Little Updates Here and There

Artificial Intelligence? I'm doing it right!

So I've been working on that Math Wonder game a lot lately.  I've got most of the functionality for the plants working, but it is time to start developing the behavior of the pests.  I first started with the bird.  Now I've made code to for the bird to find a garden plot with a plant, and to check and double check to see if it is already being eaten by another pest.  The bird flies down (in horror because it's not smooth yet, ha!) and lands on the plant.  So far, I haven't had two pests land on the same one since the double checking system, and it all works fine for a first prototype.

However, when I decided to go to bed, I was feeling kind of bummed.  I thought to myself, "wow, I'm totally faking AI.  I wish I could really program AI.  That'd be awesome."

I then took a moment to think about that word, artificial intelligence.  It's definition is practically faking intelligence.  So if I'm faking the fake intelligence, I must be doing it right!  I'm really programming AI.  I didn't feel so bad anymore.

Grand Paws Pet Sitting and Home Care

I've been diving really far into programming lately, and all of it has gotten my creative juices flowing.  I needed an outlet.  I currently work with Grand Paws as a Pet Care Professional, but their Facebook logo was so blurry, and (no offense) their website looked like something my mom would have designed for them when she was into the glittering doll graphics phase (the ones that were like a digital version of paper dolls with changeable outfits).

Regardless, I've taken it upon myself to redesign their logo and website to help give them a more professional appeal to potential clients.  So last night, I came up with this:

Julie, our coordinator in Arizona, liked it and will be transitioning to use it on their documents and company profile photos.  You can visit their website at www.GPPetSitters.com.  I'm currently working on creating wire-frames for the website, but I won't be showing them to anyone anytime soon!

Math Wonder Takes Shape!

One of my latest projects is between the collaboration of the students at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh and their client, Carnegie Learning, Inc.  The students have formed groups and each group is working on their own educational Flash game, also known as a Math Wonder.

My Math Wonder is called Save The Garden.  I'll be working with Amanda Wally, my character artist, in making this game fun, functional, and pretty to look at (oh, how I love the pretties!).

While this game is not yet into the Alpha phase, it is still in development, I'll soon be inviting you all to play-test this game (:

Perception Versus Perspective

My latest Unity 3D project is now available via my online portfolio.  Click here to play it!

A 3x3 grid with two "distractor "blocks, and no target.

This project was brought to me by Jon Amakawa, my former instructor at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh.  The client, Columbia University of New York, needed a program to assist in conducting their study on the response time when searching for the target block (T) among blank blocks, and distracting blocks (L).

The finished product was capable of being completely customized by the client.  They can control the grid size, number of  "distractor" blocks displayed per trial, number of total trials, how many times the target gets shown among the trials per session, and more.

Super Random!!! Ahhh!

• The order of trials in which the target block appears is randomly chosen.  It could be any two out of five, for example.
• The amount of displacement of the blocks' position in their grid are random.  Some are moved a little right or left, up or down, or tilted to the left or right.
• The block that displays the target (T) is randomly chosen, if it is displayed at all.
• The blocks that display the distractions (L) are randomly chosen.

Awesome results, you say?

The finished product also produced results that were hidden from the participant in the form of a CSV file.  Each file is individually named based on the subject number and session number.  The subject number is specific to each build, while the session number increments each time the participant chooses to continue on another session of the same build.

Other results include the response time of the participant per trial, whether or not there was a target displayed in the trial, and which button the participant responded with.  This information yields such information such as if the participant was correct in spotting a visible target, correct in deciding that there was no target when one was not displayed, incorrect if the participant thought they saw a target when one was not displayed, or incorrect if the participant did not find the target when one was displayed.

This project was a fun one.  Thank you, Mr. Amakawa for entrusting me with it.

A Medieval Christmas Carol

Tonight is the opening night for the live-performance show, A Medieval Christmas Carol!

Click here for more information.

I will be portraying the lovely Squire Tim each and every show.

We host a medieval dinner to our guests on Friday nights only!  We accept tips!

Wassail!  Drink hail!

Lifestyle Changes

Hello World! I hope you had a great Thanksgiving holiday! I enjoyed mine as much as possible. Unfortunately, my domestic life is going under construction, so my interactivity on this blog and my website will be limited. I'd like to congratulate my previous photographer, Courtney Lynne Brush, on her success as an Airman and her recent engagement. She decided to move in with her fiance immediately, so I will be spending my time looking for a new roommate or a new place. Speaking of searches, I've had luck in finding a reliable, field-related job in the area. I've been scheduling appointments for interviews, phone screenings, etc. I hope to announce that I've gotten a job in the near future. Another new change has yet to come! I have plans on attending the Pittsburgh Technical Institute (PTI) for their Associate's Degree program on Computer Programming. While my Bachelor's Degree at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh exposed me to the wonders of game-play programming, I feel like I lack the classical training of a true programmer. Furthermore, I'd like to expand my knowledge in the subject so that I can work a job in what I truly love to do.

Fuck This Jam

Good morning, gamers!

Today marks the first day of the newest Jam I've discovered.  Provocatively named "Fuck This Jam" (wow, won't that be a great eye-catcher on the resume!) is about creating a game in the genre you like the least.  Personally, I really hate card games, but I guess it's not really a "video game" genre.  In that case, the runner-up for me would be those mindless Facebook clicking games.

Here is the introductory Keynote video for Fuck This Jam:


Welcome to Fuck This Jam!

"Fuck This Jam is a jam centered around the theme of making a game in a genre you hate. Through utter ignorance for conventions and hate for the established rules of a genre, beautiful things will happen. The jam lasts from Friday November 9th 18:00 until Saturday November 17th 18:00. "

If you're interested in forming and/or joining a team, or simply getting involved yourself, you can sign up here!  I'm not technically hosting a gathering for the Pittsburgh location, but you are welcome to come to my house to work!

Double Life: Music

The team and I at Olopezo, Inc. are trying to get the word out about our newest project, Double Life: Music.  I'd like to give a super thank you to Deana Carpenter, a writer for the online newspaper called the Almanac, for talking with the company's founder, Constantine Paliouras, and writing an article about this great project.

Double Life: Music is 20% funded so far.  The goal is $100,000 by November 14th.  Please help us by becoming a sponsor.  Even the dollar that's been wedged in your couch for the past month is worth it.

Click to enlarge and read the full article.

The article was published online on October 24, 2012.  You can download a PDF version of the full page here.  I did a search for "Paliouras" to find the specific page, but it's under "Community News", page B05.  Even includes a few coupons that don't expire until mid-November.