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Emzee

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Blog Entries posted by Emzee

  1. Emzee

    Happy Anniversary

    By Emzee,

    Yes, I did log in just to see what spinny I had now. That's what I've become.
     
    Real talk though: happy anniversary to BZPower and to myself. I can't believe it's been 14 years since I signed up on my old dial-up internet. Times were so simple back then.
     
    Anyway, I don't really have much to update. I'm still working on my video game. I've mostly just been trying to survive this heat. There's not much incentive to me trying to go out and meet people when everyone's all sweaty and gross. I went to Brick Fiesta earlier this year (as is tradition) and had a lot of fun. Will not be a BrickFair this year, but I'll try to go next year and make this into a 4-year cycle ('09, '13, '17).
     
    How have you been? Yes, you. I thought I just wanted to see the spinny but now I'm interested.
  2. Emzee

    Brick Universe Dallas

    By Emzee,

    It's great to be back!
     
    Just giving you guys a head's up from Dallas. It's nice to be back in what almost feels like home (the 2nd longest time I've lived in any city was in Dallas). Still - doesn't compare to Houston or Austin.
     
    If any of you ask are in the Dallas area, come out either today or tomorrow. It's been a great experience so far.
  4. Emzee

    RTX

    By Emzee,

    Hey all, just made it here to RTX! I'm currently staying inside the main convention center where it is safely cool. (In Texas during August -- who thought of that? It's a good thing I'm from Houston ).
     
    So who else is going? If so, what panels do you plan on seeing? I'm cooling off here before I head to the RWBY panel across the street.
  5. Emzee
    Whoops, forgot to remind people about the Lego Convention taking place in my city. Between BZP's anniversary and Brickfair VA, people were bound to forget.
     
    Well, there's still one more day to visit the public expo in Austin if you... happen to already be in the Austin area. Apologies for dropping off the radar. Though this is known to happen with me.
     
    Anyway, so far this has been a lot of fun! I didn't win a set this night (not for lack of trying), but I did win a SXSW Interact badge that SXSW donated (what made them want to donate this to a Lego con of all things is beyond me, but heck -- I'll take it!) I also got to watch "Lego Jeopardy" featuring questions and answers that I would never have the slightest response for. Shoutout to those true Lego fans who knew all those things about pieces and Lego history. Apparently white is the most common color in a Lego piece. Black is the second most common color. And neither are technically colors.
     
    Outside of that Will Heron (involved with Brick Fiesta since the beginning) remembered me, and I got to see the rest of the co-chairs too! It's just too bad Kevin Hinkle wasn't there. Also, it looks like they're going to continue rotating Convention locations. I understand why, given the peculiar way that TexLUG is operated... but I still don't believe it's the best way. Still, nothing much we can do about that. It's just how Brick Fiesta's gonna roll.
     
    I have a Facebook album with pictures I took. I don't use Facebook that much so I don't know if it's viewable by everyone. Let me know if this link works.
  6. Emzee

    So I'm in Stockholm Now

    By Emzee,

    Why are people here so well-dressed?? Or maybe I'm just a sucker for the whole slim-winter-coat-and-scarf look.
     
    This is the last night of my vacation though. Tomorrow I fly back to the states. It's really fun though. My Instagram only tells a very small story.
     
    It's too bad I won't be doing something like this again for a long time (if ever), but hey -- that's kinda the point right? Once is better than never.
  7. Emzee
    Hey what's up!
     
    Who's been to Munich? Any must-sees/must-eats I should try? Reubens and beer are on already on the list, as is (most likely) which ever attraction you believe is the #1 result on TripAdvisor.
     
    Got any tips?
  9. Emzee

    Portland

    By Emzee,

    Hey! Remember me?
     
    Just sitting here on the MAX right now. There's nothing quite like spending some time on a city where the hills and trees are taller, but it otherwise rather similar to home.
     
    Looking forward to seeing all the new and old faces at Bricks Cascade!
  10. Emzee
    As per the trend, my sister in Dubai has enjoying early access to New Years (I still need to post those pictures I took while there, don't I?). I don't think I've ever seen a city go all out like this for their fireworks.
     
    Seriously though, this year was a step up from 2013 in many ways. Goals and such didn't progress for me as fast as I wanted though. I said this time last year that 2014 would be the year of change. I was half right -- the changes were just delayed by 6 months. I did finally start going to the gym and I saw some results, but it's challenging to keep a habit like this going. I'm paying too much to keep skipping out though. 2015 will be interesting to say the least. Lots of management changes at my job (a job that has less than desirable work, I must confess).
     
    That, and the Power Lies Beneath project didn't move as fast as I wanted. I've moved some priorities around though, so you all should start seeing some new stuff soon.
     
    Anyway, 2014 was a good year, a nice step up from the not-so-enjoyable 2013. We'll just have to see how I fare for 2015. I definitely look forward to at least catching a glimpse of Doc Brown and Marty McFly -- not to mention all the tech advancements! Flying cars, hoverboards... it's gonna be great.
     
    For those who haven't been graced with 2015 yet (like me), I hope tonight is fantastic for you, whether you're out having fun or sitting at home binge-watching The Legend of Korra on Amazon.
     
    I'll be out! Of course...
  11. Emzee

    Title Grammar Question

    By Emzee,

    Ok, I'm 90% certain that I got it right the first time, but I need to hear honest feedback:
     
    Power Lies Beneath or The Power Lies Beneath?
     
    Which sounds better? Which is better from a title grammar perspective? Does it only depend on what "Power" means or does it really not matter? Let me have your input!
  12. Emzee

    Random Fact

    By Emzee,

    Ten years ago today, the second BIONICLE movie was released. That was also the year I started high school.
     
    ...
     
    Gotta love these decade anniversaries that remind me of my age. They're not gonna stop either...
  13. Emzee

    Bionicle 2015

    By Emzee,

    Honestly, I'm just happy there gets to be a new generation of kids that'll get to experience this awesome line. I won't pretend like I'm going to buy all the sets (or even just one), but from what I see, the beginning wave of sets mostly look well-built.
     
    Job well done, TLG.
  15. Emzee
    I had considered starting this on my membership anniversary, but decided that no one really does these anymore.
     
    This is why I'm not in the stock market.
     
    Anyway, you know the drill? What is something you've always wanted to know about me? Ask away!
  16. Emzee
    When I joined BZPower, I twelve years old.
     
    And today marks the twelfth anniversary of that late night decision (I had joined shortly after midnight after my folks were asleep. Still remember that, lol) to join the site I had been lurking for so long. Had it not been for this site, I honestly cannot imagine what kind of person I would have become. It was BZPower that formally introduced me to the glorious geek culture, and made me feel like that was an okay culture to be a part of (actually, it made me feel like it was the best culture to be a part of).
     
    All the best to both the veterans and the newbies. I still can't believe I've been a member of this community for almost as long as I had been alive when I joined.
  17. Emzee

    RTX Pictures

    By Emzee,

    Hi everyone. For those who wanted to see those pictures, here is the URL.
     
    www.dropbox.com/sh/oza1yocyjnd769a/AADApUVE9tMPKoHZnnO5cgaXa . Sorry there aren't that many, I'm no master photographer by any stretch.
     
    I had a blast at that convention, and being able to sleep in my own bed was so worth going alone. I do really need to find people to go with next year. I also still need to go watch that other stream with the Game Grumps, since I decided to go see the RWBY Vol. 1 screening instead.
  18. Emzee

    RTX / Fourth of July

    By Emzee,

    First off, I want to wish everyone a happy Fourth of July. Even if that date means nothing to you, it's still a Friday. Go out and party it up tonight!
     
    Next up. There were some... unfortunate complications with RTX today. Thus, I'm home earlier than expected. This means I get to talk about my first day at the convention.
     
    I woke up bright and early since I regrettably could not get off work early enough for the pre-registration. How they arranged the process was a little complicated, but the (very kind and helpful) Guardians were posted everywhere to direct people and answer questions, so I'm very grateful for that. While in line for registration, I caught a glimpse of Gus rushing by. This was only within like 15 minutes of walking into the convention center.
     
    I would have been ready to enter the con proper at about 9 -- only an hour after the registration opened. Only issue was that the con starts at 12, so I had some waiting to do in that regard (but I at least was near the front of the line to enter the exhibit hall).
     
    Unfortunately, I missed the call for people waiting for the exhibit hall to open to leave the line to go to the RWBY panel waiting hall. They had apparently announced it at about 10 am.
     
    The panel was at 1 pm.
     
    One thing that definitely stands out is how much earlier I have to get in line for things as opposed to PAX East. Attendance has doubled this year at RTX, which means rooms fill up faster than you would think humanly possible. So yeah, I can't talk about RWBY because the hall was filled up long before I even made it to the correct line.
     
    A positive thing from this is that I had plenty of time to explore the exhibit hall and some lunch at one of the few Austin food trucks open on 4th of July. I learned my lesson for the RTAA panel (which was at 3pm) and got in line at about 1:30pm. RTAA isn't quite as popular as RWBY, so I got to sit near the front for that one. Saw Gus Bot, and chuckled at the some of the very ... awkward questions con-goers asked Jordan, Gus, and Burnie (nothing I'm not used to at this point).
     
    After the RTAA panel, I went back to the exhibit hall and picked up Munchkin: Apocalypse. I've been wanting to pick up one of the Munchkin games for awhile and when the lady and the booth talked about it, I knew Apocalypse was the one I wanted.
     
    I went back up to where the main hall was at about 5:30 just to make sure I could get a good seat for the Game Grumps event (which was to be at 8 pm). Line was already packed and I think the Guardians had prepare the waiting room earlier than anticipated, but yeah. I was about in the center of the waiting room
     
    The next highlight was going to be see the Game Grumps play Cards Against Humanity, but then the unfortunate complication happened. All in all, I had a great time, but no lie: it's really not the same going to a convention yourself unless you're the life-of-the-party type. I talked to plenty of people, but it was clear that a lot of us were overextending ourselves to be talkative, and it's just so much effort when you're a huge introvert (coming up with something to talk about is hard). The events and booths are cool, but at every con, the true draw is really just hanging out with your friends.
     
    That's enough rambling. Here are the few pictures I managed to take.
     
    Looking forward to tomorrow (which will be boosted by a good night's sleep tonight!)
  19. Emzee

    Nonononononono

    By Emzee,

    ^ As said by my wallet. Yeah, that's right.
     
    They got me too.
     
    Batman: Arkhan Origins
    BioShock Infinite
    TES: Skyrim
    Mirror's Edge
    Saints Row IV
    Serious Sam (all the games)
    Star Wars: Battlefront 2
    Dragon Age: Origins
    DmC Devil May Cry
    ...
    AND COUNTING!
     
    (This money is supposed to go towards adult things!!)
    <- also my wallet.
  20. Emzee

    Starstruck

    By Emzee,

    Okay, so she didn't sing Creeping in my Soul, but Rooster Teeth's Barbara Dunkelman does do the voice of Yang on RWBY. She's really nice and down to earth, even given the fact that she the RT community manager -- she's really good at what she does.
     
    Photo was taken just this afternoon.
  22. Emzee

    Live from Kuwait

    By Emzee,

    So I'm at my intermediate stop on my overseas trip to Dubai. Not a lot of interesting things at this little terminal. Apparently the airline I'm flying to Dubai only had one gate.
     
    So why Dubai? My sister lives and works there, so I decided to spend this year's vacation time visiting her. This stop wasn't originally part of the plan so of course, the parents are worried, but that's standby travel for you, and at least this option is, well, affordable.
     
    At any rate, I'm excited. Hope I remember to take and share some pictures.
  23. Emzee

    Is it just me?

    By Emzee,

    Or is getting a separate google+ page / youtube account a lot more complex than it needs to be?
     
    I felt like I was going around in circles, turns out there's an option right there on the left side of google+
     
    Well, between website, youtube, and google+ page, I'm poised to begin marketing Power Lies Beneath when the time comes.
     
    Man, that took a lot longer than it needed too.
     
    *Also there might be another google account floating about now...
  24. Emzee
    I'm sad to say that after 5 years, the cyanproductions.net domain will be going offline in about a week. All of the games, graphics, and assorted info are safe on my computer, and I will placing the games on my Dropbox sometime soon (in the meantime you can always PM me for games, even other games that were in the Software Library -- I think I have most of them).
     
    The idea is to have powerliesbeneath.com go live once the first beta gets closer to release -- something I plan to do late this year. The domain is already in my possession, but I'm going to wait before shelling out more many for hosting that I don't need just yet.
     
    Just thought I'd give everyone a heads up.
  25. Emzee

    Project Update

    By Emzee,

    Progress is still going. Don't you worry.
     
    The first of two animation textbooks came in yesterday. Lack of any animation skills whatsoever has been a huge setback for me and Power Lies Beneath. With it being an action game, good animations really are a core part of the experience.
     
    I'm sure some animators out there a familiar with The Illusion of Life, the book by OIllie Johnson about Walt Disney's studio? That's the first book that came in and it's quite inspirational. Not enough to quit my day job, but man, I'm liking it so far.
     
    As far as actual game mechanics go, it's typical Unity shenanigans. You can't code a system from scratch so you hope that an asset out there can at least get you going in the right direction. But, many of the assets I buy (or even free ones), aren't as well documented or well-developed as they should be. "You get what you pay for" also doesn't apply as much as you would think (probably the most dangerous part about dealing with the asset store).
     
    Of course, Unity's core audience doesn't seem to know how to code, so many of them love these bad or buggy code snippets anyway and it gets them one step closer to their dream.
     
    Ah well. What can you do?
     
    Well, nothing has really changed visually in my game, but here's a screenshot anyway of a Hoto bug getting its AI rigged up. Those blue rings are basically its "affect field". If you're within those rings, the Hoto bug shoots goo at you. The black lines are part of a second field that depicts the Hoto bug's field of vision. And of course, there's the golden waypoint route in the grass.
     
    I'm really tired (as per usual on Fridays unfortunately), so I'm about to read some more of the Disney book and head to bed. Hope y'all have a great night!
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