Variable Screen Resolution...

....should be close to "step 1" when you start planning and programming your game. Variable screen resolutions and their effect on the game is a pretty global change and it's much better to think about that up front than having to sort through your code later and try to correct everything....like I'm having to do now.

Variable screen resolution doesn't simply effect layout (although that would probably be enough of a hassle). It effects game object speeds (or apparent speed), as well as any limitations based on screen position. The goal, of course, is to have your game play the same on any resolution. That, so far, appears to be much easier said than done.

Trust me, you're going to want to plan ahead on this. I know I will next time.

Successful Sound on the 360

Well I've completed my initial sound tests which included a looping sound effect for the ambient underwater noise as well as a full deploy to the 360 and all went relatively well.

The sound levels need to be worked out but they were all definately there.

I'm still having some horizontal 'stretching' issues going on with all the graphics that I'll have to look into. It would make a certain amount of sense with the background stretching...but all the graphics...something weird is going on.

But yea for sound!

And then there was sound

I've got a pretty decent amount of experience with audio creation in my past. So I have to admit, it is a little bit of a relief to step away from the "bold/new" of C# and get back on more familiar ground of music and sound effects.

Even being more familiar to me, I was a little concerned about getting audio into XNA with all the posts and questions/troubles that I've seen people had about audio on the forums. Luckly...so far, knock on wood, things are going remarkably smoothly. Honestly, I really like the authoring tool.

I've created a few simple sounds for the gameplay and the UI, create a few variations on certain sound effects and tweek volume and pitch levels so it all blends together correctly. The two remaining big steps I have to take with the audio are longer audio files, such as background music, and testing out the files on the 360. But so far, everything has worked out painlessly on the PC.

Kodu Fun

For those of you aspiring game designers out there (especially the ones without a masters degree in programming), I highly recommend checking out the "Kodu Game Lab" available for the xBox 360 on the Live Marketplace.

It released last week and is a great way for starting game creators to get their ideas going. All authoring is done on the 360 through a series of circular menus and iconic programming. The programming feels very "LEGO". It's very easy and quick to get a game up and running.

There are of course limitations. You're not going to be creating Halo any time soon on Kodu, but for simple games it's a lot of fun. There are currently around 200 3d assets to choose from (I've heard...but personally I find that number a little high) and the dev crew did a good job of creating assets for a wide range of games (sports, racing, shooter, platformer...etc.). It's a little like going to Toys R Us and grabbing a lot of generic playing pieces out of the board game isle and throwing them all in a box

There is a free trial, but the program itself is $5.00, but well worth it for the time you'll spend playing around.

Hopefully in the future they'll release 'asset packs' which will enable you to have even more items to play with.

All Hail 4-Day Weekends

Thanks to the 4th of July, I've got a 4 day weekend and I'm determined to make a good amount of headway on "Deep Blue". I'm currently finishing up the main menu screen and dealing with resolution variations for different TV's .

I'm pretty much cycling through the following steps: program something, play/debug, then review for clean up.

Some of this C# must be sinking in because the amount of "what the heck was I thinking!" during the review process has gotten much less frequent.

Soon I'll turn back to design, user interface specifically, and story. I'm not looking for an epic backstory here, just a little something that makes a little sense for what you're doing underwater.

But for now...off to July 4th barb-b-que and fireworks.

Still poking along at about 1/4 speed

Work had me pretty tied up last week but this weekend I've managed to get a little done on the main menu screen. Special thanks to Matt Schmulen for his assistance on casting, and then for getting things really rolling on the main menu.

I also have the oxygen tank pickup in the game but I need to place a timer on the respawn of it. Right now it spawns another one the instant the first one leaves the screen for any reason.

I'll post an updated video once I get a few more art updates in place.

Inspired By

I've posted a folder filled with art and styles that inspired "Deep Blue". Mainly from the old TV show "Sea Quest" and the deep ocean look of "the Abyss".

Other reference included a number of images from underwater animal life and sunken ship wrecks.

inspired by