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Eagle - First Draft

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This is the first draft of the eagle game completed after following along with the GameMaker tutorial. Assets taken from Kenney, OpenGameArt and Free Music Archive. https://www.yoyogames.com/learn https://kenney.nl/ https://opengameart.org/content/512-sound-effects-8-bit-style http://freemusicarchive.org/music/BoxCat_Games/

Art - Leaving Certificate Artwork

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Here are a few of the sketches and stuff I did for the leaving certificate.

Eagle - More Sketches

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A few more sketches to show colours for the title, a character model for the game and a bonus sketch of a cat.

Eagle - Sketches

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Here are some black and white sketches of the eagle, the rabbit and the splash screen.

Eagle - Game Mechanics

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Here are some sketches of the splash screen. Keep it simple. Single image of the eagle and a start button. More buttons can be added here as needed. The game will be a top down view of the land. Here are some ideas of what the screen will look like over the head of the eagle. On the left of the first two rows are the sections of the screen the user can click. These will be where the user decides to direct the eagle. On the right of the first two rows are the lanes which the rabbit prey will be running through. As the rabbit reaches an intersection, it will be up to the user to predict which way the rabbit goes. The last image shows the rabbit moving in one direction and the eagle moving forward. Once the rabbit is lost from sight, it is lost.

Eagle - So It Begins

This is the first post on a new journey. The journey of making a computer game. I've had this idea for a game. To fly like an eagle. To hunt like an eagle. To become an eagle. These posts will bring together how I went about it. Where I started, where I stumbled and how I kept going. The first step is storyboarding the game. What will the game look like? What kind of art style? What kind of game mechanics? Eagle is about hunting down prey. It's about predicting a preys movement as it tries to flee. A speed chase to capture it. To keep it simple I will be focusing development on smartphones.

Game Review - L.A. Noire

Developers: Team Bondi, Rockstar Games Publisher: Rockstar Games Platforms: Xbox 360, Playstation 3 Rating: M Release Date: 20 May 2011 Good: Fantastic acting | Simplicity | Great story Bad: Lack of control | Not easy to pick up and play Prepare to get wrapped up in the world of a Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) detective set in 1947. In this third person crime solving game you are Cole Phelps, a balls-busting cop trying to clear the streets of L.A. I really enjoyed the variety contained in this game. Whether you are interrogating a suspect at the police station or hunting someone down in a high speed car chase, you will thoroughly enjoy yourself. The whole of Los Angeles is at your feet and there is plenty to keep you busy. Each character in L.A. Noire clearly and precisely shows their emotion. They act their part rather than in most games where it is just a simple animation. The acting here is based on the movements of a real life human as they display courage, fear a...

Game Review - Condemned: Criminal Origins

Developers: Monolith Productions Publisher: Sega Platforms: Xbox 360 Rating: M Release Date: 2/12/2005 Good: Thrilling horror | Comprehensive gameplay | Engrossing environments Bad: Short story | Annoying achievements Monolith Productions have given us some fantastic games in its lifetime with the most notable game being F.E.A.R. Although F.E.A.R. is a fantastic game, I believe Condemned to be the better beast in both enjoyable gameplay and encompassing plot line. These two immersive and disturbing games send shivers through my spine just thinking about them. Monolith has successfully taken ideas and styles from famous horror films such as The Silence of the Lambs and Se7en. You are Ethan Thomas, voiced by Greg Grunberg, and this is your story. After a serious of unfortunate events, Ethan becomes a man on the run from the law as he hunts down a serial killer. The killer has a witty and sadistic mind, similar to Hannibal Lecter, and is sure to give you a run for your money. I...

Game Review - Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit

If this is your first Need for Speed title then I am truly jealous of you. You have missed out on a massive amount of boring and annoying titles, none of which seemed truly confident in what they were. With the help from the amazing developers at Criterion, Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit is a complete rebirth of the famous series. Criterion has brought us the amazing and popular Burnout Paradise. Clearly they have learnt a lot about addictive racing games and have used this knowledge in creating a brilliant just-for-fun game. Buckle up and get ready for an online multiplayer experience which will leave its competitors in the dust. I would only recommend this game to casual gamers who like to play online with friends. There is not a large amount of content in the game but what you are given is truly a masterpiece. It has a single player mode but it seems this only exists to allow players to gain the upgrades for their cars offline. If you like the addictive fun of Super Mario Kart and wa...

Game Review - Time Crisis: Razing Storm

Rail shooters are the classic game we cannot help but play. They sit triumphantly in the arcade knowing full well you will feed it with your coins if only just to get the obsession out of your system. These are centred on ease of use where the only thing you have to concentrate on is shooting a pretend gun at a varying amount of baddies on screen. This clarity and focus on enjoyment captures my interest every time. The newest edition to the Time Crisis series, Razing Storm, brings this experience to the comfort of your couch. Coupled with the PlayStation 3's amazing power and the surprisingly realistic PlayStation Move, we should have seen something truly creative and enjoyable. Sadly this couldn't be further from the truth. You might be thinking “but Razing Storm has 3 games in 1! I'm sure there are loads of things in there to keep me occupied”. Included in this compilation are Razing Storm, Time Crisis 4 and Deadstorm Pirates. Razing Storm and Time Crisis 4 are perfect ...

Game Review - Shining Force

I think a person's first Role Playing video Game (RPG) holds a very special place in their heart. These types of games are able to captivate our minds and engross us in a rich visual storyline. This is especially true when we are younger and have all the time in the world. It is easy to dive into the fable of Cloud in Final Fantasy VII as he progresses his way through the many twists and turns that is his adventure. Similarly, I believe Sega have successfully emulated Shining Force on the iPhone allowing me to easily lose myself into its rich world whenever I sit down on the bus. And the story of Shining Force is well worth reviving. For me, the love of RPG's began with the classic Shining Force II. I played this game to death on the Sega Genesis and this recent port of the original Shining Force has brought all the memories vividly back. This time we take on the role of Max, a kid with a sword in one hand and boredom in the other. After an incident involving the King, he gat...

Game Review - Worms Armageddon

Just saying the words "turn based game" makes me think of a group of time wasters locked in a basement playing dungeons and dragons. Worms Armageddon is a turn based game like no other. In seconds you can start up the game and immediately be playing with your friends online or locally. This game thrives on simplicity and enjoyability. There is a great amount of content from randomly generated maps to explosive weaponry. This game taps into that addictive part of your brain in a funny and harmless way. The idea is simple, kill everyone else's worms and protect your own. This is easier said then done in a game where the weapons include a flying explosive sheep, an old granny packing a time bomb and a napalm airstike. The single player missions are quite annoying to play through as the opposing computer players can be pixel perfect with the shots they take. The single player events need to be completed at some stage if you want to get the additional content such as aqua sh...

Game Review - Lego Rock Band

From silly Lego hairdos to being chased by a clumsy robot T-Rex, Lego Rock Band is obviously not a serious game. It is full of light hearted humour that makes you feel about 5 years old. And I love it. As you traverse through the many different stories and venues in the game, you have to use the power of rock to help people in need. Whether it is helping farmer Joe by getting it to rain on his crops or helping the construction company by demolishing a building, you will rock out to the most happiest and energetic songs out there. This is a great game if you love the Lego series but will surely disappoint the avid and hardcore Rock Band users. There are many great songs in this game and it definitely has the most enjoyable setlist of any other Rock Band game. My favourite song, Accidentally in Love by Counting Crows made famous by the movie Shrek, is fantastically up beat and I think it defines the template of all the other songs in the game. The game also allows other rock band songs...

Game Review - The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay

This game tells the tale of Riddick, a homicidal maniac captured and confined to live out his days inside a maximum security prison, Butcher Bay. Deadly in close combat and very quick witted, he does not plan on being locked up much longer. Playing as Riddick, I feel confident and cool. He is definitely a character you can have great fun with. The plot is simple to understand but the twists and turns throughout the game kept me captivated to my unnatural hero, Riddick. Whether he is taking on a group of thugs with a screw driver or creeping around in the sewers with 'eyeshine', his home made night vision, you are sure to love the bountiful action elements throughout the game. Escape From Butcher Bay is set before the popular movie Pitch Black, which I definitely recommend watching for anyone out there. The game focuses primarily on stealth combat. I get a strange satisfaction from successfully sneaking around in the shadows waiting for the perfect moment to strike. The consta...

Game Review - Doom 3

So, you're on Mars. It's your first day in a new place which turns out to be a scientific research facility. Scientists are messing around with teleportation, biological research and advanced weapons design. Some crazy stuff happens and all hell brakes loose. Demons and zombies galore and trust me, they don't want hugs and kisses. Time to look hell right in the face and show them who is boss. Lock and load. Id Software have been at this quite some time and this instalment in the series has not disappointed. They have successfully mixed horror aspects and a captivating storyline into the gameplay. The environment and enemies are perfect works of art using the award winning Id Tech 4 game engine. The protagonist has no background to allow you to fill his shoes instantly. This game is your experience and will haunt you forever. The Doom series has always been close to me. I remember when I was only a kid, probably 6 or 7, playing this game only allowed for over 18's. I...

Game Review - Sniper: Ghost Warrior

So you are a military sniper in the jungle. You keep stealthy and complete your mission objectives with as little influence as possible. You predict people's actions and mark everyone's locations. This kind of gameplay means you know your environment and you know your weapon. In a lot of respects it reminds me of sports such as rally driving and golf where you try and become one with everything around you. The popularity of first person shooter games brings the sport of hunting humans to a whole new light and this game allows you to better immerse yourself into this world. This might remind you of Call Of Duty and in many respects the game is similar, from loading screens to how you stab with the knife, however this is not a normal First Person Shooter. It focuses on understanding the effect of every shot you make. You must take into account a comprehensive amount of environmental factors such as your heartbeat and the wind. The art of shooting in this game requires patience,...

Here's the problem - Ready Made Meals

It sometimes feels like forever since I started to learn how to cook and it has changed my life for the better ever since. My two favourite meals are fajitas and spaghetti bolognese and when I began to learn how to cook I promised myself I would not stop until I could make them. Times have changed and now I can cook and bake and I use nearly everything in my kitchen. It is a great stress reliever and I see it as a form of art. When I started to learn to cook, I primarily used recipes that people gave me. For new meals that I wanted to explore myself I would use the BBC food website. This website contains thousands of recipes done by professional chefs, however they think you have around 4 hours to prepare your meal. No one has this kind of time and I would certainly not use it on a daily activity like dinner. This does not mean you just suddenly give up and resort to ready made meals in the microwave. I sifted through all the advice and I found my own style of cooking. It is a long r...

Here's the problem - Reality

I believe we have two people in our heads: the conscious, which acts like a manager, and the subconscious, which acts like a worker. The conscious cannot make a decision without making the subconscious actually implement it. This allows the conscious to see things at a much higher level and so is better equipped to deal with abstract ideas. I also believe the things that make up who we are such as our morality and our spirituality reside in the subconscious although we can only question these beliefs with the help of our conscious. The abstract idea of reality and dreams seems to only concern the conscious. It is also something that the subconscious cannot understand so it will inevitably disregard the idea. The subconscious is very powerful force. It is rash, fast and very confident in its actions. The conscious understands that it could be wrong and takes its time in coming to a conclusion. Animals seem to have a fully developed subconscious but lack a powerful consciousness. For me,...

Here's the problem - Driving

Driving is hands down the most dangerous thing I do on a daily basis. It requires concentration, experience and a good reaction time but even then accidents can happen. Every time I get on the road is a unique experience. I sometimes lose faith in humanity by the randomness and seemingly chaotic nature of others driving but no one is perfect. I believe that every specific situation requires a specific action. It seems like to only way to know the right action is by trying and seeing the result. Your first experience with braking on ice will usually end you up in the ditch but you will learn your lesson. To pass my driving test I followed the rules of the road to the letter but once I had my license, a whole new style of driving appeared. It might have happened because I become lazy or I picked up bad habits. However, I believe it happened because I realized that following the rules of the road does not matter if you get into a crash and die. The rules of the road are not more important...

Here's the problem - Religious Fanatics

If you take it from an evolutionary point of view, those who had religion survived and reproduced. It seems to give us something to fall back on when our own morality fails us. It also brings the whole community together and helps build a shared morality that everyone agrees on. Every religion uses itself as a foundation for morality, although over the years religions have changed and the morality has become obscured and outdated. I consider myself a loose Irish Catholic. I believe that we should take everything from religion and decide ourselves whether that morality makes sense. We should not allow religion to take our identities and our freedoms. We should not have to take the whole package of one religion. We should be able to accept parts of all religions and dismiss the out dated parts. Its nice to have objects that show our belief of morality, an object which we can hold on to or feel when our morals are being pushed. However these objects should not be forced upon us. Catholici...