Avalix Studios - Games Programming Blog/Portfolio - Chris Butler

=’(

E3 over and no mention from Ubisoft about Beyond Good and Evil 2….. WHY NOT!!!! =(

Avalix/Chris

path

Hey all!

Just thought i drop a quick update on my placement. Things are going really well at work at the moment. I feel I’m starting to settle in now. Everything is starting to become easier as i get used to the code base at work. Like i mentioned before when i first started i felt so overwhelmed with it all but I’m starting to understand it all now ^_^

I’m also loving the fact that I’m actually working on useful stuff that’s going to be used. Makes me feel good knowing that my work is been used in the company. I’ve even been set top priority work to do sometimes! ^_^

I also luckily managed to join in time as last Friday was the company’s summer fun day! I had a great time there ^_^. Got to do a load of stuff like ride buggies, shoot crossbows and build egg flinging catapults =P. We also had TWO barbecues! (It was soooo tasty… i ate way too much…) and also got to play drunken rockband with about 40 or so people. was epic! ^_^

So that’s about it. Cant really say much more about my work for fear of breaking a NDA. Thing will proably carry on been the same so my updates will probably get less frequent after this. Just for the important stuff =P

Talk to you soon! ^_^

Avalix/Chris

Go and watch Dr Horrible’s Sing along blog! Made by Joss Whedon (of Buffy, Angle and Firefly fame)

http://www.drhorrible.com

Its only only for free until the end of today then its been taken down to be realeased for profit.

Quote:

These are not the hammers………the hammer is my penis.

Trust me. This is brillient! ^_^

Avalix/Chris

//bugFixing.cpp
//
//Usage: Method For solveing bugs in a program

static void BugFixing(Bug origonalBugToFix)
{

Bug currentBug = origonalBugToFix;

while(true)
{
FindBug(currentBug);

//Will Let you fix the current bug but will
//Return a new bug in its place...
Bug newBug = FixBug(currentBug);

currentBug = newBug;
}

}

Hehe… sometimes i wish fixing one bug wouldn’t create 2 more >_<

Avalix/Chris

Well whilst on the subject of E3 games in my last post i might as well continue. There’s defiantly been a range of stuff this year so far. You can go out and read about it if you want but if you want a summery of the events just check out (this). It pretty much sums it up….

Anyway so far there have been a few games i want…

The new Prince of Persia - (Trailer)

This looks sooooo nice…. I’m hoping it will play as well as its looking at the moment. The girl, “Elika” is also adding a very “Ico” appeal to the game and apparently its been quoted that ” but she never, ever gets in your way” or be a dead weight. Defiantly one i want to play

RockBand 2

Ive been lacking a next gen console Ive missed out on getting Rockband so now I’m gonna save and wait for Rockband 2 as you will be able to play and of the Rockband 1 tracks (as its all going to be backwards compatible with anything off RockBand 1, tracks on the disk and the DLC). I’m also looking at this - the Iso kit (spanish blog but has some pictures of the prototype) *make grabby actions*. Ive also heard this can be used as a proper practise kit(unfortunately at the moment lacking a hi-hat pedal), here’s hoping! Also the TrackList is looking sweet ^_^

Mirror’s Edge - Trailer - Gameplay demo

This game is looking soooo good as well! A game based around Parkour. Sounds Perfect! The things i most liked about games like Prince of Persia and Assassins’s Creed was all the jumping and acrobatics and this game is just going to take that and improve it ten fold. I can’t wait!!! ^_^

And finaly the LOL….

Duke Nukem Trilogy - …. (er… trailer I think xD)

<sarcasm>GO AND WATCH!!! IT AMAZING!!1!!!1one</sarcasm> =P

(yeah that proper post is still coming soon xD)

Avalix/Chris ^_^

Just saw the E3 trailer of Sonic Unleashed - (see it here) and I’m really hoping this one doesn’t get messed up….

Good Points

• Its looks purely speed based
• Nice transition to 2D/3D
• Quick time events! (personal favorite ever since Shenmue)
• No new crappy characters!!! - purely Sonic Vs Robotnik Eggman ¬_¬

However from the trailer there appears to be this whole sonic turning into a beast thing which I’m a bit worried about… It could potentialy mess it all up….

Here’s me praying to the gaming gods that it will be as good as it looks. (although that’s been said of them all so far…. ¬_¬)

(Yeah ill do some proper posting soon enough xD )

Avalix/Chris

Hey all. Well its update time!

Soooo… As of today Ive been working as a programmer in a Games Studio for almost a week and what are my first impressions.

Well after a rocky start I have to say I’m already enjoying it ^^

When i first started I was pretty much given responsibility straight away (which to be honest is what i preferred) and got to work on actual code.  However i wasn’t prepare for the sheer depth and complexity of what i was given… If I have to be honest It got too me…. I expected to understand much more then i did after all the hard work i put into learning and uni…. Yet it was so much more complicated then expected. I felt disillusioned and overwhelmed….

However that has now changed. After a couple more days there i feel that I’m starting to find my feet. I’m starting to finally understand the code I have been given and the methodologies and designs behind it. Some of my old skills have been brushed up like my C# knowledge and event driven programming and already things are starting to click and I’m learning so many new ideas such as other software architecture design, design patterns and general coding practises. I’m even getting offered the chance to learn some deep, indepth stuff about the PS3 next week! I’m looking forward to how much i will have come along by the end of the year ^_^.

I still feel a bit slow in my work at the moment (as they have actually been kinda enough to give me actual bugs to work on ^_^) but I’m hopping given a few weeks I’ll be up to full speed.

I also seem to have joined at the right time as the company’s summer event is next Friday so I’m looking forward to a fun day ^_^

So that’s about it. I’ll keep updating on how things goes as the weeks progress. But if things keep going as they are then i definitely gonna be happy working here. ^_^

Avalix/Chris

Well tonight I started to work with Loki on the design of the RPG. As we are working long distance, Loki was kinda enough to set up a Google Docs word document as a focus point for out ideas.

I was unaware of this feature but the document can be edited by all owners of the document at the same time. Basically it feels like multiplayer word! I add a idea/suggestion and Loki would immediately add a comment afterwards, to witch i can comment back. It working surprising well for brainstorming ^_^. It even deals with document conflicts, giving you the chance to catch you changes before there lost.

I shall remember this for the future for any other game projects i start with people. Its a good way to get everyone involved in the design and get there thoughts across ^_^

So the design is coming along nicely. Our friends will be looking at it soon and be able to fill in some of the missing details.

All in all a good start ^_^

(Loki has also comment on the effectiveness of Google Docs here)

Avalix/Chris

Hurray! New side project to work on! ^_^

My friend and course-mate Loki (Check out his website - SSAStudios) has grabbed me to help out customise a copy of phpBB for a RP forum that our friends are starting. Thought it be something fun and interesting to do and ill get to flex my web programing mussels a bit more and get some more knowledge/practise ^_^

Will Update soon with some details once i get started

Quick Update: Copying from Loki post about the project on his site - here - here’s a list of a few of the feature we will implementing

Key - UCP = User Control Panel, MCP = Moderator Control Panel, and ACP = Administrator Control Panel.

• Base Stats for each Pokemon (from which the player can choose their starting statistics)
• Team System (allows the player to join teams, in-keeping with the RPG)
• UCP interface for User Interaction with the System (for viewing their statistics and team details)
• Post Count Groups (easily implemented, functionality’s built in)
• RPG System (allowing teams to take part in roleplays and battles against ‘boss characters’)
• Dice-roll Script (allowing certain parts of moves to be randomised)
• ACP Interface to add New Pokemon / Boss Characters to the System (accessible to admins)

Avalix/Chris