Technabob » development

Learn How to Program Games While Playing Games with Code Hero

Conner Flynn — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 22:00:26 +0000

First Person Shooters generally don’t teach you much, aside from maybe how to kill other players and get trophies. What if you could play an FPS that actually taught you how to make video games? Code Hero is an FPS that does just that. It teaches you how to program.

It’s a co-op first-person shooter where you become a programmer. The idea is to save the world from an out of control AI. You have a “code gun” that will let you copy, paste and edit JavaScript for use in the Unity 3D engine instead of firing bullets. This lets you shoot the enemy, manipulate the world around you, and build structures. Sounds intriguing doesn’t it?

This is more power than a player normally has inside the game. You start out using powerful code without needing to understand it, then over time you master that code to handle specific challenges. Sign me up. Sounds awesome. If you’re interested in getting in on the action, head over to Kickstarter and contribute to the project now.

[via Geeks are Sexy]

SparkFun Electric Sheep Development Board: What Android Geeks Dream of

Shane McGlaun — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 21:59:24 +0000

Android fans that want to really get their geek on and develop their own accessories and physical devices to work with their smartphone might want to check this out. It’s from a company called SparkFun and the product is dubbed Electric Sheep. It’s not really a sheep, but rather a board that hooks to your Android device via USB, and lets you design things.

Similarly to the Arduino Mega ADK board, the Electric Sheep board will connect to your Android device using the Open Accessory protocol and that gives you access to the phone’s functions. You can use the board to tie the phone to just about anything electronic or mechanical you can dream up, then control it from your phone. The board has an ATMEGA2560-16AU microcontroller on it and a pre-loaded Mega 2560 bootloader. It has an onboard USB host header for connecting your Android gadgets, and can control devices without having to write any Java code – when used in concert with HandBag for Android.

The Electric Sheep board is available now for $79.95 (USD) over at SparkFun.

Win Free Passes to Web 2.0 Expo [Caption Contest]

Technabob — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 02:16:20 +0000

Thanks to our friends over at Technorati, I’ve got my hands on a couple of full passes to next week’s Web 2.0 Expo to give away to two lucky Technabob readers. The show runs from April 22-25 in San Francisco, CA and is a great opportunity to learn about the latest Internet trends and technologies, and to interact with thousands of members of the community that is shaping the future of the Web.

Valued at up to $1,895 a piece, each pass will get you into the entire show, including:

All sessions (Wed – Fri)
Workshops on Tues, April 22
All keynote and plenary presentations
The Expo and all events held in the Expo
All conference networking events
Web2Open
Continental Breakfast & Lunch (Tues – Fri)

Here’s How to Enter:

Simply write a really clever or witty caption for the photo above (taken at a previous Web 2.0 Expo), and post it in the comments below. The best two entries (in my opinion) will win passes. That’s all you need to do. Be sure to provide a valid e-mail address so I can contact you if you are a winner.

Since the conference begins on Tuesday, April 22, and online registration ends this Friday at 5pm, this is going to be a very short contest. That said, entries must be submitted by 11:59pm Central time on Thursday, April 17th, 2008 to qualify. Each winning entry will receive a special code which can be redeemed for one full Web 2.0 Expo conference and workshop pass.

If you’re not able to get yourself to San Francisco for the conference, please don’t enter and let someone who can attend win and enjoy the show.