So it seems I have not been all that visibly active here at 64D. Let's assess the reasons:

1) Holiday (translation: vacation)

2) Job

3) Games

Holiday

For almost 2 weeks I was at Cyprus. From what I can remember, the temperature was very high, it was very hot, and the sun was shining very brightly all day. A ridiculous temperature of 47 degrees, much different to this gentle English weather (grey, rain, wind, overcast etc). It seems that a hot summer day here in England is the equivalent of a cool, well air-conditioned house in Cyprus. It was very enjoyable nevertheless. However, travelling around was difficult with a map that had the wrong town names on (protip: Don't buy a map in South Cyprus and try to use it in North Cyprus).

Unfortunately I have no photos as I did not take any, so the best I can do is a nice link to google maps for you.

Job

I am currently a Test Development Software Engineer, working about 9 to 5:30ish doing C programming. I have about another month left, and then university starts again.

Games

Games? I mean game - Minecraft. Unfortunately I bought it, and thus my spare time has gone. Hours have been spent building forts with bridges, and fortifying whole islands to defend from mobs (monsters). Moats have been dug with underwater glass tunnels in, and mine cart tracks have been constructed that zoom down into the depths of the earth past a lava fall.

All of that was built on single player, however there is a well anticipated multiplayer version that is currently very playable but buggy.

You don't know what Minecraft is?

It's a game where you mine things - stone, coal, diamond, wood, cactus, etc - and craft it to build things - pick axes, spades, swords, bows and arrows, mine carts and tracks. Sounds simple enough? There is a day/night cycle, and at night the monsters (called mobs) come out to attack. This includes zombies, spiders, skeleton archers, blobs, and probably more to come!

I think this video will show you the game better than any explanation can:

The game is still in heavy development. You can find it at minecraft.net, though it does cost €9.95 (goes up to €20 when the full version is released).

There are, however, some free minecraft clones out there. I have not tried it, but a popular one is manic digger. I think that the competition should be healthy, as it will force Notch (the developer) to keep working, else minecraft could be overtaken by clones.

Domino's Adventure 2?

All this game playing makes me want to work on another game myself. However, doing C programming all day counteracts that thought. Ideally, I would love to get a winter based game done for the iPhone for Christmas. Christmas may be several months away, but I wouldn't want to rush the game or risk not getting it done in time. iPhone app sales increase dramatically at Christmas, so it would be a very good time to release a winter game.

I would of course be using Unity3D again. There is a new version of Unity iPhone currently in development that should be released shortly. Part of the reason that I haven't started on my next game yet, is that I want to wait for the newest version of Unity iPhone to be released. The other part is that when I try and open up the project and work, I just lose all ideas and motivation.

I can't work on a game if I don't feel inspired and motivated for it. I think first I need to do some planning; think up fun new ideas, and conduct research by playing other games.

If worst comes to worst and I never get around to making a Domino's Adventure 2, then I have still had good experience and made a tidy profit from Domino's Adventure 1.

I think perhaps I should use a better name. This was a dilemma for Domino's Adventure - whether to simply use that name or potentially waste time attempting to think of another. Ideally the name of the game should reflect the game. Minecraft for example: mining and crafting. Simple enough. Well then, Domino's Adventure is about physics and platformers and jumping. Physplajum? bah. (that was a silly example).

My current plan is to start work on Domino's Adventure 2 (or whatever it may be called) once I finish my job. I suppose in the mean time I shall get back to eating, sleeping, play games and reading books. I have been going through a few books recently:

Books

-1984 (read audiobook'd)

-A Clockwork Orange (read)

-Brave New World (read)

-Eats, Shoots and Leaves (read)

-Catch 22 (reading, about 10% done)

-A Brief History of Time (reading, about 80% done)

I think this is enough waffling from me for now. I shall now eat some "cinnamon grahams" (how dare they be renamed "curiously cinnamon"!) before I go to bed.

Toodle pip!