MSDN Channel 9 Video Promoting MVA Construct 2 Video Tutorial

By Shahed C on September 20, 2014
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Interested in developing games with Construct 2?

Check out a promo video of my colleague James Quick and I on MSDN’s Channel 9 (with DevRadio host Jerry Nixon,  to promote our upcoming video tutorial on Microsoft Virtual Academy.

Free Registration

To register for the course, simply go to Microsoft Virtual Academy at:

Details:

  • Date/Time: September 25, 2014 9:00am–1:00pm PDT
  • What: Jump Start training with live Q&A
  • Cost: Free
  • Audience: Hobbyists or professionals, of any skill level, interested in learning to build 2D games.
  • Prerequisites: No experience in game development or computer science is required.

Construct 2 Flapping Bird Improvements

By Shahed C on August 29, 2014
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In my previous Construct 2 tutorials, we covered a top-down shooter and a flappy bird clone, derived from Scirra.com tutorials.

In the following presentation, you’ll learn how to make simple improvements to Flapping Bird.

  • High score, with WebStorage (HTML5 local storage)
  • Functions
  • Sound effects

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BizSpark: FREE Microsoft Software and Azure Cloud Credits

By Shahed C on August 25, 2014
2 Replies

Tech for Startups

Looking for my Tech for Startups presentation? Get it here:

Signing Up for BizSpark

There are 3 ways to sign up for BizSpark.

  1. You may have received a signup link with a code at the end (e.g. ?SecurityCode=ABCDEF), or a short URL that redirects you to the signup page.
  2. You may have received just an enrollment code, e.g. ABCDEF
  3. You just want to sign up for BizSpark, but you don’t have a code.

Here’s what you should do next:

  1. If you received a signup link (or a short URL), the link should redirect you to the BizSpark signup page. When you start to sign up, Step 2 should show an enrollment code field that should already be filled in with the auto-approved code, e.g. “ABCDEF”.
  2. If you just have an enrollment code, go to bizspark.com and start to sign up. Enter your enrollment code in Step 2.
  3. If you have a code, sign up on bizspark.com and wait for the approval process to find out if you have been approved or not.

FYI, here are the steps of the signup process:

  • Step 1: Choose language.
  • Step 2: Enter info. (verify enrollment code, if applicable)
  • Step 3: Accept agreement.
  • Step 4: You’re done! (thank you page)

Claiming Your Benefits: MSDN & Azure Cloud

Detailed Guide for BizSpark and Azure Signup

For detailed screenshots, follow this BizSpark guide by Bret Stateham:

Additional Information

According to the official BizSpark website, your startup qualifies for BizSpark if you are:

  • Developing software or apps
  • Less than 5 years old and privately held
  • Making less than US$1M annually

You should also do the following before signing up:

  • Get a custom domain for yourself, unique to your startup.
  • Set up a website for your startup using the custom domain.
  • Create an email address for yourself and other members on your domain.

When signing up for BizSpark, you will need to enter a website URL and email address that uses your own domain.

More information here:

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Compulsion Games Q & A for Contrast on Xbox One, and more!

By Shahed C on August 22, 2014
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For today’s Q&A, we have Sam Abbott of Compulsion Games, developer of Contrast, which was recently released on Xbox One.

 

1. How many people were on your team to make Contrast?
Contrast was contributed to by a number of people, but our core team in the studio was 8 people. We scaled up very slowly from 1 at the start of the project, by bringing on people who were as passionate about the project as we were.

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UnUrbanTech Q&A with Gerrell Jones

By Shahed C on August 14, 2014
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Updated: Aug 19, 2014

After publishing the Q&A below, Gerrell now has Soft Kitty on the Windows Store, with more to come!

Original Post: Aug 14, 2014

Today’s Q&A is with Gerrell Jones of UnUrbanTech, a game developer working on Construct 2 and Unity games. He’s also raising funds for his family through an online fundraiser, as they’re going through some difficult times.

1. I understand that your family has fallen on some hard times. Can you share a few words about your situation?

Yes. An electrical fire has brought our home to complete rubble. Although it is troubling times, we will never waver to continue to smile everyday and enjoy life. We are thankful for just having not accidents with our family members. We are a recently homeless family of eight that is.

The eastern Pennsylvania shelter system would separate us if we utilize them, not to mention the long waiting list before we are even placed. So we have converted our hotel room into a game development studio. We love playing and creating games as a family and this keeps our mind off of the distractions. So we decided to pool our creative talents together, as a family and build something from our situation, while keeping our heads up.

NOTE: Find out how you can help, here: http://www.gofundme.com/t6oi0

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