simple machines forum

I was doing some quick research to see if I wanted to to buy Monster World IV off the PSN or not this morning.

I shouldn't even have to be doing this, except there is literally nothing new worth playing on the video landscape, and there hasn't been for nearly a century now.

I am pretty much starved for anything new. I was reminded of MWIV because I fired up the recent "Capcom Arcade Cabinet" demo I'd downloaded a while back just to see what had become of it. Capcom still wants you to pay 30$ for 17 old arcade games. Most of which are not really playable. Anyway, MWIV was suggested while I doing my best to find the Capcom thing in the new PSN store, because apparently the game can't sell its own games from inside the game. It won't even tell you about the games before you buy them. Even though that is a feature of the "game". And neither will the PSN store for that matter.

Anyway, researching MWIV reminded me that Dragon's Trap on the Master System was the only really strong Wonder Boy / Monster World game. So I started reminiscing about hours with Dragon's Trap as a kid.

http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/wonderboy/wonderboy3.htm

I've played with just about everyone of these older games. When people talk about video games that talk usually excludes older games like these, but when I talk about video games, I exclude just about everything else by default.

But I discovered a new one that somehow I'd never even heard of before:

http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/dragonbuster/dragonbuster.htm

Check out the solid cover art. And I can't get enough of PC88 graphics like these:




But more than anything else, check this concept art out:



Scratch the the little man out of the picture squatting on it like a fly. You don't get anything like this in video games anymore. Video games have in short failed to realize the vaulting picturesque imagery that used to adorn the artwork crafted to ignite your imagination in preparation for the adventures that lie ahead.

And mind you, this kind of stuff was everywhere in the 70s and 80s. Just about all anime and some choice Hollywood productions brought it all into life. You have a handful of big budget things like Labyrinth that I am pretty sure were singularly responsible for the JRPG. We were supposed to have sweeping exquisiteness the likes of which we've never seen and will never see beyond our wildest imaginations. But instead we've gotten round after round of tired uninspired clumsy uninteresting unattractive unimaginative completely predictable 21st century drivel.

In short, it would be hard not to do so much better. I hope to hell/high heaven Sword of Moonlight proves to be a beacon of light and not one more nail in the sensory deprivation coffin that wrests our collective imagination in its seductive bed of lingering death


PS: Another thing that worries me:

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/127945-Dark-Souls-II-Director-Wants-Next-Gen-Physics-Not-Graphics

I really worry that game directors don't understand that physics aren't games. If a game doesn't behave in a well defined (controlled, reliable, and easily reproducible) way it ceases to be a game, and becomes a simulation. Therefore physics are only useful for visual effects, and visual effects are not physics, they are graphics.

No offense Wolf but that's exactly my assessment of your probable character with what little experience I have with you. Of course as an extremely "perceptive" I am nonjudgmental so I can't prejudge without apparently absolutely irrefutable evidence.

I don't think 50/50 is a big deal or unlikely, but I would go by your own characterization and if you can that of others before a survey or something like that. It's totally useful 50/50 just means you are flexible.

Being more granular than 50/50 (or one or the other) is probably not useful.

And of course, INFJ: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counselor_%28role_variant%29 (spoiler: Gandhi)

Wikipedia, or at least these articles, seems to assume best possible human potential. Of course Myers Briggs has nothing to say for abilities, integrity, reciprocity, and probably countless other things. You really have to read how it works before reading anything into this stuff (here.)

PS: Not that I would prefer to be the Egghead or The Psycho Vigilante, but I am definitely INTP and not even somewhere in between, even though in the usual matrices the two are side by side if that means anything... at least it means you could chart a continuum, but I don't know if Myers-Briggs proper would support that. Bottom line, retreat to raw data does not recuperate my batteries. And well, why anyone would aspire to being a modern Olympian has always confounded me.

EDITED: This alternative source could probably be useful for comedic / cynical / dastardly takes on the same themes. To imagine Gandhi and "The Conspiracy Theorist" under the same roof is an interesting exercise to say the least. I would take these with a grain of salt...

The Egghead for instance to me anyway if I had to guess I would say ISTP, since it seems to be geared toward extreme feats of analysis in an almost savant like way. I don't think that is INTP. It just sounds like an Olympian were the Olympics about academic gymnastics. Most artists would probably fall into INTP. Whereas ISTP seems like a natural fit for minimum-maximum competitors.

^To be honest with myself. I think I am probably INTP. If I wasn't I'd probably be more of an academic. ISTP is my world view, but INTP is more how I actually go about my life.

I prefer to think I am more of a data guy. But really I run on my intuition. In other words, I am more of a big picture thinker, even though I recognize the importance of the data underpinning the picture.

I am also very much an artist. It seems like intuition would have to be dominant or that would not be possible. I think if you didn't have intuition on your side you'd probably either make really bad art or have a mental breakdown just trying to fit art into the sensory data mold. I like to think about how that can be done theoretically, with computers, but its something that I am not comfortable subjecting my own mind to.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Architect_%28role_variant%29

@Verdite,

Can you provide a URL directly to your older information at  www.swordofmoonlight.com where you provide the link to som.com in the opening post?

Also, I've moved the topic (and created a new subforum in the process) but for the record, it doesn't look like this will have changed its URL (so any outside links to it should still work.)
PS: Happy B-day Rathmor

Quote

Q: Why does Holy Diver not interact with swordofmoonlight.com?
 A: Because I have been banned on numerous occasions for pathetically petty reasons, and currently am not even able to send or receive Private Messages. The membership is for the most part not helpful or interested in Sword of Moonlight regardless. Go firgure.

You are a liar. You have narcissism. One of the symptoms of narcissism is "needing to vilify anyone who disagrees with you". And the lies/half-truths you use to make your point are the classic tools narcissists use.

The "numerous occasions" = two temporary bans over many years. The "petty reasons" = repeated derogatory remarks against other members or their work, repeated argumentative and contradictory posts, all while ignoring multiple warnings to stop.

I'm tempted to go back and pull out all the rude and cruel things you've posted about people through the years, but in traditional narcissist style, you are mostly immune to reality so what is the point?

You were banned  from "sending or receiving Private Messages" because after the initial 30 day ban from posting (could still log in send messages etc), you saw the need to derisively change your custom title (which shows on all your posts) to all capitals "ACCOUNT DELETED" (even though it wasn't deleted at all). This abuse of the custom-title system to bypass the posting ban and get one last catty message displayed on your posts is just an extension of why you were banned in the first place. You have an overwhelming drive to demean others in order to prove your own martyrdom and superiority.

Even though I think it's disgusting that you put something so misleading and childish in your FAQ, I'm not posting this to "get even". I actually hope something I say might stick in your brain and start your mind working down a different path. You're still a relatively young man, but I've known a couple older narcissists- their lives don't go well. They ended up alone in a fictional reality and bitter at everyone around them as being "unworthy" of their company.

I think narcissism is largely triggered by environment during upbringing- legalistic, emotionally unavailable fathers and excessively pampering, enabling mothers. But like most "baggage" from childhood, it can be outgrown. The problem is, narcissist have trouble understanding that there's a problem in the first place. I can say with fair confidence, that the people on som.com are some of the best you are likely to ever meet. If all you can do is regard such people as useless and ignorant, then you're not likely to ever find anyone who meets your standards.

Try exercising your "goodness" muscles. Every day, do some random charitable act that returns absolutely no benefit to yourself. And no, you don't already do that.

A) That refers to the first time(s) I was banned. According to dmpdesign because I made others feel inadequate. His metaphor was a grownup entering into a kids science fair. Or at least before dmpdesign begged for absolution. Reply #3.

B) "Pathetically petty reasons" doesn't vilify anyone. Some bans are deserved. Most are not. But you are right about projecting paranoia of being undermined or whatever. You just have your finger pointed in the wrong direction.

I deleted my account. There wasn't an option to do so. So I changed it to ACCOUNT DELETED in large letters so anyone expecting me to reply would hopefully see that. It's the best I could do under the circumstances. Deleted as in permanently gone (edited: besides I only posted because dmpdesign asked me too)

C) You opened by "You are a liar." and then go straight to accusations of "vilification". I don't know how to communicate how that looks. You are practically foaming at the mouth. I just don't want any trouble. Period. I never have. I've never made any. And I don't lie. Ever. And I don't appreciate mean spirited slander. Facts are facts. If a cold hard fact makes you feel like a villain, that's life. It's nobody's fault except maybe your own.


PS: I am sorry you feel the need, or feel it is somehow acceptable, to throw around so many emotionally charged allegations. I don't know what you expect in terms of a response. To be blunt. Just because you think something, something pops into your head, doesn't make it so. A healthy sense of doubt can save a lot of people a lot of trouble.

Unless someone was being hostile I've never had a derogatory remark for anyone. Much less vilified anyone. If you ban someone on very petty grounds I don't know what you expect. If you banned someone else I would've deleted my account just the same. It's chilling misbehavior. It's bad behavior. But more than anything else it's problematic. Case in point...

It's not just the dust you leave in your wake. It's the relationships you interfere with. It's the consequences of short and destructive unhelpful impulses.


EDITED: I think my track record of hard work and only helping others speaks for itself. There are always going to be mental people, people with inferiority complexes, paranoid dispositions, runaway imaginations. Who will irresponsibly draw any conclusion just to suit themselves. You can't do anything about that. You are just one person. On a great big planet. Not everything to everyone. Certainly not omnipotent. Stay out of people's hair. Help. Help as much as you can. And when things get ugly. As they always do in the real world. Slowly back away. And get the **** out of there. Peace.


EDITED: Also. If you think you are so perfect. And perfectly normal. Just look at the United States congress. I hate to break it to you. But messed up is normal behavior. And there is a lot of contention out there in the world. That's no excuse to be uncivil though. Especially when no one is causing any trouble. Except for themselves. People are always causing trouble for themselves. And wanting to blame everyone else at that. Go figure. It is what it is.

I just had a glimpse of the future, and this is what I saw...

I saw that the end is nigh for som_rt.exe. I just can't see it being around for much longer.

I can't think of any reason to keep it around at this point anyway, but the reason I got this sinking feeling is its a lot of work making a map of SOM's programs for two different versions. In this case, som_db.exe, and som_rt.exe.

I am not sure what is required to just use som_db.exe, but I am sure it will work. The benefits are your game can run like a lightweight project, or a standalone game. And db.exe uses the mysterious .som file instead of the equally mysterious Project.DAT file. To my mind the way this works is just about backwards. Project.DAT looks like a file that should never appear in a final game, it even has project in its name! And .som is just a perfect file format for a finished game. In fact it would be ideal if you played the game with a media player that knows how to play .som files instead of a .exe file.

I've been meaning to overhaul SOM_EX.exe just to make it more presentable source code wise. That and because I accidentally built the last one with the debug version of the C runtime. But I think that will be a good time to see about removing som_rt.exe from the mix.

What this means for you? Well it shouldn't mean more than the .bin file in the EX folder of standalone games will use a renamed copy of som_db.exe instead. And the ugly project.dat file can be removed in favor of the .som file...

And for me it will mean discontinuing support for som_rt.exe. Having just a single image of SOM's program to worry about will help things along more swiftly with less confusion. Documenting the thing is certainly more attractive if you don't have to include addresses for both versions in every citation.

For the record, I just noticed that the silence.wav BGM fix didn't take for your project because it doesn't have a BGM folder. This will be fixed in 1.1.1.7.

Hey sweet!

I spent the most of today fixing a bug thanks to your project. I noticed that the intense directional lighting wasn't lighting the furniture.

http://csv.swordofmoonlight.net/SomEx.dll/1.1.1.6.zip

I think I would have caught this sooner except I tend to work with toy test projects and Verdite never uses lights with his Rathmor project. I've given up on even mentioning the idea. And as far as I know you two are the only dudes working with Ex.

But honestly people tend to not use the map-wide directional lights, and if you do its best to make them subtle as I suggested above, so I might not have noticed them in other games I sometimes toy with.

PS/Offtopic: there is a do_arm extension that lets the arm flail about in this build in case anyone wants to try it.

While I am posting,

I also noticed today that SOM_EX.exe got linked against Windows' debug C runtime somehow. I don't know if that will run on everyone's computer but I haven't had any complaints so far. I intend to try to clean it up (something I've been meaning to do for a while) and update it here in a bit.

EDITED: So even if you drop SOM like a bad habit in short order like probably 95% or more people do, you contributed to something