Author: Photics

Photics.com & GuildWars.us January 2010 Web Report

With the launch of a new website and a new game, I thought it was important to take a look at the Photics.com / GuildWars.us web traffic reports. Last month was actually a successful month for the website. Thanks to my online game designed for Android phones, there was a lot of website activity and a lot visitors. It wasn’t record breaking traffic, but the reports showed that I made some good decisions in the management of this website. Yet, this is only a beginning. There’s a lot more work to be done. March 2009 still stands as the benchmark to surpass.

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The Future of Flash Looks Bad

Adobe Flash, I’m not seeing a bright future for you. It seems pretty clear that HTML 5 is going to be a new favorite. Look at the big three rivals – Microsoft, Apple and Google. Microsoft has Silverlight. Apple just announced the iPad – without Flash support. And as for Google, they do things with AJAX and basic browser features. If video is going to be a standard function of future browsers, why should I keep wasting money for upgrades of Adobe Flash? Why should I force photics.com visitors to use a third-party plug-in? If rival companies are coming to the same outcome, a world without Flash, then why should I support it?

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Shoryuken's Disease

I’ve been playing Street Fighter 2 for almost two decades. I consider it the modern day version of chess. True, there’s a huge emphasis on player skill, but it’s also a highly strategic game. You have to quickly determine your opponent’s combat style and then apply an effective counter attack. Even though you need fast reflexes, it essentially comes down to out thinking your adversary. Although, one move is a no-brainer… the Shoryuken. People use it and use it often! It basically beats all moves. Why? It’s because it makes you temporarily invulnerable to all attacks. It doesn’t matter if you get shot with fireballs, hit with electricity or head butted by a sumo wrestler, the Shoryuken will pass right through all of that.

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The iPad – Game Development Inspiration

Considering the frustration that I experienced while developing iPhone / iPod Touch apps, I’m not a big fan of Apple. However, I do like new gadgets. I had seen the hype about a new Apple tablet and I decided to check it out. Surprisingly, I was impressed. The iPad looks like a fun device – great for Internet browsing, watching movies, reading books and playing games.  The price is pretty good too. The basic model is only $499. That’s not too bad for an Apple product. I like it. I’m not sure if I’ll actually buy one though, as I have a pretty good laptop, but the unveiling has re-energized me. I’ve been inspired to try Apple app development once again.

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ArenaNet Jobs – Character Artist and Junior Writer/Editor

Not too long ago, I was in Gunnar’s Hold. That’s nothing new. I’m there a lot. What was unusual was the dialogue. The outpost was filled with conversation about Guild Wars 2. Some of it was negative. If I remember correctly, I saw the word “Vaporware” used to describe the sequel. Who knows? Maybe GW2 will join Duke Nukem in a series of indefinite postponements. But a quick glance of the ArenaNet job listings makes me highly skeptical of such a possibility. Just last week, two new “contract” jobs were posted… Character Artist and Junior Writer/Editor. Not only is this an excellent opportunity for an aspiring game developer, this is reassurance that ArenaNet is working hard on the sequel.

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