|
Saturday, June 28, 2008 Open Mic Hero - Link Working Feeling: A bit tired. The link is now fixed for Open Mic Hero version 1.0: ZIP file. Now that this is done and on the shelf, time to work on new things! You can find the link to the game in the gallery section too. 
posted by Mr. Alexander Shen @ 1:27 AM Permalink | | Thursday, June 26, 2008 Open Mic Hero - Version 1.0 Should Be: Dead. 
I've been staying rather late at work the past few days (weeks, even) to finish up this project. I hate to say it, but the code has inexplicably imploded on itself and engineering is trying to finagle some sort of scientific contraption to rescue it out of this mess. All I can do it stand by my troops and provide whatever they need to succeed. I think Ho Hos (see: cylindrical, frosted, cream-filled cakes that are made by the Hostess company) and cowboy hats may be the answer. In other news, when I should have been sleeping, I compiled version 1.0 for Open Mic Hero. I ultimately decided against a full-blown RPG type adventure and decided to keep it as a simple toy/application/game that lets the user do whatever they want with it. I do have plans for Open Mic Hero II... but they are merely ideas. I have many more other fleshed out ideas in the queue and are waiting to be created. I'll have the link up soon. Oh, there are some updates in the gallery too. Two of the recent drawings I did for a freelance gig. posted by Mr. Alexander Shen @ 10:21 AM Permalink | | Monday, June 23, 2008 Mr. Robot Feeling: Abnormally tired. 
I recently finished The Road by Cormac McCarthy. It was a pretty good read, but I had hoped the end to be a bit more fanciful. I mean, don't get me wrong, there's nothing specifically wrong with realistic endings and in a way, I suppose it may have even been considered a happy one given the circumstances. However, I just wanted something crazy to happen. I wanted them to dive deeper into why things happened the way they did. That what transpired was not just "some thing". I guess it just gives me something to think about for the story I'm planning out. I think I'll stick to the original title from the skit, The Longest Night. Keep your eyes peeled for the next video I'm working on too. It should be on the Gamepro website within a week or two. It's about Mr. Shen purchasing a pre-owned vehicle from the local CarStop. Employee: Welcome to CarStop where you can pre-order the 2010 Civic Hybrid, how may I help you? posted by Mr. Alexander Shen @ 10:15 AM Permalink | | Friday, June 20, 2008 OMGOMGOMGOMGOMG... Tiger Sauce. Feeling: Absolutely fantastic, even though my game at work is shipping late. Oop! I can't believe my eyes. The folks over at TIGSource, a wonderful blog and forum that covers some of the independent games development circles, just posted a post (that was redundant) about Open Mic Hero .002a! That's right! My video of me demoing the game and singing "Sea of Love" is now plastered on even more websites so I can feel utter embarrassment! Hooray! I have never felt more proud in my entire life... since a few weeks ago when Josie and I bought cherries at the farmer's market. "The project, which is still in early development, was created by Alexander Shen, who I am proud to say is also happily abusing a technical degree from Berkeley by working on comics and video games (and music)." Article Link: TIGSource posted by Mr. Alexander Shen @ 10:21 AM Permalink | | Bread 'n Butter It's Feeling: Uncomfortably warm. 
So I was wandering around the internet and I happened to stumble upon this online game called Bread 'N Butter. It's hosted on one of those online game sites where the games are free to play, but totally want you to spend money a la microtransactions. I hate to say it, but something about this game intrigues me to the nth degree. The game mechanics are quite silly, to be honest. It's actually not the most intuitive game and game menu system in the world either. It took me a good poking around and stumbling in the dark to figure out what I was supposed to do (it's like the first time I ever touched a woman). Anyway. You play little mini-games to gather ingredients for your bakery. You can only start off by doing a few of the games because other facilities, like the milking area, are things you have to eventually purchase (which takes an abnormal amount of time to acquire the money to do so). Buying those facilities means you can create more products, which in turn make you more money. You continue this cycle until you see all the facilities, all the baked goods and practically have to bury your money in an abandoned mine shaft. I love it. 
In other news, I finished working on the freelance comic strip for Squaretrade. It's for a postcard mailer they're going to send out later this year. I'll upload the full sized version once everything gets settled in regards to my deliverables to them. 
Here's a screenshot of a tiny game that I'm working on in my free time. I suppose I'm trying to do something with it so I can pitch it to the company I work at. It's a simple "click by group" game mechanic (check out Casual Charts for more information regarding the over saturated casual games market). It's nothing revolutionary. It's just something that took me a few hours to get right. I'm actually happy about it because I'm learning which angle to approach these puzzle game ideas from (coding wise). I'm also reading a book called The Road by Cormac McCarthy (the man who wrote No Country For Old Men). From reading this novel, I started thinking to myself that I really wanted to write a novelette of sorts. It would be based on this skit that we did in Theatre Rice (an old comedy/drama troupe in college) about an endless night. It was dark outside. It was always dark. I can't remember the last time it was ever bright. As hard as I try, I don't have any memories of what the sky looked like--well, outside of the pictures you see in magazines and picture books. People say that those images are real photographs taken with real photography equipment. I don't really believe that, no. I can't say that I do. Anyway. Maybe I'll get this done by year's end, eh? posted by Mr. Alexander Shen @ 1:50 AM Permalink | | Wednesday, June 18, 2008 Open Mic Hero v.002a Listening to: Star Trigon playing in the background. 
Hey folks! I've got a new update on the Open Mic Hero game that I'm working on. This morning, in my half-awake state with the cat insistently meowing, I coded a few nice add-ons to the program. For more information, you can download the game and read the "readme.txt" file. In the meantime, here is a list of changes since .001a:
So for those with PCs (sorry Brad, Shannon and Jerry... mew mew mew), you can download the newest version to see how it plays. Download:Open Mic Hero .002a In other news, I'm continuing some work with a friend and client of mine. I think I may start coloring more of my comics from this point on. I mean they really do look nice. Even if it's just the main characters. I'm sure somebody would care about a new Gashapon Shopcomic or at least something with Rainee, Trevor, Elite and Alex in it... probably not Alex. 
posted by Mr. Alexander Shen @ 10:13 AM Permalink| | Thursday, June 12, 2008 Open Mic Hero I was able to get:4 hours of sleep. I am currently working on a project called Open Mic Hero. It is essentially a toy/game for the PC that allows your to play different sounds with your Guitar Hero controller (I haven't had a chance to see if a Rock Band controller works) on your PC. It's like Frets of Fire, but with no streamlined structure and you can play whatever you want, as poorly as you'd like... so like a real open mic. In the case of the default settings, it's just guitar chords that I played on my guitar. I'd like to keep it completely open too, so people can create and use their own sound banks. Can you imagine someone playing a Hip Hop beat on their Guitar Hero controller? Ya, it'd be pretty nerdy, but I think it'd still be neat to see... live... at an open mic. I'll get to user profiles and being able to jam at different venues like the coffee shop, college campus and your friend's apartment. There's no win or lose conditions in the game. It's just play and the more you play, regardless of skill, the more famous you're known locally. And with fame, you can jam at more places and maybe unlock more sound banks or even have jam sessions with a band... ooo, ideas! Anyway, if you have a 360 Guitar Hero controller, you can try out the demo too. Demo Link:Open Mic Hero Demo posted by Mr. Alexander Shen @ 10:34 AM Permalink| | Monday, June 9, 2008 Checkarzz!! Listening to:Flobots - We Are Winning 
I finally found a game that Josie can enjoy. Through all the games that I've researched and purchased within the last 10 or so months, it turns out the game that tickles her fancy is Clubhouse Games. It's a game that has been in my library for years. It has something like 42 games, including checkers. Who would've thought? 
Here are a few sample booklets I made with the Bind-It-All Machine. Josie made the book on the left and I made the one on the right. It's basically filled with blank pieces of paper. I wish there was something else extraordinary about the booklets, but they're just blank notepads for someone to take notes in. I need to find some of those 1990s comic cards to make covers out of and fill the notebooks with graph paper.  I'm trying to learn the style similar to Les Maitres de L'Affiche. How's it looking?
posted by Mr. Alexander Shen @ 11:47 PM Permalink| | Mr. Shen Gets a New Job (kind of) Currently:At the office. 
Hey folks! Looks like GamePro.comhas gone and put up the small short that I made for them. You can check it out by clicking on these words here. You don't have to login to vote, but please vote unreasonably high. This'll assist in making sure I can get a few more out there at the wise and plentiful funding of said video game website. Thanks! posted by Mr. Alexander Shen @ 2:47 PM Permalink| | Sunday, June 8, 2008 Exempt Employee = No OT Pay Listening to:The Doobie Brothers - What A Fool Believes I'm currently sitting in the office to do some work before Monday rolls around. That's the beautiful thing about being an exempt employee: you don't get OT pay because you're a professional. You're paid for your work, not your time. Does that mean I get to leave the day as soon as I'm done with all my work? Nope. I still have to be here for core hours (10am-7pm). I know there's a positive thing somewhere... oh, right! Business cards! Wait, no, I don't get those either. [grumble] This particular blog post isn't much of an update as it is just me taking a break. I played Nightmare on Elm Streeton the NES the other day for about five minutes. I couldn't enter any of the houses for some reason.  He is terrifying! The game is terrible, by the way. It shows how far companies have come since the Nintendo days (this game was created by Rare, geniuses behind Viva Pinata). Anyway, I'll be sure to post something tonight. I've got a creative itch that needs scratchin' and I think the only way to satisfy that is with some 1" button making. posted by Mr. Alexander Shen @ 4:38 PM Permalink| | Tuesday, June 3, 2008 TokyoMango The Chairs in the Office:Extra squeeky. 
I recently got a little press from being put on the Tokyo Mangoblog by Wired contributor Lisa Katayama. It's a really nice gesture. I had spoken to her briefly through e-mail a little while back and sent her a set of Little Woodbots. She's holding a contest right now and, well, as of right now they are sold out. So if you're dying to get 'em, go and enter the contest. I'll have an update later this week. I'm working on a "humor video game parody video" for Game Proto be released just in time for a big release happening on the Playstation 3 in a few weeks. I won't say what... but it rhymes with Metal Gear Solid 4. posted by Mr. Alexander Shen @ 10:55 AM Permalink| | |
       
 |
