Reflection 15

This Thursday, I am to present this 20% Project that I have spent the last several weeks working on. Moving towards said presentation, I have some concerns; chief among them is the fact that my laptop does not have the RGB port that the classroom projector requires. Without my laptop, I cannot access my story on the browser-instance-specific Twine application. Some of my presentation was based around that game, and it will be less engaging for the audience. However, I can work the presentation without it; as it is too late for minor tweaking within the PowerPoint, I'll have to rely on my... presentation skills... alone (*bursts out laughing*). I'm not looking forward to this presentation by any means and I feel that I lack any tangible evidence to support my learning of JavaScript (because some program forgot to mention that Java doesn't have a built-in user interaction feature). In any case, it's too late to turn back now. Wish me luck orange "Publish" button in Blogger's top right corner... wish me luck.

Reflection 14: Tardiness Breeds Tardiness, Apparently

This past week, my schedule was packed with projects, tests, assignments, and unavoidable personal events that I could not have predicted; as such, I did not have much time to work on my 20% Project. All the same, I did continue writing it and even went back to the course after I figured out how to debug the old "Rock-Paper-Scissors" game I coded and finally get it working (I had not realized that I  was required to define a certain variable, as I had not realized it was a user-created variable and not a default command). However, while conducting research online, I found something that I probably should have researched sooner but that--in all fairness--the program I used neglected to tell me: JavaScript has no pre-existing user interface. The only way to get it to interact efficiently with users or (and this is where the trouble arises) to get it to display text on the screen. While it is theoretically possible to create such an interface in JavaScript, doing so is beyond me as the only "display-text" command I have been taught only shows the text in the console, which is not accessible by a user when playing. As such, coding the game and playing it with the script of code during the presentation will be impossible. I don't want to make all the time I spent writing the game to be useless; as such, I plan on taking people through the Twine-script and explain which command is assigned to which action in the game (explaining such things as using random number generators and variables to create a character's "statistics" or items).
This week, I began working on the presentation and will have it finished by Friday; I also began editing the game's text and will have it all but completed by Friday as well. Until then, until then.

Reflection 13: The Other Exceptionally Late One

Memorial Day messed with my schedule a great deal, and I am afraid that I lost track of time. Still, my ineptitude is hardly an excuse for tardiness, and I sincerely apologize for this transgression.
Sadly, the many projects assigned this week and the family trips and events this weekend, I did not get much writing done. I shall most certainly be able to finish the story of the game; however, given my progress in that regard, I am doubtful that I will have time to finish coding it within my time frame. I shall be more than happy to share the finished, coded product, even if I will not finish until after the deadline; the coding process, however. is quite repetitive and time-consuming, even after the writing is done, and I find it doubtful that the full game (in its actual game format rather than the browser-based Twine format).
This week, much more writing shall be accomplished, so help me Vecna. I want to be finished by next Tuesday at the very latest such that I can work on the small PowerPoint presentation that shall accompany the game itself. Until then, until then!

Reflection 12: Another Plot Change with a Side of Progress... and Pickled Ginger

A revelation occurred this Tuesday: I am seriously over-complicating this game. It should be simple and accessible; the way I see it, I can create the more complicated game when I am more experienced and have more time to complete it. As such, I decided to switch the game's story *again* from the espionage-based game to a more generic Grimm's Fairy Tales/Tolkien-esque genre, where the player will explore what amounts to a forest plagued by curses, monsters, and daemons to accomplish one of several tasks that they choose at the beginning of the story. It's not the most creative, but it will be a good test of my programming abilities and, at the very least, something fun to do during the 20% presentations (not that I am focusing on this; I just enjoy having discussions with a large group of people). Luckily, I made great progress this week in writing this new story, as I changed the topic early; several branching stories are in their early stages, and I expect to be able to finish one or two this coming week. Until then, until then!

Reflection 11

  This week, I spent much more time writing the text and branching story of the game itself; as previously said, I've learned everything I need to have learned in order to code the basic text-based game, so I am holding off on learning more JavaScript until after the project is over and the game is completed.

  Although I wrote much this past week, most of the text ended up being trashed. Soon into writing my 19th-century-esque story of espionage and intrigue, I realized it was a little more complicated than expected. As such, I decided to switch to a more generic adventure/story/game based on a crashed spaceship. Without the use of chance-based events that are affected by players' items and choices, I decided, it would be far too simple for the plot to work. As such, I spent this week writing a far more generic game about the crash of a spaceship. Now, however, I begin to realize that the story is a bit too generic; I am having trouble focusing on it and, if I cannot keep myself interested in a story of my own creation, how am I supposed to engage the player (would they be 'readers' in this context? Food for thought). As such, I feel now that I should move back to the original plot idea (of which a decent amount has been written), and focus only on the story such that I would be able to make progress while returning later to add random number generation and statistics.

  I am satisfied with the speed of my progress this week, and feel confident that I will be able to work at a similar pace and actually have the work count for something in the coming week.

  Until then, until then!

Reflection 10

(My laptop's currently out of my possession at the moment, so I'm trying to send this via my phone; my apologies if it doesn't upload properly.)
   This week went rather swimmingly; despite several projects that were assigned and due, I did manage to get a decent amount of writing done for the game. Working solely in text is a little difficult, as I want to describe everything in as much detail as possible but don't want to use so much text as to bore the player. Nevertheless, the story is coming along decently, and the Twine program I'm using to plan it out seems to be functioning properly. Twine also runs JavaScript, apparently, so I don't need a seperate launcher to begin testing the code when that stage is reached.
   I don't want to spoil too much, and don't have any passages worth sharing that don't potentially spoil the plot; this coming week, I plan to do much more writing and will most definitely have so shiny fun worth showing in this blog. Until then, I'll work as much as possible on the story for the game, and perhaps begin reading out loud to better train myself and ready myself for the presentation.
Until then, until then. Have a great week, everyone (or no one; whomever's reading this. Probably the latter.), and praise the sun!

Reflection 9

I seem to have forgotten to update the blog on time... again; my apologies.
On the bright side, I made some progress towards creating my game this week. I did not complete any more chapters in JavaScript, as I feel that the lessons have taught me all that is necessary to complete a simple text-based adventure game. Instead, I spent my week beginning to plan the story and world of the game. I've gone for a pseudo 19th-century city run by spies, espionage, and intrigue for the setting. The player will play as a low-ranking spy and slowly work his or her way up through the ranks, uncovering the secrets of the courts, spymasters, and even those of the city itself as they go. I want to create an interesting world above all, and allow players to best interact with their environment.
Initially, the game will be a simple one. Players can choose from several pre-determined options to respond to each scenario ("Do you decide to: [Option A], [Option B], or [Option C]?", at least for the presentation; if I can figure out how and have buckets of time on my hands from a lack of assigned projects (Excuse me... *laughs hysterically*), however, I plan on coding a full-fledged text-based adventure with a proper player inventory and the ability to use and examine items and objects at will.
I plan to continue creating the branching story this week, using another program to help visualize the web of the story. Until next week, all!

Reflection 8

     Unfortunately, little was accomplished this week. Due to the large influx of projects, exams, and the multiple manuals I have to read if I don't want to die behind the controls of a Cherokee Archer II single-engine prop plane that I am learning how to pilot, my schedule has been full to the point of violently and destructively exploding. All my time this week was taken up by a project that was only assigned on Monday, and this weekend was spent beginning to write a large research paper for the same class. As such, I had only the time in class to accomplish much electronic work on JavaScript, which was spent ironing out bugs in the rock-paper-scissors program I had coded previously. As for the end goal of this project, I have been brainstorming several ideas for the choose-your-own-adventure game's plot and story, but have yet to make any final decisions and am thinking of asking my classmates for advice, recommendations, and input as to the plot and setting. I have learned of a free choose-your-own-adventure game-making program and am thinking of using that to write and construct the branching plot, as well as have something to show if I don't finish the writing and/or the JavaScript program in time for presentation (after all, I feel that having my presentation involve the entire class dictate the actions of a single character would be an entertaining experience for all parties involved). Again, I am extremely unhappy with my progress thus far and, hopefully, will do better in the coming week,

Reflections 6 and 7: The Dual-Holiday Curse and Random Number Generation

   Due to the fact that I was in Albany on Friday and Saturday--miles from any Internet access--and was with family for the entirety of Sunday, I was unable to post Reflection 6 on time; and, due to my stupidity and incompetence, I forgot I had not posted it. I sincerely apologize for this tardiness and my ineptitude, and can only try to improve my response time in the future,
   In more Java-based news, I have accomplished much over Spring Break. I managed to finish several JavaScript lessons; as per the instructions and limited guide, I created a basic luck-based game where the player is pitted against the computer in a high-intensity, dangerous, highly complex contest of rock-paper-scissors. I learned to use the "Compare" function, which compares two values and decides an outcome based on a set of commands. For example, I can compare two numbers to decide which is greater (and by how much). I also learned how to use the function I have long been anticipating: the random-number-generator. Called "Math.random" in JavaScript, the RNG randomly generates a number between zero and one by default, or within any range specified by a programmer. With an "If... else" function, one can decide what the program will do if a certain number is generated (if it is less than 0.125, for example, something will happen; if more, something else will occur). With the addition of this command, I believe I can begin construction of my game. I won't be abandoning the lessons, of course, as I still want to learn how to construct objects; however, seeing as the end goal of this project is to create a text-based game with luck- based components to implement a sense of risk, I can begin working on my first one.
   The random number generator will allow the use of percentage-based events and branching story paths; some choices and decisions will be more risky than others, possibly affected by items or other variables (if I can figure out how to program it). The game will be text-based and rely entirely on story, so I shall begin the story's construction this coming week and possibly the week prior. I shall also need to know what "platform" to code it in, as I have yet to understand what menu to use on my actual laptop to code in Java (yes; I am that out of tune with technology), so finding that out is most certainly a secondary priority. All in all, I am very pleased with the progress made over the last two weeks, and hope that I can continue this trend in the weeks to come.

Reflection Week 5

   Sorry this reflection is late; there were problems with my internet last night and I couldn't update the blog. Then again, I should have posted it two days prior, so I have no true excuse; my apologies.

    In any case, the downward trend of productivity continues; more projects and personal issues popped up at home, leaving me little time to work on learning JavaScript. I feel terrible about it, but a time machine is out of the question (as A. I don't have access to one, and B. I would not risk tearing a hole in the spacetime continuum if I did).

   Sadly, I did not manage to complete an entire chapter of CodeAcademy's lessons this week. However, as I did slightly more than one last week, I was able to finish off the last exercises of the second "Functions" lesson. No new information was presented, but I have learned how to use more complex functions and combine them with variables more effectively to allow a user of the program to interact more (I can add more values for them to change, such as a character's statistics [Strength, Dexterity, Charisma, Arcane, etc.] in a video game).

   As is sadly the status quo, I am not at all happy with my performance. I completed fairly little work, despite the best of intentions. On the bright side, Spring Break is fast approaching; this weekend, as well as all of next week, is a great opportunity to speed through several chapters and learn as much about JavaScript as I possibly can. Honestly, I feel terrible about my progress thus far, but I am very much looking forward to the upcoming break.

I'a! Cthulhu,

Josh

Captain's Log: Week 4, Semester 2, Stardate 2015.3.22

   I'm beginning to see a pattern... every week, I say I'll accomplish more than the previous week; and every week, this turns out to be false. It seems that fate has dealt me a cruel hand: several exams, several large projects, more computer trouble, the nine of clubs, and the bloody two of spades. "Excuses, excuses", I know... and I feel terrible about not accomplishing as much as I should have. I only managed to have time to progress halfway through the current "chapter" of CodeAcademy's lessons, a far cry from the "Two lessons a week" I had claimed I would begin to finish.
   This week, I learned about "functions" in JavaScript. Functions are essentially variables filled with other variables and complex equations. Variables allow one to assign a name to a number or command so that one doesn't have to retype lots of code in order to copy it; functions are... well, "functionally" identical (see what I did there?) except that I can replace the simple number or command with an equation or even other variables. Instead of constantly typing the long string of code for "Divide the result of x by four", for example, I can assign that long string of code a name such as "DivideByFour". From now on, I will only have to type "DivideByFour" to use the equation, which will simplify the code and make coding much less tedious. Use of functions will make reading my code much easier (a useful trait when finding bugs) and greatly expedite the process of coding as a whole.
   As previously stated, I feel that I did not do very well this week in terms of progress; the constant string of excuses shouldn't be an... excuse (backed myself against a wall there... again) for a lack of progress. In the coming weeks, I should plan 20% time more aptly into my schedule and spend much more time on learning JavaScript. Spring Break is soon to be upon us, and I will not let the opportunity and time it presents slip by. With most of my major projects out of the way, I will be able to focus much more on my project and continue with my CodeAcademy lessons.

Week 3, Semester 2

  Describing this past week as "hectic" would be a gross understatement; in fact, the claim that the previous description is a gross understatement is, in and of itself, a gross understatement. The PARCC, though it limited the amount of homework assigned by some teachers, prevented the use of computers doing co-curricular. In addition to preventing me from spending school time to further my exploration of JavaScript, but prevented me from doing homework during that time period, which also made me have less time at home. All the same, I did manage to complete the second "chapter" of CodeAcademy's lessons.

   Chapter 2 had me construct a fairly simple "Choose your own adventure" game using pop-up menus. I learned how to create prompts and responses to the user's actions for such prompts. For example, I could create a pop-up that says "What 7 + 4?"; if the user types "11", then I can program an affirmative response; if the user answers otherwise, then i can program a negative response. The prompts form the basis of user interaction , which is the basic concept of any game. This is how I will program my basic game, at least a "Choose your own adventure" game that I could work on in my spare time.

   All in all, I could have worked on my project more; though PARCC blocked my access to the necessary resources and time needed to make progress, I plan to amend my lack of progress this week: with a greater knowledge of my schedule and projects this week, I should be able to complete two "chapters" of CodeAcademy's lessons. I will further explore what JavaScript is capable of in terms of video game creation and, within the next few weeks, choose the format of my game. Wish me luck!

Reflection Week 2, Semester 2: Delving Deeper into JavaScript's Lexicon

   This week, I delved further into CodeAcademy's lessons on understanding Java (which is now going to be the language I will be working with). Again, I was not able to complete as much as I would have preferred (as my new laptop has an apparent phobia of connecting to WiFi), but I feel I worked to the best of my abilities.
   I finished CodeAcademy's first chapter of JavaScript lessons. In addition to reinforcing some of what I learned last week, I also learned several new concepts. The first of these is the "Modulo", represented by the "%" sign, which is difficult to explain with only text. Remember how we learned to do division with remainders in first grade (i.e. when i divide 10 by 3, I find how many times 3 fits into 10, and everything else is a remainder [10 R1])? The modulo finds the remainder of an equation involving division; if I write "10 % 3", for example, then I will find the remainder of "10/3". This seems useless in many instances, but it could be useful in video games. For example, if I implement a system into a game that crafts items out of composite materials, I can use this to keep any leftover components I have from the crafting (i.e. the remainder). I also learned about "Strings", which amount to any body of text, and "Substrings", which are parts of strings. I can specify (using "text".substring(x,y)) an amount of a string to display, which is useful for giving a hint at a body of text, like the first few words shown next to the title of an email on most websites or the first few sentences of a linked article on Facebook. I also learned about variables, which are phrases I can create that can replace larger bodies of text and commands. If I want to create a random citizen in a game, then I will have to program what the citizen will look like, how they will move, and what they will do/say if interacted with. However, if I want to create many copies of that random citizen, then I don't want to write all the code again. Instead, I can assign all that code to a keyword and make a variable under a name I create, so that the keyword "Random_Citizen" can be used in place of a huge block of code.
   JavaScript is a fairly simple language, I've noticed; once one knows the vocabulary, one can basically do anything one wishes with even the most simple lexicon. Everything revolves around common sense; one can create almost anything, so far as I can tell, even without specific shortcuts.
   Again, I feel that my computer's unwillingness to cooperate has hindered my progress somewhat, but, given that the computers were prohibited at school due to the PARCC, I worked as best as I could.
   In the upcoming week, I plan to continue the course (at no less than one chapter of CodeAcademy per week, preferably two or more) and continue to see what I can do in regards to the game I am planning on creating. Given my current knowledge, I can probably make a very simple "Choose your own adventure"-type game, but I feel that such a game will not be enough and will ultimately end up being a waste of time. As such, more research is required into what JavaScript can do in regards to interactive media.


EDIT: It turns out that the next course chapter in CodeAcademy is "Choose Your Own Adventure"... I feel that my decision not to make one on my own was justified. It's as if it read my mind...
*Insert X-Files theme here

Week One, Semester 2

   Sadly, I was not able to accomplish as much as I would have liked this week: due to my laptop being broken and my only alternative being an old Macbook (which has poor Internet connection--a necessity for research--and does not support several programs that I may use to practice ), I have been limited in my research and exploration of coding. As such, I decided to spend my week researching which programming languages would be the most useful for me to use, both for this project and for me to be knowledgeable of in general. Many articles and blogs I have read on the subject suggest coding in whichever language the programmer feels most comfortable with; as such, I have decided to choose the language that is not necessary the most simple or easy to learn, but the language that is the most versatile and the most useful inside and outside of the game programming spectrum. Java seems like a reasonable choice, as it is the language that most of the Internet uses, and learning it will give me a head start in next year's programming class. The language "C++" is simple and has many applications when putting it to use with physical objects (robotics), but I would prefer to choose Java as an introductory language more than anything else. In class on Thursday, I did manage to take a few free lessons from a useful website called Codeacademy (link below*). I did not have the chance to learn much, but I now understand that all programming can be simplified to "If... then..." statements, such as "If x button is pressed, then y will happen".

   As for the topic of the game I plan to make, I think I should hold back on deciding what the game will be mechanics- and story-wise. I don't have a good grasp of any language yet, so I don't know what I will and will not be capable of programming. I plan to learn a language first, or at least the basics, then use the creation of a video game as a means to test my skill.

   All in all, I think that I was fairly productive this week, given my constraints. I could not learn much at home due to my damaged equipment, and did not have time to learn much on school computers given the PARCC practice testing; I may be behind where I wanted to be initially, but my position is mainly due to factors outside of my control and I feel I worked to the best of my ability. This coming week, I plan to do some more research and practice with Java, as well as brainstorm some simple game ideas for the future.

*http://www.codecademy.com/

Second Semester 20% Proposal: And so it begins anew

   For this semester's 20% Project, I am going to try to create a video game. Nothing fancy, mind you; I am not expecting to make anything of AAA-company quality, or even anything that can measure up to other indie games in terms of complexity. The game in question will be based on espionage, as there are very few games that fall under that genre, and will be largely text-based. By the end of this project, I would like to have a fully-functional prototype of the game in a largely playable state.
   To succeed, I will need to learn about programming and basic script-writing (script as in programming, not as in plays or the like) in order to construct the game itself. I will also need to learn how players will react to certain situations in the game, such as morality choices or risk-vs-reward scenarios, and how to manipulate these instances to create an enjoyable experiences for players. The easy portion of this project will probably be the writing and storyline construction; while it will not be easy by any means, it is less difficult than the other aspects of this endeavor. Said "other aspects" are, of course, the programming itself; where to learn how to do it, what language to code in, and where to begin are all pressing questions, none of which I have the answers to. Most of this project, due to the amount of time it will take to complete it and the heavy reliance on my own laptop, will take place outside of class. If outside of class or physically outside during 20% Time, I can bring my laptop to school for programming or write the branching storylines of the game itself.

Reflection 15

I am so, so sorry (please forgive the redundancy) for the latency of this reflection; I have had a high fever for the last few days and, as such, have not been in the best of health and have not been thinking straight, so to speak.
In any case, the Twenty Percent deadline is quickly approaching, and to say that I feel woefully under-prepared is a gross understatement. I feel as though I have not written enough and as if I have very little to discuss during the presentation. That said, I'm sure I can put something presentable (pun intended) together.
This week, I have written more of the story, but could not complete as much as I had wished due to the aforementioned viral infection (thanks, viruses). I have very little to say, sadly. There has been no changes in the last week, and all my feelings have been summed up in the last reflection (sorry about that, by the way; I wasn't exactly "in a good way" at the time).
This coming week, I plan to work on the presentation and pray to the Old One and every Lovecraftian entity I can think of to aid me through the end of this project.

Cthulhu Fthagn, Ia! Dagon!, and Umbasa, this is Josh signing of... ONE. LAST. TIME.*




*Until next marking period.

Reflection 14

Relative to the last few weeks, I accomplished quite a bit due to the break; that said, I am not at all happy with my progress. It is slow due to occasional procrastination and increasingly prominent anxiety and panic; as almost anyone who has known me long enough is aware, I find it (somewhat paradoxically) difficult to concentrate on and/or accomplish tasks I am anxious about. I become sidetracked and, instead of diving into the task at hand, I step back and try to calm my nerves for a little too long.
Due to the lack of progress, I am honestly feeling as though I may fail the 20% Project. I have failed myself already; why should the numbers given to me reflect anything different?
In any case, this negative reflection (all but devoid of useful information due to the lack of change in the project itself) is using up time that I could spend writing and is in no way helping to stave off the useless and often suicidal thoughts that become all the more frequent as the deadline draws near. Back to the grind, I suppose. Wish me luck.

Reflection 13

Well, the holidays happened. Now, it may be hard to believe, but having twenty-eight people and three dogs under one roof makes concentrating a little more difficult than it would be otherwise. Nevertheless, I did manage to get some work done on the story; not as much as I would have liked (as per usual), but a few pages.
I am not cut out to write narratives. I am still unsure as to why; I greatly enjoy writing ideas and quests for video games, I am a great fan of tabletop role-playing games (and have become proficient in crafting worlds and stories for players in them), I am an avid reader of both fiction and nonfiction... yet I am unable to create stories. I believe the trouble lies in the specifics: I can create a main plot with a multitude of key points, yet I am unable to write "filler" content, or events that take place between those structured intervals. In both thinking of video game plotlines or tabletop RPG ideas, I rely heavily on the interaction of others for said content. In a novel or story, this content needs to be carried out by a person or persons whom the reader has no influence over; as such, these events need to be fully imagined by me. Maybe this stems from my obsession with legends and tales as a child, or my later expeditions into the realm of video games with player-focused content, or perhaps I'm simply writing this sentence to go beyond the 100-word minimum (which I already have, but it never hurts to write too much), but my mind seems to be hardwired to ignore these events altogether and am unable to focus on small details of characters or events.
In any case, I shall continue writing my story over the next week.

Reflection 12

Have you ever had those moments when you realize that you have dug yourself into a situation you can no longer escape from? I am beginning to feel that way about my 20% Project; it occurs to me that staying with this topic was a dreadful idea, given my lack of creativity, and that I should have changed topics all those weeks ago when I had the chance. Given time and inspiration, I may be able to finish this story, but I have lost most of my drive and ambition to do so; if this was not being graded, I would have either abandoned the project or viewed this as a hobby rather than a requirement, thus allowing me to work in peace and without the feeling of being judged. In either case, I would not be in this predicament where I sit in this foxhole of pointless self-pity, stupidity, and regret while the ceaseless barrage of shells that is the 20% due date draws ever closer to where I huddle (See what I mean by "lack of creativity"? That was a terrible metaphor, rough unrefined as a freshly mined diamond... not to imply that my work could ever be considered as valuable as said hypothetical gemstone.).  It saddens me that the time necessary to amend this will require most of winter break. All in all, I've done some work on the story, but not anything worth sharing. I will continue to work on this assignment, writing the main story of the novel and hopefully accomplishing much more than the little I pessimistically foresee myself finishing.

Reflection 11

Due to a veritable plethora of projects, tests, and familial events that were assigned and/or scheduled for this week, I was unable to work on this project as much as I would have preferred. I did begin to develop some characters and events in the story, and managed to create the basic outline for the plot. I have begun to follow a template for writing fiction called the "Snowflake Method", which is a multi-step process which builds plot and characters from the ground up. I believe this method could help me organize my ideas, which I have had plenty of trouble with in the past. This week, I will continue to use this method and write (as per usual... there's only so many options open to me, after all).

Link to the Snowflake Method template:
http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/articles/snowflake-method/