Chris week 10 post

Finally i have made it to the Final week. this was a very interesting term working with a team. This may not be the last time i use this blog. but for now i will leave this image to sum up how i feel.

Slinglend Blog Post #10

• What stages of the project am I on and how is it progressing?
  Right now we are completely done with what we got. It is progressing alright because we did everything we possibly could at this time. I just pray that everything works out when it comes time to present. 
• How or what could I improve?
  If I could improve on anything, like I said a million times, I'd like to be able to get coding down. I might sound like a broken record, but I cannot stress enough how vital it is to know coding when making a game. It is absolutely necessary to understand this very aspect, otherwise it will make your games just still pretty images. Which is no different than being in a digital media class. So, if I had the time to understand these little aspects, I believe we would have came up with that much better of a game.
• Did I change my milestone goals? If so, why?As I stated before in the past, there was absolutely no reason to change the milestones. We did everything we could and got everything done on time (even if it wasn't exactly as we pictured it.).
• How did I deal with the problems that came up?
  Same ol' same ol'. The problems were with coding and coding alone. We did the same thing as before by looking up forums, and checking up on the unity3d site. There was nothing else to it really. And it is really a shame we still don't understand fully what we want to do with it.
   
• What is working and what is not working in the planning and implementation of the project?After getting done with the project, I would like to say things came out pretty damn simple, but it didn't. Of course, at the same time, I would like to say that everything did work out in the end for us. It was Hell on earth don't get me wrong, but we did managed to get it finished. The coding was what didn't work, and getting the assets / level layout did work. Just like most of the others in the class.
• Briefly describe your time spent and any problems (within the team, with a computer, etc)All we did today was get prepared for our project. Since we were mostly done, we just had to turn it in. There was no problems for the most part, and I'm glad we were able to get it finished.
• Evaluate the project as a whole.
  The project is done! That's all I am really happy about. I did like the class and it was a pleasure to work with the Broyles. Hopefully the last 4 classes I have will be a-ok.

Chris

After battling computer problems i have finally achieved victory. this week i am going to make a platform for the main character to jump on in order to destroy various objects on the screen. this should not be too hard for me since i have experience creating such object on my own hopefully i can post up sketches of my progress if i dont just do it in one great motion.

Slinglend Blog Post #9

• What stages of the project am I on and how is it progressing?
  We are getting the home stretch with this project. It is just progressing. Not super well, but not super bad either. We are at least trying our best to get the project done by the time next week comes around. Our goal is to have a fully functioning game. It doesn't matter if it is beautiful looking or not, we want it to work! And we will be damned if it doesn't.
• How or what could I improve?
  I, myself, really need to code, code, and code some more. I am tired of getting into projects without being able to code them or even help out with the coding. It is an aweful feeling when your lead programmer is not better at coding than you are, and you get stumped far more than they do. So, hopefully when the time provides itself, I will be able to take the time to code for future groups to come. I don't want to consider myself an excellent programmer, but I would at least like to have some basic knowledge in it.
• Did I change my milestone goals? If so, why?
  No milestone was changed because everything we have to do at this point is coding. Nothing will change in regards to that since all other aspects of the level are done (texturing, assets, pitfalls, character, etc.). 
• How did I deal with the problems that came up?
  Pretty much the same as last week. All coding problems ended up us going on unity3d. It's pretty straight forward. Other than that, we talked with our previous experiences and went on from there.
   
• What is working and what is not working in the planning and implementation of the project?I really want to say everything is working out with the project, but that isn't necessarily true. However, I will at least say that everything is pretty much done. We have all assets finished as I already stated, we just need so much help with the coding. This is becoming a common trend so far.. "What is the problem with your project?.. CODING!" It kind of sucks, and I know I said it so many times, but there really isn't much else to talk about. The coding is our biggest obstacle, and it really is a shame we don't necessarily know how to go about it.
• Briefly describe your time spent and any problems (within the team, with a computer, etc)Today was a make up day for me. I didn't realize there was so many projects that were not turned in at this point. I should also blame myself for not keeping track of the portal for the assignments that were provided. I must apologize for that and take full responsibility for my actions. I took the time to try to get caught up, and I also understand that my grades will suffer with a lower score. It is better to turn in something late than it is to turn nothing in at all. I will have to be aware of this next time. Funny thing is, usuaully I am fully aware of what needs to be done; just haven't been on the ball as of late. I won't go into detail of my problems because I know others have it just as bad if not much worse. But I will do what I can in the future.
• Evaluate the project as a whole.
  The project as a whole is alright... I just pray things will work out for us come next week

Greg Update

I have the level done. Unity doesn't want to work with animations on the school computer so I'm going to do them at home. Other than that I have to texture the pieces so my portion is almost done! Yet another good looking level built.

Slinglend Blog Post #8

• What stages of the project am I on and how is it progressing?
  As for the project we are putting some finishing touches on both the Second Level and the coding for both. It is running alright for the most part. We had some trouble with the teleporters, and I suggested maybe we can use a different method. Going from stage to stage rather than using the camera in different positions.
• How or what could I improve?
  As for myself I just need to learn how to code and research more. I wish the classes in this school provided more coding opportunities, but we are a design school for the most part. Which is kind of hard for us to get a grasp on. It doesn't help I took 2 programming classes that were taken out of the course. Very unfortunate too...
• Did I change my milestone goals? If so, why?
  Nothing has changed so far. We are going with the original plan. We are that close to being done, so there really is no reason to stop the progress up to this point.
• How did I deal with the problems that came up?
  Well all coding problems ended up us going on unity3d. It's pretty straight forward. Other than that, we talked with our previous experiences and went on from there.
   
• What is working and what is not working in the planning and implementation of the project?Coding is both working and not working at the same time. I am aware that nothing is life is free, and I'm alright with that; I just wish at times things were so much easier to understand than it is. Dan was able to get a lot of coding done, but even he is having trouble just like everyone else in the group.
• Briefly describe your time spent and any problems (within the team, with a computer, etc)Today was a pretty simple day. We basically just went thru some coding together and tried to get things done on the side. I am incredibly sorry that I also worked on some other stuff for another class, but I had some time to do it; so, I figured why not. We were basically just going over code, and I tried to help by looking up code for both Greg and Dan. They are the main coders for the assignment, so me and Chris were on research duty.
• Evaluate the project as a whole.
  I am relatively alright with the progress up to this point. There is nothing I can is going wrong besides the coding (as always). Let's just keep moving forward.

Slinglend Blog Post #7

• What stages of the project am I on and how is it progressing?
  Right now, we are working on the second level. Basically every single model/asset is finished, the biggest thing we are left to do is programming. As for the programming, it's progressing alright. We are still confused on a few things, but we are at least making progress with it. I am really glad a majority of the stuff we planned to do is very simple; so, in turn, things will be much easier to accomplish.
• How or what could I improve?
  There really isn't anything else I can improve on right now. However, there is one thing I wish I learned better and that is coding. Then again, you could the same thing for everyone else in this class. 
• Did I change my milestone goals? If so, why?
  To be completely honest, there really was no milestone goals I changed. Everything is working out extremely well. I thought that maybe there would be some slight problems, but then quickly realized we had a lot more done than I thought.
• How did I deal with the problems that came up?
  With the numerous coding problems we had, we just did what we could. The answers were mainly solved by looking at previous code we had. If it was absolutely impossible to solve with previous code, then we went ahead and tried to look it up on the unity3d site.
   
• What is working and what is not working in the planning and implementation of the project?The only thing I can say is not working right is of course the coding. It's pretty much as simple as that, we really need to understand coding. Considering we have no real knowledge of the concept... it gets really depressing.
• Briefly describe your time spent and any problems (within the team, with a computer, etc)
  I was late unfortunately, so I didn't do a whole lot, but I did get some things done. We were able to talk amongst each other to discuss the project. We basically know what is left to be done and that is the coding. After we discussed that, it seemed everyone was getting super stressed out so I suggested we took a bit of a break from it all. To get our minds on the right track. We discussed some more theories on how simple the coding could be and just came back with a fresh mind. I think it was absolutely necessary to go on that break. It was hard otherwise.
• Evaluate the project as a whole.
  I am pretty pleased with the project. We are that much closer to getting done! I just wish the other classes were as good as this one.

Slinglend Blog Post #6

• What stages of the project am I on and how is it progressing?
  Today is not a very good day. Out of all the days so far, it is really unfortunately that the team was unable to come in. For the most part, we are in the beginning of the Second part of the Project, and yet we have no work to show (as of yet). I've been told it was on other computers, but I cannot get access to it unfortunately. My job was to work on assets, which I did, but since the rest of the team isn't here there is not much else to say. The project is ... progressing not so well. Hopefully we can pick up the slack soon.
• How or what could I improve?
  I could improve on this project by making a dropbox account with everyone. In which case we can have access to every single file up to date; that way, noone will be left in the dust.
• Did I change my milestone goals? If so, why?
  I really didn't want to, but I would have to finally say yes to this question. Why? Because we are missing quite a bit of people and therefore we gotta take advantage of the situation. I had to push things back by a week, and in turn I must get production done much quicker. It is unfortunate, but it will have to be done.
• How did I deal with the problems that came up?
  I just tried my best to keep my cool. It's been super stressful this week with a multiple array of projects, and I just have to stay calm. I also had some personal problems getting in my way, but as a designer, you have to take control of every situation.
• What is working and what is not working in the planning and implementation of the project?
  The only thing that didn't work out for me today was getting all the files. I could not get ahold of the files since every single teammate was currently not here. The only thing I can say worked was that I managed to do the blog posting / assignment for the day.
• Briefly describe your time spent and any problems (within the team, with a computer, etc)
  Without the team, I had to just do what I can. Since I don't have access to the project, I had to do everything else I could do. This includes working on the presenation, and trying to do the weekly blog. The good news is, I am currently caught up on the blogs. Thank the lord. The bad news is I won't be able to put in the next milestone. All the files is somewhere else.
• Evaluate the project as a whole.
  The project is going ok, but it isn't super great (only for the day). It might be my stress factor kicking in, but because I feel things aren't going well I feel it may fall apart in the end. However, we gotta take control of any situation no matter how bad it may be. I am fully aware of problems that arrive in the game design industry, and sometimes we have to take the proper precautions in order to see to it we do it right.

Slinglend Blog Post #5

• What stages of the project am I on and how is it progressing?
  Since I wasn't here on this day I was filled in on everything that was needed. As for the project, everyone was doing a great job and told me they managed to get the first rendition done for level 1. I was stoked and ready to work when it came time for me to get to class the following week. It is progressing quite well.
• How or what could I improve?
  At this point, the only thing I can improve on is trying to manage time. I really was frustrated to know the car broke down the morning, and I had to be prepared for the outcome. Next time I need to be fully aware of the worst case scenario and be prepared to make up work that has been lost
• Did I change my milestone goals? If so, why?
  No, everything is going just fine. There is absolutely no reason to change the milestone goals.
• How did I deal with the problems that came up?
  As for the biggest problem that came up (me missing a day), I had to just do what I could. I managed to talk to everyone about the project, and they gave me the proper insight. I am relieved that we have such a good team on our shoulders, and makes me proud to be apart of it. Communication was key for this one.
• What is working and what is not working in the planning and implementation of the project?
  So far like I mentioned, there was absolutely no problems that arived in the making of this game. Everything is running smoothly, and we will be working on the next step of the process. Level 2!
• Briefly describe your time spent and any problems (within the team, with a computer, etc)
  Sadly I cannot describe everything that happened on this day because I wasn't in the class room. I however can say that the team did just fine to get us caught up to this point. The biggest problem, as I already stated, was me being unable to attend.
• Evaluate the project as a whole.
  The project is going perfect. Everyone continues to work, and no matter how many people are gone, the team will do everything in their power to see to it the job gets done. That's what I like about this team thus far. There is no limits to how well things are going, and it will continue to be a pleasure working on this project.

Slinglend Blog Post #4

• What stages of the project am I on and how is it progressing?
  The project is pretty close to getting done. We are that much closer with all art pieces, and had a head start on coding. Everything is going pretty well and everyone is working efficiently.

• How or what could I improve?
  At this point, the only thing I can improve is texturing. I never was really good at it, but I am trying to practice on the side at home. Hopefully I get better later down the road.
• Did I change my milestone goals? If so, why?
  No, just like before I did not change my milestone goals. Why? Because everyone is doing well as it is!
• How did I deal with the problems that came up?
  The only big problem was Chris coming in a little late, but it wasn't a big deal because I did my part to stay productive. As soon as he came in, we immediately got some work done. So either way.. a win/win situation for us!
• What is working and what is not working in the planning and implementation of the project?
  Everything is working out quite well for everyone! It impresses me!
• Briefly describe your time spent and any problems (within the team, with a computer, etc)
  So far we took a somewhat break to get our brains rolling. After about 30 min or so we immediately started working. Since Chris wasn't here, I was trying to practice a bit on a side project I was doing involving texturing. When Chris arrived, I went over a basic tutorial on how to unwrap and texture our objects. I finished about 4 of the textures (for the most part), and leaving him with the rest. Then I started working on texturing on the side some more / being support for anyone that needed me.
• Evaluate the project as a whole.
  No matter how many times I look at this project, it just keeps getting better. Greg's process with the level impresses me so much! I also liked how Dan was able to get the cartoony feel of the main character (it's amazingly funny). Even Chris, with his difference clouds, was able to make progress! So, as a whole, everyone is doing extremely well with each other.

CWeary Weekly #3

This Week I modeled a few of the obstacles that may be included in our game. Currently I am working on texturing the models i have done, doing the best i can. I am nearly finished

Slinglend Blog Post #3

• What stages of the project am I on and how is it progressing?
  It's progressing as any other project would progress. It's doing relatively ok for what we are doing. So far everyone is on task and everything is being turned in on time.
• How or what could I improve?
  Nothing can really be improved at this point. Everyone is doing well and overall cooperating!
• Did I change my milestone goals? If so, why?
  No everything like I said is going according to plan. We are sticking to it quite well!
  
  
• How did I deal with the problems that came up?
  The same problem happened again today. Greg was unable to come to class today, but it was completely alright. He was able to give us everything he had up till this point and we are now able to drop everything on time. So in order to deal with these sorts of problems (or problems in general) is to be prepared! Expect the unexpected... period.


• What is working and what is not working in the planning and implementation of the project?
  Everything is going smoothly! Nothing to report.


• Briefly describe your time spent and any problems (within the team, with a computer, etc)
  Today I fine tuned the high document. I made sure to proof read it, and started giving everyone assignments to do for today. I also helped by giving advice, and working on some stuff in photoshop to keep busy.


• Evaluate the project as a whole.
  As I said the other day, everything is pretty damn cool. I am glad everyone is talking amongst each other and working as a whole. In order to do well, you need to be willing to listen and I strongly believe this team does just that.

Slinglend Weekly Blog #2

• What stages of the project am I on and how is it progressing?
  As of right now we are working with the Art aspect of the project. Everyone is doing what they can to contribute to the cause. Chris and myself are working mainly on the assets. He will model the Assets for the most part, and we will both come together when it comes time to texture. As I said I will be helping out with the texture and also work on the document sides of the project. I rewrote the High Concept Document for show. Greg is doing an excellent job on the first level of the game. So far we are going to keep it simple and have a single level. He will also provide some of the other parts of the level (such as modeling/texturing the kidneys). While finally, Dan is going to create the model for the main character "Whitman B. Cell."
  
  
• How or what could I improve?
  The only thing I could improve on is being a better team lead. Since it was my original idea, it's hard to keep people on task since I usually am a nice guy. Maybe I could buckle down and take authority, but at the same time not let it get to my head.

• Did I change my milestone goals? If so, why?
  To be completely honest I did not change anything at this point. In fact, I was able to create solid milestone goals if anything. Here is everything as follows:
  
  Schedule
  
  Milestone 1 -> Due 9/17/11
  Kyle Slinglend: High Concept Document (Revisions) / Help out with texturing Assets
  Chris Weary: Model Assets for Level (5 Assets)
  Greg Montique: Level 1 of the Body (Stomach + Kidney Assets)
  Dan Wilkins: Model and Texture Whitman B. Cell 
  
  
  Milestone 2 -> Due 9/24/11
  Kyle Slinglend: Assist in modeling assets, and begin working on the code
  Chris Weary: Continue Modeling, place finished models in scene, and start working on the code
  Greg Montique: Finish Level 1 and Assets, start coding, Organize Scene
  Dan Wilkins: Finish Character, being coding
  
  Milestone 3 -> Due 10/1/11
  Kyle Slinglend: Finish Coding
  Chris Weary: Finish Coding
  Greg Montique: Finish Coding / Publish Game for Beta 1
  Dan Wilkins: Finish Coding / Practice for Presentation
  
  
  
• How did I deal with the problems that came up?
  The only problem we had so far was one of our teammates not coming in today. To get by this, we still tried to stick to our tasks, and keeping in touch with him through email. I gave him his assignment and all I can do is pray he gets things taken care of.
  
  
• What is working and what is not working in the planning and implementation of the project?
  Right now everything is going according to plan. There is nothing going wrong at this point and hopefully it stays that way.
  
  
• Briefly describe your time spent and any problems (within the team, with a computer, etc)
  For the time being I worked a majority of the time on the rough concepts for the characters, put together and revised the High Concept Document, lead everyone into the right direction, and of course did the blog for the week. Like stated before, there was no problems at the time.
  
  
• Evaluate the project as a whole.
  I am pleased that this project is going to be a lot better than I thought it was going to be. I am glad that we have the choice to continue to work on the project for the next 5 weeks because I have a feeling things won't be done in time. So for now, I am just looking forward to get this stuff situated and ready for programming.

Slinglend Weekly Blog #1

• What stages of the project am I on and how is it progressing?
  So far out of the three roles assigned, I am a part of the Art Production Team. My overall goals are to create a majority of the assets, the concept art, and textures of the project. Good thing is that I am not alone on this job, another member is Chris Weary, and I strongly believe he will be an excellent ‘asset.’ So far I think it’s progressing quite well considering we just started. So far I’ve done the entire concept / story for the game, and I am going to work on art work A.S.A.P.
  
  
• How or what could I improve?
  Well, so far, considering how little time we have left I could probably improve on time management. Not saying that I do not have it (or my team), but it surely doesn’t hurt to keep things going and on task as much as possible. If we can find a way to keep focused and have a schedule going I think this project will be incredibly strong.

• Did I change my milestone goals? If so, why?
  So far no milestones have changed because it is only the beginning of the project. We are still in the development phase; so, maybe things will change in the future.
  
  
• How did I deal with the problems that came up?
  Well dealing with problems can be a difficult task especially if everyone cannot agree on one thing, but being able to come to a mutual understanding makes people stronger as a group. We may have had disagreements, but we did have a majority vote on what was more plausible to do. We want something visual pleasing, and at the same time, something we can of course create with the timeframe we are gifted with.
  
  
• What is working and what is not working in the planning and implementation of the project?
  So far the flow of the project is working quite well. We know what we have to do and what needs to be done by next week. The only thing I would say that isn’t working is what exactly the code is going to look like. We have a great concept and it seems pretty easy, but it seems that little things might hold us back. Hopefully we can come together as a group when we start coding and come up with some pretty decent stuff.
  
  
• Briefly describe your time spent and any problems (within the team, with a computer, etc)
  So far we mostly went out to get food and talk about the project in a more central environment. We discussed my overall concept, and tried to get everyone to understand (which we now did), and assigned respective roles. Again it seems like we did pretty damn well. Also considering we got our design document turned in and our blog basically out of the way.
  
  
• Evaluate the project as a whole.
  The project is going to be interesting. I am disappointed we don’t have the full time to work on the project (the 10 weeks) and instead we have to do 2 Major projects this term. It will be kind of difficult to come up with excellent projects within that time frame. Just hope everything will come together.

Christopher's Progress at this point.

As of now i have been given the job to name our group, and that name is D.K.C.G.. This name is contructed using the first letters of all of our first names. I have also made us a logo. this is just the tip of the iceberg, we clearly have more to go. I'm looking foward to working in this group.

Daniel's Progress so Far

I have been tasked as one of two level designers for are game. My task in the group for this week is to build the assets for are level. After our group presented are game ideas we all decided to work on Kyles game idea because it would fit to our strengths the most. So far we spent four hours working on our game.