Planes Fly Go Boom

Hello everyone,

This entry is about a game called Planes Fly Go Boom or PFGB for short. It is a simple game. A plane constantly flies around the screen without being able to stop. Also, enemy planes constantly fly in from the left side of the screen. The object of the game is to:

1. Destroy as many enemies as possible
2. Not crash into any enemies

It is made using simple sprites and collision detection in C# using Microsoft XNA.

The next games that I develop will use DirectX rather than XNA. I am trying to explore different methods of game creation and see what I like best.

Video Demonstration

Rockfall 2

I am currently working on a project that I like to call Rockfall. The reason I am calling this project Rockfall 2 is because I originally created this project long ago using c and OpenGL. However, the code was lost, so I was never able to run it or look at the game again. So this is a 'Rockfall restoration project' of sorts. I am using C# and XNA in order to rebuild the project. It is still in an early phase. The original rockfall included:

• A home screen allowing the user to select difficulty
• Difficulties allowing for rocks to fall at different speeds
• Score keeping
• Health bar that depletes as rocks hit the bottom
• Special "slow time" blocks that slow time for a certain duration
• Special "mega destruction" blocks that destroys all blocks on the screen

Here is a screenshot of Rockfall 2 v0.5:

This screenshots shows rocks on the screen. In the game, they are falling towards the ground. In the lower left hand corner, you have some health. When a rock passes the lower bound of the viewport, you lose health! Also, extra health bars occasionally fall in place of rocks. If you click them, you can gain more units of health for the user. So I still have to implement slow rocks, destructo-rocks, and extra difficulties.

PART 2

I finished adding more of the features to rockfall including special rocks and difficulties. Here are a few shots:

As far as game engine and mechanics go, I think I am done. What I would like to do now is add some effects. Sounds, cool images, and effects sound really cool right?

3D Tangrams

Hello everyone.

Welcome to 3D Tangrams. A 3D puzzle game based on the classic Tangrams game.

Our program allows the user to move 3D shapes around a virtual 3D environment.

• Objects can be moved around the environment
• The environment is fitted with a ground and a grid for orientation
• Objects translated snap around the grids coordinates
• Target model is displayed in light blue and the user attempts to recreate it
• Objects can be rotated around different axes to match the model
• System plays sounds when objects are placed properly and when target model is completed

This project was created using Microsoft Visual C# with GoblinXNA. We also did work using the Vusix Eyewear system that I mentioned in a previous post. The eyewear consists of a face mounted visual projector system with a camera on the other side. Thus, the camera mounted on the eyewear is always facing in the same direction as the user's eyes.

Video Demonstration

Demonstration with the Headset

Flexible News

FLEXible news is a news aggregation and search application that will allow you to view a large number of different types of news articles in one go. Using FLEXible news, you can view the latest happenings from around the world, filter them using a variety of different categories.

This application uses Adobe Flex and Microsoft Bing.

Features:

• Flexible News supports the addition of extra categories into the search bar.
• Allows users to select and deselect categories, creating a dynamic filter that leaves out unwanted content.
• Allows users to view "details on demand" by providing more information with the mouse tooltip, and the entire article with a mouse click
• Allows users to register and use settings with their account to save views and articles for easy setup and everyday use.

Please visit: http://www.flexiblenews.com

(link active as of 7/20/2010)

Simple Demonstration Video: