3 Weeks until 10 days of rest...

I see the light at the end of the tunnel and it's getting brighter...

I have 3 more weeks to go in this semester of school and I'm looking to win this round and head into my last semester. After the 3 weeks, I'm granted a 10 day break between semesters. Not much time but it's better than just 7. I have a huge courseload oncoming and it's going to be a bit hectic, this is the semester that I have to pull it out and make sure I'm motivated to see this through.

Anyhoo, I need to start updating my cheap webspace and learning PHP because I think I've convinced myself to start uploading project releases. As crappy as I think they are, I knew going into programming that my first ten games were going to suck (it's only natural). But it's time to start the marketing machine on me.

In other news, I've decided wisely to do something I've long pondered and now feel confident to do. I am going to remake a cult classic SNES/GENESIS game that me and my friend used to play constantly. I think I can bring this game up to date in 2D graphics, polish it and add some features that would only be available on PC. Right now I'm just sketching ideas, and I'm serious as to undertaking this project. Hell I'd get a kick out of it if there was just enough players to host the full multiplayer requirement on it.

I'm going to make this one short and sweet, 2:11 am and I want my rest. I've been working hard and I deserve it. There will be more ramblings of me sometime soon, so have no fear ;).

Until then, catch you on the next time the back buffer gets flipped to the front.

Hello? Is There Anybody In There?

Just nod if you can hear me...

It's, wow 6:34 AM and I decided I could spare some time and update the ol' Blog. :)

I've been up coding pretty much all night with a few moderate breaks, and I'm one slow paced Pink Floyd song from imprinting the keyboard into my forehead. Not that it's a bad thing, love listening to alittle Pink Floyd, but slow songs will bring my sleep deprevation into the forefront.

I don't think I'm going to be seeing much sleep until tonight or tomorrow, but I'm just Taking Care of Business... and Working Overtime is the understatement of that story. I'm having to involve myself with so many projects during school to keep afloat that it's getting to the point where I can either sink, swim, or die trying. But I can make it, there's always the light at the end of a tunnel (unless it's storming, well there's perodic light then).

I've learned to amuse myself by writing smart-assed and silly off-the-wall debugger comments, it's something that keeps me laughing, reguardless if I see it. Much like being awake at five o'clock in the morning at my parent's house and catching an early morning run of the Banana Splits on Boomerang.

This semester has been a definite learning experience on my part. From coding, social interaction, and a general knowledge standpoint, I think I've matured majorally. It has also gave me alittle fuel for the fire, some gas for me ass, you might say. Creatively my mind has been like a neural storm conducting ideas like Beethoven's symphony. I'm not comparing them as far as quality, but I'm comparing the fact that I'm just cranking 'em out. I'm also having to learn to be creative under another person's idea. The software development topic was supported by me, but the principle idea was not mine. But I have come up with ideas to spin it in my own way.

I will include a link, although I bet the hitcount for it would be as great as this blog's (HAHAHAHA, I see the tumbleweed bouncing by as I speak!). It is of a place called Audioscrobbler... I know what you're thinking if you have never heard of it. It is either the computer jargon equivalent of a Turkey gobble or some cute new petname for audible masturbation. (It's not the last part, and seeing I don't know the hit rate of this blog, I don't think it would catch on like wildfire as a new slang term either...).

Audioscrobbler, is bascially a plugin for your Windows Media Player or whatever form of Anti-MS audio/video software you can think of. Using your log on name it sends the song info of the music you are playing to their server and uploads it to your database of information about what you listen to. After a hundred it starts to match you up with other users to see how much compatibility in music and often give you ideas for music you might not have heard or haven't listened to in years.

This is my little listing at Audio Scrobbler.
CodeDemon84

But I'm mowing through code and I'm now pleased with my nightly progress that I've rewarded myself with alittle sleepy time. I'll catch you on the next entry of Blog Trek VI: The Undiscovered Blog Entry. (sounds like all my entries :P).

With much humor and tired eyes, I must crash before I subject myself to another random color flashing test.

A Day in the Life...

Yes it's another day in my life...

I'm starting to grow concerned about my respiratory system. For a week now I've been unable to breathe unrestricted, I cannot take deep breaths like I normally should, in fact when I do or try to sometimes it seems unable to unless forced and I have a sensation like my breathing isn't pulling all that much oxygen. The physical issues are around my throat reigion, like the muscles are constricted and won't release to it's resting state. I'm thinking about seeing a doctor, but watch nothing be wrong with me.

Currently working on a engine and game. I'm nearly finished with the engine (except for some tweaks and a few components). I plan to make the engine capable of some neat stuff and be somewhat flexible at the same time. The game portion will come together as things get implemented, and I have it scheduled the last thing I am to do is tweak already working objects. This decision on my development cycle is going to pay-off now and in the long run when I'm having to do the 400 meter to get through the crunch time I forsee (not that I don't need to, but I do some good work under that condition).

I see a chance to make big strides, but it is only I who can run the race, hopefully I can win this one. If there is anyone reading this story of my current so-called life, I'll see you again. For those who don't: hope to see you soon...

Late Night with Patrick Johnson Jr.

I should get into late night talk shows with that title ;).

But I jest and digress, It's four thirty in the morning and I have no clue why I'm still up... Making strides of production late into Sunday, which I'm proud I did get my lazy self up to do something. Today is Monday, and it's back to the grind for me at College, not that there's anything wrong with it (Seinfeld quote #1). I think if I have a lab in OpenGL I'm going to head to the open lab and stamp some code down to the virtual paper (like what I'm doing now, except this isn't code and why in the hell am I doing this still? haha). Things are looking up from here if I can keep up and not get dragged under the water current that is called life.

I'm in a stand-still point in Software Development, with the possibilities that might be in my favor. As you might of garnered from earlier posts (if not let me inform you of it) my discontent of a team partner in there. He has some form of complex, and this is why I believe it.

• Wouldn't listen to the rest of the teammates, even when we listened to him, (in his mind) it was ((his way > our way) && (his way != our way) && (his way == best)).
• In design of the project, dishing out the responsibilties, he overstepped his bounds, started trying to talk his way into doing what other people were assigned. Much to the discontent of the instructor and his "teammates." (as of now this term is now used lightly and with much laughter after the fact).
• Combative and arrogance, I swore one time if he ever took a dump in a room he could live with it because he was proud of it, but alittle too proud (everyone every now and then has to acknowledge that theirs just kills the nose hairs and the sense of smell). Every step of contemplating design it was his way is better and no compromise.
• Started going on with tasks and inflating the percentage, I remember when he told me the shell of the application was 1% of the project, then it jumped to 2%. If I kept talking with him I think he would of talked his way near 100%, that is something he was probably aiming for anyways. A few short days later he says he's doing the graphics system, which isn't all under his authority.

I've worked with the guy in the past, he's a tool, an asshat, an (insert your name here). He challenged the instructors, and he challenged just about anyone and was so abrasive about it, that he had the appearance of coarse sandpaper. I also think he installed propaganda with the teacher this past Friday to convince her to let us all do 3 individual projects of the same type... I asked him a few key questions and I'd get the defensive "Why does it matter?" He also admitted that he hates team projects and likes working alone, and was excited if it went his way (like he always is, as it's always about wins/losses with him :rolleyes:). I sure hope he knows that there is no one-man dynamo in programming anymore, the lone gunman theory went with the way of the Commodore 64 (and Sega's console production days). I know that this is suppose to be a team project, and him trying to get this to pan out in his favor is like saying, "I'm not in the team anymore." Which could make it a 2-man team, and that's fine by me. It's his doing, I hope he's satisfied and can suck it down after-the-fact.

OpenGL is fun and intersting and I'm starting to get full ideas for Missile Command if I dare attempt it (other priorities first). I'm also got the urge to go back to Six Flags (this Season Pass is nothing to me if it's not being used :P). I've been using my time to build coasters and rides in RCT 3, alot of fun. In other game related development, this project might be the right moment to unleash my first fully realized game on the world, on their senses. If I'm to do this software development project by myself, I'm going in with the intent to get a positive buzz. Which I will carry that momentum with my slap-happy self into my Final Project where I'll only get better.

In other news... I'm happy to say that life is going well. Aside from the distractions, life's been good to me so far, and yada, yada, yada... (Seinfeld reference #2) Here I am typing on my blog. If anyone is out there... Can you hear me?

Class starts in 3 hours, and I'm needing to get ready to head out into the world once again, because I'm out there Jerry and I'm loving every minute of it! (Seinfeld reference #3).

Can I ever catch a day where I'm home?

Things are going...

Going up to my brother's house for the 2nd time in 3 weeks. His birthday is on the 6th and he's having alittle get together with us and our parents. Last week we were at my parent's house... Will I ever catch a time where I'll stay home for the weekend???!

Not that I don't mind it, it's just staying home over the weekend has it's perks. Right now, I need those perks. I just feel drained physically and need time where I can be isolated and have time with my own self and do work. There's some times in my life where I feel when I have time by myself it lights a productive fire under my butt. It gets me going and I need that. I'll try to force that production on Sunday.

I'm currently working on my outside school game project, that will serve as a simple project for my portfolio, going to be 2d somewhat overhead with maybe slight depth, but we'll cross that bridge when I get there. I'm currently designing the level editor that is homage to John Romero's TED editor (Tile EDitor).

Other than that I hope to have a good weekend, see you around the next time there's a post

Situation Diffused and Do I have some Time for stuff?

I'm going to be a busy person over the Memorial Day weekend.
Work, Work, Work, Work!

Working on finishing some school stuff yippee! It's been hectic. Software Development has become the nuclear fallout retainer of classes, as the atom bomb was dropped there over the past three weeks. I (as well as the other teammate) have came to the fact that one of the team members has been narrow-minded, argrumentative for the sake of getting his way and not compromise, and generally has left a bad rapport with instructors and teammates. Instead of cutting the problem (which we can't... It's a "group" school project), we have already had our areas assigned, so I just plan to do mine, have them functionable and have them to show and ready to implement. I already know he's gonna try to do his own, we'll see where that lands him.

So after that blood-pressure riser of a situation, I'm left to think: I need to find time for my side projects. HA! Time is a luxury I cannot afford, after school work and the dealings of that debacle of a class, I have to take a load off or I'm gonna go off the rails of the crazy train. That really doesn't leave much time between that and the other daily functions I must carry out to sustain my own life. But if I find a few moments every now and then I try to utilize them as much as possible. I'm about to start developing my DLLs that will serve as the base of some of my early portfolio work.
I'm also planning to get ideas for my final project and for other ideas that I shall shell out. I'm going to be making a warp-speed jump into the third-dimension around the end of October, as I'll start to move my development into learning that trade.

Saw Star Wars Episode III - The Revenge of the Sith. Best prequel I feel, Ties everything together. But as far as the state of Star Wars I decline to comment. Bring me my phaser and beam me up Scotty!

So until I have more interesting and juicy gossip about my life, sit back and pop a fart. It won't be much longer.

Rantings: Trip to Dallas, Six Flags, G4TV, general.

*This is the first post with the words 'the beginning' NOT appearing in the title line*

Just got back from a weekend in Dallas, took some time to relax from the stresses of everyday life. Enjoyed a few days at my brother's house and it was quite peaceful. Until we went to Six Flags and the rollercoaster section was approached! :P.

It was hotter than hell, it felt like an amusement park that was built on the surface of the sun. It was so hot, that the turkey leg dealers were cooking them on their tin roofs. Not really but you can get my vision of how hot it was. (Temperature wise it was high 90s, but felt like 100+)

The rides were great, it was my first time to the park (out of all the time I've spent in Texas), and I was genuinely pleased and will be back again (I have a season pass). It was a wonder I went on the parachutes, I have a heightened sense of acrophobia and it just kept going, then I was hoping that the carriage wouldn't fall at 9.8m/s.

One thing I refused to go on, based on height, was the observation tower. My brother went up the thing and according to him and his wife, he sat down almost half way up and did not get anywhere near the windows at the top.

It was great to have alittle fun, though I have to say that I took at least 3 mini showers underneath the water sprayers strewened throughout the park. I didn't like the fact it was overly crowded, but that's with all theme parks.

Beside that, we spent most of the time at my brothers house, where I caught some of G4TV. What a tragic waste of a good TV channel. Gone is the intellectual stimulus and in it's place is crap like 'The Whip Set.' How many more of these silly-arse car modification shows could you subject people to? I watched some of the repeat E3 coverage and its easy to spot sham reporting.

The roundtable panel consisted of the Xplay team (which I normally have no problem with, as they are the least slanted of the panel), the editor of IGN (who showed his true colors, green with $'s imprinted, offered the biased fanboy POV. Which I dispise). Then they had another guy, this is the first time I've ever seen him (though I rarely watch G4TV because it's gone to crap, this guy was the monkey in the middle but it was painfully obvious when he'd lean one side or another).

So I watched, at first with open mindedness. Adam and Morgan successfully gave me an at least honest view of what they saw, the guy from IGN I will not get started on, all he could do is seethe and drool over the Xbox. The third guy he was just the guy you know who always tries to add his two cents and it's so skeptical that you put him on ignore after the first few attempts.
The reason I bring this up, is the reason why crap has gone so slanted with coverage of games. To have a 'good' game, it seems you better have money to tool with the media, otherwise your game is as good as the 10 buck bargain bin. Reguardless of the game. They debated the rendering/real-time issues of PS3 games. Some of the Xbox 360 games looked like the belonged on the Xbox. This and their 'speeches' left them open for alot of criticism, though fanboys would disagree. I personally think Revolution did the right thing, keep a lid on it until the cement has dried a bit more. I think the Xbox 360 is too premature for it's projected release date and there's extensive debate on what the PS3 will be able to do come time to be placed on the shelf.

It's not hard to spot a render, though a fanboy of a system will automatically accept it as real-time.

But things in general, life is good, I've been working more towards getting alot of things done, and done within due time. I have alot of reading to do, but that's never a bad thing, unless I'm buried in it :P.

So until the next time, it's off to the batcave!