Progress Update 1

In a previous post I wrote down some goals I had for the rest of the year and I think this is a good point to report on the status on how things have gone so far.

Work with C++ again.

This is still ongoing. I've been doing some small programs here and there but nothing substantial yet.

Learn Qt.

Priorities have changed and this is no longer a goal for the near-term.  However, I believe I got a solid foundation of Qt if I ever want to develop a multiplatform GUI application.

Learn OpenGL.

This is on hold at the moment.  The reason is that I found a really cool game framework called Monogame.  Since Monogame is designed to be used in conjuction with C#, I started getting really into .NET.

Review algorithms

No progress on this.

Code at least one game by December 31, 2013.

Ok, this is the goal where I have made the most progress, and the one where I had the highest expectations.  XNA/Monogame are really good.  I'm slowly making progress with a PONG clone.

With that in mind, here are the revised goals:

1. Finish one or more games by December 31, 2013 - I'm confident I can make more than one game by years end.
2. Continue working with C# - thanks to Monogame, I am now interested in learning more about the whole .NET ecosystem.  Next thing on the list is to understand MVVM for WPF, for a lot of the same reasons I wanted to work with Qt.
3. Review Algorithms
4. Learn more about computer graphics - OpenGL and mathematics needed in the field.
5. Continue working with C++ and Python
6. Take a few MOOC courses, especially in the areas that relate to the above items.

Favorite game developers

There is a thread on NeoGAF with discussion about ranking your favorite video games developers.  Here is the post I made on the thread.

1. Valve - Half-Life 2 is my favorite game of all time. Everything Valve touches is great, and I really admire the way Gaben runs the company.
2. CD Projekt Red - I actually consider these guys to be the European arm of Valve. The Witcher remains my favorite cRPG.
3. FROM Software - Dark Souls was a revelation to me. It simply perfects everything that a game is supposed to be. It communicates story and its world through gameplay like no other game before it.
4. GSC World - If these guys had polished S.T.A.L.K.E.R. and delivered their vision in its entirety, their FPS would have been a monumental achievement. There are parts of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. that surpass all other FPS I've ever played. Truly a flawed masterpiece.
5. 4A Games - The successor to GSC World. Metro 2033 was a thinking's man shooter that unfortunately suffered from too much of that European jank. It looked amazing, and its sequel Last Light is the best looking game currently available on any platform.
6. Bethesda - These guys are on my list because of Fallout 3 and because they allowed Obsidian to make New Vegas. I don't really care much for their Elder Scrolls series.
7. Irrational - IMO nobody does atmospheric western shooters like these guys. I'm glad that their shooters are ambitious even if sometimes they don't deliver on the goals that they set out to explore
8. Firaxis - They are the drug dealers of the gaming world.
9. Everyone else

PAX 2013

I'm a huge video game fan.  I love playing games, I love talking about them, and being part of the culture that has developed around them.  It is truly one of my greatest loves.  Ask anyone who is into video games if they know about E3.  I think pretty much everyone who is into video games had at some point dreams of attending the convention.

Back in the late 90's and early 2000's, E3 was the most important event for video games.  Announcements were made about all the biggest games, new consoles were unveiled, people got the opportunity to play demos of unreleased titles, and have the chance to meet the biggest names in the industry.  Unfortunately the people behind E3 made the decision to shrink E3 and severely restrict who could attend.  The dreams of thousands of gamers like me were destroyed.

But then PAX happened.  In 2004 a couple of guys behind the Penny Arcade webcomic decided to have a little convention of their own for gamers by gamers.  It started as small gathering of people who loved webcomics, video games, board games, and nerd culture could feel free to share their love for all those things.  Every year since then, the numbers have increased exponentially to the point where the entire game industry just simply cannot afford to ignore PAX.

Last year, I had the opportunity to attend PAX Prime in Seattle for the first time.  I kind of had an idea what to expect, but my mind was blown - everything was better than I had ever imagined!  This was E3, only better.  It was 70+ thousand people who were just like me and share that love of video games.

That thing I said about the gaming industry not being able to ignore PAX, well game companies, now are announcing projects at PAX.  The biggest names in the industry go to PAX to meet and talk to fans.  I shaked hands with people that work at Double Fine, Valve, EA, Telltale, and many others.

Attending PAX was a blast.  A dream come true for me.  I liked it so much that when the tickets for PAX East 2013 went on sale, I didn't even hesitate.  I booked the hotel and flight to Boston on the same day.

It's been a year exactly that I was leaving Seattle to fly back home.  For Prime 2013, I sadly didn't see the update quickly enough and was not able to buy the tickets.  What I'm trying to say is that if you love video games, then you simply have to go to PAX at some point.