Wednesday 27 February 2013

TEC: The Eastgate Chronicles and the Irrlicht Engine

So, given the aforementioned issues working with Java, I've decided to try my hand at learning C++ in order to work with the Irrlicht Engine. I've just reread that sentence aloud and, inconceivably, it sounds even more absurd than in my head. And then, I hear a tiny but vociferous voice crying out, "Nothing ventured, nothing gained! Fortune favours the brave! Go, confront the problem! Fight! Win!"

OK, cplusplus.com:  Let's do this.

Thursday 21 February 2013

You, too, can look like Garrus Vakarian: High Fashion Meets High Tech

Little did I know Garrus's signature visor was also a fashion statement.

Check out the models wearing Google X's augmented reality Project Glass visors at Vivienne Westwood's 2012 show during New York Fashion Week:



Alas and alack, I'm not a US resident, otherwise I'd be all over this.


Be still, my beating heart: ME3's Citadel

O my sun and stars! They've just announced the world-wide release date of the final single-player DLC for the Mass Effect series:  March 5th. Nearly 4 gigs in size! Featuring friends and romance interests! Promises of intrigue and sinister conspiracies!




And don't get me started on Reckoning, the free multi-player DLC slated for release February 26th, where the female Turian Raptor (Cabal Vanguard) makes her debut!

They say you can't place a price on happiness. I disagree. It's $14.99.


TEC: The Eastgate Chronicles Roadblock #1

So, I was incredibly excited to start working on the game.  I dutifully went to Oracle to download the Java SE Development Kit and got this:



Great.  Blocked before I'm even out of the (East)gate.  After some digging, this is what I've learned:
  • I am not the owner of a 64-bit capable Intel-based computer.
  • My OS is not supported by the latest JDK update.  Actually, it hasn't been supported by the last several updates.
  • I am Rip Van Winkel and I've just woken up.  Are there hovercars, yet?
OK [deep breath].  I knew this wasn't going to be easy.  Take 2...


TEC: The Eastgate Chronicles

March 6th will mark one year since the North American release of Mass Effect 3. The final DLC for the trilogy will be coming out soon (I suspect within the next week) and then it may be years until the next BioWare release.

What is a neophyte gamer to do? Why, design her own game, of course.
Wait, Rora, have you even programmed before?

Not extensively, no.

What exactly do you mean by "not extensively"?

Ummm, "Hello, World!"

That's it?

Yup.

Uh-huh. Do you know anything about game design?

Well, I wouldn't call myself an expert...

Really. This from a woman who hadn't played any video game in earnest until the middle of last year...Okay, we'll bite: what would you call yourself?

Naïve and ambitious?

The good news is that there are some excellent open-source game engines out there. I've decided upon jMonkeyEngine 3.0. As recommended on various sites, I've already drafted a design document and sketched-out the storyboard for an original IP. The bad news is, not only will I have to learn Java, my artistic skills leave much to be desired. Ah, well. If nothing more, making TEC: The Eastgate Chronicles will give me a better appreciation of what goes into game creation. Wish me luck: I'm going to need it.


Sunday 10 February 2013

Mass Effect 4

The truth is, I am more inclined to be pleased than displeased when it comes to the games and DLC of Mass Effect. Yes, I may complain, but when it comes down to it, time after time, I have parted with my hard-earned cash to get BioWare’s latest release for the series without hesitation. And I never listen to “professional” critics. However, with the news that BioWare is working on a fourth Mass Effect Game as well as a new Intellectual Property (IP), given the present handling of the Mass Effect 3 ending, I am disinclined to contribute to the financial well-being of BioWare/EA until YouTube walkthroughs of these games are made available.  After countless hours of playing, I liken my relationship with the Mass Effect Trilogy development team as that with a beloved sibling: I may not always agree with their decisions, but I love them, anyway. That relationship does not necessarily extend to the new Mass Effect or toward the new IP.

If the current development team at BioWare inherited an excellent IP, only to ruin it in the end, I have little faith in their ability to create an entirely new IP from the ground up.  The fact they consider it a disservice to the new Mass Effect game by referring to it as Mass Effect 4, is a plaintive, but ultimately futile, appeal to not allow the controversy associated with the Mass Effect 3 ending affect sales of BioWare's next foray into the Mass Effect universe.  This is of particular significance since EA has most recently posted 3rd quarter losses and may continue to do so.

So BioWare, prove me wrong. Bring back the mounting excitement as we near release day and the heady feeling of extravagance as I pay full price in order to be one of the privileged to play your latest release first; because after this last DLC, I may never feel that way again.

The Dread Wolf's Lover

Of course Tala will try to redeem him. As if you had to ask. "Tala sometimes came awake from dreams in which her lover wa...