Sierra Kilo

As usual, I had a random idea pop into my head the other day. I was trying to think of a goo name for the game idea I’ve had. For some reason, I thought of “Aethersprite,” which is the name for the Delta-7 Jedi Starfighter from Star Wars Episode II. I’ve always liked the way it sounded and the general meaning: space ghost (or space goblin). I checked the availability of the domain name and it was free, so I snatched up .com, .net, and .mobi. I figured that would be a great platform for tinkering with my game ideas. While the actual spelling should be “Æthersprite” (which is surprisingly easy to type on my Mac), I’m not exactly sure about the pronunciation. The common pronunciation is “ee-thur-sprite,” but I’ve also heard “eye-thur-sprite.” For simplicity’s sake, I think I’ll go with the long E sound rather than the long I sound.

Anyway, the goal is to create a multiplayer online roleplaying game (we can get to the “massive” part later) that includes auxiliary pervasive gameplay, allowing players to easily interact with and be aware of the game from anywhere. The devices I have available to test with (Mac, PC, Windows Mobile, iPhone) will be the initial client targets. I’ll probably prototype in .Net (C#), which means PC may get the main client, Windows Mobile may get a mobile client, and Mac/iPhone may get a web client. I’d really like to experiment with XNA Studio and see if I can’t get something working for XBox 360, too. I’m in the pre-design stage right now and since I’m the only person working on the project (so far?), it will be a while before things get rolling. If I can get a 2d graphical interface with text chat running, I’ll be happy. Mobile and web versions will have a subset of features, of course. I’d like to incorporate a Wiki, a weblog, and RSS feeds into the game, too.

Ambitious, for sure, but hopefully if I can keep things simple, and take one step at a time, I’ll be able to get somewhere.

The site is back up and running…mostly. I attempted to upgrade WordPress, import the old databases, and combine the tables for this site and my daughter’s site into the same database. I guess I haven’t learned that it’s best to do things one step at a time and test along the way There are still a few things that may not look right or work properly. If you notice anything (especially the RSS feeds), let me know and I’ll break out my hammer and beat on things until they are back in shape.

Coming soon: WeeWar map editor! Wonder if this will only be available for Pro users? Hope not. Unfortunately I can’t get my buddies to play anymore WeeWar up, fools!

With the release of the AppleTV 2.0 software update, I’ve been seriously considering purchasing one. I have a few videos that I wouldn’t mind streaming from my PC (since I can’t get the 360 to do it) and being able to stream podcasts to the TV would be nice. Amazon has them for $225 (no shipping, no tax), which isn’t bad at all. However, I’d also like a Mac Mini. Those are going for $570 (no shipping, no tax, with rebate) for the 1.83GHz C2D with 1GB RAM and 80GB HDD. The extra $345 would buy me 40GB more space and a fullfledged computer (web browser, native media library, IM, possible home automation projects, etc). Of course, I’d also have to either use my Logitech diNovo Edge or get the kid-friendlier diNovo Mini ($150 ouch). If I go the Mac Mini route, it’s been a looooong time since Apple updated the line, so a refresh might be on the horizon. Any opinions?

http://www.hackingnetflix.com/2008/02/netflix-watch-1.html

Please say this is close to becoming reality! I would probably give various parts of my anatomy for this to happen. Hopefully it won’t require a PC proxy. I’ve never had much luck with TVersity streaming videos to my 360. Hopefully the interface won’t be too clunky, either. Browsing 7000 videos would be a real pain on the current 360 “blade” system.

Every once in a while, I take a short break during the day. It’s normally in the morning so I can fuel up with a Pepsi and breakfast/mid-morning snack. I usually read up on my news, write a post, tinker with some ideas, and/or play a game. Lately, I’ve been on Kongregate playing Flash games. My favorites are Portal (a flash version of the Orange Box classic), Monster’s Den (a simple, fun dungeon romp), and Starfighter (a Star Control II-esque space shooter). All are very fun and are easy to pick up and put down, an essential element for casual gameplay. I wish they were available on my phone!

http://www.starwars.com/theclonewars/news/announcement.html

First off, since Old Ben mentioned it in Episode 4, the Clone Wars era was always a mysterious time. It was analogous to the Vietnam Conflict in some ways where it felt like those who were there remembered it, but didn’t like to talk about it. When the first animated mini-series came out, it was fun and exciting, offering tidbits to Episode 3. When it did well, Lucas decided to do more episodes leading into Episode 3. Those were decent, too. Then Episode 3 came out. It was okay, but very disappointing thanks, in part, to Episodes 1 and 2. It seemed that the prequels were a huge let-down for many fans of the original trilogy. I admit, there were parts that were very fun and I would definitely have in my version of the prequels: Qui-gon Jinn and the first part of Episode 1, Darth Maul, the chase through Coruscant from Episode 2, Yoda’s lightsaber battle (should have been with Maul…Dooku could have been written out completely. Then Kenobi’s desire for vengance against Maul could have been a good plot element for Anakin’s turn), the first part of Episode 3, and pieces of the Kenobi vs. Skywalker showdown. Anyway, now that Episode 3 is done, it really feels like the Skywalker saga is done. There’s no need to go back and fill in holes with more fluff, especially since none of the fluff will really matter since it wasn’t in Episode 3. Anakin’s padawan? Since when was Anakin ever mature enough to take an apprentice? He was still a whiney kid when Kenobi spanked him at the end of Episode 3. I’m sure the animation will look nice, but it’s really time to move on.

Namely, it’s time to move on to the live-action TV series. This is the last bastion of hope that Star Wars fans have for continuing the saga. We are all hoping that it will take place far away from the Skywalker saga. Some hope it will be set in the Old Republic times (centuries before, around the time of the Mandalorian Wars or the Knights of the Old Republic games). Some hope it will be set centuries after, in a far future where the Expanded Universe hasn’t yet touched. Others want to see areas of the EU in live-action. As long as there is no mention of the Skywalkers, I’ll be happy. I am one of the few who enjoyed the Ewok movies as a kid, partly because it was Star Wars adventure without all of the politics and “I am your father-You are my sister-Join the Dark Side” stuff. I thought Mace was cool. So, George, turn the live-action series over to a fan like Joss Whedon or Kevin Smith and let them do their thing with it. They have both proven they have the writing/directing chops, so pass the torch and watch as the saga rises from the prequels’ ashes. Just, please, no more Skywalkers.

Netflix officially backing Blu-Ray (stupid name). HD-DVD (better name) is probably on the way out. Hopefully Microsoft will make a Blu-Ray player for the 360 now.

Twitter goodies:
1. Twitterfeed.com: Send RSS feed to a Twitter account. When it works, very useful for…
2. Accuweather.com feed: McKinney Weather @ http://twitter.com/madroguecom
3. CommuterFeed.com feed: Social traffic reporting. DFW traffic @ http://twitter.com/madroguecom (when you see traffic, send Twitter message: @commuter DFW )

Now, if I could only get Jott.com to recognize “@commuter DFW”, I could complain about how much traffic sucks to everyone!

Starfighter: Disputed Galaxy is so much fun. Simple, but good. Very similar to Star Control II. I could see a game like this with more MMO features and some APG being very, very fun. Set your ship on auto-pilot, have it text you when it runs into trouble or reaches the destination, and play when you get time…

Microsoft offered nearly $45 billion to buy Yahoo. Gruber makes a good point about the engineering side. Maybe Microsoft is looking to get into the *nix-side of things, though. Maybe, just maybe, they’re looking at what Apple did with OS X and thinking about going the same route? Take a reliable Unix base and build the UI around it. Extremely doubtful. Anyway, that means that Konfabulator and Flickr would both be Microsoft properties. Would they be phased out in favor of other Microsoft properties like Windows Live Gadgets or Live Spaces for photos? I hope not.

Another rumor is that Amazon is looking to buy Audible. That means the number 1 online book retailer is looking to buy the number 1 online audiobook retailer. Could an Amazon audiobook player be on the horizon? Amazon’s Kindle e-book reader seemed to get fairly good press. Maybe an audiobook player would do the same. Or, maybe they’d combine the two formats into a single device: an e-book reader with a built-in audio player. Combine the two with a free high-speed cellular data plan and you’ve got a mobile entertainment platform that can buy media wirelessly. Looks like a blank check to me.

For Christmas, Mom got Dad and I an introductory flight lesson. We had it earlier today. We both had a blast! Dad took lessons a while back and had already logged about 15 hours. This was my first. We took off from Meacham Airfield in Fort Worth, flew to Granbury Airfield and back…about 45 minutes each way. It was a perfect day for it and everyone else thought so, too. We were in a Cessna 172.

Flying is dangerous. I don’t mean in the life-risking sense, but in the “gimme more crack!” sense. I want to go again! A package to get my pilot license runs about $7000, though. Plane rental is around $160 per hour with a full tank of fuel. They said fuel was running around $4-5 per gallon and a tank holds around 50 gallons. So, it’s a very price-prohibitive hobby. If I had the money, though, you’d better believe I’d be doing it.

When we were ready to land in Granbury, there was a Sky King that had dropped some skydivers. Seeing skydivers from above is a totally eye-opening experience. You realize that you are in a miracle machine 2000 feet off the Earth being held there by nothing but the laws of physics! I was amazed at how much easier it was to fly than I originally thought. Flight simulators and video games definitely helped, knowing that it didn’t take much to make the plane move. It was even more forgiving than I’d thought, too. When you’re driving a car, you’re bound by lanes, curbs, and other vehicles. In the plane, you can slide slightly to either side or above and below. It felt a little like boating, having to check around to make sure you don’t enter another plane’s flightpath or mow down a flock of birds, but otherwise you’re free.

So much fun and I’d do it again. Thank you Mom! I’ll try to post some pictures when I get a chance.