My Performances

For the Arts Supplement of the Common Application:

Pieces:

1. Shimmering Ocean

Composer: Trystan Binkley-Jones

2. Dance in G Minor

Composer: Trystan Binkley-Jones

3. The Underwater City

Composer: Trystan Binkley-Jones

Quatrix HD Beta Released!

Link: Quatrix HD

A few months back, talk on the site ZuneBoards led to the discussion of a Tetris clone for the new Zune HD. Surprisingly, none had been made at that time. I was working on the Snakez final release, but decided to take a few months and convert the original Quatrix code into a version for the Zune HD, decked out with higher resolution graphics, better sound, cool touch controls, and an overall improvement over the original game. Now, the game is in its first beta form, and has been released to the public.

New Features:
Better graphics/Higher Resolutions
Touch Screen Controls
More Game Types
Better GUI
Media Library Integration

Perhaps the biggest new feature is the addition of a few more game types. The beta currently has three built in, including Infinity, which has infinite falling blocks, and you progress through increasingly difficult levels; Sprint, which tests your speed as you try to eliminate 30 rows in the fastest time; Race, where you are put to the ultimate time test, trying to eliminate as many rows as you can in under 4 minutes. Other game types currently being built are Utra, where you can get special bricks that alter the game play, and Impossible, which, instead of one falling brick, there are two.

Another key feature is the touch screen controls. There are two different settings for Quatrix HD. One is the motion control, which detects interactive motions. These controls are: tap either side of the block to move it in that direction, tap the block to rotate, tap the bottom of the screen to accelerate the fall, and swipe downwards to insta-drop the block. The other setting places touchable buttons on the screen, which you can press to move the block around.

Included in Quatrix HD is the improved Shockwave engine, which allows the game to access the Zune's media library. Shockwave is currently in CTP, and nowhere near its final stages. However, you can create temperary playlists from any song on your Zune, or select groups of songs from artists, albums, genres, or playlists stored in the media library.

While the beta is fairly extensive in terms of features, there are many things that are still works-in-progress. All of the libraries for the game are continually being updated. As mentioned before, more game types will be added, ultimately with the inclusion of multiplayer. Better graphics and sound are also in the works, as well as the general clean-up and glitch removal of the game.

Hope you enjoy Quatrix HD, and keep an eye out for the continual improved versions of the beta. I will submit updated versions of the game to the public about every two weeks, up until the final release of the game.

Quatrix 1.0 Released

After nearly a year of work, Quatrix is finally ready for its official release. This version, 1.0, is the final version of the game, and is complete. In comparing this version to the beta, which was released almost half a year ago, there are several apparent changes. The style of the game has been updated slightly, and aesthetic changes have occurred throughout the game. Also, several features not present in the beta can be found, perhaps the largest addition being the media player. This media player is still currently in beta form, and many of its features are not polished yet. Code wise, the media player needs a lot of work to make it effecient. It will continue to be improved and a final version will be present with the Snakez 1.0 release. Other new features include savable high scores, customizable colors, several different brick styles, and customizable controls. Also, a game play feature has been added. The multiplier bonus, which multiplies your score, comes into effect after you delete rows multiple times in a row. These bonuses expire after 30 seconds, but if you are good enough, you can reach a bonus of 9 or higher, greatly increasing your score.

Code wise, this version is much more efficient than the beta. Also, there are several libraries included that run the different components of the game. As all of these are open source, you are free to use and modify them to suit your needs, within the boundaries granted by the General Public License. There are five libraries included: GameMenus, ZHUD, ZMediaLibrary, ZStorage, and ZHandler. ZHandler is the basic input handler, allowing for interchangeable controls and touch pad support. GameMenus is the game state and menu handler. ZHUD is a game component that allows for text based HUD (Heads Up Display) in a game. ZStorage is the basic storage component. Finally, ZMediaLibrary is the beta of the media library component. Most of these components are fairly solid and complete, but a few (GameMenus and ZMediaLibrary) are still works in progress.

Finally, here is a run down of what Extron Productions is working on. Now that Quatrix 1.0 is out, there will be continued support for the game, in the form of small releases of future versions of Quatrix that will contain better versions. These will not be the large projects that this version was, but more of small fixes and patches for the game, possibly including new color schemes. Snakez 1.0 is the next big release, and should be out in three to four months. Quatrix Multiplayer is also in the works. Finally, the top down shooter mentioned in previous posts is still in the works, and a release date has not been set. These will probably be the last games that will be for the classic Zune, as we will start programming for the Zune HD, so look out for games for that.

The download can be found at
http://code.google.com/p/quatrix/downloads/list

This download, like always, contains both the .ccgame, for those who just want the game, and the .zip file, which contains all code and libraries of Quatrix, for those who want to use the code.

August Update

Other than the recently released beta of Snakez, Extron Productions has been working hard on several other projects. Quatrix is still in development, as well as Snakez. Both these games are at similar stages of development. Currently, I am working on developing the multiplayer engine which will power both of the multiplayer gametypes of those games. Also, based on a few other Zune games, I am working on a Media Library engine, to allow the Zune games to access and play music from the Zune library. Currently, these are in very early development. Also, I am currectly working on another project, a top down shooter. As mentioned in previous posts, this game will have a campaign to play through, as well as some multiplayer aspects. It is also in early
development, with work focusing on designing an efficient dynamic light engine for a 2D video game. As of now, both Quatirx and Snakez have a release date of late 2009, with the as of yet unnamed top down shooter having at least some kind of beta release around early 2010 or sooner.

Snakez Beta Released!

After a long summer of hard work, Extron Productions is proud to release Snakez Beta 0.9!

Snakez is a Zune version of the classic game Snake, in which you play as a snake tasked with eating food scattered about the level, while trying to avoid obstacles. Each time you eat a piece of food, you grow a little longer, and must avoid eating yourself or hitting a wall. Snakez Beta features 5 levels, with two different types of food, mice and groundhogs, as well as some customization, such as changing the color of the snake.

In being a beta, there are some features which are still being worked on. The menus of the game are incomplete, so don't worry if some menus don't show up, as they will not be present. These menus are likely to change by the final version. Also, other features that will be present in the final game are not present in this beta. Features being currectly worked on are multiplayer gametypes, access to the Zune music library, and much more customization, as well as more levels, food types, and objects, such as diet pills and obstacles.

Link to download game:
http://code.google.com/p/snakez/

This link includes the .ccgame file, and the source code file, for those programmers who would like to edit the game as they see fit.

Upcoming games

As the Quatrix beta has been released, I have been working on a couple other games for the Zune.




These games are still in early development, but I estimate releases around late August or early September. As well as continuing work on Quatrix 1.0, I am also creating Snakez, a Zune game, which is a remake of the game Snake, where you play as a snake that is tasked with eating mice. With each mouse eaten, the snake grows, becoming longer. The other game I am working on is a top down shooter, so far untitled. This game features the main charcter as seen from a bird's eye view, and the player can pick up a variety of weapons to dispense of the enemy. This game will have a legitimate campaign and storyline, as well as some other modes such as Survival. Both these games are still in early stages, but I can provide screenshots of each. Although the final games may look different, these screenshots will give you a clue to what the game will be like.

Quatrix Beta Released!

As the first game created by Extron Productions, I am excited to announce that the beta for the game has been released under the General Public License. Quatrix is a remake of the classic Tetris, programmed for the Zune. While still in the beta version, many features are being programmed right now, such as the ability to play music, the ability to customize controls, and much more customization, such as theme, style, and game rules.

Link to download game:
http://code.google.com/p/quatrix/

This link includes the .ccgame file, and the source code file, for those programmers who would like to edit the game as they see fit.