#sudoku tutorials

[social-growth-assist]

In this ebook, you will discover the topics about history and development of Sudoku, be a Sudoku solver and exercise your brain, the math behind Sudoku, rules of playing Sudoku, the easiest way to play Sudoku, Sudoku puzzle tips, tricks and tips for Sudoku puzzles, Sudoku tips and killer moves, 7 careful steps on how to solve Sudoku, facts you need to know about having a printable Sudoku, the best part playing the Sudoku online and so much more!

Click Here

[transamus]

A sudoku for u all.

[simple-sudoku-easy-to-learn]

How to enable highlight numbers

[wileys-russo]

tiny red hearts II a.putellas

tiny red hearts II a.putellas

amid the pandemic everyone picked up a hobbie in lockdown.

if it be knitting, dancing, pottery, reading, cooking, puzzles. you name it, someone had likely perfected it as an art form during those weeks and weeks locked away from society.

for you it was no different. you'd tried cooking, reading, jigsaws, colouring in, sudoku, even gardening but nothing really clicked.

until one day you were endlessly doom scrolling your various social medias as again, everyone was, when you stumbled across a nail art video. intrigued you'd watched it, then another, and another, and another, the worm hole you fell down was one that was long and steep and swift.

then before you knew it you had package after package arriving on your doorstep, much to your girlfriends confusion at your sudden online shopping habits. normally you were quite the stickler for the 'its a want not a need' type attitude, but with the packages snatched up and hidden away in your room the days melted into weeks as you worked tirelessly to perfect your new art.

and a week of hard work and countless hours spent watching youtube tutorial after youtube tutorial later holed up in the guest bathroom, you'd done it.

that wasn't to say your clear dedication to your new hobbie was one your girlfriend enjoyed, forever trying to bait you into doing something with her but you'd just brush her off, eyes glued to your phone screen which was propped up against a bottle of shampoo.

which is how you came to be sitting on the floor of your living room weeks and weeks later, bottles of polish sat in perfect colour coded order on the coffee table with all your little brushes and tools neatly lined up in front.

your bottom lip was firmly between your teeth, eyebrows furrowed deeply with concentration as your eyes squinted and your hand moved slowly and precisely.

your girlfriend of two years whom you shared your home with and whom you'd been locked in with for the horrendously active period of this ghastly pandemic lay stretched out on the sofa behind you, toned tanned arms crossed firmly across her chest.

her face was stoic and seemingly stern as ever, you'd forever nag her about the frown lines she was embedding into her beautifully smooth skin with the scowl she'd not even clock was on her face nearly all the time when she found herself deep in thought or lost in her own mind.

but she'd merely brush it off with a wave or a hum, nothing unusual when she was reviewing game footage and given she wasn't currently able to play her studying of games when she could had only increased.

you were off in your own little world and she was in hers, you coexisted but knew how not to be codependent, something which had surprisingly caused your relationship to stay just as strong if not more so during this lockdown together.

one of the key things that made your relationship healthy was the fact that despite how long you'd been seeing one another you still spent time apart, and despite not being able to leave the house much you still had different hobbies and interests to preoccupy your time.

you would go shopping or out for drinks with your school friends you'd known for years, as alexia would often go for dinner or hikes with some of her own childhood friends, well that was when she wasn't chasing after ball and getting grass stains all over her legs.

but that's not by any means to say you weren't positively and certainly head over heels infatuated with one another, and whenever you did spend time apart you were increasingly clingy that night once you were reunited, but when out you knew to respect one another's time and space and didn't feel the need to be texting one another the entiere time.

after all there was seldom you loved more than laying down with alexia of an evening, the two of you knew how to treasure quality time and found that so long as you were together you could be doing nothing at all and still perfectly content.

with her body warm and strong it pressed against yours as you'd lay down squished on the sofa, soft gentle kisses littered across your shoulders as your fingers intertwined and you'd take turns filling one another in on how your days were since you'd spent them apart.

back to present day sat on the floor you gave a small exhale of relief when you finally finished the intricate design you'd been working on, your frown of concentration switching quickly into a grin of delight as you slipped your hand into the UV nail lamp and waited for them to dry.

as you had been every now and then you leaned your head back to rest against the couch, knocking it back into alexias good knee and puckering your lips expectantly.

then with a smile and a small chuckle your girlfriend pulled herself up to sit with a quiet grunt, leaning down and rewarding you with a soft kiss before returning back to her previous position.

punching the pillow behind her head and wiggling slightly until she was comfortable, her foot poked at your shoulder every now and then as if to reassure her you were still there without needing to look.

since a young age you had been known to daydream.

it got you into a fair deal of trouble in school, forever having a teachers hand or a heavy textbook slammed down onto your desk with a loud bang to snap you back into reality, your peers giggling and cheeks flashed bright red as you'd smile sheepishly and do your best to focus on your lessons.

your girlfriend however had always found it adorable as much as amusing as you'd zone out from reality and go somewhere she never understood.

sometimes as you drifted away into your own head alexia would just watch you with lovesick puppy dog eyes, filled with nothing but pure adoration that was so sweet it could give someone a tooth ache, though always in the privacy and intimacy of just one another's company.

after all the big bad la reina couldn't be known to be so whipped for her girlfriend (everyone already knew she was).

case in point right now where you'd clearly drifted off somewhere as the footballers eyes glanced down toward you and her hardened features softened, corners of her mouth curled upward into a smile.

"hola, princesa." you snapped right out of it as her foot moved to poke at your cheek this time, dragging you back down to earth as you pushed it away and sent her a playful glare, pulling your other hand out and flicking off the lamp as both of them were now dry.

"look amor!" you leapt up eagerly and dropped down on the lounge next to your girlfriend, sat practically on top of her, wiggling your fingers proudly at the blonde who hummed.

"muy bien bebé." alexia complimented, leaning up and softly kissing your cheek before turning her attention back to the television where the match had resumed, as did the stoic expression on her face.

"alee." you started with a coy smile, grabbing her hand and interlacing your fingers with a gentle squeeze. "mm?" the midfielder hummed, eyes unmoving from the screen.

"can i paint your nails cari?" you asked hopefully, alexia only letting out a puff of air from her nose as she chuckled, shaking her head. "por favor you know i am good and they will look good!" you pleaded, squeezing her hand again and even kissing over her knuckles a few times.

"no mi amor, no nails." alexia shook her head as you huffed, moving to rest your chin on her shoulder, lazily kissing her jaw. "sí nails. sí, sí, sí, sí, sí-" you repeated over and over, peppering kisses across her face.

now as much as alexia could be at times be a fierce woman, driven and passionate and willing to do absolutely anything to achieve whatever she set her mind to, she had a fatal soft spot.

you.

alexia would do nearly everything that you asked of her, especially with a few choice sweet words in her ear and a charming smile you had the catalan wrapped around your little finger, and you reveled in it.

so of course it was with a deep sigh that alexia inevitably gave into your demand, wordlessly placing her free hand in your lap as you beamed and perked right up.

clapping happily you sat up properly and grabbed her chin in your hand, pecking her lips a few times and reveling in the slight pink blush which coated her cheeks.

"tan lindo." you cooed, pinching her cheeks as her eyes rolled but she made no move to argue which only caused your elated grin to grow.

you moved her hand and sat back down on the ground, staring carefully at the arsenal of colours at your disposal, taking a few moments to decide what you wanted before nodding happily and grabbing what you needed.

you settled back down on the lounge as again alexia moved her hand into your lap, eyes glued to the match as her eyebrows turned downward in frustration at a fumbled tackle and an easily preventable shot at the barcelona goal, a shake of her head and an annoyed grumble under her breath.

"you will get wrinkles corazón." you teased, smoothing out her eyebrow with your thumb as the tiniest of smiles flickered across her face just for a moment which wasn't missed by you.

"déjame en paz." the footballer muttered as you chuckled and kissed her palm sweetly, turning her hand back over and adjusting your position a little.

warning her to stay still you placed her right hand down on your knee and grabbed the first colour, tugging the coffee table closer so everything you needed was well within reach to avoid anything being knocked or falling.

much as alexia might bend over backwards to do as you asked you knew well enough if you spilled even a drop of polish on the carpet or the sofa you knew you'd be hearing about it for weeks.

as you set to work your girlfriends face remained blank, but her bright hazel eyes flickered down to you curiously every now and then, corner of her lip curling upward at the look of sheer concentration on your face and the way the tip of your tongue poked out of the side of your mouth.

finishing one hand you blew gently on the nails, unable to use the machine which was plugged in on the floor and just out of reach. though not in any rush you awaited her first hand to dry as you kept a cautious eye that she didn't move as your head dropped to her shoulder.

there was a comfortable silence between you, the only sound the occasional grunt of frustration from the taller girl whose side you were curled into, a shake of her head and something mumbled under her breath at every costly mistake.

her first hand drying you tapped her knee, gesturing for her to swing her legs into your lap so you could reach her other hand. shuffling her body she did as you asked, sliding down a little as her head thumped backward into the soft cushions behind.

you couldn't do anything to keep the smile off your face as you worked on your girlfriends nail design, incredibly happy with how it turned out as again you gently blew on her other hand, settling it back into her lap to dry same as the first one.

warning her once again about not moving you crawled up the lounge and wedged yourself into her, sitting half on top of her much to the older girls amusement as you pulled her other arm to drape across your shoulder allowing you to tuck yourself even tighter into her side.

checking a few moments later you were happy they were dry and sat up a little, shrugging off your girlfriends arm and eagerly taking her hands in yours.

"listo!" you announced happily as alexia's eyes moved from the tv to her hands which made yours seem tiny, your own gaze falling to admire both the size difference and the small 11 tattooed on the back of her palm.

"i did more of a pale pink because i know you do not like them too bright, but i did tiny red hearts on each nail for barça!" you explained with a beaming smile, alexia melting at the confession as she stole a glance toward you and softened even more seeing the clear and pure joy in your eyes.

"muy perfecto bebita." your girlfriend gave you a small smile not giving much away, one of her hands slipping around to cup the back of your neck and bringing you into a tender kiss.

"can i put them on my story? i think these are some of my favourites." you asked hopefully as alexia shrugged, eyes having returned back to the final few minutes of the match, seemingly unfazed.

grabbing your phone you positioned her hands on her knees, taking a few photos and editing your favourite before adding it onto your instagram and curling back up on top of your girlfriend who held you tightly, eyes flickering down to her nails with a small hidden smile every few minutes.

~

that next day at training was a very different story though as alexia couldn't wait to show off her nails to the rest of the team.

the morning was spent with the midfielder very proudly boasting how good you were and that you were completely self taught, ignoring all the teasing remarks thrown her way about how she'd gone soft.

when you'd come to collect her that afternoon having dropped her off and borrowed her car for the day as yours was being serviced you were overwhelmed as a small group of the girls suddenly swarmed you in the carpark.

"hey hey hey back up!" alexia warned protectively, moving in front of you with a mean stare as a few of the younger girls cowered and hurried off to their own cars as the rest rolled their eyes, knowing that really she was all bark and no bite.

"me next amiga! maybe little black hearts? or...letters!" mapi beamed, eyes flickering toward her girlfriend who caught onto what she was wanting and blushed as you laughed.

"get your own! este es mío." alexia huffed, wrapping herself around you as her chin hooked into your shoulder and she sent her best friend a glare.

"tomorrow? but you must cook me dinner as payment maría." you offered with a grin, mapi agreeing eagerly as you promised to also do ingrid's nails when you caught her frowning at you over her girlfriends head.

"sí, sí! before the next game chicas, promise." you laughed as pina, salma and cata swooped in next undeterred by the murderous glare given by your girlfriend, who refused to unwind her arms where they wrapped tightly around your torso holding your back flush to her front.

"we are going! relax capi, you will get wrinkles." cata smirked as alexia's eyes narrowed even further and the three sprinted off and away.

with a small laugh you craned your back back staring up at your girlfriend with a wide grin.

"see amor? i warned you about the frown wrinkles."

~

you expected alexia to allow the nails for a couple of days before she'd want to return back to normal with a clean set again, so you were surprised when anytime you'd offer to help her take it off she seemed to come up with every and any excuse not to.

by the end of day five with the rigorous gym program and workouts needed with alexia's recovery the polish was cracked and chipped, most of it worn off and faded, hearts now barely recognisable as just small red blobs.

it was that night alexia finally seemed eager for you to wipe them clean, again swinging her long bare legs into your lap and settling her hands on her knee for you to work on.

the removal process compared to the creation was next to nothing and before even five minutes had passed you were finished, tapping her legs to let you up to move your things back to the bathroom where they normally lived.

when you returned it was to an empty and dark living room, so changing route you followed the light at the end of the hallway where you finally found your girlfriend once more.

you held a hand over your mouth to stifle the loud boom of laughter you wished you could get out, the catalan having fallen deep asleep on top of the bed, one of your favorite dramas playing in the background where she'd clearly intended the two of you to lay in bed together and watch.

with a small sigh of amusement you flitted back around the house ensuring everything was locked before you returned, closing the bedroom door behind you with a gentle click.

the room now only illuminated by the dim glow of the tv you flicked off the downlight and you made you way around to her side of the bed and crouched down.

"amor. amor. alexia!" you called out softly, moving one arm to shake her lightly when there was no response, the blondes chocolate brown eyes fluttering open tiredly once you shook her a little harder.

"hola bebé, into bed?" you ran a hand through her mane of hair, moving a few loose strands off her forehead with a soft smile as the footballer sighed tiredly but sat up with a curt nod as you tugged down the covers allowing her to slip in properly.

already showered and changed you ducked off to the bathroom to brush your teeth before joining her, chuckling as once more she was seemingly dead to the world, mouth ever so slightly ajar as her blonde hair sprawled across the pillow.

though as the mattress dipped, never the heaviest of sleepers alexia awoke a little, turning around to her other side and shuffling down the bed as her face pressed into your neck and her long legs tangled with yours, feet rubbing against one another.

you felt an i love you mumbled against your skin as her arms wrapped tightly around your torso, latching her taller body firmly onto yours making you smile and tangle a hand in her hair, lips lingering against the warm skin of her forehead.

"te quiero más."

~

a few days later you'd removed your own nail design and sat down to try a new one, having spent a few hours scrolling through for inspiration before it struck and within minutes you'd grabbed what you needed and settled.

though before you could even glance to the bottles of polish a body dropped down next to you and suddenly strong hands were on your hips lifting you up.

"ale!" you laughed as she set you down on her lap, long legs stretched out straight as you wiggled a little to get comfortable. "my turn first please." the girl spoke in her adorably accented english, hands moving around you and placing themselves on your knees.

"oh your turn?" you asked both equally pleased and surprised, turning a little so you could look at her properly. "sí, mi novia so my turn." alexia grinned, pointing to you and then back at herself before moving her head to press a soft and tender kiss against your lips.

you smiled as you pulled away, a hand softly carressing her cheek as your thumb pulled at her bottom lip, pressing another tender kiss against them with a lovesick sigh.

"of course mi amor whatever you want. so, what colour?"

[catboygirljoker]

sometimes art is hard because the methods and techniques youve been using aren't working for you anymore. youve outgrown them, and it's time to try new things. maybe do some studies. maybe look up some tutorials. maybe try a radically new way of drawing things youve drawn a million times, just to see if there's a way that works better for you.

sometimes art is hard because you're burnt out, and you need to step away. take a deep breath. engage in other hobbies—pick up another art medium, learn how to do sudoku puzzles, listen to music, hang out with friends.

sometimes art is hard because the other day you accidentally set the work area on your tablet to be 10% smaller from top to bottom than it usually is. and you need to put the setting back. to where it was. and youre like oh. yeah thatd do it

[kawaoneechan]

Why I don't like Unity

There's three reasons, basically, besides my personal inability to get any custom character assets into Unity, Unreal, or Godot.

Let me tell you below the readmore.

Reason #1: it managed to fucking bluescreen my system just trying to start.

How do you fuck that up? I download an installer and run it. This gives me a launcher. From there, I'm supposed to install the actual product I wanted to begin with. That's bad enough, to be honest. But then the fucking launcher managed to break so badly, I had my first BSOD in several months. With all I do to my poor laptops, I so very rarely got crashes like that it honestly threw me the fuck off.

If the launcher is gonna play like that, forget about installing the actual product.

Reason #2: CPU pegging up the ass.

On my previous laptop, attempting to run basically any Unity-based game would peg the CPU, all cores, until the poor thing ran so hot within mere minutes, it'd commit preventative sudoku. Maybe if I was lucky, I'd get a chance to set all the things to "lowest", and that might let me, I dunno, play long enough to get through the goddamn tutorial?

And I'm not even talking about state-of-the-art 3D games, but simple 2D games with low-resolution pixel art. Why would those run a dual-core at 200% until it fucking kills itself? Makes no sense.

Now, Phil Fortier of Icefall Games is an acquaintance of mine via SCI shenanigans, and when he released Snow Spirit (soon to be rereleased as part of Chronicles of Cascadia), I lamented to him about how his use of Unity would mean I couldn't run any of his stuff. So Phil looked into it and found a Big Fucking Thing to optimize. This basically makes Phil's SCI games the only things made in Unity that I can personally trust won't Do That.

Reason #3: About those 2D games...

I'm gonna dip into my Twitter archives for a bit and repost some stuff for this part.

*wavy flashback effect*

This is Angel Jump, a simple little arcade jumping game that's available on itch.io:

It's delightfully low resolution and has like four seconds of audio all added up. Can't be more than a few MB, depending on which sane development framework they used, right?

33 MB, actually. Because Unity. Let's see how it breaks down:

Unity main exe: 623 KB

Main game assets file: 1.19 MB together

A folder full of support DLLs like terrain and cloth: 7.17 MB, 90% or more of them never called because this is a 2D pixel-art game.

Unity's default resources: 3.41 MB. Mind that of these, only the splash logo is actually used because Angel Jump was made in the free edition.

Mono embedded runtime: 2.61 MB, and each game gets its own copy, much like how Electron apps each have their own copies of Chromium.

And another 17 MB for the Unity Player.

All in all, 33 MB of files for a game like that. Why? Because Unity is a bloated crapsack, I'd conclude from a cursory study like that. Let's compare that to some other games.

This is Elevator Girl, which is not on itch.io.

It has a lot of different animations and three fairly long background music tracks. It's only one file, 18.7 MB. I'm willing to bet most of that is the BGM, but I can't confirm it because it's just the one file.

And just for some historical perspective, the entire Crystal Caves trilogy is 1.31 MB, including some chaff. Commander Keen 4 on its own is 740 KB. Now, Keen and Elevator Girl both have OPL soundtracks, but the latter's is probably streamed.

Noxico is only 1.25 MB to download as a .7z file. Its only optimization that I myself actively apply is that I crunch the PNG files. The rest is text, and since the game uses a .zip file by another name as a game data source... yeah. That's a cheap win.

Now, back to Angel Jump. I went through the game's own resources to see what size it could conceivably have if it was not made in Unity. 54 textures, ten of them actually used. Tiny font stored in a weird way, possibly for distance field trickery which has no business in a 2D pixel game if you ask me. 921 KB of WAV files, high-quality bleepity-bloops, two of them jingles. 4.22 KB of PNG files, crunched like Noxico, for all but the creator's logo and the font. 973 KB for a copy of SDL, and I'd estimate at worst two MB for the main EXE.

The entire Angel Jump game could be no more than 4 MB and a half-dozen files, It's actually 33.2 MB, 92 files.

There's a more general computer programming issue that this reliance on Unity for even the simplest, smallest games seems to spring from: the bigger and better the computers get, the more lazy the developers get. Only have like four MHz, 640 KB of RAM and, what, 720 KB of diskette space, and no guarantee of an HDD? Better make the most of it, developers! But now the pressure's off and there's no more reason to exert any effort into keeping small games actually small.

*sigh*

[plutoincarnate]

favorite phone activities now that ive deactivated instagram:

- mancala

- sudoku

- queer history video essays

- 100+ year old beauty tutorials

- ancestry.com

- wikipedia

- google scholar

[weather-phenomenon]

what do you plan doing as a streamer? chatting, playing games or something else entirely?

ok i doubt im going to fall into the streamer category per se bc i cant imagine myself speaking live for hours i wld get tired also currently my devices wld crash akdkdjfjf also idk i feel like my voice is diff in english than french n i hate hearing my english voice and i wld feel so self conscious streaming in english or making any videos in english but as far as chatting goes i wld hypothetically love to speak to my mutuals n not enough speak french so a french stream wldnt make sense for me. i also dont play any games tho my sister does lol n again device issues im pretty sure if i tried to stream a game my laptop wld crash oops

but ive already messed arnd with creating "planned"? videos which is what i plan to continue doing. i like vlog type content like what im doing today, books im reading, my favourite x things, my language learning journey etc. i also plan to maybe play some Sudoku? akskd idk if there's a 'market' for that but im really just having fun n i have physical Sudoku books as well as a board game so i wldnt hv to necesarily plan online tho maybe i might try bc i think i found a multi player Sudoku online. i'll also likely do craft videos myb tutorials and also i wanna do like a q and a i answer questions while crafting. im also very excited to try to do virtual tours of like museums n maybe just even google maps exploration i think that wld be cool! and i also want to try pixel art i usually do it on excel or physically to create cross stitch patterns or c2c crochet patterns. i may also do some colouring while i q and a as well. but for the time being all of this will likely be pre recorded videos and not live streamed videos.

thanks so much for asking and do you have any recommendations or things u may be interested in seeing?

[francis-writes]

What if s/o tries to convince Frollo to play Neko Atsume bc s/o knows Frollo loves cats and s/o wants Frollo to at least have some hobbies other than dramatically singing to his fireplace?

A/N: i started playing this to understand this game better and now i am addicted. Thank you anon.

"What?" Claude looked at you with surprise and disappointment, as if you just suggested to him that he should try jelly wrestling. What would be a funny sight as you started thinking about it. "What 》what《? I said that you may try this game. It's funny and relaxing..." "I don't play games" Claude crossed his arms "Well, at least, mobile ones. Sudoku or crosswords, monopoly perhaps... they at least let you train your mind " (You decided to stay silent and don't mention that monopoly can only trigger Claude's lowest instincts. You avoided playing it because a few times it almost ended your relationship when he lost, flipping the board, insulting every player and yelling "it isn't a game! You're all frauds!". Not to mention the one time he once almost got in a fist fight when captain of guard and threatened to arrest him. Fortunately, after last lost game, Claude burned the whole monopoly set, muttering that this game is rigged) "But mobile games..." Claude continued his crusade against any form of entertainment "...they cloud your mind. They make you addicted. And most important, they are stupid" "Please, just try" you sat beside him, took his phone and googled the game you found for him. "You can always delete it later" "Why do you want me so much to play this game?" He looked at you with suspicion and he  throw a glance at his phone "Neko Atsume? What kind of devil's invention it is?" "You just have to encourage cats to visit your yard. You leave snacks and toys for them. Tutorial will explain you everything" Claude sighed. "Fine. If it's gonna make you happy" *** Half of an hour later you came back to your bedroom, just to find Claude absorbed in the game. He heard your steps and looked up at you, showing you his phone. "Did you know there's a cat named Snowball? Just like my horse" "That's nice" you sat beside him and looked at the screen "it seems you enjoy this" "Yes, I must admit... as I said before these games are addictive... pastel colours, happy music and fluffy cats can make man forget about his duties" "Well, you can uninstall-" "It is really relaxing though. I need some peaceful time, considering how responsible and demanding my job is" You patted his back and rested your head on his shoulder, observing him playing. *** "Claude, are you coming? Your dinner is gonna be cold!" He entered the room with a phone in his hand sat at the table. "I need your advice" "Hmpf?" You replied with mouth full of pasta. "Do you think I should buy a shopping box for cats or should I save money for Athletic Cat Gym? It costs 650 silver fishes but it looks pretty good. And it will certainly bring me a lot of cats" You shrugged. "Save your fishes then" Claude nodded and showed you his phone. "Look, 24 cats already visited me. I need to make a photos of Ginger and Bandit, I don't have them in my album yet" You nodded, trying to look as supportive as it's possible when you have mouth full of spaghetti. *** You finished your evening routine and left the bathroom. Claude was laying on the bed, fully involved in investing in luxurious Tuna Bits. You layed on the bed and started stroking his chest. He didn't move. "Darling, aren't you tired? You were playing this whole day" He gave you a quick peck on the cheek and came back to playing. "I'm sorry but this is truly absorbing... I need to get all the cats from the village in my catbook" Well, it seemed that in Claude's case, Monopoly wasn't the only game triggering his lowest instincts. "You know it isn't a competition?" You leaned over and bit his earlobe. He gasped but didn't interrupt making photos of Pickles. "It is very pleasant, darling... but I am a bit tired today. I promise, I will give you more affection tommorow" he kissed your forehead. Small correction. This game triggered your lowest instincts.

[zapposter]

The list to refer back to when I realise I’ve been doomscrolling again

1. Read that history book on the nightstand 📚

last time you were in Kraków you Were complaining how you don’t remember any facts anymore, do something about it

2. Try to learn some card tricks🃏

You’ve got two books on this with you, you’ve had them for years, high time to grind that skill out. Especially considering your brother suddenly got into card tricks too and that has always been your thing

3. Paint in the studio 🎰

You’ve already emailed everyone and made sure that you can, now just move your ass and go. Leave for few hours, do some painting. Just zone out, it’s therapeutic

4. Go for a walk 🧳

Just go

5. Draw with ink 🖋️

You’ve got one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight… eight different colours. Go ham

6. Draw with dry pastels 🥫

Go get dirty, you know you like it

7. Work on the zines for your friends 📠

We ball, I know you’re gonna make it the best zine you possibly can. Add some cool quotes from songs you both know

8. Watch a figma tutorial 💽

It’s new and you’re just learning, so I know it might be scary, but no harm has ever came from just trying. If it doesn’t work out? Just fuck it, go girl

9. Design something 🎪

Create your own one, copy or upgrade some other design. No rules and doesn’t have to be good. Remember to just enjoy the process, you’re designing just for you

10. Illustrate🎖️

Make an illustration, just a baby one. No big projects (unless you feel like it). Just get back into the groove, have fun with it

11. Play some music 🎫

The harmonica? The kalimba? Up to you, or just belt it out

12. Do some yoga 🌬️

(Idc if it’s past 11:30 or before 4:30, get movin love)

13. Go to the library 📔

So many books, it’s free, you can sit there as long as you want. Also it’s literally the peak of academia core and you get a walk. No downsides

14. Watch a movie 📽️

You’ve got a movie list, turn the projector and watch. All these movies are amazing. The vibe is immaculate and you can multitask if you want to

15. Watch a video essay 📺

You’ve got some good ones queued up and its 100x better than scrolling. Learn something new

16. Paint some gouache 🍂

You can make little gifts! Or paint something you like, or make illustrations. And you don’t even have to leave your room (but you can, go for a walk and paint en plein air)

17. Solve a sudoku 🍰

50 to go, you can solve them wrong 50 times for all I care. But by the end of it you’ll have done it and it won’t be so scary anymore

18. Journal 🧃

Just anything, empty your mind out

19. Phone a friend 🎟️

You’re alone as it is, don’t alienate yourself even further please, make sure you get some contact

20. Animate something 🎞️

It can be anything, and remember baby steps. Just try to be more at ease. Remember other programs felt complicated and unfriendly at first too. It will al get better, just trust the process

21. Learn some zippo tricks 🐛

You’ve got a new zippo, it’s was a lovely, thoughtful gift. Imagine if you learn some trick to show him

What’s important in the end is to remember to trust the process and keep in mind that most of the things on the list (just like eating well, waking up at reasonable time and going to sleep at fairly early times. All which you should also be doing) is forms of delayed gratification when you compare it to the option of doomscrolling. The whole day will flash before your eyes before you realise it. The week will pass by, the month and the summer will follow.

Grab life by the horns, look her in the eyes and make out. Tell her you love it. Have fun

[julincantations]

BOLD what your muse can do. italicize what they can do to some extent.

REPOST, don’t reblog.

bake a cake from scratch But you shouldn't eat anything a witch gives you. Even if it's delicious. | ride a horse | drive a submarine | speak a second language | dance | catch a fish | play an instrument | throw a punch my girl is a badass hellspawn with magic and totally useless in a fight without it | build a deck | ice skate | roller skate | unclog a drain | program a computer | change a flat tire | fire a gun | sew | juggle | play poker | paint | fly a kite | sculpt | write poetry | change a diaper | sing | shoot a bow and arrow | ride a bike | swim | sail a boat | do a back flip | play chess | give cpr | pitch a tent | flirt | stitch a wound | read palms | use chopsticks | write in cursive | use an electrical drill | braid hair | make a campfire with magic | make a mixed drink | do sudoku puzzles | wrap a gift | give a good massage | jump start a car | roll their tongue | magic tricks She is great. It looks like real magic!! | do yoga | tie a tie Probably watched a bunch of youtube tutorials just in case so she is ready to help Tristan any day. | skip a rock | shuffle a deck of cards | read morse code | pick a lock Tagged by: @kingofthewebxxx Tagging: @lordofthestrix @fablewoven @kingmakercastle @ladamedemartel @ungraciousknight

[gamersonthego]

GOTG Review: Echochrome

This is the fourth game in my Backlog Roulette series, where each month I spin a wheel to randomly select a game on my massive backlog that I must play (though not necessarily to completion). These wheel spins occur on the monthly preview episodes I co-host with my friends on The Casual Hour podcast.

You want to hear something super lame? Echochrome is all about your perspective. 

OK, maybe I should explain why that’s lame. Echochrome is literally a game about perspective. You rotate a camera to hide, reveal or alter the level’s geometry to coax a character you don’t directly control to navigate to specific areas of the map. It’s Lemmings in the style of an M.C. Escher. 

So when I say it’s a game about your perspective, that’s some on-the-nose, too-clever-for-your-own-good writer bullshit. Except that that’s not what I’m talking about. 

The perspectives I’m talking about are not within the game’s clockwork levels, but outside of them. In the menus. In the presentation. In your approach to the game as a player as you hold your PSP and look upon it. 

Echochrome does not function like a traditional game. You don’t go from Level 1 to Level 2. I mean, I guess you technically can, but good luck figuring out how. Because when you load up Echcohrome for the first time — after getting through its initial tutorial — you’re thrown into its main menu, greeted not by more expected options like “campaign” or “time trial” or “challenge.” Instead you’ll see the words “freeform,” “atelier,” “canvas” and my favorite “etc.”

Love it. No notes. Well, maybe just one note: What the hell do any of these things mean?

“Freeform” is the top option. Let’s try that. It dumps you into a puzzle. You solve it. You’re dumped into another puzzle. You solve it. Maybe this is a traditional game after all. But then you notice a letter and a number shown at the beginning of each puzzle. B4, F6, D1, C3. But you don’t think much about it. That is, until you reach a puzzle you can’t solve. One in which you realize the game has a 10-minute time limit per puzzle. 

This is B8. I'm too stubborn to look up the answer, but I just can't figure out how to get the last echo. I hate it.

Cool, cool. While I think on that puzzle, let’s go back to the main menu and check out “atelier.” There’s no Ryza or Sophie to be found though, only a 8x7 grid of level options. And now the codes you saw on freeform make sense. Those were level identifiers. Row B, stage 4. Which means freeform is essentially a randomizer, whereas atelier presents them in the game’s natural order, of which you’re free to tackle any of the 56 stages however you wish. You go back to the one that stumped you before — B8. But after five minutes elapse, the failure bell rings. You only get half the time to complete a level in atelier mode (I guess because you chose the level yourself?)

And then there’s canvas — a neat little level editor to make your own stages — and etc., where the options, saves, credits and a replay of the tutorial go. 

The game itself? Oh, it’s pretty cool, I guess. The perspective mechanics can feel a little inconsistent, requiring very digital outcomes through an analog control scheme. And the time limits feel rather pointless (if the game is already tracking your time on each puzzle like a score, then what’s the need for a limit?) in a game that should be as pleasantly relaxing as doing the daily crossword or sudoku. And it is equal parts frustrating and funny when the soothing disembodied lady voice says “oops” every time you let your Escher lemming fall off the world. 

But more important to me is how the game bucks traditional names, rules and conventions to do its own thing (as the late Sony Japan Studio was wont to do with all their games), giving it a novelty and charm that endures to this day. Echochrome II though, requiring both a PS3 and a PlayStation Move controller to play, ages quite a bit worse unfortunately.

[skywitchmaja]

5 & 8 for end of the year asks :)

5. show of the year?

has to be abbott elementary! i’ve been really loving watching it with my mom, who is a teacher, and it’s cool knowing quinta brunsen’s mom is a teacher too (i told my mom this and she was like “now i know who to talk to if she gets something wrong [about teaching]” lol) anyway great writing great cast, love the jim and pam of it all, love how kind hearted the show feels, it’s a delight <3

honorable mention for rgu which is not a show that aired this year but is one that shook me to my core.

8. game of the year?

gotta be skyrim! usually i play games pretty sporadically— i’ll play several hours over a couple weeks and then i won’t play again for like six months. but i spent at least 60 hours on a new skyrim character this year, had a lot of fun running around skyrim with my little stealth mage dark elf, and i made it farther than any other character before, i even got 23/24 barenziah stones (i need to finish that quest im so close…) all on vanilla, 11.11.11 skyrim on my dads decade old xbox 360. what can i say? it holds up! (especially if you only play it every five years so you don’t get so tired of the tutorial)

honorable mention for rock band and guitar hero which i also had some fun with :-) i don’t think i’ve played any games that were actually released this year oops

another honorable mention for worldle and all it’s variants, sudoku, and crosswords, particularly the la times and the nyt mini. dishonerable mention for spelling bee for kicking me out and asking me to subscribe after i score however many points 🙄 oh well it’s still a good game

[medrec-tech]

Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Mobile Games: Learn Game Development Today!

The mobile gaming industry is thriving like never before. With billions of smartphone users worldwide, mobile games have become a favorite pastime for people of all ages. If you've ever thought about creating your own game, there's no better time to start. The process may seem complex at first, but with the right guidance, anyone can become a game developer.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll break down everything you need to know about creating a mobile game — from conceptualizing an idea to publishing it on app stores.

Why Should You Learn Game Development?

Before diving into the technical details, let’s explore why mobile game development is a valuable skill:

Massive Market Opportunity: The global mobile gaming market is projected to reach $160 billion by 2026.

Creative Freedom: Designing games lets you unleash your creativity by building immersive worlds and characters.

Potential Income Stream: Developers can earn through ads, in-app purchases, and game sales.

Community Support: There are countless forums, tutorials, and resources to help beginners succeed in this field.

Whether you’re an artist, programmer, or entrepreneur, game development has something for everyone.

What You Need to Start Game Development

Before building a mobile game, ensure you have the right tools, skills, and mindset.

1. Skills Required

While you don’t need to be an expert, having a basic understanding of the following can help:

Programming: Languages like C# (used in Unity), Python, or Java are commonly used in game development.

Graphic Design: Basic knowledge of design software like Photoshop or Blender is helpful for creating visual assets.

Problem-Solving: Game development involves a lot of trial and error, so patience is key.

If you’re entirely new, don’t worry. Many game engines provide visual scripting tools that minimize coding.

2. Tools and Software

The right tools can simplify the game development process. Here’s a list of essential software and platforms:

Game Engines:

Unity: Known for its versatility, Unity supports both 2D and 3D games.

Unreal Engine: Best for creating high-quality 3D graphics, though it has a steeper learning curve.

GameMaker Studio: Ideal for 2D games and beginners due to its drag-and-drop interface.

Godot: An open-source game engine with an active community.

Design Tools:

Photoshop/Illustrator: For creating 2D assets and textures.

Blender: A free, powerful tool for designing 3D models.

Canva: A beginner-friendly option for simple designs.

Audio Tools:

Use software like Audacity or GarageBand to create background music and sound effects.

3. Hardware Requirements

To run game engines efficiently, your computer should meet these minimum specifications:

Processor: Intel i5 or equivalent.

RAM: At least 8GB (16GB recommended).

Graphics Card: Dedicated GPU like NVIDIA GTX 1060 or better.

Storage: SSDs are preferred for faster performance.

A mid-range PC is sufficient for most 2D games, but high-end specifications are recommended for 3D game development.

Steps to Create a Mobile Game

Now that you have the tools and mindset, let’s dive into the actual steps of creating a mobile game.

Step 1: Choose Your Game Idea

The foundation of a successful game is a unique and engaging idea. Here’s how to brainstorm:

Identify a Genre: Decide if you want to create a puzzle, adventure, racing, or strategy game.

Research Competitors: Analyze popular games in your chosen genre to understand their strengths and weaknesses.

Solve a Problem: What makes your game stand out? Focus on unique gameplay, visuals, or storylines.

Example: If you love Sudoku, consider creating a modernized version with unique challenges or themes.

Step 2: Select a Game Engine

The game engine you choose will determine how your game is built. Here’s a comparison of popular options:

Unity:

Pros: Beginner-friendly, supports both 2D and 3D games, extensive library of tutorials.

Cons: Some features require coding.

Unreal Engine:

Pros: Exceptional graphics and visual scripting with “Blueprints.”

Cons: Steeper learning curve, requires high system specifications.

GameMaker Studio:

Pros: Drag-and-drop interface for beginners, great for 2D games.

Cons: Limited support for 3D games.

Pro Tip: Start with Unity if you’re unsure, as it balances ease of use and flexibility.

Step 3: Learn the Basics of Programming

If you’re new to programming, here’s how to start:

Take Online Courses: Platforms like Udemy and Codecademy offer game-specific programming courses.

Explore Visual Scripting: Engines like Unity and Unreal Engine let you use visual tools to design gameplay without writing code.

Practice Consistently: Start small by scripting simple game mechanics like player movement or object collisions.

Example: Write a basic script to make a character jump when the spacebar is pressed.

Step 4: Design Your Game Assets

Game assets include everything visual and auditory in your game.

Graphics:

Create custom characters and environments using Blender (3D) or Photoshop (2D).

Download free or paid assets from Unity Asset Store, Envato, or Itch.io.

Sound:

Record sound effects or download royalty-free music from platforms like Freesound.org or Bensound.

Pro Tip: Keep the design simple for your first game. Minimalist graphics can still be highly engaging.

Step 5: Build and Test Your Game

This step involves assembling your assets, writing code, and creating gameplay mechanics.

Integrate Assets: Import your characters, backgrounds, and objects into the game engine.

Set Up Gameplay Mechanics: Write scripts to control player actions, AI behavior, and level progression.

Test Regularly: Use the game engine’s play mode to identify and fix bugs.

Example: Test how your character interacts with objects like platforms or enemies.

Step 6: Publish Your Game

After thorough testing, it’s time to release your game to the world.

Google Play Store:

Pay a one-time $25 registration fee.

Submit your APK file and fill in the necessary details.

Apple App Store:

Requires an annual $99 developer account.

Follow Apple’s guidelines for app submission.

Monetization Tips:

Add ads using platforms like AdMob.

Offer in-app purchases like extra levels or customization options.

Release a free version and a premium version of your game.

Advanced Tips for Game Development Success

Start Small: Build simple games like tic-tac-toe before tackling complex projects.

Engage Your Audience: Test your game with friends or online beta testers and incorporate their feedback.

Update Your Game: Regular updates can improve user retention and attract new players.

Join Communities: Participate in forums like Reddit’s r/gamedev or Unity’s discussion boards for advice and collaboration opportunities.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: How long does it take to create a mobile game?A: It depends on the complexity. A simple 2D game can take a few weeks, while 3D games might take months.

Q: Do I need a team to develop games?A: Solo developers can create games, but collaborating with artists or sound designers can enhance the quality.

Q: Can I make money from my game?A: Yes! Ads, in-app purchases, and premium versions are common revenue models.

Conclusion

Creating a mobile game might seem challenging, but it’s a journey filled with learning and creativity. Start small, explore resources, and never stop experimenting. With dedication and the right tools, you can transform your ideas into playable realities.

Are you ready to create your first mobile game? Share your thoughts and questions in the comments below!

[harpgriffin]

Primrows Preview

It's like a gardening sudoku, which has great colourblind and dyscalculia accessibility. The style is very charming, and the gameplay is well-balanced and interesting. While the developers have written up a dev log about the visual accessibility, they keep saying they've done so great motor accessibility and, well, no, they haven't. Making the game only require a single mouse button and no timing or reactions is great, but it's not a panacea (and I think, from the dev log, that they think panaceas are possible). There's no gamepad support, and that would be the best option for me (just as some people would need switch access, though that option is so rare I only ever note when it is present, not when it is absent). And at least in the demo, one does need to be able to read to play the game as well as complete the tutorials, and I think it would be possible to design a game like this that doesn't require it. I think I would have felt more positive about the game without the self-congratulatory developer notes.

[fionacle]

just got an ad for a sudoku app that was just a tutorial for sudoku