I did some more serious work on the memory system last night. Not exactly the way I want to spend a Friday night (or the rest of my Saturday) but I needed that. I took a look at some of the examples posted online and that really helped me to get rolling. There are still a couple of problems I'm having. Mainly the problem is having is the interaction between calling a new heap within my global heap container. I haven;t even really gotten into connecting all of the pieces. I think I need to take a step back and make sure I can properly call heap without that connection first. probably more on this later.
-A
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Monday, January 23, 2012
Finally Finished with Homework 1
So I'm extremely behind but I wanted to get a post in seeing as I haven't gotten one down in a while. I've finally finished Homework 1. I've also finally convinced my boss to let me work part time so I can spend more time on class. (thank God he agreed!) Homework 1 was a bit of a crazy one. We're working on creating our own game engine. The first homework was making a Parent, Child, Sibling tree. It's a data structure that allows us an easy way to organize the various parts of our game. It's a relief to finally have it finished.
There was one main section I found difficult. (most things weren't too hard.) The remove function was the toughest one. It required a little bit of recursion which everyone seems to dislike. The worst part was setting up the base case. There were 3 or 4 different branches to that one. I went in to talk to Keenan about this function because it gave me the most trouble. My main problem was that I had reversed the recursion and base case steps. I swapped them and everything seemed to work out OK. The debugger and I got along surprisingly well. It;s a nifty tool if you know how to use it right. I found out what section of code was causing problems rather easily with it.
Now it's on the memory system. If I'm following the check points I should be trying to have it finished by Wednesday. I already know this just isn't going to happen. I have no idea where to start. I'm going to watch the first lecture on the topic and try to do some reading before I really start any coding. This coming weekend is going to have to be a big catch up weekend. Now that I've got more time at nights I'll have to go at it during the week a little more now too.
-A
There was one main section I found difficult. (most things weren't too hard.) The remove function was the toughest one. It required a little bit of recursion which everyone seems to dislike. The worst part was setting up the base case. There were 3 or 4 different branches to that one. I went in to talk to Keenan about this function because it gave me the most trouble. My main problem was that I had reversed the recursion and base case steps. I swapped them and everything seemed to work out OK. The debugger and I got along surprisingly well. It;s a nifty tool if you know how to use it right. I found out what section of code was causing problems rather easily with it.
Now it's on the memory system. If I'm following the check points I should be trying to have it finished by Wednesday. I already know this just isn't going to happen. I have no idea where to start. I'm going to watch the first lecture on the topic and try to do some reading before I really start any coding. This coming weekend is going to have to be a big catch up weekend. Now that I've got more time at nights I'll have to go at it during the week a little more now too.
-A
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Trouble Getting Started
So Kennan suggested that when we're getting frustrated or even when we've accomplished something to get a little post in the blog. I'm not exactly either of those, but I could use a break.
Boy is it tough to get rolling. I've got to keep in mind that all I need right now are baby steps and before I know it I'll be crossing the finish line. The "What about Bob" clip we saw in class is really ringing true right now.
I've got my class definitions up and running so that's a start, but I still have the next two days to get something substantial to test, so maybe that's where the hold up is. I was really getting used to being able to relax and not hae any homework.
I also got perforce working correctly (I think) which is a relief. Now all I need to do is start fleshing out my functions. There are so many options, I'm not really sure where to start. I could really use that grading tester to help track my progress. It would be nice to see a couple of things checked off the list.
That's all for now. Time to get back to work.
-A
Boy is it tough to get rolling. I've got to keep in mind that all I need right now are baby steps and before I know it I'll be crossing the finish line. The "What about Bob" clip we saw in class is really ringing true right now.
I've got my class definitions up and running so that's a start, but I still have the next two days to get something substantial to test, so maybe that's where the hold up is. I was really getting used to being able to relax and not hae any homework.
I also got perforce working correctly (I think) which is a relief. Now all I need to do is start fleshing out my functions. There are so many options, I'm not really sure where to start. I could really use that grading tester to help track my progress. It would be nice to see a couple of things checked off the list.
That's all for now. Time to get back to work.
-A
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
The First Class and My First Post.
So I just came home from the first class of the 2012 winter quarter, Game Engine Programming. One of our first assignments is to start this very blog, so here it goes.
I'm a little new to blogging, but I definitely understand the benefits in this context. I'll get to put some of my thoughts out there in written word. I think for me this will help to really break down some of the problems we are trying to solve. I tend to find that things can often become more clear when you force yourself to articulate them in a paragraph rather then just let the data tumble around in your head.
So, how do I feel about this class? It's a good question and I have mixed feelings.
The word around the water-cooler is that it's going to be a tough one. There is a lot of work and information to be processed in a very short amount of time. That rang true today when Keenan (Our professor) told us that realistically, trying to make a game engine in 10 weeks is just crazy and that we'll try to cram years of experience into that short amount of time. A daunting task indeed.
Despite this, I'm excited. This is the type of thing I'm here for. This is my dream. I can't wait to step up to the challenge and find out what I'm capable of. Keenan also offered a comforting notion (at least I see it this way, others may not) that it is when we are under the most pressure that we do our best learning. I won't have time to second guess myself or to hem and haw over the stupid little things (although I probably will anyhow). I'll simply have to learn the right methods and execute them into the wee hours. If I can get used to doing this work will eventually start to come more naturally, as a second nature. It'll be good practice for future jobs, to be able to endure crunch time. Easier said than done, I'm sure.
So there it is. My first post. Many more to come.
-A
I'm a little new to blogging, but I definitely understand the benefits in this context. I'll get to put some of my thoughts out there in written word. I think for me this will help to really break down some of the problems we are trying to solve. I tend to find that things can often become more clear when you force yourself to articulate them in a paragraph rather then just let the data tumble around in your head.
So, how do I feel about this class? It's a good question and I have mixed feelings.
The word around the water-cooler is that it's going to be a tough one. There is a lot of work and information to be processed in a very short amount of time. That rang true today when Keenan (Our professor) told us that realistically, trying to make a game engine in 10 weeks is just crazy and that we'll try to cram years of experience into that short amount of time. A daunting task indeed.
Despite this, I'm excited. This is the type of thing I'm here for. This is my dream. I can't wait to step up to the challenge and find out what I'm capable of. Keenan also offered a comforting notion (at least I see it this way, others may not) that it is when we are under the most pressure that we do our best learning. I won't have time to second guess myself or to hem and haw over the stupid little things (although I probably will anyhow). I'll simply have to learn the right methods and execute them into the wee hours. If I can get used to doing this work will eventually start to come more naturally, as a second nature. It'll be good practice for future jobs, to be able to endure crunch time. Easier said than done, I'm sure.
So there it is. My first post. Many more to come.
-A
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