What's different?In the games, the birds were flung using a slingshot by the player into green pigs to defeat them. It didn't really having a story line. In the movie, the birds spoke English, and there was an action story line. The pigs came in and stole the eggs, and the birds came up with a plan to get them back. What's similar?There don't seem to be a lot of things similar in the games and the movie. The only things were the goal of retrieving the eggs that were stolen and some of the characters involved in both sides. How well did they match the game?In my opinion, they did the best with what they had to work with. The game was only a level-style game where you passed levels in different stages, and you did that by controlling birds. That's all the game was. It'd be impossible to make it a good movie and have it follow the games precisely. ImprovementThey needed to include the slingshot. That is one of the main mechanics of the game is the slingshot. The birds didn't have any way of activating the slingshot, so the director could have included a machine of some sort that they used to sling them. My opinion compared to everyone else'sI went deeper into this movie, and found that my opinion of it being an OK movie was what others mostly felt about it as well. On IMDb, it scored a 6.3/10, meaning that it could be worse. It earned a 44% like rating on Rotten Tomatoes, where 152 reviews decided whether it was fresh (good) or rotten (bad), and 44% of the reviews were good. It earned a 43% on Metacritic, where the reviews were either really good or really bad. It was either "The movie is underrated" or "The movie was super bad." In Summary
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My portfolio of choiceAfter searching for about half an hour, the best I could find is the Autodesk Portfolio, as most portfolios I found seemed to specialize in Maya, no 3D Studio Max. The following picture is an example of a work by Shylesh S. K., and it is a 3x3 Rubik's Cube, similar to the one we made in class a couple weeks ago. S. K., Shylesh. “Rubik's Cube 3x3.” Autodesk Design Academy, Autodesk, Publication date unavailable, https://academy.autodesk.com/users/shivushylesh9gmailcom/portfolio. How it inspires meI can see that he used some sort of Skylight and lights on each face to have the colors pop out. He also has an effect or some modifier that causes a reflection as if it is on the ground glowing. That is really cool. I want to learn how to do things like that. I want to learn how to make my 3D models look realistic like this. Why I learn to model is to model real life situations for video games to make the game seem as realistic as possible. My example of workSo because my computer is the worst on the planet, I tried to download a 3D program, but it said it'd take 7 days to download.. It also has caused my computer some lag. So, I have decided to use my Rubik's Cube as a representation of the portfolio. How I will improve my skillsMy Rubik's Cube is no where near as good as Shylesh's. Not only does the background used by Shylesh fit the cube well, he also uses lights that project the colors of each side. I hope to be able to emulate him by improving my skills with light objects around the object, elements and principles of design, and light objects inside other objects (with the creation of street lamps, for example). I hope to move outside my comfort zone and discover new things in the realm of 3D Modeling. In Summary
First off, applying:When applying for a job, a potential employee sends in a résumé and a cover letter, explaining how he/she is qualified for the job. But, most employers in the games industry look for the art of the applicant. This is where the portfolio comes into play. The portfolio gives the employer an easy way of viewing the potential employee's skill set. If the employer is interested in the potential employee, they will call him/her in for an interview. After the interview, you send a follow-up letter, which is usually used to create a working relationship between the employer and potential employee. The Portfolio:The portfolio on this website is a horrible example of a good portfolio, but that's besides the point. A good portfolio shows off the skill set of the owner. When applying for a certain job, the overall theme of the potential employee's portfolio will shift to the job that he/she is applying to. For example, if Sharon McDonald (a completely made-up person) were to have 2D Art all over her portfolio, but applied for a job that saw her as a 3D Artist, her portfolio would start to shift to the theme of 3D. This is so the employer can see that she is fit in the field of 3D, not just 2D art. The importance of the PortfolioWhy is the portfolio important? Well, I'm glad you asked, randomly italicized text. Albert Shih from GameIndustry.Biz says that students should learn how to have "solid technical skills and... a good portfolio." The portfolio shows the employer that your skills fit the qualifications for the job. It can be hard to know what the employer wants to see, so people usually go off of what job they're applying for. In Summary:
What is this Roguelike Game?This is a game where you collect items like Food and Soda to keep your food count above 0. You must dodge enemies who will lower your food count when you are hit. You must reach an "Exit" sign to go to the next "day." You try to last the longest you can. You lose when your food count reaches 0. ImportanceAs I said in an earlier blog post, and according to Engines for Education, one of the best ways to learn to do something is by doing it. This is what we are doing here. To learn how to make a game, we are going to make a game. By doing this, we can learn what we do commonly that we shouldn’t do, and what we do well. We also learn, by doing this, how to make more complicated games. The hard part of Game DesignNow I know, "CHANCE!!! THE HARD PARTS ARE THE SAME AS THE EASY PARTS!!!" Here's my response: a. No. b. Some parts are easy, like typing. Now, that doesn't necessarily mean that you know how to code, just that you know how to type. So while making this game, I, and many of my classmates, have encountered unknown errors. Most of us have been able to figure it out, but I can't figure out how to fix mine. My box colliders on my walls don't want to work, so my character and my enemies both can just go straight through walls. It's a problem and I don't know how to fix it. 😢 In Summary
What is this game?This is Flappy Bird, a very famous game that came out for mobile on May 24, 2013. It's goal was for you to navigate your bird between pairs of green pipes. You had to go between as many pairs as possible, scoring a point per pair. The game is over when you hit a pipe or the ground. It had to be taken off the App Store and Google Play Store because it caused people to rage so much they broke their phones, tablets, and other things. What is different about my game?My game has a twist. In my game, you have to also navigate around spinning swords that are placed in between two pairs of columns. If you come in contact with those swords, you die, along with the same rule with the pipes. Why is this important?Not only does this put us in the shoes of game designers, but this also lets us learn how to code with physics, prefabs, components, etc. Also, we did Flappy Bird because it is a game we are all familiar with, so we know when there is something off with it. By adding our own twists, we learn how to code not using a tutorial. When making games in real life, we won't have tutorials to follow, so this is how we learn. In Summary
What is this game?I am building a 2D UFO Game. It consists of a UFO object that will collect little gold nuggets and the game is won when all gold nuggets are collected. Why is this important?According to Engines for Education, one of the best ways to learn to do something is by doing it. This is what we are doing here. To learn how to make a game, we are going to make a game. By doing this, we can learn what we do commonly that we shouldn’t do, and what we do perfectly. What will this do?This will put us into the shoes of game designers. We can see, as an individual, what the environment of a game designer is, and how tough it is to work in it. In Summary:
What is C#?According to Microsoft, "C# is an elegant and type-safe object-oriented language that enables developers to build a variety of secure and robust applications that run on the .NET Framework." C#, basically, is a very useful programming language created by Microsoft in 2000 (first appearing in .NET) that can get a lot of stuff done. What can we do with it?C# is very good with beginning game developers. It is very simple and straight-to-the-point. We will eventually be learning how to code our games with C#. We will eventually learn more complicated languages and make more complicated games, but for now, we're keeping it simple. Bradley Jones wrote a great article on "What C# Can Do For You." It explains how "C# is simple... object-oriented... and flexible." How are we using it?We are learning how to use C# in class. We are using Unity and Visual Studio to learn. We are creating simple actions, like printing something into the console, or adding numbers, etc. These are very simple tasks, but require a lot of code to do. The point of this is to be able to add printed words and numbers into our game (dialogue, level numbers, etc.). This is code for an array. This is more specifically a high scores table. This code allows me to insert numbers into Unity to represent each of the 10 scores. This specific code will find the average of the top 10 scores. It will then print that into the console as "The average score of the Top 10 scorers is ______." In summary
What is Papers, Please?Papers, Please is a game made by Lucas Pope. It is about a character (you) who was picked by the Arstotska October Labor Lottery to work as border patrol. Your job is to allow or deny people access to Arstotska based on the information they give you. GameplayYou start out with only passports. As the game goes on, it gets more complicated. At the end of the game, you have about 10 documents to sort through and find discrepancies. If you let someone through who has a discrepancy, you get a citation. You get two citations as a warning, but after that, you are fined for each discrepancy after that. You are paid after each day of work. Fines are taken out of your paycheck. You must feed your family and have heat. If you ever run out of money, you lose. But, there is a group in the game that tries to bribe you to let their people in. If you are caught with bribes, you lose. Once the game ends, you get a password to the "endless modes," where you can go until you get a citation or you could go until you reach a certain amount of correct entrants. What do I get from it?Yes, I know. It is a silly game. There is, for example, a man who will never come in with the right stuff. He will always try to bribe you, or convince you to let him in. That's a silly thought. But, this does let the player see how hard it is to be a member of border patrol on any country. There are certain instances where people's papers are not right, but they have to come in "for a funeral," or "to see [their] son for the first time in 40 years." Because it's a game, we don't feel bad. In real life, if this were to ever happen, we would feel bad, because you just kept a mother from seeing her son. Is it a good game?Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. One Million times yes. It is an amazing game. The gameplay is amazing, the educational part opens eyes to the difficulty of this occupation. It is $9.99, and I suggest that you get it. The aspect of being able to step into the shoes of one of these workers, to see how hard it is to deny access to ones who need to see family, is eye-opening.
My TroopI am a part of BSA Troop 461. We meet every Tuesday at Epworth United Methodist Church. We do Merit Badges, Scout Skills, and Fun sessions (we would go to Sky Zone, Triangle Rock Climb, and other places like that). I have a lot of fun in this troop, and I don't plan to leave until I am forced out by age (after 18). I plan to become Eagle by my Senior Year in High School, but I have one more year after that to get it, as I will only be 17 when I graduate. How I let it connect to schoolAt the beginning of every meeting, we say the Pledge of Allegiance, Scout Oath, Scout Law, and Outdoor Code. I will only focus on the Scout Oath and Law. The Scout Oath goes as followed: "On my honor, I will do my best, to do my duty, to God and my country, to obey the scout law, to be helpful at all times, to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight." I try to follow this oath not only at scout meetings, but in public. I eat healthily, get plenty of rest, and I try to help the world out the best I can. We also say the Scout Law which is: "A scout is Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean, and Reverent." We try to live these 12 adjectives as best we can, without trying to stop. I use these in school, whether it is in class, with friends, or with others. I strive to make myself the best person I could possibly be. The Game Design Merit BadgeTo obtain the all wanted Eagle Rank, I have to obtain 21 merit badges. 13 of those are listed as "Eagle Required," but that does not fit the bill. The Game Design Merit Badge is my way of getting work done outside of class to enhance my game design knowledge, while knocking out one of these 8 badges needed for Eagle.
What is Dynamic Simulation?According to Wikipedia, Dynamic Simulation is “the use of a computer program to model the time varying behavior of a system.” Basically, it is making models into realistic objects that have a ragdoll effect to them (they move when they are hit, or they move things when they hit them). Why is it important?When making games, the usual goal is to make things seem as realistic as possible. Before starting Dynamic Simulation, when we tried to make objects hit each other, the objects went through each other. This is definetly not what happens in real life, unless there is something seriously wrong. According to Time Magazine’s interview with Tommy Francois, a world-renowned game designer known for his hyper-realistic graphics, “The trick to a successful final product is to seamlessly build a world while balancing the details with the game mechanics.” Game mechanics are there to make games seem realistic, while bending the boundaries to add to the core of the game. So the main goal for most games is to make them seem as realistic as possible. Dynamic Simulation aids in that by giving objects realistic movement. My Example of Dynamic SimulationMy example of Dynamic Simulation was made in 3D Studio Max. I made 2 cars and 3 cynlinders for each car to take out. I made each car a Kinematic Rigid Body, and each cylinder a Dynamic Rigid Body. Then, after I had the cars take out the cylinders, I had the cars drive through a wall with bricks that are each Dynamic Rigid Bodies. To help take out the wall, I have a wrecking ball that is a Static Rigid Body. In Summary
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AuthorI am Chance Gildart. I am a Junior in Digital Design and Animation II at DSA. Categories
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DisclaimerThe views and opinions expressed in this blog are solely those of the author and do not represent those of Durham School of the Arts or Durham Public Schools.
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