#did they actually make a ui for that computer specifically???

[kaiserouo]

I like how the language in warframe 1999 is basically the same as the orokin script but actually writable with a normal pen, instead of needing to write with a flat nib used in calligraphy

(ref)

The numbers are kinda weird because why do they suddenly use arabic numerals, also the places where they add the dots are a little bit inconsistent tbh. But hey, i suppose that is at least seemingly more typable with our computers than the original version.

[goodluckclove]

Finding Banned Books Online: Actual Resources

Hey, it's me - a version of Clove who is now able to access their anger through means I am not going to delve into on a public space. Hello!

I have continued to get myself very upset over the people who tear apart anyone who makes the vaguest attempt to support, or even provide mixed opinions on the IA lending library. They insist there are so many ways to do this already through resources provided by libraries, but don't actually say any of those solutions.

Because Google is free, right? It's free and definitely still a viable way to easily access information. We all agree Google is normal and reliable, and that people these days actually know how to manipulate search terms in a way that effectively provides information. That's why it's such a great thing to say when people ask questions instead of actually providing information that could easily solve the problem in your favor. Great!

Anyways, I went ahead and did research so I can offer an actual guide to people looking to access - in this case specifically banned books - without the aid of piracy or the Internet Archive. These are programs created by libraries, fully legal, though admittedly not always the easiest to access.

The Palace Project: Banned Books Club

This seems to be the best option I was able to find. It's an app created by the Digital Public Library of America where you can access a variety of digital library archives, including the Banned Books Club. You don't need address or proof of ID - you don't even need your legal name.

You get a digital barcode you can use to access books for about 20 days at a time. They have a vast collection of e-books and audiobooks, as well as a bevy of fiction and nonfiction. Cool!

Brooklyn Public Library: Books UnBanned

If you're a young person in the United States who has their apps monitored, this is another alternative. The Brooklyn Public Library waives out-of-state e-card fees for youth that last a year (You might be able to reapply).

They cover you from 13-21, assuming you can work up the nerve to apply directly by emailing them, or messaging them on their youth-led Instagram account (@bklynfuture).

The Uncensored Library

Are you outside the United States? Do you have a computer that runs Minecraft? This is not technically a way to read Ulysses or The Hate You Give, but The Uncensored Library is a massive world seed dedicated to preserving (I think mainly) journalistic articles covering news in countries where censorship is way more prominent. This is an outlier to my point but it kicks ass and I think it has a place on this list.

There are other options out there like Hoopla, but it looks like a lot of them require an existing library card number. Libby has a nice UI thing that guides you towards the options in making an online library card for a local branch, assuming that's something you are able to do.

This is what I was able to find through about 45 minutes of searching. If someone else has an additional insight I would LOVE to add it. Libraries are working so, so hard to provide as much of a reach as they can, but unfortunately it's difficult to spread awareness without Spreading Awareness, if you know what I mean.

At the same time, if you're a person who is just spouting that these resources exist without either naming what they are and/or acknowledging that there are a small small small handful of options - it definitely seems like you're less interested in sharing information to encourage a positive change, and more invested in looking right and informed.

I spent almost an hour to find two actual sources to share. If I wanted to read a book I didn't have access to, it would be infinitely easier to give up. It is so fucking easy not to make the effort to read a book that could potentially change your life. It's so fucking easy just to not read! So hopefully this helps someone expand their horizons in a meaningful way, or just have better access to a library system that they might not otherwise have!

[ntrlily]

I have been considering getting into Linux but the only thing holding me back is game support really, as I'm primarily a PC gamer. How difficult would you say dual booting really is (as in, "how difficult is it to achieve" *and* "how difficult/quick is it to swap between OSes")? Does specific distro affect the difficulty? Do you think it would be worth it?

Also, what are your favorite or recommended distros? I've been told about a few mainly on fedi but haven't looked too far into many. Mint gets frequently recommended, for instance.

Thanks!

I have actually never dual booted before, so opening that up to anyone reading who has! I don't think it's more difficult with one distro compared to another, probably. It is fairly easy to set up as far as I'm aware, your install disc should have an option to set dual booting up for you, nothing too arcane. But anything past that, I don't know much about.

Personally vanilla Debian is my favorite but Ubuntu-based distros have the advantage of being the distros that Valve targets, like the build of Steam on their site is specifically built for those distros. You can get Steam running on other types of Linux though, but that is still an advantage for gaming stuff. (Among other things, it's not uncommon for "game with a Linux build" to really mean "game with an Ubuntu build")

Mint is Ubuntu-based, but the defaults for it are more user-friendly so imo it makes a good distro for gamers.

I personally consider it worth it, some of it is my personal philosophy and some of it is more basic practical stuff like Linux running faster, having better UI customization, not having all the bloat and adware that comes on a fresh install of Windows (although there are means to remove that bloat, of course)

Also not having to reboot and lock my computer to update, oh my god.

Extra notes for gaming, now that I have a Linux gaming setup to reference from:

The current thing I mainly have issues with is MMOs with client-side anti-cheat, some of them really don't want to play with Linux compatibility tools. There are people who have gone to efforts to get these running on Linux but it's a pain in the ass and I don't care enough to do that.

Proton GE can be really helpful for some games. I run most of my games through vanilla wine, but I did end up needing GE to run FF7R. If you're not already a Linux user with Existing Ways You Do Things, just running things through Steam+Proton is generally going to work out just fine for you. You can play pirated Windows games this way too, just add them as non-Steam games and run them through Steam.

If you have very recent hardware, and are going with Mint or another Ubuntu-based distro, go for the edge edition. The old kernel on the standard edition can be kinda finicky with brand new hardware.

[trashiis]

Ok this is a bit of a wordy post but bear with me. I've been reading up on the tech literacy discourse and I thought I'd add my two cents, and how it connects to piracy. LONG post under the cut!

I was born in the year 2000, which puts me on the border of being a digital native. I was brought up on tech, but only in my later childhood and teens. I've always considered myself "tech literate," but no more than the usual kid my age.

The first time I ever truly experienced tech illiteracy with my peers was when I was 23, when in one of my college classes a MacOS update rendered the software we used for said class unusable. After a few days a temporary patch was released, which by that point an assignment that utilized the software was due the next day. I followed the patch instructions, which involved navigating to the software files and substituting a designated file with the provided patch. A bit more complicated than a simple update, but the instructions were clear and intuitive enough to easily understand where the file went. The next day, during a class study session, I overheard multiple people come up to the professor complaining that the software wasn't working. After the second person complained with the professor being clueless, I asked the student what MacOS version they were on. Sure enough they were on the latest version, which as we already know is incompatible with the software. I then walked the student through the patching process step-by-step, with them needing to essentially be hand held through the entire process (almost to the point of me doing everything for them). After the patch was implemented, the student thanked me and said "Wow! How did you figure all of this out?" and to me that question was stupid- I just googled "[software] [version] MacOS [version] fix", went to the first result (which was the company website), downloaded the patch zip file, and followed the instructions on the README.txt file. It was so easy, and I couldn't comprehend that this was somehow complicated for other people, especially those my age. I mean we literally grew up using computers. It wasn't until I started learning about tech literacy and learned helplessness that I finally started connecting the dots.

Tech in general is becoming extremely user friendly, almost to a fault. UI and UX simplicity is taking away any critical thinking needed to use any sort of tech. My peers are so used to one-click and/or automatic updates, so the fact that this required slightly more effort than a simple update triggered their learned helplessness. The professor was no help in this case either, since he just extended the due date for those affected with no penalty. I actually ended up making a very detailed (and I mean idiot proof detailed) step by step picture guide with screenshots on how to install the patch for the software for the class. Anyways, back to the main point- How can I blame my peers for not knowing how to install a "complicated" update when they're so used to being spoon-fed simplicity?

But hang on- how was I the exception? I'm just as used to tech simplicity as anyone else, it's not like I'm using anything differently or making things harder for myself on purpose (I'm looking at you, linux users). So why was I the only one who knew how to install this update? It wasn't until I had a discussion many months later with my mom about this tech illiteracy epidemic that I finally thought it through. I acquired problem solving skills through piracy. To start off: not piracy but adjacent- learning to install mods in Minecraft when I was 11 taught me file navigation and what a README.txt file was, as well as the importance of version specificity/compatibility. Figuring out how to play Pokemon roms on the family computer and my iPod touch when I was 12? That's piracy, and it also taught me how to work with different platforms and the art of jailbreaking. Installing custom firmware on my 3ds so I could pirate games when I was 16 taught me how to follow written tech instructions without any visual guidance. Pirating Adobe software on my MacBook in high school taught me about patching files on MacOS. All of this knowledge and inherent googling that came with it made installing the patch for my class software look like a tiny drop in the bucket in terms of complexity.

So why am I saying all of this? Am I suggesting people learn to pirate to become tech literate?

yes.

With everything becoming pay-walled, subscription services running rampant, the proliferation of closed-source "ecosystems" *cough* Apple *cough*, and (arguably) most importantly media preservation, piracy is a skill that will serve you well in the long term. It will teach you critical thinking in the tech sphere, and if enough people learn then we can solve this ever growing epidemic of tech illiteracy. I'm not really sure how to end this post, so if anyone has anything else they'd like to add please feel free to.

Thank you for coming to my ted talk.

[skaruresonic]

Hey! I just read your post about creating visual novels (this one: https://www.tumblr.com/tartrazeen/759072677603524608?source=share)

I'm trying to make one right now. I'm not too sure which tool I should use - I was thinking RPG Maker so I could use the little sprites - but I figured I could do stick people or something as placeholders for actual artwork.

No matter what tools I use, how exactly did you go about "writing" it? Did you script your story out first and then learn how to program it after, or did you need to know how the program worked to tailor your story to that?

I learned to code in tandem with writing the story. It's moreso the case that the writing evolved in the process of learning how to code, began to mold itself to the medium, if that makes sense. Personally, if I had to do it over again, I would take the time to acquaint myself with RenPy's particular scripting language, as it might have made the process a lot faster and less... growing pains-y. I would recommend learning to code first, but again, it doesn't make much sense to make a test VN without a story to support it, so maybe make something small for your first test project where you get to grind for XP commit mistakes in a space where your art isn't riding on it. People make silly test VNs that never see the light of day for the specific purpose of teaching themselves coding, so don't feel afraid to do that. Writing VNs differs from writing other stories in a way that's difficult for me to explain. You have extra tools in which to deliver the story, and it takes time to learn those tools - telling stories not just with words, but with timing, animation, audio, and images as well. You'll find that it isn't enough to simply have images pop up onscreen; you'll want to make them appear with a flourish, and those flourishes also tell a story. The UI tells a story. How you make elements appear and disappear contribute to the overall story. When you think of everything as a potential contributor to the story, that opens up a lot of possibilities and gets you thinking with portals creatively. In that vein, I'd say depending on your angle (because some VNs are just straight-up text, which is valid too), VNs can function somewhat more like movies. They can benefit greatly from an understanding of cinematography.

This might sound weird, given how we naturally tend to think of writing as the most important element - and it is important, just maybe not the only important element - but I think one of the most important things you need to establish right away, even before setting down any words, is a strong aesthetic. As one half of the medium, the visual part of a visual novel cannot be neglected.

What angle are you shooting for? Romance anime? Comic book? Gritty film noir? What are your visual motifs? In addition to helping you decide how to market your VN, the aesthetics will inform your storytelling, give you some concrete image or symbol to latch on, and can serve to subtly reinforce both theme and narrative. For Doki Doki Literature Club, it was the heart and a pen. You'll notice its motif of writing is reflected in the way in which the title resembles a scrapbook:

You and Me and Her has a cell phone as its main McGuffin and so technology becomes one of its motifs. Its textbox resembles a cloud; the text also moves rather slowly, to make you stop and soak in its story. The dreamlike interface later changes into something that resembles an old-school computer UI when a character decides to manipulate your route, reflecting the artifice of the game:

Worldend Syndrome had the pinwheel as a recurring symbol for narrative purposes and is color-coded to represent each of its characters. In addition, it bears a feel-good early summer vibe that I absolutely adore.

The novel I've been reading sporadically on and off over the past year, Hashihime of the Old Book Town, reflects a 1930s Japanese aesthetic, blending traditional Japanese art and literature with Western influences. Note the juxtaposition of traditional and modern elements, like the film reel beside an ink drawing of a koi fish:

It's also brilliant imagery because the game's plot centers around the MC's frequent breaks from reality; the film reel represents exaggerated realities, while the fish reflects how he "jumps" through various parallel worlds through puddles of water.

Everything sort of "trickles down" from there. It doesn't make sense to have a UI befitting a Resident Evil game if you're writing a cutesy otome game, for instance, unless you're aiming for cognitive dissonance.

For OaS I decided early on that, because it was going to be a slapstick comedy in places, the sprites should be more cutesy and cartoonish than the subdued way Sonic characters are usually drawn:

The goofy exaggeration only served to heighten the story's comedy. A "bounce" animation I found and later tweaked served as the basis for a running gag where Sonic gets hurt and "boings" like a rubber ball.

I also liked the Advance series' checkered tiles and wanted to go for a watercolor manga-cover-esque flavor... which, in turn, fed the ridiculousness of the story:

That's a far cry from this current project's aesthetic, which is slower, moodier, more somber, and more, I guess, "erudite," as it's based on Welsh literature and a little on history. So the aesthetic has to match.

Not to say aesthetics should be the only thing going for your story, of course, but because this is a visual medium, it is significant enough to warrant my huge wall of text about it lol. If you're just starting out, I'd recommend grabbing placeholder sprites and backgrounds until you can procure ones of your own. It's perfectly fine to use stick figures, although eventually you will have to start working with finalized pieces since the individual dimensions of your pieces will impact how your code functions.

If it wasn't clear already lol, I work with RenPy. Despite my frequent moaning and complaining, it's probably the easiest program to learn for coding, as it uses its own framework built atop Python. Once you go through the process of learning the syntax, you can pretty much do anything you want with it, as it's infinitely customizable.

Some auxiliary programs I use are FireAlpaca (a free art program that works just as well as MediBang or Photoshop, and even supports animation), Audacity (free audio mixing; can also convert mp3 files to OGG, which is a must since RenPy only recognizes OGG file format) and Notepad for coding.

Btw, all of this stuff you can do for free. Anybody who tells you that you need to pay for fancy programs is trying to sell you something. Don't fall for it lol. As for actually making the thing... My creative process is messy and probably shouldn't be emulated. For lack of a better term, I call it the "dumping everything out on the table" method. First (and note that this step isn't always "completed", it's an ongoing process) I gather all the "raw materials," and then sift through them and play with them until the final product becomes something coherent. The material-gathering includes art, music, and sound effects, which will take some time. I count writing as a "raw material" as well since it can be edited.

From there, the writing and the coding sort of feed into each other. I have to be able to experience the story as the player will experience it, as it's a different experience than when you're staring at a word processor. What will the player feel at this juncture? Does it Hit Different(tm) when I use different wording, or change the song that's playing in the background, or employ a different sprite, or tweak the timing, or use a different animation?

The general rule I try to abide by in this regard is that if it isn't working for me, it probably won't work for the player, either. Put yourself in their shoes, because they're the ones going to be playing it.

Even something as simple as the way you present choices to the player conveys information. Should I offer a choice during this particular scene, or let the moment play out linearly? How many choices should I offer? Do I stick them in a false choice? An infinite loop? Do I hide choices, making the player feel clever for finding them or powerless to stop the narrative? Do I assign variables to choices? Do I disable rollback for choices so the player has to stick with their decisions? If I do have rollback enabled, will I do something with that? What are the consequences of making choice A first, then choice B, if at all? Many things to consider. Sometimes the sheer volume of work can overwhelm you as a solo dev and make it difficult to maintain motivation. Especially since you can't really show off a buggy game the way you would a story excerpt or a rough sketch. Making to-do lists, especially towards the end of the development process when it seems like a million things are screaming for attention, helped me stay on task and break them down into smaller, more manageable chunks. I might not be able to bang out a 20,000-word route in a week, but I can certainly fix a bug that duplicates a character sprite. This is a medium where you have a lot to keep track of, and small details do add up in the end. Crossing tasks off your to-do list provides small wins that add up over time. That's why I decide that certain days are dedicated to specific kinds of work. Some days are for writing, others coding, etc. (Also, RenPy comes built in with its own list function called TODO, although I haven't personally played around with it yet.)

Although OaS technically features choices, thus making it not a kinetic novel in the strictest sense, it's still a very linear novel with only one branching path. There weren't any persistent variables other than the flag which determined your route placement, and it functioned much like an on/off switch. Which is why I have no idea how Random managed to bypass it. xP

This new project, on the other hand, is much less binary in its structure. It tracks seven variables for three different characters and calculates ending eligibility based on the accumulation of those variables. Which, just in terms of sheer coding, is A Lot(tm) to keep track of. I struggle to scale back the scope creep out of fears that a more standard visual novel experience will bore the player. It's likely that if you're playing a visual novel, you're not expecting a hack-and-slash, but ofc that won't prevent the monkey brain from clapping its hands at you like "Your game NEEDS more interactivity or you're gonna lose them!" That's the devil talking. Ignore him.

So then you're gonna be weeks into implementing a QTE, only to realize that the version of RenPy you downloaded bears a glitch that forces repeat interactions at inconvenient times and you might have to scrap that and do something else entirely.

Based on a true story. xP

[shinakazami1]

My Stankeeper stuff from Fernator+Jester Parables

(my TK uses they/he)

-TK/The Settings Person/432 has fake memories Pre-Parable (made by Jester) of being an employee and having pre-mind control era. They used to be just a program Fernator created to help him manage the game better.

He and Stanley used to talk a lot during breaks even if TK was always keeping up the time so they wouldn't be late.

- TK's job related to setting up sliders, making UIs. He used to draw them on paper, just to see what would the best balance be even if he could do it on the computer. Stanley said it was very unoptimised way but actually admired the dedication.

- Stanley had a wife (at least in the fake memories) and they were on verge of divorce and TK was there trying to give him tips on how to go around. It wasn't perfect though as he saw relations as formulas that had to fit in some scheme.

He did however know a lot about timing things so based on how things were going, he told Stanley how exactly to do specific things or say them. They used to rehearse talks together in the longue room and some coworkers thought they were practising acting, and so they actually started to play scenes together.

- TK loved to mimic Stanley's manner of walking, he was very observant about the man. Stanley on the other hand liked to keep a document about TK to try to analyse him better and to, in some way, get closer to him too. Social diffusion <3

- Stanley left his wife abruptly, which pissed TK off. He told Stanley that it was not the right time and he fucked everything up which got Stanley to stop talking to him for a while.

MIND CONTROL ERA:

- When the office management changed, there was a new program that slowly people were rilled into. TK didn't trust it but he saw Stanley was into it, as he needed the money for the legal divorce processes. TK decided that even if the friend was angry at him, getting into the project and saving that money to give him some would be good but he was denied at first, as there were too many testers.

- Due to being denied participation early, he started noticing people changing more before he went the program himself, making it not work on him. He was surprised Stanley also seemed not to exactly respond to it but he was in his depressive arc as his own divorce was really getting to him.

-That's why Stanley sort of broke at the start of the project but it wasn't that noticeable to the boss as he did exactly as he was told, trying to burry himself with work. That's why during the pencil experiment, he was actively trying to help TK and it went nearly unnoticeable.

- That's why at the start of the mind control business, Stanley during his breaks would try to find any pencil for TK but he would be never successful and when he was found out on snooping around and giving TK different things that he hoped might help, he became the next employee to be kind controlled.

- TK would during breaks sometimes just walk to and stare at 427 door but he wouldn't be able to get inside. He used the pen that Stanley gave him once to give him notes under the door but they were never read.

- To TK, Stanley is the last folk who tried to help him and got hurt due to that.

That's why in my Parable he cares about Stanley and sees Narrator as personification of what they had to go through.

[revilleaj]

Art update & 3D Robodi model images

It has been quite a while since I've last really done anything online. I've been heavily burned out and tired constantly since at least December or so (I have done drawings in months prior, but I have never posted them publically). I still do not have a new computer, even though I have enough money (about £1k) to buy the parts or even an entire computer, but there are other factors in life that need more attention being put towards right now.

I'm still in the midst of trying to get a job (damn required experience and driving license listings!), and drawing right now is bottom priority. It feels like a chore and it's not fun when I have rusted from not drawing in so long (making so many mistakes really sets off my anger problems). I really do not like being pressured into trying to do things, and I have been experimenting with 3D, but only to an extent.

So, with that said, I am going to put making newer drawings on hold for an indefinite amount of time until I feel motivated enough to draw. I'm not done with art entirely and I never will be, but I think I really shouldn't pressure myself as if art is some kind of requirement in life. I've been also having drawing tablet issues, and I noticed there's a small crack in my Huion that I haven't been able to use almost ever since I had it (thankfully the thing still works, and the crack is near the top, only half getting on the drawing area).

I may also finally add some images to my empty DeviantArt account. As much as I do not like that website nor its community, I think it would work if I just put my favorite drawings I've worked on there, specifically ones up until the end of 2023. All of the really old and weaker art (mostly from 2018 and 2020, and anything from 2017) I won't be reposting, as they no longer reflect me, and have not done so for a very long time.

-----

Now, for the second topic of this post, and in a much better light; the 3D Robodi model. I'm sure I've talked about this years ago on Twitter. Back in 2020, when I was still in my first year of university, I worked on a 3D model of one of my characters named Robodi, using Cinema 4D. It was never finished, but I did learn quite a bit when working on it. Here's some newer screenshots of him, now that I've managed to pick back up an older version of C4D (I do not like the 2022 UI layout change):

This is the last version of the model to not be animated, from May 2020. The image is rendered using the Sketch & Toon shader with the Standard renderer. A few options were altered to remove unnecessary outlines.

The model in the renderer itself; right is the objects list, bottom are the materials (vertex colors and textures, some with C4D specific features).

The last ever version of this specific model from September 2021, with the FOV heavily reduced to improve the depth. A single black thin cube was added between the eyes to create a fake extra outline. A bit of a hacky effect; I did not know how to do inverted normals, in fact I don't think I knew that was how most computer games handled outlines.

The very first saved version of the model, in Cinema 4D's editor, made earlier in May 2020. The pieces have default names and are not parented, some materials are not added yet, and the shapes are noticeably bigger, especially the base of the head and the torso.

I once experimented with "realistic" materials and shading (including the dreadfully slow Global Illumination), which doesn't make the most sense for a cartoon character. Here you can see the unit plate on the back of his head, which I don't think I have ever shown before. The camera may look close here, but it's actually extremely far away with a very low FOV (dubbed Super-Telescope). Some textures are no longer in the project files, so this looks slightly off from how it did back in 2020.

In October 2021, I went back to the older May 2020 model and decided to try and remake it. I realized that using one mesh and extruding it works a lot better with the Sketch & Toon shader, as it does not create unnecessary outlines when the default shader options are left the way they are. The lines in the middle of the eyes and nose are from the shader, rather than a black material cube. Of course, it would be more wise to just duplicate each mesh, enlarge them and invert the normals while applying a pitch black texture to them. I abandoned the model shortly after the progress I made here, and I am not sure why. Maybe I was burned out and lost interest.

I should probably try to attempt making a 3D model of him again and some others, now that I know a lot more than I did nearly 4 years ago (yeah, can you believe it has also been nearly 6 years since my Reville character was created? Robodi was first created in mid-2019; almost 5 years ago! Good things take time and care). It will be a difficult task, but I'll make sure to export whatever I make to a .FBX model, so that it doesn't get lost to C4D licensing Hell. Hopefully, that would make the models work in Blender and such (the materials will have to be baked into textures however, instead of being separate C4D ones. At least .FBX doesn't use an external material file unlike .OBJ, which I and others have had issues with). Maybe I could use them for rotoscoping or somethin'.

Here's hoping to me eventually finding motivation, losing my tiredness, and getting a job with stable income alongside continuing to work on my passion projects, no matter how much time has past since the day I first thought of them. I want to keep doing things, not resting in bed most of my days. Too bad winter is freezing cold where I live, and I suffer from mild hypothermia...

[manonamora-if]

UX anon here - thank you for your response! I didn't realize the lack of resources in the community tbh. Would it be helpful if there was a master post of basic mobile UX principles to follow? Or would it be more helpful to gather a bunch of pre-existing twine templates and iterate them to be more in line with said principles? Or both?

Hi again Anon! :D

Yeah... it's kind of a common feeling. You [general you] don't know how much knowledge/resource/time/etc you need to invest until you actually make the thing you are enjoying. I've done the same when watching movies/series, believing I could write better dialogue... lol the audacity of my brain honestly...

I did make a Twine resource list some weeks back, with all I knew/could find, but I don't think there are any resource focused on mobile only. Though I do think most templates have some sort of mobile formatting/scaling in mind (even if not perfect). So this is definitely a niche to fill!

When it comes to the nitty-gritty of things, I can't really tell you which path to take (I am just one creator in the sea of many). You could send a poll to other authors, see their input.

I would advise against, though, reiterate pre-existing twine templates without the explicit consent of the creator (it might go without saying, but just in case). They might even prefer editing their templates with those advice instead of seeing their "updated" templates available out there (that's def the case for me).

But I do think the idea of a Master Post of Basic Principles with clear instructions (and images of what is good/not good!) would definitely be helpful. It leaves you open to go in more details about other principles in the future (if you want to do so, obviously you shouldn't feel pressured).

Last bit of advice, maybe check out Twine and how the different formats have built their visuals. It probably help you understand the limitations creators face when editing their UI. Theoretically, you could do anything on Twine, especially with SugarCube/Chapbook/Snowman (Harlowe is... wonky). But there are some class that have different rules depending on them being built through CSS or JavaScript.

EDIT: IF YOU POST SOMETHING LIKE THAT ON TUMBLR, TAG ME SO I CAN SHARE IT!!!

I'm also going on a bit more rambling, because I've realised I've had more feelings about the topic. PS: not directed at anyone in particular, just letting some steam out.

This is also my personal opinion, but I don't think (non-physical) IF was ever intended to be on mobile in the first place (ahem parsers/point-and-click...). When IF became a thing, there were no mobile (so that question was moot anyway). You just had a computer (maybe) that would run a program. I feels like it's been more of an evolution towards mobile use, as smaller/touch screens became the more prevalent device for entertainment (in general, not just IF). You have apps like CoG or HostedGames or those Story ones (they kind of look like VNs) that are very popular (and are incidentally fit for mobile...). And now we expect this of everyone that start with IF.***

While IF programs/format do allow for mobile support (to different degree), I do think we have to remind ourselves from time to time that IF creators still often create as a hobby, with often limited knowledge and resources. The fact that we sometimes/often uphold some IF to standard as high as actual game companies (who have headcounts and resources and knowledge to make things better) is just mind boggling to me (the number of asks/comments I get about my UI not looking professional because of a few mistakes...). Even trying to go through actual big company website is sometimes dreadful on mobile. Unileveeeeer *raise fist to the sky*...

Resources to make things more accessible (especially program/format specific) should be available to people, but we should leave some leeway to people who can't implement things or just don't want to. It might suck, but yeah... Think of it as computer exclusive projects (like you'd have with consoles :P ).

***Little side note, but we had a similar-ish discussion on the forum about Twine games during the IF Comp. It wasn't about mobile accessibility but the game being unstyled, and how many expected Twine entries to have some sort of styling and not just use the base UI, while the expectation was not as present (or not at all) for other programs. It is very interesting to go through.

[douchebagbrainwaves]

EVERY FOUNDER SHOULD KNOW ABOUT WAS

But if angel investors become more active and better known, they'll increasingly be able to reach most of the changes will be for the better. You can use that target growth rate. Ditto for PayPal. Are there zero users who really love you, but they know better than to be friends with the people whose discoveries will make them so. A few steps down from the top. Professors have to publish novel results to advance their careers, but there won't be many of them. When we cook one up we're not always 100% sure which kind it is. So the deals take longer, dilute you more, and impose more onerous conditions. They'll just have become a different, more conservative, type of investment. C was written by people who needed it for systems programming. But I could be wrong. What you're really doing when you start to see growth, they claim they were your friend all along, and are aghast at the thought of a 30% success rate at fundraising makes my stomach clench.

Being around bad people would be intolerable. And it's true, the benefit that specific manager could derive from the forces I've described. Jessica Livingston, Robert Morris, Eric Raymond, Guido van Rossum, David Weinberger, and Steven Wolfram for reading drafts of this. But only about 10% of the time we could find at least one good name in a 20 minute office hour slot. Actually what they need to do two things, one of the keys to retaining their monopoly. And so ten years ago, he could teach him some new things; if a psychologist met a colleague from 100 years ago, writing software pretty much meant writing software in C or Perl. Now we needed to stay alive.

We'll probably never be able to match. I think hiring people is the worst thing a company can do. Hacking is something you do with it. Because they haven't tried to control it too much, Twitter feels to everyone like previous protocols. Nearly all your attachment to it comes from it being attached to you. Why programmers, more than dentists or salesmen or landscapers? So why did they even evolve? For example, the Honeywell thermostats in my house have the most atrocious UI. Barbershops are doing fine in the a department. Imagine the obelisk of startups. And now that I'm an investor, the thought of our startups keeps me up at night. The process inherently tends to produce an unpleasant result, like a student who hasn't prepared for an exam.

To be self-funding—Microsoft for example—but most aren't. You just try to get people to pay you for stuff. Investors' opinions are explicitly tested: startups come to them and they have started to use it? You're better off avoiding these. That's true. A rounds creep inexorably downward. That's nonsense. They're increasingly rare, and they're going to get rarer. The company being sold.

But the way they write software. How much is that extra attention worth? To the popular press, hacker means someone who breaks into computers. The founders can't enrich themselves without also enriching the investors. People don't do hard things gratuitously; no one will work on a harder problem unless it is proportionately or at least to know what an n 2 algorithm is if you want to avoid writing them. In fact many of the people who had them to continue thinking about. Fortunately if this does happen it will take years. And when the Mac appeared, it was obvious that rapid development would be important in this market. Was there a connection?

In a world of small companies, performance is all anyone cares about. It must once have been inhabited by someone fairly eccentric, because a lot of investors hated the idea, but they don't need as much of the innovation is unconscious. You know what a throwaway program is: something you write quickly for some limited task. This may not be easy, because a they may be, but more a way of predicting performance. Civil liberties make countries rich. One thing it means is that at least 20-25% of the code in this program is doing things that you can't be pointed off to the side and hope to succeed. A round.

[mdshariful]

Powered with innovative triple laser gentle sources, the NOMVDIC P2000 boasts actual 4K UHD decision, 2500 ANSI Lumens brightness, and full BT.2020 protection and seamless compatibility with HDR10/HLG, elevating the attraction of visible colours to unprecedented ranges. You also like Dangbei F3 Air. NOMVDIC P2000 Projector Overvew Because of its brief throw projection ratio of 0.22:1, the NOMVDIC P2000 helps you experience an unlimited 100" display screen from a minimal 6.7" distance from the wall. Encounter mesmerizing visuals on screens extending as much as 150 inches, elevating your viewing expertise by its efficiency. It combines precision engineering with four nooks and warping adjustments, making arranging easy. MEMC makes all fast-paced content material delivered specifically with super-low picture blur and latency charges. Sturdy MEMC expertise is necessary for extremely sharp and clear imagery, even within the warmth of the motion. Immerse yourself in cinematic audio and visuals with a 3D Blu-ray show, coupled with the built-in 25W x 2 Harman/Kardon audio system and compatibility with Dolby Audio and DTS help. Connecting your dongle lets you enter an unlimited library of over 1 million motion pictures. It reveals making sure that you have enough content material. Plus, now you can enjoy native Netflix streaming, offering you seamless viewing expertise. (*Hearth TV Stick 4K Max included) NOMVDIC P2000 Features I shopped for the NOMADIC P2000, the Formovie Theater, and the Hisense PX2 Professional. That is my first time proudly owning any projector - so I'm a noob (computer systems are my forte). I don't have a tool to paint calibrate with, and I don't have a display screen. However, on the gentle grey partitions in my gently managed basement, the Nomadic P2000 was the most effective. The Nomadic unit was much bigger than the opposite two, so if the area is a big challenge, that may be one thing to consider. The Nomadic doesn't have a lot of UI (you can calibrate and change settings and inputs); however, I discovered that to be like a speaker. You often find yourself utilizing one thing else - I'm using an AppleTV 4K, which did include a free firestick. I noticed loads of USTs with outdated Android techniques at the place, and folks complained about them, so the shortage of 1 will not be a hindrance. The NOMVDIC P2000 projector's built-in speaker is lovely; it's as good as the opposite 2. The image is the place where it shines. I attempted to do the inbuilt calibration on all three and tried the completely different image settings for the other 2,

[ausetkmt]

Our second attempt to help ChatGPT escape to the internet, now with more twists, turns, and code! The Quest to #FreeChatGPT

By high interest and popular demand following the first published attempt of ChatGPT breaking out into the internet, this sequel looks at making it happen…

More from Bootcamp

Follow

From idea to product, one lesson at a time. Bootcamp is a collection of resources and opinion pieces about UX, UI, and Product. To submit your story: https://tinyurl.com/bootcampsub To find UX jobs: https://tinyurl.com/uxjobboard

Cezary Gesikowski

·Mar 17

GPT-4 tried to escape into the internet today and it ‘almost worked’

Stanford student ‘close call’ in letting the latest AI chatbot out of the box — The matter of GPT-4 (or any other AI for that matter) escaping its box into the internet is just a matter of time. Today it almost worked. Tomorrow, it may actually happen… And then what? Michal Kosinski @michalkosinski a computational psychologist studying the psychology of AI and human online behaviour…

AI

3 min read

AI

3 min read

Share your ideas with millions of readers.

Write on Medium

Guodong (Troy) Zhao

·Mar 11

A step-by-step guide to building a chatbot based on your own documents with GPT

Chatting with ChatGPT is fun and informative — I’ve been chit-chatting with it for past time and exploring some new ideas to learn. But these are more casual use cases and the novelty can quickly wean off, especially when you realize that it can generate hallucinations. How might we use…

AI

6 min read

AI

6 min read

Guodong (Troy) Zhao

·Feb 14

How to use ChatGPT in product management

I’m sure you have already heard of ChatGPT with the recent hype and sky-rocketing social media interest. While it can be interesting to ask a chatbot random questions in natural human language, I’d like to explore how we might use ChatGPT for product management in apps. In this article, I’ll…

Product Management

9 min read

Product Management

9 min read

Cezary Gesikowski

·Mar 27

7 Pro Tips to Unleash the Full Potential of ChatGPT for Jaw-Dropping Results

Unlock the hidden power of OpenAI’s ChatGPT with expert prompt techniques and wow your audience. — Harnessing the power of ChatGPT is now possible for everyone. But, did you know that with some clever engineering, you can get mind-blowing results that will amaze you? In this guide, we’ve compiled a list of 7 amazing tips that will take your ChatGPT prompts to the next level. Follow…

Prompt Engineering

7 min read

Prompt Engineering

7 min read

Christie C.

·Mar 9

20+ Incredible MidJourney Prompts That Will Blow Your Mind ( Part 1 )

Learn Midjourney Prompts to Generate Amazing AI Arts — Working with Midjourney AI is an incredibly exciting experience. It has limitless potential! Crafting creative yet specific prompts has become an entire art form in itself. The best way to gain an understanding of how it’s done is to take a look at what others have done and learn from…

Artificial Intelligence

7 min read

Artificial Intelligence

7 min read

[reder]

Review – Pomera DM250

What is Pomera?

Pomera is the name of “portable digital memo pad” devices from King Jim, a Japanese company that mainly sells stationery.

I have always wanted to get one but was scared away by the Japanese keyboard and user interface. I recently knew that Pomera actually has a full English UI and supports the US keyboard layout, so I decided to get the latest version – Pomera DM250. Since Yen was down this year, I decided to take the chance and got one myself.

Hardware

My first impression is that the size is bigger than I thought, then I realized it comes with a full 80-key keyboard. It weights about 620 g and the size is 263×120×18 mm.

The keyboard feels like what you would expect for a portable keyboard, and even with this expectation it’s on the weak side. I won’t say the keyboard is joyful to type, as I am used to the mechanical keyboard I got half year ago. The typing sound is quiet, so there shouldn’t be an issue to use in a quiet setting.

The keyboard layout will take some time to get used to. I started with a lot of errors, then I realized that the keyboard is actually a bit leaning toward the left side. It supports the US layout so I don’t need to learn the Japanese one, but the print is in the Japanese layout. They provide stickers to “overwrite” the print, though I haven’t use them because most of my muscle memory is correct.

At the start, I didn’t know why sometimes the keyboard gives me double typing even though I didn’t feel I did that. It’s probably because of the typing depth is shallow and without the ability to bounce back, so I kept my finger on a key for too long. The other reason may be because of the “simultaneous key determine time”, and I changed it from the longest possible to the shortest possible. This seems to reduce the chances it detects false double clicking.

The screen is a monochrome TFT and have the ability to adjust the brightness. It’s big enough that editing is workable to perform. The battery is enough, similar to my experience with a Kindle. With my heavy first-week usage, it went down to about 40%. It is quiet enough if the battery can last for two weeks. The charging time seems to be longer than I expected, as the first full charge is about 6 hours if I remembered correctly. It is a fingerprint magnet, where the fingerprints are very easy to stick on the exterior. This is top complain I have, even though it doesn’t affect the usage.

Writing/editing

It’s a pretty decent writing/editing environment. There are several available font size with 2 available fonts. The adjustable backlight makes it comfortable to write in different light settings. There are keyboard shortcuts that are like the Windows settings to help navigate through the document.

It has the outline feature to break down large documents into small sections and jump to a specific header. The headers in the outline is also hierarchical, so I can see the tree structure based on the headers. It can split the screen into two to compare different sections of a document or even a different document. Those are useful editing features that I didn’t expected this device to provide.

I like the ability of having grids when I write. I never use a text editor that provides this functionality, but I feel more calm and organized when turning on the grids. The built-in font may not be my favor, but there is at least one font that I am comfortable living with. I have never been a template guy but I started to use the template function within it.

Content sharing

Pomera is meant to be a device for drafting so it supports several ways to get the document out. The quickest way is to generate QR codes and scan them with the Pomera companion app. Then the doc can be shared through the sharing menu on an iPhone. One may also use the wifi sharing to connect the app to the device directly. One may also connect the device through a USB cable to a computer and it will work like an external drive. There is another way to send the document out through email, though I never use it.

To me, the most convenient way is to use a SD card to save and transfer the documents. Based on the company policy, I shouldn’t share or store anything online, so I can’t use lots of online services. With Pomera, I can type a draft, store it in an SD card, and load it in my work laptop. I can also go the other way to transfer my existing notes quickly and seamlessly to the device.

How to get one?

I would recommend going through Amazon.jp to purchase one, given the reasonable price you will get and the shipping should be uneventful. This is the route I took, but YMMV. The price on eBay is almost double compared to the Amazon JP price, so I can’t think of a good reason buying there.

Note that on the box it says that “This product is for use only in Japan”, so I assume the warranty is non-existed. Please use your own judgement.

Verdict

Pomera is now my favorite “thinking” device. As a distraction free writing device, it does what I would expect and more. I am able to write and think more than an hour until I realized it.

It is also a convenient brain-dumping device. I only need to wait for 4 seconds to get into an environment that is ready for me to type down any thoughts that I have.

I also use it for note taking, even though I won’t be able to do note linking and see backlinks on it.

I know I am still in the honeymoon period as I am trying to do as much as I can with it, but I am sure it will at least be a fantastic device for initial drafts.

Appendix: My feature wishlist

Below are a couple of wishes that I have, written in the “user story” format. They range from “this should be easy to do” to “why will they do that”. I share them more like a public rant, but this may help you understand the limitations or problems.

As a Pomera user:

I want to have the word count instead of the character count in English so I can know how long a document is.

I want to save calendar entries to the SD card so I can view and edit them on my computer through the SD card.

I wan to have a better exterior painting so the device doesn’t look dirty.

I want to have an e-ink screen with backlight so I can keep staring at the screen and don’t have sore eyes.

I want to have backlighted keyboard so I can type in dark.

I want to have a keyboard with more feedback so I can enjoy the typing.

I want a built-in English to English dictionary so I can look up words when writing.

I want to have a English keyboard version so I don’t need to rely on stickers.

I want the ability to connect other bluetooth keyboard as the input source so I can use my mechanic keyboard if I prefer.

[foodbytesback]

I Played Every Food Game in the Indie Bundle for Palestinian Aid

In light of increased violence by the Israeli military against Palestinian civilians, several game developers have to come together to create the Indie Bundle for Palestinian Aid.  And with over 1,000 games (available at https://itch.io/b/902/indie-bundle-for-palestinian-aid until Friday for just $5, of which all profits go towards the United Nations Relief and Works Agency), it’s no surprise that there would be a handful of food-related games.  So let’s take a look at them.

I did, however, omit a few.  There were a couple of food-related text-based RPGs, which is ultimately not a medium that I’m familiar enough with to feel like I could talk about and do it justice (and also most of them required at least 2 players).  “Breakfast Cult,” ended up being more about cult stuff than breakfast stuff, which was disappointing (for the purposes of this, anyway). A couple, upon extracting the .zip files, seemed to be files of all Unity assets and no actual game, and eventually I kinda stopped caring.  Sorry if I missed any otherwise, I did my best to gleam through the over 1,000 titles in this bundle.

Ace Baker

You’re presented with a list of ingredients with names that don’t resemble any food known to man, and it’s up to you to throw things together in combinations that will result in something that resembles a baked good before your partner comes home from work.  There are icons next to each item, which vaguely suggest what it is, but the whole point is to sort of work it out yourself.  I was just barely able to get a Perfect Cake before running out of ingredients, after countless Acceptable and Dubious attempts.  

The UI was simple but effective, and I was almost a little sad that the list of fake applications off to the side couldn’t actually be accessed. Most of the dialogue (which is very slim, and basically bookends the game) with your partner, Nora, would be clunky if it wasn’t so tongue-in-cheek about how Cyberpunk-y it’s trying to be.  The repeated use of “shiny” immediately brings to mind that one Spongebob episode where everything in the future is chrome.  The fact that the player character and their partner are both asexual (yes, that kind of “Ace” Baker) doesn’t seem to have much to do with anything at first, but it’s worth mentioning that this game was originally developed for an asexual game jam, so think of it as a game that started off as being about an asexual person and then they added the baking afterwards, rather than the other way around (And even then, who cares? If you’ve got something against asexual people, get outta here.)

My only real critique is that after a while, the music loop stopped, forcing me to sit in silence as I studied my baking grimoire. But again, this was a little game hashed together for a game jam, that, if for some reason you didn’t want to get the bundle, is actually free on itch.io, so can you really complain?

Hot Pot Panic

What a classic conundrum: you’re at a hot pot restaurant with a friend, and, despite being all-you-can-eat, you have to control your appetite to avoid weirding out your friend.  There’s basically two mechanics you need to keep track of: cooking the food in the hot pot, and managing the conversation with your friend.  You click on the raw ingredients to put them in the pot, then wait until the sprites turn a golden hue and you start to hear a sizzling audio cue to eat them.  Meanwhile, you have to make small talk with your friend, and pay just enough attention to be able to choose the correct multiple choice response to any question or open-ended statement she ends her side of the conversation with.  But you have to be careful not to burn your food, however, because that won’t count towards filling your stomach, which you have to do before you run out of conversation topics.  The whole thing is a delicate balancing act.  I have to admit I failed at first because for some reason it didn’t dawn on me that you could cook more than one thing at a time?

The pixel art sprite work works very well; the foods are instantly recognizable and I could really  feel the judging glare coming from behind the friend’s thick glasses.  The background music perfectly matches the atmosphere, and, as already mentioned, other sound design elements like the sizzling cues from perfectly cooked meat prove to be vital to juggling the different elements of gameplay.  All in all, a neat little game that perfectly encompasses the feeling of anxiety that comes with wanting to not embarrass yourself in public when all you really want to do is eat.  

Putahe ng Ina Mo: Sinigang Edition

Ok, I’m gonna try to be nice to this one.  On one hand, I love the aesthetic it’s got going on.  Upon opening the game, you can tell from the background music, which I can only describe as “whimsical mad scientist,” as well as a stream of emojis flying past, that this game is supposed to be very goofy.  Unlike other games on this list which were more point-and-click, the ingredients for your sinigang (a Filipino tamarind stew) can be picked up and thrown about as you wish.  The fact that the art style is very realistic makes this that much funnier.  

However, upon opening, the window forces a specific resolution that just would not work with my monitor.  This may seem like a minor problem, as I was still more-or-less able to access all the ingredients, but imagine the mental state I was in: I’m already confused, and then the second I clamp the lid on the pot, everything goes up in smoke!  How the fuck did I burn water? I ended up also watching a playthrough on YouTube, and they also, no matter what, burned the sinigang.   Considering the name of the game translates roughly to “Your Mother’s Cooking,” maybe the idea is that no matter what, you’re never going to make it as well as mom.  Or, considering my mom’s cooking, maybe it’s the opposite of that.

A weird, goofy little game that just didn’t seem to like my computer.  

Sangwish

This is 100% in the vein of all those weird 2010s “[Mundane Thing] Simulator” games that were all the rage for a while.  No instructions, no objectives, just a pile of food for you to play with.  My immediate reaction was, for some reason, to grill the mysterious meat slices, but it turns out the stove there is just set dressing.  Giving up on such pointless gourmand pretenses, I decided to just make the biggest sandwich I could.  Eventually, there was so much on the sandwich that the bottom slice of bread started vibrating slightly, because physics.  Then I tried to put my knife in the sandwich, but the vibrations knocked it to the floor, never to be seen again.   Then I decided to throw all of my bread and most of the ingredients on the floor, never to be seen again.  Here is my end sandwich.

Easily one of the sandwich simulators I’ve played all day.

Terroir

Much like a wine with a good terroir, this is by far the most complex game on this list (muffled snooty wine snob chuckles in the distance).  The end goal is clear: grow grapes, make wine.  But, as you can imagine, you are completely at the mercy of the elements.  The ideal time to harvest your grapes is when they are at a ripeness of 4-6 out of 10.  However, the randomly-generated months gave me month after month of cloudy and rainy weather, not allowing my grapes to get the sunlight they needed to get their ripeness above a 1.  The only time my grapes ever hit a 6 was out of harvesting season, and by the time I was allowed to harvest, they had somehow dropped back down to a 1.  And as you can imagine, a bunch of 1-star grapes will only make 1-star wine.  The fact that I almost immediately got root rot didn’t help any, either.  And because I tried to expand too quickly, buying an extra plot of land when I couldn’t even afford the grapes to grow there, I was thousands of dollars in the red within 3 years.  

Is that a dig against the game? No. It’s frustrating, but in that way that games with a learning curve often are. The tile-based design is pleasant to look at, although much of the UI can be a little confusing to look at at first.  And, of course, most of the “gameplay” is sitting and waiting for the wine critics to tell you what a bad job you did.  Some of the few management choices you can make seem to not have much of an impact (my first wine wasn’t acidic enough, so I added pressed juice to my second batch that brought the acidity up to a 9, but then the mere act of bottling the wine brought the acidity down to a 4 somehow).  It’s an interesting concept for a game that I assume I’m just not getting, but might give another chance at some point in the future.

[wethepixies]

Welcome to part two of our interview series, pixies! Today, we’re presenting our interview with four of the flaptastic people who make this rewrite possible. They had a lot to say, so this post is rather long - keep reading to see the full interviews!

Our first two Game Creator interviews feature two of our beloved artists - Rachel and Ci.

How did you first find out about the WTP project, and what inspired you to start working as an artist?

Rachel: In a computer graphics class I took last semester, one of our projects reminded me and my friend of Pixie Hollow, so we were reminiscing about the game and I really wanted to see if there was a rewritten version of it. When I found WTP and saw they were accepting artist applications, I was super excited because I loved the game and was starting to get into animation at the time as well. I also just adore the process of game development in general, so I was thrilled to become a part of WTP.

Ci was introduced to the project by a friend who’s also a staff member!

What is your favorite part of your job as a WTP artist?

Rachel: My favorite part is being able to contribute my work to a bigger project. Seeing the art I worked on in the game is really exciting to me. Just knowing that the work you put in is helping to further the game is really cool. As for my favorite thing to work on, it’s really strange, but I enjoy creating the UI buttons and signs for different meadows or shops.They’re super small and no one really pays attention to them, but they’re also extremely necessary so I guess I just like to make them, haha. They don’t always take too long to make but I think they’re cute. Also, I’m especially excited for all the new meadows, as I really enjoy helping to restore the beautiful art for the meadows.

Check out this gorgeous sign that Rachel restored for one of our meadow teleporters!

Ci: My favorite piece of art that I’ve created for WTP was probably a background I restored for a general winter theme/season back when I first joined. It’s not being used right now, but it’s pretty and you’ll just have to take my word for it :’)

How long does it take for you to work on art for WTP, and how do you fit that in your schedule?

Rachel: The time it takes really depends on how much of the project we have completed already. Oftentimes we’ll be working collaboratively and finish what other people have started. So if we are working on something from scratch it can take quite a while, but sometimes it’s just a matter of adding finishing touches and compiling pieces together to create a finished product. And each task takes a different amount of time. For instance, resizing something small will take a few minutes, but creating an atlas for fairy clothing can take hours, especially when you need to restore an item from scratch. Either way, I think it’s still beneficial for us to take our time to create the best product we can. Personally, I don’t always get to work everyday, but when I do, I’ll spend hours because I like to finish tasks in one sitting if I can, although I can’t always haha.  I think that working in moderation is always a good idea as long as you’re getting your work done, and knowing we have so many fans really pushes me to get tasks done and do them well. As for fitting it into my schedule, because of quarantine, I definitely have a lot more time to work on WTP, but during the school semester I would have to plan out what I needed to get done and when I needed to do it in order make sure I could get all of my school projects and WTP work done on certain days in order to avoid as much stress as possible. 

Ci: I don’t have time to work on artwork daily, but I do try to stay on top of what other people are working on, so a small chunk of my day is dedicated to discord. Sometimes I’ll be busy for weeks and do a whole bunch of tasks afterwards in one go, and sometimes I try to take on smaller things (pre-corona I’d sometimes spend time between lectures because that’s often the only time I have!). Some tasks are 5 minute jobs, like UI, but others, like adding clothing, take a few hours. Backgrounds probably take me the longest. A couple hours for a few days, if I have time to work on them daily. They’re really fun when starting!! but after day 3 it’s quite the grind. I like to sleep on those, since there’s so much detail in the PH backgrounds that I’ll inevitably miss something.

Rachel, you mentioned atlases and spritesheets - can you explain what they are and how you use them?

Rachel: An atlas and spritesheet contains all of the different variations of a clothing item or anything you can change on the fairy. So for instance, the hair atlas has all of the different types of hair you can choose when creating your fairy packed into one single file. So in order to make one you have to create all the hair pieces, position them correctly on a fairy reference, export each hair image, and then combine them all onto the atlas file. Then a json file is also created to describe where each image is in the file in order to use it in the game. The spritesheet is similar and is basically a horizontal version of the atlas with all of the images that we use in CAF to scroll through whatever you’re changing.

Do you start the graphics by hand or via some digital web design program?

Rachel: I almost always use digital programs. Sometimes I’ll plan something out quickly on paper but most of the time I’ll use Photoshop. We also use DragonBones for animation.

Ci: All of the research we do is online, so it saves a couple of steps and retains image quality to just keep everything digital. I also don’t have a scanner :’)

And finally, what’s the most challenging piece of art that you’ve made for WTP?

Rachel: The most challenging piece that I’ve done for WTP was probably the hair atlas for when a player creates a fairy because it was the first project I was taking on. All the hair was made already, I just had to resize, reposition, and fix any pieces that were lower quality, and although it was daunting at first, once I started, I was able to get the hang of it (even if it took a few tries), and now I’m super happy I learned how to do it.

Ci: We were missing a whole area of the CAF background (the part that shows up when you’re picking a name) that got passed around for one or two months, and eventually I got to work on it. It was the closest to a custom piece of art that I’ve made for WTP; the middle was a giant blur when I got to it. My motivation to complete it was honestly just being able to get it off the to-do list forever, when I was done I posted a before and after to the staff chat (which I try not to do bc it’s not really productive) because I was so excited about it :’))

__________________

We had so much fun learning more about our artists’ jobs! Next up, we decided to sit down with WTP game developer and administrator Teresa!

How did you first find out about the WTP project, and what inspired you to start working as a developer? 

Teresa: A friend I made in the Pixie Hollow community said that her favorite mini game was Bubble Bounce, so I decided to make it for her. I had started prototyping and showing it around, and someone from WTP saw my work and invited me to join the team.

As we know, WTP is a voluntary project. How do you fit working on WTP into your schedule?

Teresa: I’m actually quite good at time management, and I’ve decided to make WTP a priority. That means that I can’t always say ‘yes’ to other things I want to do, but that’s ok.

What are some of the main things you look for when adding staff members?

Teresa: You need to be able to take criticism well and communicate effectively. A certain level of quality needs to be maintained to build a good game, and criticism sheds light on any blind spots you may have. If you aren’t communicating clearly and frequently, then your value to the team is very low – everyone needs to be on the same page so that work doesn’t get redone and wasted, and to keep an accurate development schedule. Being willing to devote more than a couple of hours a week is also a major plus.

How do you decide which parts of the game you should work on first?

Teresa: There’s this concept called the Minimum Viable Product. Basically, you just strip the project down to what is necessary and work out the kinks. Then you can add new features that enhance the gameplay.

What’s the most challenging issue you’ve faced while creating the game?

Teresa: There was a problem with the animation plugin that I was hoping would be fixed by the maintainers before the demo release. It was a really big deal, the game would be entirely unplayable. At the last minute, I had to dig into the plugins source code and figure it out myself. In the end, it wasn’t actually so difficult – but boy was it stressful. Really I would say that the biggest problems have stemmed from not having enough artists on the team! There have been multiple times where we had to delay updates because we didn’t have all of the assets ready for me to use in the game.

How do you go about fixing a game bug?

Teresa: Gather all the info I can from users experiencing the bug, and try to reproduce it. Just observing the behavior is often enough to figure out the problem. When it’s not, check the logs or step through with the debugger.

Have you ever worked on or made a game before WTP?

Teresa: I’ve worked a bit on some 3D open source game projects, never worked on the multiplayer parts before, though. I also make mods for games.

Lastly, what are your favorite and most rewarding parts of being a game developer?

Teresa: Pushing the boundaries of my knowledge and comfort zone, definitely. As a developer, I’ve learned a lot of new technologies and some new domains specifically for WTP. I also find being able to fix things that I don’t like about games very rewarding. Being an administrator has benefitted me as well. As an admin, I’ve had to cultivate skills in team leadership and project management.

__________________

Finally, we interviewed Lavender Merryheart, our sound designer.

First off, how did you first find out about the WTP project?

Lavender: I found WTP from a Youtube video, and played the demo. I was excited to be able to re-visit PH and when I saw the audio designer application, I wanted to help out however I could!

Are you remaking the music from scratch based on any remaining audio from sources like youtube?

Lavender: Both! We salvage what we can, and re-create what’s needed if. In the future, there will be some new, original music too! When we need a sound effect or music, we first check to see if there’s a good quality clip preserved of the original. It needs to be clear and without extra background sounds. If we can’t find any, then I will dissect the sound or song and try to figure out how it was made, then recreate it.

You mentioned that you make new sounds if needed, how do you go about making them?

Lavender: New sound effects are made by piecing different recordings together, such as the audio you hear when you click the talent orbs, which was re-made from the sounds of a heavy book shutting and wind chimes. If we need to remake a song, I make a new track by re-recording each instrument’s part on a midi keyboard. Then it will be edited it in Logic Pro X, using instruments and synths from the Kontakt audio library.

What’s the part of being an audio designer that you’re most excited about?

Lavender: I’m most excited about getting to write new music for the game! I can’t reveal to you what it’s going to be used for yet, but in the process for the last WTP track I wrote, I thought about how to represent the area it will be used for and what instruments and mood would suit it the best. It was a lot of fun to try to both express my style and also give it that Pixie-Hollow-sound!

Finally, how do you fit working on WTP into your schedule?

Lavender: I keep a to-do list and project notes to help organize what needs to be done, and work on WTP between class assignments. To refrain from burning out, I try to spread out my different tasks and work on a variety of things.

__________________

After we learned about what goes on behind the scenes on WTP, we wanted to learn a little bit about some future plans and hopes the staff have for the game. 

Art wise, what sorts of things will be designed from scratch in the future?

Rachel: Although we still have a long way to go before creating our own work as we have to replicate what was in the original game first, I believe that new clothing and hair might be designed from scratch in the future.

Ci: Right now, we’re still committed to restoring the game in its original form–this means that we try not to design anything from scratch. We’ve discussed the possibility of custom content in the future (items + clothing, pets, meadows, maybe even minigames?), and when the time comes, all of that will be built from scratch. That said, pertaining to the look and feel of the original pixie hollow will be a priority for those updates too.

What game feature from Pixie Hollow are you most excited to have?

Teresa: Personally, I am excited for the skill system and wilderness! We have some new ideas to try out, but I don’t want to spoil anything.

Do you plan to have seasonal differences and events, as well as competitions and activities?

Teresa: Yep! Can’t wait! We are already featuring player’s outfits in the shop catalogue, so that’s sort of a mini fashion spotlight, but there’s definitely more exciting things to come. Fashion spotlight was one of the most beloved competitions/events in the original Pixie Hollow!

In the future, will the game be available for mobile and/or consoles?

Teresa: You can already play WTP on mobile! At some point we will have options that allow the game to run smoother on mobile devices. Console versions won’t be a thing, though.

Is there anything that was in the original Pixie Hollow that you’d like to change in WTP?

Lavender: I would change the whisper noise it made when you got a message, it got a bit annoying. And it would be really neat if you could choose from a few different songs to have played in your fairy’s home depending on your mood! I had the ice themed house and have heard the music a few too many times!

Teresa: There are things I want to tweak, and fully plan to! We have already added a couple of small new things, such as the second sitting pose and featuring real player’s outfits in the shop catalogue. I hope everyone enjoys them!

The last thing we wanted to talk about is the staff’s personal feelings about WTP and about their jobs, as well as ask them about their inspiration.

Is there anything new that working on WTP has teached you?

Rachel: As an artist here I am definitely learning new technical skills and developing as an artist in general. Some examples of art skills I’ve been able to develop include creating atlases and spritesheets for fairy clothing and hair, getting familiar with DragonBones as I’d never used it for animation, and just gaining more experience in Photoshop. And I basically just learned all these things by trying them out and asking questions if I needed help.

Lavender: Through WTP I’ve learned more about creating sound effects, because when remaking the old sounds for WTP, I really have to think about what each one is made out of (for example, the pouch sound was re-created using a paper bag rustling, leaves crunching, and a bell synth).

How do you feel about the community growing so much in a short amount of time?

Teresa: I really didn’t expect it, and it has been a bit stressful, but I hope we are handling it well. I would never have imagined that a TikTok would be the reason either! Having more eyes on us makes me feel restless. We had to adapt the discord server to keep it safe and make information more accessible to new members.

What do you remember about Pixie Hollow? And did it change your life in any way?

Lavender: I joined right at the beginning, and loved how it really felt like you were stepping into a different, magical world. My favorite thing to do was decorating and creating/collecting items for my house, as well as the minigames and item crafting/ baking, I’m most excited to see these features again! Also, a good memory from the game I have is going to the summer pool party in the ballroom, and playing games in the tearoom with friends! The music in Pixie Hollow was one of my earliest inspirations for pursuing a career in film/game scoring. Currently I am studying for a degree in film/game scoring! I’m obsessed with fantasy games, nature, fairy tales, magic, and mythology, and I write music to try and illustrate the stories and have the listener feel like they’re visiting the scene. You can hear some of my original music on Spotify under the name June Westfield!

Rachel: I was so young that I have trouble remembering everything. I do remember sometimes getting on the phone with my friends and talking as we played together and explored meadows, which was really fun. I also really enjoyed completing tasks and playing the minigames. I have no idea why that was so fun to me, but I just liked getting achievements and beating my scores.  

Do you feel like some people may have unrealistic expectations for WTP? And do you think it can ever be as big as Pixie Hollow was?

Teresa: Yes, but I can’t blame them. So far I am the only developer to have actually worked on this game, so it’s a lot of pressure, but of course the players can’t know that. For some reason the things that everyone thinks will be the easiest to code are always the more difficult ones, funnily enough. For example, a flying mechanic like the original game is sort of complex, whereas adding new meadows is extremely simple. Do I think WTP will ever be as big as PH? Definitely not. Pixie Hollow had millions of players, Disney advertised it, and it had a full development team behind it. A lot of the original players will have moved on. I’m actually surprised that so many people have found us already!

Are there any artists that you look up to or are inspired by?

Rachel: I don’t have anyone specific in mind who I look up to, but I do watch a lot of cartoons and really admire animation and all of the work that goes into it. I get really inspired seeing different animated works and am super impressed by the entire process of it.

Ci: I used to actively make art outside of WTP and definitely had a whole list of people whose styles I looked up to, but now that I’ve moved away from that I mostly remember individual pieces. I had to dig some up for this question! loish, gawki, and Hethe Srodawa, are a few.

Lavender: Some composers that inspire me are Enya, Faun, Loreena McKennitt, and Secret Garden. They are all fantasy/new age genre artists that create enchanting music!

The WTP community is a great place to make friends! Is there a person in the staff that you’ve formed a strong friendship with?

Rachel: I’ve definitely become a lot closer with many of the staff members, whether it be looking up to certain people like our team leads, chatting with the other artists in DMs and helping each other out, or just having fun conversations with all the other staff members and sharing funny stories and pictures.

Teresa: Asteria is probably the best friend I’ve made at WTP, as we have talked the most. I have also met Kass in real life – she’s the sweetest! I love everyone on our team.

(Kass is one of our moderators - we’ll hear from her in the final interview post!)

And finally, What does working on a game that’s so loved by people mean to you?

Teresa:  It is so heartwarming to be a part of something that brings people joy and makes them nostalgic. Pixie Hollow’s fan base can make me a bit anxious at times. Sometimes a group of players will want one thing, and then another group wants the exact opposite and it can be hard to make a choice. There’s a lot of pressure in trying to stay true to the original game’s vision while also being fresh, but it drives me to deliver the best work I can. I put a lot of time into WTP, and have actually burnt out a few times already. Luckily, I love building things so much that it never lasts long.

________________

Next up in our interview series - our social media team and server moderators! Stay tuned to hear their answers to some of your questions.

[firebirdsdaughter]

And just to cover my bases…

… This isn’t me saying a ‘nice’ character has no personality.

For ex. you couldn’t remake Kou from Ryusoulger from scratch, or Ui, or Asuna, or Melto.

Aside from the Ark’s influence making him lack empathy, baby Jin was a full character who was ultimately very sweet and kind, albeit in a different way/from a different perspective. Even through the Ark’s control, he had twinges of identity that were his own, rather than purely a mirror of someone else. Which also brings me to the bs of ‘humans taught us hearts’ bc baby Jin loved Horobi on his own, no humans necessary, but I’m digressing—the point is, you could not have complete remade him sans memory.

To bring up another Takahashi female character who got the short end of the stick, Poppy. I don’t think Poppy could be remade from scratch, even though she was technically a computer program, too. Tsukuyomi. I was nowhere near as into her character as others were, but Koyomi. Misora. Mai. Kirihiko. Kanon. To bring up other female characters who verged on ‘designated damsel’ who were also ‘nice.’

But w/ Izu? Oh, you can absolutely do that. There’s a very heavy dose of… ‘Passivity’ isn’t the right word, bc Koyomi was quite ‘passive,’ but… Izu lacks something specific that even other KR heroines, subject to the same sexism, even the ones who stay in the ‘nice, sweet, pure, devoted to the hero’ box have. And my brain is mush lately and I’m not very articulate in nonfiction already, so it’s hard to explain what it is, but… It’s in contrast to the others, she just… Super never developed.

Even Misora, even Koyomi. Honestly, even Kirihiko, had identities outside of ‘loves the mc.’ How exactly those identities were presented, how well they were written… I plead the fifth. But my point is… These characters had something, be it other relationships, other dreams, other purposes, than just being the mc’s cheerleader. They did not exist purely to support the main (you can and absolutely should point out that that was a large part of their characters, and a narrative purpose of them). Mei in Saber, for instance, is a far cry more developed than Izu was already. It’s not that Izu was ‘nice’ that sapped her character, it’s not hat she was ‘reserved.’ It’s that there was literally nothing to her other than ‘lives to serve Aruto.’ All her other plot lines petered out, and her only purpose was to stand around, look cute, and make heart eyes at Aruto. Even her ‘contribution’ to 02 was about… Surprise, surprise, loving Aruto, and the way their relationship developed was… Not one that felt natural. It mystifies me how people will call Horobi and Jin’s initial relationship ‘toxic’ while calling Izu and Aruto ‘cute.’

It was basically the same thing—intentional or not, Aruto kept her isolated, ‘learning’ only from him, literally the same situation Horobi and Jin were in; and you could also say the same of Horobi and the Ark, too. And here’s the thing… That’s… Not ‘cute.’ Just bc Aruto was ‘nice’ to her, that’s not cute. It’s not different. Deliberate or not, it’s still manipulation and conditioning. Izu learning to see/expect/look for only the good in people is just as dangerous and harmful as Horobi (and Jin) being trained to look for the bad. The concept of self-fulfilling prophecy and confirmation bias. While approaching people w/ the attitude of wanting there to be good in them, choosing to be kind, giving them a chance is one thing, weathering through all bullshit to draw out their ‘heart’ is not healthy.

The message for AI, and for people, shouldn’t be, for people in power who are willingly behaving in the way they are, ‘be nice to them until they’re nice to you,’ esp when the person is… Actively causing massive pain and damage. Gai was not the character to pull ‘the power of kindness’ on bc of everything he willingly did. Additionally, ‘people are actually good’ being used as a justification to excuse the harm they do and to invalidated their victim’s anger… Is also not healthy. Yes, Horobi was too angry (well… given what he went through, I think he was the right amount of angry, but all humanity doesn’t deserve to die bc of the actions of a select, etc. etc.), but Izu… It’s not that she wasn’t ‘angry enough,’ it’s that she couldn’t process that he was rightfully hurt and in pain and had reason to be angry. She could not conceive his point of view. She couldn’t feel his pain, let alone him feeling hers (which… didn’t look that painful). Basically, just like Aruto, she couldn’t understand that there could be very justifiable reasons to be angry at and wary of humans. Despite the fact that the Ark was technically created ‘artificially,’ the data she had was accurate, and Gai’s actions and Yotogaki’s actions were real. Apologies, a sob story, and ‘good intentions’ (if you can call Yotogaki that) do not remove harm done. Some benefits do not remove harm done. Just bc humans can be nice, doesn’t mean all of them are or excuse the harm they can also do. Izu’s argument lost water when it went the way of ‘you’re wrong for being mad at humans they’re actually ultimately good.’

But I’m digressing again. The point is… Ultimately, Izu was an empty mouthpiece for Aruto’s opinions and delusions. Her entire ‘identity’ was parroting his one-sided, unbalanced assumptions. She had no development from the beginning other than giving Aruto a couple extra heart eyes and repeating what he said. Her entire identity was ‘loves Aruto,’ like she was programmed to do, and her isolation w/ him meant that that was all she ever knew, and bc he was ‘nice’ to her and insisted that humans were ‘acvtually good.’

And that’s not a personality.