Games teaching skill 3/21

Game writer Dan Taylor explains in a blog post that "Good level design constantly teaches the player something new". Here's an excerpt of this article: 

"In his book “A Theory of Fun”, Raph Koster explains how the human mind enjoys processing information from the world around it into patterns for easier processing later. In gameplay terms, this implies that a large part of the fun is generated by the learning, and subsequent mastery, of your various mechanics. Koster cautions that if players understand the pattern and master the mechanics too easily, they'll quickly become bored and stop playing. This risk of boredom can only be avoided with good level design.
A good level should either introduce a new game mechanic or put a spin on an old one to make the player re-evaluate his or her established paradigm. On a larger scale, this constant learning should be measured out across the entire game, to make sure that each level delivers fresh gameplay."

1) What does the word paradigm mean in this context? Explain. 
In this context, he means playstyle because the author is talking about changing the player's paradigm. A new mechanic can change the players play style.
2) Do you agree or disagree with Taylor's assessment on this point? Provide an example or counterexample of a game you've played, and explain in detail why it supports your opinion.
I agree with this because every time Fortnite adds a new weapon to the game the meta changes and so does the players play style. 

Fortnite specs 4/1

Check out the attached image.

Then, do some research on one of your favorite video games. How much space does it need on your hard drive to run? What about RAM? How much data bandwidth does it need over the internet to play without lag? Use the terminology in the graphic below to describe the data needs of your game.

Minimum Requirements

• Operating System: Windows 7/8/10 64-bit.
• Processor Core: i5 2.8 GHz.
• Memory: 8 GB RAM.
• Video Card: Nvidia GTX 660 or AMD Radeon HD 7870 equivalent DX11 GPU.
• Video Memory: 2 GB VRAM.
•  17.4 GB

Game I dont like but is good. 2/28

What's a video game that you personally don't like, but have to admit it's a really good game? What makes it good? What makes you not like it? Can you think of any games that became really popular, even though they were badly designed or vice-versa, games that were really great, but for some reason didn't catch on? In each case, explain why you think this happened?

One game that comes to mind that I do not like is Smite. I don't like it because it is hard for me to learn. Although I didn't like it, it is very popular with a large fanbase. It is well funded battle arena with good mechanics if you know how to use them. I played with friends who are experienced players. I could not get into the game so I just stopped playing it.  

array/vector 2/26

Explain how arrays/vectors are used in SNEK so far. Where in the code are they used, and how are they used?

Arrays and Vectors are being used as the tail function, adding onto the trail and getting rid of it. It is also used to put apples on the map. Most of this stuff is used in the timer section.

post mortem 2/22

Do quick internet research of what Post Mortems are in the Game Development Industry. Briefly explain what they are and why they're useful.

Then, do a short post mortem on one of your most recent games or programs

Post Mortem- A project post-mortem is a process, usually performed at the conclusion of a project, to determine and analyze elements of the project that was successful or unsuccessful.

My Pacman Game

Good

• Death function worked
• winning condition worked
• when you eat the dots it added to the score
• wall collision worked well
• losing condition worked
  Bad
• The ghost AI was really dysfunction full
• no sprites 

Semester progress 2/21

Think on the semester so far. What's going well for you? What have you learned? What are you struggling with?

How could Dr. Mo improve the class? Any teaching strategies to recommend? What sort of assignments/projects would you personally like to see?

So far I have been doing good this semester, there are some things that I want to expand on. One thing I am still struggling on is vectors. I have no advice on improving the class because so far it seems fine to me. 

Plans after high school 2/20

Tell me about your plans after high school. Are you planning on working, going to school, or both? Where and what will you be doing?

I am going to take advantage of the 5th year that cec is doing and get my associates.