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Tuesday, May 31, 2016

Battle Gem Ponies DevLog #75 (The Great Code Cleanup)

Tommy Refene, another hero of mine. Watching the indie game movie now feels so different from when
I saw it as a college sophomore. There's this new gravity, an intensity to it now...
I'm on the edge of adulthood with  a pit of unhappiness below and a platform of greatness that could be just out of reach.
     BGP is now under construction with a much more readable codebase. The difference clean code makes can't be stated enough. It's a big game changer in terms of understanding what's going on behind the scenes. Knowing how the code works makes debugging and creating complex battle mechanics a much smoother process.

Friday, May 27, 2016

The Great Code Cleanup


     Got real sick of how annoying debugging can be and decided to clean up my code. I organized everything so that I finally know what each line does. With a system like this I can hunt for things to modify much more quickly instead of playing Where's Waldo every time I look for a variable.

     It took a week longer than I thought it would, but it's worth it. The lost time can pay for itself in how quickly things can be implemented now that code controls have been rearranged in uniform patterns, the comments are standardized, I'm being much more generous with spacing, and the code is laid out in a way that guides the eye to where I need to focus to solve a specific problem or squeeze in new features.

Tuesday, May 24, 2016

Battle Gem Ponies DevLog #74 (BronyCon on the Horizon)


     I know I announced it a month ago, but I'm still so hyped that BGP is confirmed for BronyCon and FillyCon! That certainty should light a nice hot fire under my butt to get things done in two month's time. In addition to that, the big Demo 5 release should be done next month. With no college slowing me down I have entire days to work with now.

    So, so, SO much work is getting done this week it's incredible. It feels like everything I do for the game matters more than it ever has. I don't have to worry about dropping ideas or holding off on designing something to focus on upcoming schoolwork. I can just hammer out ideas and concentrate on coding features uninterrupted! For an example of what can get done in just one week of summer, look below the break.

Friday, May 20, 2016

New Battle Gem Ponies Demo!! -- [Pre-Alpha V4.5] --

     Kept you waiting, huh? Well I fixed some bugs, cleaned up some graphics, and added gamepad support so PC players can have a better time. Next update's the big one and needs to be done before BronyCon. Hope you check it out next month. For now, enjoy BGP Demo 4.5!

You can download the latest BGP Build on Itch.io!



Tuesday, May 17, 2016

Battle Gem Ponies DevLog #73 (Post-Graduation, It's ON)


     I graduated, and now it's time to make something of myself. Being honest, I have the same goal Bill Gates did in college. To become a millionaire before age 30. Lot's of people I read about seem to be achieving career goals around age 24, and I'm already 22 so I better get on it.

Get on down below the break to see more of this amazing week in the life of a college gamedev.

Friday, May 13, 2016

Tony Yotes - College Graduate


     As of this moment I am officially a college graduate! I got the paper, did the walk and everything! No more classes, no more graded assignments, no more classes, no more boring lectures, and best of all, all the time in the world to work on building up Yotes Games!

     I've reached the point where school can be addressed in past tense. I can finally proudly proclaim that I have graduated in 2016 with a degree in Gaming & Simulation at the Pennsylvania College of Technology! This is the transition point where I become a legit adult with incredible freedom and backbreaking responsibility. I'll be tackling these life challenges similar to how I've always done before. With determination, critical thinking, and a reliable moral compass.

Once Battle Gem Ponies is out, I can take that next big step toward the happy life I imagined since high school... Saving up for a place of my own.

Tuesday, May 10, 2016

Battle Gem Ponies DevLog #72 (Macbook Problems)


     As I wait for my graduation ceremony, the move to Florida, and the piece of paper proving I survived the whole school thing, I wanted to get a solid week of work done. That did not happen. Instead, I spent about 2 weeks trying to fix my crashed Macbook that started failing after running out of power while in sleep mode.

Friday, May 6, 2016

Last Day of School... - [ EVER!!! ] -


     I-I'm free to go... ? Is it really over?

     Goodness... I never thought this day would come. I never have to force myself to sit through class again! No more exams! I can dump all the random trivia I've been memorizing and start applying the stuff that's relevant! Look at all this free time! It's spilling everywhere! I can't believe this...

YES!! SCHOOL IS OUT!!! FOREVER!!!!

Tuesday, May 3, 2016

Battle Gem Ponies DevLog #71 (Final Finals Week, Finally)


     Just one more week of hell exams and I'm out of here! A free man at last, ready to take on the world and prove a lot of people wrong. Crazy forces are at work, keeping me away from Unity and working on the game at all. Things like car tags, crashing laptops, and exam cramming won't be enough to stop me completely though.