The word "game" makes people think of something that is fun and easy, something you don't really have to put any effort into, something you can just do to relax. When coupled with the word "programming," however, things become a whole different story.
I said in my welcome post that I've been scripting and programming since 2003, which is something of a lie, since during the last year and a half I haven't done much of either in my free time, since all my programming effort has been focused on school.
This semester, though, I am taking a Software Engineering class that provides a perfect excuse to break out an old project and make myself finish it. This will be my third attempt to break into the world of 3D graphics programming, complete with all the vector algebra and matrix transformations that 3D visualization is based on.
For this try, I've decided to go back to OpenGL, after having a pretty pleasant experience with DirectX, but running into a few too many derisive comments from hip UNIX users. (In case you were wondering, yes, Microsoft is the devil.) Both libraries seem fairly intuitive, so it's really not an issue.
Showing posts with label Video Games. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Video Games. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Escape from the Underdark
One of the main reasons many gamers play games is to indulge in escapism, and I've found no better escape than Escape from the Underdark, at least where video games are concerned.
This server for Neverwinter Nights is a mass story-telling project with hundreds of new features scripted in to breathe new life into an aging game. While most online games focus on the violent dispatch of hundreds of goblins, dragons, and fellow players, this server pushes all that off to the side a little to focus more on story. A team of moderators introduces the "hooks" for various plots (often woven together by virtue of a few key characters shared), and players jump into the mix with characters of their own creation, sometimes made specifically for a plot, but more often just along for the ride as the various stories come and go. This is a game that really appeals to the storyteller in me as much as the gamer.
You can play ...
... a dastardly anti-hero ...
... a dejected poet ...
... the cowardly little cohort ...
... or anything else you want. Characters controlled by players on this server have risen to the lofty heights of lordship, sunk into the depravity of a vile mad scientist, built up merchant empires, torn down totalitarian establishments, and so forth down the list. This is about as immersive as gaming gets.
This server for Neverwinter Nights is a mass story-telling project with hundreds of new features scripted in to breathe new life into an aging game. While most online games focus on the violent dispatch of hundreds of goblins, dragons, and fellow players, this server pushes all that off to the side a little to focus more on story. A team of moderators introduces the "hooks" for various plots (often woven together by virtue of a few key characters shared), and players jump into the mix with characters of their own creation, sometimes made specifically for a plot, but more often just along for the ride as the various stories come and go. This is a game that really appeals to the storyteller in me as much as the gamer.
You can play ...
... a dastardly anti-hero ...
... a dejected poet ...
... the cowardly little cohort ...
... or anything else you want. Characters controlled by players on this server have risen to the lofty heights of lordship, sunk into the depravity of a vile mad scientist, built up merchant empires, torn down totalitarian establishments, and so forth down the list. This is about as immersive as gaming gets.
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