Testing for the BlockFall (Tetris) game has begun! I'm only personally requesting help from a few individuals until I have time to fix anything I have not found and add the last few cool touches that I'm too tired to do right now. The app is however, still open to the public and if you do find some time to fiddle around with it, let me know what you think.
BlockFall (Alpha)***Update 1 10.10.09 - I've not gotten around to making the minor fixes to the app till this morning. I've been packing for my move as well as attempting to sell a few remaining odds and ends. If anyone wants to buy a working washer/dryer for 80 bucks and can pickup in the UNCC area let me know! I'm moving on to more fun developement - custom level themes and a new game mode "Custom Mode" where users can create (and maybe save) custom block construction sets. This should put the game internal mechanics to the test! I'll be writing up the technical overview for this project after these next few features are implemented. Hopefully I can submit BlockFall to the Silverlight Show.***
***Update 2 10.12.09 - I've just about finished the interface for the Custom Game user setup, and have already written most of the logic to handle extrapolating possible positions for each custom shape. I'll be finishing up some internal testing this week and hope to have something out the door by Thursday/Friday.***
***Update 3 10.14.09 - I've been a little slack on getting things done for BlockFall the past few days. I have however got the custom blocks working...well except for one small detail. For some reason I have yet to determine my ActiveMatrix memory representation of the board's block positions keeps insisting that the insert position for new custom blocks be set to locked. This behavior is reserved for blocks that have been frozen (finished a drop cycle and settled in the play area), and so when the application inserts a new block, it detects an invalid move as those same blocks (or at least a few dependant on the respective custom block setup) are already locked.
I've stepped through the entire running process and found nothing. I'll keep at it. ***
***Update 4 10.15.09 - I've found that the boolean related error (above) was a result of my referencing a variable instead of copying it's properties. An obvious mistake, but a corrected one nonetheless.***
Things I know I still want to review/add - link the ShapeID logic/property I've added to shapes to ensure blocks only "stick" to their own original block partners if natural block support is removed (block fall). Currently blocks still just look for blocks of the same color. Cooler more in tune background (simple) animations that go with the overall theme and progress on a level to level basis. Level screens indicating (better than current) that new level was acheived. Better indication of statitics for games played on the Win/Lose screens. Better emphasis of the current game type selected. IsoStore use as well as possible mssql space for user statistics. An in game control that pulls and displays data (thinking 90's platform fighting games, remember the scrolling scores with initials?).
I still need to write up a technical spec detailing the logic behind the application, mainly the matrices used to organize/track the block movement and interaction with other blocks during gameplay. I as well need to write (or add to the tech spec) details on the scoring mechanism, bonuses and specific calculations. Oh yea, I really would like to add some sort of bonus score effect that makes it more interesting when multi lines are cleared, or premeditated block fall additional scores are made. I have an idea, but I'll have to find a solution to one small problem that's caused a big pain for a while now - there is no easy way to (from what I can tell) to add stroke to vector text in Silverlight, so I'm stuck with using pngs which look like garbage when you scale them.
That's all that comes to mind, for now.
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