Indie Game: The Movie

1. What are some of the differences between "big games" and "independent games"?
Big games tend to be more commercialized. They're targeting a large demographic and trying to please everyone. Independent can much more specific with their target group. Independent games also tend to be much more personal for the creators.
2. What are some of the difficulties the developers in the film have to overcome? They have to deal with funding, negative comments, and themselves. It's quite hard to be able to keep on task and not give up when someone has been working on a game for several years and still see no end. They also have to do a lot of work by themselves, since there's no one else to help them with the burden.
3. What do you think is attractive about developing an indie game? What do you think you would like about working on an indie game? What do you think you might not like? Working on an indie game would mean less restrictions, more freedom to do what I want, compared to a large company were I would probably not be allowed to create a game that I want to create. At the same time, it would mean less resources, and less people to work on it, meaning one person on an indie team might have to equal five in a big company. Plus working in a very closed, very stressed out environment might lead to problems with other coworkers or just mental issues in general. I would have to give up a lot of things, including a diverse social life.
4. What is some advice you might have for someone trying to create their own game based on what you learned in the film? Don't give up. Sometimes it'll get really hard, and it'll feel really helpless, but you won't know until you finish it. Don't try to make it a commercialized game (appealing to majority) explicitly, make something personal that you want to do. 
5. What is the best part of completing the creation of a game for the developers? Probably being able to see the game, to see others play the game. It must really show them that the time and effort they put into the game has really paid off, and that others can enjoy it. Also seeing others realize the meaning of the game, why the game was created, really makes one feel glad that they did make it after all.

Blender - Character Modeling - Part 1

Link to blender file: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B6FcJkWYLvxsdTd5VFdaYWdKS28

Blender Game Level Modeling- Level 1

Final Image:

 

Google Drive Link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6FcJkWYLvxsU01PU1JpbDVKRGc/view?usp=sharing

Texture images:

Term 2 Self Assessment

Term 2 Interim Self-Assessment
First Name, Last Initial: Linda, L
Block: 5
Grade Level: 9

1. Give yourself a mark out of 5 for each of the following:
a.   4.5/5    Attendance (consistent attendance, on time to class)
b.   5/5    Achievement (assignments completed and posted)
c.    5/5    Attitude (positive, cooperative)
d.    5/5    Effort (uses class time wisely, consistent effort in all aspects of class work)

2. Please list two specific (with examples) skills or concepts you have learned so far this term:

• I can: model simple objects in blender, like modelling a mushroom.
• I can: animate simple objects in blender, like making that mushroom move.

3. Please list one specific (with example) topic or skill you are going to work towards improving in Term 2:

• I will work to improve: on understanding the functions of Blender, like the properties panel.
• How you will improve this: do more projects using Blender.

Blender - Mushroom Animation (UPDATED: Feb.20/17)

I used the starter from the tutorial if that's alright?
Blender File: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B6FcJkWYLvxscUFVc0dlTUVranM

Blender-Mushroom

Blender File : https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6FcJkWYLvxsanJIcjA5Z2NfOGM/view?usp=sharing
PNG Texture File: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6FcJkWYLvxsZkYzT2dlVHhOdkE/view?usp=sharing

Scratch Level 2-Racing Game

Link: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/133807118/#editor

Questions

1. I had quite a few difficulties while programming this game. The largest one was probably figuring out how to end the game with the background that said "orange/blue wins" and then hiding the cars so that they didn't show up on that background. I used the "receive message" block to change the background once one of the cars had won, but then I used a slightly different shade of orange/blue so I could change the car costumes using the "when touching (colour)" block. I used a slightly different colour because I already had a block for the cars to explode if they touched the other coloured car. I also was confused about how to start the game only after the countdown, but then I realized I had to use the "wait for _ seconds" block.

2. I changed the racetrack, because the loop was way too easy, by drawing my own with the brush tool. I added a countdown so that it seemed more like an actual game by creating a sprite with 5 different costumes and switching them every second. I added end backgrounds for each of the cars so that, once again, it was seem more like a game. Other than those, I also made the game multiplayer and changed the cars' costumes when they crashed into each other or went off the road.