Wow How Time Flies

Welcome folks! Here I am reporting to you live from....... The Ferris State University Computer Lab in downtown Grand Rapids. I know I have not posted in awhile (read: several months) but I swear I have a good reason. Following the successful completion of the Digital Animation Summer Camp and my writing of a manual on how to run future camps, I have been quite busy with my work as a web designer. Add the fact that school started again in September and I barely have enough time between the two to keep up on the latest games. Since I want to be a designer I feel that making sure I keep up with games (good and bad) is very important. When designing a feature for a map or mod its good to know if anybody has tried it before, and if so what I can do to improve it. Anyway on to recent project reports.....

This blog has become a project in itself for me. Currently my business is working on creating a blog using WordPress (wordpress.org) for a client and I thought to myself Why haven't I done this for me yet? So when I complete that project and have time to create one for myself I will post a link to my new blog.

My WAR-Piracy project has evolved again (big surprise)! The level has evolved a bit to have the ships parked in a bombed out port to offer some land based combat but there is an ulterior motive to adding this portion. This map will be the flagship map for a new mod featuring fast moving mech based combat. The plan is to ship the map and 3 mechs (basically variations of the same design) as well as a mutator that allows you to use the mechs on your favorite UT3 maps. The design is complete and I hope to do some playtesting using another model I'm working on soon. The mod will focus on short range and melee combat using the mech suits. Combat will be possible outside the suits with plans for an emp type weapon added later.

With my impending graduation coming up within a couple semesters and my wedding to my wonderful fiance and business partner May 29th I am unsure currently if I will make it to GDC this year. It would be disappointing since I've gone the last 2 years but the wedding bills come first.

Within the next few days I hope to be posting my design reviews of the titles I have been recently playing: the newest version of Lost Planet, Spore, Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning, and an oldie but goodie, F.E.A.R.