T w e n t y S i d e d
Live free or die, man. Live free or die.
– Shamus, Dec 11, 2006
Continue reading ⟩⟩ “DM of the Rings Remaster XL: What Dreams May Come”
DM of the Rings Remaster XL: What Dreams May Come
Sims 4 Overthinking: The Coffee Maker
Where we left off, our family was in quarantine, just like the rest of the world.
People are making sour dough starts, and the BookNook is quiet. Logan throws himself into making their store a proper website, and runs a Facebook page for updates.
His school is online, and his professors don’t know how to use Zoom. He does the homework he can, and emails his professors about the rest. He starts taking online orders for books, and delivers them to peoples’ front doors. When they’re done with the book or board game, he gets the rentals back in exactly the same way.
Continue reading ⟩⟩ “Sims 4 Overthinking: The Coffee Maker”
Wednesday Action Log 10-4-23
This week I’m still playing Roblox. Hopefully soon I’ll be out of my rut. We’ve just finished my move into my siblings’ place. It’s weird. I guess I played Rimworld recently as well, I haven’t played it in a while.
What are you guys up to?
Two Weeks of World of Warcraft in 2023
I put off writing this week’s entry to the last minute, because FoxMaster was going to release a video about programming updates to the AI Lara ‘bot. But it’s getting pretty late in the day, so I guess that’s going to have to wait. I’m pretty sure the major topic of discussion is going to be what he had to do to make the ‘bot capable of solving the doors in Midas’ Palace. Rather than finding *the* switch that opens one specific door, the central puzzle room of Midas’ Palace has FIVE switches that have to be set to a specific pattern for EACH door, one at a time. I presume the ‘bot probably wasn’t capable, even after hours of gameplay, of “deducing” this logic…although it had some of the tools already at its disposal. But that’s a more complete discussion for another time. Plus, I’m betting the second application of this kind of AI/gameplay is going to be Resident Evil HD Remaster…so I’m watching for that to appear. But this week, I’m going to continue with my return to World of Warcraft.
Continue reading ⟩⟩ “Two Weeks of World of Warcraft in 2023”
DM of the Rings Remaster XXXIX: Don’t Hate the Player
On Monday I’ll have the other “half” of his death. It was just too big to cram into one strip.
As I write this I find I can only do one of two things at any given time:
I really envy the skill of Rich Burlew, author of Order of the Stick. His strips are able to advance the story and deliver the funny at the same time. I’m still getting a feel for how to make a comic, and the longer I do it the more I see how hard it is to move the plot forward while telling a joke. The best strips so far are the ones where the characters just have a bit of preposterous dialog and the plot doesn’t go anywhere. The lamest ones are where I just move everyone to the next batch of jokes.
– Shamus, Friday Dec 8, 2006
Continue reading ⟩⟩ “DM of the Rings Remaster XXXIX: Don’t Hate the Player”
Sims 4 Overth- Nevermind, goddamn it, I’m in the hospital
I’m fine. I don’t have the COVID, or even the flu. According to my doctor I just have one of the bazillion mystery viruses out there they don’t even test for. Unfortunately, the lungs I have been given by the universe used my dad as a template. For some reason, despite the fact my father was the poster child of perfect health, my lungs seem to forget how to take in air appropriately. If doctors are to be trusted, apparently breathing is actually an important function to living. I’d be great in a wheeze-orientated jazz band, if that’s a niche anyone ever jumps on, though, so who’s winning now, doc?
In all seriousness, I’ll be fine. I’ve just got to hang out within reach of a breathing treatment for awhile. Hopefully, barring natural disaster, I’ll be back to my Sims series next week.
Wednesday Action Log 9-27-23
This week I am about to move out of my mom’s house. I’m playing Roblox and Cookie Clicker in my spare time, but I don’t know when my computer setup is getting packed up yet, so I’m not committing to anything.
What are you guys up to?
From The Archives:
A Lack of Vision and Leadership
People fault EA for being greedy, but their real sin is just how terrible they are at it.
Megatextures
A video discussing Megatexture technology. Why we needed it, what it was supposed to do, and why it maybe didn't totally work.
Trashing the Heap
What does it mean when a program crashes, and why does it happen?
Shamus Plays LOTRO
As someone who loves Tolkein lore and despises silly MMO quests, this game left me deeply conflicted.
Starcraft: Bot Fight
Let's do some scripting to make the Starcraft AI fight itself, and see how smart it is. Or isn't.
Black Desert Online
This Korean title would be the greatest MMO ever made if not for the horrendous monetization system. And the embarrassing translation. And the terrible progression. And the developer's general apathy towards its western audience.
Final Fantasy X
A game about the ghost of an underwater football player who travels through time to save the world from a tick that controls kaiju satan. Really.
Video Compression Gone Wrong
How does image compression work, and why does it create those ugly spots all over some videos and not others?
Batman v. Superman Wasn't All Bad
It's not a good movie, but it was made with good intentions and if you look closely you can find a few interesting ideas.
A Star is Born
Remember the superhero MMO from 2009? Neither does anyone else. It was dumb. So dumb I was compelled to write this.