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Fengol
08-05-2008, 10:25 PM
Hey everyone,

Here are the confirmed details for the next devLAN in Gauteng

Date: Saturday, 31st May 2008, 9:30 for 10:00 to 18:00 (and social afterwards)
Theme: Networking; specifically within Game Maker but the theory will be worthwhile for any language or tool.
Venue: 9th Irene Scout Hall, cnr Bruce & King, Irene, Pretoria
Map: big map link
(http://mailowl.co.za/Downloads/9thIreneScoutHall.jpg)
Notes: Remember you'll need your PC to dev on, an attitude for dev (this is a working lan. games, leeching and social happen after closing) and cash for take-aways at lunchtime or bring your own.

http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q312/Fengol/smallmap.jpg

Evil_Toaster
08-05-2008, 10:37 PM
I know we've booked a venue (although I don't know it's exact location yet) but mark your calendars/diaries/tardis to be there.

I hope it's on a party bus!

Higushi
09-05-2008, 12:44 AM
Ah, devLANs :). Is there perhaps one that is hosted in the Stellenbosch -to- Cape Town area sometimes? I miss them, all the good creative flow and positive deving energy.


I hope it's on a party bus!

If it is, then its definitely going to have to be a road trip down to Cape Town! You can call it - dev.tour ;)

Gazza_N
09-05-2008, 07:19 AM
I'm still in. :)

Fengol
09-05-2008, 07:38 AM
phft! Real adventures can only happen on a Cat Bus

cairnswm
09-05-2008, 08:03 AM
Damn I'm double booked - sorry, cant be there :(

Stoopid me!!

FuzzYspo0N
09-05-2008, 09:27 AM
ill needa know where before ill know whether im able :)

Coolhand
09-05-2008, 10:31 AM
Wow. I might even be able to make this one...

dislekcia
09-05-2008, 02:13 PM
Wow. I might even be able to make this one...

ZOMG!

Chippit
10-05-2008, 02:34 PM
:(

I hate living in a small place close enough to everything to not be in the middle of nowhere, but far enough away that travel is impractical.

Squid
11-05-2008, 11:08 AM
I shall attend.

Kensei
11-05-2008, 11:25 AM
Dammit :(

As the more intelligent, or closer linked to my goings on, know, I won't make this :( Not even close...

Unless someone can sponsor me a plane ticket from London :D
Please can someone take notes or video tape it or something

Gazza_N
11-05-2008, 11:39 AM
How about making an educational game about it? :p

I'll volunteer to take notes and write it up for those who can't attend, if nobody has any objections.

Gazza_N
19-05-2008, 10:36 AM
Apologies for the double post.

Two weeks to go! Has the venue been finalised?

dislekcia
19-05-2008, 05:20 PM
Apologies for the double post.

Two weeks to go! Has the venue been finalised?

Eyes Squid... We good to go at the scouthall?

-D

Squid
19-05-2008, 05:58 PM
Eyes Squid... We good to go at the scouthall?

-D

Oh, that's the venue?

Then yeah, venue confirmed.

Fengol
19-05-2008, 06:08 PM
Directions? Map? GPS coordinates?

Squid
19-05-2008, 07:28 PM
Directions? Map? GPS coordinates?

I made some a while back. dislekcia has them. Just follow the smell and look out for the heavenly glow.

Thaumaturge
20-05-2008, 01:28 AM
How about making an educational game about it?

I'll volunteer ...

I look forward to the educational game, Gazza. So kind of you to volunteer... ;P

In all seriousness, I'm interested to see the notes - I may decide to use them to add in IP play to Ludus Magicus (which it could really use, I believe). Not that I don't have enough projects on my plate already, of course... <_<;;

Gazza_N
20-05-2008, 03:24 PM
I look forward to the educational game, Gazza. So kind of you to volunteer... ;P
It can be an adventure game! XD

*Use determinism on code*

edg3
20-05-2008, 03:38 PM
I have duties on the 31st so I cant make it, but the educational game would rock :)

Fengol
20-05-2008, 08:36 PM
Alrighty peeps, the first post has been updated with all the glorious details. Hope to see you there!

Higushi
21-05-2008, 12:33 AM
So you having the dev.lan in the Irene scout hall. Great venue in my books! ... so many memories in and around... wish I could be there. I've done some serious LANs in that hall.

This must have been Squids doing.

dislekcia
21-05-2008, 02:53 PM
Yup, Squid's had a hand in that, as has Cairnswm :)

So how many people are going to be coming?

-D

Gazza_N
21-05-2008, 02:59 PM
So how many people are going to be coming?
Need I even reply? ;)

Squid
21-05-2008, 04:28 PM
Yup, Squid's had a hand in that, as has Cairnswm :)

So how many people are going to be coming?

-D

It just wouldn't be a party without me.

Kensei
21-05-2008, 07:08 PM
Yup, Squid's had a hand in that, as has Cairnswm :)

So how many people are going to be coming?

-D

I'll perform a seance at the exact time of the Dev LAN - perhaps I can speak to you through Gazza_N :D

Thaumaturge
22-05-2008, 05:16 AM
At least you're keeping in the "spirit", Kensei. ;P

(Come to think of it, however, wouldn't performing a seance invite Gazza to possess you, instead of the other way around? And if so, is this really wise? :P)

Fengol
22-05-2008, 08:59 AM
Gazza_N has always been an amiable spirit and fun to have at a s?ance party; just don't let him tell you the joke about the drinks cabinet

Gazza_N
22-05-2008, 09:16 AM
Hey, I can think of worse fates than traipsing around London in somebody else's body, spending somebody else's money. :P

Sadly, Kensei, I have transcription duty and am therefore exempt from possession. You'll have to try with Squid instead. ;)

FuzzYspo0N
22-05-2008, 12:51 PM
is there any one from jhb area thats going that would possibly want to car pool? cut petrol cost in half if we can go in one car? im trying my hardest to come but without the budget for it i will be stuck not making it D:

Fengol
22-05-2008, 01:00 PM
@FuzzYspo0N: where are you based?

FuzzYspo0N
22-05-2008, 02:04 PM
east rand. think : greenstone area

Kensei
22-05-2008, 09:34 PM
Hey, I can think of worse fates than traipsing around London in somebody else's body, spending somebody else's money. :P

Sadly, Kensei, I have transcription duty and am therefore exempt from possession. You'll have to try with Squid instead. ;)

Damn....

Squid, please remind me of your seance frequency code? :D

And Gazza_N, there aint a lot of money spend at the moment...

Squid
23-05-2008, 08:12 AM
Squid, please remind me of your seance frequency code? :D

Sure, it's "01101000 01110100 01110100 01110000 00111010 00101111 00101111 01110111 01110111 01110111 00101110 01110100 01101000 01101001 01101110 01100111 01110011 01101001 01100100 01101001 01100100 01101100 01100001 01110011 01110100 01101110 01101001 01100111 01101000 01110100 00101110 01100011 01101111 01101101 00101111"

Chippit
23-05-2008, 10:40 AM
Sure, it's "01101000 01110100 01110100 01110000 00111010 00101111 00101111 01110111 01110111 01110111 00101110 01110100 01101000 01101001 01101110 01100111 01110011 01101001 01100100 01101001 01100100 01101100 01100001 01110011 01110100 01101110 01101001 01100111 01101000 01110100 00101110 01100011 01101111 01101101 00101111"
01001001 00100000 01101100 01101111 01101100 00100111 01100100 00101110 00100000 01001110 01101001 01100011 01100101 00101110

Fengol
23-05-2008, 01:43 PM
Do you really need the 01110111 01110111 01110111 00101110?

Squid
26-05-2008, 09:57 AM
What do you guys think of making a TF2 machinima after the DevLan? We'll have 5 copies of TF2 in one place.

I was thinking of having a competition, where people send in scripts and then we make the best one.

Fengol
26-05-2008, 10:19 AM
would be fun!

Gazza_N
26-05-2008, 10:32 AM
What do you guys think of making a TF2 machinima after the DevLan? We'll have 5 copies of TF2 in one place.
Sounds like fun, although some of us don't have TF2 installed and cannot install it before then due to cap.... >.>

Meh, I'll make funny voices and annoy everyone instead. :P

Squid
26-05-2008, 10:41 AM
Sounds like fun, although some of us don't have TF2 installed and cannot install it before then due to cap.... >.>

Meh, I'll make funny voices and annoy everyone instead. :P

Gazza...

We can just update you from our versions silly.

Gazza_N
26-05-2008, 10:43 AM
You can do that without an active link to Steam? Consider me edumacated. 0_0

Can I still make funny voices and annoy everyone?

Squid
26-05-2008, 10:55 AM
an I still make funny voices and annoy everyone?

Don't you do that anyway?

Gazza_N
26-05-2008, 10:59 AM
Touche. However, doing it with permission lowers my chances of being unceremoniously ejected from the venue. ;)

Squid
30-05-2008, 10:33 PM
Woot. Full steam ahead, see everyone tomorrow.

FuzzYspo0N
30-05-2008, 11:35 PM
im trying my hardest to come but without the budget for it i will be stuck not making it D:

not everyone. guess nobody in jhb is going? or just not me? oh well.. i wanted to come, sorry guyz

later

Fengol
01-06-2008, 08:04 AM
A BIG THANK YOU to Dislekcia for organizing another devLAN and providing an amazing framework to work with; and to Squid for seizing a venue!

The scout hall in Irene, Pretoria is large and accommodating; with enough space, tables and chairs to fit quite a large number of attendees if required. Dislekcia started off by explaining the mechanics behind his networking framework (which will be made publicly available) which was ripped out of his "Lan Party Worthy" Monochrome game. Then we watched him build a demo which we would use as a base for our own projects for the rest of the day.

The first thing to say about the Skeleton Networking framework is that it's implemented like the Pheonix Lighting Source or any other framework available at the Game Maker Forums; and all you need to do is merge the project into your own game. The second noticeable fact is that you can run the game, create hosts and join sessions, without having to write any code! The players are presented with a black screen once the game is started but the developer is definitely left with the feeling that he's got a connectible game happening. Lastly, and I think this applies to all networking solutions, the way we had to think about our game objects had to change to work in a networked environment. It's not enough to import the framework onto an existing game and expect results; most of us felt we'd have to rewrite existing projects from scratch to be networkable.

After a couple more explanations due to misunderstandings we got to work on your own projects with Dislekcia moving between us providing mentorship and support. Aequitas and I started by extending the demo Dislekcia had built; creating multiple players, changing colours and other superficial modifications. Squid immediately branched off into his own racing game (where friction makes you go faster) and Gazza_N delved into the framework itself, like a motor mechanic more interested in the valves and belts then driving the car.

What was fun was hearing someone call out "Help me test" and putting down our code to copy and play someone else's game. It's amazing the simple and silly things you'll giggle at, and how some bugs can produce unexpected results which never-the-less make the experience all the more enjoyable.

For lunch we ordered out for pizza and sat around chatting about what's happening in the community, various projects and anecdotes about past lans. Then it was back to the grindstone where the attendees, having come to grips with the framework, started on some truly amazing projects. Aequitas made Mouse Wars where you control a mouse with the keyboard and shoot pieces of cheese using the mouse, Squid not only got cars driving around but shooting rockets as well (this was loads of fun because the rockets floated around and everyone's rockets were the same colour) and I polished the extended demo from Dislekcia. Gazza_N was still playing with the framework but we all encouraged him to produce something playable.

As night, and the cold, set in Evil Toaster joined us and then it was time to play Monochrome! Rockets, lightning and flamethrowers were met with whoops of glee until the cold got the better of me and it was time to leave.

Again, thank you to Dislekcia for organising the event and to everyone else who was there for a great time.

Squid
01-06-2008, 12:40 PM
@Fengol: You missed the part where dislekcia totally sucks at Rune.

But, yeah. Big thanks to dislekcia, I had a blast and learned some nifty stuff.

Gazza_N
01-06-2008, 01:12 PM
Heh, yeah... I did spend most of my time being uncharacteristically quiet and poring through others' code rather than writing my own (to the amusement and frustration of the other attendees), but I still learned plenty. It confirmed some of my preconceptions about how MP games work, and shattered many others. Let's just say that gGuardian is going to require a fair bit of reengineering before it's ready for co-op. :p As I promised yesterday at gunpoi... um... After polite requests, I'm working on my own little MP app. I'll post the results when it's done.

As promised, I did take notes, but I think the nifty powerpoint slides Dis brought along will be far more informative. If I can get his permission (*hint hint*), I'll post them on FileCloset for everyone. ;)

Thanks to everyone for transmuting a normal Saturday into an entity of pure awesome. :D

EDIT: And let's not forget my sincere thanks for the cake. ;)

EDIT AGAIN: My MP project, DrawPong (http://www.gamedev.za.net/filecloset/download.php?id=484) (1.3MB, and apologies to dislekcia for the similarity between this and Drawkanoid). Each player can click and drag to create a temporary wall of particles to bounce the ball off of. Each player has their own cursor, visible to all other players. It has some bugs and the ball appears to lag a little for some reason, but it remains playable. Zip contains EXE and GM7 source.