Pygridz Game Classes

I'm taking the day off today. Last weekend I wrote the initial design specs for the Pygridz game engine and game server. To view those design specs, please click on Game Server. Also on the weekend I exchanged emails with my sister, and talked to her on the phone. We might rent her friend's lakeside cabin in the Okanagan Valley this summer for a week (if not, I will visit her in October). She's also going to Italy this summer to visit her friend, who lives in Toronto but also has a home in Italy.

Today or tomorrow I might actually start writing Python code, in order to begin implementing my Pygridz game engine. It's a daunting task, but even a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, or in this case, writing a few lines of code. I might begin by writing class skeletons, one for each heading (Game, Level, Room, etc.) under Game Classes in my design specs. I will have to implement some kind of map editor, and eventually allow multiple users to log on and join a sample game. The sample game will allow players to move around, pick up objects (such as treasures), and use those objects (such as weapons). About an hour after I first published this post, I added the ability to cycle through multiple Tile Lists for a given Tilex object. I then updated my design specs and republished this post.

I am writing this paragraph about an hour after publishing the 2nd version of this post. I intend to write those class skeletons, along with a sprite editor that lets you create multi-tile Tilex objects, each tile being a square of solid color, as well as single-tile Tilex objects composed of a transparent bitmap and including a non-zero Edges parameter. After I get that working, I will add support for multi-tile Tilex objects composed of transparent bitmaps.

Last Thursday I hurt my back, and was bedridden for a day. I was standing in my living room and felt a sharp twinge of pain in my back. I intend to have my brother, the carpenter, cut me a sheet of plywood I can put under the cushions of my couch. The previous two times I had back pain were fixed when I added support to my legs for when I lie on the couch (putting pieces of foam padding under the cushion of my old couch, and putting throw pillows under my legs with my new couch). My back still hurts a little bit when I get up after sitting for a while. Today I must measure the dimensions of plywood I will need, to put on my couch, and I'll call my brother ASAP (I think he's currently working the night shift).

I just had an idea on how I can eventually make Pygridz more exciting and engaging to its users. There will be 2 game servers: 2D and 3D. The 2D server displays an overhead view, and the 3D server displays the current room in 3D, just like a modern 3D computer game. Users can toggle between 2D and 3D modes. Many games are only in 2D, since those games are easier to implement.

It's good to be alive, having 2 jobs I like (APROM and Fred Victor), being comfortable financially, and having the implementation of Pygridz to look forward to. Of course I will probably always have to put up with frequent, short bouts of depression. I'm going to have a 2nd cup of coffee after I publish this post and relax on the couch for a while. Tomorrow I see my psychiatrist. For dinner I might have Chunky Soup (chicken & vegetable). I need to buy more frozen dinners soon. So that's what's goin' down in Pygridz Land. Here there be dragons (in future Pygridz games with a medieval theme). Beam me up, Scotty (in future Pygridz games with a sci-fi theme). Happy gaming, to all you future Pygridz users out there.