Well, after a busy couple of weeks, things are slowing down a little again and I am getting back in the saddle. Time to get some stuff done!

I’m currently working on the menu for Aces High Over Verlor Island, and now that I have a fresh look at it, it’s coming out well. A few updates to the Reflect system since the last game (Linked) will make it easier to play games that use the system by using only one config for each game… meaning that once you log into a game using the new system, all other games that use it will also know your login info, without you having to type it in again. It’s easy to clean up too, for people who use shared / public computers. I am really looking forward to getting this game online using Reflect though, because it will (as always) make it much easier for people to find others to play with.

I would say most of the hard stuff is out of the way for this game, though I do still have quite a few things left to do before it’s finished. This includes:

· Finishing up the menu system (which I’m currently working on)

· Adding power-ups

· Cleaning up some of the net code and adding UDP to the mix

· Possibly adding targets to bomb

· Single player mode and tutorial

I’m also going to be adding in some code that will make firing your gun take away from your skill points. One of my main gripes with the current gameplay, as I am sure many of you who have played the game with others will agree with, is that when you are in a dogfight with someone all they have to do is mirror your moves and you will never be able to escape. Adjusting the game so that it takes away skill points from you to fire will add strategy to the game, as anyone who follows someone non-stop and fires at them will run out of skill faster than the person being chased – putting themselves in a very vulnerable situation if they play carelessly. In any case, I am sure that this addition, plus the aforementioned power-ups, will make the game play that much more fun and dynamic.

Enough of that though, I have been up to a lot of other stuff, so I figure I will share some of that as well… it’s been fun!

Yesterday (Saturday) I got to go see part of the Cal vs. Washington college football game. It was pretty fun, the stadium was packed, and the crowd was excited! Unfortunately, I left the game before some of the real action happened, but I am glad that Cal pulled through and came up with a win. For the part of the game that I watched though, they sure didn’t deserve it.

I also picked up a new DS game the other day – Clubhouse Games – and it’s been keeping me busy. Often, I am skeptical of the huge collections of games that get released on one cartridge. It seems that often developers try to substitute quality for quantity in those schemes, and I usually avoid them like the plague. This time though, I was talking with one of my co-workers, who mentioned that he thought the game looked cools I got online to check out some reviews. They all seemed to be good, and I had some extra money for the week, so I figured I’d splurge… and I was not disappointed. It really is a good game, and even better, almost all of the games are playable on WiFi! If anyone else has the game, or picks it up in the future, we should have a go at some of the games… they are a lot of fun. The DS really was meant for games like this, where you can use the stylus to move around cards, etc. The icing on the cake is that it’s the kind of game that you can just pick it up for a few minutes, losing none of the fun of playing for longer amounts of time, so it’s a great game for when you’re on the toilet!

Another thing that’s been on my mind lately is that friend of mine from college is also trying to commission some paintings from me for his condo. Since he’s my friend, I’m not asking for all that much, but I think it may be a good kick start to some more real-world art for me, as well as a possible foot-in-the-door for more artwork, for when people come by his place and check them out. More on that as I delve into it though.

On top of all that, I have put together two examples (released both here and on the GMC) for budding 3D GM game developers: an example / tutorial for loading models into GM (using Mosaic Light by Percsich.HU) and UV mapping them, as well as a 3D a day / night cycle example. I might release a few more soon, but I don’t want to wear myself too thin. I’ve also been challenged by Neur0n to make a better day / night cycle example, so if I have the time for more examples, that’s probably what I’ll be working on. We’ll see though!

Anyway, I’ve written quite a bit here, and I am anxious to get back to this menu system… I am very close to adding all the Reflect functionality into the game, so I want to get back to work. Thanks for reading!