Job Hunt and Game Polish

Looking for a job is hard. Although I have been spending countless hours with my eyes glued to my computer screen in hopes that I may find a job opening in a field I will enjoy, it hasn't stopped me in my search. With graduation coming up I need to have some idea of what I am going to do to pay my student loans. In the meantime, I continue on with my class work and honing some photography skills.

Along side that there is obviously still FireFight. This game is scheduled to be finished some time in May. So hold tight! Below is a picture of our new level select screen. We are really excited to work on polishing the game and making it the best that it can be with our given time frame.

Game Festival

Submitting your game to a festival can be scary. A lot of pressure is being put on you to have the best and most fun game out of all the other submissions. It can also be pretty interesting and informative, especially if you're sending your game to another country.

We did not toss aside the idea of sending our game into the Brazilian Indie Game festival (BIG). With some research we found out that a lot of Brazilians are actually learning English from American video games. So why not? We will take any chance we have to get our game out there and recognized. We are definitely looking for some great feed back after the festival.

Although we will not be flying out their ourselves, it is still a chance to spread the word about our game. Hopefully this will be an enriching experience for us as a team; working together with a set deadline in mind and specific requirements and polish.

How Much I Love Photo Editing

I'm just going to say that it's a lot. I really do have a passion for photography and photo editing. Below I have added some photos that I needed to edit for class that I had a really good time doing. These were intended as practice with editing photos in Photoshop and Camera Raw (so they were not taken by me just edited). You can never get enough practice. There is just something about the creativity you have, not only while taking a photo but with the post processing as well, that I just love.

Photo Credit: Scott Kelby (pre-edit behind)

This photo was an example of edits with white balance, that is the photos color temperature. New cameras these days have so many settings when it comes to white balance. You can allow your camera to do the work for you and use its little camera brain to determine the best balance for your photo or you can access the lighting yourself and let the camera know how it should balance it. Our eyes have a way of balancing the colors in different lighting so it may be difficult at times to understand why your pictures comes out with a particular hue to it and what white balance setting to use. 

In this case the original photo came out very blue and cold (this may be how you wanted the photo to come out, and that's fine, its all artistic opinion). A blue hue is usually caused by fluorescent lights. This can be combated in post by changing the white balance to the fluorescent setting and by making some adjustments of your own as well.

Animations

After trial and error I finally have some animations! I have never found animations to be very easy for me but I have always found the art fascinating with an incredible outcome. But I finally have something game worthy! I am proud of the hard work I put into these little guys. With more practice I hope to make them even better in the future. For now I am keeping them simple; none of the walk cycles I made are over 4 frames. This is also to prevent the game from being bogged down with too much info.  

Heat Map

Our programmer is amazing. So we're just about to send out another play test for our tester and we're getting very excited about it. The thing I am most excited about is the implementation of heat maps! You might look at this and say "what a gross mess" but this is really going to help with design of our levels. With the help of these heat maps we can see what areas of the map are being use most often. This will also show us what areas aren't being used and give us a good idea at how we can better utilize our level.

Pokemon

There is a new video game coming out (well really it's a remake of an older game). It's not just any old game though. It's a new Pokemon game. I'm sure you've heard about Pokemon before. It's practically everywhere; from video games and card games to t-shirts and cell phone cases, Pokemon has essentially taken over every form of media there is.

I'm not just going into this subject because of how popular it is but I'm writing this because of how powerful it is and how much it has influenced my life. Now this may seem strange but I'm going to be completely honest with you. Pokemon is super important to me. Sure it's just a game, a brand, a franchise, but of the few people I have said that to, no one has fully understood me.

Pokemon is the reason I got into game design. With its first release in 1996 in Japan, it instantly became a worldwide sensation. It is a fairly simple concept: travel the world with your friends and battle to become the very best like no one ever was. In my opinion it is a beautifully crafted game.

 

The main mechanic of the game is to battle with your pokemon. Pokemon are the creatures that inhabit the world. They have magical powers that are aligned with the elements. Humans have the ability to capture pokemon and raise them to make them stronger. That's where battling comes in. People who own pokemon match up against each other to see who has raised their pokemon the best.

To make your pokemon stronger you need to raise them with love and care. The bond between you and your pokemon is what sets you apart from the average trainer.  

It was only until a few years ago that I really realized how much is actually in this game. There is a ton of math and strategy involved that I finally began to understand. I had a new appreciation for a game I already love so much.

I always wanted pokemon to be real, ever since I was old enough to hold a GameBoy in my hands. It started off with games of pretend. Around 1st and 2nd grade I would talk to my friends about Pokemon during recess (my older cousin had introduced it to me and I just couldn't keep it to myself) and we would take turns pretending to be pokemon and trainers having battles. But my imagination didn't end there. Any time I was in a car I would pretend that I was riding my faithful pokemon to our destination and before I went to sleep at night I would always pretend to tuck my pokemon in first. 

Even though they were just pretend they were there for me when I was alone. Like any kid with imaginary friends, I had conversations with them and fit them into my everyday life how ever I could. Even today my mind wonders to pokemon when I'm not focusing on anything. More often than not, when I'm walking to class or sitting in the dinning hall, I'll pay careful attention to the people around me and take a guess at what pokemon they would have on their team (if they were real that is).

In 2004 Pokemon Colosseum was released in the U.S. I spent so many hours playing this game. It was unlike any other Pokemon game to date. The 3D models of the Pokemon really gave them life! They moved and interacted like never before. This game was so moving to me that I still go back to it every once in a while just to relive those feelings I had as a kid (even if the graphics of the current Pokemon games, X and Y, for the 3DS are superior). 

A lot of parents are reluctant to let their kids get into this game franchise because they believe it to be too violent. Yes these cartoon creatures fight but there is no blood or cuts or bruises or anything like that. If a pokemon is defeated in battle it does not die, it just gets too tired to continue fighting (essentially it passes out until you give it medicine or bring it to a pokemon nurse). I completely understand that it is a parent's decision what a child can and cannot play with (especially when it comes to the controversial topic of video games in the first place) but I believe that this game is less about fighting and more about growth and friendship.

After countless victories in battle, when you have gained your pokemon's trust and friendship, it grows and eventually (in many cases) evolves. The evolution of a pokemon is a special thing. It is when your pokemon takes on its new form, becoming all around stronger. I feel that this change can also be seen in ourselves. When we are put through tough situations we need to fight our way through it (not as literally) and when we come out on the other side we are usually better and stronger as a person. 

I think that if pokemon were real I would finally know exactly what I wanted to do with my life. I know that I would have the dedication to take care of these creatures and help them achieve their full potential. Both of us learning and growing side by side. But really that's just a silly dream of mine.

Surviving Class Registration

It's that time of year again (no not Christmas)! Class registration is one of the most frustrating and hernia-inducing things about college (at least from my own experience). Not only do you have to battle your friends and classmates for a spot in that particular class that is only offered spring semester but you also have to fight the rush on the registration site. That means staying up until midnight sitting on that site, refreshing the page every 2 minutes waiting to be able to press that "register for sections" button.

The key to this is to get a good nights sleep the night before if you do not stay up until midnght on a regular basis (like myself). Eating well is also important. A dinner with lots of carbs, like rice and pasta, will give your body an extra boost of energy to help you reach your midnight goal. Fruits are great to snack on while you wait as well. Around 10:30 - 11, you might find yourself getting a bit hungry, bananas and apples are great, healthy foods that will help you power through.

(Here are some more good examples --> Energy Foods)

Being a senior, class registration is very important. This is your last chance to fill up your schedule with classes required to graduate. One of two magical things are about to happen to you. Either A) you're going to have loads of open electives left and are going to enjoy your relaxing (yet productive) last semester of college or B) you're going to be stuck taking all those classes you've been putting off because they didn't seem like any fun.

To avoid a stressful and packed last semester, a good plan is to space your least-liked classes throughout each semester of your college career. Another strategy is to get them out of the way as soon as you can. I've seen it done either way. The choice is up to you. 

Backtracking for a moment, once you pick your classes you then have to meet with your adviser. That is, if you have trained in the arts of bounty hunting and can successfully track down another human being. Of course I'm only kidding, but it can be a bit of a pain. More often than not, if your schedule does not match up with this particular person who holds the key to your registration success then you're stuck waiting in line for hours on end. 

I tend to be on my game about these things. I will literally ask to be let out of class early just so I can meet up with my adviser during these times (class registration is really important to me). There is this cool thing my school recently implemented (that sadly, not many students take advantage of) where you can register for office hours online. It seems to be working fairly well (especially since I scheduled an appointment the day after we were told our class registration date). 

After successfully meeting with your adviser, checking off what classes you've already taken and which ones would be in your best interest for the future, all you have to do is wait for you class' scheduled registration day then you're set (granted none of the classes you wanted filled before you could register for it). Seniors have to do an extra step. Seniors get to fill out a little form entitled "intent to graduate". Apparently this needs to be filled out in order for you to graduate.

I can't believe it took this one simple form for it to finally hit me. I've seen it on the website before and I have always said to myself "oh I don't have to worry about that, that's for seniors"...well it's finally my turn. It finally hit me that I'm going to graduate. All of this hard work and dedication is coming down to this one thing: my "intent to graduate." Yes I DO intend on graduating! This is a very exciting time for me and I worked hard to get here.

It will be worth it in the end I'd say. The degree I'll be handed is a Bachelors of Arts. So I have a really great feeling I'll be able to have a decent upper hand when it comes to getting a job in any type of creative field. I was worried at first that I wouldn't find a job once I was out of college but now that the end is drawing closer I am not as scared. 

All of the work I have done throughout my college career has only helped solidify my good work ethic which I can bring to any job setting. I can do anything!