About Andrew Haak

Communications/PR at ROBLOX. @andrewjhaak

Aperson1890 Proves Building is Constructive at Maker Faire

By Andrew Haak - May 21, 2013

Looking back, there are a lot of Maker Faire stories to tell. I talked with independent game developers about the potential of distributing a game on ROBLOX. I talked with parents who were looking to guide the play habits of their children down productive paths. I talked with former ROBLOX builders who, after witnessing dynamic lighting and other modern features, headed home to revive their dormant accounts. I saw a maker wearing a 3D-printer backpack buy a ROBLOX fedora before striking a pose for me (I was photographing the booth). But probably the most memorable story was that of aperson1890, a longtime ROBLOX builder, 2012 RGC 2012 Hackathon winner, and up-and-coming programmer who was in the booth all weekend.

Weekly ROBLOX Roundup: May 17th, 2013

By Andrew Haak - May 19, 2013

Every week, we’re busy telling the stories behind our platform, our technology and our place in the gaming and technology industries. For those of you who catch up with ROBLOX over the weekend, the Weekly ROBLOX Roundup collects the best stuff to hit our various avenues of publication in the last week. This time: how to make your dynamic lighting and shadows look amazing, renting plots of land in KlamKnights City, our weekend at Maker Faire Bay Area, tips for submitting to the ROBLOX Film Fest, Team Zombie Defence Tycoon, and other bits and pieces. Enjoy.

Photo Gallery: Live from Maker Faire Bay Area 2013

By Andrew Haak - May 18, 2013

Update, 10 p.m.: Hello from Maker Faire 2013! This is Alan with updates straight from ROBLOX’s booth. Andrew did a great job capturing our booth and the interactions between our staff and builders earlier in the day, so I decided, as the sun began to set on day one of Maker Faire, to take a step outside and shoot some of the amazing creations and props scattered throughout the grounds. Check out what I saw below!

This giraffe was straight out of steampunk lore.

Tips for Submitting a Successful Film Fest Entry

By Andrew Haak - May 17, 2013

The submission phase of the ROBLOX International Film Festival is in full swing! During the first two weeks, ROBLOX builders have submitted more than 200 films, and many of them are undoubtedly capable of earning a coveted BLOXY Award. But don’t let that dissuade you; there are still two more weeks to submit and the weekend is imminent. It’s a perfect time to get started on your own film.

Those of you who didn’t swoop in and enter right away actually have an advantage: you can see what categories are stacked with competition and what categories remain thin.

Builders’ Tips for Beautiful Uses of Dynamic Lighting

By Andrew Haak - May 15, 2013

Dynamic lighting has been available on ROBLOX for almost one week, meaning intrepid builders have had time to explore the depth of the feature and devise tips, tricks and techniques for harnessing its beauty. In this article, a pair of winners of our dynamic lighting video contest and a pair of builders who have demonstrated an understanding of dynamic lighting describe what they’ve learned in week one. If you’re an up-and-coming dynamic lighting aficionado, you shouldn’t miss these 100% builder-provided techniques.

We recommend you read our introduction to dynamic lighting to learn how to manipulate basic dynamic lighting variables before going deeper into this article. Here, we’ll gradually move from beginner techniques to more advanced practices. Ravenshield, one of the winners of our dynamic lighting video contest, kicks things off with a foundational consideration: the overall level of brightness in your place.

Build and Battle with the ROBLOX Team This Weekend at Maker Faire

By Andrew Haak - May 14, 2013

The time is nigh! This weekend – the 18th and 19th of May, to be exact – the entire ROBLOX team will be descending upon the San Mateo County Event Center for one of the Bay Area’s biggest events of the year: Maker Faire Bay Area. The Maker Faire figures to draw more than 100,000 attendees and hundreds of Makers — ROBLOX builders included. We will be showcasing the digital side of Maker culture right in the center of the Expo Hall and we’d love for you to join us at Booth 338.

Weekly ROBLOX Roundup: May 12th, 2013

By Andrew Haak - May 12, 2013

Every week, we’re busy telling the stories behind our platform, our technology and our place in the gaming and technology industries. For those of you who catch up with ROBLOX over the weekend, the Weekly ROBLOX Roundup collects the best stuff to hit our various avenues of publication in the last week. This time: a whole bunch of dynamic lighting coverage, a day in the life of the Content Team, the development of Strobe (one of ROBLOX’s hippest games), a game-design showdown between competing FPS developers litozinnamon and Spookyfox, free gear bundled with ROBLOX cards for May, The Old Town by Aonux, and other bits and pieces. Enjoy.