Ten is a silly number

I favour twelve. Ah good that’s that little wrinkle sorted then. We can all grow a couple of extra toes. – See? No real problem with it now is there. Or eight if you want to be retro and pander to where computers went. Twelve is better though imo, more factors.

I now declare this house a base 12 zone, and more importantly all measurements will be in blocks of 12 units.

Edit : Rats, can only do eight or we’ll need to invent 2 new numbers (one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, widgy, splob, ten), which will mean we are incomprehensible to the outside world. (Oh wait…)

Edit edit : OK base 8 then. But measure in 14’s – I like it, it’s like a hat at an angle.  No we don’t have to amputate any toes, we just now have (erm..)  12 of them and half of twelve is now 5. Ok?

And there are 30 hours in the day, 14 day and 14 night 🙂

much better.

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Extremely late and happy June fruit salad

It’s the hols! No apols!

Anyway I’m out of my rut & having fun. Gaming still – of course. Now and again I played Sacrifice which you can dip into when you please, and it’s fun and it doesn’t hurt your brain too much. It’s one of those games where you work out your strategy and try to outmanoever the other person (or in my case the computer). I find it hard to stop playing:

Wurm Online continues to entertain since I’m building that new deed. I know full well once that’s over I’m overdue for one of my irritated with the maintenance phases. But having fun for now.

WordPress appears to be running very slow and having troubles with my screenie of Sacrifice – it may appear magically later? Who knows.

I also payed a visit back to EQ2 and went through the usual cycle – it’s such a great game. Always something new to discover. This time it was the mentoring system, which I didn’t know was there and that allowed me to actually get transmuting going. I had wondered how that worked. It’s also just fun to mentor down – when I first started playing (I realise) I missed a lot just because everything was so new and strange. The first months were spent more learning some of the game & I think I didn’t pay my usual attention to small things. Even so I remember being very impressed. So there’s that part of the cycle, then, over time, the ineptness of SOE makes itself felt and I feel uneasy, eventually unwilling to log in. Nothing in particular set me off this time, just… dunno… like something creepy is going on. I have learned to trust my instincts.

Someone called it Forsaken Underpants and when I find that again, I owe you a link. I don’t know why I like playing it, some things in life are just a mystery. My highest forty something alt isn’t going to get much further I don’t think. Forsaken World is impressively guild-strangled, forced grouping is… well you can’t any do instances at all without a group and half the systems lead nowhere. So progression in any sense is pretty much out of the window. I captured a nightmare and I was happy. At forty something the underwear problem isn’t so bad.

Since the Blizzard offering failed on the first steps – download, install, run (duh) – I tried Torchlight, and have had a wonderful time with it, I must say. Perfectly charming, replayable, enjoyable, fun game. I really do like it and anticipate many happy hours with it. Good stuff. Hope the next one is as good – having seen and played this I will be looking out for it.

I can’t remember anything else – must admit I’m not in the mood for anything even vaguely worky tonight, not even looking on the desktop to see what I forgot. I like the hols. I like people being allowed to relax for a change. It’s good for us. To continue that theme June’s fruit salad is late and… relaxed.

Interesting open source (networking) application

to be found here. I know Antonio and Isabella quite well as it happens, but didn’t know he’d done this. Now I’m in awe of him too… hmm …  interesting discussions ahead methinks.

http://b-header.net/

Games that run on this laptop (old Intel chipset)

Updated: am looking for the list I made of games I tried for “aahsum dev” purposes. So… the table isn’t complete yet. Amg I need sleep.

I’m not sure how to do this – would like something I can update regularly. A table or something… so… I’ll just fiddle with it. Scuse fiddling. As it happens my trusty machine is now (and only now!) on the list of Things To Replace But No Rush.

Although I love it muchly for freeing me from the malevolent mess of dust-gathering wires and grime that used to sit like a frog in the corner known as a desktop (keep yer ego-boosting piece a junk!)(now decluttered), the laptop is getting a little long in the tooth and might just keel over one day. It still works fine though. Games don’t decide when I upgrade. I do ! Anyway, it will be a while before I save up enough for the replacement, probably an Asus,  and meanwhile I thought it would be interesting to make a note of what runs and doesn’t. For other laptop owners, for older laptop owners, for people stuck with Intel graphics in a world where they are so oft scorned. Awwwww.

Take heart, the failures are few. Regarding newer games – they optimise them just fine when they need a broader sub base or get serious about the cash shop. Amazing isn’t it. Rift previously didn’t run at all.

See, bog standard:

Mobile Intel (R) 965 Express  Chipset Family.

In no particular order (what an ugly table – my Word skills are terrible). This isn’t a comprehensive list of all possible games, just a documentation of one person’s tryings out:

Runs well and looks good	Game	Comments
	Startrek Online
	Guild Wars 1
	Allods
	Botanicula
	Treasure Adventure
	Stranded 2
	Creatures 1 and 2	Tx to Gog
	Wurm Online	Leaving this here but l have that flickering thing since that patch. Lowering settings makes it worse. Hopefully this will get fixed one day.
	Starcraft
	Populous  the Beginning	Tx to Gog
	Ryzom
	Missing Ink
	Champions Online
	Sacrifice	Tx to Gog
	Uncharted Waters
	Free Realms	Cash shop front end. Of course it runs!
	Puzzle Pirates
	Samorost
Only need slightly lower   settings
	World of Warcraft	Lower settings for raiding only
	Forsaken World
	EQ2	Lower settings sometimes in cities and odd places. Can lag one day and not at all another time, so probably not me.
	Anarchy Online	Actually… I’m not sure how this game is meant to look – maybe this   is it.
Runs well with low settings
	EQ
	Legends of Grimrock
Runs badly but runs (playable though, all of these but you get tired of the sludge).
	Rift	Previously didn’t run at all, but they optimised it some.
	Skyrim
	Fallen Earth
	Vanguard
	Might and Magic VII	Not Gog’s finest redo.
“No Money From Me” prizes(don’t run at all)		Not many here. Look at the company Blizzard keeps nowadays eh.
	PotBS
	Aion
	Diablo 3

 post doninarush – huggies – Av

The gods of Eula and ToS tremble! – about time too

I have a planned post entitled – “The Eula is not a Law” (needs more research), but I’ll just declutter it while I’m here since a nice article here at Massively http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/07/03/eu-ruling-forces-digital-distribution-to-allow-game-transfers-m/#comments  demonstrates the point clearly and rather satisfyingly. Fact is, whatever they put in that thing, it is not a law. It is not even a contract or licence – more like a waiver or an agreement. It is subject to the constraint of Law, the real Law, the Law by which your country abides and although they can put any old thing into it, is it binding?… mmm…. well… “not tested” would be the most accurate answer for most of it. However it definitely won’t be binding if it contravenes consumer law, so a lot of lawyers just got paid for baloney (the clauses that waive consumer rights). It won’t be binding if it breaks or undermines any other law either.

My post was more a dig at people that seem to think whatever is written in the thingie you check a box for is from the Highest Authority and cannot possibly be changed or challenged. I can’t believe people don’t know the difference between the law and a company’s wishlist and that, what’s more, some laws are there specifically to prevent you from binding your grandma by such a thing to jump off the falls in a barrel or any other such nonsense because the ToS says you have to. Current school curricula really are appalling.

The actual subject of the article is quite interesting too, since this ruling hacks at the “games as a service” concept. I’m not sure games are a service or a product – I think they will need to evolve their own category. They don’t really work as product because as SWG showed, servers down, game gone. They seem like services more to me…but the ownership people feel and the time people invest makes that a bad fit too. You can’t rent out space in a holiday resort and then claim to own people’s pictures, the souvenirs they bought. Let greater minds chew it over some this one … players as shareowners perhaps? Heaven knows they feel they have some kind of a stake in a game if they have been playing it a while.

Not quite sure why Massively veers off into the speculative fields of account sales. Heh – being able to legally resell the game you bought is hotstuff enough and a gigantic, headlineworthy can ‘o worms, given the controversies currently raging over Gamestop selling second-hand games and DRM.

WTS Diablo 3 licence.

The Annual Declutter

I’m in the process of decluttering anyway due to house renovations – deep, deep decluttering. Every single drawer, piece of paper. Hardcore decluttering !! (at about 75% for the measure-it people, and my skill is pretty good now). But the annual breaks we have around this time does mean more young, strong people about to shift large items to the skip/charity shop/recycling (etc). Thank heavens it is written into the laws of some countries that people are to be freed from the systems that feed off them for a set amount of paid time. How on earth did we manage to get something so sensible past the vested interests? It’s probably a leftover from some phase when society was a vehicle for the people within it – this notion waxes and wanes over the centuries.

Be that as it may, it’s my traditional time to roll up my sleeves, balefully glare at the irritants in my life, find a comfortable chair and go into a deep meditation (fall asleep). Once the edge is off the fatigue induced by a year’s worth of dealing with said irritants, its time to get to work on ’em.  I know I’m overripe for this. Patience is thin, and some things already got a (maybe overspeedy)(or maybe not)  heave-ho with little ado. This year, as said, household clutter is in-hand and not very irritating. I sit, and breathe and let things float up from whence they lurk, (you probably have a different way of locating the itches and annoyances), then – have at them with savage joy.

It’s not very structured that, I know, and I do avoid naval gazing (ahoy!) *navel. Like everyone I have a few personal habits that could use an overhaul, but I tend to use midyear for externals. Blaming yourself for everything is ok and that…. but the time is ripe to tackle the Pitas From Out There. Because all their systems are disrupted by the holidays  – and return damage is likely to be minimised. Luckily I’m not crippled by a need to be liked at all costs. Savage joy it is. Well now I think, there is a method in there. I never noticed before hehe – its like…

So… if I have let someone know that I don’t like what they are doing, and they keep doing it, or do it even more (these have control issues and … well its not a good sign),  I do get rid. Like one-pass paperwork – (action/file/ bin), this one is – communicate/make annoying action impossible/gain distance. Similar sequence really with the first possibility requiring the most angst and the last possibility being the most complete solution.

Needless to say, for a declutter I do both backwards, binning what paper I can first, and removing myself from annoying situations first, leaving things that must be salvaged for “filing if it’s paper or “block annoying thing from happening” for people and situations – and finally tackling any “do required action/communicate” stuff.

By now if I’m annoyed I’ve been communicating it more than adequately. I come across a lot of being ignored and then “oh you didn’t say.” I bliddy know what I said and by de-clutter time  it’s too late to discover what ears are for. By midyear its a case of move or block the action. So that’s people and situations. What a convoluted two paragraphs. You can tell this has not been the subject of naval action.

People and situations are hard to back away from – its not for the fainthearted. It’s advisable to make a clean break and for that you have to be sure (and preferably prepared) before you even turn towards the door. But sometimes things just aren’t making life a bright and happy place and aren’t going to change. And even though you express, in parting, how annoyed you are, and exactly why – very few people actually think “hmmm, maybe I shouldn’t have done that then.” (Until they get the same info from several sources and on several occasions, that does work sometimes) .

I put move-from rather than evict – but sometimes you have to evict people too, I do know. Get distant from it, is the general idea. There will remain items, people and situations that require some planning and a long time to deal with, or which must simply be endured. But a lighter overall load makes even that easier.

Eeew. Worse than unblocking a sink. That all makes the house-stuff much more appealing doesn’t it 🙂 For objects and stuff I find de-cluttering addictive and invigorating. Guess I’m not a hoarder then. I think the more I mature the more “things” are just dead-weight – sometimes literally. This year there’s this table. It’s oldish and there is the usual minute chance it might be worth small money which means someone is about to have a lucky day. Or not. Might just be old tat. Thing is I don’t care enough to go through the contortions of finding out and the few pounds it might or might not possibly maybe be worth isn’t enough to earn it’s keep in here. It’s in the way, it’s ugly, I can’t vaccuum under it and it does not make my life a bright and happy place at all. And today I am going to throw the thing out.

Ohhhh the relief.

By next week I plan to be a very bright and happy Av indeed.

What Wilderness actually looks like

I wish I could embed this live feed into my blog – it is from the Kruger Park, and I can only put a static screenie. For me a feeling rises off this and other wilderness feeds like it, something not easily put into words. To the urbanised eye it is “nothing”. To my eye, it is “everything”. There are people here, they made and maintain the waterhole and webcam after all. But not many people, and in this place their things and devices are deliberately minimal. Something bigger than humanity still moves here.

.

Pastures New (…Thingie, mostly)

If January is the time when people are running around chasing resolutions and plans and being perfect nuisances, June is the time when they need a break whether they know it or not. Things become stagnant, and to the disgust of employers and the government people go off and remember what life is about. Sort of. Try to, anyway. Nvm employers and govt, I’m sure Radio 4 is already looking hard for a national crisis to spook the pants off anyone that gets too comfy on a beach.

….Anyhooo – so, although Blender is a Rolls Royce, and great (asset-dev wise), and I’m in love with it, it’s June so I’m breaking out of my ruts to look around at the world. I had a look at Unity 3 free – and I think it will fit in nicely with our current state – not quite prototyping yet (though we are, sort of)  – just trying stuff out. The folder of ideas is bulging to the point where it cannot be described as slim. It is more like 2 or 3 boxfiles worth if you put it all together. We want to take some of those ideas out for a run.

That’s the Unity 3 free interface – simple compared to Blender’s really, and after a few dead ends and misadventures on google I learned enough to be able to put a game together in ohhh – an hour. Can do the same in Blender. Limited, little, tiny stuff because of the little time I spent. But it walks and talks so to speak and will do for spitting an idea into the wind of a Sunday morning. Fits a lacking spot in lovely lovely Blender very nicely, by being able to do a tad more than Blender’s Game Engine can, but a lot less than Blender’s graphics can. Another good ideas-vehicle.

In Other News the big proper main …Thingie project has a name now. It is now known as WoFB. Yes.
Obviously the “o” stands for “of”.                      …      🙂

Our brightest sparkliest ideas and assets I don’t won’t put here just yet, reserving the right to bang everyone over the head with them day before we launch, should that day ever arrive. One never knows when a supervillain might be about, snitching baby ideas to turn into click prisoners on mobile apps – boooooo! hissssss! he’s behind yooooo! I always check my fridge for supervillains before going to bed at night.

On the other hand there are some ideas I wouldn’t mind if people actually took and ran with, so those I’ll happily write about in the interests of the world being a better place. And some pictures is always nice, so probably post some pictures along the line, if I remember.

This so-called massive undertaking that’s impossible and shouldn’t even be tried by anyone as ordinary as me,  is actually quite good fun, mostly and absolutely definitely not all that hard. So far.

But it does look like I’ll need to delve into server/client architecture & networking, a subject I have studiously avoided all my life. I’m kind of hoping little pink clouds develop in interesting ways to deal with it all quietly for a small monthly fee or something. A propos of which and relating to several other paragraphs: http://insidethemagicshop.wordpress.com/  – welcome to my blogroll.

Networking is an area that has always left me annoyed and confused. But needs must. Anyway that’s all much later – moving on swiftly, to another subject: right now, looks like we can store some stuff on Dropbox, which is handy. Probably not art assets (too much)(wouldn’t want to anyway), but some boringstuff and admin etc. thats just taking up room on drives here and there. Haven’t done anything about a website for us apart from renting (if that’s the word) a cheap one in India. It’s too early really. I should be playing with it really. Ok I feel guilty now.

June’s fruit salad should be interesting. After the joys of Celebration opening, the chore burnout and creeping urbanisation and industrialisation of Wurm Online is getting to me again, so I’ve not been playing it so much, but find myself dabbling on the early levels of this and that. Will write. Oh here. Since I use this place as a handy place to store things, I did mean to put a blog todo list here where it’s convenient to have one:

Todo:
NBI – no way could I visit all the new blogs (or even all the old ones), but some were more about what I’m about and I’ll put some bits about the wonderful ones I found amongst the list. Glad I missed the awardie thing, hits not me. Here’s to everyone who blogs for the sheer joy of it! Hip, hip, hooray! Clink. You get imaginary champagne from me and very fine it is too.
Blogroll – seriously needs redoing. Think I can have two or three but not figured out how.
Categories – after advising everyone to categorise their blogs, I find I have only done half of mine. Herrumph.
And do you know what? I’ve forgotten the rest of the list – which is why I need it
Carry on Wurm Online Begunners Guide, wrap up Deed in the Making.
Drawings of some game design generalities – Like Av’s Hierarchy of Exploitation (TM, copyright, mine – because it has no figures to back it up, it’s mine own pottiness. This did not spring from academia, reason or anything official but from cabbages, spiderwebs and washing up liquid.)
I might put more if I remember them at 4 a.m.
Back up blog so I don’t lose todo list.

OK well that’s about everything my tiny brain holds for the moment. Yay back to making up interesting textures.