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Southlake, TX
Imparting game development wisdom of dubious quality a ridiculously long time.
April 27, 2006
I am SO getting these people to make a commercial for my games.
Watch, then stare blankly at your screen for about five minutes.
Oh, and Shetchup is now free. Don't get too excited, though. The version that's capable of importing and exporting to other 3D formats is still expensive, so unless you pla…
Watch, then stare blankly at your screen for about five minutes.
Oh, and Shetchup is now free. Don't get too excited, though. The version that's capable of importing and exporting to other 3D formats is still expensive, so unless you pla…
April 26, 2006
I remember back in the heady college days of the 1980's, "mixed language programming" was the touchstone for quality programming. I also remember that it took about a page of code to get a Fortran program to call a function written in IBM 370 Assembly (mainly because the 370 architecture had zillio…
April 24, 2006
The SQLite glue is now working well enough for me to put into my "production" code, so now it's back to writing games.
I put up a little page for it in the hopes of getting a little interest from the Zinc community. If you wanna see it, it's here. Hopefully a few more folks will put it in their proj…
I put up a little page for it in the hopes of getting a little interest from the Zinc community. If you wanna see it, it's here. Hopefully a few more folks will put it in their proj…
April 19, 2006
The SQLite glue-DLL is proceeding apace. Only problem is that this is the first production code in C that I've written in fifteen years, and I'm a mite rusty. I'm using Digital Mars C++ because it seems to carry the least baggage, and it'd just be rude if my little glue-DLL was larger than the SQL …
April 13, 2006
Okay, back to the subject. I futzed around with the Access/Jet functions built into Zinc, and it works beautifully. It's quick and easy. It's be an absolute cakewalk to do all of my persistent data-handling with it.
Licensing isn't really a problem. MS has a rather archaic "Access Deployment Kit" or…
Licensing isn't really a problem. MS has a rather archaic "Access Deployment Kit" or…
April 12, 2006
Okay, between Rick (rcarey1) and Emmanuel Deloget, I might have a solution to everything.
Rick and I IM-ed a bit, and I think I have a design solution I like.
First a quick screenshot to give you a frame of reference.
This is the first screen you see when the game starts. It's pretty simple, but has e…
Rick and I IM-ed a bit, and I think I have a design solution I like.
First a quick screenshot to give you a frame of reference.
This is the first screen you see when the game starts. It's pretty simple, but has e…
April 12, 2006
Big thanks for all of the comments yesterday. It's all really valuable and I'm taking it into account.
Wow, it's almost like we have professional seasoned game-design types here and not just a buncha teenaged kids who are only after the latest kewl frag-fest. I once again wish death on the Gamedev L…
April 11, 2006
Working on the standalone daily puzzles (which need a catchier name than that). I have a design issue, though.
Let's take the Shi Sen puzzle. In it, you have one million possible boards (it's just a random seed, so don't get impressed). After you play a game, it logs the following into the high scor…
Let's take the Shi Sen puzzle. In it, you have one million possible boards (it's just a random seed, so don't get impressed). After you play a game, it logs the following into the high scor…
April 06, 2006
After coming to terms with myself, I have decided to embrace an alternative lifestyle. Please be understanding.
April 06, 2006
Here's a good deal if you've got an Albertsons grocery store nearby (mostly western US).
The deal is this. If you order groceries online, they have a $25-off-$50 coupon code. Also, you can get $15 off if you buy the Narnia DVD and a pile of Proctor & Gamble products.
1. Go to albertsons.com and s…
The deal is this. If you order groceries online, they have a $25-off-$50 coupon code. Also, you can get $15 off if you buy the Narnia DVD and a pile of Proctor & Gamble products.
1. Go to albertsons.com and s…
April 05, 2006
The new Apple machines can now multi-boot XP and/or have an XP partition on the hard drive.
Free clue: unless you have very special needs (like you're a developer deploying on multiple platforms), multi-booting different operating systems is too clunky for words.
Me: Okay, I finished writing and spel…
Free clue: unless you have very special needs (like you're a developer deploying on multiple platforms), multi-booting different operating systems is too clunky for words.
Me: Okay, I finished writing and spel…
April 03, 2006
Read this, because this is important if you run a web page.
If you have any "active content" on your webpage that loads from an APPLET, EMBED, or OBJECT HTML element, your page is gonna act funny in the upcoming version of IE.
Now then, before you jump on the "IE Suxxorz" bandwagon, it ain't Microsof…
If you have any "active content" on your webpage that loads from an APPLET, EMBED, or OBJECT HTML element, your page is gonna act funny in the upcoming version of IE.
Now then, before you jump on the "IE Suxxorz" bandwagon, it ain't Microsof…
April 02, 2006
Yikes my kid had herself a weekend. On Friday our school had "date night", which is a party that kids can attend while parents go elsewhere. Maggie had pizza and played party games until around 10 pm while her parents went to see "Slither" at Movie Tavern.
Really fun movie, btw. Doesn't take itself …
March 29, 2006
It's officially the Bargain Basement Blog's 8th birthday.
In celebration, I worked on standalone Shi Sen some more. It's about 90% done. I still need some better tile graphics. Probably oughta advertise for it on gamedev help-wanted.
After that, it's standalone Voracity, ChessCards, and ConFusebox.
Th…
In celebration, I worked on standalone Shi Sen some more. It's about 90% done. I still need some better tile graphics. Probably oughta advertise for it on gamedev help-wanted.
After that, it's standalone Voracity, ChessCards, and ConFusebox.
Th…
March 28, 2006
The Code Zone Bargain Basement Blog is gonna be eight years old tomorrow.
That's right, worthy supplicants. Way back in the era of the "finger" commands and dot-plan files, I was posting Game Development Wisdom of Dubious Quality(tm) peppered liberally with such greatest-hits gems as. . .
o Here's wh…
That's right, worthy supplicants. Way back in the era of the "finger" commands and dot-plan files, I was posting Game Development Wisdom of Dubious Quality(tm) peppered liberally with such greatest-hits gems as. . .
o Here's wh…
March 26, 2006
Finally got with the server monkeys. For some reason, the tables got deleted (just the data, not the form). He was able to refill 'em from a Wednesday backup.
I'm not sure exactly when the database went kaboom, as I just noticed it last night. Anyway, high score tables on and after Wednesday are gon…
I'm not sure exactly when the database went kaboom, as I just noticed it last night. Anyway, high score tables on and after Wednesday are gon…
March 26, 2006
Having a problem with the mysql hosting over on my web server, so the daily puzzles are down right now. I'll have 'em up as soon as I can.
Looking at this, I probably need to run a database check at the beginning when I send the game the initializing info. Then I can automatically pop up a box sayin…
Looking at this, I probably need to run a database check at the beginning when I send the game the initializing info. Then I can automatically pop up a box sayin…
March 22, 2006
Yay, the GDC is gonna be in San Francisco next year.
This works out pretty well for me. I have a cousin who lives a few blocks from Golden Gate park. She's converted her basement into a guest room/apartment. We would've stayed there last year, but she had a guest at the time. Hopefully we'll be able…
This works out pretty well for me. I have a cousin who lives a few blocks from Golden Gate park. She's converted her basement into a guest room/apartment. We would've stayed there last year, but she had a guest at the time. Hopefully we'll be able…
March 21, 2006
Finishing up Shi Sen. Didn't get much work last week, as the kiddo had spring break, and I spent much of the week in kid-wrangling.
Also, we discovered that IKEA makes a cheap knockoff of some of our expensive furniture, so we now have a sectional sofa that we've been needing for quite a while. Our …
Also, we discovered that IKEA makes a cheap knockoff of some of our expensive furniture, so we now have a sectional sofa that we've been needing for quite a while. Our …
March 17, 2006
The GDC is next week, and most of the Gamedev press-monkeys will be there.
I will not. I just decided I needed a vacation, as I realized it had been years since I saw anything new there, and I needed a break for a year or two.
Keep an eye on the gamedev front page. For the Nth year in a row, I scream…
I will not. I just decided I needed a vacation, as I realized it had been years since I saw anything new there, and I needed a break for a year or two.
Keep an eye on the gamedev front page. For the Nth year in a row, I scream…
March 15, 2006
Had to listen to some Fundamentalist Montessorians at a parent-teacher thing a few days ago.
Digression alert. . .
The word "fundamentalist" is quite a weasel-word. It was coined by religious folks a few years ago who wanted to get back to the "fundamentals" of the Bible following the movement toward…
March 14, 2006
Somebody please tell me why I need HDTV.
It's apparently quite important, because the gubment is planning to force all broadcasters to change the signal so that every little rabbit-ears TV in the US will stop working. . .unless you buy a convertor-box for approximately 5X the worth of the TV itself.…
It's apparently quite important, because the gubment is planning to force all broadcasters to change the signal so that every little rabbit-ears TV in the US will stop working. . .unless you buy a convertor-box for approximately 5X the worth of the TV itself.…
March 08, 2006
Okay, there's enough of Shi Sen now to make it playable. I'm still a few days from it being a daily puzzle, but you can now check it out.
here
The rules are fairly simple. There are four of each tile (standard Mah Jongg). The object is to clear as many tiles as possible. You can clear a tile if anoth…
here
The rules are fairly simple. There are four of each tile (standard Mah Jongg). The object is to clear as many tiles as possible. You can clear a tile if anoth…
March 07, 2006
Still working on the Shi Sen daily puzzle. Toughest part to do is the search to check for valid moves. Thankfully, I already wrote that in C++ a buncha years ago for my C++ version.
C++ to ActionScript conversion is both easy and hard. And, interestingly, it's exactly the opposite of what I'd expect…
C++ to ActionScript conversion is both easy and hard. And, interestingly, it's exactly the opposite of what I'd expect…
February 28, 2006
Sorry to the folks in #gamedev. Looks like my "better than theirs" PongClock Screensaver freebie is gonna have to be revised a bit. . .
http://www.gizmodo.com/gadgets/gadgets/pong-clock-maker-cded-by-atari-157416.php
While it appears that the main bone of contention seems to be with the name "Pong", …
http://www.gizmodo.com/gadgets/gadgets/pong-clock-maker-cded-by-atari-157416.php
While it appears that the main bone of contention seems to be with the name "Pong", …
February 24, 2006
Glancing at my default homepage this morning (my iWon), I saw this USA Today headline.
However, my 6:45 AM brain did not see IAEA in the headline. It saw IKEA.
As you can imagine, that caused a double-take. I did, for a moment, revel in the possibility of being able to buy a low-priced pine-paneled h…
However, my 6:45 AM brain did not see IAEA in the headline. It saw IKEA.
As you can imagine, that caused a double-take. I did, for a moment, revel in the possibility of being able to buy a low-priced pine-paneled h…
February 22, 2006
It's probably on a buncha blogs now, but here's a link to get a $495 5-user piece of project management software for $5.
http://www.axosoft.com/Products/ontime.aspx?cn=otm_stepromo
Ends tomorrow, so order now.
http://www.axosoft.com/Products/ontime.aspx?cn=otm_stepromo
Ends tomorrow, so order now.
February 22, 2006
Probably gonna start on Daily Puzzle number four today. Shelly said that Shi Sen must be made into a daily puzzle by virtue of the fact that it's an addictive monster.
I think it's a good candidate, mainly because it:
1. Can be built from a random seed
2. Is not necessarily completely solve-able (ala …
I think it's a good candidate, mainly because it:
1. Can be built from a random seed
2. Is not necessarily completely solve-able (ala …
February 17, 2006
Big thanks for the feedback on the new daily puzzle (see the purple animated thingy above for a link). I had three minor bugs that I ironed out this morning, and everything seems to be happy. Glad everybody's enjoying the game.
As for the puzzle size, it'll vary between 7x7 and 9x9. I figured that'l…
As for the puzzle size, it'll vary between 7x7 and 9x9. I figured that'l…
February 16, 2006
The new daily puzzle is ready. Give it a play here, then come back here and post comments.
IMHO, it's the best yet. It's a good balance. Not quite as simplistic as Voracity, but not as time-consuming as ChessCards. The puzzles are challenging, but I've been able to consistently beat 'em at their cur…
IMHO, it's the best yet. It's a good balance. Not quite as simplistic as Voracity, but not as time-consuming as ChessCards. The puzzles are challenging, but I've been able to consistently beat 'em at their cur…
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