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Inspired By

David Jaffe, the outspoken creator of the God of War and Twisted Metal franchises, but more importantly (at least in my opinion) Calling All Cars for PSN (PlayStation Network). His decision to leave the major retail releases and focus on the expanding downloadable casual game market caught my eye and I've been following Eat, Sleep, Play's development since.

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Sunday
03Jan2010

Android SDK install = the DaVinci Fail

DateSunday, January 3, 2010 at 1:36AM

As developers we've all heard about how open source product design is superior to the closed development model (a.k.a. Google versus Microsoft). Personally I lean much farther on this debate towards the closed source model; I find the benefits of having the support and QA tested products that the closed source model provides outweigh the cons.

Well anyways I've been working on installing the necessary files to start programming on my handy-dandy Android Phone for the last couple of weeks. And to put it lightly it hasn't been the peachy keen experience that you'd imagine.

Actually its been a horrible soul sucking experience that has almost, almost, turned me off completely from the idea of programming on the Android platform. What in the heck could go so impossibly wrong with something that should be so simple? Well let’s take a look at the steps needed to begin programming on the Android OS...

1) Install Java

2) Install a supported programming environment

3) Install Android SDK

That doesn't seem too hard; well at least not till you give it a shot, here’s what it actually took...

 

1) Install Java

First installation task, first draconian fail. I wen't to the Java download page via the power of Google and tried installing, aaaannndd my computer crashed.

Weird that shouldn't happen...

So a couple of minutes later and I'm back in Windows explorer, I click install aaannndd then CRASH.

Now my blood pressure is starting to boil a little, I by no means have a slow computer but it still takes a few minutes to be restarted so this is quite annoying. This time I gave it another try (I'm a glutton for punishment I know), I click install aaaaannnndd it works!

At this point I'm a bit befuddled, so I go to the Java page to check if it has indeed been installed properly and I'm kindly imformed by their website that it hasn't. At this point I'm starting to get pissed so I hurry over to my Google search bar and furiously look through the web until I found a message board poster having the same problem.

The solution? Install Windows 7 or downgrade to XP.

Well it just so happened that I had recieved Windows 7 from Jacksonville University as part of their Academic Alliance with Microsoft. Highly convenient but this situation is still irksome. So I backup my work and install the latest and greatest, now Java installs without a hitch.

 

 2) Restart Your Computer

  K'.

 

3) Install a supported programming environment

Turns out you can't simply use Microsoft Visual Studio to work on Android, that would be too easy, instead the Android FAQ's lists a few different open source development environments for you to Google and download.

Out of the few that are listed there is only one "right" answer. How would you find this out? If you guessed "Google which ones are still supported or in use" then your correct! And luckily this leaves only the Eclipse IDE as the only sound choice. Amazing work Google, why not just let everyone know off the bat that they should download Eclipse?

Well after you've figured out which IDE you need its time to go hunting for the respective download page and take a gander. Lo’ and behold you’ve got a plethora of options for Eclipse. What’s going on here? Which version of Eclipse needs to be installed? Common sense dictates to download Eclipse for Java since I just installed the Java environment in the previous step. But there is Eclipse EE for Java Developers and Eclipse for Java Developers.

Huh.

 Well after some more research I found that if you want to program on the Android platform you'll need Eclipse for Java Developers. How would anyone figure this out the first time? Through trial and error? Thanks Google that’s just swell.

By the way the Eclipse folder that you download from their site has to be placed (by you) on your C drive. Unconventional much? Why not just make a Install package that the end user downloads that takes care of this? Come on seriously?

 

4) Restart Your Computer

  Again? Well okay...

 

5) Install Android SDK

 Okay after that frustration all we have to do is install the Android SDK on top of Eclipse, so we Google “Android SDK” and get to the download page and grab the corresponding version (Windows 32bit). I then noticed that there is one more step awaiting me below the download link. So in reality this is a four step solution to programming on Android.

But before we get the aformentioned next step I had to install the SDK that I just downloaded, this was actually a painless process, huzzah!

 

6) Restart Your Computer

  Derrick Barra is getting tired of this...

 

7) Install the Android ADT Plug-in for Eclipse

The instructions for this are simple, you copy down a URL linked to on the Android installation guide and paste it on a menu option inside of Eclipse. Oh, too bad Google doesn't tell you to remove the "S" from the HTTP in the given URL since Eclipse goes bananas when you plug-in a address with a security protocol attached to it (HTTPS has security and HTTP is the standard URL transfer protocol we use every day). It took a good few minutes of Googl'ing this issue to find out what was going on. Bad Google Bad!

 

8) Restart Your Computer

 Are we there yet?

 

9) Start Programming

Assuming your Java and XML is pretty good programming in Eclipse isn't that unusual, its interface is a labyrinthy mess of options and windows that makes me long for Unity or Visual Studio, but it’s at least functional.

--------

Come on now, were all those headaches necessary? Every other IDE that I've used has been a pleasure with a simple one click install, this is the first time that I've actually wanted to punch a Koala in the gut for something so elementary, and to think this was just the install process...

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Sunday
13Dec2009

Fall 2009 Artwork Showcase

DateSunday, December 13, 2009 at 12:55PM

Two more to go! I've been hard at work completing my final projects for Jacksonville University and I've decided to share with you guys my favorite pieces of art that I made this semester.

3D Modeling

He's Zero from the Game Boy Advance series Megaman Zero. Probably the hardest GBA games in existence, it is also one of my favorites from that generation.

Zero is the cream of the crop, the hardest most frustrating character I created this semester; and as you would expect he was also the most rewarding to finish. His entire body took roughly two weeks, while it took another two just for his head!

For you modelers out there, he's created with polygons (I used cylinders), and he's completely UV mapped (not texture mapped however, I used a combination of Lamberts and other stock Maya materials to give him the glow effects of his hair and the illusion of the head crystal being see-through.

Now I haven't gotten the opportunity to weight-paint or rig this character yet. If the opportunity arrises I'll complete those two tasks during the winter break.

For reference on this character I used the official Megaman Zero modeling sheet that I found while scurrying around on the internet...

I had to edit this sheet before using it as my reference, but here's the original.

The rest of my 3D modeling work is available on youtube, click here to view a playlist containing the models from this semester.

2D Typographical Art

Illustrator crashed roughly four times while making this image.

This semester I took a course in typographical art, meaning art that is creating solely with letterforms. This piece above is created solely with the letters "V" and "Y", its a fully tileable image that could be used in a wallpaper or as a Christmastime wrapping paper.

While fun, creating this piece was an excercise in fighting against the computers inherent need to crash whenever something CPU intensive was happening. This snowflake tile took roughly 300 objects to make, something that the iMacs that we use in the art labs at Jacksonville University were quick to remind me of.

Still this is my favorite piece of 2D art that I made in that class, As usual I've uploaded the rest of my artwork from that class onto Flickr. Click here to take a quick look.

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Thursday
01Oct2009

Game Design For The Mentally Handicapped

DateThursday, October 1, 2009 at 8:52PM

Over the last few weeks I've been scouring the web looking for video games design theory based around the concept of designing for the mentally handicapped. Unfortunately my search has turned up empty, it would seem that the mentally handicapped are too small a demographic for any conventional companies to take notice, or that the restrictions on design would be too tough for a team to put the effort. It’s probably a mixture of both.

So why the sudden interest in a subject that seems largely unexplored with a high risk of failure? Turns out one of my computer science classes (project management [CS 365]) is looking for a project to work on for the Spring semester; originally we thought about making an Xbox Live Indie game (Our classroom computers are outfitted with XNA, which makes Indie game development streamlined), but that type of self-indulgent program wouldn't land us any community service credit hours, which are necessary for each student to achieve before graduation.

Now my professor has brought this new concept to the table; design a game for a group of mentally handicapped individuals with various IQ and physical disparities that range from kindergarten levels of intelligence to blindness and autism. Although we would be developing under the aforementioned restrictions we would have full control over everything else in the game design process (although obviously the team would have that anyway when designing an Indie game).

Personally I'm stoked to be working in any development environment, no matter what potential pitfalls there are, simply to practice my development skills. I am worried about the rest of my teammates however; according to my professor they have shown signs of disinterest in this project, and possibly even disdain. Now as any good producer knows running a ship filled with a crew that would rather stay onshore is a suicide mission. Which is why the development team and will be meeting in class tomorrow to discuss our individual feelings on the project and what course of action we should take.

I'll be playing the role of devil’s advocate in tomorrow’s proceedings, trying to open up the teams minds up to the possibilities available to us no matter what way they decide to push forward. Hopefully the team will come to an understanding regardless of our final decision.

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Monday
31Aug2009

Spearheading new website for JU as Project Lead

DateMonday, August 31, 2009 at 12:04AM

The start of each semester at Jacksonville University brings with it a unique set of opportunities to develop exciting applications and projects.

This semester I'll be working on the Jacksonville University Graywater Irrigation Initiative as the head of art and website development. Now of course this isn't my usual caveat of video game flavored production but its good practice for FIEA. The teamates that are working with me for this project will be a traditional 2D artist and one other web developer.

And of course I'll be putting my project management skills to good use keeping the team on track to hit our milestones, I might give Microsoft Project a chance for this one and set everything up through that.

Anyone that is in the business of developing websites can tell you that a project of this scope could be completed in just under two weeks with the proper conditions. But since I will only have one hour each week to meet personally with the project staff it's going to be a slow, controlled development cycle instead of the rapid development you would see with a scrum approach.

So for my next scheduled meeting I'll be presenting a basic outline for what needs to be accomplished, by when, how they can be achieved, and potential pitfalls. I'll also get started on some preliminary UI discussion with the other development staff, although I imagine most of the UI will be designed once we've established a proper icon and theme for the project.

More on it as it happens!

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Sunday
30Aug2009

Scrum Certification comes to Jacksonville

DateSunday, August 30, 2009 at 12:44AM

Scrum flow chart

It's about time northern Florida recieved its very own Scrum master certification! This two day course will be taking place from October 12-13 in the University of Pheonix. It's unfortunant that the cost is so high, ($1,100 per person) since I would be totally stocked to recieve my certification this early into my education.

For those that aren't fluent in producer speak Scrum is a set of ideas on how to properly manage a teams time to stay the most productive. Since most projects have different aspects being developed simutaneously (Agile project management) instead of one step at a time (old-school waterfall approach) there are many opportunities for mistakes to occur when mismanaged. Scrum is a set of techniques that can be applied to any small team effort, where the task at hand is seperated into a sprint that will last two weeks and split again into smaller managable tasks that improve visibility and keep morale high. That coupled daily meetings and weekly retrospectives keep the team on task and on schedule.

I'm sure I'll be taking the Scrum certification sometime down the road, I wish I had the funding to take it this year though!

Anyone else thats interested can find more details through the Winnow Management homepage.

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