Image Link
May I just say that Gantt Project is one of the most horrible programs I've ever worked with. It is slow, clunky, buggy, and absolutely nothing is intuitive. Simple things like renaming or entering a date through the text box only works about half the time (if you're lucky), the program apparently has religious convictions that forbid you to start anything on the weekend - it's just an all-around BAD program.
I'm going to be the only person in my capstone class with a hand drawn Gantt chart, I swear.
10.23.2007
10.22.2007
Proposal Version 1
Link!
So, hopefully Jasper and I have this idea nailed down pretty solidly. A bit more research, and we might actually be ready to start making this thing.
So, hopefully Jasper and I have this idea nailed down pretty solidly. A bit more research, and we might actually be ready to start making this thing.
10.08.2007
Benchmark 01: Thoughts
Well, I fell a bit short of the mark assignment-wise. Juggling the work load for my own class, and what Jasper requires for his class, is a bit difficult when the expectations are so different. I do my best to make sure Jasper gets through his papers and presentations okay, and I forget to blog about it for my own benefit. I concentrate on how to best organize the wiki, and I forget to post to The Pool for my own method of gathering input.
So, what's on the plate for this week, and my remaining two days off.
- Diagrams! The storyboarding has given me ideas for interfaces, now it's time to start playing in Photoshop or Illustrator and seeing how they fly.
- Wiki! The wiki, right now, is a sort of tossed salad of information. Time to organize it, sprinkle it with loads of information, and start tossing the link in a few different directions to get some input.
- Research! As much as internet resources abound and are generously free, I'm still a big fan of the printed word, so it's time to hit up the bookstores and read the words of the experts.
So, see you all next Monday!
So, what's on the plate for this week, and my remaining two days off.
- Diagrams! The storyboarding has given me ideas for interfaces, now it's time to start playing in Photoshop or Illustrator and seeing how they fly.
- Wiki! The wiki, right now, is a sort of tossed salad of information. Time to organize it, sprinkle it with loads of information, and start tossing the link in a few different directions to get some input.
- Research! As much as internet resources abound and are generously free, I'm still a big fan of the printed word, so it's time to hit up the bookstores and read the words of the experts.
So, see you all next Monday!
10.07.2007
Interphase Interface Maunderings
So, with the first storyboarding session with Jasper down and noted, I have a few ideas in mind for how this thing will look.
First, the toolbars. In order to make a interface that appeals to all, we've chosen to make each button have a pretty self-explanatory icon. To deal with the mining and competitive aspect of the game, I'll look at the different Warcrafts and Starcraft, to see how they compartmentalized the task of managing and upgrading resources mining teams. I doubt the game will reach the extent that Warcraft manages all these things, but making them easy to navigate is a huge priority in our project, so observing the more complicated thing will be a help.
Second, the overall style of the art in the game must be considered. As I was sketching ideas up on the whiteboard, it occurred to me that a lot of what I was envisioning was influenced by the Japanese game Katamari Damacy. Katamari Damacy is a game that looks like it was designed with a younger audience in mind, yet is so zany and hilarious in both gameplay and style that it appeals to the older generation as well. With a simple objective of picking up objects and a simple interface and control scheme, it could match our game concept quite nicely. It certainly bears more looking into, and dragging Jasper over to play it so he knows what I'm talking about.
As for more interface ideas, I plan on browsing the local bookstores, and maybe ordering a few books off of Amazon, to research more into what goes into the thought process of creating an interface. I think I will also post a request to the pool for people to share interfaces and game styles that they like, hopefully to gather a large sampling of what people around our age find interesting or easy to use.
First, the toolbars. In order to make a interface that appeals to all, we've chosen to make each button have a pretty self-explanatory icon. To deal with the mining and competitive aspect of the game, I'll look at the different Warcrafts and Starcraft, to see how they compartmentalized the task of managing and upgrading resources mining teams. I doubt the game will reach the extent that Warcraft manages all these things, but making them easy to navigate is a huge priority in our project, so observing the more complicated thing will be a help.
Second, the overall style of the art in the game must be considered. As I was sketching ideas up on the whiteboard, it occurred to me that a lot of what I was envisioning was influenced by the Japanese game Katamari Damacy. Katamari Damacy is a game that looks like it was designed with a younger audience in mind, yet is so zany and hilarious in both gameplay and style that it appeals to the older generation as well. With a simple objective of picking up objects and a simple interface and control scheme, it could match our game concept quite nicely. It certainly bears more looking into, and dragging Jasper over to play it so he knows what I'm talking about.
As for more interface ideas, I plan on browsing the local bookstores, and maybe ordering a few books off of Amazon, to research more into what goes into the thought process of creating an interface. I think I will also post a request to the pool for people to share interfaces and game styles that they like, hopefully to gather a large sampling of what people around our age find interesting or easy to use.
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