I have changed my blog interface after a long 6 years using the past blog interface.
In addition, the changing of interface also implies that I am going to start providing new content for you guys! Yes, some of you have guessed it correctly. The new content shall be on a much broader topic; Interactive Media Development.
Its been two years since I started my course in School of Art, Design and Media, Nanyang Technological University. I have learnt quite alot. So that is why I will be blogging about topics such as web designing, flash actionscripting, maxmsp (for those who heard of it) and many many more. I wish to share this knowledge with you hoping you get something out of it. I have two years remaining before I graduate. I know I still got much more things to learn from alot of people. As the saying goes, “Life is lifelong process of learning”. In order to have an enriching life, just keep on learning!
Once again, thanks for coming to my blog. I will keep you people updated. Till then! Have a nice day ahead!
As everyone knows, the whole world is in a recession. In order for it to be cured, we must go to its roots to solve the main problem causing the whole recession. So that is what Mr. Robert Kiyosaki, best selling author of Rich Dad Poor Dad, is offering the FREE ONLINE BOOK for everyone to read about the causes of today’s recession!
For the americans, please tighten your seat belts and get ready for the truth that you might have missed out since you graduated from your schools or maybe earlier.
For everyone else, please take a look at this book since its free. And what’s written inside affects everyone in the world because the book talks about financial education, money and the government.
No offense intended. I just wanted to lend a helping hand for someone who wants to reach out to the people by offering information that i considered HIGHLY VALUED for FREE!
Last but not least again, please read the Conspiracy of The Rich!
Below is a conceptual mini game which I have personally created.
It is to illustrate turning an Ice Cream Stick into an Ice Cream Cone.
It is a game which I have completed using ActionScript 2.0, within 15 hours.
Many of you might be thinking, “What? Such a tiny mini game took you 15 HOURS? Lousy!”
Let me briefly explain the reason for the length of time taken.
Within the 15 hours, here’s a list of things I’ve done:
- Conceptualization
- Graphic Design
- Programming
- Documentation (Commenting Codings)
- Testing and Debugging
Out of the things I have done, testing and debugging took the longest time.
Well, making a game aren’t that hard but, its not that easy too.
But the good thing is, after you finished one game, there’s a high chance that you might be able to re-use the codings you have programmed! Some examples of the codes you can re-use are the movement of the character and collision detection. So with each game you do, the next one will definitely be faster and of course, easier.
It will take a longer time like the game above if you start creating your game from scratch. That’s the reason why prototypes are essential.
from now on in this period of time, I will start posting examples of sketches.
It simply consists of examples of how I learn.
Here is a sketch of a Master’s Drawing I have copied from Leonardo da Vinci’s The Wonder of Sight.
Take note of both the negative and positive spaces used in this drawing; the main parts are the hair and face. Once again, it is important to observe and feel the form when you are drawing. After you acquired the feel of basic form, you will be able to draw more accurately and proportionately with your imagination. Practice makes perfect.
Side Note: A word of caution; sketches and copies of someone else’s works are for learning sake. It should have nothing to do with commercial gains. I uploaded the images in hope that you learn from them.
It’s very important to note that when you are using (or showing) something that do not belong to you, it is only right to give credit to the owner(s) of the works.
These are some ways of how I pick up drawing. I hope you learnt something. =)
When you are playing games, do you often wonder how the graphic artists were able to draw such awesome illustrations?
It all starts by practicing.
So how do you begin?
With Internet, you can simply search for figures and start drawing them your way. Begin with full body portraits. The idea is to feel the form.
Below are two of the fast sketches I did.
One thing to take note here is, I drew both of the above with pen. It is a way of building confidence in drawing. You can’t erase drawings you drew by pen unlike drawing with pencil. It is to build confidence and realize that every stroke matters.
Start drawing with pen. It helps.
Remember, whatever you do, practice makes perfect.
Sorry, I’ve been busy these past two months with projects and stuffs. That’s the reason why I haven’t been blogging till now.
Self-reflection is needed to progress further in life, at least for me. So I took the two months, not only busy with projects, but also to reflect about what I did for the past few months and renew myself upon finding answers to questions that came into my mind. I have learnt much. =)
Ahem, well today my topic is not about self reflection though, its about the presents for RPG Fans out there that I’m going to give to you this Christmas season!
If you read my blog few months back, titled “Make Your Very Own Games“, I introduced to you people about GameMakers. It is a software that allows you to make your own games with greater ease, providing you with the relevant tools needed for making games.
Now for those who love playing or making your own Role-Playing Games (RPG), here’s the great news! We have the RPG makers for you! With tools like these, making RPG is like never before! Default tools will be ready for you in making games, especially role playing games!
For starters, you might want to download the software(s) available at RPG Revolution. Whether you are a novice or an expert in game making, such softwares give you another view of creating your very own RPG. It is a whole new experience!
Stay tuned for more updates! I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! =)
Have you ever wonder how to start making action games?
Well, now you have no worries. I’m going to share with you how to start making an action game by creating simple animation. All you need to do is to draw a few keyframes and your character will be able to move!
Like anything you do when you start learning, start small. Create simple characters before even making an attempt to make complex figures. You wouldn’t want to feel frustrated not having to accomplish the ones you started off with. So start small.
Its just like investing. Invest the time to create simple characters and understand the logic used to animate characters before doing complicated figures. Investing called that, “get inside the shallow waters and have your feet wet first before going into the deep pool which you might just get washed away by the big wave.” In this case, complicated figures might just be the deep pool which you have to first learn how to swim to survive there.
Here’s a simple of the character animation which I have created.
Take note of the frames used. It is the key movements of the character that has been drawn.The character is drawn using simple geometric shapes. That alone can be done in quite a short period of time. However, do remember that an action game does not only involve drawing one object or one character. It requires lots of graphics and animation to make the whole game intriguing. If you try putting the key frames of the character above altogether, it will animate just as good though not as smooth.
Below is a series of animation frame samples:
Remember to start small by creating simple character animation before attempting to create complex ones!
Action games are all about interactions! After you have created the animations, making them interact with one another is another sharing lesson which I will touch on later. So stay tuned!
I believe people nowadays are all talking about the global financial crisis which has been going on since the credit crunch in September. Markets are extremely volatile these few weeks. Most investors are coming on the sidelines and the countries announcing bailout plans all over the world. This is getting frightening for most people. However, if you have read the news, a very experienced investor by the name of Warren Buffett entered the stock market while the rest prefers to take a back seat. As usual his buying decision is always based upon this line, “When others are greedy, be fearful and when others are fearful, be greedy.” Well, if you look at the situation right now, people are indeed becoming increasingly fearful. This economic crisis is by far the most serious one since the great depression in the 1930s. Not a single one is confident to say when it will end. However there’s one thing for certain; the economy will be taking quite a long time to recover this turn round.
Well, passionate people which are into the things they do will surely stick to it regardless of the economic situation (as long as there’s food and shelter). So do game developers! Researches and developments will carry on as usual! I will also keep you updated too. Stay tuned!
If you are considering working on a Game Project with a team, you definitely have to come up with a set of documentations to begin with.
The documentation will contain everything about the game project that you want to work on. It is a document that will turn your concept into creation. So what do you need to have in your Game Development Document?
A Game Development (or Design) Document , often called GDD, will contain all the information in order for you to create the game which you want to. A successful GDD is when someone understands how to create the game solely by reading the documentation.
Storyline (Narrative), Graphic Design (Art Direction), Programming logics (Psuedocode) and of course, Soundscape description are the main elements that must be contained within the documentation itself. I shall briefly touch on them one by one.
The storyline is basically how the story goes in your game. For example, it can be a story that involves the main character travelling round the world collecting items while in search of the lost treasure. Another example is a group of characters saving the world by going on a journey to defeat the evil empire. The storyline must be stated clearly in your document; the era it begins, how the character ends up in the story etc. The storyline can act as an introduction on how your gameplay will be like. It also serves as an aiding tool that determine the Graphics and Sound to be used.
Graphics design is how your game will look like. Basically, its the art direction in which your game will move.Graphic design can consists of stage design, character design, map design and so on. Different elements will be needed for different game concepts.
Programming logic consists of the entire game logic your game will be run based on; the game engine in short. It can consists of battle system logic, map movement logic, menu logic and for some games, puzzle logic might be required as well.
Sound largely determines how your game will feel like to the people playing them. Horror music hint scary scenes. Happy music feels comforting to certain people while some music can make others anxious. There’re many different kinds of music out in the market that hint different emotions. That is why sound plays quite an important role in games.
