JoshuaScotton.com

I decided earlier this week that I’d better start work on my next assignments which are due in early September.

As they are the last assignments for the two courses I am currently studying for (actually my last two in this degree) I’m not allowed any extension period so I had worked through the books faster than usual to give myself ample time for the assignments.

It’s a good job I did because three computer and laptops, four operating systems and seventy-two hours later I had only just managed to get the particular netbeans project I would be working on for the first (M362) assignment to run!

My head was ready to explode as I faced every obscure error in the book, NullPointer and  ClassNotFound exceptions abounded as I tackled problems on both Ubuntu and Windows XP on my laptop, then it was Java Web Start and Glassfish problems on another. When I finally got worried that I was running out of computers to install Java SDK 1.6 + Netbeans 5.5.1 + Glassfish + Java DB it finally worked.

So much for a headstart, I’m just about ready to start the assignment now, half a week later!

Let’s just hope I don’t get problems with the second assignment…

I’ve been working on implementing translation support for the Entertainer Media Center over the last couple of weeks and it finally got merged into the main source code branch today. YAY!

The translation work will be done through launchpad’s translation web interface once rockstar gets it set up at http://translations.launchpad.net/entertainer

Unfortunately I won’t be able to help much with the actual translation work because I don’t actually speak anything but English and a little Spanish and Swahili.

Hakuna Matata and Adios!

The 17th issue of BlenderArt is out and can be downloaded from blenderart.org or viewed at scribd.

First let me note that I haven’t played this game with multiplayer yet so I can’t comment on that.

However this game is pretty good just with the single player campaign. The basic premise is that you’re a group of soldiers gone AWOL trying to chase down a load of trucks containing gold.

Along the way you get to handle trucks, armoured cars, patrol boats, tanks and even the occasional helicopter while you literally blow away the enemy.

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This game is the best racing game so far on the PS3, not because of the physics of the game (the GT series are top for that) but because it’s really fun to play.

The graphics are fantastic, damage is semi-realistic and the number of different racing styles that you can play is huge.

The crashes are pretty good too, not just when you crash but when another AI car makes a mistake and causes a five car pile up which you juuuusst manage to avoid adding to.

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As I finished another OU assignment yesterday, I only have two more assignments and two more exams until I’ve finished my OU degree.

As I’ve been doing a lot of python programming recently it’s been wierd trying to get back into Java programming for the assignments. Using Netbeans does make the transisition a little easier as it always reminds me when I’ve left out a semi-colon here and a “}” there.

I had to get an extension for this assignment because of the exam revision for M366 taking up a lot of time, however it’s finished now and I can concentrate on finishing off the two remaining courses.

This game is supposed to be like the Bourne movies, always on the run and always moving forward.

However the way that the game achieves this is to get a group of mini-games and string them together.

For example, you may be running down a corridor, turn a corner and run smack into a security guard… prompt the ‘fight’ mini game which is basically press block, wait for them to attempt to hit you and then mash triangle and square until Bourne does the coup de grace on the opponent.

You’ll then run off, go through a door and enter and ‘press the button on the screen God of War style’ mini game.

This is annoying because you never feel that you’re in charge of where the game is going, it feels like a 3D platformer.

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I’ve just go back from taking my final exam for M366 Artificial intelligence. It was a tough exam but I think I’ve done ok.

Just two courses left before my final final exams in September and then I’ve completed the honours degree!

I think I’ll go watch Italy and France play football and relax now…

Entertainer reached the 0.1 milestone yesterday. Download page here.

The 16th issue of BlenderArt is out and can be downloaded from blenderart.org or viewed at scribd.