Non-Globaloria Blog

My winter break plans aren't that impressive. Tomorrow I plan to work on my senior project and Scholarships, and then enjoy myself the rest of the time. I have a few people to visit, hopefully a friends house to go to...I just wanna enjoy myself without having to worry about stuff, school specifically.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!
AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Most Difficult Topic

The topic isn't hard. It's Flash itself. Codes are a pain, hard to find, and hard to make sure are correct and actually work. There's little to no help, and using the school's network computers block many of the sites we need. There's nothing wrong or difficult about the topic.

Favorite Video Game

As a gamer since the tender age of 3, I absolutely love a lot of games. My very first game, Sonic the Hedgehog, will always be a favorite. 15 years later, I still play those, and I probably buy, on average, one Sonic game a year. Resident Evil is another favorite series of mine, particularly 4 and 5, and Resident Evil: Revelations, slated for next year, looks amazing. But as far as true favorites go, one of my all-time favorites is the Shadow Hearts series. It's very different from  most gfame genres, as it is Alternate History, and very, very dark with its storylines. The graphics are beautiful, and the storylines are so touching and haunting that I absolutely cannot get enough. It took me several hours to beat them, but I've also beaten the second and third ones at least 4 times apiece. I've yet to beat the first one, though I intend to do that soon!

Favorite Gaming System

I love them all. My least favorite one is probably the PS3; it's grossly overpriced, and that goes for both the games and the actual system itself. All the other systems are fine. I love the Nintendo DS, because it was a very inventive, handheld system, it's affordable, and it has good games. The PS2and XBox 360 are both amazing; they've got amazing graphics, good games, and very, very good games. I'm also a sucker for the classics; Sega Genesis, Nintendo 64, and Atari are also amazing platforms.

How often I game just depends. If I really get into a game, possibly more than 10 hours a week, but if I'm just sort of randomly playing, maybe 5. My mom never monitored my time; I always got whatever I had to get done, and then I played.

File That I like

http://myglife.org/usa/wv/whswiki/index.php/Team:Tetronic_Cyber_Bulls

This team seems far more advanced than any others, and they definitely have a good idea and hold on what they want to do. I can wait to see this one finished, because it's sure to be a mind-blowing one.

Challenges In Creating Own Game

Well, flash is always a problem. It's not exactly easy to draw a game in Flash without a tablet, either. Codes are never easy to do, and you have find the codes before you can use them. Then just making sure everything is together, and operating in semi-logical order. Partners that don't do anything is a problem also, so that's why I am not even THINKING about doing anything until after Thanksgiving Break. I did everything for about 10 weeks, so I'm done. So, all in all, everything will probably be a problem.

Reflecting On the Class So Far

No, I do not like working in flash. I thought there would be plenty of help if you messed up, but there's not, because people have to change shifts or think you're stupid. It doesn't help that almost all the helpful site have been blocked by the school, so you can't watch videos that could actually help. I'm not impressed with this class. I though it would be fun and informative, but mostly it's just a pain and I don't enjoy it much at all.

Difficulties With Flash

Flash is not an easy thing to use, and Globaloria, for the most part, is extremely unhelpful. My partner never does anything, and I refuse to finish the game by myself. Flash is just completely problematic, and the school has so many sites blocked that could help that you can't get ahold of a video to help.

Helpful Links

http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/10-killer-flash-tips-for-beginners/

Flash, is not, by any means,a simple thing to use. So any and all tips are helpful. For those of us just starting, the simpliest tips are the best tips. This site offers 10 great, simple tips as far as Flash is concerned, and I'm sure they're got links to others.

Vlog

Globaloria Exam

1. The Big Idea:

•     My game's topic is the detrimental effects of oil on the environment, and how to help save animals affected by it. The most important concept is about the animals--they need help, and need to be protected from the stupidity and recklessness of humans.

2. Making Decisions as a Team:

•       It was more of a compilation of smaller ideas with the given topic. There wasn't any arguing, and both members have made suggestions that made it into the game and concept to, hopefully, make it a smoother, more interesting game.

3. Roles and Responsibilities:

•        We don't really have a team process. It's more of just going about it, doing what we can do, depending on who does it better. We also switch roles for many reasons: to avoid growing tired of the topic, to experience new things, or to see if one person can do it better than the other.

4. Research:

•   Just standard research. We had to look up things about oil, oil spills, effects on the environment, and animals affected. Then the information had to be narrowed down, to only include what we needed to make the game.

5. The User Experience:

•        The player will, first, see facts about different animals. After that, the player controls a boat and a helicopter to help fight the oil. The boat will pick up the animals and take them safely to shore, while the helicopter is used to collect big slicks of oil and put out fires. It hasn't really changed, but it will most likely have t in the future.

6. Mastering Flash:

•        The most helpful things in learning about flash have been online tutorials. By simply searching for the on the Internet, a person can find a ridiculous amount of helpful tutorials and tips.

 7. Overcoming Challenges:

•      The most difficult curriculum topics has definitely been trying to learn to use Flash. It's fairly complicated, and very few of the numerous Globaloria videos and such have been helpful. Overcoming it has been, for the most part, trial-and-error, and searching for tutorials online. It's all a learning process.

Drawing a Scene Questions

I had no idea how bad the effects of the oil were, and how something so simple as Dawn dish soap could possibly fix that. I sort of just found it, browsing the internet. I don't know if it's ground breaking or insanely informative, but I thought it was interesting.

Game Prototype Questions

How has this assignment helped you think more clearly about your game idea?
   -When you have to draw out and further flesh out your ideas, you get a better feel of the game, and have   
      a clearer idea of what you're intending. So, yes, it helps clea up any confusion.
Has it caused you to modify your ideas or approach?
   -Not really. The general idea is the same, but a few things had to be modified to work smoothly.

Reflecting Your Game Idea

• WHO are you designing your game for? People curious about the oil spill, and for ourselves; people should be more aware.
• WHERE does it take place? Gulf Coast, US
• • Accurate backgrounds and animal models.
  • Make people aware of the detrimental effects to the environment caused by oil spills; also, so it possesses a realistric feel.
• HOW does your game world teach the player about you topic? 
  • It's based on a real-life occurance, and teaches the player about the effects of oil on the wildlife and environment, and how to prevent/help.
  • The player uses their new knowledge of cleaning up the oil spill to save wildlife covered in the oil. Their choices effect the outcome of the game, how clean the environment ends up, and how many animals survive.
• WHY is a game a better way of understanding your topic than a quiz?   People are more responsive to learning if the topic is interesting and enticing. Quizzes aren't as interactive as a game, and therefore, aren't as interesting.

      

Internet Privacy

Protecting your privacy prevents identity theif, keeps you safe, and it's your right. People don't need to know everything you're doing on the internet, as it's none of their business. All it all, mainly, it keep your safe.

Flash Mini Game Tutorial

Was it hard? That is probably one of the worst understatements of the year. That was awful, and I have had very experiences where I've had that much trouble with step-by-step instructions. I'd like to say I enjoyed it, but...not so much. Hopefully the original game won't be that much trouble, or I'm just gonna give up.

Game Design

I'm a senior at James Monroe High School. I like video games, writing, reading, TV, the internet, and drawing. My game wil involed saving animals from disasterous oil spills. I think these links will be helpful, as they detail the effects of oil spills, explain oil spills, and also show ways to help restore the environment back to its former beauty. A lot of them also have things said by actual experts in various fields.

Mini Game

-A lot of my free time goes to video games.
-I play a LOT of different ones:
  Resident Evil series
  Dragon Age: Origins
  Shadow Hearts series
  Left 4 Dead series
  Bullet Witch
  Bayonetta
  Tales of Series
  Sonic the Hedgehog series
  BloodRayne
  Devil May Cry series
  And more that I can't think of right now~
-Not so much about playing them, but rather the process of making them. It's no wonder it takes so long to get one out, with all the things that can go wrong, and also succeeding in hitting your target audience, and making new fans as well. I give props to the gaming companies and individuals that make flash games.
 

One of the greatest games of all time! :D

Globaloria Plans

I'm looking forward to learning how to use Flash, and make some good flash games. No idea what game I'm gonna make, but I'm not really scared of anything for it. Just hope it's fun!