I game I recently started playing with friends is Rising Storm Red Orchestra 2. The game was released in 2013 and was created by Tripwire Interactive. The game takes place in WWII in the Pacific Theater and the Eastern Front. The games is a first person shooter, with the ability to drive tanks as well.
Pros: -Lots of weapons -Detailed maps with lots of places to hide and fight -Many characters you can play as -Game is easy to pick up -Realistic weapon physics Cons: -Maps are smaller than I expected -Only one vehicle type you can drive (tanks) -Not all heavy weapons on the maps are usable Overall, I think this game is good game for people who are into history and first person shooters. But if you want a more versatile WWII first person shooter, like a game with a lot of vehicles, then this is not the game for you.
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In the past two weeks, I have been learning about lights and cameras in 3DS Max again. Now I am learning more about these two things. I am learning more ways to modify the camera, such as the field of view, depth of field, f-stop, and focus, which isn't too hard since I am also in a photography class. In addition, I am learning about new ways to modify lights. before, I already knew how to change the lights color. Now I have learned how to change the intensity, shadows, and shadow color, and how the different types of lights are different based on their behavior and what real world light they imitate. In the future I hope to learn more about lights and cameras in 3DS max to make cooler scenes and maybe help me in a future career.
-There are many different types of lights in 3DS Max -There are many different types of cameras in 3DS Max -There are many different ways to modify the lights and cameras. -The lights in 3DS Max emulate real world lighting. Last week we started UVW mapping in class. I have done it in years past, starting by applying images to a box which wasn't hard. Later, we skinned 3D models of humans which I thought was really complicated. So far this year, it is not that hard, it is just tedious. This year when I was modeling a box, I had to apply the images one by one to each side. I had to make sure the images for the box had the same dimensions as the sides of the box so they would fit properly. The images were slightly crooked so I had to rotate them in the material editor with the UVW settings, and before I even applied the images to the box, I had to apply the multi/sub-object material to the box.
When most people think of a gamer, they probably think of a nerdy, male teen sitting for hours in a chair or on a couch staring at a screen, mashing wildly at their controller. What most people don't know, is that 44% of gamers are women, and only 22% of game designers are women. The gaming industry needs to find ways to attract more women and not by making games more girly, for example not adding tons of pink and ponies. The gaming industry needs to make games unisex. A great example of a unisex game is Minecraft. It has different components> It does just revolve around action and explosions, you can experiment with blocks and building your dream house, or work with redstone and build a working computer. This game does just appeal to the stereotypical male or female.
-Games need to be more unisex. -The gaming community needs more females. -The gaming industry needs more female game designers. A game I have been playing for about a year now is Garry's Mod. Released in 2005, it is a sandbox style game where you can mess around and do anything from building structures to driving a mail truck around Hogwarts. The default game features a few maps to play around on, and the game gives you construction materials, tools, weapons, and some vehicles to mess around with. You can download more maps, weapons, vehicles, entities, props, character skins, and much more from the Steam Workshop to add to the game. All the things in Garry's Mod are actually from other games, such as Team Fortress 2 and Half-Life 2.
Pros: -Lots of customization -Few rules, lots of freedom -Singleplayer and multiplayer How you play the game is up to the player, they can play singleplayer or multiplayer, and they can do whatever they want with what is given to them in the base game or what they download in the steam workshop. With multiplayer, you can host a private game with your friends or join a public server, which usually consist of roleplay maps such as Star Wars or Harry Potter, where they reenact the movies or books, or just where you can join explore a map from a franchise dressed up as character from that franchise. Back to singleplayer, the leader of the game session can customize rules for the session, such as if the player can take damage or if the player can fly around. Also, the player can set the singleplayer session to allow friends to join and make the session a multiplayer session. Cons: -Takes a long time to load -Lots of keyboard shortcuts to learn -Menu can be complicated One major problem I have with Garry's Mod is how long it takes to initially start up, and especially when joining a multiplayer game. I think this is due to having to download and update Steam Workshop mods when joining a game. Also, there are a lot of keyboard shortcuts to learn, and I have only learned a few, which my friends use against me. In addition, the menu is something I am having trouble getting used to. Finding weapons or entities can be hard for me, especially when I don't know the name of the item and the fact that I'm subscribed to hundreds of items on the Steam Workshop for Garry's Mod. Sometimes the menu feels more like the internet than a game menu. Rating (Out of 10): Graphics: 9 Music: N/A (No music) Cinematics: 9 Story: N/A (No story) Content: 10 Controls: 5 Gameplay: 7 Due to the large freedom of play and customization, the graphics don't really matter to me, nor the fact that the game has no story or ambient music. The controls can be hard to learn at first, but that is normal for most video games. If you are into sandbox games like Minecraft, then you should add this game to your collection. I rate this game 8/10. Forza Horizon 3 is an open world racing game that is both singleplayer and multiplayer. The game is rated E for everyone 10 and up. It takes place in Australia in modern times during the fictitious Horizon Festival, a large auto event involving racing and car shows.
Pros: -Large map -Large variety of cars -Quality graphics -Music variety -Map is very open -Easy to make money Cons: -Crashes sometimes -A lot of cars don't have much customization -AI is clumsy The quality parts of the game are the large map that has plenty of things to do and explore, such as crashing through farms and jumping across the outback, and finding barn finds to add more unique cars to your collection. The game has over 300 different cars to choose from. The graphics are also really nice. Over time, dirt will collect dirt on it, water will cover your windshield during rain and your car will kick up water on the road. There are also many radio stations to listen to with a decent variety of songs, and you can even create your own radio station. The races pay well compared to the prices of the cars so you do not have to grind much or spend real world money in game. There is also a chance to win a large amount of money or a car every time you level up. The parts of the game that need improvement are that the game randomly crashes sometimes, a large amount of cars don't have much body customization besides the paintjob, and the AI of cars is very clumsy, with AI cars running into me on the road a lot, making me get behind in a race. Overall, I think this is an awesome game and would recommend it to friends, especially if they are auto enthusiasts. A game I have recently been into is a game called Brawlhalla. It is a 2D platform PVP game, where the player jumps from platform to platform to collect objects to help them fight another player or the computer. You have a certain number of lives and try to survive the longest by killing other players by knocking them off the edge. The game does not have a story and has a very repetitive style of gameplay.
Pros: -Cool graphics -Ease of play -Can play without friends -Does't require a good computer Cons: -Some weapons are unbalanced -Takes a long time to earn gold The pros are that the game has simple but detailed graphics, there are only a few keys you need to learn to play the game, the game is singleplayer as well as multiplayer so you don't have to go gathering friends to play. The cons are that some weapons are more powerful than others of a certain type, such as two different characters heavy weapon have a vast difference in damage or attack time, leading to a disadvantage to playing as that character. The game also takes a long time to earn gold, which is used to unlock new characters, and you have to pay real money to unlock new weapons for a character. Overall, the game is fun to play besides the grinding for new characters. I am now finishing up my final game following a tutorial. This series of tutorials is actually easier than the others I have done, as this tutorial already has the coding done, and I have to focus more on the visuals. The game is a 2D game where the character has to jump to different platforms and collect red gems. After I finish this game, I will continue on my independent project. For my independent project, my idea is to make a dogfight game where you play as an aircraft and have to shoot down other aircraft before they shoot you down. It will be the like to famous game Galaga.
Since I feel slightly proficient at coding now, I looked into the career of a programmer. Having computer skills, especially coding skills can be very useful in this day and age. My dad works as a computer programmer for a living, so I asked him what exactly he does. What he does is he works in a large team to create and test a product, or a bunch of lines of code, that help computers and other machines run. He is currently working on product for medical computers, to help them diagnose patients based on their symptoms. This shows just how much humans depend on code today. I looked up some more information, such as how popular the job is, their salary, and most importantly, the requirements. I learned that most employers require a bachelor's degree in computer science. I also leaned to average salary is $79,000, with the bottom 10% earning around $45,000 and the top 10% earning around $130,000. Recently, employment is declining, as computers have started programming themselves, and programmers can be hired outside of the US for much smaller wages. Programmers that can conceptualize code are in the highest demand.
-Most programmers make a decent salary in the US. -You need to have at least a bachelor's degree in Computer Science. -Programmers that can invent new code is the highest demand. -Programmers need to be able to work in a team. About a month ago, I procured the game American Truck Simulator by SCS Software. In the game, your goal is to create and expand a trucking company by buying trucks, delivering cargo, hiring drivers, and buying garages. You traverse across the southwestern United States, along long stretches of road, making sure your fuel is ok and that you don't fall asleep, while encountering random events, like roadwork of a plane on the highway. Pros: -Realistic truck driving, with multiple aspects you need to keep your eye on -Random roadside events -Easy to rank up -Large map Cons: -AI traffic can get in your way a lot -Missions can take a long time (30+ mins) -Needs more variety of trucks The good things about the game are that the driving is realistic for people who want a challenging game, there are fun random roadside events, it is easy to make money and level up, and the map is pretty large. The cons are that the AI traffic can block your truck, either from pulling out in an intersection or from exiting off the highway, so I have to slam on my brakes not to miss the exit. And there are only 12 trucks and 2 truck companies. I wish that they would add some more companies. Overall, I really enjoy the game and still play it. I have played it way more then I probably should, and have still only explored about 35% of the map. |
AuthorMy name is Adam Servas, Categories
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The views and opinions expressed in this blog are solely those of the author and do not represent those of Durham School of the Arts or Durham Public Schools.
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