Labor Day weekend is when people across the United States enjoy the last few days of Summer. While Fall doesn’t start until September 22, most people go back to work or school after the holiday weekend. Celebrations usually involve backyard barbecues or long days at the beach. But with Hurricane Hermine looming up the East Coast, it’s looking like a wet and windy mess for much of the break. So, I decided to turn it into a super-nerdy weekend. I decided this was the perfect moment to work on B.R.O.O.M.
A forecast from The National Hurricane Center shows the seriousness of the situation. The hurricane is cutting across the continent, straight from the Gulf Coast, right along the Eastern Seaboard. Once the storm reaches the coast of New York / New Jersey, it could loiter there for days.
This isn’t looking like a Superstorm Sandy level of disaster. It’s probably just a lot of gloomy rain. All that indoors time is perfect for improving my game development skills.
I’m focusing on building web-based games. Some might wonder why I’m using HTML, CSS and JavaScript for game development. The reason is portability. Aside from some browser compatibility issues, most modern computers can run browser games. MacOS, Windows, Linux, Android and iOS – it’s basically the same game. If you doubt the power of HTML, CSS and JavaScript, here’s a great example…
- https://earth.nullschool.net/
Global weather conditions are visualized – in 3D! I think it looks amazing. Seeing the animated lines, swirling towards the eye of the storm, emphasizes the magnitude of this weather event. The color coding also highlights the severity. Fast-forwarding only a few clicks, the storm gains in strength. Some of those green lines fades to red. I’ve seen weather like Hermine before, but the storm seems more dramatic with this animated presentation. That’s the power of JavaScript and modern web browsers.
For the next three days, assuming no weather related calamities, I should be busy building B.R.O.O.M.