Updating Database model with C# code first

The error:

The model backing the '(data context name)' context has changed since the database was created. Consider using Code First Migrations to update the database (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=238269).

Solution: Add this line of code into the Global.asax.cs -> Application_Start() method

Database.SetInitializer<(model name)>(null);

C# Event Handling

In an attempt to broaden my programming skills, and more specifically my C# skills, I have been learning how to create event listeners with Visual C#.  I am learning how to recreate the interface in my flash version of wizED (which I still havn't uploaded yet, I am going to work on a webpage to put it, and the finished game on soon).

Here are some sites I have been looking on for the information:

http://articles.techrepublic.com.com/5100-10878_11-1050284.html This is nice and basic, starting from how events are added when you add a control to the form, etc.

http://articles.techrepublic.com.com/5100-10878_11-1053743.html?tag=rbxccnbtr1 This article follows on and goes into more depth about custom added events, dynamic events etc

http://secure.codeproject.com/KB/cs/event_fundamentals.aspx - goes into more depth about delegates and dynami event handling.  A lot to read, but useful.

Update: although I understood the concept, I was still struggling getting a click event to work until I came across this page which made it really reallly simple: http://www.csharp-station.com/Articles/EventHandlingInCSharp.aspx

And then this to go into more detail: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa289500(VS.71).aspx

Programming Lessons

Today I have been looking into using event handlers/listeners in C#

Websites I have looked at:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/317794

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa983610(VS.71).aspx

http://www.developerfusion.co.uk/show/2137/

http://www.devarticles.com/c/a/C-Sharp/Event-Handling-With-C-sharp/

http://www.gamespp.com/c/EventHandling.html

I am hoping to create a C# version of the level editor for my flash game 'Wizards' so trying to improve my C skills a bit.  Also been looking up classes and some other stuff, no examples of any working code yet though.

Game design concepts

I am currently working on designs for the start of a game idea I hav come up with. The aim is to create a realistic looking, believable futuristic setting. I am concentrating on one building for now, the home of the main character, and on the designs of individual bits which give the feeling of a futuristic setting. This includes showing advanced technologies suh as animated wallpaper and digital displays projected on many surfaces such as walls, mirrors and windows. I will work on transparency and animated textures in maya and the unreal engine to achieve these effects. Currenlythese advanced features are just conceptual and I have not yet implimented them into any software yet.

I will also look into the use of programming within unreal to see if it going to be an achievable goal to have the character interact with the differnent displays to effect different parts of the room. If this is not going to be easily achieved then I will simply code a GUI in C showing how the system would work, and havedifferent preview screens within the program showing how the displays would change the look of different rooms.

I would also like to experiment with scripting in unreal and the creation of objects which can be picked up and used to solve puzzles etc. Dialogue/Monologue would also be important in the sort of adventure game I wiso create/demonstrate. If this is not easily achieved in unreal then again I wll look at other methods of demonstraingtis in C or actionscript.

As I am going away for a week or so, I wl justbe working on more concepts and designs before creating anything more in maya and unreal. I will scan in some designs at a later date date as well as get some screenshots of what I have done already (I'm not on the right computer at the moment to get anything like that).

Stuff I've been doing

I have redesigned my website, created a new banner, background, added links to other pages of mine, such as this blog, my flikr account, etc.


(http://www.guiblin.com/chris)



I have created the flickr account which I have been adding some pictures to, including 3D things created in maya and 2D stuff from Illistrator.



I have been doing a lot of sketching of random character designs and stuff, mostly quite abstract and cartoony. I have scanned a sketchbook in and created a PDF file of it. The upload for the whole PDF keeps timing out both on my server back at home and my file den account, blogger too is refusing to upload pictures any more to here, so I will try again later. (one page can be seen as the background image of my website).

I have also been doing some colouring in of images that I sketched and scanned in. (I uploaded these before i tried the sketches that wont upload)

Daily Routine by ~chrisguiblin on deviantART

Other stuff: been doing a little bit of playing around with Visual C#, learning some basic stuff. I haven't got anything really to show from that but just been learning to use different controls, create them at run time and other window related stuff.

Also got my hands on UnrealEd 3 and been doing some practicing of that in creating simple rooms and such. I have been watching videos on Game Trailers (http://www.gametrailers.com/player/usermovies/136126.html) showing basic tutorials on using the engine. I have been writing notes on stuff I have learnt from the tutorials I have watched so far and this will be very usefull for this terms project.

What else....I have been working a bit on my flash game from my last term's project, 'Wizards'. I have started it from scratch and using online tutorials about tiles used in tile based platform games I have created a basic way of using arrays to map out the levels. To do this on a bigger scale I need to look into using xml files to load in the level information, but I have given this a break for now to work on learning to use UnrealEd.