Category Archives: Video Games

Video Games

AMH Debug 4-5-14

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Ah, the umpteenth consecutive Saturday I’ve been at my shop working.

  • Looking into music play bug  (nope, it was a different mistake, myself forgetting to mask off a bit)
  • Rewrote Minion and Hellavator multiball end code to clear things up
  • Realized using same variable for # of locked balls and how many balls to autolaunch was really stupid.
  • If Hell MB starts, active minion lights get erased – need to fix
  • Added more prompts for “dry” scoop shots, adding time to Photo Hunt, and Ghost Prison Escape
  • Making sure Hellavator Multiballs stacks perfectly with the modes it can stack with (Hospital, War Fort, Haunted Bar, Minion Battle)
  • Fixed glitched with “Lock” staying lit even with Hellavator in down position
  • Think I know why that combo light is staying on! That’s what happens when code gets too old – you forget what did what.
  • Probably won’t enable Wizard Mode or Video mode for MGC – more important that the 99% of the game people will actually see works perfectly!
  • Found glitch where Minion Multiball ending would prevent Spirit Guide from being collected until another mode started – whoops!
Video Games

AMH Debug 4-4-14

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Lots of 4’s in today’s date!

The first prototype AMH has been on location for 2 weeks now. It’s had a few wear & tear issues (same game that went to Expo, Ball Crawl and Christmas Party) but overall quite solid.

I have what should be the final production board in my prototype programming game at my shop.

Current debug state:

  • Defeating the 3rd or 9th Minion gets you Minion Multiball, which can stack with Hellavator Multiball or Ghost Photo Hunt. Making sure stacking works right.
  • Extremely unlikely, but possible, that you can start a Minion MB while Hellavator MB is still loading balls. Making sure correct # of balls are added.
  • Making sure modes active when you go into Minion MB work correctly when it ends.
  • Found possible bug with Minion Mode enable after defeating Theater Ghost.
  • Setting Multiball states to bitwise operations
  • Game won’t start without 4 balls in trough. BUT, still making sure Mulitball Modes (especially ones that stack) only try to kick out what balls are actually available. Because you never know!
  • Found glitch where collecting an Extra Ball during a mode prevents Door from being re-opened.
  • Improved timing for Ghost Prisoner and Captured team member callouts in Prison Mode.
Video Games

AMH Debug 4-3-14

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How “done” can I get America’s Most Haunted by Midwest Gaming Classic? Stay tuned for daily updates!

  • Added black stroke around “Spirit Guide is Ready” text on Member Spelling Animations.
  • Added “Spirit Guide Ready After Mode Ends” alternate version on Member Spelling Animations.
  • Cleaned up code for Balcony Jump. Run-up and abort animations work much better.
  • Implementing conditions to light Video Mode (mode not programmed yet)
  • Spell WIKI, TECH and PSYCHIC to light Video Mode (collected at Ghost so ball can be trapped during mode)
  • Found “dead shot” in Hotel Mode, gave it nominal point value, added what to do prompt.
  • Fixed glitch with Spirit Guide awarding Prison Lock Lit
  • Fixed glitch where Spirit Guide Award #17 would never be selected
  • Fixed advance mode glitch where faster progress on Bar or War mode would prevent their Spirit Guide awards from working.
  • Fixed glitch where Mode Total shown after Minion Multiball would not include the “Mode Won” points (but you still got them, just weren’t shown in total)
  • Working on entry/exit issues with Ghost Minion Multiball when stacked with Photo Hunt or Hellavator Multiball.
Video Games

Ben Heck “Steam Box” Concept with AMD APU

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My idea of a “Steam Box”

Last winter I built several projects for AMD to highlight their new line of APU’s (Accelerated Processing Units) which are combination CPU’s and graphics card on a single die.

Most of the projects used concepts from AMD, but for one showcase item I got to build “whatever I wanted” so I took a crack at my rendition of a living room PC that could function as a “Steam Box”. Please note this isn’t associated with Steam/Valve, rather it’s my own concept of how a living room “Steam Box” could be put together.

Click below to see the making of!

 

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Video Games

Xbox One Thoughts

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God this thing looks huge. That's what she said.

A photo of the Xbox One, stolen off the internet

After a record long console generation (8 years, double the 4 between Xbox and 360) we finally get word of the new Xbox One. The first impression is that nobody in MS marketing knows how to count. We went from 1, to 360, to 1 again. Of course, no first console is called “One” in its lifetime but for the first time ever the numbering goes backwards? Reboot perhaps?

Find how to test hair for drugs.

All jargon aside, the only, and I mean ONLY reason the 360 was called such was because in the battle-that-never-happened of Xbox 2 versus Playstation 3, which sounded better? Remember, consumers are stupid (see the Twilight films). This time around, I think they’re going for a play on words, ie, Xbox One sounds like “Xbox WON”, some sort of subliminal advertising. As Red Letter Media would saw “You may not have noticed, but your brain did”

Click below to read more of my impressions.

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