in the near future.
18 June 2009
Medea and Creusa
Jakob Medlin, budding Game Designer who is currently in his last semester at UAT, must be thanked for the idea behind Medea and Creusa. While we were both in a Mythology, Folktales, and Fairy Tales class last semester, he pitched the idea for us to use for our creative, no-holds-bar final project. Certainly, making a game for an English class was perhaps overkill when we could have just written a paper, but you can't stand out in this world if you don't occassionally go out of your way to challenge yourself in such ways. Besides, I had to make it up to Medlin after pitching a game idea the beginning of the semester for him to tweak a bit with his much better Designer-based mind, of which I failed to program for. But I'm not making this to talk about my forthcomings...
Right, Medea and Creusa. It is meant to simulate an argument between -- who else? -- Medea and Creusa, from Jason and the Argonaut's fame. Or perhaps 'fame' would be an overstatement on my part, since I hadn't -- or should I say "still haven't" -- read Jason and the Argonauts. Or watched the Ray Harryhausen film of the same name.
Not really having the time required to perform AI for a computer opponent, we went with creating a solely 2-player game. It plays as a very casual-esque game. Both players control a cursor and move it around a playing field -- in this case, a thought bubble -- to collect both positive and negative thoughts. After collecting a thought, the player has the choice of distributing that thought to either player's current emotional state, making Medea or Creusa more angered or peaceful, or not using that thought at all. Also note that the thoughts within the playing field move about constantly.
At the bottom of the screen can be seen the player's current emotional state. For player 1, Medea, the goal of the game is to get either character to become fully enraged. For player 2, Creusa, the goal of the game is to get either character to become fully compassionate. This is where the ability to not have to use a thought that you collect comes into play...
While there are only two different colors for thoughts -- red for anger and blue for compassion -- there are three different sizes for each thought which change the extremity by which the player's emotional state will change when that thought is used on them. However, if the player is to collect three thoughts in a row of the same color and size, that player will have acquired the power to use an ability.
The abilities are as follows:
- Fluster: Increases the speed of your opponent's thoughts, making them harder to capture
- Compose: Decreases the speed of your own thoughts, making them easier to capture
- Confuse: Temporarily prevents your opponent's Mind's Eye (the cursor) from being able to move
- Turn of Phrase: Swaps both player's current emotional states
Together, me and Medlin had a whole lot of fun working on this project. I managed to learn a lot about XNA, and I really hope to work more with it in the future. Despite not being done, it is as good now as it will be with his and our capabilities, as neither of us are artists. However, we do give special thanks to Nick Johnson for his assistance with the images of Medea, Creusa, and Jason.
Right, Medea and Creusa. It is meant to simulate an argument between -- who else? -- Medea and Creusa, from Jason and the Argonaut's fame. Or perhaps 'fame' would be an overstatement on my part, since I hadn't -- or should I say "still haven't" -- read Jason and the Argonauts. Or watched the Ray Harryhausen film of the same name.
At the bottom of the screen can be seen the player's current emotional state. For player 1, Medea, the goal of the game is to get either character to become fully enraged. For player 2, Creusa, the goal of the game is to get either character to become fully compassionate. This is where the ability to not have to use a thought that you collect comes into play...
While there are only two different colors for thoughts -- red for anger and blue for compassion -- there are three different sizes for each thought which change the extremity by which the player's emotional state will change when that thought is used on them. However, if the player is to collect three thoughts in a row of the same color and size, that player will have acquired the power to use an ability.
The abilities are as follows:
- Fluster: Increases the speed of your opponent's thoughts, making them harder to capture
- Compose: Decreases the speed of your own thoughts, making them easier to capture
- Confuse: Temporarily prevents your opponent's Mind's Eye (the cursor) from being able to move
- Turn of Phrase: Swaps both player's current emotional states
Together, me and Medlin had a whole lot of fun working on this project. I managed to learn a lot about XNA, and I really hope to work more with it in the future. Despite not being done, it is as good now as it will be with his and our capabilities, as neither of us are artists. However, we do give special thanks to Nick Johnson for his assistance with the images of Medea, Creusa, and Jason.
05 June 2009
Job Hunting
"Is the economy really that bad?"
At least, this was my thought until this recent email:
Sure, I've received a vast amount of rejection emails, but none of them have used the economy as the reason before. They tend to have the same generic email, of which I currently have several located in my inbox. If you've ever applied to a job through email before, you probably know the one I'm talking about:
"After carefully reviewing your experiences, we have decided to choose another candidate who is better qualified for the position."
- The Trevor on the arm-flailing fright of the modern world
At least, this was my thought until this recent email:
Sure, I've received a vast amount of rejection emails, but none of them have used the economy as the reason before. They tend to have the same generic email, of which I currently have several located in my inbox. If you've ever applied to a job through email before, you probably know the one I'm talking about:
"After carefully reviewing your experiences, we have decided to choose another candidate who is better qualified for the position."
-[Enter Company Name Here]
Though after getting a sting from your first couple emails at this statement, the lines directly afterward seem to make you feel a bit better somehow:
"We will hold your resume on file and will contact you if any new positions become available matching your experiences."
Though after getting a sting from your first couple emails at this statement, the lines directly afterward seem to make you feel a bit better somehow:
"We will hold your resume on file and will contact you if any new positions become available matching your experiences."
-[Enter Same Company Name Here as Above]
There are some slight variations to the generic-edness, such as the "don't respond to this email" which I somewhat find rude, but they're all pretty much the same. I would say that these rejection letters are fine, though. Should a company put a lot of attention to someone who they're not going to hire? No, perhaps not.
In the beginning, I did feel emotionally attached to such emails. A part of me died inside, yes, but that moment has long passed. This goes with any job: expect failure ahead.
"You are guaranteed to be wasting the time of 95% of the employers you apply for."
There are some slight variations to the generic-edness, such as the "don't respond to this email" which I somewhat find rude, but they're all pretty much the same. I would say that these rejection letters are fine, though. Should a company put a lot of attention to someone who they're not going to hire? No, perhaps not.
In the beginning, I did feel emotionally attached to such emails. A part of me died inside, yes, but that moment has long passed. This goes with any job: expect failure ahead.
"You are guaranteed to be wasting the time of 95% of the employers you apply for."
-The Trevor on Job Hunting
"87.78% of statistics are made up on the spot."
"87.78% of statistics are made up on the spot."
-The Trevor on Comic Relief
With this in mind, it is better to apply to more jobs -- more than you have now, in case you are on a job hunt at the moment. You'll never know if a place will have the possibility of hiring you if you don't give them a chance at all. A 5% chance is better than 0, if we go from that statistic I made up.
Well, I'd better get back to it,
Trevor Johnson
With this in mind, it is better to apply to more jobs -- more than you have now, in case you are on a job hunt at the moment. You'll never know if a place will have the possibility of hiring you if you don't give them a chance at all. A 5% chance is better than 0, if we go from that statistic I made up.
Well, I'd better get back to it,
Trevor Johnson
03 June 2009
Hello World!
And that was a very original title, I know. The alternative (if we're going for Rocky and Bullwinkle references here) was my usual conversation starter: "Hey, how's it goin'?" That just didn't seem all that appropriate. This one certainly acts to satisfy an introduction from a programmer's standpoint, though. I am curious as to how many programmer blogs start in exactly the same fashion. Not to worry, I'm sure there will be several opportunities to stand out in the near future.
Programming (or "Software Engineering," if you'd like to catch me on a technicality) is just a part of my professional life. It's what I spent 8 semesters striving for attaining at the University of Advancing Technology, and that has to mean something positive. Or perhaps not, as far as the actual industry is concerned. But let's not get ahead of ourselves -- there can't be much of a story if all the information is enclosed from the beginning.
While programming is done as the main course, the mashed potatoes of the meal would have to be my gaming side. Video games, board games, logic puzzles, and anything else that is mentally rewarding. I consider some mathematics to fall under this category as well.
And writing, of course, but does that really desire too much clarification? This will be the medium used for this entire process, and it's just getting special mention in the blog's name due to my passion for it. Yes, I revel in the thought of publishing something someday. So yes, writing is most definitely all-around amazing and I look forward to doing much of it here in the future.
I shall use this place as a means to discuss all manner of thoughts and revelations I have. If you're a programmer and/or a gamer, I'm sure you'll enjoy most of what I post here.
Cheers,
Trevor Johnson
Programming (or "Software Engineering," if you'd like to catch me on a technicality) is just a part of my professional life. It's what I spent 8 semesters striving for attaining at the University of Advancing Technology, and that has to mean something positive. Or perhaps not, as far as the actual industry is concerned. But let's not get ahead of ourselves -- there can't be much of a story if all the information is enclosed from the beginning.
While programming is done as the main course, the mashed potatoes of the meal would have to be my gaming side. Video games, board games, logic puzzles, and anything else that is mentally rewarding. I consider some mathematics to fall under this category as well.
And writing, of course, but does that really desire too much clarification? This will be the medium used for this entire process, and it's just getting special mention in the blog's name due to my passion for it. Yes, I revel in the thought of publishing something someday. So yes, writing is most definitely all-around amazing and I look forward to doing much of it here in the future.
I shall use this place as a means to discuss all manner of thoughts and revelations I have. If you're a programmer and/or a gamer, I'm sure you'll enjoy most of what I post here.
Cheers,
Trevor Johnson
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