ScottTykoski's Articles In Game Journals
September 1, 2006 by ScottTykoski
Another quick journal entry...unfortunately I've been working on a lot of small things that aren't full completed (Second Player animation, final BG art, ect), so while it may seem like I'm slacking, these logs don't list the unfinished tasks.  Last week I had made some changes to how the maps were loaded, leaving my previous entry less interactive then I had hoped. This week I've fixed that, so you'll get to actually test the current "sandbox" version of the game that I'm currently work...
September 1, 2006 by ScottTykoski
Another quick journal entry...unfortunately I've been working on a lot of small things that aren't full completed (Second Player animation, final BG art, ect), so while it may seem like I'm slacking, these logs don't list the unfinished tasks.  Last week I had made some changes to how the maps were loaded, leaving my previous entry less interactive then I had hoped. This week I've fixed that, so you'll get to actually test the current "sandbox" version of the game that I'm currently work...
August 25, 2006 by ScottTykoski
Not much time to write up a journal this week, so I'll just rattle off what got accomplished.... 1. Test Enemy Animations : I made animations for the "Fake Ice Thug" monster that causes trouble in the game's first level. Still have more to go, but the main ones are up and running. 2: Enemies in the Game : Bad guys will now pace back and forth and get hurt when the player smacks them. 3. Moving Environment Object: You'll note that the hanging garden beds in these...
August 25, 2006 by ScottTykoski
Not much time to write up a journal this week, so I'll just rattle off what got accomplished.... 1. Test Enemy Animations : I made animations for the "Fake Ice Thug" monster that causes trouble in the game's first level. Still have more to go, but the main ones are up and running. 2: Enemies in the Game : Bad guys will now pace back and forth and get hurt when the player smacks them. 3. Moving Environment Object: You'll note that the hanging garden beds in these...
August 18, 2006 by ScottTykoski
Mid-project designing has always seemed a 'necessary evil' to me. Don't get me wrong, as an artist, it feels really good to be fighting for the best possible idea then finally stumble across something acceptable, or, if I'm lucky, marginaly impressive . But when the clock is ticking, it's hard to be as creative as you'd prefer. However, despite the constant nagging form my brain's 'left side' to settle with 'good enough', I plowed through this week and (In my opinion) whipped up som...
August 18, 2006 by ScottTykoski
Mid-project designing has always seemed a 'necessary evil' to me. Don't get me wrong, as an artist, it feels really good to be fighting for the best possible idea then finally stumble across something acceptable, or, if I'm lucky, marginaly impressive . But when the clock is ticking, it's hard to be as creative as you'd prefer. However, despite the constant nagging form my brain's 'left side' to settle with 'good enough', I plowed through this week and (In my opinion) whipped up som...
August 10, 2006 by ScottTykoski
As a natural procrastinator, game development has never beenan easy fit with me. There are deadlines to meet, multiple timelines to juggle,revisions to make, and, when it’s done, you have to ship a fun end product. There are hundreds of places to fumble, so a planmust be in place to keep the wheels running smoothly. The process of planning, as a procrastinator, blew my mind . I never realized whatgreat friends ‘Waiting ‘till the last minute’ and ‘gross under-estimation’ were. Before fal...
August 10, 2006 by ScottTykoski
As a natural procrastinator, game development has never beenan easy fit with me. There are deadlines to meet, multiple timelines to juggle,revisions to make, and, when it’s done, you have to ship a fun end product. There are hundreds of places to fumble, so a planmust be in place to keep the wheels running smoothly. The process of planning, as a procrastinator, blew my mind . I never realized whatgreat friends ‘Waiting ‘till the last minute’ and ‘gross under-estimation’ were. Before fal...
August 4, 2006 by ScottTykoski
The Art/Code Tightrope Art vs. Code: It's the ultimate match up, but after working on several games in various positions, I've determined that, to make a good game, the share is 50/50. You can't expect a player to invest time in a game that's visually unappealing, but you also can't expect satisfaction on graphics alone. To dust-off my Bennigian's roots.....'Graphics are the spice, code is the meat'. When you're working on a game by your lonesome, it tends to be difficult to walk ...
August 4, 2006 by ScottTykoski
The Art/Code Tightrope Art vs. Code: It's the ultimate match up, but after working on several games in various positions, I've determined that, to make a good game, the share is 50/50. You can't expect a player to invest time in a game that's visually unappealing, but you also can't expect satisfaction on graphics alone. To dust-off my Bennigian's roots.....'Graphics are the spice, code is the meat'. When you're working on a game by your lonesome, it tends to be difficult to walk ...
July 27, 2006 by ScottTykoski
This week I tried to diversify myself and get some hefty work done in various areas. Unfortunatly, my list was too long for a week that felt WAY too short. Here's what I shot for.... Elfington's three jumping stages: 'Pre-Jump', 'Jumping', and 'Falling'. 1.) Clean up the Code: The interactive walk cycle from last week had some TERRIBLE code, so I wanted to go in and clean it up. My goal was to create an Action Class for handling animation, a Game Object class to generalize the ch...
July 27, 2006 by ScottTykoski
This week I tried to diversify myself and get some hefty work done in various areas. Unfortunatly, my list was too long for a week that felt WAY too short. Here's what I shot for.... Elfington's three jumping stages: 'Pre-Jump', 'Jumping', and 'Falling'. 1.) Clean up the Code: The interactive walk cycle from last week had some TERRIBLE code, so I wanted to go in and clean it up. My goal was to create an Action Class for handling animation, a Game Object class to generalize the ch...
July 21, 2006 by ScottTykoski
Alas, the first week of my 18 week Christmas project has come and gone, leaving me with 119 days remaining to complete the task. This week I started by taking baby steps and focusing on the "Walking" animation of our hero (edit: unintentional pun, I assure you). The other animations shouldn't take a week apiece, but will still need my attention in the following month. Here's my current "Animation To-Do" list for all characters that can be controlled by the player:. Elfington's "I...
July 21, 2006 by ScottTykoski
Alas, the first week of my 18 week Christmas project has come and gone, leaving me with 119 days remaining to complete the task. This week I started by taking baby steps and focusing on the "Walking" animation of our hero (edit: unintentional pun, I assure you). The other animations shouldn't take a week apiece, but will still need my attention in the following month. Here's my current "Animation To-Do" list for all characters that can be controlled by the player:. Elfington's "I...
July 13, 2006 by ScottTykoski
Proposed new and improved Elfington Design (With Duel Peppermint Blades) Every year I have the intention of making a Christmas themed game...seriously, I try! But looking back, I see that my plans have been unfulfilled for the last THREE years. For shame, Scott. For shame. This streak of laziness changes this year, however, as I'm starting my Christmas Opus FIVE months in advance! I'll still be sure to have some fun the rest of the summer, and you better believe Oblivion is going ...