Tonight I cried while writing script for Hack Mars. I'm a pretty emotional person in the first place, but I haven't been this emotional while writing since I wrote the script for JF. Usually I don't write stuff that will make myself cry. I usually talk about technology, good things, bad things, and important things. But there was something interesting in the HM plot line that really struck me. I can't tell you what it is or I'd ruin part of the plot of Hack Mars. I'm planning that you'll only have to wait 3 months from last Thursday (October 24, 2003) until you get to see it in 3D. That's right, Hack Mars has a 3 month development cycle. That's mainly due to the engine being ready and usable. It wouldn't be possible if I didn't have so much of the important parts already done. Collisions, Python scripting for AI, animation, models created, Mars researched, music, and voice nearly ready to be added.

A friend asked me today, what is this Hack Mars thing? It sounds pretty cool. Well, I've been talking about it a bunch on Making Of Javantea's Fate. It's only right that I should give you full list of pages where I talked about it. You don't have to search google. Just click here. There a bunch of pictures of Hack Mars also, so you can be happy about that.

Since I'm shifting my focus from JF to Hack Mars, don't worry about not checking MoJF everday. I might just let it go. On the other hand, I might be ramping up the actual JF. I've gotten the first page almost done as you can clearly see here.

Today, I also looked at super-hi-resolution height maps of Mars. Why? Why else?! Hack Mars, of course. While they didn't help a whole lot, they gave me a few choices of colony spots. What is more important is to get something that is super-super-hi-resolution, but very small. I mean zoomed in. For example, if I could get a 1024x1024 map of an area 10 km x 10 km on a particularly habitable Martian surface, I would be pretty happy. The landing spot of the Mars rover has one of these maps, but it certainly is a terrible place for a colony. A colony should be in a relatively warm place (to reduce electric heating cost), closer to the north pole (for water), close to mining area, and in a flat place (so you don't have to level the ground).