Accomplishments:
- Had a fun and productive meeting where we:
- updated the audio section of the design doc
- reviewed the design of the team configuration screen and main menu
- listened to a rough form of Justin's game music
- ate delicious teriyaki (not related to the project, but still worth remembering)
- Simplified the data model. It's now easier to use, more closely matches the original domain model, and is now ready to support the game world itself. Really!
- Wrote code to use Kristen's custom components.
- Then redid the login screen to use those custom components.
- Added simple mouse-over effects to the large buttons.
- Added Spectator Mode button to the main menu (and actually made it work).
- Fixed most of the major issues with the server app. Still has some minor bugs.
- Thought up a strategy for integrating the isometric tile transformer into the engine: Let's assume that we only transform images whose sizes and ratios do not match the isometric tile constraints. That way we can still use pre-built tiles in addition to the raw square textures.
- Got some potential volunteers!
- Sarah Kemper volunteered to help with level design. Sarah and I did several projects together while we were classmates at Sanford-Brown College. In addition to level design, she thinks she may be able to convince her friends to test the gameplay and OS compatibility at a LAN party.
- Karl Meiser volunteered to help with server and network testing. Karl is the founder of LCIJUG (Lake County IL Java User Group) and maintains his own private web server with a static IP address.
Issues:
- Player modes need to be more thoroughly tested. I've come to realize that this is complex enough to require an actual test plan, or at least a simple traceability matrix.
- Minor bugs in the standalone server app need to be fixed.
- The status bar says, "Connected to null". It should specify the server's IP address, which obviously can't be null if the client is actually connected!
Next Steps:
High priority:
- Finish putting buttons on the lobby screen.
- Redo team creation screen with custom components.
- Create iso floor and wall tile converter.
- Test and fix standalone server app.
- Analyze and re-evaluate client architecture.
- Create team configuration screen
- Replace boring buttons with image buttons.
- Change layout of main menu. Put in placeholder for skyline backdrop.
- Enhance lobby screen client list to show team colors and differentiate players from spectators.
- Lay out the HUD, maybe with mock-up components.
- Add sound capability to MHGUIButton class.
- Start considering designs for an effective test level
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