April 21st, 2006
I don’t know what the world is coming to, either, but I do know that Panda3D 1.2.0 has been released. And what super cool about this release is that I can say that Panda3D is free AND it has been used in several commercial games, some of which you shall see if you attend E3 this year.
Here are some of the many new features of Panda3d:
- lots of performance optimizations
- a preliminary OSX port
- new modes for animation blending
- easier partial-body animations
- more powerful shader-to-engine interface
- better support for rotating bodies in physics engine
- support for compressed model files
- multiple render targets (ie, glDrawBuffers)
- support for stereo rendering
- more complete API reference manual
- ability to control mipmaps explicitly
- better tools for debugging offscreen buffers
- better tools to distribute games over the internet
- new sample program: deferred shading
- new sample program: walking on uneven terrain
So… yes… Now you have TWO 3d engines you can pick from. What would you guys do without me to show you the way?
I know what I would do… and it probably would involve explosions and a small bunny.
Of course, you can download Panda3d fom her-ya.
By Amber -- 0 comments
April 21st, 2006
Ohhh, this is super awesome. A new version of the Irrlicht 3d Engine (and no, I did not sneeze… seriously, that’s the name of the engine. Irrlicht.) has been released for the perusal of all you hard core 3d game fans.
Now, I personally have never used this engine, but apparently it’s got some pretty bad assed features including:
- Enhanced software rasterizer: 32 bit rendering, dynamic lights, more materials.
- Support for the Code::Blocks IDE
- Microsoft .dll hell awareness (no more abort and ‘d3dx9_xx.dll not found’ messages), Irrlicht will also operate if some of these dlls can not be loaded.
- Better support for orthogonal rendering and drawing to foreign windows, useful for creating 2D games, editors and 3D tools using Irrlicht.
- Improved Irrlicht.NET (root scene node, view frustrums, bounding boxes, …)
- More precise picking
- gcc 4 support
- Bugfixes, other small implemented feature requests
So, if you’re a fan of programming in a .Net atmosphere and would like to check out a new 3d engine, go ahead and download Irrlicht Engine and check it out.
By Amber -- 0 comments
April 21st, 2006
Yep… that’s right. I’m bringing you news about a conference BEFORE it has taken place and been sold out. You guys should really be thankful. Heh.
Anyways… The 2007 Game Developers Conference has been confirmed AND it is taking place in San Fransisco once again. Ohhh, the glory. Who doesn’t love San Fran? So, even if you don’t want to go to this nerd fest of a conference, you can still sit outside the location of the conference at Moscone North & West and just watch the nerds wander in and out of the conference hall in the cool San Fran breeze… Ahhh…
Wait. Nerd fest?! This will be TOTALLY AWESOME!
Now for those of you who are interested in going to the conference, here’s the info on it:
GDC 2007
March 5 - 9, 2007
Moscone North & West
San Francisco, CA
So, keep on checking here for updates as to when you can register for said conference.
By Amber -- 0 comments
April 12th, 2006
ASCAP (The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) is putting on an expo called “I Create Music”… which, I’m assuming is for all the people out there… who… create… music.
Specifically it sounds like this expo is for people who design game music. Whoa! This sounds like something you musically inclined peeps should attend… epecially if you want to hob nob with all the coolest people who create music for games.
Dis es how Game Dev describes the expo:
The first national conference dedicated entirely to songwriting and composing will be held April 20 - 22 in Hollywood and will feature some of the biggest names in Video Gaming and Advertising. Names include Gerard K. Marino (composer of video games: God of War, Fantastic Four), Chuck Doud (Director of Music, Sony Consumer Electronics in America and composer of video games: God of War, Gran Turismo) and Marty O’Donnell (Audio Director, Bungie Studios/Microsoft and composer of video games: Riven, Halo, Halo 2).
So take a look and try to get in… if you can… it looks like it may be sold out, but don’t worry… I hear there will be some shady guys trying to sell tickets on the corners before the expo.
Heh…
By Amber -- 0 comments
April 11th, 2006
It just might be! I was checking out GameDev, because I’m super nerdy like that and I came across this very interesting headline: PSP 2 in the works?.
They’re saying that this new system will probably be out in as little as 3 years, but with the way the PS 3 is going, I’m thinking that it might be more like 5 to 10 years…
I’m a pessimist… I know.
You still love me, right?
Reports suggest that the new PSP will have a built in hard drive support from the beginning and will not be using the UMD media format like the current system which could rule out the possibility of direct backwards compatibility.
Well, that kinda sucks… Then how would you hack the PSP2 to play super awesome cool emulators? NOT that I would EVER do such a thing… because that’s illegal.
So, you heard it here first! PSP 2 out in 3 to 1 million years.
And if they ARE just rumors… forget I even said anything.
By Amber -- 0 comments
March 29th, 2006
Of course you do! And there’s a new contest out there that will allow you to do just that! Win money!
(are you convinced that you need to win money yet?)
What’s even better is that it’s being hosted by Intel. Now, Intel is advertising that you could win money, a powerful pc or some really cool development tools, so why not give it a try?
All you have to do is send in a game demo that you have created and they’ll sit around, check out the demo, do some backflips and then boogie on down to vote on who has the best demo out there.
Dis es what da major corporation seys:
Your game demo could earn you serious cash, powerful PCs, software tools, and great exposure. Just for entering the contest, we’ll give you access to Intel’s powerful software development tools. Keep reading for all the details including important eligibility requirements and restrictions.
And here are the prizes:
- Best Threaded Game - First Prize of $30,000, PC & Software
- Best Game on the Go - First Prize of $30,000, PC & Software
And here’s what you gotta use:
Intel® C++ Compiler 9.0
Intel® C++ Software Development Tool Suite 2.0
Intel® Threading Tools 2.2
Intel® VTune™ Performance Analyzer 7.2
Intel® Visual Fortran Compiler 9.0, Standard Edition
Intel® Integrated Performance Primitives 5.0
Intel® Math Kernel Library 8.0
Intel® C++ Compiler 2.0 For Windows CE, Professional
Intel® C++ Compiler 2.0 For Windows CE, Standard
Why don’t you just go here and check it out…
Now if only Intel didn’t have craptastic video cards… I’d be happy. Oh, and get Mariah Carrey off the front page of their website. I almost threw up.
[mariah carrey’s image was take from intel’s site. i’m crying inside.]
By Amber -- 0 comments
March 29th, 2006
No, not ho, ho… but… ho ho ho. Like Santa. I would never call you a ho. I’d call Howdy Doody a ho, though. Puppets scare me.
Anyways, I’m just flew in from my adventure in Utah and boy are my arms tired! HAH HAH!
Oh wait, that was always a lame joke.
Please forget I ever said anything.
I had a lot of fun on my vacation and I had a lot of work to catch up on, so that’s where I’ve been, not that any of you actually care. Because… like, the only people who leave comments are these weird advertising places and while I appreciate their responses, I don’t really think they mean it.
Jerks.
Look for some brand spanking news coming right here from the Ambermiester. I’m sure you’re all on pins and needles waiting for it, too!
Get back to work!
By Amber -- 2 comments
March 10th, 2006
Yep… I am going on vacation to the snowy planes of Utah. Pray that I do not hydroplane off the icy freeways! That’s never fun… I’ll be back on March 20th, so come back then… or keep coming back until then and be bored. Your choice! :D
By Amber -- 0 comments
March 9th, 2006
Damn, I was trying to go for alliteration for my title. It didn’t work… at all.
Kangaroo. I’m a freak.
Anyways, news from GameDev says that Click Gamer, a website devoted to PDA/Mobile games and the like are putting on a competition for you, the awesome developer of games. If you like to program PDA games, now is your chance to submit them and get money from it.
It looks like Click Gamer will allow you to submit a game and they will give you $5,000 worth of free advertising to promote your game. And the best part is that you get paid a portion of the sell of the game. Now, that’s awesome. It’s a good way to make a little side money, at least!
You can read all about the competition here. Looks like it ends August 31, 2006, so get your butt coding!
By Amber -- 0 comments
March 7th, 2006
While checking out Game Dev, I ran into this intriguing article that makes me want to kill some aholes! Well, maybe not kill, but the article still made me upset.
There’s a guy out there by the name of Jeff Vogel who is a game developer… actually, I’m lazy, here’s the Wikipedia entry on the guy:
Jeff Vogel is the primary programmer for the company Spiderweb Software, which produces shareware computer games for Macintosh and Windows PC platforms.
To date, his most successful games have been the Exile series, its facelifted cousin Avernum, and Geneforge.
Okay, background completed.
Anyways, this is a quote he is linked to saying:
Indie developers have a real purpose in this world. They make little niche products for markets too small for Activision. They make many new puzzle games for the casual audience […] But truly innovative games? The sort you’re only going to see a few more times in your lifetime? Those will come from Electronic Arts.
Do you see why I’m angry!? We’re all trying to be good indie developers or at least get a start on our own games and this guy says the only innovative games are coming from Electronic Arts.
THE SAME PEOPLE WHO HAVE CREATED THREE THOUSAND MADDEN FOOTBALL GAMES. Their innovation wore off in the late 80s!
Sure, they got the Sims, but again, how many Sims expansion packs can a person have?! Why not just make one gigantic game and not take all of my hard earned money! I’ve spent hundreds on those dang Sims packs! Why am I such a fool!?
OHHHH the HORRORS!
I do like how Game Dev handles the quote, because seriously… we, the little people, can be just as motivating as those big wigs who get paid all that money to make games. I think it’s the people who have the balls to work on their games for YEARS with NO PAY that create the most awesomess games out there!
What a jerk.
Okay, I’m done whining. :)
By Amber -- 0 comments
