Okay, I've been wanting to change the color schemes on the enemies to better match the saying Red = bad, Blue = good. Now I have tried to do it. The enemies have now a dominant looking red color to most of them. I've also changed alot on the energy hooks and object mass which will make objects easier to swing around and actually can one shot smaller enemy fire if swung fast enough.

There's still alot to be done in the usability side though like adding configurable player controls, menu pop ups, the whole nine yards! But I am marching towards there. I'll be gettin gore music pretty soon into the game to add more variety. That is of course provided by the talented Erwin Peil :)

I'l be getting some more feedback tonight on the game from my DnD buddies, who also were professional QA Game Testers at some point in their career, it should give me some good insight into game balancing.

 Well here's a video of the most recent changes so far. Ciao!

With GDC in less than a few days away, I have been working feverishly to get the game in a decent state. Because of those efforts I have been able to add super ships, which basically are multi part ships that you can destroy individual parts on it. Secondly chatter has been added to provide background story, information about the game, and some much needed humour. Many other small things have been added, but just watch the video below for some evidence

The funny thing about game development from a one man team is that the first 80% is the easiest part of making a game. The last 20% includes 10x more testing, usability studies, gameplay tweaks, graphics updates, music selection, marketing, polishing, flame hoop jumping, sky diving, etc ... This last 20% is where all the other parts of making a game that is usually handled by other people creep up and needs more attention. This really detracts from making improvements to the code to make the game faster, leaner, and easier to update. Although it is the hardest phase of development, it is also the most fun part. It is at this stage where you start showing your game off to people to get their feedback into the game. This is also where you put the icing on the cake that really starts to make it look like it was developed with love rather than a collection of game ideas hoping to form a game. This also serves as a great accomplishment waypoint, where as when you first thought about your game, doubts about how the game will come out is high. Thinking if I will even have the passion to push through with this really hard endeavour. But I think this is really the first time you can deflate and relax, assuming things moved along to solidifying the core game mechanic of the game.

I'm in the last 20% of the game right now with Gum Drop. Now I have to gather feedback from multiple player demographics about the game. Not just asking them how the game is, but actually watching them behind their back and see how they interact with the game. Taking notes, in what works, what they don't understand. Of course listening to what they have to say is important too, but really just observing how they interact is the best way to get unfiltered response about the game. 

 The hardest part I have with the game right now is not actually the gameplay itself but the UI and menu design. I'm not really the best UI developer, or have the natural instincts to go with what works best. But I really have to sit down and start designing the HUD and the menu flows. Because this is how information is relayed to the player and it has to be precise and meaningful.

Other than that, development is chugging along. I took a 2 day break from working on the game to get my bearings back straight, too much game development can really take it's toll, and ultimately you stop having fun. Which is never a good thing :)

I am currently working on getting the alpha version in a demoable state. It's been roughly half a year since I started working on Gum Drop on my spare time, and it has really gotten to a point that I am very proud of what I have achieved. But really that half past year is going to be cake walk compared to the next 2-6 months I will have to spend polishing and making the game the best it could be. All the major system components are in place and now I can concentrate more on the presentation and gameplay aspect of the game.  So I guess this is my half-way point for the project, a good time to reflect on what worked and what did not work.

 What worked:

1. Having a central repository for documents which is easily accesible everywhere. Google Docs provdied the perfect solution, so I can bring up the documents anywhere I have interenet acess on. It also facilitates easy collaborartion with other people who may need to read the documentation. Google Docs also provided versioning on the documents so I could easily revert back the changes.
2. Using pre-existing libraries. I created Gum Drop on XNA using C# which enabled me to work in a more rapid fashion. Not having to write my own matrix classes was a God Send. Also I used the Farseer Physics library which helped me get a proof of concept up and running in a short amount of time.
3. Learning how to adjust plans and expectations. Since this is my first game written in XNA there was a learning curve in implementing various systems that I did a different way when I was working with C++. Creating a game is a long process, and ideas change so having a open mind to help move the project along was indeed needed.
4. Switching to more of a random/procedural way of generating the levels helped me steer away from creating a content creation tool, which would have added complexity to the project.
5. Having early feedback about the gameplay from different kinds of gamers and non-gamers alike. Since I want this game to be appreciated by a wide range of people, having their different opionions early on mattered

What did not work so well:

1. It was alot harder to find people to buy-in to the project, actually I do not have anyone actively working on the project. I had a few people help here and there but it was a 1 man shop most of the way. I had to do asset creation, programming, testing, producing, story, etc... You name it, I did it.
2. I did not plan the engineering aspect detailed enough. I knew what systems I would need to make but I did not make clear how I would use them, and how they would interact. This is also partly because I was not that familiar with XNA and the physics library during the start of the project.
3. I have limited time on my hands, at most I work 20-30 hours on this project per week on top of my day job and other acitivities. Having more time to work on it would have been better

All in all, I enjoy working on this project, and I primarily work on it because I love making interactive worlds that I only dreamed of when I was little. Having it translated to games that I can share to other people is top priority. Saying that making extra money on the side would not be bad at all of course :)

So in retrospective, I'm glad I did what I did, and I will continue on the project and polish it till it becomes shiny like the sun 

How the Iphone Stacks Up:

The iPhone definitely is the powerhouse of the 3 systems, coming in with the fastest processor at 620mhz, and the most amount of RAM at around 128. It also is the lightest weighing in at only 133 grams. However the PSP has the iPhone beat at the screen size, edging the iPhone's 3.5 inch screen by .8 inches. Although screen size is not the only deciding factor in displays, but resolution as well, that is where the iPhone beats the PSP on the horizontal resolution by 48 pixels horizontal. Wireless access is another winner for the iPhone due to the fact that it has GSM/EDGE and wi-fi, giving the user more options to connect online.  Finally, the iPhone is more than just a gaming platform as it also serves as a Smartphone.

Comparison Chart

Feature	Nintendo DS	Playstation Portable	iPhone 2.0
Processors	67 MHz and 33 MHz	333mhz	620mhz (unofficial)
Mass	275 grams	260 grams	133 grams
Dimensions	5.85 x 3.33 x 1.13 in	6.7 x 2.9 x 0.9 in	4.5 x 2.4 x .48 in
Screen Size	2x 3 in	4.3 in	3.5 in
Screen Resolution	256 x 192  each	480 x 272	480 x 320
RAM	4 MB	32 MB + 4 MB embedded	128mb (unofficial)
Storage	256 kB of Serial Flash Memory	Memory Stick Duo up to 4GB	8/16/32 GB internal
Wireless	802.11b/g	802.11b	802.11b/g GSM/EDGE Bluetooth
Input	Touch Screen and Buttons	Buttons	Multi Touch Screen
Speakers	Stereo	Stereo	Stereo
Media	Carts	UMD	None
Media Capability	None	Video and Music	Video and Music
Web Browser	Opera on Game Cart	Sony Built Browser	Safari

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    Testing video games has always been perceived as just playing games. Yes, you are playing a video game, but you are playing it for the purpose of finding bugs, reporting them, then verifying fixes for your bugs. You are not a video game tester to play for fun, but to break the game. Another misconception about testing video games is that it is very easy. But in video games testing, expect to work long and tedious hours trying find bugs before the game ships. Video games testing can also become very repetitive, especially in trying to reproduce a bug in a level where it only shows 1 in every 10 times.

If you are still reading this, then you are probably interested in what makes a good video games tester, so I created this list just for you. 

1. A burning passion or even slight interest in video games. People who have no interest in games won't last long
2. Be able to write concise and understandable bug reports. That means being specific in pointing out where to find the bug and how to get there
3. Be an effective verbal communicator, especially when tying to describe a bug to your co-workers
4. The ability to shower everyday, and keep good hygiene. Please do not add to the smelly video game tester stereotype
5. Be a good planner. The ability to schedule and prioritize your tasks will help keep you sane, and keep your job
6. Be courteous and act professional to the people around you. They are you network in the industry that will help you land your next big job 

    Now that I have scared away anyone who is not up for the challenge, there are also benefits of being a video game tester. You become part of the video game industry that is filled with people who are passionate about what they do. It also opens the door to creating contacts, and knowing what needs to be done to get into other positions within the industry.  Most testing methodologies and terminologies are used in video games testing, which means that your skill set is transferable to other non-game industry testing positions.

   Being a video game tester is hard work, and is usually seen as bottom of the barrel in most games studios. However, that does not mean you are stuck being a games tester forever as there many opportunities to move up the proverbial barrel. You just need to be professional, create your network, and further enhance your skill sets. From there, it is just as matter of time for you to rise to the top.

Halo 3 and Gears of War have successfully integrated the narrative cooperative single play into their multiplayer experience and vice versa. Seamlessly weaving each person as part of the story and most importantly the experience during the whole game. This has blurred the lines between the online world and the singleplayer world successfully outside of an MMO context. These two games have been very successful in the market, received rave reviews, and are considered classics. However, why are not more games going into this kind of gameplay?

For a couple of good reasons...

1. It is already hard enough creating a interactive narrative where the players actions are often unpredictable, now multiply that by x number of players
2. Game engines are built to handle single player and multiplayer differently, cut-scenes, events, special single player objects
3. How do players handle saving progress, and how do you sync two different players who progressed differently in the game
4. When the player is actually playing single player alone, AI is usually there to help out, but it is not a simple task to create AI to help out the player
5. Finally, Budget, Halo and Gears of War have multimillion dollar budgets to solve these issues, lots of engineers, designers, and testers are needed to make sure the experience is properly defined

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