Scratching the Surface

I have to admit, this is pretty darn cool, and can be seen here. Imagine the possibilities of Microsoft Surface...it could replace black/whiteboards at schools, we could have GUI's on our bathroom walls, we could have a cool ambiance glowing from a coffee table during a party. Forget coloring books or sketchpads for our children, tell them to go play on the Surface!

Yet I wonder how durable it is. Can I put food on it? A glass of ice-cold water without a coaster or worry of condensation ruining my latest purchase? How easily is it scratched? Would a simple bump break it?

I'll give it about a decade, perhaps less, to catch on and grow in popularity. Chances are that Mac will come out with a better product soon. As with all new products, it will take a while to work out all of the bugs and kinks.

Touch Ups

Simplicity is key.

So I decided to have a bit more fun in photoshop and redesign some websites that I visit occasionally. These sites aren't necessarily bad, but I believe that they could be designed better. So here is what I ended up with:

The following is a Legend of Zelda fansite, www.zelda-infinite.com, that I enjoy visiting from time to time. As you can see, the website is very busy and a bit outdated.


Here is something I quickly created using photoshop:


As you can see, my redesigned site is MUCH easier on the eye. Of course, it may not be busy ENOUGH to hold attention, but I think it is a better design and layout than the former.

Here is another site I visit occasionally, www.bleachexile.com. The problem here is the ads that they have - they really clutter the site. Also, the site is busy (not as busy as the Zelda site) and the sidebars also clutter and distract attention.



And here is what I created:


I do not usually like to blow my own horn, but I really like what I did with the Bleach Exile header. I also think that the header including a sign in option is very helpful and much easier than looking for a place to sign in for the forums or downloads.

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I really believe that simplicity is key for ANY website. You need to keep it simple so that ANYONE can navigate it and know what is going on. If the site is too cluttered, then your attention is divided and you may have more difficulty finding what you are looking for.

File Hosting

Sorry about that, everyone (or maybe just those two people who actually look at this blog). It looks like strike9.com is down right now, which means you cannot see my Flash projects. I will attempt to upload them to a more reliable site soon and then re-post everything.

[UPDATE]
After Googling file hosting sites and trying each of them out, few of the ones I have used actually allow you to embed the files into a blog such as this. So for now, everyone will have to deal with the unreliability of strike9.com. Sorry folks!

The Wonder of Photoshop

Lately I have been on a Photoshop kick. I am seriously in wonder at what that program can do. I have been using Photoshop since college and I still feel like I have barely scratched the surface of the amazing effects it can create for your photos. For instance, I recently saw an iPod + iTunes ad (http://www.apple.com/itunes/ads/medium.html)and I had been meaning to make a picture that was Mac-esque. After seeing this ad, I got really motivated and busted out this picture in about fifteen minutes:



So that was cool - it was very simple to do. I am thinking of doing two more, maybe mess around with the background a bit more and make the earphones more dynamic.

Actionscripting and Flash

Those just starting in Flash need to, first and foremost, learn how the logic of ActionScripting works. ActionScripting is a programming language used for Macromedia (Adobe) Flash that focuses on movie-clips, text fields and sounds. Its syntax is similar to JavaScript, but JavaScript deals more with windows and documents within HTML.

It took me a few months to finally have the logic of ActionScript click with my brain. Here's why:

I was working on a Flash-based videogame; a simple side-scroller action game. The idea was to have a sprite have three movie clips (MC) within him (stand, run, attack) and have the attack_mc hitTest with a demon_mc.

Now, the problem is that I have the demon_mc hitTesting with my sprite_mc in order to decrease health points so that you actually have a somewhat interesting game. I am also using the attachMovieClip function so that I did not have to place >50 demon_mcs on my timeline (which would increase my file size).

So there is a conflict - my sprite is trying to hitTest with a demon that is not on the timeline and my demon is hitTesting with a sprite. So what is the problem?

Well, after countless meetings with my professor and peers on how to solve this issue (as well as hours upon hours of searching for tutorials), the logic finally clicked. See, it WOULD make sense to have a hitTest on my attack_mc in my sprite_mc, right? WRONG. It actually makes MORE sense to have the hitTest on my demon_mc for when it connects with the attack_mc.

The final code looked something like this on my demon_mc:
onClipEvent (enterFrame) {
  if (this.hitTest(_root.sprite_mc.fight_full_mc)) {
  _parent.gotoAndPlay("die");
} else {
 if (this.hitTest(_root.sprite_mc)) {
  _global.hp -= (random(5)+1);
  _root.hpbar_mc.gotoAndPlay("hit");
  }
 }
}

Lux Creperum

[UPDATE]

It is unfortunate that a lot of file-hosting sites do not allow direct linking, even if you place the files to be linked in the same directory. I also cannot load any .exe files (which have compiled my entire game). What I have done is gone into Flash and created a new file with EVERYTHING in it. The problem I have faced is sound. Yes, putting sound into Flash is a HUGE problem (one that I hope they have fixed in CS3). You'll know what I'm talking about when you play the BETA.

{update}
I added a preloader, which should help with the load time (at least give you something pretty to look at). You'll notice it says "NewGrounds", which is the logo from www.newgrounds.com. I am planning on uploading my game to Newgrounds and seeing if I can get any constructive criticism.

I'm also looking for an .swf compiler so I can put EVERYTHING into one .swf file, so you can see it. I might do it the old-fashioned way if I cannot find one, though I worry about the overall size of the file. If it gets above 5mgs, that might be a problem.

{update}
So if you have not read the instructions, you use the left and right arrow keys to move, press up to "levitate", and press AND HOLD space to attack. You're supposed to run to the right.



{update}
You'll notice that when you die and go to "Replay" some of the demons stick around and cannot be hit (they just stay on the screen). I have not figured out why (I'm using an attachMovieClip function, I guess they do not unload), but they should unLoad after a few seconds.

Also, the demons stay on the screen when going to the final story. Still have not figured out why that is, either, perhaps I need another unLoad function on that scene.

Further, the music from the beginning comes back from nowhere and continues to loop. That's why I love BETA testing - people to tell me what ELSE is wrong and offer some constructive feedback.

Bookfaced

I created this for a friend of mine, Ryan Stout, and a website he launched called Bookfaced.com. I never finished it because of time constraints, but maybe someday I'll get back around to it, eh?