I’m not done with learning, just the kind of learning that happens in a classroom.  School and I are like oil and water, if oil and water fought all the time.  But I won’t stop teaching myself, and hopefully might start teaching others (I have something cool lined up, if it works out).

On June 1st, my thesis (Sandstorm) will be on display and playable at the CDT Thesis Exhibition in the lobby of the Sheila C. Johnson Design Center starting at 6pm.  The exhibition is open to the 5th (I think…), so if you can’t make it to the opening, you cans till check it out.  I’ll also be at the lobby on the 2nd from noon to 2pm if anyone wants to chat me up outside of the opening (which has hors d’oeuvres and free booze).  You can find the S.C.J.D.C. at 2 W 13th St, New York, NY 10011.

For a tiny bit more information, head over to Sandstorms modest website and get to some learning yourself.

I know what I want the pilot (the player) to deal with when they play Sandstorm (that’s the title for now).  Players must navigate the world while they navigate an intense and crowded dashboard.  Using the dashboard efficiently means executing the mission efficiently.  But while driving, players are either using one or both hands – so it’s their job to know when to ‘let go’ and modify the dash.

Once the pilot is dropped into play, they must start up the Sandstorm (an advanced manned quadrupedal-assult-vehicle).  The quicker the player can do this, the quicker he can get out of site and setup for the mission/go Rambo.

Setting up for play may mean sending out a few mortars at locations defined in you the mission brief accessible on the top of the two monitors, or going silent and surveying an important checkpoint, or pulling out all of your guns and going Rambo.

The dashboard is a set of tools for the player.  The player can use these tools as intelligently, creatively, or negligently as they want.  Peoples personalities will make for different play styles – And each form of play should be as legitimate as the next.

There should be more switches than the pilot knows what to do with.  Instead of a single button to perform an action, a sequence of buttons and switches must be pressed; each controlling some unknown subsystem of the action.  I think this will really sell the reality of the vehicle.  A fighter jet pilots pretty simply in a videogame – a joystick to steer, x to shoot, R1 to use a missile.  Jet’s don’t work like that in real life.  The pilot doesn’t have a DualShock in the cockpit, I don’t want to hand my pilots a DualShock either.

I’m starting to work with exactly what type of control will control what.  What type of switch, toggle, button affords what?  I’m still not too sure, but I’m needing to lock down more and more as the deadline draws near (two-ish months).  I’ll put up some interface design concepts and what I’m locking right now in a couple days.

I’m at that point in my calendar where I must program.  This point in my calendar extends till the game is done, so expect more posts about it!  I’ve uploaded three tests, which will be amalgamated in the near future, click an image to interact with the test.  This first one is controlled with the mouse, bring your mouse to the top of the screen to move up, and bring it down to move back.  Left and right work like you think they would (if you thought they would turn the vehicle).  Touch the orange cube and it will appear nearby, in case you’re bored and want to search for an orange cube forever.  Hit the break for two more tests!

This test is for tracking objects off screen (in this case the mouse), and keeping a point on the edge of the square defined by the red circles to show the player the direction of the object in relation to their ship.  Use the mouse to interact and see what I mean.  This will be implemented for checkpoints and the tagger bullet.  I’m going to stick a write-up of weapons in the near future, and you will learn about the tagger bullet.

This last test is simple, and that is having a dynamic texture on a 3D object.  Use the mouse to rotate it – the number is its rotation around the Y axis.

School is about to begin again, to what will hopefully be a much less hectic semester (sans thesis).  I only have two classes, and that means I’m in school twice a week.  My thesis class this semester is instructed by David Carroll (a very righteous dude), and I am excited for the feedback he will no doubt bombard me with.

In the picture above, you may notice that there are some new additions to the cabinet.  The first is a very large door.  It has an awesome shape, and gives the cab some nice lines.  There are also speakers (all 5.1 of them) embedded in its walls.  And under the seat (which you can’t see here) is an Aurasound Bass Shaker.

Get ready for some more photos in the near future, and regular updates as school starts up again!

I had my final crit for the first semester (out of two semesters), and it went wonderfully!  As in any good crit, the critics destroyed me instantly, but  this is a process I love.  The only good feedback is honest feedback.  And when you get nothing but compliments, the critics probably aren’t as invested in your work as they should be.  As for where I am as of now, the cab is about halfway (I’d like to think), and the game bible and some more concept art are finished (though still liable to change).  Here’s a photo of Adam Sober (a fellow designer, and builder of the cabinet), sitting in the M-QAV as of today (the iPhone doesn’t come with it).

Hit the break for an image of the logo, and some more shots of the cab.

Tonight was very good.  I got to throw some graphics onto the two screens currently installed in the cab; and though they are preliminary, I feel confident that this project will be totally badass.  With the game bible out of the way, I know what I need (graphically and physically), and I am able to mock up art.  Hit the break for some concept graphic snippets.

The logo as it appears in game.

A play mockup screen.

Look forward to seeing more cool art later this week!

The time has come to start building the M-QAV’s cockpit, and it’s going swimmingly.  Through a serendipitous series of events, I met Adam Sober – a current brother in arms in the creation of the M-QAV’s game (still unnamed).  Adam Sober started the possibly named Square Design (they’re still figuring it out), a cool workshop/design studio in Brooklyn NY populated by talented RISD grads.  Adam’s offered his help on the project, hence the great craftsmanship on the physical end.  Hit the break for more pics of the cab.

Got a nice car seat from a junkyard.  it still has the sliding mechanism!

That’s Adam checking out our awesome (temporary) 2 ply flat screens.

I go to Parsons School of Design in NYC.  I am a senior undergrad.  Since I was a sophomore, I wanted to get into a toy design class, but my prerequisites always got in the way.  Finally, in my second to last semester, I got in – and it’s a little disappointing.  Instead of a design class, we’re making toys with no precedence, and no deliberate design (and for the majority of the class, with none of the necessary skills).  For each of the assignments, I haven’t exactly been following our strict, and somewhat off the cuff guidelines.  This thing is what I ended up making for my plush toy assignment.  Instead of a toy, I decided to make an article of clothing!  Monster Hoody Jeffery.

Jeffery is a monster-stuffed-animal that you wear as a hoody.  The hood is lined with square teeth, so that when you put it on, it looks like he’s eating your head.  His long arms can be wrapped around your neck as a scarf, which makes him look like he’s trying to strangle you.

Jeffery is made of a dark grey coarse wool, and is lined with a grey/mustard wool (which is smoother to the touch).  His butt is stuffed so it is big and soft.  The subway ride home ended up being more comfortable with him padding the hard plastic chairs.

Fold him up properly and you can see that he is a monster indeed.  A warm, soft, comfy monster.

I’m usually really good about Halloween, but this year I have been a little busy to plan and construct anything crazy.  My roommate asked me if I could sew her something, a Peter Pan costume – one that wasn’t a ‘sexy Peter Pan’, just a regular one.  Last night I did, and even though I forgot to bring her measurements, it fit!  I’ll put up a pic of whatever I will be for Halloween when it happens.  Check after the break for a  few pictures of the costume.

The M-QAV is the Manned Quadrupedal Assault Vehicle, and the vehicle you pilot in my thesis.

Hit the break to enjoy some concept renders.