#17 New Idea

A new idea I've learned about disasters is just how much preparation goes into preparing for one. Since WV is fairly shielded in the way of hurricanes, tornadoes, etc it doesn't occur to us as much. Sources I used included the CDC & FEMA. I know these are reputable organizations because they have long histories and are well-respected organizations run by the government. The Red Cross is another great resource.

#23 Storyline

My entire game tells a story. That's the most important thing to me, because it keeps the player's interest. Through the use of animations and sound clips (dialogue) the story will progress.  I want it to play essentially like a movie, except with the playable levels in between scenes. That's what we did last year, with video cut scenes and it worked really really well.



I commented on Austin's blog.

#22 Key control

There are tons of ways to use key control in a game. Some of my levels will have it - like the maze levels. Other games have used it in similar ways, essentially using the keys to control the character. The interesting thing is why you need to control the character - the story. However, my key control will be the arrow keys. I have never understood why you need to use the letter keys... It just makes things harder in my opinion..

I commented on Austin's blog.

#21 Share an Animation

Click Here. This is an animation of Hurricane Isaac. It's really cool because it actually happened and it shows exactly how and where the hurricane hit. I love the way hurricanes move - I know they're super destructive, but they're kind of beautiful in a way too. I wish I could make the hurricane in my game look like this but the detail is so fine that it's pretty impossible.

#16 Vlogging

caitlins vlog from Milkapeida! on Vimeo.

I commented on Austin's blog.

#19 Buttons

I don't see buttons being that big of a deal in my game. They of course are necessary on the title screen to start things off. They also are needed on win/lose screens, too. They basically are just going to keep the action moving. I will also use them to turn sound on and off.

This is a different type of button: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Button



I commented on Austin's blog.

#20 Sound

Sound is going to serve several purposes in my game. For starters, everyone loves good background music. I think it really added something to our game last year and I think it will this year too. Secondly, there are some specific sounds I'd like to add - fire extinguishers, rain, etc. Also, I'd like to do voiceovers which will add a lot more emotion. Sound is going to be a very important part of my game.



I commented on Austin's blog.

#18 Flash Topic

I plan on using sound in my final game. This will be in the form of music and sounds (fire alarm, etc) and in voice over. I think my game will do a good job of teaching the topic because it is interactive. You really get to know the character. I could improve it using some more storyline.



I commented on Austin's blog.

A Good Learning Game

My game is a good learning game.  It could save someone's life if I make it right. "Hobo's Journey'' is a straight quiz game. It doesn't keep you interested and it gets offensive. Nothing is replayable about it. They should create a character that you feel a connection to and that you want to help. The levels should be interactive.  Larry, while simple, is a good start. I might improve on the story line a bit and add some more sound to it.



I commented on Austin's blog.

Reflecting On My Game Idea

Who are you designing your game for? High school students. I'm assuming they are able to control a mouse and keyboard. I'm assuming they know what a house fire, hurricane, and tornado are, but not how to stay safe in one.

How will you make sure your game is not hurtful to any group of people? It won't target any specific race or group of people, and the info will be general and useful to everyone.

What will your game teach the player about your topic? How to prepare before an emergency, what to do during it, and what to do after.

Where does your game happen? It is set in appropriate areas - like a coastal home during a hurricane, any home during a fire, and any home during a tornado. Perhaps also schools, cars, and malls.

Describe the world you will design for your game. Each level will feature a different character. This character is preparing for a disaster. You learn about their lives, home, and family, and help guide them through the disaster safely.

How will this setting add to the learning experience? It gives an emotional attachment to the character & really makes the info stick in your mind.

What happens in the world that helps the player learn? Disaster strikes and they must save the characters and guide them through it.

How does the player use what they learned to make something happen in the game? By using what they learn, they are able to save the character and keep them safe.

Why is a game a better way of understanding your topic than a quiz? The info will stick with you and the emotional attachment to the characters makes you more likely to recall it later.


I commented on Austin's blog.

Team Game Topic

The thing about being in Globaloria 2 is that there aren't teams so I don't have to agree with anyone. My topic is disaster relief and safety. I think it's a good topic for a game because it's fresh in everyone's mind after Hurricane Sandy. I think there are a lot of levels that coud be implemented into it and I think it will make a great game. The educational value could save someone's life. - That being said I really need to do my research and make sure it's all accurate.



I commented on Austin's blog.

Our Very Own Mini-Game

It was super easy to make our own version of the carrot game. This is because all you have to do is swap out instance names and symbols. I just used ones from our game last year - Cause & Effect. I'm so ready to get to work on my demo and I'm about to start this paper prototype. I'm sick of wolves and carrots and following the curriculum I've already done...



I commented on Austin's blog.

Building a Mini Game

Building the carrot game was not difficult this year, but for the 1st year students it's a nice intro. It was hard to remember the code from last year. Making the game in itself was very simple. It does make you think about the complexity of the games you play everyday. It surprises me how much code I've forgotten.



I commented on Austin's blog (last year..)

Playing to Learn Part 2

I'm most interested in strategy games for my own game topic. I find them to be the most rewarding kind of game. I learned from the review what makes up a good and bad game and how to hold your player's attention. The message boxes were pretty cool and I always like scoring. I think the health meters are good in some situations. Being in Globaloria 2, I have a lot less questions than last year.

Coding Coding Coding

Because this is my second year in Globaloria, coding has been less of an issue. The score was giving me some trouble because of how I coded things on seperate frames. I overcame it with Austin's help and by looking at his code. I know that even though Austin and I are no longer a team, Milkapedia will never die and we are going to help each other out this year. I'm ready to get started on my real game.

Flash Mob (Part 2)

Programming in Flash wasn't very difficult, but I've been doing for a year. It was nice to get back to it. I'm a little behind and didn't start coding til today (which is why I didn't do my blog til today) but I'm catching up fast. I was proud when the objects disappeared because it's the 1st time it's happened in a few months. I haven't had to debug yet but I know it's coming.

Drawing A Background

I'm glad to be back drawing in Flash, though it has been kinda hard. Getting used to the tools again is a little difficult and I just want to code again, which I started a bit. I just love watching what I envision come to life and see what's in my mind on the computer. My prototype hasn't been that helpful but that's okay. I'm eager to draw more.

Back to Prototyping...

I honestly hate protyping, but I do understand the worth. It helps me see the "bigger picture" but I've been doing it for a year now and found it unnecessary for this project. My game has been modified a bit from the prototype and it did get me back in the mood for Flash. My game is about healthy foods. I think it's good for kids to learn about this with obesity on the rise.

Snack Attack

The scene will take place in a kitchen. There will be a fridge and cabinets. When you click on the fridge or cabinets it will close up on the fridge or cabinets open. There you will see a variety of foods and you click on the healthy ones and get 10 points each time. When you click an unhealthy item you lose 10 points and an explination of why it's unhealthy pops up. When you reach 100 points, you are presented with a congratulations screen and a healthy meal.

Fruits and Veggies

I chose to make my hidden object game about eating healthy foods. This is going to tie into my main game, which is going to be about how to be healthy with food and exercise. I think this is a huge issue in America and there needs to be a fun way to teach kids about it. The game will consist of a kitchen and when you click on different things there will be a close up with foods. You pick the healthy food and earn points, etc.

Hide & Seek

These games had their ups and downs. Some were definitely better than others and some taught way more. I really liked the Kitty Math game & now I'm going to try to put animation like that into my game. I think my game will be about animals in an ecosystem, but that could change. I'm trying to work out a scoring & timing system. I do think that there are better ways to introduce students to Flash. The carrot game was more interesting I think, but I unerstand trying to brign in the "educational" aspect. I do think it's a little tedious to have to do a paper prototype and presentation for a game that will be largely irrelevant later.

I commented on Austin's blog.

A New Year

I took Globaloria last year and Austin and I did pretty awesomely!

This year my biggest challenge is gonna be beating last years game. Working on my own is a little intimidating because it was nice to share the workload. I am looking forward to the wiki this year, considering it seems to be a lot easier to navigate. I'm also excited to help the first year Globaloria students succeed.

I commented on Austin's blog.

End of the Year Time

This year has definitely been a learning experience. The fist semester drags a bit due to all the tutorials... I think mostly we all just want to get on with making our game, but I think in the long run it's helpful. I absolutely hate the learning log and honestly think it's useless. I don't think I will look back at it ever and all it has done is slow me down. I do like the blogs most of the time, though I think they can be timeconsuming and they slow me down during crunchtime, leading to lower quality writing. I love the self-direction and I think it's a good class for the self-motivated. My partner Austin has definitely pulled his weight. We argued quite a bit but in the end I wouldn't have wanted to make a game with anyone else! The overall results are awesome and I'm really proud of what we've done. Now we just wait for the results of the contest...

I commented on Austin's blog.

Ready or Not

Our game is sooooooo close to being finished. We need to implement the video cut scenes and compress the sound, but other than that we are DONE. I'm almost sure it will be done in time and I guess if worst comes to worst we can leave out the video but we won't have to. The end of the year has thoroughly creeped up but we beat it! Ha we are so close!!!

I commented on Austin's blog.

Mayan 2012

The weather this year has been very whacked out. That being, said I think it's just a natural weather pattern - this stuff cycles in and out all the time, but it just happens that we never seem to remember it the next time it rolls around. The spring is highly unpredictable and the worst blizzards in WV history happened in April. I will say it was odd how little snow we got here, but I'm chalking that up to natural occurences, too. Though, sice Dick Clark died I don't see how there can be a new year, so maybe the Mayan's are on to something.



I commented on Robbie's blog.

Technology in the Arctic

Filmmakers survived the extreme conditions by bundling up and not spending that much time out in the open. There was a lot of technology used, but honestly it's from 2007, making it kind of outdated. Though they did have some cool tehniques with underwater cameras and helicoptors and planes with attached cameras. It's a cool idea and the show was beautiful. It did show things that the common person had never seen before.

I commented on Austin's blog.

Penguins on the Loose

I think the motive behind stealing the poor penguin was pure stupidity honestly. I think that the idiots just didn't think about the fact that they could be killing an innocent animal or they just plain didn't care. It says they're being charged with trespassing, stealing, and keeping an animal illegaly. However, I think they need to be charged with animal cruelty. I doubt they feel any regret except that they got caught.



I commented on Austin's blog.

The Final Countdown

 

I'm shocked at how little time we have left in the year. I think I've done a lot of procrastinating this year but I still have pretty great grades. Lately a lot of my As have been slipping to Bs, but I think I can get them back up. I think I would've spent a little more time on homework and a little less time on extracurriculars if I could do the year over, but it's also been a great year for me in terms of improv, show choir, and musicals. I'm really going to buckle down next year, since junior year is the one that matters most to colleges. As long as I manage to get out of the year with over 4.0 I'll be happy.

I commented on Austin's blog.