This is where all the extra fun stuff goes...
Iron Pawn
Iron Pawn is a classic style RPG created with RPG Maker XP. I started creating this game because I enjoy the style of classic Japanese 2-D RPG's. So many of today's video games are so concerned about top-notch graphics and movie-length storylines that much of the simple, down-to-earth gameplay has been lost. I decided that RPG Maker XP provided an excellent modern representation of this lost genre. I am planning on actually publishing the game for free one day. My inspiration for this comes from a website called Amaranth Games.
Mazes
For nearly 1000 years, I have been drawing all kinds of bizarre mazes. I even started to draw mazes which could be used as levels for video games. I guess you could say I enjoy mazes due to my explorative nature. I love the suspense of not knowing if a path will end up where you might think it does. This also goes hand in hand with roads in real life. Just because a road seems like it should come out in one place does not mean that it will. Anyway, some of the mazes I made as a kid were very well done, with much detail put into the neatness of the drawing. I recently decided to use Photoshop to touch up some of these mazes further, and I am considering possibly publishing a maze book someday. The above file is an example of one of those mazes.
My One and Only Song
One of the projects for my Cyberarts class was to use a program called Garage Band to create a song. I'm not much of a musician, but I put together this short song, based on a certain melody of a song from a video game called Grandia. I have to say, music composition sure has come a long way!
Nikolai Nolan: HTML Geek
I met Nikolai Nolan in the fall of 2008 online. Quite honestly, he's the nicest guy I've ever known. We both share the same birthday, December 2, we both love anime, we both have a knack for graphic design, we both are invested in computers and technology, and lots more. He's such a cool friend, and I strongly suggest visiting his website. He also appears on Myspace and Facebook.
Photo Album
I've always enjoyed Photography, every since I was a kid. While I am not a professional, I still like to take photos of all the various places I go. I think of it as "collecting memories."
Anime
Sky Rune's Seen Anime List (.xls)
Am I an otaku? Perhaps. ^_^ My love of more grown-up anime began with Sci-Fi Channel's "Saturday Anime" block long, long ago. Unfortunately, like most excellent shows, the best programs and blocks are cancelled due to ignorant network programmers. Why do I like anime? Well, it is probably because the shows are not afraid to dive into some real serious issues, whereas most American cartoons must be "PC" or "suitable for children." While I agree most anime is not as good as it was ten years ago, there are still some very well-done shows. The file above is a list of all the anime I have seen over the years.
Video Games
Sky Rune's Game Collection Review (.xls)
Ever since I was a kid in the early 90's, I have loved playing through all the detailed quests of roleplaying games. However, I prefer to remain true to the classics, so I mainly play RPGs from Japan which maintain the look, style, and feel of the classic games of the 90's I enjoy so much. I also enjoy more action-based games like Mario, Legend of Zelda, and Metroid. I decided to write my thoughts and reviews for the various video games in my collection. I have compiled all of this into this Excel spreadsheet.
One Cool Professor: Rick Haydon
One of the most interesting teachers I have ever had was Rick Haydon, a music professor and jazz guitarist at SIUE. His lectures really did not seem like lectures at all. Rather, it felt like the students were his friends, and he was telling them about music topics. He even took us through the steps of how he created an advertisement song for SIUE's online courses, called "Surfin' SIUE." He always had interesting stories to tell as well. One such story of his experiences with the Mississippi River Music Festival helped me fill in the blanks for my SIUE trails website. I was thrilled to hear about his experience with the former event and his account of the barren remnants of the site where the popular event once was held.