New Video

Considering my username is VideoGuy, you would think I'd actually make more than one video every six months. Oh well. Anyway, it's a collection of footage of my family setting up our christmas tree with TSO music in the background. Much like the one I did last year. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RaQFqvlzgJE&feature=channel_page&fmt=18

I Really Shouldn't Promise Stuff

So, here are my TSO pics, two weeks later. Sorry for the holdup, but I've been busy. Actually, no I haven't, I've been....um.......well, here they are.







They're from my cell phone camera, so not that good, but the concert was pretty awesome.

Anyway, I think me and AP might release a demo of our game soon. Although from what I learned from the title of this post, I probably shouldn't say that.

Thanksgiving Aftermath

Not too much to say about this. Thanksgiving was pretty good, I ate a lot, etc. Anyway, we made a LOT of food, even though it's only me and my two parents. Because of that, we had a few leftovers:



I'll definitely have a post tomorrow, since I'm going to a TSO concert tonight! Yay!

I Knew That Would Happen

I write the below post two months ago, and saved it in draft hoping I would remember to update it before the day came around. But that didn't happen. Anyway, so my blog's been around for six months now. Not much to say about that, oh well.

Anyway, so Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Only 27 days until Christmas!

PS. Me and AP might have a demo of our game soon. But don't hold me to that, knowing how I am with predictions.

6 Month Blogiversary

I actually wrote this two months ago. I hope I remember to modify is when the blogiversary comes around.

Cold!

Right now, it's pretty cold and windy up in New England. Yesterday, we had a wind chill of 10 degrees, and the temperature's been hovering in the 20's. This may not sound that bad, but it's not November weather. We shouldn't be getting this until February. Apparently all this cold air's been coming from Canada, so.....I blame them.

And yeah, nothing new to talk about this week. Just the weather.

Oh, and Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

What a Boring Week / Questions for You

I feel like I'm wasting a post this week, as I don't really have anything to talk about that I've done. So instead I'll make a list of things I would do if I had unlimited free time.

1. Redesign my Website

I actually am working on this one. I've finished most of the homepage and basic layout, but I need to fix the Flash menu (try moving over a button, then moving out of the menu. I don't want it to stay lit when you do that), and the homepage still looks a bit bare, but it's coming along.

2. Work on my/AP's Game

Right now, I'm working on some pretty complex "dynamic-level-loading based on camera movement" code. That probably doesn't make sense to you, but the point is that the entire level isn't moving around, just individual clips that it needs at that moment based on where you are. Again, I haven't had much time to work on this lately, but hopefully I will sometime this weekend.

3. Make my Own Blog

I've said it before, but I don't really like having a Blogger blog, because of the lack of customizability. I want to set one up on my own server, but ideally, I don't want it to be just a blog. What I want to create is a hybrid blog/forum, where there's one main post that's always visible created by the admin, but members can also create your own topics/threads. Sorta like a combination of Wordpress and bbPress. As usual, their code is too complex for me to figure out on my own, so I would have to start from the ground up. And I know I could do it, but it would take time, something which I don't have much of these days. What are your thoughts on this? Should I try to make this once I get a few other projects out of the way?

4. Make "Maze Adventure Flash"

I've wanted to do this since I got Flash 5 back in July, but AS1 couldn't do tile based stuff. Now that I have CS4, I tested some code, and it works! Unfortunately, the original Maze was made out of graphics I made with gradients in Powerpoint. If I wanted to make this into a serious Flash game, I would need to do a lot better than that. And I've found that drawing stuff from above is MUCH harder than drawing things from the side. Add that to the fact that I can't draw, and.....yeah. It actually wouldn't be that hard to code, but the graphics wouldn't look that great. If I did somehow get good graphics, do you think the game is good enough to make it on ArmorGames? Perhaps even get sponsored? Remember, I won't get around to this for a while, so don't worry about our game, AP. That's still on.

So, if you have any response to those questions scatterd throughout this post, please give them in the comments. Thanks for your help guys!

New Site Demo

In case you didn't notice, I added a link to the blog's RSS feed over there -->
Certainly wouldn't mind if you guys wanted to click that.

Anyway, this is what I've been working on for my own website. I haven't redesigned my site for about one year, and I'm very restless when it comes to the design of my site. If you're wondering, this is what my original homepage looked like:
http://andrewanimation.biz/old.html

Looking at my current site, it doesn't look that much different. Although I just don't think it looks very professional. It looks like some 13-year-old who had just learned how to make a webpage that wanted to put something online (which was true, but that's beside the point).

Anyway, I've looked through a lot of other web design websites, and sortof based this new design for mine off of those. You can view my prototype design here:
http://andrewanimation.biz/old/new.php
(path is a bit ironic, don't ya think? well, /old is just where I put all my junk files)

Note: there is no content on that page yet, and the links do not go anywhere. It's just a demonstration of the new design for the site. If anything looks off, or just doesn't look good, please comment. I want this new site to look real professional.

I've really got to start talking about my collab game with AP. I'm just having some problems getting the levels together. Once I get those fixed, maybe we'll post a demo or something...

Epicer News

Now, you're probably thinking, what could be more epic than me getting Flash CS4 as a Christmas present? Well, here it is. My Halloween pumpkin!


Not epic enough for you? Well how about this? I got Flash CS4 now! After my insane first quarter at school, it was sorta moved up to be an early Christmas present. So I have the software now, and let me say, it is AWESOME! Of course, I haven't really tried anything new, except Bitmap Cacheing, which works great. The large levels I've been working with scroll without lagging at 30 FPS! I can't wait to try out some more stuff.

Besides, it's great to have software that doesn't crash half the time you try to start it up.

Epic News

Wow. Two posts in October. That's IT? And only one of them actually contained something important. Man, this is staring to look like Nyubis' blog. :-D

So, yesterday was Halloween. As usual, we bought loads of candy. Which would have been good like, 7 years ago, when there were a lot of little kids in my neighborhood. Unfortunately, there aren't. We filled half of a cardboard box with candy, and by the end of the night, it barely looked like Halloween had passed. So now we have a big box of candy sitting around that has to be eaten. Poor me.

No, but seriously, I will get sick of candy within the next two weeks.

Next, remember the "6 Tests in 2 Days???" post? (I certainly do) Well, I just had 5 tests in two days on Thursday and Friday. So I guess some things never change.

So you're probably thinking: "Was that the epic news? That wasn't that epic." No, it wasn't. I'm not sure why I titled the post that and then talked about my lack of posting and Halloween. And now you're thinking: "There is no epic news, right? This was all just a scam to get me to read this post." And yet, you're still reading this, hoping that I will say something epic, just so that you feel like you did something useful in your time. Well, if you haven't given up yet, here's the news.

I have FLASH CS4!! Well, officially it's a Christmas present, so I can't use it until then, but still, it's pretty awesome to know that in 53 more days, I won't have to put up with annoying Flash 5 anymore. I consider that pretty epic, anyway.

Also: I've begun a redesign of my site. Don't expect anything that soon (it'll probably take a while, knowing how busy I am), but I am working on incorporating the new logo into it.

New Header!

Title pretty much says it all.

I've wanted to redo AndrewAnimation's logo for a while, and I've actually had this design for about a month. Except I've never done anything with it, since I haven't had ANY TIME TO DO ANYTHING BESIDES SCHOOLWORK!!!!!! Yes, still, the homework is ridiculous, and I just spent my entire weekend working. Seriously. But anyway, I want to redesign my site soon, using the new logo soon.

So....do you like the new logo? Did you like my old one better? Let me know your thoughts through comments, if you read this.

No Post This Week

Sorry, my brain won't load today. There will be no post this week.

Wake Me Up When September Ends

I don't agree with that song, cuz of my birthday and all, but I could understand why people would want to sleep through September. This is such a busy month for me, between school, my town's 375th anniversary, and confirmation classes, I don't have much time. Although I wouldn't want to sleep through the Big E. Teh Big E is awesome!

Anyway, I was thinking about the awesome song "Through the Fire and Flames" and how it relates to school. It's actually closer than you think. Read my analysis:

On a cold winter morning
we always have to wait for bus/carpool then
In the time before the light
when I have to wake up (before the sun rises)
In flames of death's eternal reign
We ride towards the fight
carpooling to school

When the darkness has fallen down
And the times are tough alright
The sound of evil laughter falls
Around the world tonight
that describes some of my teachers well

Fighting hard, fighting on for the steel
fighting to get through the hallway crowds
Through the wastelands evermore
The scattered souls will feel the hell
Bodies wasted on the shores
???

On the blackest waves in hell's domain
We watch them as they go
watching the new freshmen come next year
Through fire and pain and once again we know!
we will remember what it was like

So now we fly ever free
leaving at the end of the day
We're free before the thunderstorm
free before we have to start homework
On towards the wilderness
Our quest carries on
we still have to go back the next day

Far beyond the sundown
Far beyond the moonlight
that's how long I'm usually working on homework
Deep inside our hearts and all our souls!

So far away we wait for the day
For the light source so wasted and gone
We feel the pain of a lifetime lost in a thousand days
Through the fire and the flames we carry on!
we still go back the next day

As the red day is dawning
And the lightning cracks the sky
They'll raise their hands to the heavens above
With resentment to their lies
not sure.....teachers maybe?

Running back through the midmorning light
There's a burning in my heart
worrying about a test
We're banished from the time in a foreign land
To a life beyond the stars
detention, maybe?

In your darkest dreams see to believe
Our destiny is time
And endlessly we'll all be free tonight!
we'll get out of there eventually

And on the wings of a dream
So far beyond reality
All alone in desperation
Now the time has gone

Lost inside you'll never find
Lost within my own mind
being confused about the subject
Day after day this misery must go on!
indeed

So far away we wait for the day
For the light source so wasted and gone
We feel the pain of a lifetime lost in a thousand days
Through the fire and the flames we carry on!

Now here we stand with their blood on our hands
We fought so hard, now can we understand
at graduation, maybe?
I'll break the seal of this curse if I possibly can
For freedom of every man!
not sure

So far away we wait for the day
For the light source so wasted and gone
We feel the pain of a lifetime lost in a thousand days
Through the fire and the flames we carry on!

Okay, so there were a few imperfections, but I'd say it was pretty close.

See ya later!

Birthday

So......yeah. 14 years this time.

At the current point in time, I'm in school (you guessed it, scheduled post), and will probably come home and do homework. But I'm not sure. I'll edit this post if necessary.

Large Update

I have a feeling this is going to be the longest post I've ever made or ever will make on this blog. (written before I started)

So... a lot has happened since my last post. And I've been holding it in for the last two weeks, since I haven't had much time to get to this blog. For one thing, I started High School last Friday. Let's just say it's a LOT more work than I'm used to. And that's probably because I'm in all honors classes now. Except Spanish. So you can probably guess why I have so much work.

Part 1: Homework Rant
Each teacher says they give about a half hour to an hour's worth of work every night.Now let's think about that. I have nine periods in one day. Take out lunch and my two free periods. That leaves six classes. Now I'm not to great at maths (although I am in Honors Geometry, so maybe I am), but I think that calculates to about 6 hours of homework a night.

And the worst part is, that's about accurate. Say I get home at 3:00. I work til 5:00 (that's when The Simpsons are on), then start again 6:00, work til 7:00, have dinner, then work for another two hours, til I have to start getting ready for bed. If you paid attention, that's only five hours. And spending that much time on homework seems excessive already. So I've had busy nights. If you've noticed a lack of posts on the forum from me, that's probably why.

Part 2: Dance
Although High School isn't all bad. We had our first school dance for Freshmen only (and some Seniors there to help out) on Friday. At my old school, "dance" was just a name for it. Not many people really danced. It was mostly just hanging out, listening to the music, or talk about who likes who. Now, people actually do "dance". Including me (Note: if you're picturing me breakdancing, forget it :-P). They did a part where you randomly picked a person and danced with them. I'll just leave it at that for now. You don't need to know that many more details, heh heh.

No seriously, it wasn't that eventful.

Part 3: The Big E
If you remember that picture of me I posted on the forum a while back, I was wearing a shirt that said "The Big E". I think I told you this, but The Big E stands for "Eastern States Exposition" (Big E is much easier), and it's a fair that rolls around once a year. Despite the lack of time I've been having, my family was able to go there today. I think we had a pretty good time. They have a lot of cool rides, good food, etc. there, so I enjoy the visits we have.

If you remember the "Block Party" post a while back, and how I told you I had a vast variety of food there, it was pretty much the same for this. I don't remember everything now, but I had quite a variety of stuff in my stomach when I got home.

Part 4: This Blog
I've been thinking about this blog (although I don't have much time to think these days) and am considering changing it's layout a bit. If I make any more longs posts like these (and I'm sure I will), it's not gonna fit in this skinny column I have for content. I was looking at the "edit code" feature of Blogger, but I can't make much sense of it, even though I am a web designer. Not to mention, if I start making serious games, I'm gonna need a real blog to post stuff on.

And if the whole world's gonna be reading my blog, I won't post all this personal stuff on it, like this post. Funny, how I call it the "Andrew Animation Blog", then wind up talking all about my life. I think I would keep this one exclusive to my readers in the UK, Holland, and Sweden (sorry if I got your country wrong).
Note: I didn't say United States. Aside from maybe Brad or FO, I don't think anyone in the US reads this. I haven't told any of my friends, and the only link to it comes from the Forum. So enjoy your exclusivity.

I thought about installing Wordpress on my server, but I've worked with Wordpress before, and I don't particularly like it. It doesn't really offer the customizations that I would want as a web designer. Now, I probably could code my own blog. I know enough about PHP, mySQL, and all those fancy languages, but (remember what I said above) I don't have any time! If this were summer, I could code my own blog in a few days, but it isn't. I have to do it on weekends, when I'm already doing stuff I've pushed off during the week.

Part 5: New Engine
I fixed the gravity rotation bug! And a few other things. (AP, you haven't seen the gravity fixed, so try this engine). new engine!

Enjoy! XD

That about wraps up this long post. Man, I never thought I would use the "arg *head explodes* tag again. If you actually read this whole post, have a cake.

Looking back on it, I think my vacation post was the longest. But I did that over four days, so this is the longest thing I wrote in like, half an hour, or something.

And feel free to leave comments, as always.

End of Summer

I've been dreading the idea of making this post, but I think I will anyway.

Today's my last day of summer, and school begins tomorrow (even though I get Wednesday and Thursday off). Looking back on it, I think I had a pretty good summer. Here are some of the things I hoped to do, and what became of them.

1. Get 120 Stars in Super Mario 64

Done! Took me forever, though. My last two stars were in the clock level. If you've never heard of it, watch this vid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hg-YIIk5t0k . It's not me, but that was pretty much how it went. I kept almost falling, and I almost ran out of coins at the end. I actually got the 100-coin star while I was falling, so I had to keep climbing back up and trying to land on it.

Anyway, in return for finishing the game, you get to meet Yoshi. He gives you 100 lives, a wing cap to use (only outside of the castle), and then jumps off the castle (suicide, sortof). That's it. No new challenges, no Luigi, nothing. Just 100 lives to replay the whole game. Oh, and you get to race a fatter penguin in Cool, Cool Mountain. I was expecting more, honestly. Oh well.

2. Design 3 Web Sites

Done! Mostly. It was actually quite an interesting time designing these. One actually uses a database to store different items of jewelry, so I spend time learning how to do that. Only one is online so far, and the other two will be online soon. If you're interested, here are the links:
italiancornerrestaurant.com
hairnailgallery.com
dgbeaddesigns.com

Italian Corner was a redesign, and it's the only one up. Hair and Nail Gallery is actually next door to the Italian Corner, and D.G. Bead Designs is run out of HNG. So they were all referrals.

I also did maintenence on another site:
modskinlabs.com

I mainly just did the press page and the home page. I didn't design the whole site, but I did make some important changes for them.

3. Make a Flash Game

Done! I guess I wasn't thinking I would make a whole game, just learn how to, and make an engine for it. And I would say that came out good. My engine is pretty good, and can do a bunch of things. And since I'm in a good mood today, I'll update it. Here is my latest engine:

http://andrewanimation.biz/games/flash/engine5.html

New stuff includes walljumping, improved platform code, new spring code, and an air meter for underwater.

4. Make a Few More Videos

Not done! I don't know where the time went this summer, but I just never got around to doing this. I have a few videos I wanted to make, but I guess I was just too busy with my websites and stuff.

All in all, awesome summer.

Video!

Remember that movie class I've been in for the last four weeks? Well, here's the final video that we made. It's about seven minutes long, and there aren't any FPA references, but I think you'll like it. I'm not sure what genre it is. It's a combination of mystery, horror (don't worry, it's not scary), drama, and comedy. Take a look

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkgLlDKazlk

Embed:



Use whichever method you like.

Block Party

So yesterday I went to my neighborhood's annual block party. It was actually more of a barbecue/cookout than a party, since it was mainly just eating and talking. But there was a lot of good food there, so you couldn't walk away hungry.

Now we weren't sure at first that there was even going to be a party, since this was what the radar looked like about two hours before it started.



But eventually that storm passed and there wasn't any other rain for the rest of the night.

First, the food.
In my travels, I had

• Cheesburger
• Pulled Pork
• Beef Briscut
• Nachos
• Potato Chips
• Hot Dog
• Fruit Salad
• Pasta Salad
• Brownie
• Chocolate Cake
• Chocolate Raspberry Cake
• Countless Glasses of Ginger Ale
• Countless Glasses of Ice Water

Yeah. That much. Nobody walked away hungry from this thing.

Now one of the problems with this was the lack of areas to sit down. Some people brought folding chairs, but whenever I tried to sit in one, the owner of it came by and wanted to sit in it too. My other choice was to sit on a cooler, but they were all condensing (ice inside, hot outside), so you felt a bit wet after sitting on them. Now, standing for hours on end tends to cause foot pain, so whenever I went back to my house to use the bathroom, I would sit down on the couch for a few minutes.

And now the best part of the whole party: one of the neighbors had set up Rock Band in their garage. Finally, something to do! I had actually never played the game before, (played Guitar Hero, though) so I played the guitar part. Now I don't think I could ever join a band like this, but I basically laid the guitar down and played it like a piano. Which of course isn't what you're supposed to do, but it got me 91%! on easy The only downside was that the TV we were using was not that large, maybe about the size of your computer monitor. But all in all, it was an awesome game. [edit] Think more of a laptop computer monitor, which is only 15-16 inches.

Right.....long post, I know. But the party was a lot of fun. If you really want a laugh about a party gone wrong, go to this post on WJUK's Blog (got it off the randomizer).

Mancala: Final Release

July 2:
Anyway so the point is that I'm making a small game that shouldn't take me more than a week to do. I'm not going to guess on a release date yet, since I always underestimate, but it shouldn't take too long.

July 7:
As for Mancala, I've changed some code and it's working better, but I'm not focusing on it as much cuz I want to learn Flash 5. So I'll probably finish it soon.

July 10:
The programming aspect of Mancala is pretty much done, now I just need to write up the instructions on how to play. I may have it finished by Monday, assuming I don't find any other bugs.

Today, August 1:
Released! Finally! I don't think any of you knew this, but I've had a beta up on the AndrewAnimation Games page for a week ;-).

Anyway, gameplay is simple enough and is all explained in the rules.

You can play the game from this link, or go to Andrew Animation Games.

Have fun! Or at least as much as you can with a puzzle game.....

Please Ignore the Previous Post

Sorry, we never wound up making a Fancy Pants movie, oh well.

So we've been having a bit of bad luck in our studio. Yesterday (Wednesday), we were just about to film the last part of our DVD, when (you'll never believe this) the fire alarm went off. We found out it was just a test, but it was very annoying, especially since it kept going on and off. Just when we thought it was done.....it went on again!

Then today (Thursday), we were in the middle of editing when the power went out. Now, you can't do much on a computer without power, so we were sort of stuck. Except (you'll love this) once of the computers in the studio had battery backup. It was also one of the only ones with Internet. So while we lost the last 15 minutes of work on our video, we were able to maintain our game of Fancy Pants Adventure. We need to work on our priorities.....

Mancala's coming out soon, I just haven't had a chance to upload it.

Fancy Pants: The Movie?

I seem to be the only one updating their blog during the summer.

Fancy Pants: The Movie? Well, not really like the picture to the left. But Fancy Pants might wind up in a movie.

See, I've been in a movie class for the whole month, and will be until the end of this week. One of the kids in it had been playing Runescape during class (the instructor lets us do anything), and it is BORING! In an attempt to show him what a fun game looks like, I pulled up FPA World 2. For the rest of that day, and most of today, we were using the internet-connected editor computers to go to Armor Games and play World 2. We started positioning the cameras near the computers, then setting up the green-screen (thing they do on the weather broadcasts) and putting people in World 2. That was hilarious.

So with FPA's newfound popularity, we may work it into one final movie before we finish. No guarantee that we really will make a movie out of it, but I thought it was an interesting story.

In other news, I'm just testing Mancala, but the code itself should be done. I'll be out soon (I hope).

And I have 54 starts in Super Mario 64, so I've unlocked everything except the Final Bowser. Which I don't think I could beat, anyway.

My Stupid Comuter / Progress?

Just like to start off with a weird occurence last night:

How often do you wake up at 3 AM to hear the Windows Vista logon sound? Right, probably not too often. Well apparently, my laptop crashed in the middle of the night (despite the fact that it was off), and then turned itself on again. I opened it up and it was running, except all my windows were gone. And I tend to leave a lot of stuff running (IE, AIM, HTML editor, Flash, etc.), so I had to reopen all of it.

And the icing on the lie cake: this is the second time that this has happened. I think I'm gonna call Dell tomorrow, cuz this is getting real annoying. And my printer (also Dell) occasionally turns itself on too. So my house is either haunted (which it probably is), or Dell has some kind of weird timing chip in their stuff.

And now, to Mancala:

You're probably expecting me to talk about Mancala, the progress I've made, how close I am to finishing, or something like that. Well the short answer is: I've made absolutely NO progress. I haven't been working on it that much, but I have a few excuses.

1) I've been playing around with Flash, trying to create a platform engine. It's not going so well (I really need a new version of Flash), cuz there are like 0 tutorials out there for Flash 5, and most of the other code is incompatible. I could just give up, but I'm still trying....

2) I've been playing Super Mario 64 on my PC a lot. I found out, though, that I need 50 stars until I've unlocked all the courses. Of course, I have 42, but they weren't easy to get. And they aren't getting any easier from here.

3) Movie class. Not much to say about this, but I will be posting the videos on Youtube once they're done. Look for them sometime next week or the week after.

4) I have actual customers that I need to do work for, and I can't spend all my time making/playing games.

I have no idea when it's going to be ready, but hopefully it won't be too much longer. I know you guys are half-intersted in playing it once it comes out.

Final question: would you like me to release a demo of what I have now? It's mostly done, even though you're pretty much guaranteed to beat the game in one-player mode. That's what I'm spending all my time on, in case you were wondering.

Fell free to comment.

First Flash?

Well, not really. For starters, I didn't write the code or anything. And, well...... it doesn't really work.

http://andrewanimation.biz/old/engine2.swf
if you want it

So I'm waiting for a response back on the forum, to see what I did differently. Cuz it worked fine for Nyubis.

Vacation Story Part 1

For those of you who don’t know, I went up to Vermont for vacation on Thursday, and just got back on Sunday.

Anyway so this started out as a short word document that I figured I would copy to Blogger to give you a quick summary of what happened. But when the whole thing turned out to be three pages long, I had to rethink that. I encourage you to read it when you have a chance, cuz it is kind of funny. I tried to cut out the boring parts and only leave in the parts where something funny or interesting happened. It's all in the last post, so read that one.

In case you were wondering, the inn I stayed at had WiFi, so that’s why I was able to hop on the forum for a few minutes on Saturday.

Fell free to comment on this :-)

Vacation Story Part 2

Thursday, July 10, 2008

On our travels, we usually stop at an ice cream place called Rita Marie’s. They have pretty good ice cream there, and we all get something different. The person that waited on us was friendly, as the people there usually are. As my parents were off in the bathroom or paying the bill, the waiter had come around to clean a table from someone who had just left. While doing that, he began talking about illegal immigration, and how we’re treating Mexicans the same way we’ve treated the Irish, Italians, and Jews in the past. Which is an interesting point, if you think about it. I looked around to see who he was talking to, but I was the only one in there. There was no other wait staff, and my parents were somewhere else. So I just kinda nodded in case he was expecting a response from me, which I’m still not sure he was. Was he talking to me or not? I guess we’ll never know.

Once in Vermont, we have a restaurant that we always go to the first night there. It’s actually changed names quite a few times over the last couple of years. It’s now called the Station Steakhouse. They have a pretty impressive salad bar there. Lots of stuff you can’t find in normal salad bars, including (get this) chocolate pudding. I actually tried a bunch of strange food combinations (since the pudding kept running with the rest of my salad). Carrot sticks with chocolate pudding actually taste better than they sound. And I mixed a bit of my cottage cheese in with it. Not the best thing on earth. Anyway so I said I was having salad for dessert. Which was sort of true. After all, if it comes from the salad bar, it must be healthy and good for you. Isn’t that how food works? I certainly hope so…..

All that, and we didn’t even leave the house until 3:00. So it’s been about seven hours of vacation, and I already have all this. Hopefully tomorrow will have just as many funny parts.


Friday, July 11, 2008

Well, here I was thinking: Okay, I’m on vacation, I get to sleep late (not too late, cuz breakfast is only served until 9:30). What time do I wake up? 6:50. That’s right, 6:50. AM. And I have these weird genetics that once I wake up in the morning, I can’t get back to sleep. So I had to deal with 6:50, and was very tired by the end of the day. So much for relaxing. My day didn’t exactly start great.
But it got better from there. We went to an Alpine Slide, which is basically where you’re riding in a sled on a track down a mountain. Of course, you’re not connected to the track in any way, so if you’re really unlucky, you could get going fast and flip over when you’re going around a curve. Guess what happened to me last year. When you flip over, it can burn your skin, creating a somewhat painful experience. This left a big scar on my arm from last year, and it’s still there now. My plan for today was to flip over in the other direction to make a scar that matches the other arm, but I didn’t, so I only have one scar.

At this mountain, they also had a minigolf course. Now, it’s a bit difficult playing minigolf on the side of a mountain, but we got the job done. It’s actually a pretty challenging course. My theory/slogan for minigolf has always been “Hit it hard and good things will happen.” Maybe it doesn’t always work, but I still get some pretty good scores. But then again, we don’t count penalty strokes and have unlimited mulligans. Anyway so in this course there are spots where there will be a brick wall in the way of the ball, and maybe a whole island in the middle of the golf hole. When you see this, do you hit around it? Of course not. Hit it hard toward the island, and (with my luck) it will pop up in the air and drop on the other side. (This actually worked quite a few times, but sometimes I just wound up hitting it out of the course.) We were actually videotaping during some of these shots, and they’re actually pretty funny to watch.

So yeah, we spent the whole day at the mountain. It was really fun. I went on that Alpine Slide about twelve times. Which is a new record for me (and probably for most people).


Saturday, July 12, 2008

I originally thought today would be the boring day of vacation (for me). We were going to an antique show, which I thought would last most of the afternoon. We were there for about three hours, giving me enough time to read one of the books I had brought (I knew I had brought those for some reason). And after that, mom went shopping and my dad went to a bookstore. We’ll be bringing home much more stuff than we came up with.

And while we were in the shopping district, we stopped by a store called Harrington’s. They had a great selection of these really good quality meets, and we got a very nice sandwich there for lunch (the sign said world’s best). We also found some other really nice foods, including these crackers that we can only get in a few places (they’re called Vermont Common Crackers, but they aren’t as common as we would like).

So after that, we found this place called Mount Equinox. For us lazy people who aren’t into hiking, you can actually go up to the top of the mountain in your car. Granted, you run the risk of blowing out your motor, but it isn’t any problem if you have a powerful car. We have a Honda Accord. We got lucky (just kidding, the Accord is pretty good). Anyway, the path just kept going up and up. They had various lookout points along the way, but we followed the car path the whole way. When we finally got to the top, it was like looking down from an airplane. I took lots of pictures, despite the fact that my bad luck gave my camera a low battery. It was quite a view. My dad wanted one of those bumper stickers that said ‘This car climbed Mount Equinox’ like they make for Mount Washington. But they didn’t have any at the gift shop.

Now, there’s this restaurant that we always go to sometime on our vacation, called Ye Olde Tavern. I have my all-flaming dinner there. Which includes duck flambé (yes, I like duck), and a dessert that looks like an upside down cupcake without the frosting, but some liquid chocolate on the top. They pour the flaming liquid over that, and it creates quite a show. I thought about asking them to light my salad, too, but I didn’t think they would like my creative thinking.

We’ve been going there for a few years, and always had our theories about the place being haunted. No flying plates or meals lighting on fire for no reason, just the subtle, strange occurrences. Like this one. The place is actually two floors, but the only thing on the second floor is the women’s bathroom. All the other rooms are dark. This story came from my mom, who obviously experienced it firsthand. She went to the bathroom, leaving the outside door ajar (you would only need to lock the doors on the stalls). While she was in one stall, the outside door closed all the way, with a clicking noise. Remember, there is nobody on this second floor. No serving staff or anyone. So how did the door close? You scientific people out there could come up with an answer like ‘Somebody closed the main door to the restaurant, changing the internal pressure of the place. Therefore, the extra air tried to escape any way it could, including pushing a door in the process.’ Only problem: the door is (1) somewhat heavy, and (2) not that close to the front door. So how is this possible? We don’t know.

On a less mysterious note, I got up at 7:30 today. Getting better, I suppose…….


Sunday, July 13, 2008

Forgot to look at the clock when I woke up today. But it didn’t seem that early.

There have always been some free-range chickens roaming around at the inn we stay at. This morning we could some outside our room, so we snapped a few photos of us with the chickens. Of course, I had just gotten up, so I wasn’t really ready to be in a picture. But we still got one.

A few years ago, we stayed in another inn that we really liked in another town. Right down the street was this really small church that we liked. They were also an antique shop (boring) and a real general store, that had a bit of everything. So we went back up there today for mass. Despite the fact that there was a church two houses down from the inn we were staying in. Now, we’ve all been late for church once or twice in our lives, but today, the priest was late for church. He actually comes from another church in a different town, so it’s understandable, but still…….

So we had a bunch of things to pick up and throw in our cooler for when we got home. We stopped by that meat store and picked up a ham and some cheese. We went back to the restaurant we were in last night to get some maple butter. We got some more pictures of Vermont, including one of a covered bridge. Then we began heading home. We stopped at that same ice cream place with the Serious Business guy (but he wasn’t there today), and played some minigolf (I won a free game).

The end.

My Life

Anyway so there have been a few things going on in my life lately. Not sure you care, but I thought I would tell you anyway.

1. Movie Class
runs for the whole month. We've actually made two movies already, and we only started on Monday. We have full permission to put our stuff on Youtube, so check my channel to see if I uploaded anything at the end of the month. Both of the movies are really quick, without a really complex plot, but they're kinda funny. Like WJUK's Legend ad. So far, I'm only in one of the movies, but I'll probably star in a few more.

2. Super Mario 64
is a pretty good game. Why am I bringing this up? I just downloaded it via emulator onto my computer, and it's a lot of fun. My friend downloaded it a few months ago onto his wii, but never plays it. I got tired of waiting for an invitation to his house to play it, so I downloaded it on my computer. Granted, it's not as good as it could be. I have to use arrow keys to move him, so I'm always falling off the edges and losing life, but I still like it.

3. Vermont
is where I am going to be leaving for vacation soon. It's a tradition of mine to take a lot of pictures and make them into a video, even though I've never put them on Youtube. Maybe I will this year, though. The videos are kinda funny, you guys might enjoy them.

The programming aspect of Mancala is pretty much done, now I just need to write up the instructions on how to play. I may have it finished by Monday, assuming I don't find any other bugs. So look for that game on my site. And I'll let you know here when it's done, of course.

New Video, Update

Happy 4th, sorry I didn't post sooner.

VideoGuy916 (10:18:39 AM): Hey
AwesomenessFTW12 (10:18:42 AM): hey vidguy
AwesomenessFTW12 (10:18:51 AM): happy 4th
VideoGuy916 (10:19:02 AM): You too
VideoGuy916 (10:19:22 AM): Do they have a fourth of July over in England?
AwesomenessFTW12 (10:19:55 AM): to celebrate their defeat?
VideoGuy916 (10:20:09 AM): No
VideoGuy916 (10:20:26 AM): But they still have a fourth of july
AwesomenessFTW12 (10:21:05 AM): really?
VideoGuy916 (10:21:12 AM): Yes
VideoGuy916 (10:21:30 AM): It doesn't just jump from the 3rd of July to the 5th of July
AwesomenessFTW12 (10:21:42 AM): lolz
VideoGuy916 (10:21:47 AM): Yup

In case you didn't notice, I put a new video up on Youtube.
Skunks: The Movie
It's basically just some footage of some skunks that came out onto our deck. Use that link or click on the video bar over there ----->

As for Mancala, I've changed some code and it's working better, but I'm not focusing on it as much cuz I want to learn Flash 5. So I'll probably finish it soon.

And a personal update, I will be in Vermont this weekend! w00t for vacation!

The Next Big Thing

For those of you wondering what my next big project is, this post should explain it.
For those of you wondering why I think you care, why are you reading this? Why don't you just go back to where you came from ;-)

Anyway so there's this game I own called Mancala. It's a puzzle game that involves moving little marbles from cup to cup based on the number of marbles in the cup (don't worry, I'll put more rules in the game than that). It's actually quite an interesting game, and I'm worried that you won't really get to experience it with what I'm doing, because of its display.

This is by no means something I came up with out of my head like Maze Adventure. In fact, some historians believe that this is the world's oldest game. How bout that? So I can't take complete credit. I owe cavemen something. This game really is "so easy a caveman could do it"! (If you've ever seen Geico commercials, you know what this is about. If not, I feel sorry for you.)

There's actually an interesting story behind why I'm doing this. See, I got this game about two years ago. Last summer, my dad, who is a database designer (these computer smarts run in the family) programmed it. At the same time, I tried to program it, but I didn't know enough about Javascript at the time. Now my dad's helping me program this game, and this is kindof our way of father-son bonding. Most of the time this involves playing catch in the backyard or something like that, but I guess everyone has their own method.

See, Maze Adventure taught me a lot about the code, stuff like loops, variabes, math stuff, and even some stuff that I didn't even know Javascript could do. Now I have the knowledge to make the game, and make it work right. It actually took me three hours on the train ride home last Thursday (when I went to New York) to get the basic gameplay working. Now I'm spending hours rewriting that code to work in some of the other little rules in the game.

Anyway so the point is that I'm making a small game that shouldn't take me more than a week to do. I'm not going to guess on a release date yet, since I always underestimate, but it shouldn't take too long.

And according to my Flash 5 lessons, I'm more than 11 hours away from the "Advanced" chapter, which is 6 hours long. This is gonna take me a while........

Official Release

The title says it all.

Go to this page:
http://andrewanimation.biz/games

You have to access the game from that page or it won't work. I changed some of the old paths and filenames, so the old one won't work.

Remember: Go with Internet Explorer. That's the only browser that I know works.

Moment of Final Suspense

I was thinking about releasing the game yesterday for you to beta-test it before the official release. Unfortunately, I was in New York without an internet connection, so I couldn't put it on my server. Which was good, since I found out that my trophy codes were backwards in some spots. So I fixed that.

My New York trip was fun. I went to Rockefellar Center, saw some NBC studios, and went to their store. They had some pretty interesting stuff there. I also got some real New-York-Style Pizza (which I really like). So I had a pretty good day yesterday. We actually took the train both ways, which is a 3-hour trip each way. Except I brought my laptop so I got to work on Maze Adventure, and another little game that I'm working on. It's more of a puzzle game, so I don't know if you guy will like it.

Anyway, back to the game. So I'm going to upload it at about 12:00 EST (in about three hours). Except I know that WJUK and Mistercheef are busy and can't play it. Hopefully someone will. ;-)
I actually brought my computer to one of my customers to show them a website design, and I wound up showing them Maze Adventure. That person really liked it, so I got someone else looking forward to the release.

Also: take a look at the new lower-graphic. I think it's funny.

Hopefully the Final Update

I'm really hoping that I won't need to give you any more updates, since the game is almost done. So here's what I've been doing the past few days:

Redid the "sprites" for business dude
I didn't like that he was just an outline in a yellow circle, so I went into photoshop and colored him in a bit. This is what he looks like now

I think that's a little better. Don't you?

Finished both final bosses
I'm not going to elaborate too much on this, just that there will be two, and you get to pick which one you want to do. Sortof. I've said too much already.

Wrote the code for the Fancy Pants cameo
I think I already told you that FPM was going to be in here. Basically what I had to do is rewrite all the code for business dude, just change the images that he uses to FPM images. And change the enemy images into spiders and snails.

Recoded gravity
You're going to be in for a nasty suprise on Friday (I hope that's the release date). I think. The new gravity code means I'll have to redo some levels and the level editor. And I don't really want to do that. But I'll see. >:-) *evil laugh*
[edit] Nevermind this. I'll just keep classic gravity in there. (Note: I might change my mind again. You never know.... :-P)

I changed a few other things, but you probably won't notice them.

Also: Sorry to Firefox users (like WJUK), but the game doesn't work there. I don't know why, since that deals with the part of the code I didn't write. I'm not sure if any amount of new code would make it work, so I'm not going to try. Sorry, but I have other things that I'm kinda pushing off until Maze Adventure is finished.

Like I said, I'm really hoping for Friday, but no guarantees. Something will stop working for no reason, I'm sure.

Update

Is Maze Adventure done yet? OF COURSE NOT!
But I think it will be done by Friday. I hope.

I could blame it on a lack of traffic, but instead I have a list.

My excuses:

• The trophy scripts stopped working, so I had to completely recode the trophy room.
• I didn't have the "Fancy Files" (I actually had a folder called that on my old computer, which I didn't bring on the trip.) so I couldn't make the FPA cameo.
• I actually spent some time reading a book.

But I did spend some time on the Level Editor. And I have another beta for you. What I want you to try is the new level loader. Now you can take a previous level and edit it again. If you have errors enabled in your browser, you will get a script error there, but I don't know why. The editor seems to work, so I think you should just ignore it.

You can just get it from http://andrewanimation.biz/games/maze%20adventure/level_ed.html

Here's another teaser from the game: the credits screen. http://andrewanimation.biz/old/screenshot3.jpg

Let me know if I spelled anyone's name wrong or forgot anybody.

For those of you who were wondering, here's a picture of my new computer next to my old computer. I'm not gonna make a video of them (ahem WJUK), but there's a picture: http://andrewanimation.biz/old/P1000827.JPG

And an interesting story: I haven't had a chance to put all my music on my new computer, only the Trans Siberian Orchestra CDs. Beethoven's Last Night and Christmas Eve & Other Stories. So I spent half the trip listening to the second one. It was weird listening to Christmas music in the middle of June, but they're awesome songs, so it doesn't matter.

So like I said, I think Friday will be the release date.

[edit] Wrong link for my laptop. Try this: http://andrewanimation.biz/old/P1000837.JPG

Road Trip

That title is exactly what it sounds like. Except I'll only be gone today and tomorrow. Anyway so it's three hours in the car each way, for a grand total of six hours to work on Maze Adventure. Well, maybe that's stretching it, since I'll also be working for my customers, but I'll definitely spend some time working on Maze Adventure. Like I said, if I'm happy with the way it is, maybe I'll release it on Monday ;-)

I'll probably also finish the level editor, too. I just want to make the level loader, then change the interface a bit, to make it look nicer. Other than that, I think it works the way it is. :-D

See you on Monday!

Delay (you knew this was coming)

Putting that countdown up there was a huge mistake. I WAAAYYYYYYY underestimated the time I would need to finish the game. Basically, now I have more stuff to do, including some work for a customer to my site. So, I think it might be done by next Friday. Really.

In the meantime, I thought you might enjoy a screenshot of what I was working on yesterday.

[edit] Too big to embed. Click Here

That's King Tyberus, and that's who you're gonna fight in the final boss. Doesn't he look so kingly sitting on his throne?

Displayed in Window-Flip mode, cuz it's awesome! (and our Forum is right behind that PowerPoint window, you can tell by the giant Serious Business tag on the left.
You can also see a bit of the final boss fight (that's the page that has a path that splits into three), and my AIM window. Bonus points to anyone who can figure out my screenname.

So sorry about the game delay, but the good news is that I'm going on a road trip this weekend. Meaning I have a grand total of six hours in the car. That should be enough time to finish Maze Adventure. Who knows, maybe I'll just release the game on Monday.

Oh, and I might give you another beta of the Maze-Ed, just to try the new loading page.

Feel free to leave comments.

Important: When you go into the trophy room, do they all say "Not Yet" for everybody? or do some say "Got It"? If they do, you'll probably need to hit an "Erase All Data" button that clears your cookes from the game. Please comment here or on the forum if you have a "Got It" in your trophy room.

Progress Update

Well, Maze Adventure is coming along. Yesterday I basically went through each level with a fine-tooth comb and looked at what things were too hard, too easy, etc. I also had to change some of the wording below the level. One of the new features is that you have a lifebar at the top of the screen, instead of on the side.

One of the things that always annoyed me about the demo was that if you were going fast enough, you could go right through an enemy without getting hurt. Go ahead and try it out. Thats because it only tested for a hit when the enemy moved. Since they move sortof slowly, they dont test for a hit very often.
But no more! Now the hittest runs every millisecond, so there's no getting by those enemies! (This is still on my hard drive, so you can try the bad hittesting in the demo.)

The Final Boss is coming along, that's all I'm gonna say for now.

For the Level Editor, would you like me to try and make it so that when you load some code, you can edit that level again? Or just leave it the way it is?

I know this sounds like a lot, but it was four days worth of work. Maybe I've been spending too much time playing Cheese Dreams on MiniClip. The last six levels are HARD! I'm currently stuck on 18. I think I'm gonna give up. (You can click on that link to play it.)

Behind the Maze Adventure/Progress Update ([edit] and new timer)

http://www.andrewanimation.biz/games/maze%20adventure/kittymaz.htm

What is that link? It's part of a Javascript teaching resource that I have on my computer. And yes, it is where I got the idea, graphics, some of the code, and other things for maze adventure.

I like Maze Adventure a lot better. I think you will, too, after playing this.

And now, a quick progress update:
I'm getting really close to finishing Maze Adventure. Right now I'm working out all the bugs in the final boss level, then I basically just need to go through each level with a fine-tooth comb and change anything I think is too easy, too hard. If you have any input on anything you would like me to change, post it here. And if you want me to put in any of your levels, post them here too.

Oh right, and I need to make the FPM cameo level. I predict I'll be done by, ummm........ next Friday.

[edit] Look up^ I know the suspense is killing you already, but I added a countdown until the release of Maze Adventure. Assuming I release it on Friday at 12:00....
It also reminds me to keep working :-)

Maze-Ed 1.5

I don't know if this deserves a bigger or smaller number than I gave it, but for now, let's just call it version 1.5

Anyway, there are a bunch of new features in this version. Most importantly, now you can load a level code. I guess that was kind of stupid on my part, writing all these instructions about how to save your level, then not giving you any way to load it. The page I have isn't very fancy, but it gets the job done.

Another new feature is the black holes. Now this isn't how I wanted to do it, but the only way to put them in is to insert the center, then click around that center with the "Area Around Black Hole." I wanted to have it so that the editor would automatically put the space around the hole. But to do that, I would have to go through every brick and define more properties that say the names of the bricks around it. Thats about 200 bricks, and I think I've spent too much time on the Level Editor as it is.

And the other new feature is.....Gravity! The feature you love to hate. You can choose between three speeds, Standard (which is what I use in most of the game), Moon (only half as strong as standard), and Sticky (twice as strong as standard).

Other small changes:

• I changed the window that opens up for you to play the level, now it looks a little nicer.
• Shrunk the font size of the instructions. I was running out of room over there.
• Added a "Life Force" bar at the bottom of the playing window. (Had to, for the black holes)
• Fixed the bottom-left corner (that works now, WJUK)
• And maybe some other stuff you probably won't notice

So before you go off to test it, I want you to use this link instead. Now there's a door on the start page for the editor, as well as one for this blog. And the trophy room is only there so can test the cookies and stuff. You can't save trophys yet.

So go to http://andrewanimation.biz/games/maze%20adventure.

And I'm looking for feedback on the whole level-editor thingy. Are there any other features you would like in it? Are there any other bugs I should look at? Cuz I think I'm going to spend more time on the rest of the game.

Remember, if you email me a level code or leave one in the comments, it might make it into the game! So send me your levels!

Level Editor 1.1

Probably the simplest thing I've ever had to code

f.history.go(0);

To translate that into english, "f" is the name of the open window. "history.go(0)" is a fancy way of saying refresh. You see, Javascript can't really do a refresh, so us programmers use this little hack, that basically says "go 0 pages into the past" aka. the same page. But I'm rambling now.....

The point is, now the window will refresh automatically, and the Level Editor Preview Window should work now. I didn't think this deseved a new number, (it is only one line of code different) so I just made it version 1.1

I still don't understand why this works, but since it does, who cares?

So please try it, let me know if it works for you now.
http://andrewanimation.biz/games/maze%20adventure/level_ed.html

Level Editor 1.0

Well...........Level Editor didn't take as much work as I thought it would. Granted, some features are missing, like it can't do black holes yet, but the basics are still there. What I would like is if you could play around with it, see if you can find any bugs, and then leave it here as a comment.

Even better, if you create any levels that you really like and want to be in the Maze Adventure, email the code to me (andrew [at] andrewanimation.biz). Who knows? You might be in there!

http://www.andrewanimation.biz/games/maze%20adventure/level_ed.html

Where Have I Been?

I don't think anyone is reading this blog anymore, but if they are, those people might be wondering where I've been. The short answer is that I've been so busy with graduation that I haven't had time to update the blog here.

On Monday, I had the last of my tests (see "6 Tests in 2 Days" post). On Tuesday, I went on my class trip to New York. The next few days we were rehearsing and setting up for class night/graduation. Then some family came up on Saturday, then Graduation was sunday.

Today is Monday, and my Summer Vacation has officially started. I've been pushing so many web design things back until it began, so I'm still working.

As for Maze Adventure, I haven't had much time to work on that either. But whenever I have a free moment, I spend a little time working on the level editor. It's a lot of code, but most of it repeats, so I don't have to write that much.

Level Editor?

If you've looked at my source code, you would know that I design my levels like this:

mazeArray[0] = new Array(1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1);
mazeArray[1] = new Array(1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1);
mazeArray[2] = new Array(1,1,0,1,1,1,0,1,0,1,1,1,0,1,1,1);
mazeArray[3] = new Array(1,1,0,0,0,1,0,1,0,1,0,1,0,1,2,1);
mazeArray[4] = new Array(1,1,1,1,1,1,0,1,0,1,0,1,0,1,0,1);
mazeArray[5] = new Array(1,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,0,0,0,1,0,1,0,1);
mazeArray[6] = new Array(1,0,1,1,1,1,0,1,1,1,0,1,0,1,0,1);
mazeArray[7] = new Array(1,0,0,0,0,1,0,1,0,1,0,0,0,1,0,1);
mazeArray[8] = new Array(1,1,1,1,0,1,0,1,0,1,0,1,1,1,0,1);
mazeArray[9] = new Array(1,0,0,0,0,1,0,0,0,1,0,1,18,1,0,1);
mazeArray[10] = new Array(1,0,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,0,1,0,1,0,1);
mazeArray[11] = new Array(1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,1,0,1,0,1,0,1);
mazeArray[12] = new Array(1,1,1,1,1,1,1,0,1,1,0,1,0,1,0,1);
mazeArray[13] = new Array(1,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,1,0,0,0,0,0,1);
mazeArray[14] = new Array(1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,0,1);
mazeArray[15] = new Array(1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1);

That is level six. Chances are you don't look at my source code, though.

My point to all this is: since it's all tile-based, and since I already have a good idea of how to do it, do you think I should make a level editor part of the game? Granted, it would push the release date back a few days, but I think you might enjoy it. If you want, I could even release it before the game comes out, let you try it out, and let you send me any levels you like. Maybe I'll put them in the real game.

Comment with your thoughts on this. Is it worth my time (it's gonna be summer anyway, so I have nothing better to do....

Somehow Survived

I can't explain how or why, but I got through most of the tests. Of course, my reading teacher suprised us with our final test for Romeo and Juliet, but it wasn't that hard. Now I only have one test left :-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-)
I'm happy about that :-):-)

O wait, I still have to finish my math final. Darn......
:-

Nothing new with the maze.....
I played what I have so far, and I've forgotten some of the things I programmed.
Haven't spent enough time playing it I guess.......

Math Problem

While studying for my math final, I found this problem in my math book:

A contractor has agreed to pour the concrete for the floor of a garage. He knows the area of the floor is 221 sq. ft, but cannot remember its dimensions. He does remember that the dimensions are prime numbers.

When I read this my first thought would be: fire the contractor. I wouldn't want him guessing on the size of my garage, then find out that it's too narrow and that all I can use it for is to store junk.

My second thought would be: this guy has a very stange memory. He can't remember what the dimensions are, but he remembers they are prime numbers. Interesting the way he prioritizes these things.....

And finally, if this guy can figure out the dimensions of the garage using Trinomial Factoring, why is he stuck as the guy who pours concrete for garages? Why doesn't he get a better job?

If you really want a laugh about a math problem, check out this post on WJUK's Blog:
http://wjuk.blogspot.com/2008/05/not-mauled-by-land-sharks.html
Scroll down to about halfway through. It's a lot better than mine.....

6 Tests in 2 Days????????

Well, I originally thought that I would only have two finals, English and Math, and then maybe one or two more tests in the last week of school. We now have TWO MORE DAYS of school (after that we just plan graduation) and have SIX MORE TESTS. We already had our English final, but in the next two days we will have

• Romeo and Juliet Act 5 Test
• Math Final
• Middle East Geography Test
• Vietam/Cold War History Test
• Romeo and Juliet Whole Book Vocab Test
• R&J Whole Book Test

Once I get through these, I will have nothing except SUMMER!!!!:-) Maybe then I'll be able to finish Maze Adventure.

Btw, did you see the thing at the bottom of the blog. Still working on it, but..........

Cookies

I've never been much of a chef. Maybe that's why I've had so many problems getting these scripts to work.
< / bad pun >

No, but what I'm trying to do is make it so that once you get a trophy, it will remember it while you're playing the game, but also remember it for next time. Sounds simple enough, right?

The point is that, after working on this for a few weeks, I finally got it to work, so you will be able to save trohpys and stuff in the final version.
Note, there are no trophys in the demo, so don't try to get them.
So, I'm one step closer to finishing the game.

I also just had my English final. It wasn't that bad. I thought it would be a lot harder. Now just a math final, and two social studies tests, and I'm done! Yay :-)

New Links

Just a quick post to say that I put two new links on the side there.
The blogs for WJUK and Nybuis from the Borne Games Forum.

links over there--------------------------------->

And please leave some comments.
I'm getting lonely. :-(
No, but I do want to know your opinion of Maze Adventure.

Your Thoughts

For the Maze Adventure, what were you're thoughts while playing this besides:

• Wow. This sucks.
• I can't believe VideoGuy thinks we enjoy these.
• Does VideoGuy have any other friends that will test it for him?
• Why doesn't VideoGuy learn flash?

To answer those questions:

1. I agree. It does suck.
2. Sorry if you don't enjoy it. This is just my way of learning.
3. I had my other friends beta-test Hallway Adventure. We know how many bugs are in that.
4. I will be learning Flash 5 this summer, if I have time. It's a lot of work.

Anyways, my point of all this:

We're some levels too easy? Too hard? If you were me, would you change anything? Please comment so I can improve the game. (as much as I can, anyway) :-)

And if you're in the US, have a Happy Memorial Day! I have a few friends marching in our town parade.

Better Colors

I just wanted to make a quick post to say that I changed the colors of the blog a bit, so it is not so... "rather funky" as WJUK put it.

Also, there's a link to this blog from the Exploding Pigeon Games Blog! (link over there ----------------------------->)
Linkage is good :-D

[Edit #1] I also put up a new banner for you to enjoy. I think I'll use something like that when I redesign my regular site.

Hey Hey

Chances are that not many people know about this blog. It's probably only people from the Borne Games Forum (bornegames.com) that are reading this post. But anyways, it's a blog.

So I mainly made this blog because I felt guilty about using the Forum to post updates on my game. Some of the posts were rather long, so before I get in trouble with the Admins, I'm going to put updates here now. Chances are people are going to forget that this blog is here, and nobody will notice when I finally finish my game.

Oh, right. The game. If you're just joining me, I'm making a game called "Maze Adventure." Its written entirely with Javascript, no Flash (since I haven't learned that yet). If you want to play the demo of the game, http://andrewanimation.biz/games/maze%20adventure/ There are still some bugs, and I have a lot of improvements (new levels, etc.) on my computer, but this should give you an idea of what the game will be about.