The final posting.

This class has been quite the expierence I must say. I thought I knew what 12th grade English was going to be all about, I dreaded the thought. Entering the first day of class I never would have expected to hear that our senior project was going to be to make a game. The game sounded exciting and fun, I didn't know how complicated it actually was going to be.

To me this class has kind of been like a rollercoster. I've had fun, I've been frustrated, I've felt accomplished. I feel lucky to have been the first class at Riverside High School to have taken this class, and I believe all classes from here on out, whether for English or just an elective should have the priveledge of taking it. This class really gives you a new way to look at things a way to bring out your creative and imagive side.

Although we didn't get a fully functional game, we got the idea across. When Chris and I first became partners, we knew nothing about eachother, i'm not even sure if we even had talked before. This was a great expierence to becuase I have a new friend. We went from knowing nothing about each other, to finding out what makes the other aggrevated, happy, mad, and we also know eachothers quirks. I'm really glad that we were partners, and now I know .. you don't always have to be with your friend. I believe we really suprised each other at the end. One of the head people even asked for our powerpoint! I really want to thank Chris though, he never let me give up, and I was tempted!

A couple things I have had fun with, and I'm proud of our my blog and my wiki. I went from knowing nothing about it to being a OFFICER. I was so proud everytime I moved up, I even remember one day Chez called me a newbie, and I was like " Hey I'm a dood!''. Thanks Chez for being a great teacher, I know it wouldn't have been quite the same without you!

Peer's games(=

I would first like to say that it was interesting to see other people's team pages, and see how far they have came apposed to Chris' and my team.

The first teams game that I played was Thing 1 & Thing 2, this is Ashley and Chad's team. I honestly was very suprised! They actually have a working game! My over all view was that I was amazed, and their game is very educational. I didn't think they really need to work on anything; even though there game is great I probably wouldn't take any ideas back besides that it is well made, becuase our games are so different. There game is fantastic and I envy that there ready to roll. (= goodjob

http://www.myglife.org/usa/wv/rhswiki/index.php/Team:Thing_1_%26_Thing_2

The second team I visited was The Pinky and The Brain, this is Amy and KT's team. My over all review was that there game has good potential but has a way to go. They have navigation well, and well made scenes but the mouse doesn't stay in the lines, and you can hit next before you even start. Once again becuase our games our so different I probably wont take anything back to mine. There isn't really any education in it, like questions and answers, but it is a course through highschool. They still have work but it is so far so good.(=

http://www.myglife.org/usa/wv/rhswiki/index.php/User:Aebess10

Group expierence

Today we did a group ' literature' activity. We were broke off into groups of three; I was with Rusty and Jeremy. We had to read a poem each and summerize it on a gmail group chat, after summerizing out own poem the other two asked questions about it. Unfortunatly for me, I was in a group where all three of us had a hard time understanding the poems. Jeremy did the first poem and it took him a while to summerize it but after he finally got what he thought it meant we asked questions. I didn't really agree completely with what Jeremy thought it was about, but we came to the conclusion that it was mainly about imagery. Rusty had the second poem, we all agreed that it was about a workaholic who missed out on simple things in life like love and romance becuase he couldn't get out from behind the books. I also added in the conversation that this just didn't happen to him and at that time, that this happens today too, and often. Finally it was my turn, I thought my poem was kind of easy to summerize. What I got out of it was a man who was depressed because he was lonely in life, so he basically drank his life away. I referred this to a guy now days who is sitting at a bar on Christmas eve, lonely, no family or friends drinking the night away, looking outside the window watching the happy families pass. I really liked doing this activity becuase it was a fresh break from FLASH, and it gave us an oppurtunity to communicate with people in this class that we might not usually associate with.

West Virginia

West Virginia, " wild and wonderful" " open for bussiness", but tragedey sets it. In our community right now, people are devistated, and lives are flipped upside down. A major coal mine explosion leaves a wife without her husband, a son without his father, a little girl wondering if daddy's ever coming home, and families in wonder if there is still hope. This comes to show sometimes technology fails and fate steps in. One of my best friends was effected daramatically by this tragedy, Seth Davis has lost a brother and other family members of his are still in there; he has to be strong and take life one day at a time right now, I hurt for him. With 122 violations how can you send these hard working men in? And obama, a fifteen minute speech, is that it? If this was happening anywhere else in the country something would be getting done, but "it's just West Virginia right?" Your the President, DO SOMETHING!West Virginia is beautiful and has proven its self to me. West Virginia residence are having to constantly defend themselves. A lot of out siders think were just redneck hilbilly's and it wouldn't matter if we dissapeared off the face of the earth, but this is how we are patrayed by the media. We shouldn't be looked down on by other states, we have a lot to offer; states are just borders, we are all one, one nation under GOD. We read a song today " West Virginia Girl" this song tells a lot about West Virginia in a unique way, one might not understand unless they seen or knew what West Virginia was about. "With a 'coal tattoo' deep in their chest, a death stare in their eyes",this is a line in the song and to me it is touching, and has a lot to do with what is going on. These men have a coal tattoo deep in there chest, there heart, and death has stared and is staring them in these eyes, can you even imagine?

http://www.ajc.com/business/anxious-relatives-await-word-442983.html

Animation!!

So, I suck! Today we learned or some of us learned how to make animation in flash. I didn't quite catch on like I had hoped to, I tried several times. After several attempts I realized I was just holding process up. I didn't get my animation done today, however my partner Chris is going to help me one on one. Ah, frustrating !! >:o

Paper Prototyping.

PaperPrototyping was farely easy; even though I had to draw Will, our hobo, like 700 times! We thought it out and made a page for every part and buttons. The camara part wasn't hard to do becuase I am familiar with them! Soon as Chez gets them uploaded I'll post it.

BUTTONS!

Buttons really arn't as hard as I thought they were going to be. I have been putting it off for like a week because I thought it would be really complicated. Even though my partner had to help me while doing so, we have them working! Just look for yourself on our page.(=

http://www.myglife.org/usa/wv/rhswiki/index.php/Team:The_Ninja_Hobos

Chosing a Topic

On chosing a topic I chose something to do with the homeless rate or homeless people in the U.S. I want to stress how sad and unfortunate that over 500,00 people are homeless in the U.S. I wrote, "If people could really get a concept of how many homeless people there are, or they had to live in the shoes of a homeless person for one day they might be monivated to do something about the issue. I think the Government needs a big eye opener also, they are so busy worrying about whats going on in other countries, it seems like they are completely oblivious to what is going on here! They are building communities and homes in Afganistan, while people here need food,water, and shelter; shouldn't your homeland come first? If people would care and raise money and donate we could get these people what they need. I can never pass a person on the street who needs money, wheather it's a scam or not, they probably need it more than I do; I always think that that two dollars could be there meal for that day! I also think that a rehabilitation center just for homeless people is a great idea; this would give them shelter and food,while working on getting them on there feet and getting jobs! There is hope, people just have to care. (= "

Playing to Learn

On Playing to learn for the professional game I chose Free Rice, becuase it was fun and educational. Free Rice also made you feel like you were playing for a purpose, Haiti. For the Student game I chose Teen Pregnancy. I chose teen pregnancy becuase I feel like it is very informative, and some people may be suprised by some things it teaches! I feel like improvment for Free Rice could be a broader vocabulary, and the game could be longer. An improvment for Teen Pregnancy is I think they should put you in more difficult situations.

Old games,New games.Hero's.

Hero's are hero's; whether they are from old tales or now. I believe all hero's share common characteristics.One thing I believe that sets today's hero's apart from older hero's is, older hero's have either or both strength or powers as today's hero's mainly demonstrate confidence and courage. I believe stories with hero's in them like Beowulf, Gilgamesh, Illiad, or even Hercules are passed down from centuries to decades becuase they are so inpirational and show the origination of the titile ''Hero''.



In the period of the Anglo-Saxon's hero's were considered the people that fought in wars and fit the image of a heroic figure. A lot of video games are based on Hero's today. Beowulf was a hero that fought for his people, he fought mainly for honor; there is actually a video game out now from this. The game Donkey Kong reminds me of the old tale of Illiad. Illiad was a powerful man that is invincible but being hit anywhere but in the ancles. Im relating these two becuase Donkey Kong goes up against ''bosses'' , these bosses ase invinble unless they are hit in a certain place. For instance the Bee is invincible unless you hit him directly in the horn 5 times, or the Bird in the head 4 times. Illiad fought off trogans to avenge his friend. Donkey Kong fought off alligaters, muscle dogs, and other things to avenge his friend.



Although hero's may be fighting for the same purpose or share the same characteristics, they are all different in some way. A lot of the differences vale on what time era they are from. There will always be stories of great hero's, and they will continue to be passed down.

Canterbury Tales-Prologue

On this blog I will answer a few questions about the Prologue of
The Canterbury Tales.

Why did Chaucer select the specific stereotypes or characters that he did?

I believe that Chaucer selects the specific sterotypes or characters becuase it gives the story more excitement. Everyone has their role, and by breaking them up into stereotypes it makes the story more relatable. Instead of just imagining it, you can put yourself in the place of a specific character; this could make the story more enjoyable.

What importance did they play to that particular society?

Everyone has there own role. It is an older time, and a different setting, but much similar to ours here and today. It is important becuase how would our society be without the "jocks", or the "emo's", or even the "popular" kids? ( I don't really like using stereotypes) There would be like a whole group of characters missing.

Do you believe that this is an honest depiction of the time and the people?

Honestly, yes I do, becuase as I was reading I could actually picture the characters and setting in my head. I could see the Nun cursing, and the merchant boasting. I like the fact that it is just a bunch of different people thrown together becuase they all are making a pilgrimage to the church. We havn't really started reading the story yet, but it will be amusing to see the different roles and personalities thrown together.

When developing your own games, how important is the development of your characters to your games purpose?

I believe it is very important. Without a main character, or characters that stick out , the game may seem pointless. Our game is Hobo Travels, Will is the hobo, and main character, without Will the game would be pointless; see what I mean?
Is characterization only important in book or movie story lines or is there in fact an under current of plot to the gaming world?

I believe it is important in the gaming world too. Whether it is in our game Hobo Travels or any other. You could be playing a game where you have to destroy the villian to get to your princess, or prize, in this case there will have to be main roles. The villian's character will matter along with the one on the mission and the princess too!

Imagine your game

I am partners with Chris Duncan and we have our game all planned out! We have done several revisions and have had to alter some stuff, like the number of locations, the obstacles, and enemies, but I believe we are on the right track!
Our game is going to be called Hobo Travel's. Will is the hobo and you will choose a city of three and try to make him survive day to day. Along the way you will need to collect soup cans for money, each can will be worth five dollars. You will have to face obstacles like mean kids throwing stuff, dogs, and just trying to eat or sleep!
If you survive a level ( a city ) you can move on to the next, after you have played and won all three cities Will will no longer be homeless! However, if you lose a level you will have to try again! I really like the idea of our game! I hope for it to be informative, yet fun and challanging.

Mini Game!

Finally I have finished my mini flash game ; after re-starting 4 times it is complete! Every time I would re-start my carrot wouldn't move, or something went wrong. Nobody could figure out what the problem was, everything was even coded right! Finally I had to copy Amy's code into mine, and by miracle it worked! Now it is uploaded and ready to play on my wiki, try it out. (=

Audience post

- When the first teller of Beowulf prepared to share the tale, what assumptions do you think he (or she) made about the purpose of the story?

I believe the first story teller shared this story becuase he or she was inspired by Beowulf. I also believe he or she wanted to pass the story down, becuase the hero was so inspirational to them.


- How do you think the storyteller's beliefs about the intended audience--men gathered in mead halls--affect the content of the story?

Men in the mead hall was the intended audience for the story. So in this case the story teller probably exaggerated the story into being more fierce, and more of a challange. It kind of reminds me of a bunch of guys hanging out at a bar telling stories and exaggerating them, to make them look more tough.


- How do you think YOUR beliefs about your video games' intended audience (you will need to determine who your audience is) will affect the development and final version of your game? Think of age appropriateness, learning goals, types of characters, etc.

I want my game to be appealing to all ages. I don't want it to be just educational, but fun too! It may be a challenge to make a game for all ages, but I'm up for it. I want to have characteristics that will catch the attention of the young and also teenagers, I may do this by adding bright colors and small challanges.

creeeep

So . I . Like . To. Creep. yeaa haha

Beowulf

To me, this is the perfect image of how I portrayed Beowulf 's appearence to be by what I have read. A very tall warrior looking character, with strong muscles, and well equiped. Ready for any battle he may need to take on.

I think Beowulf meets the requirements of a hero becuase he is a beast like figure, who people look up too. I also believe a hero is someone you depend on, and Beowulf is just that.

I contemplated back and forth on whether or not i thought Beowulf would be a good character for an educational game. At first i though he wouldn't becuase he is a fighter and he has such a beastly appearence, to me this didn't seem very educational; however, I came to the conclusion I do think he would be. He is a heroic figure, and looked up to, and well depended on; if they put some education game with him on it, it may inspire kids to be like him.

A good Character in a video game, would depend on the type of game. If it was an education video game, I believe the character should be looked up to and be able to inspire people. For instance beowulf is heroic if a little boy was playing the game and Beowulf was smart on the game, it would inspire the little boy to be as smart.

Quick write; Hero

In my eyes Rosa Parks is a Hero. Her story is very inspirational and is well known. She was a little black women who wanted to sit on the front of the bus, when a white man approached her and demanded she get up, she refused! Black's were to sit in the back on the bus, but she was tired of the discrimination. She went to jail for standing up for what she wanted. She not only stood up for black's but women too, I believe her story has a special place in history and she should be honored.

Playing to Learn

Playing to learn made us actually have to think about the games we were playing. We had to pick two games, one from the professional's and one from the student's; from there we had to analyze and answer questions requarding the two games we chose. I chose Free Rice, and Teen Pregnancy, becuase to me, these where the two most educational and fun games. I really liked this ''project" becuase it put a twist on just playing games. You get to play, but then you have to think more in depth of what your doing and how it's made! The elements I'll use from these two games and probably the purpose, and the educational level.

Teen Safety

Safety is very important, especially when online. Most teens like to search the internet, chat in ''chatrooms'' and meet new people, but this can be very dangerous. Teens need to be cautious of just how much information there putting out there. There is danger in putting your full name, address, phone numbers, and even pictures on the internet! A lot of teens think it's the cool thing to do to go and meet people in chat rooms and send pictures and so forth, but do you really know who is sitting on the other end? We shouldn't even be talking to people we don't know to begin with, but some still do. Just make sure your keeping it safe, keep it on a first name basis.

I'm at home

I'm at home and doing homework, can you believe it? It's probably becuase this it quite enjoyable, who would have ever thought Enlgish class would ever be this fun! I am getting kind of use to the blog site, but i need help on wiki ! I'm sure it'll all come to me eventually though. I'm going to work on my ''Teen Safety'' blog. See ya'll tomarrow !(=