Pipstickz

July 12, 2012.

was doing some clean-up and apparently, the oldest forum message i have (not deleted) is one on the Heat Wars organized 6 years ago; next in line is from 5 years ago, about a possible infiltration in KoB (when I was a knight)
what is *your* oldest forum message?

A bit late... o well. I'm not even sure why I made this, since most contestant drew their own thing xD. This is a tool to visualize what you made, and the scores you get... provided that it doesn't throw an error.
For those that likes tinkering around, this might be fun for you to poke around with
from graphics import * BORDER_THICKNESS = 3 SQUARE_THICKNESS = 50 SHAPES = { 'T_SHAPE':{ frozenset({(0,0,0),(0,1,0),(0,2,0),(0,1,1)}), frozenset({(0,0,0),(0,0,1),(0,0,2),(0,1,1)}), frozenset({(0,0,1),(0,1,1),(0,2,1),(0,1,0)}), frozenset({(0,1,0),(0,1,1),(0,1,2),(0,0,1)}) }, 'L_SHAPE':{ frozenset({(0,0,0),(0,1,0),(0,2,0),(0,0,1)}), frozenset({(0,0,0),(0,1,0),(0,2,0),(0,2,1)}), frozenset({(0,0,0),(0,0,1),(0,0,2),(0,1,0)}), frozenset({(0,0,0),(0,0,1),(0,0,2),(0,1,2)}), frozenset({(0,0,1),(0,1,1),(0,2,1),(0,0,0)}), frozenset({(0,0,1),(0,1,1),(0,2,1),(0,2,0)}), frozenset({(0,1,0),(0,1,1),(0,1,2),(0,0,0)}), frozenset({(0,1,0),(0,1,1),(0,1,2),(0,0,2)}) }, 'Z_SHAPE':{ frozenset({(0,0,0),(0,1,0),(0,1,1),(0,2,1)}), frozenset({(0,0,1),(0,1,1),(0,1,0),(0,2,0)}), frozenset({(0,0,0),(0,0,1),(0,1,1),(0,1,2)}), frozenset({(0,1,0),(0,1,1),(0,0,1),(0,0,2)}) }, 'I_SHAPE':{ frozenset({(0,0,0),(0,1,0)}), frozenset({(0,0,0),(0,0,1)}) }, 'DOT_SHAPE':{ frozenset({(0,0,0)}) } } POINTS = { 'Z_SHAPE': 4, 'T_SHAPE': 3, 'L_SHAPE': 3, 'I_SHAPE': 1, 'DOT_SHAPE': 0 } COLORS = { 'Z_SHAPE': 'red', 'T_SHAPE': 'green', 'L_SHAPE': 'blue', 'I_SHAPE': 'purple', 'DOT_SHAPE': 'yellow', 'BORDER': 'black' } def rotateFlat(shape): o = [] #re-order detect = [max(x) for x in [*zip(*shape)]] if detect[0] == 0: return shape # already flat elif detect[1] == 0: o = [1,0,2] elif detect[2] == 0: o = [2,1,0] else: raise Exception('Nonrotatable shape') return {(x[o[0]],x[o[1]],x[o[2]]) for x in shape} def getSimplifiedShape(index, matrix): tiles = [] for x,surface in enumerate(matrix): for y,line in enumerate(surface): for z,point in enumerate(line): if point == index: tiles.append([x,y,z]) simplifier = [min(x) for x in [*zip(*tiles)]] #Transpose to find min x y z simplified_shape = {(tile[0] - simplifier[0], tile[1] - simplifier[1], tile[2] - simplifier[2]) for tile in tiles} simplified_shape = rotateFlat(simplified_shape) return simplified_shape def getShape(index, matrix): simplified_shape = getSimplifiedShape(index, matrix) for SHAPE in SHAPES: if simplified_shape in SHAPES[SHAPE]: return SHAPE else: print(f'Cannot find shape {simplified_shape}') raise Exception() def getColor(matrix, layer, x, y): if isBorder(x,y): return COLORS['BORDER'] elif isInnerBorder(x,y): if _isInnerBorder(x) and not _isInnerBorder(y): x, y = getIndex(x,y) index_1 = matrix[layer][y][x-1] index_2 = matrix[layer][y][x] elif _isInnerBorder(y) and not _isInnerBorder(x): x, y = getIndex(x,y) index_1 = matrix[layer][y-1][x] index_2 = matrix[layer][y][x] else: return COLORS['BORDER'] if index_1 == index_2: shape = getShape(index_1, matrix) return COLORS[shape] else: return COLORS['BORDER'] else: x, y = getIndex(x,y) index = matrix[layer][y][x] shape = getShape(index, matrix) return COLORS[shape] def draw(matrix, offset_x = 30, offset_y = 30): size = BORDER_THICKNESS * 9 + SQUARE_THICKNESS * 8 window = GraphWin(width = size * 3 + offset_x * 4, height = size + offset_y * 2 + 40) indexSet = set() score = 0 for surface in matrix: for line in surface: for index in line: if index in indexSet: continue else: indexSet.add(index) score += POINTS[getShape(index, matrix)] message = Text(Point(window.getWidth() / 2 - 50, window.getHeight() - 40), f'Score: {score}') message.setTextColor('black') message.setSize(20) message.draw(window) for layer in range(3): for y in range(size): x = 0 while x < size: color = getColor(matrix, layer, x, y) point_a = Point(x + offset_x * (layer + 1) + layer * size, y + offset_y) if color != COLORS['BORDER']: if _isInnerBorder(x): length = BORDER_THICKNESS else: length = SQUARE_THICKNESS elif _isBorder(y): length = size elif _isInnerBorder(x) or _isBorder(x): length = BORDER_THICKNESS else: length = SQUARE_THICKNESS point_b = Point(point_a.getX() + length , point_a.getY()) x += length line = Line(point_a, point_b) line.setFill(color) line.draw(window) def _isBorder(x): return x < BORDER_THICKNESS or x >= ((BORDER_THICKNESS + SQUARE_THICKNESS) * 8) def isBorder(x, y): return _isBorder(x) or _isBorder(y) def _isInnerBorder(x): if _isBorder(x): return False while x >= BORDER_THICKNESS + SQUARE_THICKNESS: x -= BORDER_THICKNESS + SQUARE_THICKNESS if _isBorder(x): return True return False def isInnerBorder(x,y): if isBorder(x,y): return False return _isInnerBorder(x) or _isInnerBorder(y) def getIndex(x,y): return (x//(BORDER_THICKNESS + SQUARE_THICKNESS), y//(BORDER_THICKNESS + SQUARE_THICKNESS)) testArr = [ [ [0, 0, 1, 1, 1, 2, 2, 2], [3, 0, 0, 1, 4, 13, 14, 2], [3, 17, 18, 4, 4, 21, 22, 23], [24, 25, 26, 27, 4, 29, 30, 31], [32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39], [40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47], [48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55], [56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63] ], [ [64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71], [72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79], [80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87], [88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95], [96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 103], [104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111], [112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119], [120, 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126, 127] ], [ [128, 129, 130, 131, 132, 133, 134, 135], [136, 137, 138, 139, 140, 141, 142, 143], [144, 145, 146, 147, 148, 149, 150, 151], [152, 153, 154, 155, 156, 157, 158, 159], [160, 161, 162, 163, 164, 165, 166, 167], [168, 169, 170, 171, 172, 173, 174, 175], [176, 177, 178, 179, 180, 181, 182, 183], [184, 185, 186, 187, 188, 189, 190, 191] ] ] # draw(testArr) f = open("blocks.txt", "r", encoding="utf-8") matrix = [] layer = [] for line in f: line.replace(';',' ').replace(',',' ') data = [int(x) for x in line.split()] if len(data) == 0: continue assert len(data) == 8 layer.append(data) if len(layer) == 8: matrix.append(layer) layer = [] f.close() draw(matrix) input("Enter any key to quit.") You'd need to have python + graphics.py installed. Make a text file, name it "blocks.txt", and it *should* work.
Here's an example of how "blocks.txt" should look like
0 0 1 1 1 2 2 2 3 0 0 1 4 13 14 2 3 17 18 4 4 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 4 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 If you don't get any of this... well, it's just a tool ~~that I made after Yoshi submitted numbers~~ that is kinda used to grade stuff.
I'll be making the grading script for the rock-paper-scissor game later, for those who wants to poke around with that too

I'm thinking of how much fun/havoc this could create in races, chases, and events of that sort.  One-Way Travel Arrows.  For example:
You ought to be able to jump off the MDA balcony and land in the room below.
Leading west from Marind's Marble Stair there is a road you cannot follow.  Perhaps it should lead to a crumbly cliff that dumps you somewhere in Loreroot.
You might jump off Mount Kelle'tha with a glider, or launch yourself with a catapult, and end up -- ANYWHERE -- in the realm at random.
I don't know how the currents flow in all these bodies of water, but entering one at one place could see you swept away to some other.
Obviously, these are dangerous stunts and may take a %age of your vital energy away - moderated perhaps by agility-related skills.

ya, that one, but with a slightly twisted meaning, maybe. 'Moonshining', as term, was invented during Prohibition era, if i'm not mistaken, and it refers to the illegal production and sale of alcohol. These guys do something similar - take someone's work, disguise it, and then sell it. 

Addition to April 22nd, postevent - Taurion's proclaimation.
AR April 22 Taurion.docx

Hello, today I'm experiencing weird behavior in the interface.
my regeneration timer is frozen at 00:00; the map doesn't show player names anymore (I had that feature unlocked); "who's online" button doesn't work (yet it makes the usual sound) Maybe I should open different topic, but they all seem minor issues.
I'm using Firefox 88.0 (64 bit) on a macOS 10.14.6.
Thanks for reading,
lashtal

You're right, there's a big difference.
Though I'm not convinced the blatant copying you mention is that all-encompassing and mainstream, some of the specific pieces you mentioned seemed more inspired by rather than copied (samurai jack for instance), but maybe I'm wrong. 
 
Just to clarify, I'm not defending Hollywood, I just like try to add more perspectives to the table: so what if we have copied movies? If we are not aware of the original, in our perspective we are seeing something new? 
If people weren't seeing them as new they wouldn't watch and such movies wouldn't bring money and Hollywood wouldn't shoot them. So it's not a waste, as long as it's a copy of a good movie
The important thing at the end of the day, if you enjoyed a copy-movie, is not to idealize people behind it, but that should be the case with anything,people are never perfect, geniuses that are wonderful human beings etc, there's always some uncanny detail lying somewhere. 
I liked Samurai Jack, I don't necessarily think it's the most brillitant piece made by unbelievably creative and original people

Some would say it's impossible, but it's not so much about being original as it's about not being a 90% copy (the 10% left is simply you trying to disguise stuff). It's like you're given an assignment in biology class, you take a paper from some site, modify it a bit and read it to the entire class. Nobody's asking you to be original, how could you, you're effin 15 and your interests lie elsewhere...but what you're doing is moonshining.
Yes, the Bible was written under Buddhist influence, or rather, the Bible is a retelling of Buddhism, mixed with the local creeds. But the thing is, the folks who wrote both testaments did it to empower themselves. They weren't paid to come up with good entertainment, they were seeking to replace the old priests.
Inspiration is one thing, moonshining is another. Thing is, you either have intellectual property, or you don't. You either have 'we copy from them, they copy from us' or you have 'the Chinese stole OUR intellectual property, they're a bunch of liars and thieves'. Oh, but when Hollywood steals from others? Nah, that's ok. 
Oh, it's just arts, it's fine. No, it isn't. Arts and culture stay at the basis of a state's allure. Like the nectar of flowers, culture can attract a number of youth to a state, where they'll be exploited for little money, thus ensuring a constant supply of energetic and bright workforce. Just like city lights attract so many peasants to the big city, where all their dreams will be fulfilled. This is why you have intellectual property and this is why artists are paid and are struggling to come up with something good etc. 
You can't have both. Also, inspiration should be something you receive when walking through your neighbourhood, not walking the digital plains of a country far away. Why? Because you're selling your product to the people around you, so you'd better know them, what they want, what their problems are etc. Sure, knowing stuff beyond your neighbourhood is useful, is inspiring, but pay attention to what surrounds you as well. 
I just can't agree with what Hollywood is doing, when what it's doing is taking an entire script, changing some elements so as to not look suspicious and come forth with an 'original production from the legendary director X'. How can I?
(btw, i set myself in a special way when commenting on this topic, I really don't care about Hollywood, for me it's a dead thing, just like cable TV; thank F I got wind of pirated sites for films, else I would've been doomed to develop a brain tumor)

In regards to Hollywood, I think it got a bit weaker with all of these streaming services. I mean, Netflix is spending money on shows left and right, which brings money to new antipattern stuff, now is the best chance to break Hollywood's domination. 
When it comes to Japanese influence, I think it's a crime not to mention The Power Rangers!
But seriously, like others said, you always take inspiration from somewhere. In case of movies, a bunch of them were copied, some from Japan, some from other countries (a lot of European movies, anywhere where you can find quality material that couldn't reach global peak because of language/low budget production). 
It's hard to be original too, even when you try there's a good chance somebody told something similar. There were so many movies made, there were so many stories told, and most of them revolve around some archetypes. 

Even when you look at 'the original', there's a good chance it's a retelling as well. 
I mean look at The Bible/Christianity. Revolutionary religion that swallowed a big chunk of the known world, but its concepts were all already present in other religions. 
It's how stuff always worked, as Newton said we are dwarves standing on the shoulders of giants, or standing on the shoulders of dwarves which are standing on the shoulders of other dwarves... (pardon my poor rephrasing, maybe Newton said it somehow differently) 

Since Brilliant Diamonds have never (to my knowledge) been given an agreed upon value but are still categorized as a valuable item, maybe one could pay a Diamond for a heat reset, perhaps also barred by the need to charge a clickable with personal heat first. ie. Gather 50k or so heat from your erolin to charge the clickie, then it asks you for one Diamond once it's charged. This method could make it easy for avid traders to reduce their heat, which at least covers a different category of players from the combat grinders who can already drop heat other ways.

Now, on the visual side:

I found two very different violet/purple/indigo occurrences (to me, at least). Let me know what you think:
The first one is an alliance symbol (which I've never seen in-game, I found it by exploring the urls):

 
And the second one is from an old screenshot that I found in my folders. It seems to be a colored version of an illusion (in the original picture, I can also see the black and white version of this). I really like the colors on this one, especially on the head. I think it's a very unique color.

I totally get this feeling Mur mentioned from the second one, but not from the first one.
 

pimped has this yes, as i am not intending to make anything more fancy on the grasan branch other than the pimped.
Anniv crits might use this color as they are close to the end of the line for their presence as anniv crit, ...its possible, i dont really know as i never checked or made it intentional. let me know if you discover anything interesting. Also some have symbols on them, that speak about changed i made in that period or shortly after. Its an interesting subject if you wish to digg deeper into it.

There is something that i consider obvious, but obviously its not obvious to most
Colors, in MD, have a very clear symbolistic and purpose from my point of view. I thought to share these things so they are said, for those of you that are curious about the subject, or people that contribute to md various stuff, as it would be amazing if they could follow the same color guidelines, even if i consider it is something very personal to each person.
 
My language will become more "intuitive" in the next part, as i am trying to describe what i feel more than what i think. I hope its clear enough.
The background colors, are soft beige, mixed with dark brown and the obvious black&white of the drawings. Shiny Gold is the symbolic contour, or underline, of some things.
For me, the goldish+beige+dark brown+black+occasional sharp/dark red, are the md color theme. They build together a certain feeling. This feeling changed from the old md interface a lot, and in the new you have more red, and brighter gold shine. Together with the colors, my attitude towards md development changed too.
As a random fun fact, the pale brown background that i kept from the old interface, is a tree bark photo of a tree i was standing under while planning md stuff, and i will probably keep that background a long time. The page edges, are made back when i had no clue how to make them "artificially" on computer, so i actually crumbled a paper and burned the edges then scanned it  (i still have the paper).
Ok back to the colors..   
Colors are strictly under control, its like a color mafia, only some things are allowed to benefit from "color".  The more color something has, the more unusual it is. You noticed avatars are black, and color means just 'gold'. However, highly wild feautures such as illusions, bring color even to avatars.
The anniv creatures, up to the latest one that was colored by Aia, have also some of the color codes and symbolistic that hide info about how md dev is going in that period. 
 
Now a subject for research.
For me purple/violet/indigo, in md, means "end of the line", "death", "all powerful and unusual" . Something that is this color should not have anything above it, that is more powerful, cool, or that exceeds that particular functionality. This is how i feel about this color, and when i work on md i do just what i feel, i don't even check if its the same with what it should be according to my own guidelines. So, i think its interesting to double check this, and see if i used purple/violet/indigo in any palce that doesn't fit with what i said above. Let me know of your findigs!
 
Shapes and colors
Colors and numbers for me are one and the same. It is only natural that shapes should follow colors too, as shapes are just pairs of numbers.
I am 101% aware of sizes and numbers i use for sizes in md, but like i said i just follow a feeling. It could be interesting to check these proportions and see if they mean anything from an other perspective. At first glance they don't seem to follow golden ratio that is so obsessively praised by some. Again let me know if you find something, it might be worth a wp.
 
ok i will stop here, its weird to write about such things without face2face feedback, but if you have questions, or are curious about something, i will answer.
I hope you enjoyed it.

Hail; Karak, I fear we have not met for many years, but it were good to see that our cause remains ever within thee, also.

Blessings,
Aia

Hail fair wanders!
Alas, the Moon does not glow upon the lands as it did once many eons past.  We sat in awe of this momentous occasion and wondered at the master of the realm and his many abilities.  Yes we railed against him and his quirky nature and demanded (I forget what!).
Occasionally I have wandered the realm as it has evolved over the passing of time and wondered at the many new marvels I see creeping into my beloved realm.  Many friends no longer wander, as ghosts, in the realm and I become lonely as I look upon the faded grass and remember the moments of joy and seriousness.  The thought provoking conversations and the wonder that comes when kindred spirits are united and burn brightly like kindling thrust into a dying fire.
The Moon Goddess still holds my heart and her hidden presence still haunts my waking moments.
I wish you all well on your journeys!
Knight of the Moon, Karak

That's very true, the way these things operate is revolving around money only, and that's why things will change only when people like me and you will say 'we want some good stuff, we're not gonna pay a cent anymore for crap. i can do crap myself, tyvm'.
the way is boycott and i'm doing it already (i'm also spreading hate, so i'm doing a little more). i don't think too big to fail businesses should exist, i think often you have to burn the grass to get better produce next year
burn hollywood? nah, let it freefall

I'd personally like to see an extra option in the sacrifice menu that instead of gaining stats you could forgo whatever that stat gain would have been for the stat multiplier to instead be applied to the heat loss value.
Manages the cost and reduction rate in one go.
I also wouldn't let MP3 access it.

Since Brilliant Diamonds have never (to my knowledge) been given an agreed upon value but are still categorized as a valuable item, maybe one could pay a Diamond for a heat reset, perhaps also barred by the need to charge a clickable with personal heat first. ie. Gather 50k or so heat from your erolin to charge the clickie, then it asks you for one Diamond once it's charged. This method could make it easy for avid traders to reduce their heat, which at least covers a different category of players from the combat grinders who can already drop heat other ways.

Since Brilliant Diamonds have never (to my knowledge) been given an agreed upon value but are still categorized as a valuable item, maybe one could pay a Diamond for a heat reset, perhaps also barred by the need to charge a clickable with personal heat first. ie. Gather 50k or so heat from your erolin to charge the clickie, then it asks you for one Diamond once it's charged. This method could make it easy for avid traders to reduce their heat, which at least covers a different category of players from the combat grinders who can already drop heat other ways.

Since Brilliant Diamonds have never (to my knowledge) been given an agreed upon value but are still categorized as a valuable item, maybe one could pay a Diamond for a heat reset, perhaps also barred by the need to charge a clickable with personal heat first. ie. Gather 50k or so heat from your erolin to charge the clickie, then it asks you for one Diamond once it's charged. This method could make it easy for avid traders to reduce their heat, which at least covers a different category of players from the combat grinders who can already drop heat other ways.

They work but do give that error as well, they give you an RP item.

now that i think about it, the story with the cube and the little girl was a hell of an intro. it was building a lot of suspense, while the island is quite peaceful by comparison
what if we add the elements of a crisis there? like, aramors being assembled by unknown entities, boarding ships to who knows where; or, the island being enshrouded in a 'cloud of viscosity' with each passing day, threatening to become occult from the mainland
or something