Migration

Fantastic News! I've migrated to Wordpress! So go here for the blog from now on: http://www.omidahourai.com/
(in case you missed it, that's my name! oh snaps!)

Not fantastic news IYO? well... too bad!

Tools

I've managed to use technology in a minimalist fashion for developing the game; I'm using nothing but a 13" macbook air and an iPad 2. I've become a fan of minimalism after being influenced by Tynan and his book, Life Nomadic. I've also taken nothing but the bare essentials to my new apartment, excluding all the clutter of too many clothes, books, etc. and purposely avoided getting a TV. It's time to focus on the task at hand!

My Workstation

The following is a list of software I'm using:

- TextMate: the best text editor out there for OSX. I spent a bit of time looking for a good one because nothing's more frustrating than having a bottlenecked workflow because of your text editor. On PCs I would highly recommend Notepad++

- Corona SDK: for simulating and developing in LUA programming language. It's really lightweight and much easier to program for than objective-c (no dealing with memory)!

- Inkpad: The vector-editing program I use on my iPad. Has all the functionality of Illustrator and super easy to use. It's really like finger-painting and gets the artwork done more quickly and accurately than using a mouse or even a wacom tablet.

- Lime & Tiled: Lime is a library for Corona that allows tile maps to be easily integrated into the game. This will be used for levels and world maps.

The list of 3rd party tools for Corona is expanding so I may use others as well when I get farther along in development.

A squirrel creature I've animated on Inkpad

The Start of Something New

Hello Friends, Family, and Game Development Community!

I'm creating this blog to post progress on my iPhone/iPad game development. Here's some info on my background and some of the reasons for this project.

I graduated from UC Davis in June 2010 with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering, and I've been working at macys.com as a web developer for about a year now. I've thoroughly enjoyed my job as a first step into life after college. It's given me tons of programming insight, an outlet for fun (downtown SF), and a bit of income as well. I've become good friends with the people there and think my team in particular is really cool.

A part of me would be unfulfilled without exploring things like this. My interest in programming and animation/art have lead me to something I feel is currently a driving passion. I say currently because my close friends would argue that I usually end up falling short of commitment for things I say I'm going to do. And while its true, I'm not going to let it be the reason for never trying to accomplish any of my crazy dreams and ideas. I believe I am a motivated and passionate person, and I enjoy chasing after things that intrigue me.

For a while I was convinced that I should quit my job and work full time on being an independent game developer. That might sound like a horrible idea after my previous statements. But after everything I've heard from numerous entrepreneurs, it would make sense for me to try that kind of risk. Mainly because at my age (23), I have nothing to lose -- no family or house -- except for the nice job I have. But after a while, those motivated thoughts passed. Everyone who I've looked to for support would constantly question my ideas and tell me I'm crazy (parents in particular, and I couldn't leave my job without their support). It's an incredibly debilitating world... and my parents were the farthest from understanding my intentions.

I eventually decided to move out of my parents' house and into the city to make my commute a lot shorter; I kept my job to keep my parents happy, but am paying for my own place. I hope to get some serious development done (after coming home from my day-job).

My target devices are iPad & iPhone, although I could potentially export it for Android since I'm using Corona SDK. I'll be posting some real updates with actual content shortly...