Friday, July 22, 2016

Game Design, Its so easy, everyone can do it.

I read a game design article that said if you want to be a game designer then do it! Yes, that is right just do it. Anyone can be a game designer. If you have an idea and you think it could be worth putting out there then do it. Lots of people have made apps that have been download by thousands. So what makes a good game? What will sell or be a popular download? There's actually a lot and a little that goes into designing a game. Just take the mobile game 'Floppy Bird' for instance. It is an easy game to play but it is annoying at best. It was a good game I guess. it had a ton of downloads. People downloaded it because it was annoying or people saying it was a bad game.

So How come more people don't make their own games? Simple (for me anyways) it can be time-consuming, it can require multiple people to work on the game, it could cost resources that you don't have, & et cetera et cetera. However, there are many who brave the waters and create their own games. There are some who wish to be immortalized in the game hall of fame or what they consider it to be.

When you think about it, most people are players with variations on how they would like a game to be or just want to make the most awesome game ever. They technically would prefer to create the game without the hassle of making it. At least I would anyway.

Since we want to create games how do you start?

There are so many moving parts to games. Literally there is the idea, the artwork, programming and so much more stuff I am sure that I am missing. With that being said my first plan of action is to Brainstorm and work it out. That's right. get the idea out/ Make sure you put it down and work from there. Get the idea out and working on it. No matter what it is. Secondly, start to learn or develop gameplay aspects. Get more detailed. Expand on what your idea is. Then when it comes to production your can get into either hiring help, having friends work on the project with you or just DIY it if you are creatively inclined to do so. After all what's a game but a finished concept.

Friday, July 15, 2016

Basic Troubleshooting goes a long way

Computers are not simple machines. They can be programmed to accomplish varies and vast task. There are computers for simple computation, servers, home PCs and so forth. Computers can be a pain in the ass if you don't know how to operate them or at least know the basics. There is always a lot of "User Error" that tends to occur. We think we know how to do something then mess something up to the high heavens because we weren't careful. ( I have done it plenty.) Trial in error sometimes isn't the best way to achieves one task. You don't just simply start clicking just because you think that will work.

To be fair most of the issues we have happen and will happen because we simply didn’t read before clicking or because we have no desire to actually find the problem and address it. I mean really, did you even check to see if the power was on or if it was plugged in at all…? I have gotten countless calls stating the computer is "broken" only to find that the power has been knocked out of the socket or because the person simply didn't press the power button itself.

Before you call and curse out the Helpdesk or Local IT person for whatever reason you think you are justified in doing so, Do some of the basics.

  1. Check to see if the power is on. 
  2. Read any errors and take a picture if you have to 
  3. Restart start your computer.
  4. And for the love of all that is holy in the world, be nice to the person you are calling for help, after all you probably screwed something up!

Wednesday, July 13, 2016

Pokemon Go!

Everybody is playing Pokemon Go! Well almost everybody I know.

If you have an smartphone you may be playing this game. Come on you said you downloaded for your kids but you are really downloading for yourself to play when their not watching. Don't worry no one is judging. It is actually beneficial for some of the people like myself who exercise but not a lot and need some motivation to get away from the computer for awhile. Why is this game so popular? Its like it came out of nowhere right? Absolutely wrong, Pokemon had been around for quite sometime. It was a game of my youth and hell even my adulthood. Not even going to lie. I was just playing Pokemon Omega Red on my 3ds a few days ago. It's a fun game. that is it. It's like a scavenger hunt just with weirdly named animals.

Here's my deal, though, I never purchase/download a game when it is first released. I just don't I usually wait a couple days or weeks just to make sure they have worked out some of the kinks that may not have been worked out in testing. I noticed when I went online about it, the game had a ton of server crash articles, rural error unavaliable issues, and sign up issues in general. I haven't had any of these issues with this game at all. I do live in a major city in the U.S. so that maybe helpful. The ratings right now in the app store are very mediocre right now but I would assume that would change once the issues have been corrected.

This reminds me of the Wii Sports games that were fun to play but didn't play all that often. I would assume this could turn out the same way but so far no complaints here.

Friday, July 8, 2016

LAN Gaming Centers

Recently I encountered an issue with my current laptop where I was unable to run my Steam games. The CPU and GPU were running so slow the fps looked as if I were staring at a picture every few seconds. Needless to say no gaming was going on with that laptop. I really contemplated my options and settled on the fact that I didn't have the money to upgrade at this time. I did a quick Google search online to see if there was a local place to game. Turns out there are a few places close by.

The first place I checked out was Red Branch Gaming located in Columbia, MD. Immediately walking in, the owner greeted me, very cool and laid back guy. He set me up with an account. Apparently they are using SmartLaunch. This brand has one of the best ideas in the industry. Have a system that will monitor the time and content on your PCs and gaming systems. Also provided POS functionality to your sales. The look and feel of the place is similar to a very awesome computer lab. It has a dark interior. About 30 separate stations. I went during one of the slower times of the day so not many people was there. After picking a spot I logged into the account with the username and password, selected my game of choice ( They have a large selection of games by the way) and played. I spent about an hour or so playing with out interruption.

The music playing in the background was current as well as loud. Not to loud that you couldn't hear yourself or others but loud enough so you aren't focusing on the other people there. The owner was kind enough to give me a freebie gaming hour since it was my first time there. This spot was worth the time and the pricing wasn't bad either. 


This got me thinking, were there any other LAN centers still open that many people frequent? I think I was a bit delusional to think that they weren't still in existence based off the fact that many people have consoles readily available in there homes. Being as though I am a bit of an introvert the environment is awesome, some socializing and gaming 2 for 1 deal here. 

During the next couple of months I will be seeing what other LAN gaming centers have to offer and hopefully get an awesome experience out of it.


More Shots Fired

I couldn't bring myself to write and post without first internally processing it. With all of the current shootings that have happened within these past few weeks as well as a couple of years, I would first like to give my condolences to the families that have been directly affected. I would not wish anyone to go through the heartbreak that has befallen the families involved. Lives have been lost that can not be returned. #PhilandoCastile #AltsonSterling

Our society today can't seem to grasp the concept of a life. With the invention of the camera phone, we have seen many incidents occur that we generally wouldn't hear about at all if it was recorded. Live streaming has been used as a tool to paint a story of the truth or a portion thereof. I have unfortunately heard many say if he would have complied he would be alive. Well, unfortunately, the young man who was legally abiding the law died anyway. What kind of message is that? Philando Castile lost his life while being a law-abiding citizen of the United States. Complying with all the orders given to him. Now, what?

There have been too many deaths by those who have sworn to protect. Of course, we are not stupid, we know that mistakes can and will happen after all they are human too. Please don't get me wrong as I believe if you commit a crime you should be held accountable for said crime just not an outright execution and slaughter in the media. However, we can not sit back and think that all of the shootings that have occurred are justified. How can there be law and order without justice? How many of these fatal 'mistakes' lead to coverup and denial? I for one don't have the answers to all the many questions we have but I sure as shit don't want to be the next question either. Trust is out of the window for many and little trust is given for the rest. Even the good will suffer the consequences of the bad.

We have seen too many deaths within our communities by our own.  It feels as if on a daily basis there is someone else losing their life to senseless violence/crimes. This warrants a conversation. We can't be on the sidelines while our own destroys us from the inside. How do we change this? Where do we start? There is much to be done and many to do it. 

Where are our champions that will stand for the injustices that have plagued our people in this nations for centuries? Slavery didn't just stop with the signing of a piece of paper to give our ancestors their freedom nor did it stop when the Civil Rights movement was in full swing. We Clearly see the new age Lynchings that are occurring on an everyday basis. Living in a constate of fear is no way to live at all. Just protesting and removing the black dollar from the economy is not enough to push our country into doing what is right. Support is necessary more than ever now. We either stand for each other or brace for what comes alone. No one will win that way.

We always say "if we don't learn from our past we are doomed to repeat it." What if that past that we are reliving isn't due to us not learning but rather us being stuck in a cycle of repetition by force? What then? 

#MoreShotsFired