Yesterday was my 22nd Birthday, which I celebrated about 4 different times throughout the day (midnight UK time, midnight USA time etc.) The day wasn't great since I had to go to school to do a presentation. Our group had to wait around all day since we were chosen to go last. I didn't feel much like working after busting out some late night work that week to get our game demo done in time. Neither did anyone else, so we ended up watching a load of movies including the new Family Guy straight-to-DVD movie out in September.
I got some nice presents, (Thank You everyone,) one of which was three tickets to go and see Franz Ferdinand at an MTV taping at Hard Rock Live! The show itself was pretty good, and there was a surprising amount of Scottish fans there. But before it started, they were making people cheer and dance to the CD so they could get some crowd shots and I thought that was utter crap. I went with Joe and Duke and got very, very drunk. In fact I ended up sleeping on someone's lawn last night.
In more sober news, I got to see NASA launch their new shuttle into space this week from the school car park. Incredible. There are people out there in space, how weird is that?

I've just got back from watching The Wedding Crashers at the cinema and thought it was hilarious. There are so many great one liners in there it is incredible. Plus a Will Ferrell cameo, what more could be asked for?
I also saw Hitch Hikers Guide today, and while it had its moments, I'm sure it is infinitely better as a book, (now ruined for my by my laziness and the movie.)
Work is coming on strongly on our group project game, (at least mine is, not sure about the rest of the group yet until I see some results.) It has the potential to be quite good. An isometric, squad based mech game, which plays in a way similar to Desert Strike. I have been working on the tile engine and editor so far, and it is not too bad. Let's just see how it turns out in a month or so.

As a Londoner, (living in the US right now, but I just so happened to be back this week,) I have to give my condolences to the families of those killed in this morning's bomb attacks. It was a cowardly act on a city while the world had its back turned, focusing on the G8 summit in Scotland. It is impossible for me to comprehend how you can hate a group of people so much as to try and destroy them. Why can't everyone get along? Seriously, its like these terrorists are children that need to grow up and realise we all live here on this planet together. We don't get a long run at life, so just enjoy what you have, not go out and hurt others.

I've just seen the announcement that London have won the bid to host the Olympic Games in 2012. Great news!

Anyway, I saw War of the Worlds last night with Louise and thought it was absolutely brilliant. Gripping throughout I think it does a really good job of showing how useless a screaming mass of panicking people really is. A couple of questionable moments, such as the blatant product placement right at the beginning of the movie, ("You should get TiVo, its awesome!") or the fact that no-one dies in the tree (I don't want to spoil it, so I'll leave it at that and you will know what I mean when you see it) but apart from that, fantastic. A bit on the scary side for a 12A rating I would say though.

CBAnimator.com is my brother Chris' site which he opened recently and has some of his work to download. The animations are really quite impressive. Try the second Lip Sync and 5 points to anyone for naming the sound clip used.
PSP-Files.com is my PSP news site which has just been totally redesigned to make it easier for me to update and be a lot easier to read. I've just kept it nice and clean and simple, although maybe it just needs something...
After getting some 99.x% marks in my classes these past few months I have managed to out do myself by getting a 102% in Structure of Game Design. Yes I am bragging and I don't care. The big grin on my face says it all! :D
* Update *
Incredible I know, but I have actually gone and updated my portfolio and uploaded some new work. itsajobthing.com and psp-files.com are mentioned and two games have been listed, Arkanoid and Teenage Mutannt Ninja Turtles! Be sure to read the notes on those since DirectX patches may be necessary to play.

I've been to EB Games at the weekend to trade in my klapped out XBox, (which has been opened and abused) for an XBox 360 pre-order. I managed to distract the guy while he was looking at the bottom, so he didn't notice the warranty voiding sticker damage and got myself $70. A problem arose that they no longer had any pre-orders left though, already! If they are in this short supply this early, I think I should pick one up then just stand outside and flog it for $500. I said that to the clerk and he told me I would probably get it too. He also said to phone them Tuesday morning as they might be given another allocation from head office.
Still no NeoFlash and the Half-Life book has been pushed back to August.
School has been a bit of a bitch so far this month as it is a late shift 6 days a week. And one of the classes is Media and Society, which I feel is a bit of a waste of time having done this stuff loads before. Structure of Game Design is quite good though. We are actually making real games! Expect them to appear on the site by the end of the month as no new work has been put up here for ages.
I wish I could go to one of the Live8 concerts, but they are on the Saturday I'm flying back to the UK for a break. Not the weekend I'm there, or even the next day, the day I'm flying. How crap is that? Poor me, *sniff* ;)

I would have updated sooner, but I've just got back into the USA after taking a last minute trip back home to surprise everybody. It all went very well and everyone was gob smacked. Cheers all for going out and getting drunk over the weekend, and thank you Louise for getting the day off work for me :)
Last month, school finished well and my marks should be high. This month is a nasty 6 day week schedule though.
Congrats to Liverpool and West Ham, but why did Palace have to go down when they were 8 minutes away from safety? Rubbish.

My Half-Life 2: Mod Maker's Source Guide is still yet to arrive, as is my NeoFlash DS Linker.
School is going well though. DirectX lessons have been heating up and we have been making some nice plugins for Maya in ATP. Its feeling like we can make something more substantial with every class that goes by. Even if the labs can be a struggle and you might not have 100% understanding of what is going on...
Last night Microsoft used MTV as a platform to launch it's new Xbox 360. Not much in the way of "Revolutionary" games is known yet, but I can see myself getting one at launch for many reasons. One quote from Microsoft's official Xbox site has this to say:
"The Xbox 360 supports progressive-scan for DVD playback functionality, including a control for opening and closing the tray."
Wow. It must be great! But seriously, I'm looking forward to more at E3.

The Playstation Portable is now somewhat codeable thanks to an ELF to PBP converter being released. Oh, and ISO files of the games have been released too. Its a big day for the Sony PSP.
I noticed Google has put a line of text advertisements into GMail now, but more importantly, random links to recipes using SPAM in the spam folder.
Finally, in an update to this site, you may have noticed a link to Stuff I've Written at the top of each page. That is where links to articles I write will go. So far only the Blogger Hack is there (restyled), but with my NeoFlash DS Linker arriving soon I was getting prepared for posting a review.

I have secured myself a Nintendo DS development kit from NeoFlash.com. Hopefully I can port my Educational Software for GameBoy Advance project onto it. I'll post some pictures when it arrives. In preparation I have been brushing up on my GBA coding skills and have started using VisualHAM which helps make things easier. I am, however, trying to stay away from the libraries since they may be too GBA specific to work on the DS.
Also arriving this week should be my copy of Prima's new book Half-Life 2: Mod Maker's Guide which I am looking forward to diving into.
I have also volunteered as a web developer for the IGDA (International Game Developers Association) which should, among other things, allow me entry to the IGDA VIP Luncheon at GDC next year! I found out it will be in San Jose next year, as it usually is, after their trial of San Francisco this year. That should hopefully make it a more intimate affair allowing me to chat to a few more people here and there.
All this and I am starting a new night-shift month of classes, DirectX and Advanced Tools Programming. So much to do and so little time to cram it all in!

I took the test at Who Should You Vote For to see what party I am best aligned with, (well, after answering a few basic questions) and I end up being more or less in the middle. Great. Oh well, I'm not at home to vote anyway.

	Labour 12
	Conservative 3
Liberal Democrat -1
	UK Independence Party 5
	Green 9

It can be really annoying not knowing your schedule for the next month or two ahead of time. I would really like to go and see England vs USA in a friendly match next month and the US F1 Grand Prix the month after.
Anyway, it has been a while since I last posted and a few things have happened. Thanks to Louise, her sister and my Mum for coming out to visit during Spring break. Nice to see all of them and see America as a tourist again.
I have been playing Cold Fear which has been OK. Basic zombie blasting after following what is really a linear path to find item X to unlock door Y. Certainly not a bad game, but probably not quite as good as I hoped. Resident Evil 4 is supposed to be better.
I am trying to earn myself a Free Sony PSP. If anyone would like to help out on that front, please sign up by clicking that link. Much appreciated.
I have also opened a new website dedicated to the console, despite my lack of one, at PSP-Files.com. Bit empty right now, but more will come. Mostly when I have long weekends to spend some time on it.
I have been doing some 3D modeling this month and am now working on a level for Unreal Tournament 2004. In Windows Programming we are wrapping up with a Tile Map Editor. It should be quite good by the end. As effort affords me, some of this stuff I have been making will end up online.
P.S. Incredible. As I was typing this my friend was calling Microsoft Tech Support... and got his problem fixed in all of about 5 minutes. Yes! That short AND its fixed. Amazing.

I got hold of LEGO Star Wars for the PC and have been playing it for the past few days during breaks and after class. I was unsure whether to play through Episode III since it would obviously contain spoilers for the movie. I went ahead though and have completed the story mode and am now going through the Freeplay mode to try and unlock all of the bonuses, (such as extra characters.) It is a great, simple little game that is fun to play, (even if there are a few frustrating sections, such as the jumping around at the end of the last level.) In between all the usual lightsabering levels are the occasional vehicle levels which add a bit of 'on-rails' action for a change of pace. I would probably give an 8 overall, with a high recommendation to try it. Marks are only lost for being a little short, (but the replay value is quite high,) and a bit of repetitiveness creeping in. Hey, you get to be Samuel L Jackson in LEGO form. It has to be good.
Having played it I am looking forward to May 19th even more. If the movie is anything like the game, this is going to be a high action Star Wars film, which has always been the best part of the other films. Lets face it, star fighters and lightsabers rock. Trade blockades don't.

A friend of mine tried Googling my name this week and I was surprised by the results. Searching for "ashley bennett" will show my IGDA membership page as the fourth result. Adding developer to the end will get you HiAsh.com as the first result. That's not too bad!
With the PlayStation Portable (PSP) launching in the USA this week I have to rant about game retailers blatantly taking advantage of the early adopters. Searching around for prices on the console at stores such as EB Games, GameStop and Best Buy all bring up overpriced bundles. The console should be $250 on its own, but I can only see the major retailers selling packages of at least $350 with many more being $400+. I'll wait before I get a new portable anyway. Nintendo have another one on the way to go with their Revolution console, and my GBA SP gets little (read: no) play as it is.
The Matrix Online Beta is over with the game to launch on Tuesday. Apparently the last few hours were great, with characters such as Morpheus, The Merovingian and Niobe all turning up for a huge war involving the Matrix's virtual world being set ablaze by a fire virus started by the Machines. After my experience with the game I can say it could be fun to play in the long term if you could get in a good "clan" and there were some more events similar to the last day of the beta. Or of course if you are a rabid MMO fan.
I also tried out the Lego Star Wars Demo this week and I have to say I'm very impressed. Clean, simple fun with basic puzzles, 3D platforming and lightsabers. As long as the levels are a little longer and more complex than that presented in the demo, I would have to recommend this game. The replay value is great since you can go back and play each level with access to all of the characters in the game, each with a unique ability allowing you to open up previously inaccessible areas of the map. Buy it next month.
Finally, congratulations to the boys at Elemental Entertainment who's title Wingmen, which I have mentioned in previous posts, will be featured in an upcoming issue of Computer Arts, top digital design rag, as part of a piece about the MediaLab Arts degree, (or rather Digital Art and Technology as it will soon be known.) Well done!

I'm back now from GDC and it was pretty damn cool. Highlights include getting completely drunk for free, all the food we blagged each day, getting my arse handed to me in a game of Doom 3 by a professional girl gamer, oh, and the show was there too.
On the first day a lot of stands were giving out beers and stuff at about 5, so we went around each of those booths and had about 6, then went across the road when the show finished and had a few with the Full Sail staff that were there. The next night Playstation held a private party that we all got into.
As for the show, the fact that Microsoft wasn't really showing anything was a surprise. I got to have a go on the PSP a few times and there were some entertaining things to do at the booths. But overall there was nothing amazing gaming wise. It was more showing the new technologies and tools we as developers can use, which was cool to see and try, but its not like E3 - place of shiny things.
We spoke to a few people too, which was good, including getting some good advice for next year, so I would say it was definitely worth the trip. It should be better next year since we will be looking for jobs and should have some stuff to show. It was a bit pointless talking to companies about it now, apart from seeing what they wanted and what they offered (such as internships.)
I just got back this morning and had some sleep. Apparently we didn't have power for 2 days since the power company cut us off thinking we were someone else. I'm pissed.
In totally unrelated news, I'm on the front page of the MediaLab Arts website in a beautiful pic. Lucky me, thanks Chris! ;)

I have managed to get myself on the Matrix Online beta which is pretty sweet. Its the first time I've signed up for something like this and is the first MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online Game) I have ever played at the same time. Signing up involved agreeing to an NDA, so I can't say too much, but it seems like it could get quite deep. I was thinking it would be a terrible game, but being a fan of the Matrix series I signed up for the beta as soon as I heard about it months ago, however it wasn't until Tuesday I was accepted. I have only played for around 2 one hour sessions so far, having to restart with a new character for the second hour since I switched servers to try and reduce the lag. It was bad yesterday, but it was acceptable today. I'm more impressed than I thought I would be, but really don't think I would pay a monthly fee to keep playing. I'm going to try and get the most out of this free beta as I can.
I also had a quick go at Cold Fear for the X-Box today. It looks impressive. A more action oriented survival-horror game, along the lines of Resident Evil 4, but based on a large ship in the middle of a storm. The movement is exaggerated based on huge waves crashing into the hull, making your character sway as they move. After playing I was watching the TV and everything was 'moving' infront of my eyes, which is a little worrying for a 20 min play!
This time next week I'll be at GDC and I'm looking forward to that. Just need to keep on top of the work at the same time!

Last week I added to the list of strange meats I have sampled... this time Dolphin. I have to say, Flipper is pretty bland. Also that week I had a chance to speak to Sheri Graner Ray, author of Gender Inclusive Game Design and who now works for Sony Online Entertainment. I got to ask her some questions about the content of her book and how we should approach marketing to try and gain a larger female audience, increasing our sales potential. It was an interesting conversation and a great opportunity to speak to someone in the industry, so I would like to thank her for that.
Yesterday I sent some voice recordings over to Elemental Entertainment for them to put into their game Wingmen. Its a fun little multiplayer 2D space shooter which is nearing a milestone right now. Check out the impressive website and grab the demo when its up, they are a good bunch of lads.

Fantastic! Bloggers are considered dangerous to society due to the potential inaccuracies... despite blogs bringing up some major scandals recently. Scare mongering by governments, (and other idiots who have no idea what they are talking about) really is crap.
But anyway, school is going well so I booked myself a trip to San Francisco next month with a few friends as a reward. The reason? The Game Developers Conference 2005 baby! I can't wait. Its just a shame students cannot attend E3. When I go, I'll try and post some photos and news live, or at least at the end of each day.
Oh, and Dad visited us here last week. It was great to see him and have a few beers. Just thought I'd throw that in. Thanks Dad.

I took a look at the Half-Life 2 source code in order to start making a mod or two which I have planned. It is a bit intimidating to look at at the moment though, since there are no real guides out there for the coding, they are all for map editing.
I noticed that Prima are coming out with a new guide in the next few months however, The Half-Life 2 Mod Maker's Guide, so I may pick that up to get some pointers. Even if I don't end up using it directly for HL2 modding, I'm sure there are some good general tips in there, and it is less $15.
Just one last note, I have been using Vonage (who use VOIP technology which lets you make phone calls using your Internet connection so you save money, especially on international calls!) as my telephone service for a while now and I can only say good things about them. If anyone out there is thinking of signing up, email me, (or use the form on the left of this page) an I can send you an e-coupon for a free month of service, whichever plan you choose.

Another month down, and it went fairly well I think. I did not really enjoy the Physics class, but it has been a good reminder of my old Maths and Mechanics and how to implement it in code for games.
Unfortunately I didn't get to see Louise while she stopped over in Miami tonight, sorry honey. That's what accelerated school does to you.
I did a quick update to the site, making the most changes to my CV, (or resume for any Americans reading) :) I think my portfolio could do with a spruce up, but I doubt that will happen for a while! I hope tomorrow to take a look at the Half-Life 2 source code and see what the chances of making a mod are.