2009 Goals:
1. Finish PopLava Project Manager (Pronto) [FAILED]
2. Make and spend more time working on projects with other people while spending less time working on heads down projects. :| Yah. [SUCCESS]
3. Take a stab at the next PopLava project which wildly contradicts #2 but its so dreamy I can't help myself. :) [SUCCESS]
4. Hash out a real solid Outpost V1 (Part 1). [FAILED]
50%... not bad, even if they were pretty vague "goals".
Here's a high level summary of what I did in the last year on BYOND.
- Drag-n-Drop Game Maker
An effort to see if I can make a drag and drop system while taking the bus. I was able to and stopped. Sort of a heap-uh-junk and not worth mentioning.
- PopLava Chat
My first transparent prototypes and as far as I know, one of BYONDs.
- Follow The Leader
This was a pretty neat prototype that would let users follow you around on the web. Due to serious security concerns, I never released it although a number of people got to play around with it.
- I did a number of pixel based movement demos. This multiplayer space game was one of the more involved.
- Here's an additional list of example projects I worked on. Some of you may be interested in the stats if you can figure it out.
EDIT ID TITLE UNLOCKS DOWNLOADS DEMO VIEWS STATUS EARNINGS PUBLISHED EXTERNAL VISITS
1 Active Player List 4 7 19 Approved 585 9/26/2010 0
2 Random Monster Movement 1 0 8 Approved 200 9/10/2010 0
3 Bean Counter 3 1 8 Approved 290 9/10/2010 0
4 Browser Chat 2 0 9 Approved 475 9/10/2010 1
5 Client Side Saving 4 4 9 Approved 950 9/10/2010 0
6 Controls with animations 3 3 12 Approved 653 9/10/2010 0
7 Controls with icons 2 1 9 Approved 300 9/10/2010 2
8 Cross-Hairs 1 0 7 Approved 250 9/24/2010 1
9 Custom Interface 9 10 52 Approved 4150 9/10/2010 0
10 Drop Down List 3 2 12 Approved 1150 10/3/2010 0
11 File Manager 5 5 9 Approved 1150 9/10/2010 0
12 Full Screen 21 39 50 Approved 1920 9/10/2010 0
13 Starter Interface 10 16 33 Approved 2350 9/10/2010 7
14 Teleport the player to new maps AND interfaces 1 0 9 Approved 250 9/10/2010 0
15 Popup Windows 1 0 3 Approved 250 9/10/2010 3
16 Probability Example 1 0 1 Approved 150 9/10/2010 0
17 Send Email 2 1 5 Approved 3800 9/26/2010 0
18 Simple Chat 3 2 3 Approved 420 9/10/2010 0
19 Spawn Example 1 0 1 Approved 400 9/10/2010 0
20 Communicate with web pages in your browser controls 2 5 14 Approved 760 12/14/2010 0
21 Browser DropDownList 1 0 1 Approved 400 9/10/2010 0
22 Rings 2 1 0 Approved 190 9/10/2010 0
23 Huck Dunt 1 0 7 Decline 5000 9/10/2010 0
24 Satans Army 1 0 0 Buy Out 26000 9/10/2010 0
31 Click To Move 0 0 0 Approved 0 9/13/2010 0
32 Click To Change 0 0 5 Approved 0 9/13/2010 1
44 Lost Connection 9 15 19 Approved 1245 10/4/2010 0
49 Distributed Installation and Product Keys 2 2 32 Approved 4750 9/18/2010 8
55 Custom Title Bar 8 15 13 Approved 1825 9/20/2010 0
56 Chat Window Interaction 0 0 7 Approved 0 9/21/2010 0
57 How to double click buttons 0 0 0 Approved 0 9/21/2010 0
60 Splash Screen Fade Effect 14 29 0 Approved 3175 9/26/2010 0
61 Full Screen Map 2 2 11 Declined 360 9/24/2010 0
63 A bush 0 0 0 Approved 0 9/24/2010 0
64 A tree 0 0 0 Approved 0 10/1/2010 0
65 User Datums 2 2 8 Approved 900 9/24/2010 0
76 Get Standard Time Library 2 1 1 Approved 190 9/26/2010 0
84 Email System 1 1 4 Approved 450 10/4/2010 0
92 Bar Auto Selector 0 0 4 Approved 0 10/3/2010 1
99 GetDate Helper Library 0 0 3 Approved 0 10/5/2010 0
110 Tower Defense: Clone Wars 0 0 10 Approved 0 10/11/2010 0
111 Real Time Clock (Client Side) 0 0 2 Approved 0 10/11/2010 0
136 Teleport Demo 1 2 10 Approved 90 11/23/2010 0
152 Jumping example for side scroller style games 0 0 6 Approved 0 12/11/2010 2
153 Spinning Badges 0 0 35 Approved 0 12/14/2010 40
BYOND Game Efforts:
- Huck Dunt (+100% of 100%)
I wrote it in about 4 hours to play around with shooting reticule. Sort of sucked but, that's what I wanted to find out so I'm done with it.
- Sniper(+5% of 5%)
Another pretty cool shooting prototype that I'm excited about getting back to. It's such an awesome idea that I'm sick about not working on it. :P
[NO IMAGE - TOP SECRET]
- Dungeon Dominus (+10% of 10%)
An amazing example of what the BYOND interface can do and yet, nobody gave a rip. I'm still recovering from this let down. The game would be relatively simple to complete but the artwork wouldn't be.
- Cathedral (+1% of 90%)
I tried to get this done in January but I'm stuck on some algorithm stuff for capturing areas. I also need to redo the multiplayer stuff because I made a monstrosity out of what should be a simple 2 player game.
- Plunko (+20% + 20%)
I had been playing around with some of pixel based movement systems which ForumAccount was contributing to and came up with a really neat platform concept. I need to do something with it because it's a clear winner. I'm stupid not to follow up with it. The game pretty much just needs levels.
[NO IMAGE - TOP SECRET]
- MRTS (+15% of 40%)
This game is so simple looking but its an RTS so it has lots of little moving parts including the AI. I'd love to finish this but it would be a major dud and requires major details work.
- HexWar (+10% of 10%)
I paid someone to create a hex prototype for me. They did and I took it and I reworked it a few times. This is another I'd like to get back to at some point.
- DiggaFlop (+15% of 15%)
I was inspired by a rhythm game created by ACWRAITH and ended up writing my own dumbed down prototype complete with pathfinding in just a few hours. I don't know what I'm going to do with it if anything.
BYOND Application Efforts:
- Project Manager (+20% + 90%)
Major major major undertaking that I continued to work on in 2010. It really shows what BYOND can do in the application space. This project should be completed within a couple months.
- Resource Center: (+100% of 100%)
Another massive undertaking that I worked on while between jobs and it's becoming the launch pad for even more big projects. I've been working on this project non-stop since August. While I have easily a few hundred work items sitting around, the project is considered complete.
Other Language Efforts:
- JavaScript:
I've been doing a ton of work in JavaScript with BYOND which is great since my day job involves that a little bit.
- C#
WaterMarker Tool
BYOND -> SQL Server middle-man application
Power User Tool (Classified)
- Silverlight
I wrote a few games and sites in SilverLight. Pretty much wanted to puke with frustration by the time I was done.
- GameMaker
I bought it. Tried the networking support, puked. Never ran it again.
- SVG:
Played around with SVG and HTML5 for the first half of the year.
New BYOND Game Ideas:
Action: 2
Adventure: 7
Arcade: 2
Board Game: 0
Puzzle: 3
Strategy: 4
Summary:
- I did quite a bit and I actually finished some things. Not all, but some. That's a pretty good ratio for a hobby game developer I guess. My attitude has grown quite serious over the year. I'm no longer day dreaming so much as designing and doing. Some of my dreams are quickly becoming a reality which is invigorating.
Phrases of 2010:
- Find and do any one little task before relaxing.
- Prototypes are a game developers life support system
- Datums are my new found friend.
- BYOND & IE are pretty amazing together... and... we are adding FLASH... O.O... seriously.
Best of 2010:
I need to update this thing eh... ;P
What's Next in 2011?
- Resource Center - Finish the following projects
- Avatars
- Rankings
- Achievements
- Revamped Contributor Award System
- Project Manager
- Training Center
- Collaboration Center
- Games
- Several partnerships and projects (the kind that reach the masses) which use all the aforementioned efforts to help make it happen.
A future with BYOND and Flash will no doubt change things but I have no idea how much.
2011 Wishes:
- Get full BYOND 4.0 support in flash (This would change the world in my opinion but maybe I'm just crazy)
- RC is buzzing with activity and is literally taking off toward the end of the year.
- To have some partnerships where several games are well under way before years end.
- When the 2011 review comes around, I hope to be setting goals which put BYOND in the limelight. I want to be that guy.
Lets see if we can't make this old dog (BYOND) do some new tricks in the new year shall we...
Happy New Years!
ts
