Jump to content

Emzee

Premier Retired Staff
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    1,465

  • Joined

  • Days Won

    10

 Content Type 

Blog Entries posted by Emzee

  1. Emzee

    Shakespeare Sucks

    By Emzee,

    So, um, I got a question for you all.
     
    What do you say to someone who's just said that? How should one respond? I... got nothin'. Well, nothing civilized anyway.
  2. Emzee

    Graphics Card Survey

    By Emzee,

    Hi guys. I'm developing a 3D RPG and it would help me greatly if I had an idea of the types of graphics cards people use. See, I'm trying to see if the models and meshes I have now will be suitable with their polygon counts, or if I need to make adjustments. It all depends on the hardware though.
     
    For Windows users, you should be able to find your graphics card by going to your Desktop, right-clicking on the background and choosing Properties, and then clicking on the Settings tab. It should then show you graphics card model. In Windows 7, you have go to your windows experience index, and then select the "view and print detailed information." There is no "properties" options from the desktop. And for OS X, Go to the Menu Bar --> Apple logo --> About this Mac --> More Info --> Graphics/Displays.
     
    Anyway, comment here stating your graphics card, it will help me and other 3D game developers here greatly.
  3. Emzee
    Welcome everyone! We at the Software Library are in need of some individuals with a taste for video games! We'll need 1 to 2 new people to help get all of these games nice and rated. If you think you can review fan-made games objectively, send me a PM with the following to help us see what kind of gamer you are:
    Favorite Video Game (include genre): Reason(s) why it is your favorite: Review this game in the Software Library format (see below). This is important to see how you can handle critiquing your "favorite": Most disliked Video Game (include genre): Reason(s) why you hated it so much: Review this game in the Software Library format (see below). This is important to see how you can handle critiquing your "dislikes": Are you more of a casual gamer or hardcore gamer? What (in your opinion) is the most important aspect of a game? Does it depend on the genre? To use the rubric:
    Use the percentages as points (up to 100). Divide earned points by total (eg. 80 / 100). Multiply that by the number of actual points (eg. 25 points) Software Rubric:

    » Click to show Spoiler - click again to hide... « 
    Good luck to all applicants.
  4. Emzee

    Something Small

    By Emzee,

    Haven't been here in awhile...
     
    For those of you who don't know, I'm working on a 3D Action RPG called The Legend of Mata Zuto - Episode 3: Influx (or Influx for short ). I've released a few teasers and have a slew of 3D models ready to use in the game, but up until now I haven't released any movies.
     
    6 seconds - and you should be glad you're getting that! The AI and the Physics still need to be tweaked a little, because after those 6 seconds, the blue Throwbot (yes, that's a Throwbot) starts doing... weird things.
     
    Anyway, short for the brevity. I hope you enjoy it nonetheless.
  5. Emzee
    Man, so many good things this week:
    BZPRPG 2012 arc is finally over
    I'm working on fan games again
    Found at that the BZPRPG staff will likely be rolling deep at Brickfair VA (yes, I'll be attending this year).
    I scheduled a video interview with Google yesterday
    Found out today that I'll be moving to Austin, home of Rooster Teeth, Bats, Brick Fiesta (sometimes), and "Austin Java" (don't know much about that) because I accepted a job offer there.
    I'm still doing the Google Interview though; just to see how well I hold up.

    And we're not even halfway done with the week yet. Yay!
     
    Anyone else having awesome weeks?
  8. Emzee

    'friday'

    By Emzee,

    Hardly the worst song ever. All who say so either aren't BIONICLE fans or are ex-fans who dropped out before 2006.
     
    *cue slew of comments referencing songs even worse than Piraka Rap*
  9. 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!
  10. Emzee

    My Bzprpg 2011 Characters

    By Emzee,

    Name: Lekori
    Species: Le-Matoran
    Gender: Male
    Alignment: Good
    Guild: Gukko Force
    Mask: Teal Great Kakama
    Power: Dormant Air element
    Weapon: Knives
    Color: His torso and arms are yellow-green. His legs and hands are teal.
    Bio: Lekori is a brave, hard worker who is always there to assist his family and friends in Le-Koro. One night, two skillful bandits kidnapped Lekori’s little brother for ransom. Wasting no time, Lekori left his home and led a search for the bandits who took his brother, while his family remained in Le-Koro, scrambling for widgets to pay off the bandits.
     
    Lekori is a very serious individual, but he is a respectable leader, and his willingness to always press forward always inspires the people around him to pick their heads up and keep fighting along with him.
     
    Name: Kafua
    Species: Po-Matoran
    Gender: Male
    Alignment: Good
    Guild: Po-Koro Defense Force
    Mask: Purple Great Kakama
    Power: Dormant Stone element
    Weapon: Hammer
    Color: His torso and arms are beige. His legs and hands are purple.
    Bio: A shameless cynic, Kafua gets joy from pointing out flaws in one’s logic, deflating pomposity, and all around saying what’s on his mind whether others like it or not. Some regard him has a jokester, but it is not always obvious when the Po-Matoran is jesting.
     
    After bandits ransacked his hut, Kafua gathered clues and set out to hunt down the thieves and get back his valuable belongings.
     
    Name: River
    Species: Ga-Matoran
    Gender: Female
    Alignment: Good
    Guild: None
    Mask: Medium Blue Noble Kakama
    Power: Dormant Water element
    Weapon: Spear
    Color: Her torso and arms are light blue. Her legs and hands are medium blue.
    Bio: Intelligent and rational, River is very protective of her little brother Tam. She was a doctor in Ga-Koro, tending to the sick and wounded. When her young brother mysteriously disappeared several years before, River struggled to get permission to leave in search of her brother, and to receive help from the Guard. Finally, she left the village on her own accord and embarked on a journey to find Tam. She finally found him near Kauae Bay, but his mind was under some sort of Xa-Koronan curse. After fleeing from the two Xa-Koronans hired to find and retrieve Tam, the two wander the island of Mata Nui, moving from place to place to avoid the Xa-Koronan agents.
     
    Name: Tam
    Species: Ga-Matoran
    Gender: Male
    Alignment: Neutral
    Guild: None
    Mask: Dark blue Great Komau
    Power: Dormant Water element
    Weapon: Disc
    Color: His torso and arms are light blue. His legs and hands are dark blue.
    Bio: Tam is a broken child who was recently rescued by her older sister, River, from Xa-Koro. They are now on the run from two Xa-Koronan agents determined to bring them back to Xa-Koro for unknown reasons.
     
    Name: Tahku
    Species: Ta-Matoran
    Gender: Male
    Alignment: Evil
    Guild: None
    Mask: Red Kaukau
    Power: Dormant Fire element
    Weapon: Cutlass
    Color: His torso and arms are red. Her legs and hands are yellow.
    Bio: Tahku and his ally steal and ravage unsuspecting villages, taking what is valuable and selling it on the black market. When sales are low, they are also known to kidnap children for ransom. Tahku is the more cunning person in the duo, and he can be very manipulative.
     
    Name: Lakea
    Species: Onu-Matoran
    Gender: Male
    Alignment: Evil
    Guild: None
    Mask: Black noble Huna
    Power: Dormant Earth element
    Weapon: Disc
    Color: Black.
    Bio: What Lakea lacks in brains he more than makes up for in strength and brutality. Never hesitant to harm people who annoy him, Lakea is extremely dangerous to even experienced fighters.
     
    Name: Booda
    Species: Matoran
    Gender: Female
    Alignment: Evil
    Guild: Xa-Koro
    Mask: Black Great Rau with blue streaks
    Power: Some Xa-Kuta skills
    Weapon: Broad Sword
    Color: Black with blue streaks.
    Bio: Booda is one of Xa-Koro’s go-to women for tasks requiring speed and combat skills. She is very cunning, but has little patience for failure.
     
    Name: Pest
    Species: Matoran
    Gender: Male
    Alignment: Evil
    Guild: Xa-Koro
    Mask: Black Pehkui with teal streaks
    Power: some Xa-Kuta skills, though they are different than what Booda can do.
    Weapon: Broad Sword
    Color: Black with teal streaks
    Bio: Pest is exactly what it says on the tin. He is very arrogant and has a nasal accent commonly found in sociopathic nerds – of which he is. Pest regularly studies the history of Xa-Koro and is enamored with it. He wants to do all that he can to help the guild succeed and keep Makuta in control. Unfortunately, he does not see Booda as fit to lead the hunt on River and Tam, and this often leads to fairly intense conflicts between Pest and Booda.
     
    ---------------------------
     
    I know it looks like a lot, but they all travel in pairs, and will eventually travel in quads. So at first, it's going to seem more like I only have 4 characters.
  11. 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.
  12. Emzee

    Devlog #1: A New Frontier

    By Emzee,

    Welcome to the first entry of my Devlog. In this issue, I'm going to introduce the software I'm using to create the new version of Mata Zuto 2: The Infestation:
     
    When I first joined in Summer 2002, the first topic I posted in was Flow of the River, the very first fan-created game on BZPower. That Digital RPG was created with a simple and primitive Windows application called "RPG Maker 95", released in 1997 by ASCII (currently called Enterbrain). Now, there are 4 other programs made by this company that are/were on the market: RPG Maker 2000, 2003, RPG Maker XP, and brand-new VX. The "new frontier" I'm going to show you now is RPG Maker XP.
     
    It's not that new anymore, but for those who've used older RPG Maker programs or played games from those, you'll notice the many differences that this program has from its predecessors.
     
    Now, I'll go over what Mata Zuto 2: The Infestation is about. The sequel to the recently finished Fall of the Conqueror, the perspective changes from the views of the Toa to the views of the Matoran. In an effort to avenge the fallen Makuta, a monstrous follower named Nui Laka awakens the Bohrok Swarms and allows them to ravage the villages on Mata Nui. In order to stop the Swarms, the Guardsman Aft has to take one Matoran from every village and retrieve special Krana Xa from the six Bohrok. Once all six Krana Xa are retrieved, they can be used as keys to open up the Exo-Toa chambers that are needed in order for the Toa Mata to face the Bahrag, the leaders of the Bohrok Swarms. However, Nui Laka has plans of his own: knowing the inner mechanisms of the Bohrok, Nui Laka plans to create a new breed of Bohrok that will overthrow the Bahrag and "restore order" on Mata Nui.
     
    The story will become much more complex than that as you get deeper into the RPG. Twists, turns, romance, betrayal, and lots of adventure!
     
    For the last month, I've been doing a lot for this game. Starting with graphics, I've converted simple graphics from kits and from Fall of the Conqueror so that they'll look okay in RMXP (RPG Maker XP). One thing to note is that RMXP is the first RPG Maker program to allow 24-bit graphics (including JPEGs). Here's a shot of the main interface. I personally think the new Matoran charasets are spiffy, and I hope others will enjoy them too. I won't show them clearly just yet though, I have other things.
     
    One of the greatest innovations was the adding of the RGSS (Ruby Scripting) to the program, allowing experienced users to go beyond the limits of the maker. I've tried that many times before with past engines, and not only were they exceedingly difficult, but they didn't always work either. With RMXP, you truly are free to do as you please.
     
    Right now, I'm about to finish up the Lehvak Nest, which is part of the Air Temple that was visited in Fall of the Conqueror. Every "dungeon" in The Infestation has a special theme to it, whether it's avoiding booby traps (as in the Air Temple), or some storyline trivia (as in the Gahlok Nest). I've added tons of stuff to my most recent dungeon. As I said earlier, many the player will have to use his logic and timing in order to dodge the many hidden booby traps that are designed to eliminate the characters. Once the Lehvak Nest is completed, I have to start the coding for the Kahu, which the Order of Peace will receive as a reward for defeating the Lehvak. I should hopefully complete that entire system (which will be similar to the Highwind in FF7 or to Flammie in Secret of Mana), in one day so I can move on. Afterwards is about mapping Ko-Wahi, Ko-Koro, Mount Ihu, and the Kohrak Nest. I'm also trying to decide what theme it will have. Even after all that, I'll still only be about 45% finished with the game as a whole. I'm only putting in the skeleton for the game, and I plan to go back and add cutscenes, special effects, and other systems to enhance the RPG. Once that's finished, I'll up be up to the final "dungeon" where you fight Buzzkill and Roadkill. That's about 90%, and then there's the final battles and the credits. Sounds simple, and I hope it will be. I'd like to complete this game very soon.
     
    Thanks for reading, and be sure to read what's up next week when I (hopefully) show you how I code the Kahu summoning/riding system.
  14. Emzee
    I will be attending Brickfair in two weeks, from Friday to Sunday (I leave Monday morning). I look forward to putting many names to faces, as well as seeing Chantilly set the bar on LEGO conventions once again.
     
    You will likely find me either with Black Six's crew or the BZPRPG crew, or both, if we merge, haha. I hope to meet everyone who's attending sometime that weekend!
  15. 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...
  17. 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.
  18. Emzee

    So, What's Up?

    By Emzee,

    Not much has changed in Emzeeland. I'm still in school, for one. In fact, I'm taking two summer courses because I'm behind. There's the Electromagnetism (Physics) class (with its lab as well), and Linear Algebra. I really don't know how to describe Linear Algebra other than "an alternative way of playing with numbers". You take this after Calculus I, but the subject itself isn't really based on Calculus. Like I said, it's a different way of working with numbers completely.
     
    Money is still tight, but as long as I keep getting approved on loans, I should be able to get my Software Engineering degree, and hopefully, a good job that will help me pay back my impending dues quickly.
     
    So, how goes it with you guys?
  19. Emzee

    Am I a Wimp

    By Emzee,

    I got a pretty nasty cold from being outside too long in a temperature that wasn't cold enough to even be able to snow in, last week. It kinda sucks, but these sicknesses help with the immune system don't they? And maybe I'll avoid situations where I have to stand outside for a long time.
     
    I should point out that this is, of course, a south Texas winter; it couldn't have been colder than ~40 degrees. My body's just not used to prolonged periods of that temperature though.
     
    It's gonna suck when I (hopefully) move up north one of these days.
  20. Emzee
    ... but do shadows expand or contract when the character is off the ground? I thought they contracted... but Unity is making me second-guess it, by having its default blob shadow expand.
     
    And no, I can't just go outside and see because it's the month of January, and January in north Texas = no sun.
  22. Emzee

    The Son Of The Toa

    By Emzee,

    Soon after the victory over Makuta, the six Toa Mata were killed by a creature named Shadows. A single Toa called Tahkan was sent to defeat him, but he was only one Toa. Tahkan was advised to instruct his apprentice on the ways of the Toa, in both mental and physical form, and he chose a young Matoran named Matev. Together, they travelled the island in a desperate quest to hunt down Shadows, and after much traveling, Tahkan and Matev became very close. Tahkan eventually began calling Matev his 'Son', which was a great compliment to the skills and reliability of Matev.
     
    After chasing Shadows through almost all of the island, they finally caught him in one of the many tunnels of Onu-Wahi. After a vicious confrontation, Tahkan was defeated. With the Toa's last breath, Tahkan stripped off his mask and gave it to his son, reminding him of his duty to protect the island. With his father's mask, Matev fled the island and sailed far away to a place where he hid for fifteen years. One day a voice spoke to him, informing Matev that Shadows had recovered his full strength, and was once again unleasing chaos on the island of Mata-Nui. This was Matev's only chance to honor the death of Tahkan and redeem his own name.
     
    Play as Matev as he travels the island of Mata Nui on his quest to destroy Shadows once and for all!
     
    Screenshots:
     
    Operating System: Windows (98 and higher)
     
    Download: Here
  23. Emzee

    He Speaks

    By Emzee,

    Hi everyone. Remember me?
     
    I'm still a bit exhausted from exams and my senior design project. To get you guys up to speed, this is my last semester for my undergrad degree in Software Engineering. This was my most difficult semester (admittedly due to bad planning), but the good side is that I get to start my full time job this summer.
     
    I know what would typically post in all caps or use a thousand exclamation points at this news, but I'm not finished yet. Classes are over, but some hiccups in our senior design project has left us still working to complete it (it's an Android app). There's a good side to this too though: I'm fairly sure we'll all get A's for our are work. Long story short, we had to pick up some slack after a member dropped the course.
     
    I still don't have time to get completely caught up on here, but expect my activity to steadily rise through the remainder of the year.
     
    To those in the BZPRPG, sorry for going dark. Real LifeTM, as you know. Don't send me BZPRPG-related requests yet though -- I'm still trying to decide if I'll still be participating in the RPG.
     
    That's all for now. How have you all been? I heard something big went down about two weeks ago. And Staff Shipping's finally a reality. Anything else that's interesting?
  24. Emzee

    Are U Busy?

    By Emzee,

    Me in my friends down in Cyan Productions would like some additional pixel artists so that we can undergo a project to improve the graphics quality of many of our games. The only requirement is that you draw them in a certain style (I'll show you what that is once you're hired), and you obviously have to be good at low-res pixel work.
     
    So if you have nothing better to do, drop me a line!
  25. Emzee

    New Car!

    By Emzee,

    Item by item, I'm getting the things that I require in order to lead a rather stable life.
     
    Life in San Antonio has been different... way different than I had expected. Work is work and will always be work, and I'm still getting used to my shorter evenings.
     
    The most recent item in my list of things I need is a new car. My old one looked okay, 2003 Ford Taurus, but it wasn't dependable. Going to work every morning was like playing a game of Russian roulette with being late. Had that not been an issue, I would've held off, but not that I have it, I gotta say I like what I've acquired!
     
    It's a 2013 4-cyl Nissan Altima. Redesigned, black, sleek, all black interior, and a cool display up front. And the ride's a lot smoother.
     
    I'm not a car guy so I won't be able to give you all the specs off the top of my head. I just know it has good MPG rating, automatic transmission (always - I'm never going stick), and 182 HP engine.
×
×
  • Create New...