news

News archive //__**LATEST NEWS:**__//

//11 October (Bill): New version of map game, 7b. Mitch has finished name game.

3 October (Bill): I used this wiki as an example of "eat your own dog" in my presentation about teaching programming to the Cairns ACEC Conference.//

//22 August (Bill): I've added new items to links and existing games over the past few days//

//28 July (Bill): Programming of map game (version 6c) is nearly finished, just need to make new country templates to improve appearance//

//16 July (Bill): Map game now has a hardest and easiest game play (version 6b)//

//14 July (Bill): Added 10 new countries to the map game (version 6a)//

//2 July (Bill): Changed the logo and another minor upgrade to the map game//

//28 June (Bill): Minor update of map game, with some extra comments added to code//

//7 June (Mitch):// New version of map game available for download

//31 May (Mitch):// New version of name game available for download

//29 May (Bill)//
 * New idea for a game about HIV/AIDS that might play a useful, not moralising, role
 * Suggestions for next step(s) for the name game

//16 May (Mitch):// New version of name game available for download.

//13th May (Bill):// New versions of map game and name game available for download.

//12th May (Bill)://
 * Lost Boys of Sudan, Award winning video, look like a great educational resource. See links page for more details.

//6th May (Bill)://
 * new version, africaMap3.gm6 available for download
 * if you want the RSS feed then read the management page, item (4)
 * Responded to Roland's critique

//30th April (Bill)//
 * discussing with Mitch about the best way to develop the map game, the jump off the map feature
 * posted a question to EDNA game maker forum about [|how to extract 3 unique numbers] from an array - already have suggestions from peter and tony there - thanks

//27th April (Bill)//
 * current version of map game available for download, you will need [|game maker 6.1]
 * new pages map game and name game created outlining design plans and techniques used so far

//25th April (Bill)//


 * [|Has the world become a better place]. Very interesting flash animation which tracks child mortality over the past 40 years. Most countries have improved dramatically but not Africa
 * I have blogged about blogswana (Botswana, AIDS, Africa) [|here]
 * I'm interested in this question - how do we approach Africa, HIV/AIDS, poverty, etc. etc. from a viewpoint that is not contaminated by "...sensational media and political agendas"? Check out the latest links with this in mind
 * I've been making good progress on programming an African geography game in Game Maker - I'll post an unfinished sample version for download soon
 * thanks to Mitch for new game ideas

//22nd April (Bill)// I refined the technique of cutting out countries from a map and [|wrote a GIMP tutorial] about it. I can use this as a classroom exercise in general and it might be a good way to teach African students GIMP techniques.

Talked to Tony on the phone and he has figured out a Game Maker programming technique for getting the countries to snap to the desired position when you drag them close with the mouse.Thanks Tony!

//21st April (Bill)//

I've been working on cutting up a map of Africa into 54 pieces using GIMP tools, which I sort of know but not perfectly. Slow going ... it's going to be trickier for the small countries where the name doesn't fit on the country. I put one finished piece into Game Maker and used [|some code from Tony Forster] to move it around with the mouse ... hope to become a bit more productive shortly!

The code is required to:
 * click and drag with the mouse (supplied by tony)
 * snap to position when close (needs to be developed)

Once these techniques are developed (GIMP cutting up and Game Maker drag and drop) I think they will have wide application for any game where things have to be built from their parts, it fits very well with the constructionist learning philosophy

//20th April (Bill)//


 * adding some tips and sites for obtaining creative commons images, sounds, music
 * I have started work on emulating the African Puzzle Game by Chris Hoges[[image:hogesAfricaPuzzle.jpg width="98" height="85"]]
 * wikispaces has removed google ads from this site, thanks Adam

//19th April (Bill)//


 * I like this game idea from tony, which enhance collaboration and ability to manage the project: //a number of minigames could be connected through a 3D maze game or similar. Completing a minigame would unlock further levels of the maze or quest. All the ideas above could be incorporated in this way. This would give an opportunity for teachers and students to collaborate on a project and for inter-school collaboration. The project would become open ended.//
 * I've written to help@wikispaces.com requesting that the ads be removed from this site, that is their policy for educational sites

//18th April (Bill)://


 * //Fascinating mail received - lots of it//
 * Check out the [|pax warrior game] recommended by John
 * [|How to write about Africa] - satirical essay, probably essential reading to avoid being patronising
 * There is a discussion about the home page, link at top
 * To follow recent changes visit Recent Changes link on side, if you make a change it's helpful to add your name / initials / date or alternatively leave a comment in Recent Changes, as tony has done