Messages

As for getting mad at President Bush and his administration for prisoner abuse in Iraq, yeah I admit there are some sick people in this world, but how can you blame the actions of soldiers on the leaders?

Yeah, you're right. Hitler was innocent.

["patriotism,"]

"George Orwell once warned that the subversion of society begins with the corruption of its language. Words such as "conservative," "liberal," "patriotism," "taxation," "public," "government," and even "Christianity" have been twisted and distorted by those who stand to gain much from public perplexity."

The Last Refuge
-David W. Orr

Quote from a book I began reading today. I think people also confuse the words "American" and "Patriotism" when used together to mean anti-everyone else. I am a patriot, I love my country. But my country is currently guilty of war crimes, hate crimes, and an appalling abuse of power.

Another beautiful quote I came across today:

"I'm the commander -- see, I don't need to explain -- I do not need to explain why I say things. That's the intersting thing about being the president. Maybe somebody needs to explain to me why the say something, but I don't feel like I owe anybody an explanation."

-President George W. Bush

later,
-junc

Think what you want about Michael Moore, but please, watch how much you attack him.

If you attack the man because he tells lies, wins a bunch of rewards and whatever crap reasons you have then you are missing something very important.

I was born in Flint, Michigan and lived there until I was 21. My father worked at Fisher Body, and later retired from Buick City. Michael Moore is a hero, plain and simple. He is a hero without a victory. Recently, I read an article that claimed "people" (I would love to know who) were beginning to think Moore was "UNAMERICAN".

If you fucking think my FATHER or any GM employee from Flint, MI was or is unamerican you need to pull whatever stick you have shoved up your ass out of it. Michael Moore fought a nasty fight against General Motors (and lost) and he STILL supports his home town. Although General Motors has left it abandoned and ruined. In his OSCAR AWARD WINNING film he still spends a large amount of time on Flint. Anyone that fights for American factory workers the way Moore has is NOT unamerican.

If Moore's new movie, in even the slightest way, helps in getting George Bush out of office (whatever its content, lies or otherwise) then Moore has done America the greatest service.

There is nothing more Unamerican than sending our soldiers to another country to die without a clear agenda. There is nothing more Unamerican than forcing Muslims to eat pork. There is nothing more Unamerican that forcing a Muslim to thank Jesus that he is alive. There is nothing more Unamerican than George Bush.

(sorry about the rant but this pissed me off: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/3734531.stm)

EDIT: The moral of the story, if Moore wants to lie, cheat, and steal in order to save lives, then who cares.

later,
-junc

It appears so. (I've never made a game with anything but 256 colors)

Another thing, I said that all of my games use CCS, that is not correct. Tom Hanks Away only uses the credits plugin.

I played Tom Hanks Away from beginning to end the other day just to see if it would happen, and it didn't. Perhaps it is a problem having to do with DirectX or something. I will report again if it starts happening and try to track it down. As I said, I ignored it before because I thought it was just my system.

later,
-junc

Sometimes it won't happen at all. But yes, five minutes into gameplay most of the time. Just like Hollister Man described it. I don't know about windowed mode, it is happening in full-screen mode though.

Sorry again about the crap bug report, like I said it just "seems" random.

later,
-junc

Hey Chris, several people have reported a problem with my games. The screen flashes and the colors become all jumbled. All of my games are in 256 colors. All of my games have used Scorpiorus's CCS plug in so it may have something to do with that. I assume this may have been fixed in newer versions, but just thought I would let you know. It also occured in the Keptosh v2.0 demo, which used a more recent version. I can't really duplicate the problem and it seems to happen randomly. Sorry, not much of a bug report I'm afraid :. Primus has reported that it happened in "Master of Sounds" as well. I have experienced this problem myself and never reported it because I assumed it was just my system. I am running WinXP (so is Primus).

later,
-junc

I'm going to report this the Chris. It must be something in AGS. It occurs so rarely and without cause that I'm not sure if anything can be done about it. Also, like I said, it could have been solved by now...

I'm glad you guys liked my game. It amazes me that so many people like this. It took nine days or something to make

later,
-junc

Geoffkhan: I think you still don't understand. You don't need a domain hoster . All you need to do is register the domain with someone. No redirection. TotalChoice takes care of EVERYTHING else for you. Domain registration, web host, and redirection are three different things. Redirection is only needed if your web host doesn't support personal domain names. For example, a geocities.com user would have use for redirection. However with Totalchoice that service is part of it.

You only need to pay for two things:
1. Domain Registration (once per year fee, usually around $10, cheaper someplaces)
2. Web Hosting (once per month[what TotalChoice offers])

Evil: Ah, yes, doing it yourself is MUCH better. You have complete control. My ISP wouldn't be able to handle a server though. I have DSL and it just sucks.

later,
-junc

shortage of truck drivers at the moment so wages are high

Be careful with that Chris. That's what I did. Only problem is there are only jobs for those that want to be out for 3 plus weeks at a time. I don't know if you have a girlfriend or not, but it really destroys a relationship.

At least that's the way it is in America. Local trucking jobs tend to be mainly heavy labor, lumber, roofing supplies (I did that for a month, uck). I don't know, how long would it take to drive from one side of England to the other? Perhaps Truck drivers cover the entire EU. That would be cool and suck at the same time...hmmm...maybe I should move to Europe and be a truck driver! 

later,
-junc

I've been single about a month

Don't rebound on the church girl.

I see hurt coming your way. The sincerity that your post was written with just screams "run" to me.

I wouldn't go to church with her. It will give her the wrong idea. People shouldn't try to change people. It's just not right. If you want to change you should do it on your own.

Dropping the pamphlet without speaking to you about it in my opinion is rude. I have major issues with relgious recruiting anyway. I really think someone should get to know a person before they start pimping a GOD on them. That's just way too personal.

later,
-junc

Boyd: The CS1x is such a great keyboard. I talked to some kid in Germany that made this kick ass album with that keyboard. I don't know much about the XK6 but I had a E-MU Orbit once and it was pretty sweet.

By 303 I'm assuming you mean a TB303? Overrated crap in my opinion. If you could pick up one for $300 bucks I wouldn't say that. But $800 plus for a non midi, one sound, 20 year old piece of gear? Screw that. Then again maybe prices have gone down, I haven't looked into one in a while.

There was this golden era of gear, late 90's, where everything was under $500. Only the fancy stuff was over a grand, and even then it wasn't over $1500. Then the Korg Triton came along and ruined the electronic music industry. Everytime I go to a music store I see these all-in-one super boxes. CRAP. They all cost well over $1000 and they have ZERO knobs. ELECTRONIC GEAR WITHOUT KNOBS!? What's the point? Just buy a computer you putz. Grrr...

ALL of my gear, including my PA system only comes in under $2000 (If I had bought it all brand new, $3000).

Everyone keeps on saying how MUCH gear I have. There are only four pieces. I used to have 3 times that much. 3 keyboard stands surrounding me, maybe I'll post more pics of my old setups...

later,
-junc

When I was 18 I wanted to write. Then, over time I realized that I can't write. Once I moved to Ohio someone turned me onto the whole student loan thing, which I knew nothing about. Since then I have "wanted" to be a dozen things. I got so far in debt that I freaked out, left college and went to truck driving school (thus going further in debt). Now I have a class A CDL and do nothing with it. I'm a cook at a little cafe and work about 20 hours a week. I return to college at the end of June. My intention is to just go to school until I get a degree, accidentally. Not think about what I'm going for and just go to school. I've found that is what I am the most happy doing. So, I'm a professional student I suppose.

I think I would either like to teach or do something in computers (maybe both). I don't really want to sit in front of a computer all day though....

c.leks: You PISS me off. 

if your particular vision as an artist doesn't have market value, then no one will pay you for it

Where!? Where can I pay for it!? HUH!? Put a site up and leave it up. I've been trying to listen to your music for two years now and I've only heard ONE song. Seriously. I should put up some of my really old stuff. It's total crap noise. When I had it up on MP3.com I used to get fan mail. FAN MAIL! People will buy it if you believe in it. I am currently promoting an album for Rocco Di Pietro, go to http://www.dipietroeditions.com and listen to some of the music. It is REALLY does not have "market value" as you put it. It's still good music though, it's just good music to a few select people. The key thing is, those few select people buy it and love it. The album got two great reviews in Fanfare magazine.

Did I mention lately that I've been thinking of being a publicist...

later,
-junc

If you want a decent drum machine go with Roland/Boss.

The ERmkII is okay, just not the best. As far as analogue drum sounds it's top notch. I'm a little ticked that you can only mess with the pitch and decay on the cymbals though. You have four other instruments which you can set up however you want. Pretty dynamic sounds for the most part. Lots of tweakability.

As synths go, for the money, the EA-1 is the best I've ever seen. Personally I would love to have a Roland JP-8080 in it's place (my dream synth). As far as live tweaking goes this thing is pretty slick. I've used the Yamaha DX200 and Redsound Darkstar and they both sucked. Basically when you are performing live and start tweaking you don't want to lose the basic sound, the EA-1 doesn't really let you. A small indicator light lets you know where the original value is. Really sweet feature for me.

The sequencer on both is your typical 808 step sequencer or real time keyboard(pads on the ER). Good enough for putting together loops. I haven't really used either of them a whole lot, so I'm sure I will hit limitations soon enough. You can overwrite everything in them (I don't think any Yamaha or Roland equipment lets you do that!?). So when you have four banks of 128 patterns you actually have ALL FOUR BANKS, not three banks of presets and one for user patterns. I would get the new mkII's if you can, the cases are made of metal, not plastic. I'm waiting for the lego pieces to fall off of my EA-1. The ERmkII is a little tank though.

On the "use my tools" thing. I used to run around the house banging on shit with a SP202 and a mic. Basically, it got me seven albums worth of music. Not top notch stuff though. I'm looking at upping the bar on this album(not that quality gear makes the album, just listen to Squarepushers first few albums, he used that stupid casio sampler, a QY-10, total crap gear). Most importantly I'm looking at flexibility. The sampler really sets that in stone. No matter where my style goes the sampler will be able to follow. I need to pick up a DR-202 again to be totally happy...but that can wait (by the way, I believe the DR202 is the BEST machine for creating beats). I don't really "write" music so, tools using me is kind of a requirement .

I need to stop typing and go to bed now...damn that's a long post :

later,
-junc

>Have you experienced any problems?

Yeah, I crashed the entire server once (PHP script gone mad)and they had it back up and running in about two minutes. Other than me personally crashing the server I have NEVER been unable to reach my site in over 2 years of service with them.

>because it doesn't come with the package, right?

Buy your domain name somewhere else, BUT make sure you have complete control over DNS servers. Make sure you don't have to email someone to get them changed. Once you sign up just point your DNS to TCH's, they will give you that info (I think it's in the FAQ).

> Would their domain names not be the re-direction type, but the "normal" ones?

Normal. This isn't cheap crap. Top notch web host.

EDIT: Evil, did you look at the prices at Totalchoicehosting and Ipowerweb? They are both MUCH better.

Cheapest Plans:

godaddy.com         
   Price       $3.95
   Space       25 MB
   Bandwidth   1GB
totalchoicehosting.com
   Price      $4.00
   Space      450MB
   Bandwidth   10GB
ipowerweb.com
   Price      $7.95
   Space      800 MB
   Bandwidth   40GB

perhaps you should consider switching?

later,
-junc

So, I've been making electronic music for around 5+ years now. I've sold and bought more gear than I can remember. I am on and off on the "Hardware vs. Computer" arguement. When it comes to live shows, there is nothing like gear. That goes for the performer and the audience. It is a dying practice however. Laptops are getting cheaper and people accept them more in a music setting. I often hear the whole "as long as the music is good" arguement. I think that's total crap. We love a starving artists. To know that an artist worked for what he made is what most of us want. That, and that it's good music. That's why most people hate boybands and other corporate manufactured music acts. They didn't earn it. Honestly, a lot of those people are talented, but they didn't play in crappy bars for ten years before they hit it big. No respect from me. So, I am here to stand up for the hardware, even if it is a dying dinosaur.



<--analogue synth, bleep and blip
<--analogue drums baby
<--so hard to find a 3 channel DJ mixer for under $100 nowadays.
<--oh my god, it's so purty!!

So the pics are crap, but for some reason I really like that.

Since I'm pimping myself: Go HERE to check out my latest Reason/Fruityloops/Soundforge based project. Hopefully it will be the last of its kind from me. It's been two years since I've had proper gear and three years since I've performed live. Damn, I'm itching for it...

later,
-junc

I use http://www.totalchoicehosting.com. Really freindly and solve problems instantly, even on Sundays. They are a bit cheaper than Ipowerweb, however Ipowerweb offers more for the buck. I pay $5.00/month and there is a $4.00/month plan as well.

later,
-junc

Andy Kaufman Returns After 20 Years

Wed May 19, 9:00 AM ETÃ, 


New York City, NY (PRWEB) May 19, 2004 -- Twenty years ago, on May 16, 1984, most of the world believed that we had lost a comedic legend forever. This has turned out to be what will inevitably be known as the greatest comic prank ever conceived. Andy Kaufman, by all accounts, is alive and well at age 55 and is now living in New York City on the upper west side. To his loyal supporters and fans, Andy says "sorry about faking my death," in a recent interview with ABC News at his apartment. In order to reach legendary comic status and seal his place in the history of performance art, he said it was "necessary to go away for twenty years."

Andy Kaufman's official site has been launched at:
http://andykaufmanreturns.blogspot.com/

Even though he has technically returned, Andy says that he plans to maintain his low key lifestyle that he has led for the past twenty years. He has resumed contact with friends and family. Fearing the possibility of this scenario and the potential for another hoax, Kaufman's family has contracted with independent auditors Ernst & Young to determine if this in fact the real Andy Kaufman. He has subjected himself to medical examination and submitted DNA, hair, blood and fingerprint samples to the auditors. Ernst & Young and the Kaufman family report that with a 99% probability, this is indeed the real Andy Kaufman. His mother says, "It's good to have Andy back."

In 1999, a new crop of Kaufman fans were born after Jim Carrey starred in the hit film Man on the Moon. "Andy's bizarre mix of comedy and performance art will inspire fans and comedians alike for generations, especially after this stunt," says Jim Carrey.

Andy says he will make only occasional public appearances, sometimes in disguise so that you won?t know if it?s really him or someone else. Kaufman was famous for pulling this stunt with the Tony Clifton character, sometimes played by good friend Bob Zmuda.

Andy says fans should tune into his website for ongoing updates to his adventures in life. As always, Andy's stage has been the world, testing the boundaries of our beliefs, our sources of information, and our perception of reality. "It's good to be back," Andy writes on his website.

# # #


Andy Kaufman

later,
-junc

We're sorry. This release has been placed on 'Dispute Hold'.

from the emedia site...

The 14th was the 20th aniversary of his "death" and he was supposed to come back. It is probably a hoax. I couldn't find a article on CNN.com about it, or BBC.co.uk

Check this out:
http://andykaufmanreturns.blogspot.com/

later,
-junc

This is what I currently have:

Code: ags

if ((character[ESTAR].x > character[EGO].x+100) && (anim_direction==1)) {
	character[ESTAR].room=-1;
}
if ((character[ESTAR].x > character[EGO].x-100) && (anim_direction==0)) {
	character[ESTAR].room=-1;
} 

This doesn't work for left though. Works perfect for right. When you throw the star left it appears and disappears instantly. anim_direction is called with on_key_press which I think is causing some problems. If I combine the statement...

LOL!! DUh...as I was typing that I noticed that I didn't flip the less than greater than sign.

The Star problem is solved 

I will move on to enemies next. I will update this thread with problems there.

foz, would you care to post some of your enemy AI? especially anything involving chasing the chracter, firing weapons, etc. that varies from 2ma2's script. It would be helpful.

Does anyone else have any enemy AI suggestions? (remember I want to keep them dumb, this is only a small portion of my game and I don't want to waste too much time on it).

thanks,
-junc

If you change your mind PM me. I would still be interested in seeing what I could decipher out of it.

I seem to be having trouble with the star thing still. When the character throws it to the right everything is fine. To the left is a different story. How do I check his direction? It's not like checking the direction on a normal character. I tried using the anim_direction variable, didn't work though.

eh,
-junc