Thursday, March 31, 2011

End of March Rant!



Hey, blog readers! It's hard to believe April is around the corner.

Dojo Adventure:

I've been working on a new version of Dojo Adventure, you can see the list of changes I've worked on to the March Version.

You can download the Dojo Adventure March 2011 Version here.

I also mentioned earlier that I'm giving away a special in-game item that I implemented to people who take the time to read these posts.

Anyhow, if you transfer your save file or create a new save file and e-mail it to me as an attachment (UltKnightGrover*at*hotmail.com) with subject "Dojo Adventure Ring", I will upload the special "Creator's Ring" onto the save file and send it back to you. The item is otherwise unobtainable in the game.




BETACinema:

Can you believe it? "If Jon Ruled the World" is finished! I spammed it on Facebook (as well as a lot of my friends) and it got 70 views, but it's funny and if you haven't taken a look at it, I suggest you do! ^_^ Note: I can't have children anymore because of it.





As always, we appreciate the support, and you can subscribe to us on YouTube or become a fan of us on Facebook! I will love you a long time (platonically).


Progress to Degree(s):


Another end of the quarter, another evaluation of my degree progress.

Here is how my grades looked (much better than I would have thought, but not as good as I would have liked!)

Geology: B
Software Engineering: B-
Machine Organization: B-
General Physics: C+

I'm glad I was able to pass all of them and move on. I know to take a much easier quarter next time. The classes I'm taking are circled on the diagrams above, but they are as follows:

Math 372 (Combinatorics)
Math 262 (Applied Statistics)
PHYS222 (Physics II)





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Dojo Adventure Download



Changes for December Version:

Please see: Changes for March 2011 Version


Please see: Obtainable Abilities for all Classes.


March 2011 Version – By: Whim Independent Studios

_________________________________________________________

Table of Contents:

I. Simple Dojo Adventure Download/Install Instructions.*
II. Reporting Bugs.
III. Dojo Adventure Disclaimer.
IV. Copyright Information.
V. System Requirements.
VI. Given Consent to Certain Agreements/Contact Information.
VII. Frequently Asked Questions
VIII. Credits


*Downloading Dojo Adventure implies that you give yourself consent to all of the information following the download.


____________________________________________________



I. Simple Download Instructions


1. Download the zipped folder from FileFront. Dojo Adventure can be downloaded from this link:

Dojo Adventure March 2011 Version Download (Current Version)
GameFront (96 MB) | MegaUpload (96.26 MB)


Past Versions: *Note - Using a save file from a current version and moving backwards may corrupt saved data.*




2. Extract all of the files from the zipped folder. You should see "RPG Maker XP RTP", "Dojo Adventure", and "Geno's House Party".

3. Extract "RPG Maker XP RTP" and it will create a new folder. Inside the RGSS folder will be "Setup". Click Setup to run the RTP setup.

4. Run the Setup and press OK/Confirm. If it is in Japanese language, press the left button on what would be the OK or Confirm button. This installs the RTP, or the game engine.

5. After the RTP is installed, extract Dojo Adventure/Geno's House Party. (it should be an orange spiky circle inside of four green arrows). After that is extracted, open up the folder and click the DJA "Game" icon (for Dojo Adventure) or an orange spiky circle (for Geno's House Party) to run their respective games.

6. If you have any problems running Dojo Adventure, please see Frequently Asked Questions (bottom of page) or use the Contact Information to get assistance! (Section VI).


______________________________________________

II. Reporting Bugs/Suggestions

If you would like to suggest improvements or changes to Dojo Adventure or the Dojo Adventure project, please use the Contact information posted in Section VI. Please put "Dojo Adventure Suggestions" or "Dojo Adventure Bugs" in the subject line. If it is of legitimate concern, necessary changes or improvements will be made.

______________________________________________

III. Disclaimer

Note: This release of Dojo Adventure includes the data from all previous versions. If downloading this version, you will not need to download any previous version. If you are looking to transfer saved data from a previous version and port it to this version, locate the folder with the old version and find .SAV data. Drag (or copy) and paste that into the folder for the new release. If you are having compatibility issues, contact me using the information at the bottom.


Keep in mind that moving saved files from newer versions and pasting them into older versions can corrupt saved game data and cause errors with the Dojo Adventure software when trying to access files that do not exist.


__________________________________________________

IV. Copyright Information

Dojo Adventure is Copyright (c) 2010 by Grover Wimberly IV, Dojo Adventure Development Team, in association with Whim Independent Studios. All Rights Reserved.


______________________________________________________

V. System Requirements

Dojo Adventure Requirements:


Turn Based/Strategy Role-Playing Game
Players: 1

System requirements:


Game Engine Requirements: (Taken from Enterbrain):

Minimum System Requirements:

* Microsoft® Windows® 98/98SE/Me/XP/2000
* PC with 800MHz Intel® Pentium® III equivalent or higher processor
* At least 128 MB of system RAM
* 1024x768 or better video resolution in High Color mode
* DirectSound-compatible sound card
* At least 100 MB of available hard disk space

Recommended System Requirements:

* Microsoft® Windows® XP
* PC with 1.5GHz Intel® Pentium® 4 equivalent or higher processor
* At least 256 MB of system RAM
* 1024x768 or better video resolution in True Color mode
* DirectSound-compatible sound card
* At least 500 MB of available hard disk space

Dojo Adventure Requirements:

Minimum System Requirements:

* Microsoft® Windows® 98/98SE/Me/XP/2000/Vista/7
* PC with 800MHz Intel® Pentium® III equivalent or higher processor
* At least 128 MB of system RAM
* 1024x768 or better video resolution in High Color mode
* DirectSound-compatible sound card
* At least 200 MB of available hard disk space

Recommended System Requirements:

* Microsoft® Windows® 7
* PC with 1.5GHz Intel® Pentium® 4 equivalent or higher processor
* At least 256 MB of system RAM
* 1024x768 or better video resolution in True Color mode
* DirectSound-compatible sound card
* At least 500 MB of available hard disk space


RPG Maker RTP [Run Time Package] must be Pre-Installed on Your Computer before Downloading Dojo Adventure Software. The RTP is included with the Dojo Adventure folder, but still must be installed prior to running the game. If for any reason you cannot download the RTP software from the Dojo Adventure directory, you may download the RTP below.*


Download RPG Maker RTP here.

*Downloading the RTP makes you liable and subject to Enterbrain's terms and conditions.

______________________________________________________


VI. Consent to Certain Agreements/Contact Information

Downloading Dojo Adventure requires consent to certain agreements.

Ownership

Dojo Adventure Development Team retains all title, copyright and other proprietary rights in, and ownership of Dojo Adventure and its related add-on content. The player(s) involved do not acquire any ownership to the characters, areas, worlds, or any other object expressed in the downloaded software.

Restriction

Downloader of the Dojo Adventure software shall not de-encrypt, de-compile, or disassemble the Dojo Adventure or add-on software. Further, the downloader shall not sell, distribute, or otherwise transfer past or current Dojo Adventure or add-on software without the written consent of the Dojo Adventure Development Team.

Contact Information:

If you need assistance with installing Dojo Adventure or add-on software and you are not sure whether or not it will work on your system. You may contact Grover at:

MySpace
Facebook
E-Mail: (UltKnightGrover@hotmail.com)

Downloading the Dojo Adventure software means that you have given consent, as well as have read "Ownership", "Restriction", and "Contact Information" provided to you on this page.

By downloading Dojo Adventure, you agree to the conditions and terms presented in the agreements above.

______________________________________________________

VII. Frequently Asked Questions:

_

Q: The game says "Extract Failed". Why won't it extract?

A: If you are having a problem extracting the game, where it specifies the file location, press "..." and click Desktop and try extracting it again. It should work after that.

_

Q: I click the "DJA" icon to start the game, and a window pops up and says "RGSS" with random characters and forces the game to shut down. What happened?

A: While you extracted the RPG Maker XP RTP, you did not install it. To install the RTP, click the new folder that the RTP created. (It should be called RGSS-RTP with some characters behind it). Inside that folder you will see "Setup". Open Setup and you may see a bunch of random Japanese characters. This is the original game engine. Press the left option (which would be the equivalent of 'OK') to continue installation. Once the RTP engine is installed, the game should work. Note that the RTP only needs to be installed once, and will not need to be re-downloaded with each subsequent release of Dojo Adventure.

_

Q: How do I save the game?

A: In your house or mercenary camp, press the ESC KEY to open the menu. From the menu, select "Save In Journal" to open up the save screen. You also have the option to save your game after every major boss battle.

_

Q: Will Dojo Adventure work on a Mac?

A: Depends on the Mac, it needs to have an Intel-based processor and have boot camp with a Windows XP or later operating system.

_________________________________

VIII. Credits

--------------
Dojo Adventure Development Team

Developed by:
Whim Independent Studios
Enterbrain, Inc.

RPG MAKER XP ENGINE
Enterbrain, Inc.

Created and Written by:
Grover Wimberly IV

Character Design/Sprite Design:
Grover Wimberly IV
Stefanie Brignac
RPG Maker XP RTP

World Design:
Grover Wimberly IV

Class Design:
Grover Wimberly IV

Ability Design:
Grover Wimberly IV
Neil Stucky

Monster/Sprite Design:
Grover Wimberly IV
Stefanie Brignac
RPG Maker XP RTP

Area Design:
Grover Wimberly IV
Neil Stucky
RPG Maker XP RTP

Title Screen Design:
Stefanie Brignac

Game Over Screen Design:
Stefanie Brignac

Credit Screen Design:
Stefanie Brignac
Grover Wimberly IV

Logo Design:
Grover Wimberly IV

Additional Animations:
Grover Wimberly IV

Additional Resources and Animations:
LandOfShadows

Special Area Effects:
Grover Wimberly IV
Stefanie Brignac

Additional Sprites and Battlers:
Andinout
Cedric "The Omega" Sawall
Naramura

Slime Sprite:
Skull

Tombstone Sprite:
Ryusaki

Music:

Musical Contributions by:
Maoudamasii
RPG Maker XP Run-Time Package

Residential Area Theme:
Rod Lazo

Original Title Theme:
Charas-Project

New Title Theme:
Charas-Project

Akademian Theme:
Charas-Project

Desierka Theme:
Charas-Project

Ecocrystal Warrior Battle Theme:
Charas-Project

Airship Theme:
Charas-Project

Dojo Master Fight Theme:
Charas-Project

Test Your Might Theme (Unused):
Charas-Project

Lost Continent (8-bit) (Unused):
Charas-Project

Final Boss Battle Theme:
"LRPGM"

Luxri Mansion "Haunted Grave" Theme:
Myles Davis

Tomb Theme:
Myles Davis

Mercenary Theme:
Myles Davis

Dojo Adventure Victory Theme:
Composed by:
Grover Wimberly IV

Arranged by:
Myles Davis

Ruby Programming Language Scripts:

Area Picture Script:
Unknown
Grover Wimberly IV

Splash Screen Script:
Amaranth Games

World Map Script:
The Inquisitor

Monster HP Variance Script:
Sandgolem

Damage Output Visuals:
Selwyn

Dashing Script:
Arbiter "GoesSpooky"

Menu Enhancement Script:
Unknown (Uncredited)

Level Up Script:
Unknown (Uncredited)

HP/AP Battle Bars:
Unknown (Uncredited)

Credit Script:
Emily_Konichi
AvatarMonkeyKirby
"UNKNOWN"

Testers:
Matthew Estrada
Jabari Smith
Gabriela Torres
Paul Vela

Special Thanks:
Stefanie Brignac
Matthew Estrada
Jabari Smith
Gabriela Torres
Paul Vela
Jonathon Finan

All resources used in the making of Dojo Adventure were used with
permission (implied or explicit).

This game was created for non-commercial use. Contents created by the Dojo Adventure Development Team and/or Grover Wimberly IV may not be re-used without explicit permission.

Dojo Adventure is (c) 2007-2010 by Grover Wimberly IV in association with Whim Independent Studios. All Rights Reserved.

______________________________________________________


Modified March 31, 2011

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Random Rant Ramble Returns!

So, while I anxiously wait for grades to be posted, I have been [mostly] enjoying my Spring Break. My goal for what I'm taking next quarter largely depends on these classes, so that will probably be in either A/ my very relieved next post OR B/ my very depressing rant about how I got so close but didn't make it. With optimism (and mercy from professors), I am hoping to meet situation A. The realism in me is going for one class that passes and one that doesn't.

Anyway, how have I been spending my time during my four days of break so far?

Final Fantasy XIII:

I finally beat Barthandelus (and finally spelled his name correctly) in Final Fantasy XIII which allowed me to get to chapter 12. I'm really nearing the end of the game. (Which makes me happy for now. But being the FF fanboy that I am, I will probably end up purchasing FFXIII-2 upon release, anyway) Anyway, it's a love-hate with the game. It's a great RPG, but it just doesn't feel like a Final Fantasy at all! Beginning cutscene is of Chapter 12 is still freakin' epic, though.


Final Fantasy XIV:

I did rank 36 Gladiator Class quest and Rank 38 storyline quest. Both of them were equally epic. Despite all the problems that this game has, this has some gems in it, even if it requires going through a disproportionate amount of grueling pain and work to get there. I had two friends (Ois Zalure and Kaori Kaja) help me out with this fight, and I am glad they did, because there would be no way I could solo this shiz.







Other Games:

I was able to get some play time in for Chrono Cross and Pokemon as well. I'm hoping to finish disc 1 of CC by the end of Spring Break and this last weekend I beat the Multi Tower on Black Version with my friend, also we checked out the Entralink. It's a very interesting little multiplayer feature. (There's a special mission you can do to half all the shop prices!) Guess who stocked up on TMs while it was 1/2 off? :)


BETACinema:

Math Skit is coming soon!





YouTube Poop!

Waxonator recently came back to YouTube, and posted this. I don't know how long this has been up (on his own account), but after watching this, I am definitely a fan!

I will most likely post this in best movie of 2011 at the end of the year, watch me if I don't eat my words.





Also:





RE: Nintendo 3DS release:





The Nintendo 3DS came out on Sunday! Unfortunately, I have nowhere near enough funds to purchase one at the moment. So that will have to wait until May.

But, in a recent status update, I was reminiscing with a friend about GameBoy games we enjoyed a decade+ ago, and I really hope they release this jewel for the Virtual Console.





That's right. The 1994 remake of Donkey Kong for the Game Boy. On top of that, this game was epic. It had way more interesting levels and puzzles than the 1981 original. I played it years ago, and the cartridge of the game is long gone (maybe somewhere in my garage?). But just having this game be re-released is motivation enough to get the Nintendo 3DS.

We also mentioned Link's Awakening. Boy does that game bring back memories...





And this song, this song!






That's about all I have to rant for this time. It's longer than it's been in a while, but writing is the best way to vent, and I think I accomplished that in this post. XD

Until Thursday, friends!



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Sunday, March 27, 2011

BETACinema: Math Skit - Coming: April 1st

See also: BETACinema on Facebook
See also: BETACinema on YouTube






Our next skit is hopefully coming on Friday, April 1st and I have had the tendency to tack said date onto the end of most of my posts as of late.

Yesterday, I was finally able to get the skit footage so I have been editing it for the last couple of hours, as I'm very inspired to finish this on time. Though two scenes still need to be shot, it is largely finished, and so far it's looking pretty good.


Some more preview pictures of the skit:













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Friday, March 25, 2011

Indie Dreamin'

See also: Can anyone that knows Japanese translate this article by chance?

Title of this blog taken from this Mega64 movie:






But yeah, this post is focusing on what I'm going to work on project-wise for my independent [indie] groups: Whim Independent Studios and BETACinema!

For one, I came up with a new logo for my indie game work. It's nothing too special, but I didn't have one before hand, but now I have something simple and straight to the point.



And there it is!

Some people may call me conceited to come up with a title for an indie studio that does the work, but for Codename: EPIC (which will also use the above logo) has a much larger cast of people contributing to the project, so perhaps this logo may be used in the future for some of my side projects as well as any further games I/we may work on under this name. (Like Shadow Kid if I ever get the inspiration to take that out of hiatus.)

Dojo Adventure:

A new version of Dojo Adventure is coming March 31st. You can see a list of planned changes here.

On top of that I'm planning some more features:

Aging (Status Effect):

A party member afflicted with aging loses 1/10 of total HP a turn and cannot gain EXP at the end of battle. Unlike Poison, however, Aging ends at the end of battle. It can be healed by the magic spell "Reverse".

Resistance Rings:

I'm adding more options for rings/accessories that can be equipped. These will be obtained through new side-quests that are planned to be in the March Version as well.


Here are some aesthetic changes going to be implemented in the March 2011 version:


BETACinema:

I'm also hoping to edit together the footage for the newest skit this weekend and have that done by April 1st. More info to come in a future blog post.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Viva Eorzea Linkshell: April 2011 Leadership Administration (Rough Draft)

See also: Restoration of Servers.


2011 Viva Eorzea Administration: The following is scheduled to take effect on March 25, 2011 unless stated otherwise.


Leader/Shellholder:

Grover Eyeveen

Co-Leaders:
Ricocant Tribal
Valoreign Xorion

Linkshell Event Coordinator:
Lolo Landerlu

Recruitment Officers:
Mika Kitazaki
Crevox Shadeseer
Sean Helios

Viva Eorzea Members:
Viva Eorzea Linkshell Member List (September 22, 2010-January 3, 2011)
Viva Eorzea Member List (January 3, 2011-Present)

Linkshell Website:

Viva Eorzea Linkshell on Facebook


I. Viva Eorzea's Objective
II. Recruitment Policy
A. Prospective Recruiters
III. New Linkshell Policies
A. Events
IV. Inactivity

V. Rule Changes

Viva Eorzea's Objective:

Viva Eorzea was developed in July of 2010 to make a fun linkshell for any and all members willing to play Final Fantasy XIV. It was gathered by a Facebook invite to many different people who came from many different backgrounds as means to play together at launch. We welcome those of all skill levels, job levels, crafts, what have you.

We are all in this for the long haul while the game goes through this year of transformation, and hopefully we see this game bloom into something special and memorable!

New Recruitment Policy:

The linkshell expanded in September to include people of Figaro Server and has a policy of open recruitment.

At first, we were willing to accept any and everyone as long as they follow simple online courtesy, but due to the uncovering of the unfortunate 128 member linkshell cap, we have a new policy of having members seek us out rather than seeking for prospective members. For this reason we will no longer shout for members, but still welcome new linkshell members, friends of current members, and those who find us from online websites such as ZAM, FFXIVCore, and the like are encouraged to join.

Prospective Recruiters:

If you are interested in becoming a recruitment officer, please talk to a leader, co-leader, or senior officer. You may be subject to an interview by leaders and/or officers. Recruitment officers do not get any special rules except to welcome members upon request or free will. Please do not shout for recruits. (As per the new recruitment policy.)

Unless asked to by a leader, senior officer, or another member, recruiters will be held responsible for the people they invite into the linkshell. Excessive rudeness among new members is not tolerated. Excessive 'trolling' of new members is also not tolerated.

New Linkshell Policies:

*Subject to change depending on how Companies will be implemented in the future.

Unless it's a dire emergency*, suggestions for ways to improve a linkshell should be sent to a leader or senior officer.

Dire Emergency - One of which takes immediate action.

Can include (but not limited to):
-Banning/Suspension of/Forced Removal of Linkshell Members*
-Moving to another linkshell due to reaching a 128 hard-cap of members. (Immediate)

*Removal or banning of any current linkshell member means that a reason must be submitted in writing to the linkshell leadership the day the event took place.

Events

There will be at least one linkshell event per week. Times that events will be held is dependent on the person(s) holding the event.

It is not mandatory to attend linkshell events. Though most of times, it would be to your benefit if you need a missing camp, aetherial node, or storyline/miscellaneous quest. For most of April leading up to the patches, there will be guildleve events of ranks 20, 30, and 40 to get people ready for faction leves and NM hunts in the future!

Inactivity:

Viva Eorzea's definition of 'Inactive': Any linkshell member who has been inactive for two months or more is considered to be inactive.* Inactive members may be removed from the roster unless a notice is given ahead of time. Inactive members who are removed from the linkshell are welcome to return to the linkshell at any time if they return given that the 128 member cap is not reached.

This rule may change in the future when better linkshell options are available for the game. This section may be revised in the future.

*Time affected by natural disasters that require shutdown of servers do not count towards this day total.

Rule Changes:

The Viva Eorzea Linkshell Leadership (Includes: Leader, Co-Leader, Senior Advisers) has and reserves the right to modify these rules at any given time, with at least three days of advance notice for rules pertaining to conduct and one month advance notice for rules regarding drops/changes to point accumulation for events (in the future).

_

Monday, March 21, 2011

The Final Countdown!

Finals Week. Aaargh!



Monday - Fault Hike (Can we still go in the rain?)
Tuesday - Machine Organization / Physics Final.
Wednesday - Software Engineering Presentation Final Thingy
Thursday - Geology Final


I'm most worried about the Tuesday finals, we're allowed "cheat sheets" in both of them. I was confident about Machine Organization at first, but I keep getting lower grades than I imagine (even though I think I'm doing it right.) You just can't win sometimes. Physics, hell, it's up in the air. That's the most important class to finish, and also the hardest. It's hard for me to grasp the concepts, but I think I'll be okay with the cheat sheets handy.

As for my game projects, and games in general, they're going to be put on hold until Thursday so I can make the best out of my grades. Or at least hope to.


Wish me luck, readers! (Or whoever even takes the time to read these entries), because hell I need it. >_<


Cue the cliche music (in Mario Paint style of course!)









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Saturday, March 19, 2011

Never Again!

Never again will I take a class schedule this daunting and time consuming again. It's like mental suicide!

I think (for the most part) that I'll be okay with all of my courses, but I am going overboard on studying. I'm trying to balance out studying and gaming for the sake of my sanity. Too much of one thing is bad, right?

I'm also taking off a quarter in CSE courses in order to brush up on my programming skills. Software Engineering showed me that I need to expand past my knowledge of just C++, Java, and Ruby. And I really don't like mandatory independent study in order to pass a course that has a instructor. If I was taking an independent study course of my choosing, it would be one thing, but this is just ridiculous.

Some things I really want to grasp are PHP and CSS. So I'll have to read up on stuff about them this Spring. As well as brush up on C++ for when I eventually take Operating Systems next Winter. (Or Spring, depending on whether or not I can manage to pass Machine Organization.)

_

Oh, and I finally completed Black Version the other day, I briefly mentioned it, but I'm going through all the end-game content now. And I have to transfer my teams and others from my Pearl and SoulSilver versions. That is going to take quite a while, but I am one for patience.

_

Upcoming Projects:

This took three hours to do, but what can I say? I'm not an artist. However, I did get rid of one of the biggest annoyances of the game. The cursors were hard to read due to the black color, and I had to take the window-skin and do some editing. So, now we have a blue cursor. (And my artist skills go up by one. Score!(?))

Before:


After:


More details on Dojo Adventure upcoming changes can be seen here.


Release Dates:

March 31, 2011 - Dojo Adventure March Version (Whim Independent Studios)
April 1, 2011 - "The Math Skit" (BETACinema)

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

^ This is the Chicago River (taken from Wikipedia). It is dyed green each year for St. Patrick's Day!



Oh, and it's also why there is green-ish look of the blog. It's a shame that tomorrow it will be taken down after all the work I put into it!

On a (good?) note, finals are next week! And I think I'm prepared. I'm really worried about Physics, though. The other classes I think I can manage, just need to put in a little overtime (especially Software Engineering! Yeesh.) I'm hoping it will all pay off with a good Spring Break. I'm hoping to complete a lot of games too. Notably:

Chrono Cross
Donkey Kong Country Returns
Vagrant Story
Dissidia: Final Fantasy
4 Heroes of Light
FFXIII

My Spring Break is going to be fun!


Oh, and our BETA Math skit will be posted on Friday, April 1st!


_

Oh, and a special yearly St. Patrick's Day drink I enjoy.

Mix:

-Lime Sherbet
-Sprite, 7Up, or Sierra Mist
-Green Food Coloring

into a glass and enjoy!

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Marvelous Middle of March Updates!

Happy Middle of March!

As I always do every month, I want to post some updates on stuff that has been going on.


Last blog post, I stated that we had some progress on some future skits that are coming. In the last couple of days, some of the BETA members uploaded some commentary and footage from our meeting. So here's a quick compilation. Credit goes to Shadoe (for the first) and Mechanical Mia (for the last two) respectively.

BETACinema:















Pokémon:

I'm stuck at the Elite Four! Kind of my fault really, I taught Bacon some terrible moves. I re-taught it Heat Crush in order to go back to the Elite Four. I will be giving them a beating on Wednesday. Looking forward to transferring my team over from the older games and doing all that online content. I'm also going to be working on a team of all Unova pokémon within the next couple of months too. So look forward to that!

Also, my friends code is 4169-3822-6605. So add me!

Also, doesn't this pokémon look badass?



especially when it evolves into this:


I was lucky enough to find a Deino in Victory Road. :D

Dojo Adventure:

The changes I posted in Dojo Adventure will most likely be implemented in a few weeks. Sometime between March 27th and 31st. I'll advertise that as well. I'm maybe adding some NPCs in that ties in to upcoming game project Codename: EPIC as well.


_

Also, haven't completed (or touched?) Final Fantasy XIII yet. Most likely after finals. I'm also looking to finish Donkey Kong Country Returns too. So much to do, so little time! And now, I have to get back to my Physics work. Until the 17th!



And I shall end this blog post with two epic remixes. Enjoy!







Sunday, March 13, 2011

3/13 Updates - Viva Eorzea/XIV Updates, BETACinema, and new announcement!

A hell of a lot has happened this past couple of days.

Added with the fact that I promised a fairly long rant... so here it is.

First and foremost, the country of Japan had a tremendous earthquake that resulted in giant tsunamis afterward. Please, I encourage you to at least donate something to the various relief funds that are going on. More details can be found here.

_

^ No, I'm not angry. If someone stands there and takes pictures, I'm tempted to flail around like Kirby and yell "Hiiiii!". Just sayin'.


Anyway, yesterday was a very productive day.

Final Fantasy XIV:
Although, I had to wake up at the 8AM (which is equivalent to the crack of dawn for me), I lead the FFXIV Gridania quests with the linkshell:





While the quests felt like I had something to do in game, there was just something... missing. Not quite sure how to explain it, but the game doesn't really feel too epic with all of this easy content. In any case, I have one more main quest to do for the Gridania and should be done there.

Also, I'm trying to get a second co-leader for the linkshell. I have a good idea of who will take the new second-in-command spot, but I'm not willing to make any final confirmations yet.

I've also just been notified that the game has been taken down for about a week while Japan is recovering from the recent earthquake/tsunami. Until then as well, the LS will go into hiatus while I focus on restructuring.

_

BETACinema:

Well, snap. Where to begin?

We filmed a pretty funny skit today. I don't want to reveal specifics, but this one is kind of aimed at more of the intellectual crowd. It's kind of bad (on my part) when you have to sit there and have to explain some of the jokes (ie: Chain Rule and Taylor/McLaurin series) , but I tried to have a balance of jokes that anyone can understand and some others can get as well. I guess I'll have to wait and see how that's received and go from there to determine if I want to write more niche material like that.






Also: "If Jon Ruled the World" is almost finished. Just a little longer. I'm helping out with some of the video editing in that regards to try and accelerate development.


New Announcement:


Starting in April, I'm going to convert my YouTube page and make it a page primarily a YouTube page for development with my game projects (Whim Independent Studios) and post new game project trailers, and new trailers for BETACinema comedy/video projects. I am also planning on having commentary/outtakes of the group on that page as well. Main skits and sketches will still be placed on BETACinema's main YouTube page, as always.






(Photos of BETA March Meeting are courtesy of Mechanical Mia.)

Friday, March 11, 2011

No blog entry today.

I'm not very motivated to make a blog entry for today. If anyone is reading this, please donate to help towards Japan's earthquake relief. I'll make up with a large post on Sunday.

Until next time, friends.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Game Project Updates: Dojo Adventure/Codename: EPIC - March 2011

Some things to mention, I am working on two game projects at once. Dojo Adventure for the immediate month and Codename: EPIC throughout the rest of the year. I'm looking for someone who may be interested in making/designing the user interface. (IE: The look of the menus and windows.) For Dojo Adventure, we're going for a black/white design. For Codename:EPIC, a dark silver tone. If you may be interested, let me know.

Dojo Adventure:

The current version of Dojo Adventure can be downloaded on the top bar with all of the links.


I'm currently outlining some changes that will be coming in the new version of Dojo Adventure that will be released near the end of this month. I've received some suggestions about improving some aspects of the game, so I'm going to announce some adjustments to several classes:

- (New) New semi-bosses will be added in the eighth dungeon of each nation.

-(New - Finished) Several sound effects in-game have been modified.

-(New - Finished) The new "Whim Independent Studios" logo has been implemented.

-(New - Finished) The current transparent black user interface will be changed so the player can see the cursors easier.

-(New - Finished) The player will no longer be required to talk to the guard to enter a residence.

-(New - Finished) The mercenary system will be changed somewhat:

--- (Finished) Mercenaries will no longer leave your party when you enter your own residence. However, a Voucher/Mercenary Pass will still be required at camps outside of the residence.

--- (Finished) For new save files, Mercenaries will now be able to advance to level 85. However, the EXP required to level up from 81 to 85 will be significantly higher than a normal EXP curve.

-(New - Finished) More Wanted Species will be dispersed throughout several of the areas.

-(Finished) Paramedic is also going to get the ability "Heal 4" which restores all HP to a party member. This will be learned at level 85. (Added to list 2/27/2011 - Modified 3/9/2011)



-(Finished) Some of the Blackbelt, Swordsman, and Tamer abilities are going to be adjusted and split into tiers. (Added to list 2/27/2011)

For example, the Blackbelt ability "Crit Hit" will be split into three new abilities: "Crit Hit 1", "Crit Hit 2", and "Crit Hit 3". Each one will have increased damage and accuracy over the previous tier. This effect will be done for various abilities over various classes. (Added to list 2/27/2011)



-Final abilities will be adjusted so that it will require a minimum of 999 AP to cast, and will take all of the player's AP, even if it exceeds 999 due to Max AP+ attributes. For example, if the character possesses 1036 AP and uses the respective class final ability, it will take all of 1036 AP, instead of having 37 AP remaining. (Added to list 2/27/2011)

-The ending of the game will be modified. The storyline will remain the same, but there will be some added scenes in order for a longer, more consistent flow and not give the impression of a rushed ending. (Added to list 2/27/2011)

Cancelled Changes:

-An angelic flow will be added that will now restore HP at a very slow rate in areas with a Magic Localization value of 3 or greater.


Codename: EPIC:

There are still some spots open for the development team for this new game project. We're currently at 14 people in the team, and I don't really want to go past 20 for the whole team, but here are the positions we still need for the team:


Looking for Positions:


[X] Denotes that the position has been filled. Positions listed at the top are of most important, positions near the bottom are of least importance, but may be moved up in a later blog post as development moves through the stages.

Urgent:


N/A

Needed/Wanted:

-(New) Sidequest Designers
-(New) In-Game Icon artists
-(New) User interface artists
-Monster Artists
-Ruby programmers (Mostly concerned with user interface tweaking, and battle system re-design)
-RGSS Scripters (Mostly concerned with user interface tweaking, and battle system re-design)
-Voice actors for the characters.
-Game Designers knowledgeable with RPG Maker 2000, 2003, XP or VX software/engine or are willing to sit through an in-person tutorial to learn from me.

Going to need in the near future:

-Map Designers
-Dungeon Designers

Filled Positions:


-Musical Composer [X]
-Sprite/Battle Artists [X]
-Logo Designer [X]
-Character Artists [X]
-Storyline Writers [X]
-Protagonist Artists [X]
-Antagonist Artists [X]
-Title Screen/Game Over Screen Designers [X]


Here's a teaser of one of the upcoming characters of the game. His codename in development: Gobby.

Monday, March 7, 2011

Pokémon Black Version: First Day Impressions (Unfinished)

Note: Unfinished Blog Entry.


So after being psyched to get this game, and talking about it non stop for the past couple of weeks, I've finally gotten Black Version on release day!

Overview:

Like every Pokémon game released thus far, you're a new trainer setting out on an adventure in a new region to get the eight badges and the Elite Four. That formula hasn't changed too much.

However, I've noticed some differences from other Pokemon games, especially for this new generation.

This game feels more like Red/Blue/Yellow version did (or whatever was your first Pokémon game). I say this because this really does feel like a whole new game. They tried to distance this pair of games from all of the others that have been released, and they pulled this off quite well especially because of one reason (in particular) that's noticeable from the start.

You don't see any old Pok
émon. At all.

In previous games, they would mix some of the old, more common Pokémon with the newer species of the game. In Black and White, every Pokémon you meet in the game is brand-spanking new. I mean, there aren't even Zubats and Geodudes in caves, even they've been replaced with new Unova Pokémon. Like this for example:



Shocking, right?



Storyline:

They've also made some interesting new changes to the storyline of the game to keep things fresh and kind of interesting:

-There is a much deeper storyline here than in this game than in previous iterations. Not to mention the fact that you get two rivals. (You can't name them, unfortunately) Each one takes the starter you didn't get. Team Plasma (the evil organization of the game) makes many more appearances so far (and I've not even gotten to the third gym yet.) While linear like the other games, I feel like the characters here have much more personalities and the gym leaders themselves actually play more important roles in the story rather than appear and are never seen again.

Gameplay Changes:

-TMs are re-usable! I wasn't expecting this, nor have I knew this before actually playing it. Once you get a TM, you have it forever now. I'll like this when making a competitive team (if I ever get the time to go through with it.)

-The Pokémon Center and PokéMart are now one big huge building in each town. Quite nifty, if you ask me. I always had trouble finding the PokéMart in town. If you have a package or a mystery gift, there will be a guy to the left of the entrance who will hand you stuff. (Kind of like D/P/P/HG/SS)

-They have a "low HP" battle theme. Yeah, it takes the annoying warning beeps from the older games and makes a tune out of it.





-The Wi-Fi is way expanded. They have menus for online competitions, a Battle Box in the PC one can use to deposit pokemon to go in these competitions, and may be used in the future for other things. (Easy syncing up to a new Pokemon Battle Revolution Wii game in the future, maybe?). There's also infrared battling, and a way to join in on a friend's adventure. I really want to get around to trying all these features, and I hope to. I also noticed that GTS (Global Trade Terminal) is available after you get the first badge rather than after beating the Elite Four.

-The battle screens got completely redesigned. Though the structure works the same was as it always has, it's more fluid. The game also has a camera and zooms in on the moves. The changes make the battles much more interesting to look at. Before it would just be one static sprite for the majority, and now battles certainly feel much more lively. A welcoming change if you ask me.





-They also ended the whole "caps" thing in regards to wild Pokémon. For example: It's nice to see "Snivy" instead of "SNIVY". I'm glad they got rid of that.

I also noticed a lot of the move animations from Generation IV were re-used, it's nothing to really dread, but it seems like a lot of Gen IV resources were re-used.

_

Anyway, so far I'm really enjoying Black Version. I highly suggest picking up Black or White if you have a Nintendo DS. (Actually, I'd be surprised if you have a DS and weren't planning on getting it).

And if you do get (or already have) the game, make sure to add me! My friend code is 4169-3822-6605.


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Saturday, March 5, 2011

Naoki Yoshida "Yoshi-P" Part IV + My Opinions on FFXIV Patch 1.16

The amount of passion and dedication this man has towards this game is remarkable. Inspiring, really.


^ Naoki Yoshida (right) with Sage Sundi (left) at an interview with ZAM at the Game Developers' Conference. (GDC) Poor guy looks exhausted though.

See also: Patch 1.16 Details


See also: Letter from the Producer, IV
See also: Letter from the Producer, V

See also: ZAM's interview with Naoki Yoshida at GDC.
See also: ZAM Editorial: "Bringing Hope to the Masses".

See also: Eorzeapedia's interview with Naoki Yoshida
.

See also: finalfantasy14.eu interview with Naoki Yoshida.


See also: Naoki Yoshida Part I
See also: Naoki Yoshida Part II
See also: Naoki Yoshida Part III


This man sure knows how to keep people interested in the game. The patch brought forth a few days ago pretty much met my expectations. However, a lot of people seemed to be upset about the notable lack of cut-scenes.

Well, the Viva Eorzea linkshell and I went out to test it for ourselves and here's my opinions on it.



The rank 10, 15, and 20 quests that were introduced are pretty straightforward (go to x dungeon and gather these materials). The rank 30 quests are a little more interactive where you're set to another town to get stuff. (One in particular gave me a pink breastplate to wear T_T)

The quests themselves aren't too phenomenal (I guess that's what the main scenario quests are for), but they're certainly worth doing. There's a completion list to these new sidequests (ala-FFXI) so I'm thinking these are pre-requisites for something much more dangerous in the future, at least that's what Yoshida hints at in these above interviews.

Yoshida also stated that one thing we can be sure to expect was that the monsters in Eorzea won't be so friendly, and the world won't be as peaceful. I see his sense of humor really took effect when I logged in and once-small tiny rats were suddenly HALF MY SIZE. Scary stuff. Some of the new R30 quests too involve killing aggroing bombs and eyes as well.





I don't really like this new "aggro" emblem they have though. Looks out of place. Here's hoping in the future they re-arrange it so it's near the strength-con of the monster. I'm all for threatening monsters, but I kind of want to be surprised. That's the fun in adventure, right? ;)

I gotta hand it to Yoshi-P, though. I think the update as a whole was executed fairly well. There were a lot of features I found to be fairly annoying that were fixed. Most notably, the game no longer crashes when I open up the linkshell list. That was a nice little tidbit they fixed there. And MP regeneration on top of that? Love it!

I'm looking forward to the next patch. I just wish all of this was implemented back in September, and perhaps this game wouldn't have gotten itself in such of a bad shape and reputation it has to dig itself out of during the rest of the year.








.

Thursday, March 3, 2011

March 3rd Rant!



I apologize for the lack of a better title?

Three days in and I'm keeping to my goals... mostly. As you can tell, my rants are proportionate to my stress level. The more stress I feel, the longer the rants become. Best to have somewhere to vent, right? (Okay, seriously. It's not all that bad. But I am under some serious pressure.)

_

Pokémon Rant:

As most of you can tell, I've been hooked on the DS games lately in preparation for Black and White release on Sunday. I'm probably becoming quite annoying about it on Facebook too, maybe.

l booted up my copy of Pokémon Pearl Version yesterday and finally got around to evolving two Eevees into a Glaceon and Leafeon respectively. I also found a Thunder Stone so I got a Jolteon as a bonus. Score?

I didn't know evolving Eevee into those two forms (Glaceon and Leafeon) were as easy as leveling up near two Rocks in Sinnoh. I thought you'd have to have them with max happiness or something. Anyway, I'm going to train those this weekend before Sunday. I also found some more Pokémon in the PC on Pearl version that I want to level up. These include:

Skarmory
Breloom
Flareon
Jolteon
Pidgeot

...and some others I imagine, but I honestly can't remember at the moment. But I don't know, Pokémon seems to be a great quick stress reliever and I guess it's a better option than what some others would do in the same situation. *coughdrugssmokedrinketccough*


And I want a freaking Victini!


_

Software Engineering Rant:

Now this is where the stress comes in. Not too hard of a class, but I feel like the deadlines are extremely unrealistic for our project. I've been assigned to the Heap Sort, and while that is pretty doable, we have to code it in JavaScript. Now, JavaScript isn't too difficult to learn, actually it's very similar to C++. However, we have to use a "jsAnim" library for animations, and that is not exactly easy to figure out.

Now coding a Heap algorithm is easy, actually animating it using code with little knowledge on how it works, that's a little tough.

Again, I don't think Software Engineering is hard by itself, but with other classes that are just as time consuming (is that the right way to put it?) I think I bit off more than I could chew. Never again. I would rather postpone graduation than do a schedule this difficult again.

While I'm on the subject of programming, I'm getting really rusty in C++. I'm going to need to practice on some of that to get ready for Operating Systems next winter.

_

Final Fantasy XIV Rant:



Some people really have the audacity to think that Final Fantasy XIV is becoming like World of Warcraft, and make that their reason for playing no longer. Now, I don't play WoW, nor will I ever, but that game has 9,000,000+ players. Isn't that a good thing? People seem to say that WoW is this terrible game. I don't think it's that bad if it has that many people playing, but I don't think a couple of floating '!' icons will ruin FFXIV. In fact, it's been in Final Fantasy titles already (Notably FFIX and XII), so it's not anything new.

Also, a lot of people seem to be disgusted with the changes to the user interface. There have been people disagreeing with it saying it takes away from Final Fantasy's uniqueness. I don't know, though. I mean, Naoki Yoshida is working his ass off to get this game to succeed, and I greatly admire this man's efforts. He's seriously the captain of the Titanic as it's going under and so far successfully steering it back to balance. It's very exciting to watch, actually. But people who cannot embrace change because of a NPC giving a stupid little confirmation window and a "!" icon in a CS, I really don't know what to tell you other than "deal with it or leave".



Anyhow, less ranting and more informing. Yoshida did an interview in Los Angeles today with Eorzeapedia, and it's quite an interesting read. I posted it on Facebook, but no one seemed to give a damn so I took it off and posted it here instead. He's taking an interesting approach with classes though. He wants to introduce the traditional classes as either an advanced path to the current classes of XIV, or make them as subclasses of the current class system.

Personally, I vouched for the second method. It would only make sense that a Conjurer that has primarily white magic equipped would be a white mage, right? Maybe it's just me.

_

Now time to focus more on my homework. A more enlightening post will come Saturday after midnight. Maybe!







.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

A new month! March Goals, School, Eevee evolution chosen, and more nerdy stuff! March Madness FTW


I've re-designed for the month! I'm already missing the blue theme I've been used to since I started that look in 2008. But I think I can consider myself well-equipped to reflect all of the pinching. Right? Oh well, it'll be back next month.

Anyway, a new month means a new start, right? I realized I didn't make too much progress in terms of the February goals. In fact, I don't think I accomplished one damn thing on that list. (Okay, okay, I did get a Suicune from Gamestop.) What's the point of goals when they don't get fulfilled?

In any case, I tried to go for more realistic goals for March that I think I can fulfill.

-I'm looking to pass all of my classes. (Notably Physics, Machine Organization, and Software Engineering. I don 't need to worry about Geology, easy A). (See also: Progress to degree(s)). Easier said than done, right? Though, I'm right on the curve in all three of those classes. I never anticipated that the load would be this heavy, but I'm taking it small steps at a time. I've somewhat learned to stop procrastinating on doing Physics lab assignments, and that has helped greatly to my benefit. I just need to keep on hacking away and make sure I stay decent so I pass all of my classes. I've kind of past the point where I aim for high grades in these classes, but aiming to pass them all without the horrible fear of repeating any and setting back graduation any further. Needless to say, this is my utmost priority, and if I can at least get this goal done then the others can really be pushed to next month.

-A new version of Dojo Adventure is going to be released later this month, look for it! It'll most likely be released after Finals. I posted some of the changes that are coming in a different post! As well as a timeline for Codename: EPIC!

-Another important goal is to finish "If Jon Ruled the World". We are really running late on this skit, but it's almost done. It will be posted this month. Believe it! It's pretty cheesy, but it's very funny, and I think you'll enjoy it once it's completed.





-I've decided on the Eevee evolution that was greatly influenced by Twitter and Facebook posts. I'm going to go with Glaceon!

Yeah? I'm a sucker for blue Pokémon? It is my favorite color after all. And it would be formidable against opposing Pokémon like Garchomp or Dragonite. He's going to be a great addition to the Pokemon Black/White team, which I almost forgot to mention...

-Pokemon Black and White comes out Sunday! I'm looking forward to it! My poor DS is going to be abused for a couple of weeks straight! I already love the surfing theme they put in the game. (Music spoilers!)






-And I must, must, MUST finish Final Fantasy XIII. Yes, that abomination. I keep procrastinating in dealing with the game (I'm stuck on Barthandelus in Disc 3 of the XB360 version, so I'm not far from the end of the game), but I must finish! But it always helps to watch a funny movie that spoofs it, like this for example:





While I'm on the subject of Final Fantasy, I'm also looking forward to the changes Naoki Yoshida and his team are bringing to Final Fantasy XIV. They're bringing back the Black Mage costume!!! And do I see Dark Knight or Dragoon in there too!? I'm going to hopefully knock out a lot of quests for XIV with the Viva Eorzea Linkshell, so I'm looking forward to the patch that will be released in a few days.




That's about it for my March goals, more comprehensive than last months, but certainly more doable. (At least I think so). And I'll close out the blog post by an inspiring song by Steely Dan to kick off the month! Bring it on, March!




Hello one and all
Was it you I used to know
Can't you hear me call
On this old ham radio
All I got to say
I'm alive and feeling fine
Should you come my way
You can share my poison wine

CHORUS:
No marigolds in the promised land
There's a hole in the ground
Where they used to grow
Any man left on the Rio Grande
Is the king of the world
As far as I know

I won't take your bread
I don't need your helping hand
I can't be no savage
I can't be no highwayman
Show me where you are
You and I will spend this day
Driving in my car
Through the ruins of Santa Fe

CHORUS

I'm reading last year's papers
Although I don't know why
Assassins cons and rapers
Might as well die

If you come around
No more pain and no regrets
Watch the sun go brown
Smoking cobalt cigarettes
There's no need to hide
Taking things the easy way
If I stay inside
I might live til Saturday

CHORUS