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Welcome to mikebelotti.com, home of Mike Belotti. Thanks for dropping by! Here you'll find a collection of works, rants, and miscellany that I've produced in some form or another. I believe that if you want something done right, you gotta do it. So everything on this site, unless noted otherwise, is MINE (including the html itself). So if you like something, you know who to thank. Likewise, if you think something stinks, you know who to blame.

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Down To Business Thoughts On Starting A Game Company June 29, 2009 Really, Mike? Starting a business? Wait, wasn't it just yesterday that your mom was breast-feeding you and now today you think you can be a power player in the free market economy? Uh--well, uh... No. No, I don't. Not today. But I've been playing with the idea... Thing is, as long as I'm working for someone else, I have to make their games, and watch their dreams come true as I toil away behind the scenes. And that's a respectable way to make a living; there's no shame in that. But do I want to be relegated to a grunt status forever? I probably won't be either way; I can advance in doing what I'm doing, but... It's slot machines. And we know how much I hate love slot machines. OK, so there's some motivation. But now...what? We need tangible things. Like: capital. Where'm I gonna get that? Investors. In today's economy? Pssshhhhhyyyeeaah right... Even if I did get my hands on some money, there's still the matters of: Hiring talent. Can't I do everything myself? Yes. It will take me a decade to come out with a marketable game though. Paying said talent. People get cranky if they're not paid. An office. And where? Management & scheduling. With people comes the need for coordination. And there are a bunch of other important things I'm not mentioning. But then there's my fear. Going under? Oh, no. We go under, then that's what happens. It happens! Sucks, but... No, my fear is not having a life. Kinda like how you are now! Sigh. No; I mean, not being able to think of anything besides work...ever. If I'm the boss, I gotta worry about everything. When the employees go home, they can forget; I can't. Because even if there aren't any problems in-house to take care of, there's always the competition... It's like you're never off the clock. And why is free time important? Porn? What? Shut up. I mean, aside from the need to decompress, I'm not gonna be one of those work-aholics who neglects his family and stuff. Aw. Yeah. Know that I (obviously) didn't reasearch this much. Some friends and I were just playing a round or two of "Wouldn't It Be Cool If" and we liked the idea. And right now, that's all it is: an idea. Right now... Top X-tra Alternative Xbox's XNA X-tremely Streamlined June 26, 2009 So I don't know what sparked this, but I recently decided to download Microsoft's XNA framework in an attempt to create some games that could go between Windows and the Xbox 360. Yes! Console game programming! Well, here's hoping. Now, I've had limited hands-on time with XNA, but after following a simple 2-D video tutorial (one of many tutorials supplied by the XNA developer site), I already have a simple, simple little prototype game thingy going. I was kinda surprised at how easy Microsoft has made it to develop with XNA. I don't want to be eating those words later, but I don't plan on it. I mean, first of all, everything is in the C# language--which, unlike Objective C on the iPhone, is actually a pleasure to read and write. Plus, the Visual C# Express development environment makes a conscious effort to nudge you in the right direction as you go with smart Intellisense which tries to guess what keyword or class I'm thinking of. And because there are a bunch of pre-written common classes (like a templated content loader), I don't have to spend hours writing internal plumbing code that I would have to write again for my next project. Again, let me reiterate the sentiment: I haven't spent all that much time with XNA, and I'm not a Microsoft geek. But my initial impression is that they want me to succeed... ...Probably because if I do, and I decide to sell my creation, they get a decent chunk of the profits (how much exactly is unclear to me right now, but it may very well be more than Apple's 30% on iPhone). Still... I'm...actually kind of pumped right now. (What does "XNA" stand for? I don't even know. I could just look it up right now. But... You do it.) Top Important Headline But Not Much New, Really June 22, 2009 Kind of random, but I thought I'd share: FYI, this is the original: One day I'm gonna look back on that and sigh. Don't I have game ideas to be programming or something? Yeah, I gotta get myself back on that... For Fathers Day, we went up to Cooperstown to see the baseball hall of fame and the first-ever old-timers game, in which decorated former all-star players took part. Good stuff; I expect my dad to be able to hustle like that when he's that old. Top Same Ol' Story Another Parody, Coming Right Up June 15, 2009 Hey! Feelin' kinda good... Riding the high that comes with releasing a new parody--and a pretty good one (at least I think so!). I'm learning to take a step back from the mic and just sing louder--that gets a noticeably better sound. And a little reverb never hurt...right? The song is an Aerosmith song, so you probably know it. Check the music page for more on that! Ahem... So, anyway, as far as iPhone things are concerned, I'm gonna try and learn how to use Objective C++, the more sane alternative to the Objective C mess that Apple pushes. (What? I'm not biased...) It's gonna be a while, but I have at least one idea that I wanna put on that platform. We'll see... Top Two New For RhyU New Levels, Patch For Rhythm Universe June 11, 2009 Howdy! Got some new goods on the RhyU front. You didn't think I was just gonna abandon the game, did you? Honestly, I kinda want to... (GASP!) But, I had some content leftover that I never got into it (music) and I'm not just gonna let it go to waste. Actually, I still do have some music that never made it in (and maybe for a good reason, but, uh...haha). So yeah, two new levels: a somber ballad theme, balanced out by a goofy, Weird Al-like polka theme. I'm finding level design kind of a challenge; I mean, how do you make levels for this game? It's not like I have examples...other than my own. Oh, and, uh, I put up a patch for RhyU too. It fixes a couple of bad bugs, one of which is actually introduced by the new levels. You'll want to grab the patch--it takes, like, two seconds to install (probably less) and should clear up any funky behavior...but let me know. These updates can be found on the Rhythm Universe page. Ciao~ Top Victim Of Conformity When "Just Being Yourself" Doesn't Work June 8, 2009 How many times have you heard it? I know it's been drilled into me hundreds of times, whether from family, teachers, or some cheesy TV shows that try to be entertaining and get a moral across. I'm talking about the age-old adage, "Just be yourself," also manifested as "be an individual," "go your own way," "blaze a new trail" and the like. Well, I'd like to make a comment on that advice, speaking from first-hand experience: it doesn't work. Don't fall for it. So many times, mostly in high school, I thought to myself, "huh... How would I feel if I didn't try so hard at school and just fooled around and got into trouble like normal kids do? Would I be happier?" I was always living for the future, even then. Do well in school to get into a good college. Work hard there to get a job I like. Work hard there to advance and gain experience. And then...what? Guess I didn't think that far ahead. And rightfully so. Now I know that I would've been better off being like "all the rest of 'em." So, wait, like...doing drugs, getting arrested? No; absolutely not. But, like, goofing off and not caring about tomorrow... I had (and have) a bad habit of caring about tomorrow. That, and my overall personality has and still does distance me from a lot of my peers. That's not how I want it to go down. What I want is to be seen as knowledgeable and helpful and conscientious... "That Mike, he's got a good head on his shoulders there, yep." But apparently those qualities don't go over well with the general population. Instead, ignorance, egotism and a general disregard for safety and consequences seem to be the qualities of people who are well-liked and see a lot of action. I'm reminded of the movie Idiocracy when I say this, but I'm really starting to wonder... "Just be yourself" has a good ring to it; you feel noble for saying it. But it's not such valuable advice, I'm finding. That's not to say I'm going to erase my values and personality in favor of a mainstream, manufactured branding. I'm going to keep what I am, but just add in some apathy, drinking, a pinch of charisma, and some very embarassing Facebook photos until I can manage to hold a conversation with--and the interest of--a "normal" person. So I'm gonna hafta work on being a little less like I am and a little more like someone else. You know I don't really want to. But I know that if I don't, I am going to die cranky and alone. And nobody, even me, likes that. Top One Small Step Rhythm Universe on 2BeeGames June 2, 2009 Huh, funny how I said "something out of the ordinary better happen sometime soon" and then something actually happened. Well, it wasn't totally out of the blue. Around the time of GDC (late March), I submitted Rhythm Universe to an indie games contest on the 2BeeGames site. You know, I thought I was some kind of special for having developed my own PC video game, and I wanted people to know. Well, as it turns out, my game didn't make the finals for the contest...but it's still a winner to me! *sniffle* Nah, I mean, I've said it before: I took a risk with this game, and you either like it or don't. I've gotten feedback going both ways. It's all good. But by all means: Rhythm Universe on 2BeeGames Not a BIG deal, no, but I obviously feel it's worth mentioning! So show RhyU some support if you like. And know that I'm always accepting feedback. You know, maybe I should get to work on those extra downloadable levels I was thinking about... Top Terribly Droll Boring Routine Needs Changing June 1, 2009 June already, huh... It seems like just a little while ago I was complaining about the cold and the snow... Oh, it'll be coming back, soon; I know. I just...ugh. It's like I'm bored...but I'm not. There's stuff to do; stuff to work on, things to entertain me. It just feels like stuff is getting stale. I mean, the first 10 waking hours of every weekday are the same for me: get up, go to work, do work, leave work, get home. Then once I'm home things are OK... But, like, I can't do all that much, like go and see friends or anything, because I gotta factor in eating, shower, and getting to bed at a somewhat-reasonable hour. All of this is just so...routine. Work is consistently boring, the commute is consistently annoying (because it involves driving), and even the gym is feeling like more of a chore. Huh. Doesn't sound like I'm in too good of a mood, right? I don't know, just... Something out-of-the-ordinary needs to happen. Like, hey, a freak storm took down the power grid and we can't go in to work today! Or, hey, your old friend Whatchamacall'em wants to get back in contact...or even whoa, did you hear about that meteor that landed that was really an alien egg that hatched into a giant amphibious squid? That'd be something for the water cooler at least. Agh... Well, we all know how this will go. If I want something unusual to happen to me...I'll be the one initiating it. A couple of guys from work wanna make a PC game on the side in hopes to convince the boss to do some non-slot machine games. I'm of that mind, so maybe I should chase that idea and see if I can make work, which seems like it takes away the majority of my waking life, into something more fun. Or maybe screw all that and get a girl. Just saying. Top

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