Sprint 7 and 8ish

Sprint 7
Tasked with coming up with a filter to demonstrate the difference between normal and shadow mode.

Resulted in using a pixel shader to accomplish a black and white effect. This made it easier on the artists so they didn't have to 2 images for the same art.

Got together on the weekend to help each other out.
Also Tweaked the collectible class and help make the rope class.

Sprint 8ish
There wasn't a particular assignment for this sprint. We all got together on the weekend to make sure all of our stuff worked together. Helped debug animations, shadow offsets, shadow collisions, rope debugging and collectible functionality.

We also met before class on Monday to tweak some more things like player movement, player textures, level design and shadow translation.

Sprint 5 & 6

Sprint 5

-Tasked with coming up with an options class that stores game values carried throughout the game.

-Resulted in a working class that does just that.

(Side note- This was an assignment that was given a couple of times that failed to be completed by another person)

Sprint 6

-Tasked with coming up with a look for shadow mode of objects. Eg an alternate color scheme to help know when in shadow mode.

-Resulted in putting it on hold since it is not part of Alpha. Instead I helped Jeff with his pulley assignment and I wrote the collectible class to help people get caught up.

Sprints 3 & 4

Sprint 3
-Task- Come up with a way to draw a HUD that is on a separate coordinate system than the main camera.

-Result- Decided to just use a separate spriteBatch. Generally it is advised to use as few spriteBatches as possible. We are using 2 which should be sufficient.

Sprint 4
-Task- Draw the HUD

-Result- Came up with a HUD but became obsolete since there is no health or live system. Right now it is a skeleton until the HUD contents are finalized.

Sprint 2

Assignment: Make camera follow player.

Update 10/27

Camera is working and panning. Just need a player to track.

Siena Entertainment

Presentation about the history of their company. They are the leader in Children Entertainment Apps. Talked about their experiences with apps. Visited with each group.

Sprint 1 Progress

Found a couple of classes that are free to use.
Camera2D - Camera controls

InputHelper - robust input handler class

EA Work Pipeline

Gate 1 - Concept

Gate 2 - Planning

Gate 3 - First Prod

Gate 4 - Full Prod. Alpha

Gate 5 - Full Polish Beta

Sprint 1

Assignment: Camera Class

EA Presentation

EA Presentation for getting jobs...

Resume Writing

• Keep it Concise (2-3 pages max!)
• Include all your contact information(email, phone, address, etc)
• Start chronologically with the most recent first.
• Do not overstate qualifications
• Do highlight applicable qualifications
• Remove irrelevant information
• Only put GPA’s if they are >3.0 (if major GPA is high then use that)
• Prioritize data highlighting the most relevant for each job...what was your impact??
• Proof read, Proof read, Proof read....

Applying for Jobs

• Know what you are applying for! (what the company does and what the position is)
• Read application directions
• Provide all information and material requested(i.e. resume, cover letter, salary information)
• If asked to complete an application, complete it in its entirety, do not write “see resume”
• Email the Recruiter/HR a copy (if you can. Recruiter is usually your ambassador)
• Follow up 2-3 times max...don’t seem desperate!(day of application if possible or 1 week, a few days, few days)

Job Interviews
Don’ts:

• Be late or arrive more than 10 minutes early
• Chew gum or candy during the interview
• Give one or two word answers
• Criticize present or past employers
• Use profanity or slang(even if the interviewer does)
• Interrupt the interviewer
• Ramble on and on and on...
• Talk about salary (unless the interviewer brings it up)
• Avoid answering a question
• Be unprepared

Do’s:

• Research the company before the interview (don’t say the game sucks)
• Turn off your cell phone!
• Speak confidently and clearly
• Get the interviewer’s name right
• Pay attention to your hygiene (breath, body odor)
• Smile
• Wear neat clean clothing
• Keep answers relevant, concise, and clear
• Take your time answering questions(get clarification, if needed)
• Provide examples when relevant
• Be enthusiastic about the job and the company
• Have some questions of your own ready!

Interview Questions

• Why are you interested in EA?
• What do you know about our company?
• What are your strengths (weaknesses)?
• What are your career goals?
• Why should we hire you?
• If I talked to your prev employer, what do you think they would say about you?
• What is your biggest accomplishment? (other variations)
• Why do you want to work for us?
• Who was your favorite manager and why?
• What are your salary requirements?

Behavior Base Interview Questions

• Describe a problem you encountered at work. How did you resolve it?
• Describe a time when you dropped the ball/made a mistake.
• Describe a time when you had to work in a team. What problems did you encounter?
• STAR Method

1. S- Describe a Situation
2. T- Describe the Task at hand
3. A- Describe the action you took
4. R- Describe the result
5. What did you learn

Shadow Thief's 1st and 2nd Meeting

Met for the first time. Got to know each other.

Leadership assignments were distributed.

Played the Wii game, Lost in Shadows. This game helped demo different methods we could use the shadows in our game. It gave us some ideas to try for our game.

Practice Presentation/Official Presentation

Practiced our presentations as a group. Worked on core mechanic demo.

Presented to the panel. Listened to other presentations. Voted for our favorites.

Follow the link for our One Pager.

Presentation stuff

-Work in industry questions. (allow time for questions)

-Backstory'ish

-Demonstration of core mechanic in game play.

-Mention great talents. (screen shots and portfolios).

-Art Samples! (Maybe video?)

-Title "In an Instant" ?

-Not so many slides. (3-6)

-Come up with one pager. (edit original sheet)

-Answer hard questions w/ "yes and...." or "oh yeah then we could..."

-2 part argument- what your game is compared to and a couple of core mechanics.

9/13 Prototyping

-We were not able to use the Farseer physics engine because it is only for 2D. We are looking at using JigLibX for physics simulation. We are also toying around with using a start-up project from App Hub. This will be decided by this evening.

-3D models were imported correctly with success.

9/9 Prototyping

Decided:

• Our core mechanic is toggling velocity change in various objects.
• 3 objects for the prototype - block, belt, and fan
• We will use the Farseer physics engine.

Responsibilities:

• Importing 3D models - Jeff
• Character movement - Rielly/Nick
• Object movement - Rielly/Nick
• Farseer development - Rielly/Nick
• Screen filters and Level Design - Damean

Senior Capstone Pitch

Finished my game pitch.

Follow the jump...

Level Design

Goals of Level Design

• Consider this from the user perspective
• Levels that support your game mechanics well.
• Don't get too attached to your work.
• Collaborate with all the professions.
• Don't latch on. Potentially can snowball.

Process tips

• Good starting point for level design is to use a one pager approach.
• Level sketching.
• Have an idea, take a minute to sketch it out.
• Fail cheap
• White box and playable mechanics then test, test, test....

First Playable

First Playable is up and running!

This weeks sprint I was tasked with syncing Hud with the code. Also, I was tasked with making a camera script that wasn't so rigid and had a little bit more of a give to it.
Sarah, Pace and I came up with a sample level and got it working for the demo.
Everything got done that was planned for. Found some hiccups along the way that we will be tweaking int the next sprint.

What to Expect March 3rd

"First Playable" - Review

First Playable

• Working strongly towards visual target
• Core functionality
• 1 environment
• UI (front end and HUD) in simple working form
• Characters (placeholder)

2/18

Today we set up scrum and our first user story. We are prepping for the upcoming evaluation for the games.

I have taken on these responsibilities for this week's sprint:

• Player Health is Coded
• Player Health is linked to HUDint
  

2/15

This week I will be working on incorporating a Lens flare with the sun to help it look brighter. I will also be organizing the file system that we will be using for assets and code source. Puzzles will also be occupying my time.

Backlog of Questions-

Is it a side scroller?

Is it birds eye view?

Is it going to be arcade like?

Is it going to be more of an adventure or puzzle?

How many levels will there be?

Will we use real time shadows?

What is the is the environment like?

Core Mechanics-

The number one mechanic for this game is lighting, lighting that creates vivid shadows. Character animation will be very simple as will be the physics.

The target audience is everyone. By everyone I mean a game that will be simple to pick up and play. The controls will be easy enough that it won't take people a long time to learn them.

Presentation

Skin Cancer - Agenda

The trouble with me is that it is hard to pinpoint exactly what some of my passions and concerns are in life. I like to believe that I am a well rounded person so there really isn't one particular interest the out weighs the others. I got to thinking about some issues that have affected not me per say but other family members. One common occurrence that I found was skin cancer. I have a family history with people at risk of skin cancer. Of all the cases in the family, none have ever been fatal or resulted in death. It is something that we are constantly watching and keeping track of since we are at risk.

This is of particular interest to me because many people are constantly putting themselves at risk every day. From people that work outside everyday without the use of sunscreen to those that hit the tanning bed every evening are among those that are taking these unnecessary risks. There are different types of skin cancers and everyone is at risk. There are misconceptions that only people with certain skin tones and pigments are the ones who need to take care. I think people need to understand what they are doing to themselves so they don't have to live with regrets later in their lives.

The type of message that I would like to get across is one of warning. I would like it to be nicer than some of the scare tactics other organizations use today. Possibly one that everyone could relate to. Since the primary cause of skin cancer is skin that is regularly exposed to sunlight or other ultraviolet radiation, my message would be primarily that. I was thinking of a game that was frogger-esque where the object of the game would be to get from point A to B while staying out of the sun. This would mean having to stay in the shadows of buildings, clouds, umbrellas, etc while being able to acquire power up items like a sun hat, sunscreen, etc. The object would be to keep your risk factor down as much as possible while completing some errands. I think this is a non-in-your-face approach but still carries an important message while the player is having fun.

Overall I think this is an important subject that has a lot of potential in being fun while making the game, playing the game, and distributing a valuable message to all who play it.

Game Reviews

Dean for Iowa Game

http://www.deanforamericagame.com/

This is a game about Dean running for the Iowa Caucus and the way he get's the word out about his views.

I was surprised by this game. I really didn't know what it would be like. The mini games were actually fun. I do wish that they had a better variety of mini games but they got their point across. I think they did a good job at educating the player at the amount of work that goes into elections. Weather or not I would vote for him, I understood the importance of voting. This is a good way go inform people.

Congo Jones

http://www.rainforestfoundationuk.org/congojones

This game was bout the depletion of the world's rain forests and action that are taken to try and stop this from happening.

I was excited to play this game because of the back story and the art style that they were using. They had a good looking game with good sound effects as well. I really don't have anything else to say about this game. I couldn't get pass the first part. The controls for it were horrible. Even after the 4th play through I still couldn't get the hang of it. If they want to get their message out to people using this method, they need to make it easier to pick up and play. I don't want to spend a ton of time trying to get used to controls. Despite the lack of controls the message is still there with the back story.

Peta's Super Chick Sisters

http://www.kentuckyfriedcruelty.com/superchicksisters/index.asp

This is an anti-KFC game and the methods they use to prepare their chicken.
I think this is the best of the three that I have played. This game is easy to pick up and play. It has a good presentation. I think that they incorporate their message well into the game. Instead of collecting coins you are collecting chick, or should I say saving them. The spoof on the Mario Bro's is clever and funny. Colonel Sanders as Bowser is funny but they incorporate it in such a way that it works for their agenda. Over all it gets the message out.

People in 3720

John:

Programmer(Textures and Models)

Short stories

Junior

Nick H:

programmer

read books/play games

Junior

Russell:

programmer

super senior

Socially Oriented

Sarah:

programmer

games/media

junior

Pace:

Programmer

games

senior

Charles:

Artist

Maya (no 2d)

Outdoors and games

senior

Mike:

Artist (Film)

Particle Effects/designing games

senior

Christian:

Artist Film

Senior

Games/Music/Read books

Spencer:

Artist

Movies/ Cartoons/ games etc

Sophomore

Gordon:

Film

MMO's & RPG's

Junior

Jordan:

Programmer (little art 2d)

RPG's

Senior

Ryan:

Programmer

Outdoorsy and RTS's

Super Senior

Tom:

Artist(2d)

Animation/Games

Junior

Alice:

Artist(2d)

Winter Sports

Junior

Nick R.

Programmer

Junior

Ben T.

Programmer

Frisbee and RPG's

Junior

Rielly:

Programmer

Games and Sports

Junior

Jeff

Programmer

Anything Digital

Junior

Landon:

Programmer(2d art)

Games/Cartoons

Senior

Wilson:

programmer(3d exp)

Games

Senior

Morgan:

programmer

Senior