Status Report #33

     School goes on, progress is slow but going, and I get more excited for my future each day. There's a BYOC at my school today where everybody brings games and computers to a gymnasium and we play video games so I'll be taking the day off to have some long awaited fun. Last year's was an amazing fun time for me and I want to see what memories this one will bring. Here's the 33rd Status Report.

   Completed:

• Changed All  My Passwords Because of Heartbleed
• Blast Spell Shoots, Explodes, and Comes in 4 Upgrade Sizes
• Slash Sprites Complete
• Spell Switch Cursor is Animated to Flash Colors
• Enter Battle Scenes Based on Direction
• Player Spawn Points
• Reorganized Sprite Animation Files and Sprite Names
• Put Loadable Prefabs in Organized Folders

     College Game Project:

• Added Textures to the Environment
• Redesigned Graphical User Interface (GUI)
• Dynamic Camera in Menu
• Ships Stick to Tunnel Walls
• Audio Scripts From DragCore are Being Used

       My group project is coming along nicely, but we have hit a few major bugs. We've resorted to a desperate crunch where we are trying to get everything that isn't affected by the bugs to work. My group presented a powerpoint about decision trees while the other groups each picked their own topics on game AI (Artificial Intelligence). I learned about a few new strategies and am thinking about how to use them in Unicorn Quest.

      Games made by other groups in my class will be showcased at the BYOC today. My group won't be there because our game is not in a playable state yet and I'm not there showing Yotes Games because I want to present next year when Unicorn Quest is done and my next game is on is in playable demo form. I'm excited to see and play my classmates' games for the first time. An RTS and a first-person RPG made by two of my friends are going to be very cool to see.

Prizes for today's game tournaments!

       The BYOC (Bring Your Own Controller/Computer) is my favorite annual school event. And since this year is also the school's centennial I'm expecting an even bigger turnout than last year. I'm entering the Brawl and Soul Calibur Tournaments just because those are the two I'm decent at. I spent last year's BYOC trying to find a girlfriend but since I finally have one this year the primary will be fun. I think I should tell the story of 2013's BYOC here someday because it was such an emotional roller coaster and it changed my outlook on life.

   Downloads:

     I really can't wait for Unicorn Quest to be out so I can have more interesting figures here.

     The new Smash Bros. Nintendo Direct (A.K.A. the most hype I've ever felt throughout 34 straight minutes) really got me thinking about the downside to open development. When people see your game on a daily basis and see every feature over the course of the week it's being made takes away from the surprise of seeing it complete and functioning in-game. You can't generate the same hype and excitement building up to launch and you can't surprise players with unexpected secrets. Curiosity plays a big role in getting people interested in your game, especially sequels.

     I'll keep thinking it over, but I think that after my first few games I should try to be more mysterious. I could focus posts on recently released games with bits of the upcoming title as I finish them and feel the time is right to announce something. Gotta focus on making a few popular games in order to get people to care in the first place though. Unicorn Quest and the two RPGs after it should do the trick.