Genetic Creatures
EDIT: fixed Dropbox link to sources & PDF. Thanks Mike!
As an elective course taken in order to fulfill requirements to complete my B.Sc., I took the course Introduction to Computational Physics, taught by Professor Karliner at Tel Aviv University. The course was a mash-up of many interesting computational techniques, most of which are used to perform approximations of physical systems.
The course included a short practical project chosen by the student. I decided to use a genetic algorithm to “breed” a kind of simulated life-form. The plan was elaborate, and I considered many complex ideas, but eventually stayed with the simplest creature I could come up with. It took form as a 3D box with four boxy “paddle” appendages. I used the Bullet physics engine, and I made the rest with C++ in Visual Studio.
Videos of the wild creatures in action after the jump.
In: Uncategorized · Tagged with: algorithm, bullet, computational physics, course, coursework, creatures, genetic algorithm, genetic creatures, pdf, physics, project, report, simulation, university, videos, youtube
Escape Imprisonment at the Satanic Mental Hospital – Ludum Dare 21
Ludum Dare 21: “Escape”
There were tons of features I wanted to add, notably the huge sub-plot where the character is actually a mental patient “escaping” their reality by inventing a punching hero. The game was meant to switch back and forth between these two realities.
In: Uncategorized · Tagged with: browser, escape, flash, game, ld48, ludum dare, play
Entropy, consciousness and sense of time
Like gravity that tells us which way is “up”, entropy is said to tell us which way is “future”. But unlike gravity, which is a nearly-constant acceleration acting upon us, entropy is a property of relatively large systems. So can we “feel” entropy?
In: Uncategorized · Tagged with: cognitive, consciousness, entropy, feelings, hopefully accurate, physics, sense, thought experiment, time
8tracks – Airborne Megastructure Cascade
Thirteen tracks of rocket-powered machinery piloted by a faceless android, sometimes gliding past on hot-air currents.
In: Uncategorized · Tagged with: 8tracks, megastructure, mix, music
Player Non-Player Characters
They stroll the alleyways, sit upon thrones, lurk in dark caves, and ply their wares in every item shop. Non-Player Characters make up a good fraction of the game population. In effect, these representatives are the face of the game world for the player. In contrast to enemies, the main verbs available to these individuals are monologues, dialogs and buying/selling/giving items.
It might be said that NPCs fit into specific typecast roles because that is how they are most useful for the game designer. In a world built out of limited content, there is little room for more than a token representation of “real” individuals, making the generic NPC rather shallow.
NPC - an experiment from January, 2010
Or are they? About a year ago, I made a sketch of a game called “NPC” (you can play it here, if you like – it even has music by Chen and graphics by Daniel!). Taking control of an ordinary peasant child, various adventurers may approach you and ask for a quest in order to gain experience and items. The quest is invariably to find a lost cat.
In: Uncategorized · Tagged with: development, game, game design, ld48, ludum dare, many-worlds interpretation, meta-gaming, metaphysics, non-player characters, npc, npcs, old man, philosophy, player, pnpc, quantum physics, solipsism, zelda
8tracks – Rewiring the Megastructure
- BEGIN TRANSMISSION -
REQUEST: hard-wiring of telecommunication infrastructure
in local sectors 53.A, 53.C, 53.D.
CAUSE: recent class III cataclysmic failure.
ATTACHED: 14 encoded audio carriers of nominal data
for heuristic development.
- END TRANSMISSION -
Including tracks by:
- Sleepy Town Manufacture
- Global Communication
- Akufen
- Telefon Tel Aviv
- Charles Webster
- Juno Reactor
- … and more!!
In: Uncategorized · Tagged with: 8tracks, megastructure, mix, music
The Legend of Old Man – Ludum Dare #20
This is my entry for the 20th Ludum Dare 48-hour game competition. The theme was “It’s dangerous to go alone! Take this.”
Screenshots:
Play The Legend of Old Man after the jump.
In: Uncategorized · Tagged with: as3, competition, compo, flash, flixel, game, it's dangerous to go alone! Take this., ld48, legend, legend of old man, ludum dare, words, zelda
Rocket Research
Rocket Research is an experiment that became a much larger project than its actual size. It’s too big a game to be given the small scope I gave it, and the idea is too small to warrant expanding the scope.
The concept stems from my experiences studying physics, specifically the schism between the real world and the representation of the real world in theory. As a larger concept, there is much more to explore here, and it may be fuel for projects in the future.
Play Rocket Research in your browser
or:
Although not a long game, Rocket Research boasts its own soundtrack, graciously provided by Daniel Zoran.
All sounds were recorded by me from household items (except the Geiger counter; that came from the university lab).
In: Uncategorized · Tagged with: daniel, game, models, music, physics, pre-LD, rocketresearch, schism, sounds, studies, unity, unity3d, university, wolfgang
WorstQuest: The Quest for the Worst Game
Nobody sets out to make a game with the goal of creating the worst game they have ever made. Or do they? This past week, some 35 developers attempted to do just that, spurred on by the 25th Mini-Ludum Dare competition, “The Worst Game I Have Ever Made”.
The competition, hosted by the elusive MrDude, broke the classic competition mold and asked participants to strive for the one thing they would never consciously desire to make. But what is “bad”? If one succeeds in creating a bad game on purpose, does the game become good? If a game achieves “worst game” status, doesn’t that make it good automatically? Would the 2nd-place Worst Game be promoted to first place, thus eventually emptying the “Worst Games” set?
We could run in philosophical circles – but what about practicality? Can we analyze the entries (in, say, a blog post), and use the results to better our game-making skills in the future? Can we help identify what makes a bad game so bad?
In: Uncategorized · Tagged with: analysis, games, link-heavy, long-ass blog post, ludum dare, mini-ld 25, mrdude, potato potato potato potato potato potato potato potato potato potato
Mini-LD25 “Worst Game” – Chompre
I made a worst game for the 25th Mini-Ludum Dare competition, “The Worst Game I Have Ever Made”.
Trying to make something bad seems to relieve one’s self from the stress of making a great game on your first try. The competition is still open (for a few days at least), and I recommend giving it a shot.
Play Chompre here.
edit: BONUS!! Concept artwork!
In: Uncategorized · Tagged with: chompre, flash, flixel, game, ld48, ludum dare, minild25, worst game