Topics

[MSNBC Article]

For those of you who don't know, actor John Spencer died last night of a heart attack.  He was 58 (would have been 59 on Tuesday).

> MSNBC Article

He played Leo McGarry, President Bartlet's chief of staff, on NBC's The West Wing most recently and has starred in countless movies and television shows throughout his career.

I really liked this guy.  I am sad.

My favorite memory is in The Rock; when Mason (Sean Connery) throws Womak (Spencer) over the balcony of the Ritz Carlton Hotel in San Francisco and dangles him with a shower curtain line!  It was a great scene!

> John Spencer's IMDB Listing

Anbody else like this guy as much as me?  I figured there might be a few out there who liked him.  I am saddened by his death and thought I'd vent that sadness here.

So farewell Mr. Spencer ... I hope the acting gigs in heaven are good to you.

Things to Note:
- Yes, I know that his life isn't more important than the average (wo)man's life.  I'm just memorializing somebody who I liked!
- Yes, this is another thread about somebody that has died ... but this one is about somebody worth remembering
- Please do not bring 2-kee into this thread ... keep it about John.  If you have nothing to say about John, please just don't reply.  I'm asking you.

[flicks]

My latest brainchild ... twinflicks.

I have, after years of grovelling at my client's feet, decided to make a website for myself.  Something I want to do for a change  (Don't get me wrong, I've had a lot of success in the groveling, and I'm greatful for it!).  I decided to do a website for one of the major loves in my life ... movies. 

My company name is Twin Design (twindesign), and we're (my twin and I) making other sites using the twin brand name type thing, so twinflicks was born.

Here's the deal.  You, the noble and proud members of the AGS community, are being given the privelage and honor to be the first folks to check it out!

- Check out twinflicks

What I'm looking for...

I want opinions basically.  Likes and dislikes.  What should I change, add, delete?  How is the format, the search feature, the content.  Is it  "user friendly".  Please be as picky as you want!  The more critiques I get, the better I can make the site!

Things to note:

- The site is not finished yet!  The layout and design is, basically, final, but there is MUCH more content to follow.
- There are only a few reviews actually written, and those that are there are by no means the final essays.  I'm working on a format to follow.
- The articles have only one article that is written (about Netflix) ... the rest are just silly fillers I was using to fill it out while developing the site
- most of the "special" parts of the site require a membership (not to worry, it's FREE of course!) but for now I've set up a temporary cookie to prevent you from having to login  You are all able to view the entirety of the site. 
- Once I remove that cookie, it'll require a membership to make suggestions (links, review, easter eggs, movie mistakes, and posting on the forums)
- The forums aren't up and running yet.

Lastly

Even though Google frowns on it , when you visit the site (if you do), click on a google ad or two.  I want to see what kind of results I get to determine if it's worth keeping the Google ads on there or not.  I'm not crazy about how they fit in ... I did a decent job (I think) of blending them in ... but they still stand out a bit.  Don't go crazy clicking on them (I might get banned for that!) but just click 1 or 2 times.  If the results aren't good enough for my tastes I might just remove them!

Thanks for looking!  Now hit me with some honesty!

[My opinion:]

It's been awhile since I started a topic in here like this ...

But I heard something on the news this morning that just pissed me off.

A school principle, up in the Boston area, has banned the celebration of Halloween at his school.  He feels it might be offensive to some religious groups.

All right ... this is getting RE-DAMN-DICULOUS.

My mother's school (she teaches 1st grade) has already banned her from putting up Christmas decorations.

The city I live in doesn't allow businesses to put up Christmas decorations.

All of this ... because some other religions complained about it. 

If you don't celebrate the same religious holidays, stop whining about others that do.  I have never seen something from another religion specifying something to do with one of their holidays that offended me.

My opinion:

The reason this really pisses me off is because in trying so hard not to offend other religions ... I am being offended.

How is this freedom of religion?

Does anybody (Christian or non-Christian) have an opinion on why this practice should be acceptable?

It should be noted that I'm not overly religious ... but I was raised Christian and celebate the Christian holidays.

I plan on putting a LOT of Christmas decorations in and around my office, and if anybody complains I will say, "doesn't your religion preach tolerance of other religions?  GET THE HELL OVER IT!!  Oh ... and MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!"

[PKD (polycystic kidney disease)]

Hey guys and gals!

My cousin Hannah has a disease called PKD (polycystic kidney disease).

She is a young, adorable budle of joy:



On September 17, she (and her mother and some other members of my family) are participating in a "Walk for PDK" charity type thing.  Basically it's to elevate awareness of this disease and raise money to fund more research towards a cure.

I donated money and felt like I had done my part.

Then my brother and his wife donated, AND he got some of his friends at the forums he attends to donate too.  I hadn't thought of this approach so I thought I'd post here to see if anybody here would be interested in helping out.

Click here to make a donation on Hannah's behalf

I know these types of posts are usually frowned on 'round here, but this is slightly different.  The money doesn't go to me, or even a person, but rather to a foundation.

I am not expecting anybody to donate and I won't be disappointed if nobody does, I just thought I'd post here to see if anybody was interested.

Even if the only thing I accomplish is making some of you aware of this disease I'll feel I have done something

Thanks for any and all help!

We lost a few background artists for our game ... so I decided to take on the role myself.

I wanted to try a style I hadn't yet tried (some of you may remember the images I posted for the "Release Something" thing awhile back ...)

Anyway ... since I'm new to this style I wanted to get some feedback on it:


- this'll be a scrolling background

Thoughts?  Improvements?  Problems?

My biggest concern is the lighting ... Andail?  Loom?

Much thanks ...

[What is a Photoshop Phriday?]

What is a Photoshop Phriday?

Photoshopping isn't drawing a completely new image -- It's editing images to create a new image, such as editing one image or combining several images. The contest usually lasts for a fortnight. Also, you don't have to specifically use Photoshop -- Paint Shop Pro, MSPaint, or any other programs can be used. Please make sure your image doesn't exceed the width of the screen.

See this link:
http://www.somethingawful.com/photoshop/

And for other examples, see here:
http://www.worth1000.com/

-------------------------------------

The Photoshop Contest

This week's theme?

Danger Was Lurking at Brittens 2005

Take one (of the many) provided photos from the Brittens thread and create some form of danger that was just narrowly avoided.

Here is a [very quickly done] example:


Dark Stalky didn't realize there was a landshark near where he fell ...

I'm in a terrible rush and I'm leaving town on business tomorrow and won't be back until monday!Ã,  So make some good entries while I'm gone!

Good luck!

[This old thread]

Been a long time since I've had two threads started at the same time in the Gen Gen ... anyway:

I just saw this movie ...

I must say I was completely blown away.

It was such a departure from Spielberg's usual movies, yet still soooooo Spielberg.  The color-wash was very similar to Minority Report and Saving Private Ryan which gives it that edgy realism.  The special effects were some of the best I've seen (only a few stood out to me at all, the rest were seamless)

The movie was INTENSE.

In fact, I think it was so intense it might deserve an R rating (in the states, don't know the rating systems 'round the world).  There was this little kid in front of us, couldn't have been more than 7-8 years old who was just terrified.  He/She (couldn't tell) was in tears!

Has anybody else seen it?  I want to avoid spoilers ... but WOW!

Just FYI, I found This old thread from last December but didn't want to dig it up.  (it's actually a funny read if you read it and Kinoko's recent thread about Minority Report ... Farlander and I have almost an identical conversation!)

FINALLY!!

Florida passed a law limiting the volume and bass levels allowed in public!!

For years and years I've seen these little turds riding around in their rediculous looking little street cars blasting soooo much bass that they can't possibly even hear what they're listening to.Ã,  This has never (even when I was of the age of most of these idiots) made sense to me.Ã,  Not to mention it's annoying and incredibly rude to the people around them.

They interviewed this idiot on the news last night who was like, "this is rediculous ... we're not hurting anybody!"Ã,  What a tool-bag.Ã,  This just proves my point.Ã,  This idiot doesn't see anything wrong with annoying those around him as long as he's happy.Ã,  Pathetic.

I believe the law states that you must put your bass/volume to a level that cannot be heard from 25 ft away.Ã,  There's no set decible level, just a cop's discretion.Ã,  I sure hope they start handing out ticket after ticket to enforce this law.Ã,  (good revenue for the cities)

I've already heard some of these 'tough' guys talking shit.Ã,  "They can't stop me!!Ã,  I'll put my bass where I like it!" (of course, it's far less intelligible than that!)Ã,  I bet after they've paid several hundred dollars of fines they'll be whistling a different tune.Ã,  Haha!

I say it's about time a law like this was passed.

[Congratulations to Carrie Underwood!!]

Congratulations to Carrie Underwood!!

Bet you didn't see this coming ...

Okay, confession time.  I am absolutely hooked on American Idol.

I started watching it because it was on before 24 and there was nothing else on ... the rest is history.

I love this show.  This year was the best yet.  The top 8 this season were better than the top 2 of all previous seasons (to my opinion).

I was actually really torn with who to vote for this season.  Bo was a favorite of mine from the beginning just because it was nice to see a true rocker makin' it through.  (Constantine was a favorite too, but second to Bo).

In the end my vote went to Carrie ... just because I truely don't think Bo needed Idol.  I mean, for God's sake, Clive Davis told Bo, "Win or lose this show, you and I are going to have a good time making a record!"  What more do you need?

Carrie, who is breath-takingly gorgeous, got up there every week and sang her ass off.  I think she earned it more.  Being on stage just comes naturally to Bo and, while I think he belonged in the top 2, I think Carrie deseverved it more just because of her improvement.

Hi-lights of the season:

- Bo's acoustic version of "within a dream" - blew me away
- Vonzell's smile - 1 of the best I've EVER seen
- Carrie's duet w/ the Rascall Flatts "God Blessed the Broken Road"
- Simon telling Bo that it was a pleasure having him on the show (from Simon that's huge!)
- Randy telling Carrie she was in the 'dawg' pound
- Paula's tears when Constantine was sent home

Anybody else who watched and was addicted as I was?

The reason I started this thread is because it's been my experience that a LOT of people actually really hate American Idol and I'm actually very surprised at the fact that I love this show.  I'm wondering if it's had a similar effect on others.

Sara (my girlfriend for those that don't know) hated the show before this season.  She started watching it 'cause I watched it and soon was an addict as well.

[Theme:]

Theme: Sci-Fi space craft
Size: 400x400 max
Colors: no limit

Example:

Animation is a plus, though certainly not required!

Any and all Sci-Fi is allowed.

(I just used Slave I (which I made a long time ago and some of you may even remember it!) as an example 'cause I'm a Star Wars junky and Revenge of the Sith comes out next week!!)

"The radar sir!  It appears to be ... JAMMED!!"

[A Friend Indeed - The Adventures of JP & Cosmo]

I'm pleased to announce that A Friend Indeed - The Adventures of JP & Cosmo is now available in both German and Italian language editions.

Thanks to the translators for all their hard work.  Especially my man Nico who went WAY above and beyond, you have my total gratitude!!

The German Version isn't as complete as the Italian version.  Only the game's text was altered, but the Italian translation is complete including almost ALL in-game graphics (even the GUIs!).

Visit the official website [ A Friend Indeed ] for information and downloads, or:

Downloads
> Italian Version
> German Version

Of course for any English speakers who have never played the game, the English Version is also available on the site!  I'd love you to try it out!

Thanks for your time!

[Occultas Veritas]

Proudly presents ...

Occultas Veritas

The Game's Plot

The year is 1922.

You play as Nataly Buchannon, daughter of millionaire steel tycoon Wilson Buchannon III.  She is an adventurous and independant woman in a time when woman aren't taken seriously in society.

As a child, while traveling with her father in Italy, Nataly found an old amulet in the ruins of Pompeii.  She has worn it around her neck since and has recently begun researching its origins.  She is very interested in ancient Roman history and knows the amulet has something to do with that era.

While on a ship liner to England she meets a mysterious man named Alan December who tells her he has information about the necklace she might find interesting and that she should visit his antiques shop in London.  When she arrives he tells her that the amulet once belonged to the Roman Emperor Domitian and that it is the key to unlocking the mysterious events surrounding Domitian's ascendency as Emperor.

Did Domitian kill his brother Titus as history would suggest?

Travel with Nataly as she uncovers the ancient mystery, travels across Europe, and finds herself in a struggle for her very life and possibly the future of the world!

From Europe in the 1920's to ancient Rome in 79 AD the mystery spans the centuries ...

The Screenshots



Some characters


Team Hasselhoff
Background Artist: Neil Dnuma
Programmer: Zooty
Sprites: Darth Mandarb
Music: Jarek
Storywriters: Darth Mandarb, Creed Malay

Game's Progress
Story/Plot: 100%
Puzzels: 10%
Music: 50%
Graphics: 15%
Scripting: 30%

Game Features
- intuitive GUI designs
- secret alternate ending
- full and rich soundtrack
- more than 20 unique locations
- logical puzzles
- tons of fun!

Stay tuned to this thread as it will be updated regularly with updates of the game's progress!

Development Diary
April 20, 2005 - Development continues on sprites and backgrounds.  Neil is super busy with real-life but still manages to turn out some incredible work.  Zooty is pluggin' away with the scripting and has come up with some great stuff!

This is a pretty dumb question.Ã,  One which I'm a little upset I can't solve on my own actually.

In photoshop, if I create an image, and then I expand the image to full screen (or just pull the bottom corner out a little) the area surrounding the image has gone black.Ã,  It used to be gray.Ã,  Now it's black.

I want it to go back to being gray.

I've scoured the help file and the Adobe knowledge base, but I can't find anything.Ã,  Mostly 'cause I don't really know what to search for.

Anybody know how to change the background color of the workspace?

- I run a dual monitor system and I've tried changing the background color of them in Windows (thinking that might effect the color in PS) and that didn't effect it.

I 'preciate any advice/help

[Topic:]

I thought I'd try something different (from me) this time around ... meaning it won't be a character, but rather an object.

I was watching the Flintstones the other day and I like how they take things we use today, but make them from stone age stuff.Ã,  Like an elephant's trunk is the water faucet, or the creature under the sink is the disposal, etc.

Topic: Modern technology in the past

Take an existing piece of technology; cellphone, computer, automobile, television, etc. and create what it would look like if it had been invented 200 years (or more) ago.

Parameters: no bigger than 50x50
Colors: no more than 256

Animation is not required, but will work in your favore during the judging!

Keep in mind the technology doesn't have to work the way it does today ... the sprite just must represent something of modern technology.Ã,  The more imagination the better!

Good luck spriters!

[Make (and keep) a copy of the rebate forms and receipts and log ALL calls made (times, names, dates, etc.)]

Okay ...

About 2 months ago I bought two new 17" Samsung LCD monitors (SyncMaster 712n) and set up a dual-monitor system.Ã,  I got them because I found them on special through Office Depot (an office supply chain of stores in the US) with 2 $50 rebates on them.Ã,  So a total of 100 dollars off of each.

The first rebate was through Office Depot itself, and the second one was through www.wheresmyrebate.com

Before making the purchase I specifically called both places and made sure that it was okay to receive two rebates from each place.Ã,  I was told this wouldn't be a problem.Ã,  The fine print said, "One rebate per item" not "One rebate per household" or anything like that.Ã,  The problem was I didn't log the calls ... no record on my part of who I spoke with.

Well I received notice from www.wheresmyrebate.com saying that one of my rebates was sent so I went to their website to track the other to find out why it wasn't sent ... (I sent both rebate forms in the same envelope)

After near 40 minutes on hold some woman answers the phone (who hardly can communicate in English) and proceeds to tell me that there was a limit "one per household".Ã,  I then explained to her that I had called and was specifically told it was allowed and that if it hadn't been allowed I would have had the second rebate mailed to a different location.

She wouldn't back down and kept repeating the same thing over and over so I said, "put me through to a manager or supervisor"Ã,  She wouldn't ... she said they'd just tell me the same thing so I said, "That's nice, put me through"

She still wouldn't and said that if I could tell her the name of the person who told me it was okay to send 2 rebates they could go ahead with it.Ã,  I said, "fine ... her name was Diana" to which she instantly replied "there's nobody here named Diana"

So I snapped back, "okay ... her name was Phyllis."

She then said, "Okay, you're making up names, you're lying.Ã,  Have a nice day"

I said, "Don't you hang up on me!Ã,  I was on hold for forty minutes and you're NOT hanging up on me"

"Well sir, you're lying, have a nice day."

"Don't you fucking hang up!"

"Now you've used the F word" click.

That bitch hung up on me after calling me a liar!

Have any of you dealt with www.wheresmyrebate.com before?Ã,  I went to the website (after this little call) and took screen caps of the rebate pages in case they try to delete the rebate and say it never existed or something like that.

I called Office Depot, which has already sent 1 of the $50 rebates (which I thought was odd as both forms were in the same envelope) and was told it was an error on their part and they were sending the other one out immediately!

Now ... regardless if I misread the fine print of the wheresmyrebate.com rebate form (which I didn't) ... I was told it was allowed and wouldn't be a problem and then that bitch was completely rude and unhelpful and then hung up on me.

Does anybody know what I should do?Ã,  I keep trying to call back but the line is busy.Ã,  Should I contact Samsung directly?Ã,  Do I have any hope of winning (getting the other rebate)?Ã,  Should I swallow pride and let it drop?

So to anybody who has taken the time to read this here is my advice:
Make (and keep) a copy of the rebate forms and receipts and log ALL calls made (times, names, dates, etc.)Ã, 

What pisses me off is that I know this ... I've been burned before because I didn't note down who I spoke to and when.

Sorry for the long post ... I'm just REALLY angry and needed to vent.

[CHRISTMAS MOVIES]

Tis the season to be jolly!Ã,  (sorry to SSH that folk didn't dig on the last idea!)

This time around ...

CHRISTMAS MOVIES

You must photoshop an existing movie poster (or scene from a movie) to change it into a Christmas movie.Ã,  (You can't just use a movie that's already about Christmas!)

The only rule this time will be that the image must contain the title of the movie and it must be altered slightly to reflect the holiday theme!Ã,  (sub titles work as well)

An example:

The true story of Hermie the elf ... a wrapper who's rhymes about life on the frozen streets of the north pole would speak for a whole generation.Ã,  If only he could make it out ...

I hope this topic is better received.  Good luck and Merry Christmas to all.

[What is the Photoshoppin' Contest?]

What is the Photoshoppin' Contest?

See this link:
http://www.somethingawful.com/photoshop/

And for other examples, see here:
http://www.worth1000.com/

The two above websites should give a fair idea of what is involved. Also you can check out the earlier Photoshop contests in this forum.

Note: Photoshopping isn't drawing a completely new image -- It's editing images to create a new image, such as editing one image or combining several images.

Also, you don't have to specifically use Photoshop -- Paint Shop Pro, Gimp or any other ~equally good programs can be used.

This week:
Makin' Comix
(Thanks to SSH for the idea!)

You must make a 4 pane comic strip which contains the following dialog options:

1) "Wow, that's a large turtle you've got there!"
2) "It's all about economics."
3) "Start a war?Ã,  Who do you think I am, George Bush?"
4) "You know what they say, it's all in the hips."
5) "Eek, my underwear is on backwards!"
6) "It had to come to an end sometime ..."

Parameters
- 4 panes can be any style (4 up, 2x2, 4 across, 3 little 1 big, etc)
- each pane must contain at least 1 piece of dialog
- each pane must contain some photoshoppin' and not just a cut 'n paste image
- all 6 dialog options must be used
- dialog options can be captions, speech, thoughts, etc. (they don't have to be only speech bubbles)
- comic strip must contain at least 1 human, and one animal (doesn't have to be a turtle)

This contest will be judged more on creativity than photshopping technique (though that'll be considered too!).Ã,  It's more about using the dialog and your imagination!

Good luck and have fun!

As some of you already know, I have been working on the sequel JP & Cosmo.Ã,  I haven't announced it in the GiP yet, because I don't feel I'm far enough along.

I am, however, at the point where I want to start getting some feedback on the art work.

Here are some of the characters you'll meet in the game:



From left to right they are: JP, Cosmo McGillicuddy, Endipity, Admiral Hoenes, Lt. Oscar, and a soldier.

I'm pretty pleased with them, but the CL has always been a great help to me and if I can improve on these I'd really like to!

The only thing I won't change is their slightly over-sized heads.Ã,  I like the style and want to stick with it.Ã,  It's kind of my thing

Any feedback is appreciated!

[This week's topic:]

This week's topic:
[color=ff0000]Santa Claus[/color] [color=00AA00]ALTERED[/color]

What is that you ask?Ã,  You must do something unique with a sprite of Santa Claus ... think Satan Claus, Santa's Claws, etc.Ã,  It can be cute, scary, erotic (yes erotic!), ANYthing!Ã,  The sky's the limit!Ã,  I got this idea while working on this sprite for the sprite jam at the end of November ...

Size: must be 200x200 or smaller Colors: no restrictionÃ,  but must contain RED, GREEN, and WHITE Parameters: must be at least recognizable as Santa Claus in some way Hopefully the spirit of the holiday season will infuse more than just Synth and I to enter this week's competition Good luck to all!