November 07, 2014
Lessee, 2014 huh? Last journal entry was in 2008. Previous one was 2006. Geez, at this rate my next entry should be done by what, 2020?!
I've been possessed of late, animated with a need to write about games, mostly surrounding a topic in gaming that's become absolutely radioactive. Likely everyone …
I've been possessed of late, animated with a need to write about games, mostly surrounding a topic in gaming that's become absolutely radioactive. Likely everyone …
April 24, 2008
Hello gamedev. After ages being absent, I'm feeling a bit like Halley's Comet. For the old timers and friends who wondered, "Whatever happened to Wavinator??? Is he dead???" here's the 30-second digest:
I've been out of game development for years, mostly doing database programming for a healthcare c…
I've been out of game development for years, mostly doing database programming for a healthcare c…
March 27, 2006
Sincere apologies to anyone who still checks this journal from time to time for the lack of updates again. I was down with crashed hardware for weeks, then got injured at work in the most unbelievably idiotic accident of my life-- my chair caught on a floormat and dumped me (yes, ladies and gentlem…
February 03, 2006
Ya gotta love procedural development. I just finished randomly generating more than 10,000 starship names. And not the kind of crap gobbledy-gook names you tend to get from Markov lists, either! Examples include "Maiden's Dream," "Queen of the Heavens," "Titian Tiger", "Nightwind" and "Eastern Thun…
January 26, 2006
Illuminati, Tunguska, Stonehenge, Roswell...
You know, I think the NSA has been piping sleep fog into my room. For the last few days I've been coming home and practically falling asleep as soon as I get to my room. Sure, I wake up around 10 or 11 PM, but by then, it's too freakin' late to do nearly …
You know, I think the NSA has been piping sleep fog into my room. For the last few days I've been coming home and practically falling asleep as soon as I get to my room. Sure, I wake up around 10 or 11 PM, but by then, it's too freakin' late to do nearly …
January 19, 2006
A good friend of mine, who has practically become my codesigner for Straylight, has just returned from Nevada. Before he left to try out new job opportunities over a year ago we talked endlessly about open-ended games, consequences, and what real freedom might mean in a game like Straylight. In fac…
January 06, 2006
Welp, I've gone and done it. I've gone to the dark side. Severely disappointed that my legions of loyal journal readers didn't get me a single thing for Christmas, I went out and did the unthinkable: I bought an XBox.
Now, I know what you're going to say: Turncoat! Traitor! Console Terrorist! But he…
Now, I know what you're going to say: Turncoat! Traitor! Console Terrorist! But he…
January 03, 2006
I like that the beginning of a new year is considered a time of renewal. It gives you a chance to wipe the slate clean, and I'm taking this time to do that Straylgiht.
I've not been at all happy with snail's pace of the project this past year. Yes, there have been many reasons for the slow progress,…
I've not been at all happy with snail's pace of the project this past year. Yes, there have been many reasons for the slow progress,…
December 09, 2005
Ever have a week that makes you look around and wonder if you've offended someone on a cosmic level? This one's been like that for me. Yes, the hits just keep on coming, and include such wonderful experiences as:
- Having to take off and put back on the entire right inner panel of my car door-- one ho…
December 05, 2005
Geeze, no updates for weeks, this place is dusty again!
I have a most interesting life: A book that is about to be published, a job with a boss that tries to give me two hours to do work that will take two days, and a magically replenishing To Do List of items that are idiotic, mundane and completel…
I have a most interesting life: A book that is about to be published, a job with a boss that tries to give me two hours to do work that will take two days, and a magically replenishing To Do List of items that are idiotic, mundane and completel…
October 25, 2005
Today, a series of transmission stutters with my car finally culminated in a "Service Engine Soon" warning light, and the first thing I thought was, "you know, this random event just isn't interesting. There's no gameplay unless I'm a Mechanic Class."
O_o Guess I've been thinking about games too muc…
O_o Guess I've been thinking about games too muc…
October 17, 2005
Not much time this eve because I've been studying MS Access and VBA. From a C++ programmer's point of view, VBA is purgatory, let me tell you (and I know that Beezebub is laughing his forked tail off at me). Writing code with it is a little like trying to compose the Illiad in Notepad (or Edlin, if…
September 25, 2005
This week I talked with a fellow who has started a foundation for artists, and is enthusiastic about seeing more positive computer games. We had a great conversation, and I learned that he's on a first name basis with several folks in the game industry (a VP from EA is on the board, apparently), bu…
September 21, 2005
"Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp. Or what's a heaven for?"
I love that quote by Robert Browning because its so empowering, especially when you're working on a project with an insane scope. [grin] Since I've been thinking about galaxy generation stuff all day, I'll just jump right into…
I love that quote by Robert Browning because its so empowering, especially when you're working on a project with an insane scope. [grin] Since I've been thinking about galaxy generation stuff all day, I'll just jump right into…
September 20, 2005
You know, with journal updates so infrequent of late I just might have to turn in my GameDev "Most Prolific Poster" badge. [rolleyes]
Life is quite busy! I'm trying to chew through database programming material for a new job, which is in healthcare. Although it's not the most exciting thing in the u…
Life is quite busy! I'm trying to chew through database programming material for a new job, which is in healthcare. Although it's not the most exciting thing in the u…
September 03, 2005
Sincere apologies for the lack of updates of late. I've been even shorter on time than normal. Not only have I just started a new job, I forgot that I now have to respond to edit requests for my book. I'll be doing this for another couple of weeks and trying to pick up MS Access as well. So progres…
August 15, 2005
Well, just a little over 10 hours ago, I finished a 34 hour marathon session on the last three chapters of my book. Sorry for not updating, but this has been the week that was: I was behind on writing because of bugs in the program, and I started a new job. So my week has consisted of working 8 hou…
August 04, 2005
Points for those who know what movie that quote is from!
Straylight Update
Well, I've pretty much blown today on trying to model a mockup of the Golden Gate Bridge. According to the world fiction, this should be destroyed and San Francisco should be a partially submerged aquatic arcology... but what …
Straylight Update
Well, I've pretty much blown today on trying to model a mockup of the Golden Gate Bridge. According to the world fiction, this should be destroyed and San Francisco should be a partially submerged aquatic arcology... but what …
August 03, 2005
Mysteries of the Universe #7,271: How is it that all the 3D graphics tutorials made by amateurs out there reference the high end features of Lightwave, Maya and 3D Studio Max, tools which cost thousands of dollars? o_O
Straylight Update
Since my book's almost done I've been taking some time to rememb…
Straylight Update
Since my book's almost done I've been taking some time to rememb…
July 29, 2005
...into the FU-CHAAAAA![rolleyes]
Well, I know I've been doing something in these last few days, but everything's been a blur since I pulled a 30 hour day to finish the 75% of my book. Only 25% more to go!
In the mean time, I've been experimenting with Wings3D to mock up O'Neil Cylinders (these are t…
Well, I know I've been doing something in these last few days, but everything's been a blur since I pulled a 30 hour day to finish the 75% of my book. Only 25% more to go!
In the mean time, I've been experimenting with Wings3D to mock up O'Neil Cylinders (these are t…
July 09, 2005
Well, shame on me for not doing any real work, but I've been coming up with some cool ways to fill out this blasted game.
Straylight Update
"Survive & thrive in a fantastical future and change the destiny of the human race."
That's the game goal. Building and relationships modification are going t…
Straylight Update
"Survive & thrive in a fantastical future and change the destiny of the human race."
That's the game goal. Building and relationships modification are going t…
July 07, 2005
Mysteries of the Universe #5,769: Why is it that crappy strawberry jam, which is loaded with what I'm sure will be found to be cancer causing preservatives and diabetes generating high fructose corn syrup, three types less expensive than jam whose incredients is simply fruit? o_O
Anybody on this one…
Anybody on this one…
July 01, 2005
Straylight Update
I've been posting so many different ideas on in the forums of late that it's hard for people to keep track of the game's focus, so I'm going to summarize:
Premise: Survive and thrive in a fantastical future where you can change the destiny of the human race.
Synopsis: Play across gen…
I've been posting so many different ideas on in the forums of late that it's hard for people to keep track of the game's focus, so I'm going to summarize:
Premise: Survive and thrive in a fantastical future where you can change the destiny of the human race.
Synopsis: Play across gen…
July 01, 2005
You know, one of the things I hate about the book I'm writing now is breaking EVERYTHING down into tiny sentences. I have a bad habit of expressing myself with complex (convoluted????) phrases which pack a lot of ideas into the text. Call it my programmer's natural instinct for compression! [grin]
B…
B…
June 27, 2005
I've gotten a chance of late to do a lot of swimming, which has been a blast and a great way to destress as I work full time on my book. I haven't been swimming in five or six years. What's funny is that I've been living for three years in a huge condo complex that has three of these
but never bothe…
but never bothe…
June 21, 2005
Lately I've been trying to rival Gene Roddenberry here! [lol]
In worldbuilding for Straylight I've been working on how The Community, the future society you start in as a result of the game's timeline (see below), fits together. What's cool is that it suggests some interesting missions and gameplay,…
In worldbuilding for Straylight I've been working on how The Community, the future society you start in as a result of the game's timeline (see below), fits together. What's cool is that it suggests some interesting missions and gameplay,…
June 17, 2005
"Ahhhh... feel the burn!" Urp!
Last week I got to talk over beer with several veteran indie developers, one a biz guy who started three companies, and a couple of programmers and artists. The biz guy and I talked for over three hours, and I swear I wish I could have simply downloaded his brain and …
Last week I got to talk over beer with several veteran indie developers, one a biz guy who started three companies, and a couple of programmers and artists. The biz guy and I talked for over three hours, and I swear I wish I could have simply downloaded his brain and …
June 07, 2005
Here's the starting future history for the game. I hope the environment suggests either interesting interaction in towering vertical cities, Fallout-style wastelands, or in space.
Straylight Future History
Straylight Future History
- Mass TV, radio, telephones unknown; indoor plumbing rare; much of the world…
1905 - For reference
June 07, 2005
I increasingly don't know what the hell to call this game. Although the level of detail and sheer, eye-bleeding volume of material I've been posting in the forums makes everything look out of control, I honestly think I know where I'm going and that this will be doable (famous last words, eh?[wink]…
May 15, 2005
Darnit, I've been meaning to keep this place updated. But I've found that working 8am to 8pm, exercising for 2 hours a day, and trying to write a book takes a bit of time. Oh well, I'm sure the billions of people who read this will forgive me. [rolleyes]
The Long March
So I'm in a rough spot right no…
The Long March
So I'm in a rough spot right no…
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