If (Gametype.IsMMO(MMO)) { Format C: }

[drillfoot]

Hey guys, I'm Mike from Michigan, but stationed in South Carolina doing Information Security for the Marines. Been in the Marines since 1999, and have had an interest in game development and design since around 2002 with my introduction using products from The Game Creators starting in DarkBASIC classic. First time I opened that program...Wow..What was all that nonsense? lol. I'm also a current student of Computer Science with a major in Game Software Development. Been going on and off since 2009, Marines + education can be tough to do at times. I prefer C# and BASIC, and have a small interest in Java, and have been messing around in the mobile development area for about the last year. Nothing published in any ways yet, as I'm very picky about my work, and will only put out something I see as high standard.

I've known Halls since about 2006(ish) we hang out in another forum which we are not able to speak of as I don't want the forum gremlins polluting this place that seems to be doing well. However my subject should give it a way a bit I think. I use everything and every type of engine you can think of mostly cause I either got it from school for free, or I bought it due to me being a sucker and just having to have everything. I'm married with four kids, and a saint bernard who outweighs me by about thirty pounds. I'm thirty three, the wife is twenty four and puts up with my game development spending and hobbies and even tells me when my games I'm so proud of lacks in game play and design flaws. I'm Sec+, Net+ and A+ certified and we can go on about how worthless those might be but they were free classes and free certifications paid for by the Department of Defense. Can't go wrong there.

It's nice to be here, and see where Halls hangs out and I'll be parking here for a bit if nobody minds. I've been reading around here, and seems like a really good place to be! I wish everyone well, and hope you all have had a good weekend!

[Jackolantern]

Welcome!

Honestly, a lot of your story mirrors mine as well (except for the Marines and the St. Bernard. I have a Corgi lol). I was taught to program, very superficially in middle school on an Apple IIe (I am about the same age as you, but my school was cheap in the computer department lol). I made little text-based games on my own when I discovered that my neighbor's dad had an old Apple IIe in the closet, and those actually got fairly complex, with my pièce de résistance being a nearly real-time single-player text-based RPG that included weather, free-roaming monsters that killed each other and reproduced, etc (this was around 95, so I am still quite proud of it and wished I still had a copy but it is loooong gone). But then I got sucked into other things, and didn't really follow up on it until about 2002 (coincidence?) when I discovered DarkBASIC after playing Everquest and realizing I wanted to make an MMO. Like you, I was floored when faced with real game development, as I had gotten by with line-numbered spaghetti code programs using pretty much nothing but IF/ELSe structures and GOTOs (shudder) on the Apple IIe. I then moved on to (waiting for) RealmCrafter, and then gave up on that and started with .NET, which was really just picking up steam at the time, and learned OOP and kind of went from there.

I think I know what forum you are talking about with the subject line haha. However, I gave up long ago on trying to make an MMO, at least in the traditional sense. I still have an open mind to making PBBGs, but have kind of given game development a rest lately to focus on more traditional application and web development.

Sorry for kind of going on a rant about myself, but just found it interesting how much your story sounds like mine, right down to the year we discovered DarkBASIC haha!

Glad to have you

[TheElk]

drillfoot

Welcome to the forum I too just joined and yes lets not talk about that other place......

I am not much of a typer, I like to use skype.

[drillfoot]

Hey Jack and TheElk, nice to meet you two. I remember when I opened DarkBASIC Classic. The box told me I could create 2D and 3D games with it, I then installed it and couldn't wait to get to work. Then I ran the IDE, and looked at it like it was the stupid one. I of course as quick to give it up until I got home and could look ore into it, at that time I was on a deployment an internet didn't exsist for me so I couldnt look up on where to start. I'm also a hard core video game collector of the old school. I have Jaguar, Jaguard CD, 3DO, CD-i, Sega Saturn, all the Nintendos of coure. Its a hobby of mine with the 3DO being my favorite. Its ok about the rant, its nice to meet people who came from the same place and are in the same boat. =o)

[Jackolantern]

Holy crap I loved the 3DO! I wanted one even before they came out, but knew I could never swing the $700 for one (if anyone else thought the PS3 was expensive, that would be over $1100 in 2012 money!). I finally got the Goldstar 3DO console when they dropped the price down to $250. My favorite games were The Horde, Star Control II, Samurai Showdown (best home console version), D&D Slayer, Super SF II Turbo (best version of SF at home at the time and the only Super Turbo), D, Alone in the Dark, Cannon Fodder, and one of the early party games, which was also hilarious was Zhadnost the People's Party (friends would come over, we would all play it and almost pass out laughing). Ahh, good times haha.

[hallsofvallhalla]

Welcome! What was your sign on at the old forum? I actually tried to buy it but cannot get a response from the new owners. Eh oh well. This is everything good about the old place without all the crap. Some very very good developers and all around good people here. They love to help and we have nurtured some noobs to pros.

Glad to have you.

[drillfoot]

3DO is still my favorite console of all time. I bought it when the FZ-10 model came about and it was $99 at a good ol place called "Funco Land". Don't know if anyone will remember that store or if it was widely known but that's where I picked it up! Still got the box and stupid music CD it came with to "show off" the fact the background would sync with the music playing. (lol) I skipped the whole $700 time frame. Don't remember the year that was, but I was propably playing Mario Kart. My favorite for the Jaguar CD has to be Myst! I remember my cousin and I drew actual maps, like on paper we had bought that you would do a school project on and figured out all the puzzles on paper prior to doing them in game. Was such a good time.

Crazy enough I never played the Street Fighter Series for the 3DO and still don't have it. My favorite game for the 3DO is and was Out of this World. Such a weird, and crazy game. Every minute you play it is like "wtf". Street Fighter goes for big money on all the sites for 3DO too so never got it. I still collect games and systems too. Still missing that Sega master system and a few other Sega products. And the full Zelda series for the CD-i. I get a kick out of collecting, I like going back to the olden days where it wasn't about graphics or the power of the system it was all about game play, story, character development etc. I know Halls is around my age, and you as well Jack I mean how many hours did we spend on Atari, and those graphics were horrible!?! lol. Out of all games that kept me most glued though I still give the props to Final Fantasy 7. Never has a story line kept me that interested, or wanting to play a game.

Whats that Halls? I was never on the old forum? lol. I was talking about being on the RC forum. This is my first time here, I'm an indie resource noob. I read around for a good couple of days before registering and it seems like a very well kept place to be, and seems like people here are well mannered and very knowledgable. Are you talking about buying RC? Someone who has knowledge of Blitz who buys RC would have a goldmine, and jackpot on there hands, if they know what they are doing. I know you know what your doing so its a shame they don't get in contact with ya, if thats what you are referring too.

[hallsofvallhalla]

Ah yes think we are talking about a different forum no biggie. I kinda figured though you might be talking about RC

Good to have you nonetheless.

[Jackolantern]

Ohh, and I thought you were talking about gamedev.net because of the subject line and GD's tendency to foam at the mouth and scream obscenities when anyone says the word "MMO" lol.

I will say this because 3DO is long defunct and the games have not been for sale for nearly 2 decades, but you do know that you can download and burn all of the games for any CD-based system prior to PS1, provided you just burn at a low speed? I get the collection aspect, and you must have a great one to have a Panasonic 3DO and a Jaguar CD on tap lol. But yeah, Samurai Showdown and SSF2T are far too expensive these days considering better versions are available elsewhere. But they are still amazing, just knowing they came out around 1994 when the SNES was still in full effect (they are so far past the 16-bit versions it is ridiculous). If you ever just wanted to see them to decide if you want to shell out the cash for an official copy, that is an option.

[drillfoot]

Oh yes, I know about the burn and go. I like the have originals. Although I'm all about try before buy. I see where your come. Yeah Halls, you know me on RC as devild0g. Jaguar is old school and so is Jaguard CD and having all the original and in boxes is hard to come by, but its great having all the boxes and original in mint condition as I have it. Lucky for me I always kept my systems in top shape conition and always kept all the boxes and everything. Only thing I never held onto was the gold cartride Zelda game I had. Don't know where that ran off too. Its good to be here Halls. =o)