I've run into a bit of a writer's block, I've run out of ideas for games, and I'm falling behind in my schoolwork. Don't expect any new posts anytime too soon. I'll post as ideas come to me.

Flash 8

It's been a while since I've made a post. I've been working with Flash 8 a lot recently. While it is a resource whore, it's easy to work with after a little bit of practice and there is unlimited possibilities. I've begun drafting a game called "Puzzle Mansion". It's pretty stupid and corny but it's a start. I'm mainly writing it to get acquainted with actionscript and the program. The one objection I do have to flash is the organization of the script itself. Since the program is design focused rather than script focused, it makes it harder to remember where you use certain variables and for what purpose. Flash does require a lot of organization and ti can get  cluttered fairly easily if you don't keep everything accounted for. The program handles this well with the symbols library, and it's easy to stay organized once you really get going.

However, I'm no artist, knowing this I made the protagonist of Puzzle Mansion realize this and remark on it several times. I'm now seriously searching for a partner who is adept in creating designs in Flash, or any similar program. My crappy art just won't cut it. I'm a writer, not an artist.

A Rant on Spyro, why it's awesome, and why it makes me nostolgia hard

My first gaming console was the original playstation. We had a lot of games for it, in particular I remember playing a Rayman game designed for kids and Toy Story 2. But by far, my favorite thing to play was the original Spyro trilogy, back when Insomniac still owned the rights to it, and before whatever company bought the franchise and ruined it. The worlds were so imaginative, the music so fitting. It was the ultimate gaming experience. Back then I had no idea what I was doing, I would watch my sister destroy all the levels I could never  get to. Coming back to them and playing them, I'm still awed by the pure imagination and creation it must have taken to develop this game. Now I see all the little nuances that I missed before. For instance, in the very first Spyro game, (called Spyro the Dragon), the enemies go through stages of society.

In the first homeworld (the Artisans home world), the gnorcs (haha gnorcs) wear little hats, use wooden swords, and seem to live pretty simply it has an overall prehistoric feel to it. There's even Shepherds tending to their sheep (which are one of the most hilarious enemies to kill). In the next homeworld (Peace Keepers), the gnorcs seem to have discovered gunpowder, and use it to their advantage. The gnorcs in that world are dressed in civil-war era clothing, and mooned you if you turned your back to them (I'm not kidding, chase them into their tents, burn the tents and turn your back). The next homeworld (Magic Crafters) deviates from the pattern, and the gnorcs go back to a medieval age, where they practice magic, and ride animals as mounts. My favorite touch from Magic Crafters were the earth wizards that ran in panicked little circles when you got past their wall of earth.The next homeworld (Beast makers), the gnorcs have discovered electricity, and some of them are dressed in dark clothing with mohawks (The boss of the world is even called "metalhead"). The next homeworld, and my favorite homeworld, (Dream Weavers) doesn't fit this pattern at all, filled with faeries and jesters and things that grow HUGE when it's dark. The developers did an amazing job with this world, putting in a lot more mechanics that make the game that much more fun (and more frustrating). The final world (Gnasty's world), the gnorcs are in a modern age. One of the levels features a shipyard, where gnorcs are loading barrels (and throwing them donkey-kong style) onto ships while the mechanics guard the paths. Another level features gnorcs with grenades and machine guns wearing camouflage armor.

One of the best elements in the game was the music, and how perfectly it fit the level. One of the best examples of this was in Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage. The level called Hurricos is an industrial world with giant gears, tesla-like electronics and huge windmills. The music reflects the world perfectly, thanks to the musical genius of Stewart Copeland (The drummer legend of the Police). He did every song in the original series. Some notable examples are The Hurrico's theme, the Zephyr theme, the Dream Weavers Homeworld theme and the Ice Cavern Theme. I also found out that he did music for one of my favorite TV shows; Dead Like Me.

To finish off this rant, I just want to say how much the franchise has been ruined by pretty much everyone after Insomniac. While I understand that after 3 games, working on even more sequels for the same game would get extremely boring, no one could have done a better job than Insomniac did on the first three games. By far, the original Spyro trilogy, are the best Spyro games ever made.

Finally released

This release features finished items, revamped monsters, and an (incomplete) bestiary.

http://www.mediafire.com/?7v4rt09kb9r5m5d

Python IDLE required to run it:

http://www.python.org/download/

I've given a copy to Jared, he says he wants to see if he can add some graphics to it. If it looks good, I'll upload it. If it doesn't look good, I'll upload it anyway.

This is also that other project  I was working on: Doors. This is a freestanding .exe, no IDLE needed. Just download and run.

http://www.mediafire.com/?nsh5wmp06mhetm0

The internet is a living thing

The Japanese government signed a contract with a software development company to create a virus. This virus, instead of causing harm to computers, spreads and DE-infects computers that were previously infected with other viruses. Essentially this virus acts as a "white blood cell" of the internet, seeking out foreign infections and destroying them. Every day the internet grows and becomes more and more similar to a living thing. The amorphous cloud of servers and connections we know as the internet has "eyes" everywhere a camera connects. "ears" everywhere a microphone connects.

Hell this would make for a great sci-fi novel. The internet grows to big and so advanced that it becomes a conscious "living" thing. The government sends viruses to suppress it while activist groups spring up to protect it. Hackers turn psychologists and try to convince the internet to give away government secrets.

I would read that  book.