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spacemonkey

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Posts posted by spacemonkey


  1. I might be getting Flash MX soon, and I would like to know which one is easy. I have been wanting to make a great FPS, after playing Xiao-Xiao 4, but I figured I should start out with something easier. So which one is easier to make, a game or an animation? Thank you.

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    I'm going to venture out on a limb and say that, with Flash, animations are harder than making a game. Of course, this is only a special case, because some games are complicated while others are not.

     

    For example, you mention Xiao Xiao 4. The program the creator used to create the scenery was Swift3D. It is a basic modelling program that exports a movie you create as a Flash SWF file. So, all he had to do was model the scenery, and then move a camera through it twisting and turning it to simulate movement. Then, he imports the animation into Flash, adds a few enemies that have to be animated strategically, and makes a menu, and he's done. If you notice, the enemies are very simple. They appear, they play through their animation, and when you click on them, they die. Very, cery simple programming. However, 90% of this game was animated, and very nicely animated, at that.

     

    So, in this case, it is only fair to say that animation is harder, since it was most of the work.


  2. I got thet's same problem making card game like MagicTheGathereing. Solve is easy, do it makeing by php+sql.

    Player do move, move is putted to sql with time, second user check sql evry 5 sec if move is done, read them :)

     

    I'ts optimal solve, any other need instant server or can be connections lost or worst at end user can modify game on own machine  B)

    --------------------

     

    Practice is when evrything is work but no one know why.

    Theory is when work nothing but evry one know why.

    Programmers join Practice with Theory - nothing work and no one know why B)

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    That is a very clever way of simulating a direct connection. I'm not very keen on PHP or MySQL, but I would probably think that if a lot of people are going to be playing your game, you should have some unique game session identification. In other words, in the MySQL database, you're probably going to need a lot of different spaces to accommodate a lot of games being played at once, and you'll need some way of identifying which set of values goes with which game currently active.

  3. I looked into "Swish Max" and found that yes, you can use this to create Flash animations. While it looks like it is basically Flash MX but re-organized, there seem to be a lot of included effects and scripts. I suppose Macromedia allowed someone to crete this or I was completely wrong about the intellectual property rights.Oh well, I stand (or rather, type) corrected.


  4. Very interesting. I would go so far as to say that all humans do this to some extent or another. If you are talking to someone in a really mentally-engaged conversation, take one second to notice what you are doing with your hands or other parts of your body. Using gestures to help convince someone of or illustrate a point has been proven to be an inert psychological and physiological function. How do we know this? Blind people use the same gestures, even when they have not seen which gestures to use. Also, if you are talking on the phone, why is it that sometimes you use your hands to gesture in an attempt to make the point more clear? The person on the other end of the telephone cannot see what you are doing (unless, of course, you are on a video phone).Again, this is a very interesting topic. I would be so bold as to say that if someone has no experience using the power of persuasion and then tries this technique, they might end up making themselves look like a fool. I would personally suggest using very subtle additions to your already present conversational technique rather than adopting a whole new set of mannerisms.


  5. This afternoon, I awoke (I stayed up late) and began casually flipping through the channels on my television. I usually go to CNN first to catch up on world and national current events. This is the story that was being reported.My thoughts and sympathies go out to those affected by this attack on London, as well the people of England in general. Once you have encountered an attack so close to home, you temporarily lose that warm sense of security you once had. Eventually, you will regain it; and hopefully those responsible will pay for their cowardish and pitiful attempts at conveying a completely wrong and hateful message.I was in London two years ago, as well as a few other countries scattered throughout Europe. I am thankful that I was able to return home without my life being threatened, and I am very sad to learn today that many people have suffered for a cause that the civilized people of this world do not support.Again, my condolences.


  6. Usually I prefer to use Notepad to do any HTML or CGI scripting that is relatively small scale. I find that using Notepad significantly strengthens both your logistic ability with the language as well as your troubleshooting and improvisational abilities.

    If you are looking for a good, clean text editor that isn't What You See Is What You Get that has a lot of nice text-editing features (such as Regular Expression Find and Replace functions) and auto-cursor positioning for when you edit a lot of similar lines, you might want to try out TextPad. It is free and very functional and efficient.

    http://www.textpad.com/

    As an added bonus, you can even type Java into the editor and compile and run it, but the Java options and capabilities in no way interfere with your HTML features or projects.


  7. Alrighty. This is kinda weird for me to post this because I really don't read that much but there are a few that I truly love!

     

    First of all, I really like "The Davinci Code" and "Angels and Demon's" Both outstanding books! Great plot! Unexpected endings! Kept moving to keep me interested! Very good! If you havent read either of them for any reason, religious or not, I would suggest reading them! They are great.

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    I, like you, do not really like to read for entertainment. I'd rather play games or listen to music or go outside and do something physical.

     

    However, a former teacher of mine suggested I read The Da Vinci Code a few weeks ago, and while I was reluctant to actually read for a change, I read the first few chapters and suddenly found that I simply could not put the book down. I read the entire novel in less than 2 days (which for me is quite an accomplishment).

     

    I have yet to read "Angles and Demons" but I am looking forward to it. Although I am somewhat angry that I read The Da Vinci Code first rather than Angles and Demons, the plot in The Da Vinci Code really didn't seem to draw off the other book -- so that was a relief.

     

    As for my other favorites, I would have to say that "A Wrinkle in Time" was an old, old favorite book of mine. I remember reading that book years ago.

     

    Rubicon was also a good read. It was about a murder in Ancient Rome. Quite good.

     

    Another favorite of mine is The Knights Templar. I read it a while back, perhaps a year prior to reading The Da Vinci Code. But it was really interesting, and it kept me entertained.

     

    The aforementioned former teacher is writing a few books at the moment. They sound like they will be very interesting to read, and I am looking forward to reading his work.


  8. PC: Quake 4 - Copyright GameSpy.com

    With all the attention focused on the development of DOOM 3 over the past few years, the team at Raven Software has been able to enjoy some peace and quiet working on Quake 4, which is also using the cutting-edge DOOM 3 technology. To date, there's only been a few nuggets of information released about the game, which is actually a sequel to Quake II.

     

    Today, Activision passed along a slightly expanded synopsis for the game written by Raven's Eric Biessman, along with one of the few screenshots we've seen to date:

     

    ? ? Earth is under siege by an alien race. The Strogg are cybernetic warriors -- a mechanical frame and decaying body parts stabilized by flesh consumed in a systematic annihilation of other species and civilizations. In a desperate attempt to survive a Strogg attack on Earth, an armada of Earth's finest warriors is sent to take the battle to the Strogg home planet. Earth's initial assault force is nearly annihilated immediately, but one marine manages to infiltrate the base, bring down their planetary defense systems, and kill the Strogg's collective brain and leader -- the Makron. Earth assumed the destruction of the Makron would end it all, but it didn't.

     

    ? ? That's where QUAKE II leaves off and QUAKE 4 begins.

     

    ? ? The Strogg are quickly regrouping. However, with the Strogg's planetary defenses still destroyed, Earth's forces can deliver a full and final assault. This time, you're not alone. You are Matthew Kane, an elite member of Rhino Squad, and part of Earth's next invasion wave. An army of soldiers are fighting with you and an arsenal of weapons and vehicles are at your disposal in this heroic and epic battle between worlds.

     

     

    The mechanized Strogg race are once again your main opposition in Quake 4.

     

     

    Considering we already knew the game would continue the Strogg storyline from Quake II, there's not a lot of new information in this synopsis, although we now have the name of the man behind whatever guns Raven can dream up for the sequel: Matthew Kane. It's also hard to miss the similarities between this screenshot and most of DOOM 3 -- it'll be interesting to see if Quake 4 has a similar focus on dramatic lighting and indoor areas, or if we'll get to spend a little more time outdoors with the vehicles announced to be part of the action.

     

    It's already been announced that Quake 4 will make an appearance at the annual QuakeCon event in Texas this August; we can only assume we'll be hearing a lot more about the game in the coming months, so check back regularly for the latest news.

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    Yes, Quake 4 will not be like Quake 3 at all. Which may sound unfortunate to most, to me, it sounds great.

     

    I always did like the storyline behind Quake II, as well as the game technology and the overall experience of playing it and... FINALLY beating it that one day a few years ago.

     

    I've heard that Quake 4 will feature squad-based, FPS play both in small, indoor areas and large, broad outdoor terrains. Only time will tell if this is true, and, if so, whether or not the developers have successfully pulled it all off into a rightful sequel to one of the best-selling game franchises ever shipped.


  9. ...

     

    Anyway some people I know claim that "Evanescence sux" just because the group have gotten more recognition than some other gothic bands (Lacuna Coil, Nightwish etc) over these past few years with singles like 'Bring Me To Life' and 'My Immortal' etc. That's just lame.

     

    ...

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    People feel the same way about a lot of different bands. What if I told you the Backstreet Boys sucked? Would you agree? So it's not really fair to despise an attitude that we all have, in some way, encountered.

     

    This having been said, I really don't care for the band. I just simply don't like the music. I can recognize that they have talent, but I'm not into it.


  10. Now I'm too lazy to read all the posts on this topic, so I apologize if this has already been said but I think the best gaming launguage for begginer/intermediate is DarkBASIC.

     

    ::: Why? :::

     

    When you begin to program games, it can be very off-putting to use a launguage which just makes no sense at all. Most people use WYSIWYG software, like 3dGamemaker because they do not want all the hassle of coding. Don't! you are usually limited to a very small number of features and you can not expand your game or use your own ideas. Fair enough, 3dGamemaker is a good program if you like that sort of thing and you just want to muck about, but you will be laughed out of the publishers office and have to pay ?100+ for a license.

     

    However, DarkBASIC, (Trying not to sound like an advertisment) combines the power of DirectX with good (Late Ps1 - Early Ps2) graphics, and it's pretty easy to master. personally, I think if you can code HTML then, with a bit of practice, DarkBASIC is a walk in the park. The main differnece with output compared to a WYSIWYG program, is that you are free to do what you like. With other programs, you put in a building, and you can bump into it, that's it! However, with DarkBASIC, you could grow wings, fly to the top, and do a river-dance on the roof : it's up to you!

     

    Coding is not that hard. For example :

     

    (DarkBASIC code : What this command does)

     

    :: Make Light 1 : Make light 1

    :: Turn camera left 2 : Turns the camera left at a speed of 2 (Forget this, a speed of 2 is just DarkBASIC's way of speed)

    :: Move Camera 2 : Move camera in units of 2

    :: If Sound playing(1)=0 then play sound 1 : If sound 1 isn't playing, then play it.

     

    ::: What alternatives are there? :::

     

    This really depends on your budget. After the BASIC language, costs tend to sky-rocket. If your thinking about making games for a living, then look at this below. it's the path I'd take early on. You simply buy the next program when your wallets fat enough:

     

    Now I'm too lazy to read all the posts on this topic, so I apologize if this has already been said but I think the best gaming launguage for begginer/intermediate is DarkBASIC.

     

    ::: Why? :::

     

    When you begin to program games, it can be very off-putting to use a launguage which just makes no sense at all. Most people use WYSIWYG software, like 3dGamemaker because they do not want all the hassle of coding. Don't! you are usually limited to a very small number of features and you can not expand your game or use your own ideas. Fair enough, 3dGamemaker is a good program if you like that sort of thing and you just want to muck about, but you will be laughed out of the publishers office and have to pay ?100+ for a license.

     

    However, DarkBASIC, (Trying not to sound like an advertisment) combines the power of DirectX with good (Late Ps1 - Early Ps2) graphics, and it's pretty easy to master. personally, I think if you can code HTML then, with a bit of practice, DarkBASIC is a walk in the park. The main differnece with output compared to a WYSIWYG program, is that you are free to do what you like. With other programs, you put in a building, and you can bump into it, that's it! However, with DarkBASIC, you could grow wings, fly to the top, and do a river-dance on the roof : it's up to you!

     

    Coding is not that hard. For example :

     

    (DarkBASIC code : What this command does)

     

    :: Make Light 1 : Make light 1

    :: Turn camera left 2 : Turns the camera left at a speed of 2 (Forget this, a speed of 2 is just DarkBASIC's way of speed)

    :: Move Camera 2 : Move camera in units of 2

    :: If Sound playing(1)=0 then play sound 1 : If sound 1 isn't playing, then play it.

     

    ::: What alternatives are there? :::

     

    This really depends on your budget. After the BASIC language, costs tend to sky-rocket. If your thinking about making games for a living, then look at this below. it's the path I'd take early on. You simply buy the next program when your wallets fat enough:

     

    DarkBASIC (About ?20)

    Blitz3D (About ?50)

    3d Game Studio (About ?80)

    GameStudio & gameSpace Package (About ?200)

     

    And then from there on, your into serious stuff.

     

    I hope I've helped. If you want any other information at all, then feel free to e-mail me at vusay@hotmail.co.uk. Thank you.

                                    Lee Webber - Vusay

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    You do realize you effectively double-posted in one post.

  11. Blender is only a 3-D modelling and animation tool. You'll be able to make your 3d models with Blender (and animate and render them) but you can't build a game with it.Based on some of the functions in Game Maker 6.1, you could import the models you make in Blender (so it won't look so much like a Game Maker 3d game), but your best bet is to use darkbasic or Blitz3D or the Torque3D engine. Blitz and Torque are ~$100, which is cheap considering what you want to do (and how much work you won't have to do if you buy either). darkbasic will more than likely take some time to get used to (especially if you don't have any programming experience), but it is powerful and cheap.


  12. I worked for a private mailing store (like Mailboxes Etc, except privately owned) for almost two years. I have plenty of experience with almost every single shipping possibility or method.

     

    ...

    3. You can require a signature (to insure no one stole the laptop your shipping)

    4. You can request payment when the package is dropped off (I think I'm not sure)

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    Actually, you can require a signature with USPS, UPS, or FedEx. It costs a few dollars extra with USPS, whereas UPS and FedEx are not much at all.

     

    I ain't sure about UPS, but Fedex has this feature which allows you to track your parcel/package.

    UPS also has this feature. Each time a UPS label is printed, it is automatically assigned an electronic tracking number. You can track any package by going to https://www.ups.com/ .

     

    Funny thing was, our robot was suppose to go to Portland but was stuck in Memphis for a few days.

    This is because the FedEx main headquarters is based in Memphis, Tennessee. All packages shipped via FedEx first arrive in Tennessee and are then re-routed to their destination. You would think that this method would be very time consuming and really not necessary, but FedEx Air service (overnight, 2 day, and 3 day guaranteed delivery times) is way more reliable than UPS's.

     

    One hint--if you sell it for just a little bit over $100, only insure it for $100 (which is automatic with UPS) and take your chances. They're very good about paying insurance claims within that $100, but if it's more, and something goes wrong, it gets complicated and takes longer. Naturally, if you sell it for a lot more than $100, you'll want to insure it for full value, but it's just not worth the hassle for $5 or $10 unless you couldn't cover that much if you had to make up the difference yourself.

    UPS only charges ~$1 for every $100 of insurance that you purchase above $100 (up to $5000). I don't see why you would take a chance with something over $100. It won't save you money if the package is damaged.

     

    UPS's software and customer service is generally more efficient and productive than FedEx's. UPS's ground shipping service is much more reliable than FedEx's ground shipping service.

     

    FedEx's Air service is cheaper than UPS's.

     

    UPS's ground service is SLIGHTLY more expensive than FedEx's (by only a few cents), but it is more reliable.

     

    Bottom line: When shipping something, pay someone else to pack it. Buy the correct amount of insurance for the package. For overnight, 2-day, or 3-day shipping, use FedEx. For standard ground shipping, use UPS. Use the post office for letters and bills only or you will hate your life (ESPECIALLY if a package is damaged and you file a claim).

     

    Trust me.


  13. Spacemonkey:

    Well, I can't really blame him/her in a sense. Sometimes world issues can become so annoying and depressing that some people just want to shut themselves away from it all. On the other hand, some are

    "desensitized" to it, so they just continue to watch without really feeling compassion or whatever, like I mentioned in an earlier post.

     

    ...

     

    Exactly. Fear creates confusion, which makes it a less daunting task to misinform people, which may inturn lead into easier brainwashing of the public. Did you also know that news show ratings go up when they air depressing stories? That's probably one reason why they don't air too many good, comforting uplifting stories. The more violence and disaster they show, the more audience they attract [ due to the desensitization tactic ], the more viewers they get, and the more ratings they receive. It's a very simple process. A very effective process at that. It's kind of like a station-to-station competition: the one who can attract the most viewers with disasterous news stories will win the ratings.

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    I just don't think that ignorance to the world, whether for the purpose to prevent depression or otherwise, should be encouraged. That's the gist of what I wanted to say.

     

    In response to your comments on violence versus ratings: you are spot on. As I began to read your agreement with what I had initially commented, I thought the same thing, then I read it from your post, so that's one less subject I have to type out. Yes, I agree. Society doesn't matter anymore -- ratings (i.e. - money) is what matters.


  14. That is a really good signature you should make more like that. I couldn't make that if I wanted to because I lack art skills.

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    While lacking certain artistic skills may prevent you from making a few categories of art, it won't prevent you from being proficient in Photoshop. Personally, I can't draw hardly ANYTHING. But, with a pretty reasonable knowledge of Photoshop and/or Fireworks, I can make a whole lot of good looking and useful works of art.

     

    You shouldn't let your lack of a certain skill stop you. Instead, work around it if it is impossible for you to overcome it, and utilize different aspects that will help you achieve nearly the same goal.


  15. XD

     

    When I was in Middle School I believe, my teacher brought in his Sony Playstation and allowed us to play it. It was the last day of school. The cool thing was all his games where downloaded....

     

    That was the coolest thing any of my teachers did...

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    Ahhhh.. I remember when my brother got a Sony Playstation. That was some time ago, wow.. a LONG time ago. I feel so old, and I'm not really that old whatsoever.

     

    Heh, Mortal Kombat on the Playstation, good times. Aslo, I think I remember a game called Warhawk? Not sure exactly. That game was cool. I also remember Jet Moto, and the beloved Demo Disc that my brother had that contained perhaps a handful of PS1 game demos. I remember the Die Hard game demo on that demo disc. It was hard.


  16. that is a good one, but I want something free. If it's not 3d, at least looking three d.

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    You can try Game Maker 6.0. While its focus is primarily 2-Dimensional games, it has quite a lot of 3-D functions that can help you create a simple game in maybe a couple hours (which isn't bad at all). The only downside to this from your perspective is there is an ~$20 registration fee.

     

    http://www.ambrosine.com/resource.html

     

    The link above should show you some tools to get you started, not all of the tools listed on that page are free.


  17. Summary

     

    1. Is there a program that I can make Flash games with little knowledge of coding?

     

    2. If there is, what.

     

    3. If there is no program, what lanuage would be used to make a flash game?

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    Answers:

    1. To my knowledge: no. Macromedia owns all intellectual copyrights for Flash and the creation of such a program (without Macromedia's consent) would violate those copyrights. It would definitely be possible for Macromedia to allow a third party to develop such a program (or even develop one themselves, though that is unlikely), however, as I stated before, to my knowledge they have not done this.

     

    3. ActionScript 2.0. Again, this is Macromedia property, so unless you developed some sort of compiler and made your own language, I wouldn't try messing with theirs.

     

    In Flash, the timeline really isn't COMPLETELY necessary to make games. ActionScript, while also completely optional, can control many, MANY aspects of the events that occur within a movie or, in this case, a game.

     

    It could very well be possible to make a cool game with ActionScript and have only one or two frames used on the timeline. It has been done. Since ActionScript is pretty much a simple language to learn over time, compared to say, C++, with some dedication you should be making games sooner than you might think.

     

    If you are concerned with money issues, let me go ahead and say that you're out of luck if you want to create Flash games. There are student discounts available which can take a nice chunk out of the original retail price for a Flash MX license. However, if that is still too costly, you might as well invest your time into something cheaper or even free. Flash, while cool, can quickly become the least ideal platform to use when developing a game.


  18. My opinions on the biggest issues today? none. I don't pay attention to the news because I don't find it interesting, I mean, is it interesting that people are losing thier homes, dieing, or war? I'm not that type of person to see stuff like that, so I barely update myself on what's currently happening. I only hear the news around school by overhearing people's conversations.

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    While no one can force you to keep up with current events, I would highly, HIGHLY suggest that you do so. Not only will you gain a better understanding of the world and be able to make important decisions later on in your life, but you will be able to exercise your mind and gain other points of view by having discussions regarding what's happening in the world. While it's nearly impossible to shut yourself away from the world and its happenings, you shouldn't strive to make that achievement.

     

    Inspired: I agree with your comments. Especially about the media desensitizing the public with disturbing and morbid news stories rather than positive and uplifting ones. Turn on the news in the evening and what do you see? Three or four stories about robbery, murder, or other crimes, and maybe one or (though it is unlikely) two stories about the community or a new program at the local school. The media, it seems, would rather frigthen the public than inspire it.

     

    I watched "Bowling for Columbine" a month or so ago, and I must say that this is, quite frankly, THE ONLY point with which I agree with Michael Moore (but we won't get into that here). I had somewhat wondered about this issue but his presentation really put it into perspective.

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