Plan for Chris Cole

Reaction Engine SDK IRC Chat this Sunday at 4PM PDT (7PM Eastern)

Well, the weather's finally turned nice but my finger is getting infected! After nearly ripping four of my fingers off last week windsurfing, only one of them is bothering me now... middle birdy of right hand. Needless to say my tpying has been affected.

Reaction Engine SDK IRC Chat Series
Last week's chat went very well. We discussed the engine's graphic system. Universally the system is well liked. It's very easy to use and intuitive. A list of new features was suggested ranging from alpha blending support for the G2D system to interior map support in the render queue. Some of these will be added, others will be left up to you guys. I am keeping a tight focus and control on the feature set of the RE SDK. Our core audience is the beginner programmer and prototyping small games FAST!

What, When, Where?
This week's chat will be Sunday June 8 at 4PM PDT (7PM Eastern Time). Our general topic will be on The GUI. We touched on this a bit in last week's chat. This week I'd like to concentrate on making it better. Currently the system resides entirely in the SAL (Secondary Abstraction Layer) and sits entirely on the G2D POM. Some people voiced that the movie system, which forms the backbone of the GUI system, is confusing. So let's think of some very focused ideas on how to make this system better for the beginner. Maybe it's time to add the scripting layer?

IRC Channel Specifics
If you are unfamiliar with chats, there is an IRC channel setup on the MGONetwork. Most people use mIRC as their IRC client. If you don't have one already setup you can get a preconfigured one at www.mgonetwork.com/dl.php?id=6.
Network: www.maxgaming.net
Port: 6667
Channel: #Reaction-Engine

I found out today that our logs haven't been getting posted. I really need to get the Monster Studios website up and running soon. That said, I'll try to get the logs cleaned up and uploaded onto the Monster Studios site as soon as possible.

In general I think these chats are going very well. People are bringing good questions, opinions and feedback. Together I think we can make the engine even better.

Mailing Lists
Ken Paulson* has setup up two mailing lists. The first is a general RE SDK users list open to anyone interested. This list will allow people to ask questions, exchange code snippets, etc. I'm also trying to put together a biweekly newsletter to keep everyone involved. Click here to sign up for the RE SDK User Mailing List.

The second mailing list is dedicated for developing the RE SDK. You must obtain permission to join this mailing list. The best way to get on the developers mailing list is to hang out in the #Reaction-Engine IRC channel and let it be known that you'd like to help out with adding some features.

Monster Studios has exciting things coming up!
This is getting the cart a little ahead of the horse, but Monster Studios will be announcing a community project in the next day or so. Attack of the '80s Clones (working title) will be a suite of ten classic 1980s styled arcade games all written using the current version of the RE SDK.

Each of the ten game modules will be written by members of Reaction Engine SDK community. Authors of the game modules will receive 5% of the net profits for each game module. So if you write three game modules you'll get 15% of the profits. Right now we've got a couple of slots open, so if you're interested in joining the team, drop me a line at chrismcole@yahoo.com.

All source code for the project will be included in an SDK that is included with the game. So if you want to see how we did something, or you'd like to improve upon our designs, you're encouraged to peruse the source code. The project is scheduled for release on GarageGames sometime in September.

OK I'm Done!
That's about all I have to say this week. I'm excited about the next couple of months for Monster Studios and I'd like you all to join me on the adventure. I'm hoping to see you at the next IRC chat this Sunday.

Chris Cole
Master Monster
Monster Studios, LLC



* I'd like to take just a minute to publicly thank four very active member of the RE SDK Community: Ken Paulson, Ron Yacketta, Mathew Shapiro, and Phil Carlisle. These guys have been inexhaustibly supportive of the community!