What day is it? Is it still March? It still looks like "late March", in my opinion.

So yeah, hi! I've been busy these last few months. Things are good! Work has been intense, but I like the job well enough, and outside of work I've been building a bunch of stuff that's neat. I hope you're doing well too, reader!

In relevant news: The game is updated to Version 1.2!

Due to the aforementioned "busy", there's not as much here as I wanted. I thought about delaying this until I'd added enough content to make it worth this amount of time, but that just begins a vicious cycle which ends in misery and failure.

There's a lot left to do with the new feature- I'm not quite happy with the big rush of text that happens when the fluid events kick off, and it still needs a balance pass, and I didn't get started on the fluid affecting things aside from the first-order impact event.

I've also made some changes to the game engine, so there might be some bugs. Most likely, text that doesn't match what's going on. Enjoy with caution:

New Features:
= Fluid Dynamics! When fluids appear, there will be a brief summary of affected items and individuals (the text is bare-bones right now)
= Added Bulbasaur species due to popular demand

Bug fixes:
= Fixed a bug where only certain pedestrian species would get certain random descriptors
= Corrected an issue where buses would be over-crowded when arriving in a new area

I guess some time has passed since the last journal. It doesn't feel like it, but the calendar says so and everybody seems to believe it. I remain skeptical, but I'll go along for now.

So, as a general rule, never trust me when I say things about time.

The next update is still In Progress. I'm trying to sit down to work on it, but things keep happening. Some of the things aren't even my fault! I feel like it's close to being finished, but then again, I felt that way in the middle of January too. The numbers still need a lot of tweaking. By the time things get to a very reasonable ~50,000 feet, Flash takes about 30 seconds to go through the math. I'm gonna have to tone it down a little.

I'll set the next deadline at "late March", and maybe it'll be done by then. 50/50 odds, I'll say.

In the meantime, go play Night In The Woods.

My observations on flying:
1) Airplanes are loud.
2) Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright (3DS) is pretty good, but doesn't really use the potential that either series had to offer.
3) The types of food available in the region where I was raised are objectively superior to foods from other regions.

tldr; No game update yet, check back in 2-3 weeks.

I'm gonna go get on a plane and fly a few thousand miles and see what happens. It'll probably take a couple weeks or so. I'll let you know how it goes!

In news that's more relevant to your interests, the next feature I'm working on is euphemistically titled "Fluid Dynamics and the Impacts Thereof". The code part is 30-40% done, but I haven't had very much time to work on it recently.

I also made some changes to the way Player Species are handled in the code, which means nothing to you but it made me happy.

MWS has been updated to Version 1.15.
Balance Changes:
= Put in a messy tweak to increase GP gain at large heights. Once you get above 2000ft / 620m and there's no new text to read, GP gain will start to scale up, reaching the new full rate at about 5mi / 8km.

Bug Fixes:
= Fixed a bug in the Running Shorts' stretched description text.

Interface Change:
= Growth buttons have been moved to a separate panel, and buttons for multi-buy have been added there.

Content additions:
= Added Pangolin species due to an outpouring of popular demand.

Reward for reading this entire journal:
= On the Character screen, check/uncheck any option and then hold the 'f' key for a few seconds. A slider will appear. Merry Christmas!

You know the one. There's a new version up, in the same place. But it's different now!

Balance change:
+25% base GP gain, plus boosts to vehicle and building GP amounts (Bus Pinatas!). I haven't had time to give these new numbers a thorough testing, but it should make a noticeable difference.

Bug Fixes:
= Fixed a numerical bug where Flash's numbers broke when stepping on more than 2 billion targets at a time. Global A-paw-calypse is back on track!
= Fixed bad zone-switching logic which wasn't allowing players to go back to previous zones. You can now wander back into the suburbs from the city.

Other:
= Added version number to loading screen. There are versions now! This one is version 1. There were no versions before this.

Dec 3:
Bug Fixes:
= Fixed an embarrassing numerical bug where numbers over ~4 billion were sometimes appended with "...and three quarters".
= Fixed an error where the game was using incorrect text for very large characters in the Suburbs.

Hey there! Remember when I said I was putting my project on hold and working on a side project? It's ok if you don't remember that, it was a couple years ago.

Then, remember when I said I was putting that side project on hold and working on a littler side project? It's ok if you don't remember that either, I don't think I actually wrote a post when that happened.

Well, that side project isn't done yet either.

But, I think I'm ok with that. Lots of things get released before they're finished, it's normal. Releasing a partially complete thing is better than never releasing a finished one. This'll let me go back to working on the first side project, and I'll just keep messing with this one and maybe update it later.

...or maybe I won't? I can never tell with these things.

Whatever. Prepare yourselves! It's going live!

I live nearby, so I thought I'd drop in to the Con this last Saturday even though I didn't preregister or plan for it or anything.

The con took place at an airport hotel, and was really crowded so I had to park a block or two down the street. But even on the walk to the Hotel I was already having a good time! There were lots of people with neat outfits and pretty badges, and on the way in I passed by two different groups of suiters getting photographed. They were great!

I found the Hotel's registration desk in the lobby, but didn't know where to find the Con's registration area to get a Saturday badge. I walked a bit further in and got to a hallway outside of some sort of event or something. There were lots of people, and I didn't see any signs, and I was getting a little nervous, and the next door was closed so I had to turn around and go back, and there were people everywhere and I started to get a little panicked and then I left.

All in all it was pretty cool! I'm way too scared to go again though.

"July" was the date mentioned in the previous post. I was lucky that I didn't append the year (don't assume!) so I can still aim to make it accurate.

The AI framework had a problem. I made progress in my alternate project and had an epiphany there, so I'll be able to re-frame this AI work and make it much cleaner and more robust. Also functional, unlike its current state.

Anyway, not that anybody's paying attention, but I wanted to put something here because I want to go do some things and I'd feel awkward having a multi-year old post sitting here.

In context of the previous post. Make note of the relative dates and be informed.

In summary, that 90% chance of success was more like an 80% chance of failure, but I'm an optimist. I lost a few months to apathy and a few other months to my other project (which isn't a total loss), but I'm still on this and it's still progressing. The AI framework is up, and now it's just a matter of filling that in and filling in the rest of the actions. Terrain hasn't really gone anywhere, but I'm starting to think it might not need to.

So, when's the target date now? I dunno, depends on how soon I can get back on this metaphorical horse (note to self: maybe add horses?). I'd estimate there's about three months of work to do. Maybe I'll have it ready by July.

"It" being various things.

At the moment, I'm banging on poorly constructed explosive devices with a plastic hammer. I wish it was cooler than that sounds, but it's not.

I kinda want to write some smut, and I have three ideas pretty well fleshed out (heh), but whenever I'm active enough to be writing I could be coding instead and that's more productive. The writing would be enjoyable, but I don't really have a long-term plan for where I'd be going with it.

The coding is going good! I've only got a few framework pieces left to do, and then I can start filling in content and begin work on the AI which will probably be a huge undertaking. I'm thinking maybe August would be a reasonable target deadline to have something presentable. Don't hold me to that, though.

As if you could. You're not real.

Srs tho', August. 90% likely.

Aw yeah. I wield nuance and subtlety like a tornado wields mobile homes at an RV park.

Disastrously, and without comprehension.

Shh, don't let anybody know.

Y'know what's funny? Rifftrax! Rifftrax is funny.

Just thought I'd point that out for anyone who liked Mystery Science Theater 3000, and is sad that it's not on any more, and was also unaware that the cast of MST3K is now on the internet releasing soundtracks of themselves talking that you play alongside your own personal DVD movies. (www.rifftrax.com)

Just sayin'.

I copied this meme from somebody's journal a long time ago 'cuz I thought it would be a neat thing to do, and I've just gotten around to filling it out. I'm always so behind! Not that it matters much, I'm just kinda filling space here anyway. You don't mind, do you? Of course not. You don't exist.

Anyway, the idea is you pick a band and then answer all these questions using only song titles from that band. I like Thrice. So here we go!

My life according to Thrice:

• Are you a male or female? Madman

• Describe yourself: Child of Dust

• How do you feel: Digging My Own Grave

• Describe where you currently live: Digital Sea

• If you could go anywhere, where would you go: For Miles

• Your favorite form of transportation: Silver Wings

• What did you get on your last birthday? The Next Day

• Your best friend is: All That's Left

• You and your best friends are: Like Moths to Flame

• What's the weather like: Red Sky

• Favorite moment: Flags of Dawn

• If your life was a TV show, what would it be called: In Exile

• What is life to you: A Torch to End All Torches

• Your last relationship: Don't Tell and We Won't Ask

• Your fear: The Abolition of Man

• What is the best advice you have to give: Stand and Feel Your Worth

• Thought for the Day: All the World Is Mad

• How I would like to die: In Your Hands

• My soul's condition: Image of the Invisible

• Most Faithful Companion: Trust

• My motto: To Awake and Avenge the Dead

The more I think about things... wait, I just got distracted.

I forgot what I was going to say, never mind.

So, I'm a solitary creature by nature. I'll spend eleven months of the year doing maybe one social contact event per week, if that, and everything's fine and socialization doesn't even cross my mind.

And then, every once in a long while, when the earth is tilted in just the right way to make a magnetic field align with a certain part of my brain, the thought will come to me "Hey friends are cool you should go hang out with some people." And I'm like, I just got off of an eleven-month tour of silence and isolation, there aren't going to be people just sitting around waiting for me to hang out with them. And then I think "Well then you should go make some friends and hang out with them," and I'm like just how am I supposed to pull that off? And then it's quiet for a while and despair sets in.

Heh, yeah, me and despair go way back. So, a long time ago, I was thinking to myself "Man, it is bright and uncomfortable out here, this sucks! HEY I WAS USING THAT UMBILICAL CORD!" and despair comes along and is like "Hey" and I kinda half-smiled and thought "Well, better than nobody at all, right?"

I've been complaining too much. I guess that's to be expected- I try to be positive at all times, and this is the stuff that builds up in the corners behind the sunshine, and since nobody I know knows me here I can let it out without worrying about compromising my smiling demeanor. So thanks for letting me vent, imaginary audience! You've been very patient and understanding (or so I imagine). You're also clever and attractive and fun to be around. We should talk more often!

Apropos of nothing: I hate the trend of shakey-cam in movies. Very early on, there were a couple movies where some dynamic camera motion added to the feel and authenticity of the movie, but then people decided "Shakey Cam = better movie" and motion sickness was the new black.

The Bourne series was the worst, where a guy throwing a punch at another guy caused the camera to cover a 105-degree vertical arc, and every single fight, chase, explosion, or dramatic gasp had the cameraman spasming wildly, rendering a good third of the movie an incoherent visual jumble.

There are a bunch of other movies that have taken the action-shake too far, but even small, inappropriate wobbles have started to irk. I dock movies like "Hitchcock" for that one kitchen scene where Will Smith is standing perfectly still at a silent kitchen counter looking silently at someone who isn't moving at all, and the camera sits 4" from his nose bouncing around like it was being held by a bobblehead doll on a rocking chair.

Dear Hollywood; stop it.
kthx,
SRGI

In regards to the riskiness of driving while talking on a cell phone vs. with a hands-free headset, the problem isn't about where your hands are, it's where your brain is.

The case for this argument, in short:

Cell phone driving has been a phenomenon for only a few years, but it's already widely known that driving while talking on a cell phone increases the risk of accidents.

Driving a car with a manual transmission requires the driver to frequently take a hand off the wheel to change gears, and even though automatic transmissions- which allow the driver to keep both hands on the wheel at all times- came into common use in the '50s - '60s, there has been no widely known correlation between automatic transmissions and decreased likelihood of traffic accidents.

So, I contend that the number of hands on the wheel is not by itself a significant factor in traffic accidents.

In the interest of full disclosure: I drive stickshift, I don't answer calls on the road, and I think it's fine to pick up a burger, fries & drink to eat while driving.

I took a ride on the outside of someone's car today. It was only for a short distance, though the spontaniety of it made it somewhat exciting.

I was walking down the sidewalk, and a car pulled up at a parking lot exit in front of me. The driver was on a cell phone, staring intently at the passing traffic looking for a gap without even glancing in my direction. I saw a gap coming up that, at my current speed, was going to open around the time I'd be walking in front of the car whose driver still showed no signs of even being aware of the possibility that there might be pedestrians on the sidewalk.

I kept walking, because I love to teach.

Traffic opened, the car lurched forward, and I hopped up a bit so that I'd go over the bumper instead of under it. I was too occupied with keeping my balance to notice the driver's expression upon finally looking forward. The car screeched to a stop, I dropped back to the ground, gave a little wave over my shoulder and continued on my way.

I'm pretty happy about it overall. Now there is one more driver who knows the importance of paying attention to your surroundings.

On a tangentially related topic, people promoting those hands-free headsets as a safe alternative to driving with a cell phone are either liars or fools.

I was walking down the street a few days ago when a passing driver shouted "obscenities" at me. Like, the actual word "obscenities." "Obscenitieeeees!" and then traffic moved on. I'm still not quite sure what to think about it.

I had a cell phone. It was ok. It was a really old model, back before phone companies started jamming cameras and music players into every technological orifice they could find. Anyway, I recently decided to get a new phone. My old one still worked, but I was interested in some of the features new phones have, like intact LCD screens and staying on until you turn it off on purpose.

So, I went to Sprint.com and ordered a new phone from their online store. After placing the order I waited for a week or so, but the phone didn't show up. And also Sprint cancelled my account. (?!) So then I had no new phone, and no old phone either. Somewhat confused and phoneless, I emailed Sprint customer support and explained the situation. The response I got contained, in two consecutive sentences: 1) An apology for leaving me with no working phone, and 2) a phone number to call to get my account reactivated.

I'm thinking that I'm probably not going to call the number, for multiple reasons.

So, some time ago it was apparently decided by consensus that the katana was the pinnacle humanity's achievements in the field of melee weaponry. After that point, it was common to include a katana wherever there was an offering of any significant variety of arms. It was also common to have the katana be, if not the best selection, at least the most powerful one. And regardless of its actual utility, everybody always used the katana anyway. I have some beef with this, but for now let's move on.

I was admiring some of the concept art for Fallout 3 recently when I noticed, to my great dismay, a sketch of something clearly intented to be a katana-based weapon mixed in with other various bits of offensive miscellany. If I may drop my facade of objectiveness for a moment, I'd like to address Bethesda directly for a moment to say, keep your #$&*#% katanas out of my Fallout!!! Angry face! >:-[

Ok, objective again. The Fallout property has a very clear theme associated with it, and every defining characteristic of the katana does not thematically match with Fallout. Let's play that little Sesame Street jingle here:
One of these things! Is not like the others! One of these things! Is not the same!

Crowbar!
Sledgehammer!
Baseball bat with nails in it!
Katana!

GRAAAGHAGH!! Oops, sorry, objective again. Every argument for a katana over any other sword is based on its superior manufacture. If you're gonna make a bladed weapon out of scrap metal, don't go and try to associate it with a katana. Give us a lawnmower blade with a handle, or a signpost with a sharpened edge. Adding a katana just doesn't fit. And it totally makes you look like a poser wannabe game, lacking confidence in yourself.

(That last part probably wasn't objective.)

So there's this box here. I think it's for typing. I'm gonna type in it. Here goes.

Type, type.

Did that work? Did anything happen? I didn't see anything happen. Lemme try it again.

TYPE, TYPE!

Did it work? Is it working? It IS working! Awesome!! Let it be known that at this moment in time I have both submitted a drawing of a donut, and also typed in a box. This is indeed history in the making.