twak away!

i'm very sad to announce my retirement from Shortfuze since last Thursday. It's been a lot of fun (for a while i was the second programmer on Moviestorm) with a great community (the Machinima people around the net rock) and one hell of a kick-arse team.

It's high time I went to do something new - I'm heading back to university to research computer graphics. It should be a lot of fun (apart from the stinky pay)... I'm sure there's a new programmer around Cambridge waiting in the wings to take my place - any takers?

I was trying to make a fairwell film, but failed due to shoddy time constraints (and lack of coca). so just imagine for a moment twak waking from his bed at night and fleeing down a corridor - persued by one/some/more of the following:

• an endless barrage of pink and orange shirts from management
• the sf gent's toilet
• endless torrents of abuse from the red hot ball of anger at the desk next to me
• buttons ;)
  

he was going to get to a window and climb out through the 'o' in shortfuze and then run off to the ivory towers of academia. (But we don't have climb through winow anims or ivory towers, yet...)

I'm off for a summer holiday now - to play in the "sunshine" with my camera and new bike :)

twak

Moviestorm 1.1 is live!

All systems go!

Version 1.1 of Moviestorm has left the launchpad and will be available imminently. We've pressed the Big Red Button and everything is on its way to you at this very moment.

If you're already a Moviestorm user, press the Update button when you start Moviestorm and you can have all the new stuff right now. New users will have to wait another hour or so.

We'll of course have full info in the forums and on the Web site later today. Let us know what you think. We're off to crowd round Chris's monitor and look at what's next in the pipeline.

Things that don't exist

Sometimes making software becomes an interesting exercise in metaphysical philosophy. Things that don't exist can be your downfall.

In this case, user directories.

We're busily running through the last minute go/no-go checks for the upcoming release, and it's all getting a little like Mission Control here...

XAV
Cowboy hat - check!

DAVE
Shader model three - check!

TWAK
Script slider - check!

DAVE (the other one)
Launcher is GO, repeat, launcher is GO!

COMMANDER ANDREW stretches his hand towards the big red button labelled RELEASE. An expectant hush falls across the control room. Pull back to master shot, then crane down to BEN, a scruffy-looking guy in the corner.

BEN S
Er, Commander, I think we have a problem. What if you try to load a movie when there's no user directory?

Shock passes across everyone's faces. ANDREW pulls his hand back.

ANDREW
OK, hold it everyone. Ben, say your piece...

BEN
Well, it's only a theoretical possibility, but... what if the user stores his movies somewhere other than the default directory, and then tries to load a movie, in which case...

DAVE and TWAK
(horrified)
... there'd be no user directory, Moviestorm would lose all control, and crash into the Sun, causing a massive solar flare and the destruction of all life on Earth!

ANDREW
Is that bad?

BEN
(firmly)
Yes.

ANDREW
(taking command)
I need an answer, people. Now. This window is closing fast. If we don't get Moviestorm off the ground now, I don't have to remind you what the consequences will be.

TWAK
I'm on it, Commander!

DAVE throws a manly arm around BEN's shoulders. It’s a guy moment, as we see BEN swell with pride.

DAVE
Good call, son. That took guts, but you may just have saved the whole mission.

Who said life in the software industry was ever dull, eh?

.slurpNoodles()

From cambridge wagamama's website:


Does that man in shorts and glasses look familar? Could well be our very own Mr. Gold. Does the engineering team spend too much time at wagamama? Does programming ability increase or decrease with the quantity of noodles consumed? Does he always chat up the waitresses? All these answers and more in the next exciting episode of the moviestorm development blog.

Cheap sunglasses

Why's Johnnie wearing shades in the office?

1. He's got a hangover?
2. He's on the run from Swedish hit men and is in disguise?
3. He's not really Johnnie?
4. He's so damn cool?
5. He thinks he's so damn cool?
   
6. He's modelling for the new Moviestorm accessories pack?
7. He's sponsored by cheapasssunglasses.com ?
8. He has to wear them to protect us from the laser beams in his skull?
9. His breed don't normally go out in daylight?
   
10. The sun's in his eyes? (Yeah, right. Can you see any sun in this picture?)
    

For the obligatory cheesy ZZ Top references, go here. Or here. Or here.