I'm Coding a Game – Part 1

I'm Coding a Game – Part 2

I'm Coding a Game – Part 3

I'm Coding a Game – Part 4

I'm Coding a Game – Part 5

I'm Coding a Game – Part 6

In this installment I used the transition function to have multiple levels in my game. That may not seem like a lot, but there was quite a bit of code involved. I also redesigned the layout of the level because I came up with a concept. So much to cover, let's get started!

Redesigning the Layout:

First step was to change the layout of the stage. When I first thought of this game, I knew I wanted a side scroller type of game. The original dimensions of the game were 2048 x 1080:

Not too bad but then I thought to myself, “Go big, or go home!“

So I doubled the width, yet again. This game is really starting to take on a life of it's own.

The roof tops are swarmed with multiple AN3000 droids!! RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!!!

Then I duplicated the level so all the settings stayed the same. then altered the landscape, and POOF I have level 2! This is when a concept formed in my brain. Have the game take place on top of post apocalyptic sky scrappers! I know, I know, the genre is played out, but I don't care! The brick texture I designed for the tiling now won't seem out of place. After I finished the levels, it was on to code an object for transitions.

The Code for Transitions:

There was a lot of new code and concepts so I'll try to keep it as concise as I possibly can. I created an object and named it, oTransistion. Next, I wrote some code in that object under the Create event:

The new concept or command I used was called the enum command. An enum is used to assign words to numbers. This can be very useful in programming. Instead of always using a '0' to represent when I want something to be off, now I can just use OFF in the code. ENUMs are a better choice than variables if the program calls for a constant, not a variable. Next I wrote some code in the step event:

This bit of code features the switch command. The switch command is a useful command if the program has a routine that needs to switch from one variable to a different one. Now if you recall, I used the enum to define some constants so the switch will bounce from enum to enum. For instance, If the switch is set to INTRO and an event triggers the switch, then the mode will be switched to OFF. Depending on what the mode is set at, a certain routine will happen when the triggering event occurs.

Confused?

This was me staring at the code for a good hour.

Source

It does make sense, try to think of it as a routine, broken down into subroutines. After my brain unlocked from thinking too hard it was time to add a script.

A script is code that exists outside of an object that can be called upon by any object. This script analyzes the mode, and when it is higher than '1' sets the target variable to '1'. One last step and we're done! Last I created an object that the main character had to touch to trigger all these lines of code!

I created a sprite and made it a blue box and wrote these lines under the collision event. When the main character collides with this object, these lines of code will process. I then placed the object onto the level. Eventually I'll make the box clear so the player won't see anything, but I need to see something as I'm creating the levels.

I discovered a neat little feature at this step. When an object is placed onto the scene it becomes an instance. That individual instance can then be assigned code specific only to that instance, not the object. So rather than creating an object for each new level, I created a generic object, then modified the instance when I used it.

I have to say, I really enjoy the way this thing is turning out. I can't wait to complete the shell of the game, so I can start to modify it and make a ton of levels, power ups, and guns. This is so COOL! until next time!

Take it easy, but take it.

NickelNDime OUT!

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I don't count my sit-ups; I only start counting when it starts hurting because they're the only ones that count. – Muhammad Ali

On Friday I had a check up with my primary care physician, and was cleared for exercise. So my goal is to drop 20 – 30 pounds within the next couple months. Impossible? Perhaps, but I'd rather try and fail than to not try at all. That's the only guaranteed way to fail!

Weekly Weigh In

Mondays will be my weigh-in day. This is probably the hardest part. I've avoided stepping on the scale for about three years, and this project forces me to weigh myself. It wasn't as bad as I thought. I was expecting a higher number. So this is very much encouraging!

Starting weight = 205lb 92.9864kg

Diet

When I spoke to my doctor about losing weight his response was dieting is the deciding factor over exercise in terms of weight loss. He put it like this, you could exercise all day but if your intake is more than your output your not going to lose any weight.

I've seen a lot of diet plans, but I'm going to stick with a low carb, lean protein type of plan. When my doctor asked how many calories I consumed in a typical meal my response was, “I don't typically don't count calories. I stop eating when I start loathing myself.”

“This buffet could feed a party of 20 or 1 NickelNDime.” – Manager

I will be tracking my food on an app and posting the results on my next post. The two hardest things to give up will be beer and coffee. The beer I enjoy is craft beer, which can range from 300 to 600 calories a beer. The coffee wouldn't be too bad if I didn't put International creamer in it.

Oh sugary creamer, you're the only thing that makes this garbage drinkable.

Exercise

I'm going to start very simple in this section. By simple I mean push ups and crunches one day, and cardio the following day. Everything is going to start with 10. So I will do 3 reps of 10 push – ups and crunches, and 10 minutes on the bike. I will increase this by 5 or 10 every Monday until I reach a good workout for myself. As this progresses I might add a pull up bar, but for now I'm going to stick to the basics.

I also charged my Fitbit so that's going to be really interesting to see the results in that as well!

Until next time!

Take it easy, but take it!

NickNDime Out!

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First – Installment

Second – Installment

Third – Installment

Chris – 12 years old

Nick – 10 years old

“Where do you think it leads?” 

“To the attic, but it's sealed off from the other side,” Chris answered. He continued, “Think about it bro, we could have our own private hangout!”

The two brothers stood there staring at the latch in the middle of the ceiling of their closet. Nick was in awe of the possibility of what lay in this mystical place named, the attic. He then realized the big problem. “But how do we get up there??

“We climb up the shelves,” Chris replied.

” Ohh, “ Nick said as he comprehended. He had another question for his older brother, “How do we get the latch open?”

“With this!” Chris exclaimed, as he held up their father's electric reciprocating saw.

You know it's quality if it name on it says,“Craftyman.”

This made Nick take a back step from the closet.” I don't know Chris, dad has made it very, very clear not to touch his power tools.” 

“Relax,” Chris said, in his calming voice. He continued, “If Mom or Dad find out, I'll take full responsibility for everything.”

“Promise?” 

“Yep.”

“What do you need from me then?” 

“I need you to keep watch. Peak your head out the door, and if you hear Mom coming, let me know.” With that, Chris climbed the shelving unit to the top of the closet and began sawing. The saw was super loud, Nick thought. There's no way mom is not gonna wonder what we're doing.

Nick peered out the bedroom door into the hallway. Their parent's bedroom was just down the hallway and Nick could see that the door was still shut. Nick popped his head back in the room and closed the door. He ran over to where his brother was cutting a big hole in the ceiling.

“Are you almost done?” Nick yelled to his brother.

“Almost, I need your help! Climb up, and hurry!” his brother yelled back down.

Nick climbed up the shelving unit until he was at the top with his brother.  His brother had already cut about 95% through the latch and all that remained was just a tiny section of wood. Chris handed Nick the saw and pointed to the remaining piece of the latch. “You're going to have to cut through it. I can't reach it.” Nick had never used a power tool before. He slid the blade into the groove and pulled the trigger.

The saw made easy work of what was left of the latch, and when it cut through, the entire latch fell to the bottom of the closet. Nick looked back at Chris in amazement. Chris returned the looked of amazement with a smirk and said, “You're now just as responsible for this as I am. So if I get caught, you get caught, too. Understand?”

Source

Nick was about to protest when there came a knock from the bedroom door. ”Christopher, Nicholas, what's going on in there? Are you two using your father's tools?” Nick shot a frantic look at his brother. His older brother didn't even flinch.

“Uh yeah, Ma we are, but you can't come in.” Chris yelled back toward the door. He held his finger to his lips to hush his little brother.

“Why not?”

“Because Ma...” Chris pointed Nick to climb down. The two nimbly scurried down the metal shelving unit. He continued, “Because Ma, we're making you something... Something really special.”

Nick shot his brother a look of surprise, confusion, and panic all rolled into one. Chris held up his finger to his mouth again to quiet his brother. “We're almost done Ma, give us 15 to 20 more minutes and we'll bring it to you.”

There was a silence from the door, and then, “You boys are too sweet! No more power tools okay?”

“Okay Mom, we're done using it anyway.”

They both could hear the footsteps of their mother walk back to their parent's bedroom when Chris glared at Nick and sarcastically uttered, “Good job keeping a look out, bro.”

“What are we going to do?” Nick whispered in a panic. He then added, “You told her we were making her something, we don't have anything to give her. Plus there's a giant mess in the closet! We're screwed when Dad gets home!”

“No, we're not,” Chris walked over to the wall where there was a framed poster of the Nick's favorite band, “Aerosmith.” Chris took the poster off the wall and out of the frame.

“What are you doing?” Nick asked in utter shock and disbelief.

“Sorry bro, sacrifices have to be made.” He then tossed the poster aside and handed the frame to his little brother. “Start making any drawing you can, cut out a bunch of hearts, whatever you think Mom will like. While you're doing that, I'll clean up this mess and put the saw away.”

“But I can't draw!”

“It doesn't matter, she won't care. Now move!”

The two split to their assigned tasks and moved as quickly as they could. Nick started drawing pictures of hearts, people hugging, and whatever he thought his mom would find sentimental. On the pictures he wrote captions such as, “We Love You,” and, “Number One Mom!!!” He then tried to arrange all the pictures in a collage and place them in the frame. This looks like garbage, Nick thought. We're so screwed!

Nick's drawings were not this refined.

Meanwhile Chris cleaned up the mess in the closet and placed the latch back in its place. He ran the tool back out to the garage where the rest of his Dad's power tools were. When he came back in, he ran back into his room and walked over to see what his brother had made. As he looked upon his brother's creation he thought to himself, Dear god that looks awful, we're so screwed. His little brother must have read the look on his face, because his shocked panic look was on it again.

“It's fine bro, you did a great job. Now remember, act like you put a lot of work into it!” The two brothers walked out of their room and headed to their parent's bedroom.

Marian was sitting on her bed writing on her laptop when her two youngest boys burst into her bedroom. Nick was holding a frame with pictures of some sort in it. They walk up to her with smiles on their face and Nick held out the frame to her.

“What's this?” she asked as she looked down at it.

“We made it for you Mom,” Chris answered. Marian looked down at the pictures in the frame. This is absolutely dreadful, she thought to herself. She looked back up at her two children's beaming smiles and thought to herself, They worked hard on this, they would be devastated if I hurt them.

“I love it! Thank you!” Marian exclaimed with her best acting face. Then her faced turned to one of puzzlement. “Why did I hear power tools being used if this is what you made?”

Nick shot a worried look toward Chris. His older brother didn't even flinch as he answered their mother. “We were working on something else but didn't like how it turned out, so we went with this. I really hope you like it.”

“It's absolutely wonderful,” Their mother repeated again as she hugged them. She then continued, “I'm gonna wait until your father gets home to hang it up. Now, I think it's getting late. You two can read for another hour then it's lights out, okay? “

“Okay, love you, mom.” the two boys said almost in unison then walked back to their room.  Once in there, Chris held up a flashlight and showed it to Nick

“The fun starts at lights out, little brother. Don't go to to sleep or you'll miss out.” The two climbed into their beds and tried to distract themselves with books until their mother came in to turn the light off. As soon as their mom said goodnight and walked out the door, Chris jumped out of his bed and ran to the closet. Nick was not far behind...

“Be quiet while you're climbing or we're going to get caught!” Chris instructed as he started to climb. Nick watched as his older brother opened the latch and climbed through the opening. Nick could see the beam of light from the flashlight dart back and forth. After a couple of minutes Nick heard his brother say in awe, “Wow, it is so cool up here, bro!”

That was all Nick needed to hear before he scurried up the shelving unit through the opening to the attic. When he finally made his way through he was greeted by his brother's flashlight shining right in his face.

“You're about as quiet as a circus, you know that?” his brother stated as he helped pull Nick all the way up through the opening. There the two sat, on a plywood board their father had laid up there when the family had first moved into the house years ago. “You have to stay on these boards,” Chris explained as he tapped on the plywood. He flashed his light over to where there was no plywood, just rafters and pink insulation, and continued, “if you step on the drywall between the rafters, you'll fall through the ceiling.”

“Wow…” Nick said in complete awe of his surroundings. He then noticed a loud wooshing noise coming from the left of him. He gestured to Chris to shine the light near there and asked, “What's over there?”

Chris flashed his light over to reveal the attic fan. “That's the attic fan,” then he added, “Never go near it, under any circumstances. It's not like a ceiling fan, this will cut you into ribbons, understand?”

The blades were recycled from the blades of fallen warriors from the battles of the Metro Detroit Area.

Nick nodded, understanding the severity of his brother's warning. After looking around at all the boxes, and all the other family member's items in storage, he looked back at his brother and asked, “So, what do we do now?”

Chris smiled as he held up a deck of Bicycle playing cards and for the rest of the evening the two boys played Gin Rummy by the illumination of flashlight.

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If your journey ends here, thanks for reading!

Take it easy, but take it.

NickelNDime Out!

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Years ago when I first started teaching guitar, the piano instructor said something that stuck with me. “You only remember the really good students, and the really bad students.” I was surprised to discover she was right. I've taught hundreds, if not thousands of people over the years. Here is one of the most absurd students I've ever had.

Flip's Dad – The MLM Salesman

So this story isn't about the actual student, but rather the student's father. Truth be told Flip , which wasn't his real name but his mother and father insisted I call him that, was a good student. This is about his father, Gary. Gary was into MLM. Gary looked like a cheap 1980's businessman. Bald on top with the classic comb over. Skinny arms, legs, and chest, but massive beer gut. Which reminds me, he had prevalent gin blossoms on his cheeks. To top it off, he wore an old suit coat with leather patches on his elbows. On said sports coat, was a giant button with the words, “ LOSE WEIGHT ASK ME HOW!”

I was surprised on how many results came back when I searched this.

Now to be clear, I never judge what somebody does for a living. It's hard out there. I do get annoyed when someone's job is to try and sell me something after I've repeatedly declined. The kicker of it was he was selling diet plans, shakes, and work out routines. I've never been in sales but I'm pretty sure one of the rules is, Sell what you know, and Gary clearly knew nothing about being healthy. He also used sale tactics that a blind person could see on a dark night. He'd typically attempt a sales pitch after his son's lesson as I 'd be going over what we worked on in the lesson:

Me: So, we're still working on the penatonic scale, if he gets that down we can really take off on the types of music we could play.

Gary: Yeah, yeah that's great. So... Let me ask you something. Do you want to lose weight and live a healthier lifestyle?

Me: Uh...So anyway Flip has five inversions he needs to learn before...

Gary: Cause with my three point method you can be sportin' a beach bod in no time! And, once you learn how it's done you can bring others into this healthier lifestyle as well.

Me: ...

Every week became a dance that him and I would engage in where he would rehash the same sales pitch and I would polity decline his services. I started scheduling my next student earlier so I would have less time to converse with Gary. He countered this by asking for my home phone number which I replied that was against store policy.

But...he got me!

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Years ago when I first started teaching guitar, the piano instructor said something that stuck with me. “You only remember the really good students, and the really bad students.” I was surprised to discover she was right. I've taught hundreds, if not thousands of people over the years. Here is one of the most absurd students I've ever had.

Russ – The 5 Foot MMA Fighter

I knew I had my work cut out for me when I first saw Russ at the front counter of the music studio I taught out of at the time. For reference, I'm a little on the short side and this guy came up to my shoulders. His arms however, were the size of tree trunks. This guy clearly used something to attain and maintain that kind of muscle mass. When I introduced myself his first question as he looked me over was, “What's the fastest thing you can play on guitar?”

“If your guitar doesn't look like this after practicing, then don't bother coming back!” – NickelNdime's first lesson

source

He introduced himself as Russ. He was manager at a health insurance company but his true passion lie in MMA fighting. He had fought in a couple non ranked matches, and he was still undefeated.

This was all that was going through my head as he told me this.

source

As we walked back to my lesson studio I initiated some small talk. “So what made you want to pick up the guitar?”

“The trim, bro. The two things women like are muscles and music. I've mastered one, now I'm gonna master the other.”

Terrific, just terrific, I thought to myself. That was probably the most tolerable moment from the three months that he took lessons from me. Don't get me wrong, I get guy humor, but this guy was on a whole other level.

As we sat down in my lesson room I asked him what type of music he wanted to learn.

“Wish You Were Here,” he said very matter of fact.

“Oh you want to learn some Pink Floyd. Yeah that's cool man I know a couple of their...” He cut me off before I could finish my sentence.

“No, just the solo to, 'Wish You Were Here.'”  before I could ask why that song he continued, “There's a chick I really want to bang, and I need to show her that I am sensitive.”

Now all of this I could over look.  When It comes down to it, I don't care why or what you want to learn, my job is that you learn it. The thing that made this guy so intense was, if he made a mistake he lost his damn mind.

One evening after a week or two of lessons, Russ and I were going over the solo when Russ made a mistake. He shouted, “F**k! Come on Russ, get your damn head out of your ass!”

This is a little toned down from the actual event.

source

He'd then cracked his neck to the left, then to the right, then looked down at his guitar and quietly whispered, “Again.” This would've been a problem if there were other lessons going on, but he was the shop's last student, so it was just him and myself in the shop.

This continued for three months. Us just going over the same solo, him going on about how low his body fat was, how he fought in MMA, and how much trim he laid until I made a remark he didn't particular care for. He was bragging about his sexual conquest from the previous night, as I was transcribing more of the solo.

“So anyway this girl had nothing to worry about. I'm not a, 'One Pump Chump' kinda of guy if you know what I'm saying.”

I looked up with a confused look and asked, “Wait, I'm supposed to pump more than once?” I started to laugh at my own joke, cause... it was funny.

“You know it's comedy gold if you're the only one who laughs at your jokes.” – NickelNdime

He did not find this funny, at all. “You shouldn't joke about your performance in the bed bro.”

“Ummm... I can cause I'm not a psychopath.” It was at this moment I had a vision of him counting each of his thrusts on some poor woman.

“I mean I guess you could count us while you were doing something else.” – Sheep

source

“You know I think this will be our last lesson. I found another instructor...” then he added, “... He can play faster than you.”

Does he count his thrusts as well? You two would be perfect for each other. I wondered to myself. I finished up the lesson, and never saw Russ again

Till next time,

Take it easy, but take it.

NickelNdime

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The Darkest Dungeon is a turned based strategy RPG. What makes this game uniquely different is that the player doesn't just manage a group of 4 adventurers, but rather an entire company of adventurers. On top of that, this is the first RPG that I've played that a player has to monitor his/her's characters stress levels. This is where the challenge of the game lies, the player has to keep enough heroes healthy(or sane enough) to venture into a dungeon. I've never set the setting above normal, and I've never made it very far. This game was released 4 years ago and I still find enjoyment out of it. When I loaded it up through Steam, I was surprised to discover how many hours I've played of this game. I have logged... you know what? You don't need to know how many hours I have logged in this game. It's none of your business! I'M A FUNCTIONING ADULT!

This RPG starts off just like any other with a tutorial as the first mission. Each of the player's heroes has special attacks that he or she can attack with. A feature that sets this apart from other RPGs is that depending on where the character is in the group's lineup, that character may only use certain attacks, and only attack certain enemies.

This means this player can only attack the first two enemies only if he/she is in the first two position of the group.

Another cool aspect of the game is that characters develop Quirks. depending on how well(or poorly) a character performs in a dungeon, he/she may develop a positive or negative quirk. I appreciate this aspect of the game in the way that not every development for a character is going to be a positive one.

Watch out for the “Kleptomanic” quirk. Make sure a character with this quirk does not open the treasure chests!

A mission will start off in town where the player assembles a group of adventurers. The player then chooses a dungeon for the group to enter. Dungeons range in type and difficulty. Before descending into the dungeon the player can purchase provisions the group will need before they depart.

Assembling the party

Purchasing provisions

After that the group enters a dungeon. What makes this game so cool is the stress level of the characters. If combat takes too much of a toll on a character, the bar underneath the characters HP will go up.

The white boxes under the HP measure stress... Just like in real life.

When the stress level fills up, the character has an episode and will develop a quirk. Most of the time it's a negative quirk, but on the rare occasion they can develop a positive quirk.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGixkKuAVxs&feature=youtu.be

Character's stress levels will not decrease on their own. After completing a dungeon, the player may place a character in a tavern or sanctuary and pay to lower their stress levels. While in a tavern or sanctuary, a character may not be put into a group for a dungeon. This is where managing adventurers becomes difficult. Players must make difficult decisions on which characters get help, and which ones go into the Darkest Dungeons!

One other feature of the game that I personally love is the narrator's voice and dialogue. Nothing is better than playing this game at two in the morning with my headphones on and the volume set to the max and hearing this:

https://youtu.be/WAIZ9FeC1Kc

“You're right narrator, I will continue the onslaught!”

The narrator's voice gets me so submerged in the game that I won't realize that I start repeating what he is saying, in my loud voice. Alas, I come crashing back to reality when my wife will barge into the office and whisper, “Have you lost your damn mind? It is two in the morning, and if you wake the baby, I will destroy you!”

Man... she just doesn't get it.

Take it easy, but take it,

NickelNDime Out!

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P.S.

This game is currently on sale on Steam's winter sale! The full game and all expansions is on sale for $11.99!

Recently I asked the Coil community (the CBC, to be more precise) to give me their favorite album and I would review it. Some gave me their favorite album right away, while others stated that it was too difficult to name just one album. So, I broadened the guidelines a bit to an album that was impactful, an album that you still come back to, or an album in your top ten. I also placed guidelines on my reviewing process. I had to listen to the entire album at least three times, and after that, give my feedback. No trashing an album even if I despise the artist or genre. Let's get rolling!

Oh Wonder – Self Titled

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When Lauren submitted this album I was excited because I had never heard of this band before. I love listening to a band that I know nothing about. It's like discovering some undiscovered language, or lost civilization. So, instead of researching anything about the band I dove right into the album and was pleasantly surprised.

My Review:

Oh Wonder consists of two very talented vocalists. A male vocalist (Anthony West), and a female vocalist (Josephine Vander Gucht). When I listened to the first track I realized the two were singing harmonies on every single line. My stomach sank because one flaw or error that a lot of duos do is sing together on every single part. There's a saying that is tossed around in creative communities: Less is more. If it's too much to the viewer or listener, they are likely to tune it out and move on. Remarkably this wasn't the case with, “Oh Wonder.” Somehow they managed to sing every single part together, while still making it an enjoyable experience. That in itself is an exceptional feat.

The production value is top notch in these recordings. You can tell that they didn't cut cost in the recording, mixing, or mastering. When I listened to this with my headphones on, every tone was full and rich. Now some listeners don't like over produced music, but I would argue that this band's recordings are not over produced, they come just to that edge, and back off a bit. Some examples of over production would be auto tuning the vocals which I didn't hear, or multi-tracking the same instrument or vocals to get a fuller effect which again I didn't hear. A lot of music purists or snobs would stick their noses in the air at music like this and cry, “It's not raw enough!” I know this, because I used to be part of that crowd. My response to that argument is, there's nothing wrong with polishing a song to its max potential, as long as the source material is good to begin with. In this case, the source material is not good, it's great. These two vocalists could sing these songs acapella, and it would still be an enjoyable listening experience.

Would I listen to it again?

For sure! I find this album to be instantly calming, almost in a zen Buddha-like kind of way. When I went to listen to this album last night I was frazzled to begin with from getting my kids to bed, getting ready for the next day, etc... Then I put my headphones on and it was like instant serenity. With songs like, “Lose it” and, “Live Wire” there's a relaxing groove that the songs put the listener into. It's easy to see why people enjoy this band so much. Most definitely songs like, “Lose it,” “White Blood,” and, “Landslide (not a cover)” will make it into my playlist. This is the type of album you'd put on if you want to slow dance with a special someone, listen to as you sat by a fire, or played on a long scenic drive.

Thanks to Lauren for recommending this band. It did not disappoint and if you are looking for a stellar duo group check out, “Oh Wonder.”

Take it easy, but take it.

NickelNDime out!

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