Merging, lighting and sorting

I added lighting to the fluid simulation.

Behold.

This version also includes vortex merging and depth sorting so I can crank up the opacity, which makes the smoke look thicker, lets you get away with fewer particles and lets you see the detail more clearly.

Derivative November

A lot has been going on. Lemme break it down.

I finished my first full game, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed DS, which will be coming out alongside the parent product for consoles this coming spring. I'll be sure to spam you when I find out just when it's coming out. It's a great game and I think people are going to enjoy it.

I've already been assigned to a new product, and the lead designer and I had to scramble to get the game design document together this week. It was a rush but it's got some great ideas and I'm really looking forward to announcing it once I'm given the go-ahead.

n-Space also just released Call of Duty 4 DS: Modern Warfare alongside the parent company. I only had my hands on it for about a week but everyone else from FIEA that works at n-Space worked a great deal on it. I've picked it up myself and it's a great game. Support your working alumni and give it a shot.

November's been a great month for video games overall. Zul'Aman just came out in World of Warcraft and my guild (which has a decent number of people from my cohort) managed to down the first boss this past Thursday with relative ease. Still working our way through that. In my off time I've been playing Assassin's Creed, which is phenomenal regardless of what any reviewers say.

Finally, I still haven't seen any pictures myself, but a number of cohort associates and I dressed up as the Cobra Organization for a couple of Halloween parties this year, including the great one that Ben hosted. It was great to meet some new people and see old friends -- I hope something like that happens again soon.

Exciting times. I'll keep you posted.

Smoke and Mirrors

I found these results mesmerizing and I wondered about the etymology of that word so naturally I looked it up. The word comes from an 18th century French physician named Mesmer who concocted the notion of "animal magnetism" which (he conjectured) involved the flow of a mysterious magnetic fluid that supposedly flows through all beings.

Perhaps I'll name my fluid-like simulation "mesmeric fluid" because both his fluid and mine are fictional but captivating.

Some earlier results:

• body and flow mutually interacting
• wake behind a body
• multiple fluids interacting

Expect Expectations

I’m starting to see that all the warnings given prior to enrollment are proving true. I was warned by faculty, and alumni the following:

• Expect to live near campus
• Expect to have little time outside of school work
• Expect to have to make time for your friends, family, loved ones, and yourself
• Expect to learn a lot

The general message is that we should expect to sacrifice for the 16 months of FIEA. However, what we are getting in return is well worth it. When you observe the situation from that perspective FIEA is exactly what a quality education is supposed to be, an investment.

While we half-kid about FIEA being a boot camp for EA, it is true that most people looking into getting into the industry are expecting the wrong things and are ill prepared for the cold hard facts. While it is true that creating video games is incredibly fun and rewarding; like your education it is an investment. The more you invest the greater chance of success.

Order to Chaos

We’re all getting settled in here at FIEA. We’ve been here for a few months and things are becoming more routine; and by routine I mean most of the time we are going through the same motions but usually in different ways. The standard has become class, projects, and improv. However the professors have ways of throwing a wrench into the gears. On occasion they will call for status reports earlier than expected to see how well the group knows the project they have spent the past week or more working on. On other occasions they will mix things up completely and change the entire objective. These are things that WILL occur in the industry, and are vital tools to learn in a real-world environment.

Too many students are used to procrastination (myself included). At FIEA we’ve learned quickly that a day wasted directly reflects on the quality of the product. Whether the aforementioned product is the project you’re working on, your grade, or your reputation.