Pseudocode

I need to make a timer for my game. I want the timer to be located at the bottom right of my screen. I would prefer for it to start at zero and count up. The way it will count up will be using minutes and seconds. It will be infinite, and it increases as you play. At the end it will tell you how long you played the game for until you messed up three different times.

Learning Concept

     The most difficult concept in my game will be scrolling the street. I feel as if I might be able to handle to move random objects and such, but the road will scroll infinitely throughout the whole scene of the game. That will probably be the hardest part, but my teacher will help a lot, and that's only way I'll be able to figure that part out because I don't see any tutorials for it. That might be because I don't know the specific name of the action.

Game Demo Presentation

Last Friday our Globaloria class presented our game demos. We planned to present them a few weeks ago, but every time there was a series of unfortunate occurances. Although we practiced doing our presentations about a month ago, I think that everyone did a great gob. I did not have any fears before doing my game demo because public speaking doesn't really affect me whenever I know what I'm talking about. Due to the massive amounts of repetitive research, I feel as though I know my topic through and through. I guess that worked out for an advantage because I didn't get much negative feedback. The one thing that a person said via Elluminate was that I should have an explosion come up when the car wrecks; the truth is that I do. For some reason, the wrong game demo was used, but on my final game demo I had an explosion and when you hit the deer it didn't make the same noise as when you hit the car. To be honest, I don't think that it affected my game that much, but it truly was a good experience. I enjoyed getting feedback on my topic, and I think it helped everyone; even though it may have brought a few people down, it will improve their game overall.

BlogBlogBlog

        

          I definitely have learned a lot more while making my game demo. I found out more things about how Flash CS5 works, but not on my own. What I did do on my own was put in creativity and my own ideas. Other than that, I haven't learned any more about my topic in general. This is because I have been acquiring knowledge about my topic since I began this class in August. I have also learned to have more patience than prior when working with the program and computers.
          If I could talk to the creaters and main administrators of this class, I would tell them to not make students do as much repetitive work. I would advise them that we need to have more tutorials on flash, because it is difficult for my teacher to attend to all of our needs for our demo. I suggest that they add something unique to the class to make it more fun rather than continuous research and actually learning how to do things in the class in a fun way. I definitely think I have taken the process of learning into my own hands substantiated by the facts that I have scripted things by using tutorials that are not on the wiki. Although I have had to ask my teacher for help, I have attempted to learn more about this class and game design.
         I really don't feel that it is neccessary for me to try to improve my self-learning skills because I already am trying. I literally do not want to teach myself everything, so I'd like to learn things on my own, as well as being taught in an equal amount. I don't want to use memorization and past demos to program things in my game by copying and pasting. I think that a lot of this is copying and pasting, and nobody will accurately learn this way. Once the course is over, everything "learned", or memorized, will be forgotten. So I would prefer to know how to script and actually understand what I'm doing, rather than copy and paste and then blog about it. I definitely have learned a lot so far, but I think that I could learn a lot more. This class has potential, and if it was more accelerated in the game design itself, it would be more fun and more of a challenge. I don't think that it should be required to blog this much because it takes away from the overall effect of the class.

Yet again..

I learned that texting and driving is more dangerous than drinking and driving. I knew that they were both dangerous, but I never knew it was that risky. More people need to check out the statistics so that they can learn the facts. Drunk driving is a big topic and something that is frowned upon in society, but texting and driving is just as dangerous, yet people still do it. Here is a link to  CNBC's statistics that will hopefully teach people a lesson rather than having to find out the hard way. I learned this when I did my research links approximately two months ago.  This source is reliable and trustworthy because it is an official news broadcasting site.

Thanks Kayleigh!

     I found this link about Distracted Driving on Kayleigh's blog that I got to from Fayetteville High School's Globaloria page. It is actually a helpful resource, and I am happy I found someone who has the same game topic as me, and does their blogs. This is useful because the information is about my topic because it talks about the multiple types of distracted driving. Also, it gives you tips about how to drive safely!

Animation

This animation relates to my game becauase in one of my research links it shows how texting and driving could be just as dangerous as drinking and driving. In today's society, drinking and driving is considered extremely dangerous, but so is texting and driving, yet so many people still do that. I plan to use many sounds in my game. I want the car to make sounds as it does different actions. For example, when you enter the frame the car will start and sound will play. When the car hits something, a sound will come up depending on what animal or object it is. Sound will most definitely enhance the game play because it will be entertaining. I also plan to play an occasional ding depending on how long the timer has been going for. If you play for a minute, a certain sound will play to inform you how well you have done. The tragic sounds of the car crash will represent learning because nobody will want to hear that in reality. Hopefully my game will help them make the right choice to not text and drive.

"Vlog"

Here is my video blog from the Paper Prototype 1.3 Section. I tried to make it a little more entertaining by choosing random locations throughout my school. Enjoy!

Visual Storytelling

I'm using visuals to tell my story. My backgrounds and images are important to my theme of my game. Though the road signs will not be a significant factor within the gameplay, it represents the theme. The games in Playing to Learn use visual storytelling as well. Some of those games, such as third world famer, use precise images to put you in the game and make your role an important part of the game. The visualizations differ throughout the game depending on the choices you make. Other narrative games have influenced me, especially the games in Playing to Learn, because they helped me figure out what genre I wanted to use for mine.

1..2..3..ACTION!

    
     The paper prototype was definitely a cool experience because it is different than anything we have done in this class so far. It was hands-on, and it helped me change and fix a lot of my game to make it more user friendly. It definitely has caused me to alter my game and change my ideas. I realized that some things cannot be done. I also noticed that if I did first person perspective from inside the car, I would have to make the game more 3D than I know how to. I believe I have removed many glitches. Also, the controls for my game have changed due to the paper prototype. Filming the prototype was fun, especially when we messed up. I almost wish I could put the outtakes on my wiki! Overall it helped me way more than I thought it would, and I'm pretty happy about that!

Copy & Paste

     Because I am working alone, I have every role within the game. I feel as if it will be easier that way, because s4mmu44 and I can now work at our own pace. I look forward to sketching out my game on paper! I think that will really put my ideas and visualizations into effect. The greatest challenge will be the scripting, rather than creating the background and objects. I think my buttons will be okay, but I am concerned about the animation. Hopefully it will turn out alright!

My Game Idea

    My game idea is one that most people would find interesting at this point in time. Texting and driving is a major concern amongst the world today. Hopefully, my game will be a positive influence for young drivers who have this Globaloria class. Maybe people outside of the classroom will play this game too! I want to incorporate keyboard and mouse functions into my game. The process of creating the background will take some time, but I want to make it look decent.
     Also, I am willing to try and make it very interactive with the user. I want to incorporate typing on the keyboard to represent texting, and moving the mouse will make the car move from side to side. I plan to make the cell phone ring occasionally, as well.
As the levels continue I want to make the game more difficult. For example, the first level will be in a country scenario with few traffic obstacles. The second will be a suburban area, with some distractions and more obstacles, such as, traffic lights, and pedestrians. As the levels further, the more traffic and interruptions will occur while you have to type text into the cell phone. Throughout the game, I plan to put statistics throughout the levels to tell you the importance of being a safe driver. Overall, I want to make the game interactive and fun, and I want it to teach the player the importance of focused driving.
     I'm excited for my game! I'm so excited to actually get it finished, and to start working on it rather then to take tons of time planning it. My flash file for my game idea is taking longer than I expected, and I'm kind of upset about that. I'm excited to actually incorporate my ideas into the game, and to make it interactive.

"..but DON'T let the bunny eat the pizza!"

The mini game project was actually pretty interesting. I have never scripted in Flash before, and I actually understood what we were doing. I didn't really think it was that difficult to make it EXCEPT when you make a small mistake, and it is so hard to find it if there isn't an error. I thought the process of making it was fun though, especially whenever something would mess up and it was a challenge to fix it. I completed my mini game with success, and I don't think there are any glitches. However, this is a looping game that never ends so you can't necessarily win.


Overall, it was a good learning experience. I am scared, though, to create my own game because I see how much it takes to do a small game like this, so my game will probably be way more difficult. Also, we worked as a class on this, so when it gets to individual work I think it will be way more of a challenge, but I'll do my best.

Is it worth it?

Hello, I'm Maria and my topic is Distracted Driving (Texting While Driving). I never agreed with it before, and now after researching it I am strongly against it. I know how much of a problem it is in today's society, and I witness it all the time. Friends will text when I am in the car with them! Even if they are going 60 mph on the high way! Our lives are important. We worry about flights on planes, and other ways of dying, but people still distract themselves while driving, and that is a very high risk for death.

These links will definitely help my research, and they already have. The links even helped me with life decisions, not just for the flash game. It made me want to tell my friends to put the phone down, or to never answer a call when I'm driving. I couldn't believe how many people crash because of this every year. It's almost as if everyone is aware of the issue, but people still do it. It is illegal to use your phone while driving as a minor in West Virginia. I completely agree with that law, yet adults do it as well.

I know teens are more prone to seem as if they are texting all the time, but adults continually talk on the phone, even when driving. There has been countless times where I have seen people of all ages on the phone while driving, and they will either be speeding, or driving UNDER the speed limit. It really is a risk to the people around you. I know that I definitely don't want to die from someone else's carless mistake.

 I recently saw a billboard that says, " Let's get ice cream after I paralyze you. " A short little sentence like that can really make you think. Life is so much more important then texting back your friend and saying " c ya later" or something like that. As necessary as it seems at the moment, it truly isn't. You go through 12 years of high school, and many many years of college to live a long and successful life, and texting would be a terrible way to ruin that. 

So if you're reading this, think before you text. Think before you call. Don't do it. You could save your life or save someone else's life, just by focusing on the road. Put your phone on silent before you get in the car so you aren't tempted to pick it up.

 I hope the game I make puts everything I said into something entertaining and informative. I also hope to make my game neat and effective. I'm not a pro at flash, so I am definitely going to need some help, and time to make my game. So I am glad that we finished this part of the class early, so that we have more time to make our games.

Got Games?

I am definitely most interested in the Strategy and Adventure genres for games! I really enjoy puzzle games also, but it's really difficult to find an interesting puzzle game.  Some of them can be boring, and make you want to quit after the first few levels. But I absolutely love Tetris, and that is a puzzle game.

 Strategy games can be really interesting also, because they actually make you think, and try to work out a solution to a problem. It makes your brain work, and think on different levels and think of different outcomes to every choice you make. This is especially true if it is a strategic business game.

Adventure games and rpg's are fun, too. They usually take longer to complete and have different scenarios so you don't get bored of doing the same thing over and over again. You actually might even have to save it and go back to it, because it isn't a short game. Yet, it can hold your interest because you don't have to do the same thing every level because it gets more challenging as you go!

Privacy

"The worst thing about being famous is the invasion of your privacy." 

            -Justin Timberlake

But what if you aren't famous? In 2008, 10 million people were a victim of Identity Theft. And I definitely don't think 100% of them were famous. In fact, the reason ID theft occurs sometimes is because people put too much out there on the Internet. I believe privacy on the Internet is essential. I think it is okay to affiliate yourself with social sites, but there is a line you should not cross. For example, Facebook now offers a place option. You can enter where you are at that very second, and anyone with an iPhone can easily see on a map where you are, and how to get there. It is just too dangerous in today's society to put this type of information out there!

Nobody should put his or her phone number or address especially. ID theft isn't the only thing that can result from this. For example, Israel Hyman was robbed after posting about his vacation on the social website Twitter. His tweets about being away from home may have instigated the robbery. It is not necessarily because of that. You could get robbed either way, but this is just not helpful to personal privacy by posting these types of things on the Internet. I strongly believe you should never put information on the Internet that you don't want anyone to find out, especially home address, workplace, or phone number.

I personally have witnessed people putting this information out there, and I don't even know them, but I could easily know all of their information. To be honest, I could really care less about where they live or what they do, but some people might, which is risky. Privacy is very important to people. American citizens do have the right to privacy, but chose not to protect their information. The Internet can be very dangerous, and it can be very beneficial as well. I just think that people need to learn how to balance it out. Some companies are trying to spread the word about Internet safety. For example, Att created this game to help promote Internet safety. http://www.att.com/Common/images/safety/game.html. Disney also did something similar, but without the game interface on their website, which is http://disney.go.com/corporate/privacy/safety.html.

In conclusion, I believe that people need to be safer on the Internet, especially when sites like Facebook have privacy settings, so use them!! The Internet can really be helpful in life, but you just need to know how to use it without causing risk for yourself! Be safe on the Internet, or anywhere for that matter! Thanks for reading :)!

Wiki Fail

I'm currently working on editing my Wiki. So far I have only done some minor edits, and I hope to make it better today. It takes a while to load, so that isn't helping me get much accomplished. I literally just re-did my Wiki and completely forgot to save it. I'm pretty bummed about that. I hope I can get it back to how it was. I guess I can only blame myself for that one..

Globaloria

    

     I like this class, and I can't wait until we finish setting up our accounts so we can begin doing things. What I am most excited for in this class is game design. I hope to make a game that shows my creativity and knowledge. I have ideas, but I just want to be able to put them to use. My aptitude for computers will most likely increase because of this class, and I am very excited about that. I hope to learn more about how flash works, and how the software is used. Also, throughout this course I hope to design a game that is fun and entertaining, yet positively influential on its players. 

     The type of game I want to create would be about one about recycling or another subject that could help the world be a better place. The one thing that really scares me about this class is not being able to finish assignments by the due date. One of the reasons that would cause this would be slow internet, or just not being able to manage my time efficiently within an hour and a half. That does not stop my excitement for this class though. It's extremely cool that we can socialize on these sites, especially with new people from all over the world. I do wish our internet connection was a tad faster though!