I CAN HAS HAMMER!
Last week, you wrote about the ideal game-development tool. Now, back to the world as we know it. Please write a paragraph or two about some aspect of the tool you are presently using to develop your game prototype. What are its strengths and weaknesses? How does it influence or constrain your work? Why is it better than other options you might have chosen?
As before, members of groups should try not to repeat previous observations by their teammates. Read before you post.
DUE MONDAY, APRIL 20 AT CLASS.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteShamefully, I will admit that although all members of the Slump Expunger team have taken a coding course or two... none of ous are programmers. However, we have had a jolly ole time trying to program our game in XNA. From templates to tutorials to projects from previous classes, we seem to have stumbled upon a wealth of reference resources to help us (and by us I mean Andy) program. We've programmed instances of the game and not used any of the code from them, but we're learning. Surprises seem to pop up every time we (mainly Andy) hunker down to program a bit. The downside of using XNA is that it may be too versitile and open especially for us 'non-'programmers.
ReplyDeleteA certain aspect of the programming method Andy has stumbled upon is very cool. Andy has
found, whether in templates or tutorials, that we can build levels of our tile-ish game by 'drawing' the level in a text file using specific symbols for game objects. The code uses the text document and mimics the level drawn within the document... It's really amazing.
The tool that my group is presently using is XNA. Andy has been using this tool to program the Slump Expunger game. XNA helps us to make out art base tiles for a character to walk across the screen. It also works well with coding specific parts of the gameplay such as throwing out money and building the economy. The bad part about using XNA is that it is difficult to use this program for doing some 3D animations. As you can see, Andy came across a problem that prevented him from making 3D animations. Fortunately, we will be able to program the money gun and the environments so that the game will be up to speed before the end of the semester.
ReplyDeleteThis tool is better than other options we have chosen because XNA is effective for coding multiple game modes for an economic action based game. XNA also works well with using 2D animation to display cinematic movies.Obviously, we can program Slump Expunger easier with XNA instead of using Flash or C++ because we can use text documents that help us understand the code.
We're using flash to develop our project. The biggest strength of flash for me is it's practically C++ so programming isn't too difficult. A stock market sim is mostly a little bit of math with a bunch of random variables so we don't need somtheing too difficult. It's main weakness is flash doesn't always do what you want it to do. I know I don't have everything figured out about it, but I hate it when I write code that should work, but won't. I'm using flash because it's really the only way I know how to program games. I haven't taken an XNA course yet.
ReplyDeleteThe tool we're using for our Public Vote game is XNA. I only started using XNA last semester in a programming class, but I already think it's a great way to program games. It's not as quick as Flash, but it's very versatile and powerful. I think the main problem I've experienced with it is the built in compiler and it's nonstandard framework.
ReplyDeleteIt might just be me, but I've found that most computers don't come preloaded with the framework to read an XNA compiled file. If a computer has XNA installed, it can run an XNA .exe file, but everyone else is out of luck. This makes it a little harder to show off what you did to non-programming friends. I wish XNA had a similar compile feature to flash. Swf files are pretty ubiquitous around the net, and almost every computer can play one. Either XNA needs to be more universally distributed, or the built in compiler needs to reconfigured to spit out a file that is more accessible.
I've found that because of the difficulty in distributing files written in XNA, sometimes it constrains when I want to use it. Often it doesn't make sense to use it and other languages such as C# are the way to go.
Our development tools are...paper, and whatever we decide to put on that paper (for reference, we're making the card game). Obviously, we won't have any super-awesome 3D animations in our project, but that's probably balanced out by the sheer creative potential of our medium. We're not limited to a programming language, or dpi, or anything else that defines digital gaming. We get to make our own rules. I get to write whatever cards I want. Rob gets to make all his own art. It may not be fancy, but that won't keep it from being awesome.
ReplyDeleteUB Parking Bonanza is being built with Flash. From the art prospective, we are using Photoshop and Illustrator for all the graphics, but from what I know of Flash, it is pretty versatile. I haven't had a Flash-based game programming class in years, but what we are creating looks very similar to what I have worked with before. Fortunately Chris is very comfortable with Flash, the only weakness is if Chris knows how to do what we want. So far we haven't been able to come up with anything Chris can't handle!
ReplyDeleteAs an artist on the UB Parking Bonanza game, I have primarily been dealing with Adobe Illustrator to make the game's map, creating vector graphics that can be imported into Flash.
ReplyDeleteThe main benefit of using vectors is that our images can be scaled and re-scaled without losing quality which, in layman's terms, allows the viewer to zoom in on the images without them ever becoming pixelated. Although some details are sacrificed when using vectors (indeed, it would be daunting to attempt to replicate even half the details present in raster graphics), image scalability is an important factor in digital media because one never knows how someone else will be viewing said image. Just because I have a monitor with a 1280 x 1024 resolution doesn't mean that everyone viewing it will, so if whatever we produce is easily scalable, we can accomodate the maximum possible amount of viewers.
The other benefit is time. Vector graphics are more easily produced than raster graphics due to the use of anchor points. Fewer points translates to more control, in my opinion, allowing me, as an artist, to keep on time both with this project's deadlines and the deadlines of other classes' projects. Furthermore, since vectors are so easily imported into Flash, I do not need to worry about converting my work to a particular format. In fact, moving images from Illustrator to Flash is almost always as simple as copy and paste.
In short, I love Illustrator. It may not allow me to employ an impressive level of detail, but it looks decent and gets the job done. I have used it for over four years now, and because it is familiar, it also helps me get the job done that much quicker.
As one of the graphic-oriented members of the Public Vote team, I have been using several of Adobe Illustrator's tools, but the one I found most interesting is the Extrude Tool. It's an easy way to manufacture a faux 3D object such as a laptop or a desk, or even to add flair to a simple line of text.
ReplyDeleteA major downside to this tool, however, is that after being combined with certain other tools it must be edited after the fact. Additionally, the bevel tool is limited in that it only allows the created bevel to be one color, whereas one created artificially can utilize a custom gradient.
Custom Made: Economic Decision is using Flash. Flash because it can pretty much do anything. Although not as powerful as some other development applications it can be used on several different developmental levels. Whether you want to overuse Actionscript or create a simple visual simulative representation of a concept such as this project.
ReplyDeleteThe ability to incorporate almost any file format in one way or another is a major plus. Imports of 3D, external video , vector, or bitmap images, as well as audio allow the novice visual artist or the seasoned C++ programmer show her/his thing. Great tool!
The Slump Expunger team is using XNA 3.0 to develop their game. Since I am acting as lead programmer, it is my job to do most of the programming. Not having any background in programming until last semester, and not being a major skill of mine I knew I was in for a challenge. The XNA tool works great and has many options that are beneficial to out game, however, it doesn't allow non-programming minded people to pick it up easily (and rightfully so). So, it has taken some getting used to with reading countless blogs and tutorials and websites devoted to XNA, that I have found that I'm taking bits and pieces of what other people are doing and also playing with the code on my own on issues that seem logical but take some toying with to get it to work.
ReplyDeleteXNA is of great influence because it forces me into something I wouldn't normally be doing, and makes me try to learn what is going on in the coding. The only reason I picked XNA over other tools is because I took a C# class last semester and am slightly familiar with XNA. The best part of XNA is that while coding, it allows the programmer to tab through options in a list that would fit the currently typed syntax. This makes it easier for me because it forces me to pick from the list otherwise the code will not compile.
We're using Flash to develop our game because it fairly easy to use and learn. For me Flash is a better choice than XNA or any other tool because I have been using it for the last 3 years.
ReplyDeleteFlash is also a lot easier to distribute since all we need to do is upload the file and basically any computer can use it without having to install anything.
We also chose to have a simple cartoon look to the game which will work perfectly using a combination of Illustration and importing graphics into Flash. So far we haven't hit any limitations using Flash since were keeping our goals realistic for the time frame.
While I can't say as much a Chris about the difference between Flash and XNA, I do think Flash is a little easier for our group. Chris is more familiar with the language, and Eric, Dan and myself have a little experience with how it works. We understand the basics of importing artwork and using it in the program. As long as we have an experienced programmer (Chris), we are good to go on this game.
ReplyDeleteOutside of the remedial tutorial i Usability, I have not taken any coding classes here, so my main development tool is Adobe Illustrator. My favorite parts of the tool revolve around the mathematical perfection of vector drawing. I can begin with perfect shapes and at absolutely any scale, slowly tweaking and shaping them until I can create a consistent style rule for a project. Then it's just a matter of using the pen tool. The graphic style option in Illustrator also make button creation simple and intuitive. The main draw back for Illustrator is it's inability to animate. The Blend Tool can be useful in some instances to create intermediary steps on simple animations like rotate around center, or using different settings on the premade envelop distorts, however if you want to rotate an arm at the shoulder, things get significantly more complicated
ReplyDeleteI am using Flash to develop the game. Flash is a good convenient tool to use for any 2d game. Especially if you are doing a prototype as opposed to the final version.
ReplyDeleteI also am using Photoshop and Illustrator for the graphics. These are fairly standard programs to use for graphics. They are easy to learn and have a wide range of abilities, they both can do just about anything you need for a 2d game so they are perfect for what I need.
For the development of this game I will mainly use adobe illustrator. While it may not be my preferred program for any type of drawing ( vector or otherwise) It actually does a good job. I'm using this game as an opportunity to familiarize myself with illustrators interface.I feel Illustrator will be appropriate for the style of the game, since we will be using a more cartoony style for it.
ReplyDeleteFor my part of the development I am using Microsoft's XNA Game Studio 2.0. I have programmed in XNA in past projects and in current side projects. I feel I have a real grasp on what needs to be done for this game. Plus I have the past projects to help us if we need some other chunks of code that can help. Being familiar with this program definitely helps with getting this game done when it needs to be done. I can also explain how everything works in this program pretty well to help my team mates understand.
ReplyDeleteI know this is late. Sorry.
ReplyDeleteInform 7 is uniquely suited to the kind of game I am making because text-based games are different from ordinary games. Text based games involve more story development than graphical games. I like text based games because it is all about the story and not about the flash.
The challenges of Inform 7 include the fact that the programming language is so much like standard English that sometimes the grammar is a little weird. Certain things can only be done with certain formats of an interactive fiction engine.
There are three different types of interactive fiction game engines: Z machine 5, Z machine 8, and one other. The one I am using currently is the one I can't remember the name of. I am using it because it allows for larger size games and I am planning a large size game. There are certain features that I need to make my game work that aren't available on Z machine, which does not allow for any graphics at all. I don't know if I will use any graphics, but I would like to have the ability to do so if I choose.