My better half graduated today, and when this is posted It would have been and this put our time frame into a whole new light. Now Its up to me too get my proverbial shit together and get all the certificates and paper ready for the move at the end of the summer. So now after having had a few drinks and got roped into playing a game of Caylus, which was close and it actually were some very aggressive moves done during the game. When we got to the end game lost of things started to happen, every player had almost all their workers placed and there where a lot of options open. The points where close so at least 3 of the 5 players had a real chance at wining. It all game down to me winning by about 4 points in the end. With double building prestige buildings in the final scoring turn and still having a few coins and resources leftover for bonus points, which put me in the lead and scored me the victory.
Anyhow I’m getting tired now and are going to watch a few games of Starcraft II and figure out some new counters to tactics, or new build variations.
After using a stats program to see if more than two people actually read the blog I found that the code slowed the forum access to a ridiculous slow pace so I decided to discontinue using I, as I really don’t care if people read it or not. And yes! at some points more than two people actually visit the blog, and actually clicked the links that I have put up.
Its actually awesome weather outside today and its a shame that I cant be outside doing things, but need to do boring and tedious inside things. I still haven’t gotten the JAVA code to work properly but the SQL things was correct and should have worked but the database where corrupt and didn’t work when trying to apply the code. I wish that they would update and maintain the databases so that you actually could do the assignments properly and not get stuck for days with correct code.
So almost all of the paperwork is complete and a couple of letters as been written, thanks for that guys, you know who you are.
And now I almost got all the SQL things worked out, hate using Ingres its so old and obsolete its not even funny! The only thing that’s doesn’t work at the moment is a integrity based on columns with the value of NULL, cant for the life of me get it to work. After that I need to get stared with the JAVA code for making changes and some other DB related commands. I think Ill just finish up the entity relationship diagrams instead, and maybe I come up with a way to solve the SQL problem.
I have all the PhP code and applications already done, and they should be working. So now just to get a teacher to look at them and grade it.
So there is some Call of Cthulhu planned for this weekend and hopefully we have enough people to run Ghost Lights tomorrow, and I really need to sit down and do the additional handouts that I’m planing on using and make the final corrections to the musical score for the scenario. The mood images and all that extra fluff had to go becuase there wasnt time to get it sorted this week, to much bureaucracy that needed to be sorted.
I haven’t been programming in a few years and now I’m brushing up on my knowledge and I find it hard and tedious. The only coding I have been doing in the last few years have been web oriented things like php and doing simple web things using CSS and really basic stuff. So im just going to write a simple java application to update a SQL database, but I need to use Ingres to create the database which coincidently I hate using i rather use a GUI like phpmysql or something like that to get the database up and running. Because I have only been using Mysql and similar things when running web forums and wikis for the last couple of years, but hopefully the little knowledge about Java and Ingres will come back to me during the upcoming week or else I’m in trouble.
On a side note I’m probably going to do some updates to the php webforum that I started with last year. I just need to get my scanner working again so I can scan the handouts for the different RPG scenarios and make them available online if the need arises for making use of the forum. But I need to get my flickr account sorted and make more pictures available and find a easy image editing software to edit the images with. As it stands now I only put up the images unedited and without much test and tags, but that Is on my to-do-list. I would like to start using more geotagging and tie-in google-maps. I also have stopped putting pictures up on Facebook and will as soon as my website is ready move all my images over to flickr or maybe host them myself, haven’t decided just yet. Need to scan lots of my older pictures and make them available online and I also have another project that I will be working on in my spare time, not that there is much of that available right now.
So Ghost Light is postponed until next week, so this gives me a little more time prepare. I haven’t managed to copy the handouts yet, and still need to do some setting up during this week.
In the next few months I’m going to finish up many unfinished courses that I have accumulated over the years, and hopefully get a part time job while I’m at it. So during these next few months I won’t have much time for hobbies, I will try and get some role-playing in and some more Battlefield BC2 BETA which I haven’t gotten around to this past week.
And this week has been hectic so I haven’t been willing or able to train this week, I can’t remember when I actually got around to the gym. Hopefully this will change in the future maybe even today.
Now on to something completely different; I have been catching up on some old wrestling shows both WWE and TNA, currently I’m two weeks out from Night of Champions in 2009. First off TNA is still really weird, the last TNA Impact! I watched was a few months before this episode. But It still starts the same way Main Event Mafia comes out and cuts the same promo as they always does, bitching about the TNA management and how they will take over the show, yet again. Then after they laid out Mick Foley and the former Main Event Mafia security, Double J runs in and hits Foley over the head with a guitar and actually busts himself open with the shrapnel from the guitar shot. More backstage segments, one thing that strikes me about TNA is the amount of segments and promos that don’t go any ware at all, they change from promos to backstage interviews and back again. There was at least 20 minutes of promos before the first match and that was Cody Deaner vs. someone think It was amazing red, what was the buildup for this match have they been feuding, the commentators didn’t mention it so I guess this was just filler before the next batch of promos. I almost forgot the loooong and tedious video montages just showing matches set to music that they keep putting together to waste even more time. Just remembered the short clips with one performer speaking some lame tagline that I can’t remember right now, and too lazy to look up.
OK enough of TNA and on to WWE the things I have the most problems with at the moment with the WWE product is the never ending Orton vs. HHH feud as its not interesting enough, but I really like the CM Punk segments that’s what keeps me watching. Actually there are many great feuds with good matches from the bigger stars. Can’t believe that mark Henry is getting a face pop, but that’s just funny but it won’t last for long. All the great Khali and Kane stuff needs to go it’s just stupid and will only lead to boring matches. Other than that I haven’t a problem with the WWE product there are good feuds and that outweighs the bad by a long shot at the moment. I’m only three weeks into the guest hosts so it has been good so far Batista and the million dollar man did a good job, Seth Green was ok, I was dreading that Orton would have to sell for Seth Shane O’mac style but that didn’t happen so that was a relief.
Again I messed up the date for my exam and still thought I had a week and a half to study, but I only had a few days. Never mind I’m still taking the exam and hope I pass, and now I’m coming down with a cold or something. Had a massive headache last night and now my throat feels like like S*it ,some ginger tea will make me feel better.
Had a three day rest period from training, hopefully I can manage to drag myself to train tomorrow. Need to change up my workout routines so I can get the pump-on with all my exercise routines, been slacking in the gym for the last 6 months or so. I have started again with the 100 push-up program but only doing it at 75% as I do weights in addition to the push-up program. I’m getting older so I don’t recover as fast any more and that sucked, why didn’t I start training when I was younger!
Better get some last minute reading done before heading the exam in a few hours.
This is just going to be a short post as I have lots going on at the moment. But ill disable some of the functions of the blog as there is too much spam going on.
I feels good to be back at school and taking some more master level courses. Hopefully I will be able to get the preparations to my upcomming Call of Cthulhu campaign sorted in the next week. I only have the basic introduction to post on the forum and get the music for the first part finalised. As it stands now I only have about 8 tracks and I need a few more for the introductory adventure.
Jens Andersson jobbade länge på spelföretaget Starbreeze som lead designer (t.ex. för The Darkness) och har under en tid utvecklat mer konstnärliga och icke-kommersiella projekt som spelet Rorschach (med Ida Rödén) och wacomaktiga programvaran Colors för Nintendo DS och Iphone. Nu har han tagit ett jobb som lead designer på Lucas Arts. Innan han åker till San Francisco kommer han att berätta om sin tid i datorspelsbranschen, datorspelsutveckling, utmaningar, och om datorspel som uttrycksform. Han ger perspektiv och personliga reflektioner.
Det jag tyckte var det intressantaste i detta seminarium var de sidoprojekt Jens producerat. Speciellt Colors och hur denna applikation har växt och utvecklats. Detta visar att bara du har en bra ide och hittar rätt distributionskanaler kan du nå en bredd publik, över 200000 nedladdningar. Men även att när du som designer publicerar något har du även ett ansvar att hålla det relevant och uppdatera det, annars riskerar det att falla i glömska igen. Något som är fascinerade med den nya tekniken och möjligheterna till samarbete med individer som du inte har träffat fysiskt, Jens pratade om att han hade en “partner” som hjälpte till att uppdatera och administrera några av funktionerna i Colors.
Dessa nya digital distributionskanaler medför att skaparna får en större del av vinsterna, och det behöver inte kosta stora summor att distribuera. Jens berättar att när du skapar ett spel är många individer inblandade och majoriteten är grafiker som skall försöka att visualisera och skapa den visuella delen av ett spel. Sedan finns det programmerar som skriver koden och bygger spelmotorerna. Jens jobbade som programmerare och sedan avancerade han till lead designer vilken är ansvarig för att de olika delarna av projektet passar ihop samt har en överblick över att de visuella delarna passar varandra. Detta är viktigt för att det är ofta över 50 personer inblandade i ett spelprojekt och det tar cirka två år att slutföra.
Background:
Bonnie Nardi uses a lose definition of information spaces in this seminar the definition she uses is a identifiable environments where people seek and use information.
Video games generate more revenue than film. The Massive Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Games have a high male demographic, about 75% male in WoW in north America. There are no hard data about the exact demographics playing the game.
Corporations are increasing interests in virtual worlds. Because of the problems with remote collaboration the use of virtual worlds may benefit this. Corporations are mainly using Second Life for this purpose.
Half of the players of World of Warcraft are Chinese, So Bonnie Nardin have done research in China as well as North America.
The information space in WoW are a complex one, you are in a constant state of learning, and in need of new information. You need to have an understanding about the other players and their avatars to aid in cooperation with the other players.
Methods
Bonnie Nardi have been using immersive participatory observation field work, and lots of interviews to collect the data.
Seminar
Most people in Europe and North America play WoW and access it from their own home. But in china there are very interesting “mixed reality” spaces. This because of the hardware and software aren’t readily available to the majority of the people. This in turn leads to people playing the game at local internet cafes. The players use the physical world is used to collect information about the virtual digital world. The internet cafes create a certain atmosphere when playing the game, not found in their own homes. This means that in china you play with people that you can see in real life and not just the virtual.
There are other examples of “mixed reality” spaces in everyday life, libraries, classrooms, after school clubs and student dormitories where the virtual and physical information spaces mix.
Bonnie compares the modern day internet cafes to the old libraries in the beginning of the 1900. The configuration of the physical information space transcends time and culture. Information spaces minimize information search time, and maximize results by providing a diverse set of information resources.
World of Warcraft as a information space from a gender perspective. Most of the more masculine games have there architecture composed from man made materials like concrete and steel, and mechanical elements. Giving the world a rough and masculine feel and most of these games have a masculine story element like terrorism and combat with robots. World of Warcraft on the other hand are a complete opposite, the architecture is more vibrant not just in the color schemes used, but also the design have a more feminine feel to it.
Information search can be accomplished by the digital capture of human activity and shared in a community. In World of Warcraft there is the option of writing programs that will help with this aspect and also distribute the programs to other players.
The programs them self gather a lot of information about how and what you are doing in the virtual world and then you can chose to distribute the information to your friends or some programs cross-reference the information with other players or the virtual world automatically.
I have been messing around with the layout of the blog, and now im gonna remove the page about what I watch while painting. Instead have a photo blog about the progress im making with painting Warhammer 40k models and building terrain. I will also make a page for my school-photo-blog that I will use flickr for and make geotags and what not for.
This weekend is gonna be all about schoolwork as I have an exam next Friday, but I will get some more painting in just to cool down. I have finished the prep work on my Necron army, and started experimenting with the colors for the army and It’s going to be a Macharius Solar Orange with a metallic paint mix-in-thingy.
The images will be published here as soon as I have time.
