Well, that does it.  I’m done teaching, which means I’ll be focusing on game development for a good while.  The Riot Digital compo deadline is right around the corner (two weeks).  GigaSun Jet is flying along now, with the main gameplay just a couple of edits away from being finished.  Now I’ll have to get the story, missions, ship component list, sound, and finalized menus in there.  Can I do it before the deadline?  Of course.  Can I make it good enough to submit?  We shall see.  I’m not going to be upset if I miss out on the competition, because this game has been a long time in coming and I’m proud to see it to the end.

Ah, lots has happened since the last update.  There was Ludum Dare #20, for which I made a pretty fun little puzzle platformer.  I ended up not submitting it because I didn’t have any real levels created.  I worked on it for a little while longer, but it’s on the back burner for now.  I’ll release some small version of it soon because it really is fun.  The best part of making it is that I got to get used to the new Box2D API.  It’s really very nice!  With a good feel for Box2D, a lot of game possibilities open up.

The biggest thing I’ve been working on is GigaSun Jet.  I’ve stripped down the design so that it will actually get done.  The basic component and upgrade mechanics are finally somewhat settled, which is a huge deal for getting the shop screen made.  A possible story has been written and other important design decisions were made.  Notably, I’m going to try to get something ready for the Riot Digital competition, which means building this game for the Pandora!

There are some other big real life changes occuring, too, but I’ll wait on discussing those…  See ya!

With my first bit of solid free time for a few months, I’ve packed up a demo for GigaSun Jet!  It’s still in the programmer art phase and I chopped out some unfinished features so the demo would be simplified.  Check it out on the GigaSun Jet page!

Whew!  Lots going on lately, but not much on the programming side.  My new teaching career is going well.  It’s tough making all of my curriculum, but I’m past the halfway point for the physics class I teach.  One of the small games I was working on at Muzzy Lane was released.  I would have liked to polish it up more, but you can find it at the ClearLab Project page.  Ahh!  It’s turkey time!!

There goes Ludum Dare #18.  That was fun!  In all, it was another good experience and I got another good game out of it.

The theme was “Enemies As Weapons”, which, incidentally, I suggested!  It’s like I’m a winner before the compo is even over (or something pointlessly motivational like that).  But…  It still took me as long as usual to choose a game concept.

I actually got to help organize and attend an LD Meetup.  We dubbed it the New England Ludum Dare Meetup.  I even took a video!  It was great to get to meet guys on the same wavelength.  We’re already expecting a few more people next time.

Anyhow, on to my game…  I wrote a game called “Fire, fire, where you are, I’m going to fight you with a fire department” (name given by my 4 year old daughter).  The shortest I dare make it without losing the preschool flavor is “Fire, Fire, Where You Are”.  You play as a firefighter burning away grass (fire fuel) before a wildfire comes.  I really think this game is up there near the top of my list.  I’m surprised by how well the fire turned out and that it doesn’t slow down my computer.  The patterns in the burnt terrain are often very convincing.  I can’t wait to see the voting results!

In other news, today is my last day at my summer job.  Perhaps I didn’t tell you, O Internet, that I got a Master’s degree and fled the graduate student scene right quick.  I’ve been at a nearby indie game company, making a couple of science games.  It has been pretty good and I truly got my foot into the game industry’s door.  However, I was offered a job to teach physics at a local high school, so that’s where I’m heading tomorrow!  I’m really excited about it for several reasons, not the least of which is that the standards-free curriculum is almost entirely up to me!  I hope to really get them ready for college-level science and help them understand how a knowledge of physics can help them in any career.

Wish me luck in LD and real life!  See ya around.

Ludum Dare 15 is over!  That makes another game on this site. In “Knight of the Cave Dragon”, you play Sir Camus, a knight on a quest to slay a dragon.  If that’s not original enough, then consider this:  The dragon lives in a cave!  Anyhow, it has some fun elements having to do with light and darkness.  No full page yet, so you can grab the LD version as linked from the LD page, or get the latest version here.

Hey, another Ludum Dare over the weekend.  The theme was Advancing Wall of Doom…  48 hours and here’s my game (Slugs v Salt).

I’m happy with what I accomplished. It is a fine start to what could be a very good game in the future.

I participated in the Mini Ludum Dare (#7) competition over the weekend.  The theme was Cryptozoology.  Check out my game (Frank the Dinosaur)!  It’s a great demonstration of both Sprig and NFont hard at work!

Here’s a complete example of how to write a platformer video game like Super Mario Bros.  It covers the basics:  A character under the influence of gravity and flat platforms to jump on.  If you’ve always wanted to make a game like this but you don’t know where to start, then this is your chance!