Game Dev

The first step towards(hopefully) a long road of game development. here I still have aspirations of fixing up the website in fact it's on my toodledo. But i've been following this tutorial on game creation.. yeah that's right it's a tutorial. I didn't do most of the code in there. But isn't stealing code a part of the tradition of programming? Plus i typed it all out and made sure i understood it, and i changed a few things! So take that! The guy also has a tutorial for making your first game in an applet. Which is what that is an applet not a game, it allows me to share what i make which i think is awesome. Game maker files were always to big for that so i ran from it a long time ago.

Anyway i was planning on fixing the "about me" to be how it's supposed to be but i think i might do a major overhaul of the basic structure of the website before i do that.. which has left me hesitant to do it.. last time i broke the website and spent hours trying to fix it again. But this time will be a sucess i just know it! Plus it was never meant to look like this for this long, i had planned on coming up with a way for the website to work quickly and then work on the design to make it look prettier. But i kinda got it working quickly and now it's sort of.. ugly.. not to horrible i did a little bit but when i was learning CSS i made a bunch of different files to figure out how it worked and now i need to sync up the website's look and feel. Maybe add a banner, and probably the same background, should be something i make myself i suppose. My CSS kung fu is lacking too so i should probably pick up a book or something. Need to get all Artsy. We'll see how it turns out, for now go check out the applet.

Calculator is Alive

Well i made a Graphical Calculator! It's awesome if i do say so myself. I used a for loop with a listener :P but yeah that probably doesn't mean anything to anyone. Probably won't be posting it unless i can make an executable of it.

Tried to learn Game programming, aaand still learning. I've learned an important lesson. Never try to learn code by looking at other peoples big-ass projects, it never makes much sense when you don't understand the basics. I think it's going to be better to go through a java game programming book and start from the ground up. Should teach better programming practices too, mayble i'll run through meyers book again while i'm learning. Wasn't able to join the ludum dare challenge either :/ Although i'd imagine that's kind of obvious still can't even make a game yet. But i hung around the IRC channel and watched other peoples updates, it was all a little exciting.

Last batch of beer came out perfectly i'm trying to work myself up to making labels for the batch, but hours of playing around with graphics trying to get it to look right isn't really on the top of my agenda at the moment. Still have 10 bottles stashed up in the rafters right now though. They're sad beer bottles lacking labels :(
The same reason i haven't worked on the labels is the same reason i haven't really fixed up the website lately, i've been enjoying the latest sale on steam at the moment. I got super meat boy! :) it's fun i highly recommend it. Especially for under $5 can't complain with that. But when i'm not doing that i'm usually playing with code. Still have a lot to learn though.

It's ALIVE.. ITS ALIVE, ITS ALIVE!!!

I'm making a Graphical Calculator out of java! Not sure if it'll make it to the website though, i don't like posting source code of projects i make in class in case the teacher wants to use the same homework assignment again. And i'm not sure if i can convert it into an applet so i might not post it. It probably wouldn't matter if it was a class file but i'm still new to this.

In other news, this website recently gained another 5 THOUSAND visitors on thursday i think it was.. Which is surprising. That doubles the amount of people who have visited, apparently there's a steady stream of 7+ people visiting a day (i have the stat counter ignoring my ip address). Really this is just meant to be an ongoing project, a homepage/possible portfolio someday. Plus it gives me a chance to work on web skills that i would otherwise not have. But it's kinda neat that people are visiting i guess. I plan on making the website a little more user friendly soon.
I tried to revamp the website about 2-3 weeks ago but i hit a dead-end.. broke the website and spent about 4 hours fixing the damn thing. But i think i have a better idea of how to do it.. This really won't make any outward differences but it should make the code easier to manage in the future and it'll allow for bookmarking different sections. I'll probably take care of it during christmas vacation. I also want to make the log and "Archive" better.. more like a blog easier for people to read? I might actually talk about things in the future who knows.. it's possible i have the ability to talk about things. Either way it atleast needs pages, and maybe a rework on the design but so does the whole website while i'm at it.. not sure if it'll all happen over christmas break though.

In other news i plan on entering my first ever Ludum Dare Challenge! Of course i haven't quite hit the point where i think i can comfortably make a game in java yet but i have over 5 days to learn. Actually i have finals in a couple of days, but one of them is for java so ideally i'll know a thing or two about it by then, and then i can just focus on learning Game Design. So fun things to look forward to, i expect i'll be making a crappy game but you have to start somewhere, and i'm really looking forward to it. Whatever i make i'll post on the website under Java in projects. That section could use some work as well.

Fiddling with CSS

I messed with the CSS and table a little bit giving the website a bit more of a streamlined look.. i think it does anyway. Problem being the way CSS centers things doesn't seem to be working.. i think it's because everything is placed inside of a table first.. so i could use absolute positioning and try to match it up but it would look horrible on some browsers.

I still need to work something out for the Archive.. because i'm using the old tables.. And i should probably rework the characters in the D&D section.. it has been like 5 years. Projects Section under Java doesn't work at all.. i got tired after i moved a link there and just passed out and ignored it. No longer have them menu for about me either. I'll fix it later but there were major problems with the website when i was trying to update it.
I made it to be as simple as i could make it.. but then when i tried to fix it up.. everything just became a bit more difficult then i expected. I'll probably fix the java link after i finish this little update. Kinda tired.. But then i'll start working on my java classes projects.

Future plans with video games

I've spent the last few days staring at code.. i feel like my eyes could bleed. I was basically running around in circles for a few days. Just to end up back where i started.. but i was exposed to eclipse and the lwjgl so i guess it should come in handy next time i try to start those things up..

I've decided that i'm going to start making games without lwjgl because i'm just not ready for that yet, think i'm going to lead up to it, after i get a feel for Eclipse.. which i still think is retarded and made to help people that can't remember a couple of lines of code.. I just hate wizards in programs that are there to help you. I can write the code myself! thank you very much! if i couldn't then i wouldn't need the environment duh.

Every time i think about the future of this website and where it could lead, i keep getting hit with roadblocks. Our server doesn't seem to support cookies. Cookies are very important.. they allow you to login, logging in is important if you ever want to do..forums, or having a sort of gaming site. Well the kind i envision making. I mean long term goals sure, but it'd be nice to build towards it now.

I'd like to be able to set up a linux server and run my website off of that handling security and what not myself.. i mean not writing everything but it's one of those pie in the sky kind of things. Then i could move my website onto it, create a url for the webserver. And i could have forums and video games with scores for user accounts.. Then maybe do the whole indie game dev thing. Using java of course. I made a game maker type game a long time ago and not being able to show it to people was pretty depressing. Guess i still need to make the website more visually appealing at the moment though. So i should probably keep at working on what i can at the moment.

I used to have a forum but sadly it was a third party kind of thing, seemed pretty useful though. I think i'd like to make another in the future sometime. anyway i got Precal in about an hour. So i guess i should get to math studying.

First Java Applet!

wrote my first java applet! ok well i'm following a guide that makes it pretty simple, But it's the first step!
you can see it in all of it's crappy glory here

I become a fan of Notch

I've reworked About Me a little bit. I hope to move my Wishlist into the about me section but i'm a little worried what i'll have to do about the side menu on it.. I really need to update the button scheme on here. Like with drop down menu's and stuff...

But i made it so About me is it's own page so it's actually bookmarkable, not that anyone would, but it's possible! I should probably look more into how most people make websites.. i see question marks in url's alot. Php is used.. and that's what i use i just don't know it that well.

I really want to start making java games. I've been following notch's blog from the beginning.. it's Long. Think i might bug him about any advice he might have, he seems to have made a ton of games in his spare time. Have to focus in class to though.

Upgrading the Website

Still haven't done much, but i added a button to ARC, i doubt anyone cares but i'm going to follow up and make sure they're ok with it. Doubt anyone actually comes here often besides me though. Still need to do a lot to the website, in a java class right now maybe i'll make something useful at some point? Don't know at this point.

I want to make individual pages for each of the header buttons. That way things can be bookmarked, although i liked the fact that everyone had to come here because it gave me an acurate reading of how many people have seen my website. Thinking about fixing up the about me section to but i haven't thought of a new layout yet, i can atleast throw my facebook/deviantart/myspace/youtube accounts on there.

I'm thinking about setting a goal to create atleast one game a year as a side project, i really want to make something worthwhile but nothing has hit me yet. Learning java is probably a good step in the right direction though. I'd also like to own my own island some day but that might be asking for a bit much.. i'll put it on my wishlist :P

Java and Pre-Cal

Spent a long time getting my head in the right place, i'm hoping i'll be the efficient perfect brilliant techie i was born to be... yeah maybe i'm being a little optomistic about the future?

I'm taking Java and Pre-cal again but this time i'm doing pretty well in pre-cal. Need to get my head in the game when it comes to java though, believe it'll really help me in the long run when it comes to programming.. thought it'd be cool to make a game or something and put it up.

Ideally i want to build a better blog kinda thing and make it generally better but you know.. for the moment i'll be happy to get a certain uniformity in the website. hopefully i can manage it before the battery on my laptop dies. Need to find a way to change the background in css to... think i can add a number behind body or something..we'll see.

Holloween it coming up, wondering if there'll be a party and whether i'll need to dress up.. Maybe i'll be a mad scientist :) Anyway that's all for now.

Busy Busy Busy

Alright! going to work on getting a job but i think i'll have some time to work on the website as well.

i'm not all that sure what i'll manage to do for this website but my cousin wants me to make them a website so i guess i'll learn something in the process.. at first i changed a bunch of css themes for each page just to prove that i could do it.. but now i think a certain uniformity would be good for the website.

And maybe stepping away from the gothic looking red and black that i was a fan of in my youth. Time for a transformation of sorts but gotta take things one step at a time. Sorry for the late update to anyone who might actually care, but the last few months were kinda hectic.

I was a sad panda

Went through a break up a couple months ago and became a sad panda for awhile.. . Taking Assembly again, getting better with Linux.. so maybe i'll move this website to a linux server some day? not sure about making a url for it or something though.. kinda want to automate the log process.. but on the other hand if i'm not updating the website there's no reason to make a log anyway.

Whatever.. take one day at a time.. Finally made a facebook so i guess i'm moving up in the world.. wooo~.. another blog. Needed that like another fucking hole in my head.

Anyway, i couldn't stand having that mopy fucking log up here anymore. Don't really have anything to report but i started drinking caffeine so i think i'm going to get more active soon. i used to be tired all the time. Oh i got an external hard drive and i'm putting all the website files and website editing stuff and putty on it so i can mess with the website from anywhere. So that'll be neat.

Thought i might make a blog with the log.. no on the log but just random shit worth blogging about, take a million pictures and play out my day with them.. maybe that's stupid though.. I don't know, it'd be entertaining i think.. then again i'm not exactly a celebrity so who would fucking care? maybe friends on the blogging site.. maybe i should just do it there?

I need a project to put up here that people would enjoy.. like a game or something. Right now there isn't really a hook to the site it's just a bunch of shit i've done. even if i had a neat project up it'd be better then this.. or maybe if i even invested some time in making it look cool.

Edit: since this post i have calmed down about the whole situation.. i've taken a "live and let live" aproach to things. although who could be mad about a nasty break up for over a year anyway? Leaving it up here for future cronicoling of my past.. i kind of like to backtrack and see how i got where i am..

Big plans for the new year!

Alright i might as well talk about the website now. Basically i want to do projects worth putting on here. So far i've made a few slideshows which i'm kinda proud of but the problem is they are a bit personal. I can't really put them up because i'm not all that sure the family i made them for would want me to. I would also like to put up a title for the website. Although i'm not sure what it'll say or how i'll want it to look. Oh and i want to fix up the design a bit to. I'm not sure color-wise but i do want to add some things like javascript..

Well this website was actually pieced together from 3 different parts. The side menu the top menu and this part your reading now. And i piece them together depending on what your looking at. Oh and there's the base page that holds all these mini webpages. It looks good when it all comes together but the main thing here is your only ever looking at one webpage. So you can't bookmark like the projects section or anything like that. You're always on index so i think i might add a few other webpages for sections.