radio Prototype is finished & other news!

My prototype for radio is finished. It actually came out better than expected, and the TA’s seemed to enjoy playing both the physical and virtual prototypes.

I guess they found it to be so good that it was eligible for Greenlight pitch! Not only that, but my first pitch, MicroVentures (rogue-like for phone with Minstrel story generation) was also selected for Greenlight pitch. Seeing that I had passion for both projects, I decided to pitch both ideas and see which one would get the most feedback and save the other idea for a possible project after college.

Turns out I got great feedback for BOTH projects, and now I’m heading up two teams!

I talked with the professor, Noah Wardrip-Fruin, and this is basically how I’m going to hand both teams:

1. Since radio will be a very challenging project due to 3D animation as well as networking, I’m going to meet up with the group and measure their skill in these fields. What I don’t want to happen is us fighting technical issues with networking and 3D during the 170 series and end up with a game that we’re disappointed in. However, if the team interested in radio does have adequate skills in such fields, I’ll be very happy to continue.
2. I will most likely pitch BOTH ideas to the final judges. I really doubt that both ideas will be OK’d for continuing as a project in the 170 series.
3. If it’s the SUPER MIRACLE unlikely change that both games ARE greenlit as projects, I may go with the group that I feel is most solid and leaving the other group. I’m still unsure whether or not I will allow for the other team to build a game on my idea, but again this is a crazy unlikely chance that this will happen, and I’m sure the professors wouldn’t want two game ideas from one student.

At this point, I’m more leaning towards MicroVentures because I believe I have more support from professors/TAs for a project like that, though radio can get support from Arnav and James Davis who both work in computer graphics and game engines. I also really want to work on a mobile platform game that I believe will come out really well!

That’s all I have for right now, I better get working on my other classes so I’ll have time for these games. I may post the final version of the radio prototype on here when I fix it up.

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Hello world!

This is the first post for my new blog/portfolio/resume for my career in video game programming and design! I’ll try to also use this for my own personal game development blog during the CMPS 170 series at UC Santa Cruz, or in other words my final senior project in the CS: Game Design major here.

At the moment, I’m working on a digital prototype for a 3D Co-op survival horror game called “Radio” where two players are stuck in a mansion full of puzzles and death traps. The catch is that neither player are ever in the same room and must communicate through a 2-way radio to worth together on puzzles and escape.

I’m making the prototype in Game Maker 8 and started several days ago. Here is a screen shots so far:

A simple door.

If I have time before Tuesday (when it’s due), I’d like to have several puzzles as well as TCP/IP network connection for both players fully functioning. I may post the prototype here once it’s complete.

That’s all I have for right now.