Show posts

This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.

Topics - winkio

1
Simple Player Idle Sprites
Authors: winkio
Version: 1.0
Type: Animation System
Key Term: Environment Add-on

Introduction

This script was created from a simple request to have idle animations for player characters in this thread: https://forum.chaos-project.com/index.php/topic,2653.0.html

There are many scripts out there that have more fully featured implementations of idle sprites, but this one is intended to be minimalistic - just a single idle sprite per character.

Script

SIMPLE PLAYER IDLE SPRITES: ShowHide
#==============================================================================
# ** Game_Player
#------------------------------------------------------------------------------
#  With idle sprites.  name the idle sprites the same as their normal ones
#  except with '_idl' on the end (before the extension)
#==============================================================================

class Game_Player < Game_Character
  #--------------------------------------------------------------------------
  # * Public Instance Variables
  #--------------------------------------------------------------------------
  attr_reader   :character_name_org       # original character file name
  attr_reader   :current_sprite           # current sprite suffix
  #--------------------------------------------------------------------------
  # * Object Initialization
  #--------------------------------------------------------------------------
  alias initialize_idlesprites_before initialize
  def initialize
    initialize_idlesprites_before
    # set original character name
    @character_name_org = @character_name
    # set current sprite
    @current_sprite = ""
  end
  #--------------------------------------------------------------------------
  # * Frame Update
  #--------------------------------------------------------------------------
  alias update_idlesprites_before update
  def update
    update_idlesprites_before
    update_idlesprites
  end
  #--------------------------------------------------------------------------
  # * Refresh
  #--------------------------------------------------------------------------
  alias refresh_idlesprites_before refresh
  def refresh
    refresh_idlesprites_before
    update_idlesprites
  end
  #--------------------------------------------------------------------------
  # * update_idlesprites
  # Updates idle sprites of the player
  #--------------------------------------------------------------------------
  def update_idlesprites
    if @character_name != ""
      if moving?
        if @current_sprite != ''
          @step_anime = false
          @character_name = @character_name_org
          @current_sprite = ''
        end
      elsif Input.dir4 == 0
        if @current_sprite != '_idl'
          @character_name_org = @character_name
          @step_anime = true
          @character_name += '_idl'
          @current_sprite = '_idl'
        end
      end
    end
  end
 
end


SIMPLE CATERPILLAR IDLE SPRITES (FOR USE WITH TONS OF ADDONS): ShowHide
#==============================================================================
# ** Game_Member
#------------------------------------------------------------------------------
#  With idle sprites.  name the idle sprites the same as their normal ones
#  except with '_idl' on the end (before the extension)
#==============================================================================

class Game_Member < Game_Character
  #--------------------------------------------------------------------------
  # * Public Instance Variables
  #--------------------------------------------------------------------------
  attr_reader   :character_name_org       # original character file name
  attr_reader   :current_sprite           # current sprite suffix
  #--------------------------------------------------------------------------
  # * Object Initialization
  #--------------------------------------------------------------------------
  alias initialize_idlesprites_before initialize
  def initialize(index)
    initialize_idlesprites_before(index)
    # set original character name
    @character_name_org = @character_name
    # set current sprite
    @current_sprite = ""
  end
  #--------------------------------------------------------------------------
  # * Frame Update
  #--------------------------------------------------------------------------
  alias update_idlesprites_before update
  def update
    update_idlesprites_before
    update_idlesprites
  end
  #--------------------------------------------------------------------------
  # * Refresh
  #--------------------------------------------------------------------------
  alias refresh_idlesprites_before refresh
  def refresh
    refresh_idlesprites_before
    update_idlesprites
  end
  #--------------------------------------------------------------------------
  # * update_idlesprites
  # Updates idle sprites of the party member in the caterpillar
  #--------------------------------------------------------------------------
  def update_idlesprites
    if @character_name != ""
      if moving?
        if @current_sprite != ''
          @step_anime = false
          @character_name = @character_name_org
          @current_sprite = ''
        end
      elsif Input.dir4 == 0 && @buffer.size <= @index && @force_movement <= 0
        if @current_sprite != '_idl' || @character_name[-4, 4] != @current_sprite
          @character_name_org = @character_name
          @step_anime = true
          @character_name += '_idl'
          @current_sprite = '_idl'
        end
      end
    end
  end
 
end



Instructions

Place the Simple Player Idle Sprites script below the default scripts, above main, and above any other custom scripts you may be using.

If you are using the Tons of Addons script and want caterpillar heroes to have idle sprites as well, you must also place the Simple Caterpillar Idle Sprites script below Tons of Addons.

Idle sprites should be named after the original sprite with '_idl' at the end, for example if your player sprite is named 'MainGuy.png', then the idle sprite should be named 'MainGuy_idl.png'

Compatibility

Made compatible with Tons of Add-ons, including when Caterpillar option is turned on.
May not be compatible with larger scripts and ABS battle systems.
2
Mathematics / Random Drop Rates
June 21, 2016, 03:07:16 am
Drop rates are used in two ways in games: common rates, where the player is expected to get numerous drops as they play, and rare rates, where a special item has a small chance of dropping, forcing the player to grind to get the item.

Common rates work well, and they aren't really that interesting mathematically.  If everything I kill in a Zelda game as a 25% chance of dropping a rupee and I kill thousands of things over the course of a game, rupees will drop fairly steadily.

Uncommon rates are tricky.  If I spawn an endless wave of monsters that have a 10% chance to drop a key needed to get to the next room, how many monsters does the player need to kill to get the key?  The answer is not 10.  It's actually pretty complicated.  What we get is a table of a percentage of players that get a key by the time they kill X number of monsters:

#Kills  %Players
1       10%
2       19%
3       27%
4       34%
5       41%
6       47%
7       52%
8       57%
9       61%
10      65%
20      88%
30      96%
40      99%


So we can see that over one third of all players have to kill more than 10 monsters to get the key.  Of course, there are also some that get the key on the first or second monster.

What is the math behind this?  First, total the probability of the player not getting the key N times.  Since there is a 90% chance of not getting a key each drop, it is 90% * 90% * 90% ... n times, or 0.9^n.  But since I want the probability of the player getting a key (or multiple keys), I subtract this value from 1.

P = 1 - (1 - dropRate)^n

Let's take a look at another result.  Let's say you want to have your super secret special item drop with a 1/1000 chance, or 0.1%.
#Kills    %Players
1         0.1%
10        1%
100       10%
1000      63%
2000      86%
3000      95%


There's still 14% of your players that don't get your drop even after killing 2000 monsters.  Clearly this will be frustrating for them.




So what are some alternatives?  There is no easy answer, but this is one solution that I like:

Increase your drop rate every time the drop fails, and reset it once the item drops.  Take a look at the 10% drop rate example, now with an additive 10% increase every time the drop fails (10%, then 20%, then 30%, etc.):

#Kills  %Players
1       10%
2       28%
3       50%
4       70%
5       85%
6       94%
7       98%
8       99.6%
9       99.96%
10      100%


The drop rate is quite aggressive now, but we know that if the player does not get the drop for 9 kills in a row, then 10th kill is guaranteed to drop with a 100% chance.

The math here is slightly more interesting.

P = 1 - product(1 - dropRate * i, from i = 1 to i = n)

For the 10% case, we can write it as:

P = 1 - (9!/(9 - n)!) * 0.1^n

But overall, this is not really what we want.  Half of the players are getting the drop in 3 kills.  Let's try another solution that does away with the 10% rate altogether.




Let's set the drop rate to start at 2^(-9), and double it each time it fails to drop (2^-9, 2^-8, 2^-7, etc.), while still resetting on a successful drop.

#Kills  %Players
1       0.2%
2       0.6%
3       1.4%
4       2.9%
5       5.9%
6       12%
7       23%
8       42%
9       71%
10      100%


Finally, we have something that looks like we want.  Most of our players will not get the drop until the higher number of kills, but there is a hard cap at 10 kills that guarantees every player will get the drop.

What does the math look like?

P = 1 - product(1 - 2^(a - MaxN), from a = 1 to a = N)

in this case, we have maxN = 10, so

P = 1 - product(1 - 2^(a - 10), from a = 1 to a = N)

This can be expensive computationally, but there are some shortcuts.  There might even be a way to simplify the product expression to an exponential term, but I'll have to look at that later.




Hopefully I have imparted a small amount of distrust for low random drop rates to you.  If you have any ideas on other ways to make a good drop rate system, I'd love to hear them.  Otherwise, if you are stuck grinding for something in a game and it feels like it's taking way too long, now you know why >_>
3
Academics / Golden Ratio
January 09, 2016, 02:28:53 pm
I came across the tumblr post that was pretty interesting: http://1ucasvb.tumblr.com/post/55672229355/the-golden-ratio-ah-the-golden-ratio-no-other

There are plenty of good explanations in there, especially about why we see the golden ratio in nature.
5
Express your Creativity / Lego Metaphor
October 04, 2015, 01:44:54 am
Every experience you have is a lego brick. 
You can build off your own bricks, or off those of others. 
Your life is just a substructure of your community, which is in turn a substructure of humanity as a whole. 
Humanity is building something huge, nobody has any idea what or why, but we each get to contribute our own little substructure, starting on the brick from which we were born, and connecting with everyone we meet, with every author we read, with every singer we hear. 
The more bricks we have, the more ornate our architectures can become. 
Everyone just wants to get the blocks they need to build the structure they want.

What do you want your structure to look like?
How do you want it to connect to others?
How do you want it to fit into the structure of your community?
How do you want it to fit into the structure of humanity?


I got some really good mental imagery when I thought about this, I think it works pretty well as a way to visualize the abstractness of life in a very concrete and familiar way.
6
Intelligent Debate / NASA vs Military
September 30, 2015, 06:34:00 pm
Both NASA and the US Military:


  • Are government funded

  • Employ a lot of people, some are even shared (many astronauts came from the air force)

  • Fund and develop a lot of technology that eventually is applied to consumer products

  • Have a primary purpose that only indirectly benefits the average citizen (exploring space, fighting in other countries)



So here is my question: why is the funding argument for NASA so backwards?  Conservatives who support the military should also be supporting NASA for the same reasons.  Liberals should be against funding NASA, instead favoring social welfare, health care, infrastructure, and other programs that have a more direct impact on the population.  I mean, if you had no exposure to current events or the news, then this would be the reasonable conclusion.

In my opinion, it pretty much just comes down to the religious, anti-science influence on the conservative stance.  If true, it raises some interesting questions about how easily you can manipulate support for an institution  purely by aligning it with or against the scientific community.  For example, if scientists start coming out and supporting the military, do we see a reversal of support there as well?  What if the military publicly advocates stem cell research?  What if you have an international set of trade regulations that allows aggressive prosecution against researchers and inventors, do the anti-regulation conservatives support it?
7
Chat / Prototypes and scratch projects
September 22, 2015, 01:04:36 am
I think one of the problems with our community and the game dev community at large is the pressure to finish each project.  Partly, it is because it takes so much time to build a game, that it feels like a waste when you don't end up with a finished product.  It is this attitude that can both prevent us from improving our skills and deny us the motivation to continue.

Artists publish beautiful and detailed pieces, but day to day, they do a lot of quick sketches and low detail pieces to practice, improve, and have fun.
Composers publish tracks with layers and layers of sounds mixed and mastered to the best of their ability, but they also have a library of naked melodies and chord progressions written as inspiration strikes.

What are game developers supposed to do besides complete large projects?  Everything we do seems like it has to go into a finished game because of the amount of effort required.

It's something I have been thinking about as I have been working on ideas for my engine.  I would like to see more prototyping tools, where I can really quickly put together a beautiful particle system, an animated game menu, or a puzzle minigame, without having to implement base classes and polish the result.  I'm talking about completing a prototype from start to finish in a matter of minutes.  This opens up a number of possibilities when working:

When you get stuck on one part of a larger program, you can prototype a different part as a break.
If you wake up one morning with an awesome idea for a different game, you can make a few prototypes, and then get back to your current project.
You finally fixed that stupid bug, but it gave you an idea for a new mechanic to make in a prototype.
While you are working, you have this awesome library of prototypes that you can use for inspiration and reference.

I will acknowledge that most engines try to do something like this, but still fall far short.  Really though, this isn't about engines, but about a mindset that I want to challenge.
8
Development Tools / [C#] Moment (Engine/Editor)
September 19, 2015, 01:55:47 am





Moment is planned to be a free 2D and 3D game engine and editor for Windows, using C# and Monogame, built with the idea that creating games and other interactive software should be streamlined and intuitive.



Features

  • Mix and match pre-built templates that implement basic systems (Save files, auto save, sidescrolling, gravity, grid movement, pause menu, networking)

  • Design UI elements and game logic elements using the same interface in the Moment Editor

  • Edit and add to your games C# source code directly

  • Edit multiple types of content files (vector graphics, maps, etc.)





Download

Not even close to ready yet.



Progress

Current Tasks

  • Developing Editor GUI



Latest Screenshots: ShowHide




Full progress album: http://imgur.com/a/Klwn6
9
Welcome! / Back again
September 04, 2015, 11:36:56 pm
Hello everyone, sorry for not posting much this year.  I sort of took an unofficial break from posting, and it turned out to be longer than expected.

To start with, I'm in Austin, TX now.  No more freezing winters for me!  I have a job on the manufacturing side of Magic Leap, and although I'm NDA'ed pretty hard, I can at least say that there is going to be some mindblowing tech and software released in the future.

Now that I am more secure in my job and location, I'm getting back into game dev on my free time.  Something I have always wanted to do is make my own game engine and tools in C#, a package with a map editor and scripts, that was also open source.  In the past, I thought I would release a game first, and then strip out the engine and build around it.  However, with my experience developing a commercial data and charting tool for my last job, I think now is the perfect time to get started.

So anyways, I'll be posting more now, both related to my project, and just in general.
10
Advertising / F-777 Album pack #2
December 21, 2014, 02:37:50 am
http://jessevalentinemusic.bandcamp.com/album/super-epic-album-collection-pack-2-59-songs

59 songs for $10, pretty good deal if you are into his music.
11
Video Games / Guild Wars 2
November 26, 2014, 12:47:05 am
I'm thinking about buying Guild Wars 2.  I played the first one and enjoyed it, and I just watched a detailed video review of GW2 and it looks pretty good.  Does anyone here play it?
12
Let's start out by saying I no longer recommend ASUS as a brand.  The laptop I got was fairly high end and came with a 1 year warranty.  I had a fan fail at 16 months (made a loud noise, but the computer was still usable), and now the motherboard has failed at 19 months.  I can order the replacement motherboard, but I don't think it is worth it to invest the money and wait two weeks for the part to come in, especially if another part fails in another month or two.

I could buy a new laptop, and transfer some of the more interchangeable parts (RAM, SSD, HDD).  I would probably get a more standard configuration for the processor, display, etc., or find something on sale, so it could easily be in the $700 range.  And I could get it fairly quickly as well.

Vote + give me advice.
13
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVfHeWTKjag

Pretty interesting stuff, well thought out, well researched, and easy to follow.
14
Chat / How uncomfortable are (over-ear) headphones?
July 10, 2014, 07:19:41 pm
I came up with a new design for a pair of headphones, but I wanted to do a sanity check before I go any further to make sure that my head/ears aren't just weirdly proportioned.
15
Video Games / [3DS] Kirby Triple Deluxe
July 03, 2014, 07:02:05 pm
If you have a 3DS, get it.  It's pretty much the full-fledged sequel to Kirby Super Star (amazing game on the SNES, also has a remake on the DS, definitely play it if you haven't already), in terms of the variety of abilities, extensive movesets with shielding, dodging, and grabs, and great music, art, and level design.
16
Intelligent Debate / Hard Choices
June 20, 2014, 08:10:24 pm
http://www.ted.com/talks/ruth_chang_how_to_make_hard_choices

I thought this was pretty interesting.  I agree with her line of thinking on how hard choices can be 'on a par', and how the action of deciding is linked with creating reasons to support one choice or another.  Whenever I get into political arguments with friends, or general arguments online, it's always interesting to see the reasons that people come up with for supporting their position, much more than the position that they take.
17
Recruitment / Vault Recruitment Thread
May 30, 2014, 12:38:01 am
Vault Recruitment Thread


The project thread is here: http://forum.chaos-project.com/index.php/topic,14190.0.html

Development Details

  • Development will be in C# with XNA.

  • There will be a summer push for a prototype, optional refinement during fall and winter, and a kickstarter campaign launched in the spring for an additional year of development.

  • The game concept is pretty flexible, so there is plenty of room for creativity with mechanics, art, sound, etc.

  • Anyone with the drive and the skills to contribute will be allowed on the team.  Anyone who gets in the way or becomes a problem will be removed from the team.

  • All work contributed to the project may not be revoked.  For example, if you make some character graphics and then decide to leave the team, the graphics you made will still be used in the game

  • All contributors will be credited for their specific roles, even if they leave the team



Roles (people can fill more than one role)

  • Programmer

  • Artist

  • Voice Actor

  • Sound Designer



How to Apply
Make a post in this thread with the following:

  • What roles you will fill

  • What skills you have relevant to the above roles

  • How you specifically will contribute.  Go into detail.  "I will make character sprites" is not enough.  Instead, something like "I will make some wild looking enemy sprites, like a pirate duck (complete with eyepatch and pirate hat), or a panda bear wielding some bamboo as a staff.  I also have some ideas on animating background terrain, which I will get a chance to play with in the actual game engine."

  • Your Skype name.  Skype is required, because it is much easier to brainstorm and communicate with voice calls.  If you don't want to post it publicly, you can pm it to me (tell me you have done so in your post).

18
New Projects / Vault
May 28, 2014, 12:24:24 am
On Earth, and many other backwater cesspools of galactic life, an adventurer is a heroic being whose greatness is idolized in tales of romance and conquest.  In the more civilized parts of the universe, however, an adventurer is just some shmuck with nothing better to do than go looking for trouble.

This, unfortunately, is your lot.  But cheer up, it's not quite as terrible a fate as it used to be.

At one point long in the past, your types packed the prisons of every planet as a result of their constant misdeeds, until some forward thinking politician by the name of Smarty McFartypants under a lot of pressure from the galactic press decided that the best way to fight crime was to legalize it.  All prisoners were pardoned, incarcerations and crime immediately fell one hundred percent, and Mr. McFartypants was declared the most popular guy in the universe.  Sadly, that popularity was short lived, as he was struck the next day by an adventurer driving a grand piano, which had only just become street legal.  Smarty died instantly, while the driver went on to run over a small child, the child's pet, and a rare albino landshark, before growing bored and deciding to have a go at playing golf with some ball bearings.

Yes, that's the type of person you are.  A grand piano-driving landshark-killing maniac.

In modern times, adventurers are free to be a general menace to the rest of the population until they decide to "settle down and become a productive member of society", or as those who are still adventurers call it, "have all your hopes and dreams crushed one by one until there are none left."  It is for this reason that XxSHOOT2KILLxX armed drones guard all but the most wretched and underfunded establishments, and for that reason that you never see an adventurer in a respectable and fashionable place like a tennis club.

I doubt you even know how to play tennis.  You would probably just try to hit the other player with the ball instead of scoring points.  Despicable.

Instead, adventurers are often found in the worst crevasses of civilization.  Some are at the local free clinic, either recovering from the physical and mental strain of their completely irresponsible risk taking, or stripping the joint of any supplies not defended by at least a level three security system.  Many plague the local dive bar, sharing rumors of mysterious and dangerous parts of the galaxy, or taking turns telling tales of their own adventures, each one trying to outdo the last with stories that grow more ludicrous and more suspect to creative elaboration as the night goes on.  Only a few loiter near rusty old spaceports attempting to stow-away on whichever ship is traveling to what normal beings recognize as the most remote, unrefined, and dull corners of space.  These adventurers are beginning on yet another of their namesake journeys: An Adventure.

That's what you are on.  Haha, sucker!

True to the spirit of adventurers, An Adventure has no criteria in terms of length or scale.  Instead, the most important criteria are that An Adventure be unorganized, dangerous, and exotic, which is to say, completely unlike the 'vacations' that civilized beings took to local hotspots and interstellar tourist attractions.

You managed to hit the nail right on the head, sneaking on a tax collection freighter and stealing an escape pod to head towards Vault, the so-called "living treasure planet".  According to the sketchy drunk/self-proclaimed "bajillion-aire" you met at the dive bar last night, this planet is chock full of ancient relics and dangerous wildlife, like all good adventure planets should be.  The thing that made it stick in your mind despite the staggering amounts of alcohol must have been the rhyme he used to described it:

"The planet itself is alive.  The terrain crawls, the creatures evolve, and the caves and halls twist, fold, and sprawl round and round and round again.  You can try and leave but the planet will shake and heave swatting you down to retrieve ever more treasure without reprieve, Steve."

No, your name is not Steve.  Or is it?  Who knows, it might be, but you have too big of a hangover right now to remember something as inconsequential as a name.  The rhyme continued:

"You must persist there is much you have missed and cannot resist taking, breaking, and making until you realize the twist!  Your freedom is finally won, leaving the planet you are done, until a future day you want more fun and decide to go back for one more run."



VAULT


Vault is a procedurally generated adventure game in the style of the 2D metroid games.  It is set in a comedic sci-fi world with a large variety of environments, enemies, and powerups, geared toward replayability.

In a few days, I will open up a recruiting topic if anyone is interested in joining (although the game will go forward as a solo project if there is no interest).  Development will be in C# with XNA.  There will be a summer development push for a prototype, optional refinement during fall and winter, and a kickstarter campaign launched in the spring for an additional year of development.

Hope you enjoyed reading :)
19
Welcome! / Going on a short trip
May 18, 2014, 03:03:46 am
Visiting a friend in Texas and brothers in New York.  I'll be back a week from Monday.  See ya when I get back!
20
For those using windows 8:

With the desktop up, move the mouse to the top of the screen.  Click and drag to either side of the screen.

You can't have two desktops up, but I guess you can have a metro app side by side with your desktop.  It's also a fast way to move all windows to one half of the screen.
21
Chat / An idea for the next generation of MMO
March 31, 2014, 01:44:45 am
We have all heard some common complaints about MMO's


  • they are just a race to the finish

  • there is little reward for creativity or uniqueness

  • it's just a grind for the top gear

  • too much focus on being "the best" in terms of skills/builds/etc.



Now I am not naive enough to think that adding in the latest gimmick will solve any of these problems, whether it be motion controls or higher resolution graphics or virtual reality.  In fact, my idea draws on some very old-school concepts from tabletop games such as D&D:

At the core of the game is an AI that can control everything from what quests are offered, to environment design, to NPC interaction, to enemy spawns and characteristics, and even game mechanics.  This AI is constantly receiving information from all the players connected to the game such as how quickly quests are completed, how many players are in a person's friend's list, and when players die.  This information is used to make decisions that affect future gameplay for all players connected to the server, and in a way that is much more sophisticated than simply buffing/nerfing classes and weapons.  For example, if there is an area of the world that is not often traveled, a new outpost and dungeon can be added in order to attract more players.  If certain players are progressing through the game very quickly, the game may send extremely difficult quests their way.  If other players are spending most of their time traveling, they may receive a quest line that allows them to be the first to explore an expansive new wilderness.  If yet others are into crafting, they may unlock a new crafting mechanic that greatly expands the types and qualities of items that they can craft.

The game rewards the players for playing the game in a unique way that is meaningful to the player, but does not give them a global advantage.  In doing so, the game also diversifies the player base, as no matter how much a single person plays on any number of accounts, it will be impossible for them to be an expert on all aspects of the game.

But it doesn't stop there.  Quests can be made that handpick a certain group of individuals that must work together, providing easy opportunities to meet new players and grow and maintain a list of friends.  Clans can be set up to compete for a huge sum of prize money, or forced into an alliance to raid a new dungeon filled with monstrous creatures.  Consequences of player choices can be generated in real time, instead of following a preset story branch.  Every new character would experience a completely unique story that takes place in the same game world, although they may have some shared experiences with other players.

So at this point, people are probably taking a step back and saying "well that's a cool idea, but that AI is a few decades away at the very least."  And if you were to make a fully capable AI before releasing the game, I might agree.  But if instead, you only partially design the AI, and then use the gameplay data from the users to tweak it bit by bit until it is fully formed, I think it could feasibly be developed right now.
22
Welcome! / Road Trip
March 13, 2014, 04:52:40 pm
Going on a road trip, I'll be back Monday.  Don't burn down the place without me  ;)
23
Entertainment / Hollywood Technical Jargon Generator
February 10, 2014, 01:25:49 am
http://shinytoylabs.com/jargon/#

"If we hack the hard drive, we can get to the TCP firewall through the online SDD monitor!"
24
Video Games / Star Wars Battlefront II on Steam
February 09, 2014, 10:55:24 pm
Does anyone play?  I'm considering buying it.  I played it on console when it came out and it was pretty good.
25
General Discussion / Moment Studios Concept
February 07, 2014, 04:44:41 pm
Had a quick concept that I thought I'd get some feedback on.  Here is the basic idea:

Spoiler: ShowHide


In a title screen or credits, there would be a jumble of pixels moving randomly, and then time would slow down and the logo would form, hold for a few seconds, and then time would speed back up.
So it's like a momentary snapshot of randomness.
26
Chat / Nothing to look forward to
February 06, 2014, 02:16:23 am
Many of you know that used to be a very motivated person.  I could work for hours straight on a single task without giving up, and I always pushed the boundaries of what I was capable of.  I now understand part of the reason I did that is because I was looking forward to the result, whether it be a finished game or just a new Blizz-ABS update.

However, there are no longer any practical questions that I am interested in finding the answer to.  No visions I wish to see fulfilled.  No limits I want to surpass.  No passions to follow.  No fixed points to work toward.

There is a classic question aimed at our internal desires, if we were given almost any opportunity with no boundary: "what would you do with one million dollars?"

Right now, my answer is: "absolutely nothing."  But that is not good enough.  I am still trying to look for something, anything, to focus on.

So what is the result of this state?  I just live day to day for now.  The highlights of my day are the most trivial things, such as listening to a new song, or reading a funny story.  It is by no means a unique situation, I would compare it to those grieving after a loss.  Except instead of pain or sorrow, I just feel a deep disinterest, and at the same time, an intense itching to find something interesting.
27
Welcome! / Goodbye
February 01, 2014, 04:16:49 am
Hey everyone, this is goodbye.  I was originally only planning to give Blizz an idea of what was going on so he didn't think I was coming back, but he didn't quite realize what I was saying.

I am about to attempt suicide.  Even if I don't succeed, I am planning on leaving my current life behind, and I will likely never have internet access.

You may be wondering about the events that have led up to this decision.  There were none, my life has been completely normal and happy.  I have arrived at this point through original thoughts and ideas.  Reality as most humans know it is completely meaningless and random.  I was able to envision what was happening on a global and universal scale, and it made me unsatisfied with the current state of the world.  It's that simple.

I will not be sticking around to read replies or answer any questions.
28
Resources / SolveSpace: Free Vector Graphics / CAD
October 09, 2013, 03:43:00 am
SolveSpace is free 2D/3D CAD software, but it makes a great tool for creating vector graphics.  It is a very small program, so it loads instantly, and it can export to SVG, the commonly used Scalable Vector Graphics format.  What makes it useful over programs like Inkscape or Adobe Illustrator is that you can define geometric constraints for your geometry.  You can define parallel lines, a line that is tangent to a curve, a line that is a certain distance from a point, a set of points that are symmetric about a line, etc.  This makes it easy to create graphics with exact geometry that scale well.

The one shortcoming is that the SVG export will only export geometry, not fills, and there will also be visual representations of the constraints that are defined.  You will have to load the exported SVG into inkscape or illustrator to delete the constraint graphics (they all have the same pink stroke/fill, so select similar should do the trick) and set the fills/strokes/effects.
29
Entertainment / Bob's Burgers
October 02, 2013, 11:37:58 pm
This show is amazing.  It is like The Simpsons, but with a more modern feel.  And about 100 times funnier.

If you want to watch a certain episode to see if you like it, I recommend 3x16 - Topsy.  I guarantee you will be laughing in the first 5 minutes.
30
Express your Creativity / Bloodwill
September 09, 2013, 03:33:23 am
Bloodwill


This is a story that I have been developing for around a month.  It is intended for a game at some point in the future, but since I do not have the available time right now and the story is still bouncing around in my mind, I have decided to post the story here as I write it.

---9/9/2013---Prologue

Spoiler: ShowHide
The End.

The words were all that was written on the page.  Did these two short words have some hidden meaning?  They must, for the old man whose eyes had been darting back and forth as he aggressively flipped through page after page was suddenly still, as if the two words had induced a hypnotic trance.  Time seemed to stand still, waiting to see which would flinch first, the words on the page, or the old man.  

"Well?" said a voice, shattering the calm.  "Is it up to your standards?"

The old man looked up, meeting eyes with the person addressing him, and gave his reply.

"Of course not.  It's unfocused, unrefined, and largely unremarkable."

The harsh criticism was met with an amused smile.  The old man continued.

"However, that is the beauty of your style, even if it is directly opposite my own.  Despite the numerous obstacles and shortcomings, this story is surprisingly good."

The old man closed the book, gazing at the cover.

"This is the imprint of our lives.  This is how our children will remember my name.  This is how our story will become a part of history."

"Yes," the other man replied.  "This is Bloodwill."

The old man set the book on the table, showing a cover adorned with an ornate pattern and a single word:

BLOODWILL


---9/9/2013---Chapter 1

Spoiler: ShowHide
The story begins with a man in a library.  He spends his days ordering and cataloging the books on the shelves, and his nights reading them on his cot in the library storage room.  He leaves the library once a day to visit the market where he purchases food, as well as the occasional item of clothing or hygiene product.  This has been his arrangement for the past twelve years of his life, ever since the librarian took him on as an apprentice. 

It was the type of life that other people called lonely and boring, but to the apprentice it was comfortable, purposeful, and filled with exploration.  To him, books were islands filled with buried treasure and undiscovered wonder, and the library was an endless sea.  He was the captain of an expedition to explore it all, making detailed charts of every island on which he made landfall and gathering any treasure he could along the way.  It was an apt metaphor; he was chosen for the apprenticeship at young age due to his outstanding memory, and his role as apprentice was to help others access the information contained within the shelves upon shelves of books residing in the library.

The apprentice had even larger motives than exploration on his mind.  The profession of librarian was one of the few that allowed working class commoners to rise above their social status.  While many were commoners were condemned to a life of farming, blacksmithing, or serving in the army, he would have the opportunity to assume governing roles in addition to his responsibility as librarian.  One day, he knew he would be named Count, or Duke, or Governor, or even High Counselor.

ZAEREN!

The apprentice's dreams of grandeur were blasted away by the voice yelling from upstairs.

ZAEREEEEEEEEEEEEN!

Yes, that is my name, thought the apprentice, a smile forming on his face.  That is my name, for now.