NOTE: This page contains project ideas that I would love to spend some time working on. Alas, they might never see the light of day. Regardless, I leave them here as a kind of 'one-day' reminder.
Professional
Navigation in Virtual Worlds
There has been much effort expended in research that explores how people navigate 3D environments. There are two very interesting things that should be taken away from this prior research. Firstly, people tend to navigate by using a combination of visual landmarks and Euclidian directions. Secondly, field of view directly affects our ability to form a spatial model of an environment, i.e. a narrow field of view-like a computer screen-hinders our performance, while a wide field of view aids us.
I believe that other devices can also aid our ability to navigate virtual spaces. However, for now I will keep the details of this project a secret for now.
Planned implementation method: Source Engine Mod.
Quality Assurance and Testing Project
Building games is a difficult and time consuming process. When compared to the production of other software application development, the development process appears less structured and seems to benefit less from software management processes. This is particularly apparent in the area of testing and quality assurance, which are often rushed at the end of the development process. While there appears to be a movement in the industry to change this habit, the question of why this happens remains unanswered. Is the development of entertainment software really that different from the development normal desktop software? In this study I will explore the methods and practices currently in use, their effectiveness, and other practices that could prove to be valuable in entertainment software development.
Planned research method: Case Study
Extendable Particle Effect System
There is no overriding question for this project; this is mostly a personal project with professional value. In this project I will develop a Particle Effect System using C++ and OpenGL. The system will use the Strategy (Policy) and Composite design patterns (GoF) to produce an extendable system architecture. Simply put the system will provide a library of particle Strategies that can be combined to produce complex particle effects. The system will also allow for the development of new strategies to apply to the particles.
Planned Implementation Method: OpenGL and C++, or XNA
Personal
Website
This is going to be one of those never ending future projects. :)
