I have been very depressed all this week. And I'm really annoyed, because I took my meds five days last week!
As for my meds, I take St John's Wort herbal supplement. I have been trying to work out a maintenance dose of this for me. I started taking it once a week -- that didn't work, then twice a week... I'm up to Mon/Wed/Fri.
A lot of times, I get manic and I don't need as much dosage, but I do need it fairly regularly. Hench the 'maintenance' dose, and the boosters when I feel a mood crash coming on.
A lot of people really don't understand depression (though my mom tells me there's tons of commercials about it nowadays....!). I say I'm depressed, and people ask me what I'm depressed about. There isn't really any answer to that. Oh, I could FIND something -- anybody can! Here's an experiment... Make a list of 5 things you wish were better in your life. Or, 5 things you wish you had done (or wish you HADN'T done). See? You could be depressed about those.
I like when people say "Why are you depressed?" Cuz that answer is easy. I tell them, "Due to a chemical imbalance in my brain." And then, they just kinda give me a quizzical, confused look.
So let me explain.... Depression is like laughing gas. You get some nitrous oxide in your bloodstream, the chemicals get into your brain, and the reaction results in the state of mind we call hilarity. Yah, you start laughing.
WHY are you laughing? Oh, you could think of something in your immediate surroundings or recent experiences that your brain chemicals will make you think is funny. But it isn't, really. Not... THAT funny.
Depression is like that. I'm fine, or even having a good day or week, or something to be happy about... but my brain is telling me I should be crying. It's making me feel sad and tired. The trick, of course, is to learn to ignore these signals and just carry on as if things are normal. Whatever you do, DON'T look for reasons you feel this way -- as I said, you *will* find them. Just say, "Oh God, I'm SO depressed." Maybe sing that Marvin song. (That's always good for a laugh, too.)
And while I was writing this, the thought just occurred to me.... how come no one's ever tried laughing gas as a 'cure' for depression? Or... have they? To the Google!
January 14, 2010
January 8, 2010
Does Bloodsong Even HAVE a Real Life? -- Beading
So here's a funny story. Back a couple years ago, my friend said to me, 'Hey, my 15th anniversary is coming up, do you have any ideas for a gift I can get my wife? The traditional gift is crystal.' I said, 'Oh yeah, I have ideas! Why not get a big geode like at the Nature Company?' They have really big expensive ones, and they're very beautiful. These guys are well-to-do, they can afford the big amethyst ones.
'Eh, I don't think so...' he says.
'Oh, I know!' I say, 'You can get one of those crystal lamps. There's a big piece of quartz crystal and a lightbox under it, and it makes the crystal light up.'
'Uh, I was kinda thinking, you know, like crystal glassware stuff...?'
Okay, he wants something fancy... so I go, "Okay, you want some crystal jewelry?' And I go looking up places that sell crystals and stuff online.
Well, in the end, he went and got something crystal (actually, he never told me what he got), and I started shopping at crystal jewelry sites. I was reading about the different gem properties, like citrine which is good for energy (lord, I needed that), and carnelian for wealth and success (boy, do I need THAT), and black tourmaline to transform negative energy into positive energy.
So I found a place that had, I thought, reasonable prices where I picked out three crystals I wanted, a ring to hang them on, and a silver chain for a necklace. Eighty-three bucks! I said, 83 bucks!? I could go down to the crafts store, pick up a buncha beads and make my own necklace for less than that!
And yeah, I did.
I not only made myself a (rather large and garish) necklace with several types of gemstone, I also made my mom a necklace for Christmas, and a necklace as a gift for one of my friends. For a grand total of 32 dollars. Yeah, baby!
However, this was not the budding start of a lovely new hobby. Because although I enjoyed making the jewelry a lot, I almost never wear any. I enjoy it more than making candles, and those I use! Ah, well.
So for a year, although I had leftover beads and some gems, I didn't make any more jewelry. Then the next year I asked my mom what she wanted for Christmas, and she said she'd like another necklace. In fact, how about if I make some for her to give to two of my cousins, too? Well, hey, any excuse is good!
My Jewelry Designs Show-Off Page
Plus, it also occurs to me that if I make myself one necklace or bracelet, and make two that I sell for 20 bucks a pop... this hobby could pay for itself. *IF* I can sell them, that's always the stumbling block with me. (That, and paying postage :X )
This year, I broke down and got myself some tools, and I'm learning wire-work. That's the fancy big-bucks stuff. But starting out with beading doesn't have to be a big investment. In fact, I remember when I was a clueless newbie going up and down the aisle for 2 hours trying to figure out what I needed to make the three necklaces I wanted, and I have some tips for you!
Getting Started In Beading
First, don't worry about any tools. Those fancy pliers are for wire-work. (When you see necklaces where each bead is connected to the next with metal links, that's the wire-work. Those guys do that all by hand.) You can start up with beading by stringing beads, which is a whole lot simpler! If you have a toolkit at home with regular needlenose pliers, you can get by.
The absolute cheapest and least-supply-intensive way to start beaded jewelry is to buy a pack of memory wire for bracelets. Memory wire is spring steel (aka "a slinky"(tm)). It doesn't close with a clasp, you open the spirals, stick your wrist in, then let it close on your arm. If you make at least 3 loops, you won't even need any clasps.
If you want to cut the memory wire into shorter spirals, you WILL need a serious pair of wire cutters -- spring steel is no joke. Hopefully there is one in the kit with your needlenose pliers. Do NOT buy wire cutters at the jewelry supply place, those are for *little* wires. Those will be ruined trying to cut these memory suckers. You need heavy-duty hardware grade wirecutters. Or, the bracelet packs come with pre-cut spiral sections. You don't have to cut them if you want to make braelets with a lot of loops and beads.
Put a loop in the end of the memory wire with your needlenose pliers and start sticking beads on. When you get to the other end, put on another loop. Done! How easy is that?
There's memory wire for chokers, but if you prefer to be making regular necklaces, you want to grab some Tigertail. To make your life really easy, you can usually find a tigertail kit with all the findings to make a few necklaces (and/or bracelets). Tigertail is made up of several strands of steel, wrapped in nylon. It looks like thread, but it is very strong. You can cut it with a big pair of scissors (I tried cutting it with my jewelry-grade wire cutters, but that didn't work so well). Just use the back end of the scissors so you don't dull the paper-cutting part.
When using tigertail, you put a crimp bead on one end, a jump ring, then thread the tail back through the crimp bead and crimp it. No, you don't need crimping pliers; they make it pretty, but your needlenoses will do fine.
String on your beads, then do the crimp loop on the other end of the wire, this time with the clasp on. This is the hardest part, getting the necklace strand pulled tight and the end of the wire jammed down through the crimp bead and shoved back through a bead or three. This really separates the men from the boys! It takes a lot of dexterity.
Beads & Accessories
Now these are up to you. I like working with gemstone beads -- I like how they look, I like how they feel. There are also glass beads which are pretty, and plastic beads which I always think look tacky. Even that Swarovski-whosit crystal. They're really pretty, but... perhaps too much so. Then there's natural beads -- wood, shell, bone, antler, etc. I wouldn't try to mix beads. Maybe glass and gems can work together, but I think if you try to put plastic in with them, it will amplify the cheapness of the plastic.
I do use plastic spacer beads. I got a big pack of variously-sized and shaped silver beads, and I recommend this for folks starting out. These help space out the beads, make little accents and shape changes, and fill out the strands. They will also help with transitions between bead shapes and sizes, and colours.
I also recommend picking up a pack of decorative head pins (for necklaces, not bracelets), and bead cages. The cages can help you highlight big beads with a bit of flair; break up the uniformity of the smooth beads.
For the headpins, you can make some dangles; almost like pendants. Slip on a bead or two or three, then bend the top of the pin into a ring and string it on your tigertail. A group of three of these will give you a fancy look without having to invest in a pendant. (Those suckers can cost 10-15 bucks a pop!) Or you can use two on the sides for a framing effect, etc.
You may also want to pick up a pack of split rings. (For heavens sake, don't get spring rings like I did!) Remember, to open and close a split ring, you hold it in two pliers on either side of the split and then move the pliers perpendicular to the ring -- don't yank the ends back and forth, that will distort the ring and make it useless. In other words, picture the split ring is like a sandwich you are going to bite into, with your hands as the pliers on either side. Push one hand up and the other down, to twist your sandwich. (Not recommended for use with actual sandwiches).
The split rings will allow you to hang things and dangle things. In my mother's first necklace, I had a caged bead centered, then dangled 3 rings in a short 'chain' from the cage and connected a single accent gem on a head pin.
There is a lot of variety you can achieve with just this much. Use your creativity! Take a look at what else is in the jewelry-making aisle there, and see if any designs pop into your head. Oh, and... maybe plan to spend an hour or two shopping! :X
'Eh, I don't think so...' he says.
'Oh, I know!' I say, 'You can get one of those crystal lamps. There's a big piece of quartz crystal and a lightbox under it, and it makes the crystal light up.'
'Uh, I was kinda thinking, you know, like crystal glassware stuff...?'
Okay, he wants something fancy... so I go, "Okay, you want some crystal jewelry?' And I go looking up places that sell crystals and stuff online.
Well, in the end, he went and got something crystal (actually, he never told me what he got), and I started shopping at crystal jewelry sites. I was reading about the different gem properties, like citrine which is good for energy (lord, I needed that), and carnelian for wealth and success (boy, do I need THAT), and black tourmaline to transform negative energy into positive energy.
So I found a place that had, I thought, reasonable prices where I picked out three crystals I wanted, a ring to hang them on, and a silver chain for a necklace. Eighty-three bucks! I said, 83 bucks!? I could go down to the crafts store, pick up a buncha beads and make my own necklace for less than that!
And yeah, I did.
I not only made myself a (rather large and garish) necklace with several types of gemstone, I also made my mom a necklace for Christmas, and a necklace as a gift for one of my friends. For a grand total of 32 dollars. Yeah, baby!
However, this was not the budding start of a lovely new hobby. Because although I enjoyed making the jewelry a lot, I almost never wear any. I enjoy it more than making candles, and those I use! Ah, well.
So for a year, although I had leftover beads and some gems, I didn't make any more jewelry. Then the next year I asked my mom what she wanted for Christmas, and she said she'd like another necklace. In fact, how about if I make some for her to give to two of my cousins, too? Well, hey, any excuse is good!
My Jewelry Designs Show-Off Page
Plus, it also occurs to me that if I make myself one necklace or bracelet, and make two that I sell for 20 bucks a pop... this hobby could pay for itself. *IF* I can sell them, that's always the stumbling block with me. (That, and paying postage :X )
This year, I broke down and got myself some tools, and I'm learning wire-work. That's the fancy big-bucks stuff. But starting out with beading doesn't have to be a big investment. In fact, I remember when I was a clueless newbie going up and down the aisle for 2 hours trying to figure out what I needed to make the three necklaces I wanted, and I have some tips for you!
Getting Started In Beading
First, don't worry about any tools. Those fancy pliers are for wire-work. (When you see necklaces where each bead is connected to the next with metal links, that's the wire-work. Those guys do that all by hand.) You can start up with beading by stringing beads, which is a whole lot simpler! If you have a toolkit at home with regular needlenose pliers, you can get by.
The absolute cheapest and least-supply-intensive way to start beaded jewelry is to buy a pack of memory wire for bracelets. Memory wire is spring steel (aka "a slinky"(tm)). It doesn't close with a clasp, you open the spirals, stick your wrist in, then let it close on your arm. If you make at least 3 loops, you won't even need any clasps.
If you want to cut the memory wire into shorter spirals, you WILL need a serious pair of wire cutters -- spring steel is no joke. Hopefully there is one in the kit with your needlenose pliers. Do NOT buy wire cutters at the jewelry supply place, those are for *little* wires. Those will be ruined trying to cut these memory suckers. You need heavy-duty hardware grade wirecutters. Or, the bracelet packs come with pre-cut spiral sections. You don't have to cut them if you want to make braelets with a lot of loops and beads.
Put a loop in the end of the memory wire with your needlenose pliers and start sticking beads on. When you get to the other end, put on another loop. Done! How easy is that?
There's memory wire for chokers, but if you prefer to be making regular necklaces, you want to grab some Tigertail. To make your life really easy, you can usually find a tigertail kit with all the findings to make a few necklaces (and/or bracelets). Tigertail is made up of several strands of steel, wrapped in nylon. It looks like thread, but it is very strong. You can cut it with a big pair of scissors (I tried cutting it with my jewelry-grade wire cutters, but that didn't work so well). Just use the back end of the scissors so you don't dull the paper-cutting part.
When using tigertail, you put a crimp bead on one end, a jump ring, then thread the tail back through the crimp bead and crimp it. No, you don't need crimping pliers; they make it pretty, but your needlenoses will do fine.
String on your beads, then do the crimp loop on the other end of the wire, this time with the clasp on. This is the hardest part, getting the necklace strand pulled tight and the end of the wire jammed down through the crimp bead and shoved back through a bead or three. This really separates the men from the boys! It takes a lot of dexterity.
Beads & Accessories
Now these are up to you. I like working with gemstone beads -- I like how they look, I like how they feel. There are also glass beads which are pretty, and plastic beads which I always think look tacky. Even that Swarovski-whosit crystal. They're really pretty, but... perhaps too much so. Then there's natural beads -- wood, shell, bone, antler, etc. I wouldn't try to mix beads. Maybe glass and gems can work together, but I think if you try to put plastic in with them, it will amplify the cheapness of the plastic.
I do use plastic spacer beads. I got a big pack of variously-sized and shaped silver beads, and I recommend this for folks starting out. These help space out the beads, make little accents and shape changes, and fill out the strands. They will also help with transitions between bead shapes and sizes, and colours.
I also recommend picking up a pack of decorative head pins (for necklaces, not bracelets), and bead cages. The cages can help you highlight big beads with a bit of flair; break up the uniformity of the smooth beads.
For the headpins, you can make some dangles; almost like pendants. Slip on a bead or two or three, then bend the top of the pin into a ring and string it on your tigertail. A group of three of these will give you a fancy look without having to invest in a pendant. (Those suckers can cost 10-15 bucks a pop!) Or you can use two on the sides for a framing effect, etc.
You may also want to pick up a pack of split rings. (For heavens sake, don't get spring rings like I did!) Remember, to open and close a split ring, you hold it in two pliers on either side of the split and then move the pliers perpendicular to the ring -- don't yank the ends back and forth, that will distort the ring and make it useless. In other words, picture the split ring is like a sandwich you are going to bite into, with your hands as the pliers on either side. Push one hand up and the other down, to twist your sandwich. (Not recommended for use with actual sandwiches).
The split rings will allow you to hang things and dangle things. In my mother's first necklace, I had a caged bead centered, then dangled 3 rings in a short 'chain' from the cage and connected a single accent gem on a head pin.
There is a lot of variety you can achieve with just this much. Use your creativity! Take a look at what else is in the jewelry-making aisle there, and see if any designs pop into your head. Oh, and... maybe plan to spend an hour or two shopping! :X
June 28, 2009
The Gospel According to Bloodsong: Combat Meters
(all typos in the following post are NOT typos, but bad handwriting. and sometimes dicey interpretation of my scribble by Rite Pen. i swear, one sentance it translated into some elven word...!)
Combat Meters: What Does & Doesn't Belong on One
I am a sensitive person. I admit that a lot of things offend my sensibilities; things that ordinary people do not even notice. Even things ordinary people actually enjoy! Like full-nuclear-meltdown glow on all their clothes. And titlers. Flashing, colour-changing paragraph long titlers. (With open listeners!)
Floating text annoys me, and combat meters are the worst offenders. I was at an RP event on a lovely fantasy sim, where there was a gypsy performance. Gorgeous costumes, great sets, graceful dancing, detailed props -- all drowned out in a sea of floating green text. Bright, full-strength, acid green text.
Not only is it ugly, and anti-conducive to enjoyable role-playing, it is also unhelpful in doing actual combat. Yes, I have dabbled in SL combat systems. I don't care much for them. (Actually, you cannot convince me they are anything more than a bunch of button-mashing. No, you cant, as Ive seen a lot of tournaments. One was won by someone spinning around in tight circles, constantly hitting the attack keys. Call that skill and strategy, cuz I don't.) I did some training with SpellFire and DCS. I will be the fist to admit I'm not the greatest combatant, but the combat meters were no help.
A typical combat meter will display something like this over your head:
>>SuperCombatSystem V. 2.24.3<<
Half-Elf of Moon Realm
H:100|M:100|S:100|P:100
Some may have shorter names, some may have a longer string of numbers. All are in full-strength bright colours. They also come with a HUD. And that is what I would like to discuss today-- not that combat meters are bad in any way, or that combat styles are good or bad, or that any stats and scripting are wrong. I dont have any say on these things, as they have been meticulously designed and rigorously tested by the creators. I have every respect for the folks that worked so hard on these things. all Im gonna rant about now is:
What Should and Should Not be Displayed on Combat Meters.
First: the combat system name (and version number). No. This goes on the HUD. Yes, you need to have both combatants using the same system and compatible versions. But this should be set up and checked before any RP or fighting takes place. I dont expect people just run up on anyone wearing a combat meter and start hammering on them. (Though sometimes I'd like to, when folks wear them to other venues. Do you believe, I often ask people to take those off at classes or other crowded events, and they say, "Oh, I forgot I had that on."? You forgot you had it on!? People, how can you possibly miss the big, bright paragraph of text in the middle of your screen!?! *I* noticed it, and I'm way off on the side of your screen. See, it's that sensitivity thing I have.)
Sorting out combat meters is an OOC thing. So when a combat problem occurs, or when the tourney ref wants to check what players are using, they click the title bar on the HUD, and it spits out: "So-and-so is using Blah blah version blah-blah." Now you know; there's no reason for it to sit on the screen all day.
Second: race. No. Come on, guys, this is RP. Which... despite being fantasy, strives for some sort of reality. We have customizable avatars, so you might expect to be able to recognize your garden-variety fantasy races. If you see a real short, broad guy with a beard- that's a dwarf. Willowy dude with pointy ears? Elf. Same thing, but charcoal black? Drow. Big guy with a bull head? That's a Minotaur.
Okay, but what about people who all look like normal humans? Is he human, or half elf? Is he a big barbarian or a half orc? Is that guy a sickly, whimpy, pasty mage, or is he a super-strong vampire? Well, "realistically" how the dip would you know? Do fantasy characters all run around with signs over their heads, proclaiming their pedigree? Didn't you read Dragonlance, when Tanis grows a beard and covers his ears to try to pass as a human? How's that going to work when you've got the words "half elf" stuck over your head?
Same thing for allegiances. How do you know someone is on your side? Well, if you don't know everyone on sight, uniforms help. People have been recognizing each other by wearing symbols or colours for thousands of years. It's not that hard to throw on a cape. Especially if it's just a quick team match. And all those RP spies will be much happier.
Now we get down to numbers. This is the meat of combat- the true heart of the matter. I have 100 health, if it goes to 0, I'm dead. I have 20 strength to hit you with. Etc.
So what should be displayed over your head and not just on your HUD? Your strength? How is anybody supposed to know this magic number? A minotaur is stronger than a halfling. That pretty much covers how fine you can perceive that. You know your own strength - put it on the HUD.
Mana? Just how DO you sense how much magic power someone has? Does he glow? His eyes spark? Does the wind start blowing his hair like in the Japanese anime? Or is it possibly some innate thing that you know nothing about until in see the size of the fireball whipping at your head? How many times does this happen in the books?
Mage: "Do you dare question me? I could smite thee and thy castle walls to the ground!"
Enemy Guard: "No you can't. I can clearly see the big '2' over your head. That means you can barely smite a chipmunk."
And so on and so forth for the other numbers. Stamina: can you see how tired someone is? Armor: Can't you SEE if he's wearing full plate or just a leather loincloth? Health: can you see if someone is about to drop dead?
Well, yeah, actually you can. You can see if someone is bruised up, scraped, bleeding all over, etc. And you can't really show that very easily with props and such in world. So how many numbers would I put on my combat meter?
Ya, well -- NONE. Look, I have been in melee, and it is flippin HARD to read any text while you and your opponent are jumping around like a couple of mad monkeys. And I kinda like the NWN system. Instead of a number floating over a creature's head, NWN has a quick, 5-level health ladder, represented by colours and words:
Green -- Uninjured.
Lt. Green -- Mildly injured.
Yellow -- Injured.
Lt. Red -- Seriously injured.
Red -- Near death.
Now, I'm not saying to put all these WORDS up all over my screen! But what is wrong with a little health bar made up of say, 5 dots? Okay dots are real small, how about asterisks? So I got 5 green asterisks, I'm good. I bust you down to one red one, I'm even better.
Okay, you want people who can see mana? Add a row of blue asterisks. Bright blue to blue-black. Armor (can't show cuts and dents so good) -- add a line for that. Stamina without having to do huffing and puffing animations? No, hang on, this is too much.
Why not ONE asterisk for each stat you NEED your opponent to see? Change it from bright to dark as it gets weaker. Honestly, I think one red star is faster and easier to grasp than "H:23."
Everything else belongs on the HUD. Sure, after I'm done running away from the dragon stepping on me, (or after I've killed all the battle slugs, whatever), then I can stop and take a look at: gee, do I have 25 whole health points or only 23? And that can be off on the side, out of my way until I need it. I'm a great proponent of Kai Krause's design style: where things fade out of sight until you focus on them. Although... I perhaps tend to make designs TOO subtle. But subtle is better than a sea of floating green text!
Combat Meters: What Does & Doesn't Belong on One
I am a sensitive person. I admit that a lot of things offend my sensibilities; things that ordinary people do not even notice. Even things ordinary people actually enjoy! Like full-nuclear-meltdown glow on all their clothes. And titlers. Flashing, colour-changing paragraph long titlers. (With open listeners!)
Floating text annoys me, and combat meters are the worst offenders. I was at an RP event on a lovely fantasy sim, where there was a gypsy performance. Gorgeous costumes, great sets, graceful dancing, detailed props -- all drowned out in a sea of floating green text. Bright, full-strength, acid green text.
Not only is it ugly, and anti-conducive to enjoyable role-playing, it is also unhelpful in doing actual combat. Yes, I have dabbled in SL combat systems. I don't care much for them. (Actually, you cannot convince me they are anything more than a bunch of button-mashing. No, you cant, as Ive seen a lot of tournaments. One was won by someone spinning around in tight circles, constantly hitting the attack keys. Call that skill and strategy, cuz I don't.) I did some training with SpellFire and DCS. I will be the fist to admit I'm not the greatest combatant, but the combat meters were no help.
A typical combat meter will display something like this over your head:
>>SuperCombatSystem V. 2.24.3<<
Half-Elf of Moon Realm
H:100|M:100|S:100|P:100
Some may have shorter names, some may have a longer string of numbers. All are in full-strength bright colours. They also come with a HUD. And that is what I would like to discuss today-- not that combat meters are bad in any way, or that combat styles are good or bad, or that any stats and scripting are wrong. I dont have any say on these things, as they have been meticulously designed and rigorously tested by the creators. I have every respect for the folks that worked so hard on these things. all Im gonna rant about now is:
What Should and Should Not be Displayed on Combat Meters.
First: the combat system name (and version number). No. This goes on the HUD. Yes, you need to have both combatants using the same system and compatible versions. But this should be set up and checked before any RP or fighting takes place. I dont expect people just run up on anyone wearing a combat meter and start hammering on them. (Though sometimes I'd like to, when folks wear them to other venues. Do you believe, I often ask people to take those off at classes or other crowded events, and they say, "Oh, I forgot I had that on."? You forgot you had it on!? People, how can you possibly miss the big, bright paragraph of text in the middle of your screen!?! *I* noticed it, and I'm way off on the side of your screen. See, it's that sensitivity thing I have.)
Sorting out combat meters is an OOC thing. So when a combat problem occurs, or when the tourney ref wants to check what players are using, they click the title bar on the HUD, and it spits out: "So-and-so is using Blah blah version blah-blah." Now you know; there's no reason for it to sit on the screen all day.
Second: race. No. Come on, guys, this is RP. Which... despite being fantasy, strives for some sort of reality. We have customizable avatars, so you might expect to be able to recognize your garden-variety fantasy races. If you see a real short, broad guy with a beard- that's a dwarf. Willowy dude with pointy ears? Elf. Same thing, but charcoal black? Drow. Big guy with a bull head? That's a Minotaur.
Okay, but what about people who all look like normal humans? Is he human, or half elf? Is he a big barbarian or a half orc? Is that guy a sickly, whimpy, pasty mage, or is he a super-strong vampire? Well, "realistically" how the dip would you know? Do fantasy characters all run around with signs over their heads, proclaiming their pedigree? Didn't you read Dragonlance, when Tanis grows a beard and covers his ears to try to pass as a human? How's that going to work when you've got the words "half elf" stuck over your head?
Same thing for allegiances. How do you know someone is on your side? Well, if you don't know everyone on sight, uniforms help. People have been recognizing each other by wearing symbols or colours for thousands of years. It's not that hard to throw on a cape. Especially if it's just a quick team match. And all those RP spies will be much happier.
Now we get down to numbers. This is the meat of combat- the true heart of the matter. I have 100 health, if it goes to 0, I'm dead. I have 20 strength to hit you with. Etc.
So what should be displayed over your head and not just on your HUD? Your strength? How is anybody supposed to know this magic number? A minotaur is stronger than a halfling. That pretty much covers how fine you can perceive that. You know your own strength - put it on the HUD.
Mana? Just how DO you sense how much magic power someone has? Does he glow? His eyes spark? Does the wind start blowing his hair like in the Japanese anime? Or is it possibly some innate thing that you know nothing about until in see the size of the fireball whipping at your head? How many times does this happen in the books?
Mage: "Do you dare question me? I could smite thee and thy castle walls to the ground!"
Enemy Guard: "No you can't. I can clearly see the big '2' over your head. That means you can barely smite a chipmunk."
And so on and so forth for the other numbers. Stamina: can you see how tired someone is? Armor: Can't you SEE if he's wearing full plate or just a leather loincloth? Health: can you see if someone is about to drop dead?
Well, yeah, actually you can. You can see if someone is bruised up, scraped, bleeding all over, etc. And you can't really show that very easily with props and such in world. So how many numbers would I put on my combat meter?
Ya, well -- NONE. Look, I have been in melee, and it is flippin HARD to read any text while you and your opponent are jumping around like a couple of mad monkeys. And I kinda like the NWN system. Instead of a number floating over a creature's head, NWN has a quick, 5-level health ladder, represented by colours and words:
Green -- Uninjured.
Lt. Green -- Mildly injured.
Yellow -- Injured.
Lt. Red -- Seriously injured.
Red -- Near death.
Now, I'm not saying to put all these WORDS up all over my screen! But what is wrong with a little health bar made up of say, 5 dots? Okay dots are real small, how about asterisks? So I got 5 green asterisks, I'm good. I bust you down to one red one, I'm even better.
Okay, you want people who can see mana? Add a row of blue asterisks. Bright blue to blue-black. Armor (can't show cuts and dents so good) -- add a line for that. Stamina without having to do huffing and puffing animations? No, hang on, this is too much.
Why not ONE asterisk for each stat you NEED your opponent to see? Change it from bright to dark as it gets weaker. Honestly, I think one red star is faster and easier to grasp than "H:23."
Everything else belongs on the HUD. Sure, after I'm done running away from the dragon stepping on me, (or after I've killed all the battle slugs, whatever), then I can stop and take a look at: gee, do I have 25 whole health points or only 23? And that can be off on the side, out of my way until I need it. I'm a great proponent of Kai Krause's design style: where things fade out of sight until you focus on them. Although... I perhaps tend to make designs TOO subtle. But subtle is better than a sea of floating green text!
May 28, 2009
The Gospel According to Bloodsong: Planned Obsolesence of the Second Life Avatar
Second Life has been around for 6 years, so it's pretty old compared to all the new grids. Now, the new grids think they have the advantage- they are younger, stronger, and can learn from their predecessor. They can avoid all the mistakes Linden Labs has made. They can engineer things to improve on the original design.
So sure, Second Life has some kludgy baggage. But what it really has is Presence. Presence with a capital P. Six long years of collected content. When you go to whatever grid to check out the new Utopia, its like, well... there's no custom avatars! No quads, no Furries, no Tinies. No hair, no cool clothes! There's not a huge landfill of just old, junky freebies. There's... well, not much. There's plenty if opportunity to corner markets of all types. There is PLENTY of opportunity to do things right the first time.
SL has a mountain of content it is silting on, looking out like a god from Mt. Olympus. On the other hand, all that Presence could also be called "Baggage." All kinds of kludg that it just cont Shake off its boots, like the permissions system. No matter what improvements can be made there (and there are plenty that have bun suggested!) the big problem is making it compatible with this mountain of existing content.
One thing that needs a major overhaul is the SL avatar itself. I mean, these things are dorkier than the Poser 2 models (and Poser is up to version 8 these days). The morphs are crap - try making a nice-looking figure with the sliders. Or try this: hit "randomize" on all the parts and see how long it takes you to come up with something human-looking. While extreme variety is good, most settings really ought to fall within the realm of normalcy. What IS "pop eye" good for anyway? Does anybody use this? Honestly. If you want a big bulging eye, try using a prim one!
And let's not forget the UV map. Not only of the skin, but for the clothing layers as well. It is atrocious. There is one arm, there's NO crotch. Im not saying we need the ability to paint detailed female genitalia up there, but a map where the crotch isnt halfway down one thigh would be SO useful!
Okay, so brand new avatar, a nice model with good morphs and mapping. All the skin and clothing makers will have 1-3 reactions.
1: Hallelujah! Work will be so much easier and things will look a ton better without so many glitches to look out for.
2: O-M-G!! My entire line of over 1,000 outfits will become obsolete overnight!
3: (only for really evil corporate folk) Oh no, all my secret techniques I've developed over the years will also become obsolete, and everyone will start on a level playing field.
Users will have about one reaction:
1: AUGH!!!! After I spent thousands and thousands of lindens on skins and clothes - all my favorite outfits will be GONE forever!?!
Hey, I feel for you. Okay, most of my avatars don't wear clothes, and I've never bought a skin in my life. But I do have a modest collection of Bare Rose outfits that I would hate to lose.
Maybe we wouldn't have to go cold turkey. Maybe, in the appearance editor, we could have another checkbox - and be able to select "old-style" avatar. Eventually, we would all evolve into the switch, just as even the Poser Luddites eventually gave Posette the back seat and embraced Victoria. (Yes, I mean me. Though I'm actually partial to Stephanie.)
And, it would not be impossible to convert old-style clothing textures to the new layout. I have seen (though having never witnessed it in action I cannot speak to its effectiveness) skin converters for Poser. These are sets of Photoshop actions that slice up, move, and stretch old Poser figure skins to fit the newer meshes.
So all need not be lost, and all need not become obsolete. There's a brighter, better-looking Second Life coming our way, and it's about time those clunky humans got an overhaul.
So sure, Second Life has some kludgy baggage. But what it really has is Presence. Presence with a capital P. Six long years of collected content. When you go to whatever grid to check out the new Utopia, its like, well... there's no custom avatars! No quads, no Furries, no Tinies. No hair, no cool clothes! There's not a huge landfill of just old, junky freebies. There's... well, not much. There's plenty if opportunity to corner markets of all types. There is PLENTY of opportunity to do things right the first time.
SL has a mountain of content it is silting on, looking out like a god from Mt. Olympus. On the other hand, all that Presence could also be called "Baggage." All kinds of kludg that it just cont Shake off its boots, like the permissions system. No matter what improvements can be made there (and there are plenty that have bun suggested!) the big problem is making it compatible with this mountain of existing content.
One thing that needs a major overhaul is the SL avatar itself. I mean, these things are dorkier than the Poser 2 models (and Poser is up to version 8 these days). The morphs are crap - try making a nice-looking figure with the sliders. Or try this: hit "randomize" on all the parts and see how long it takes you to come up with something human-looking. While extreme variety is good, most settings really ought to fall within the realm of normalcy. What IS "pop eye" good for anyway? Does anybody use this? Honestly. If you want a big bulging eye, try using a prim one!
And let's not forget the UV map. Not only of the skin, but for the clothing layers as well. It is atrocious. There is one arm, there's NO crotch. Im not saying we need the ability to paint detailed female genitalia up there, but a map where the crotch isnt halfway down one thigh would be SO useful!
Okay, so brand new avatar, a nice model with good morphs and mapping. All the skin and clothing makers will have 1-3 reactions.
1: Hallelujah! Work will be so much easier and things will look a ton better without so many glitches to look out for.
2: O-M-G!! My entire line of over 1,000 outfits will become obsolete overnight!
3: (only for really evil corporate folk) Oh no, all my secret techniques I've developed over the years will also become obsolete, and everyone will start on a level playing field.
Users will have about one reaction:
1: AUGH!!!! After I spent thousands and thousands of lindens on skins and clothes - all my favorite outfits will be GONE forever!?!
Hey, I feel for you. Okay, most of my avatars don't wear clothes, and I've never bought a skin in my life. But I do have a modest collection of Bare Rose outfits that I would hate to lose.
Maybe we wouldn't have to go cold turkey. Maybe, in the appearance editor, we could have another checkbox - and be able to select "old-style" avatar. Eventually, we would all evolve into the switch, just as even the Poser Luddites eventually gave Posette the back seat and embraced Victoria. (Yes, I mean me. Though I'm actually partial to Stephanie.)
And, it would not be impossible to convert old-style clothing textures to the new layout. I have seen (though having never witnessed it in action I cannot speak to its effectiveness) skin converters for Poser. These are sets of Photoshop actions that slice up, move, and stretch old Poser figure skins to fit the newer meshes.
So all need not be lost, and all need not become obsolete. There's a brighter, better-looking Second Life coming our way, and it's about time those clunky humans got an overhaul.
May 24, 2009
Bloodsong Blathers... about: A Good Week
this post brought to you by Rite Pen handwriting recognition app. there are no typos in this post, only bad handwriting. (http://ritescript.com/)
A Good Week
I want to commemorate the week of May 3rd 2009. Wednesday night, I was getting into bed, and I thought, "what a good day I had." Now, I am depressive, so this NEVER happens. It was a really unique experience for me.
That day, I had a class to teach in the afternoon, So I was careful not to type too much during the day. (I have a typing injury - hence the handwriting software.) So I worked on scripting first thing in the morning, and then took a break by working on an animation for 2 hours. Took a long break at lunch, to read a book and pedal my excerciser. Had a great class, a relaxing dinner, and then gave a quick mini-class at the Art Door. It was all very productive,and all went well.
The whole week went like that. I was working on the IBEX project, which is an ambitious scripting project - the most complex set of scripts Ive worked on since making mini-games in NWN. I had no idea how to do it, but I've been working on it Steadily, piece by piece, and each piece keeps working out. I also enforced an early bed-time, and I have been MUCH less tired lately.
It was entirely weird. I wasnt manic, which I do sometimes when creativity strikes me. I was just mildly happy. I guess I felt the way normal people feel. It was SO bizarre.
There was a mild(?) drawback... I think I also started to be as intelligent as a normal person. THAT was truly scary. I mean... It wasnt real bad, but I did have a whole lotta "DUH" moments that week.
Anyway, for posterity: taking breaks, and taking days off, and going to bed early really did improve my productivity and increase my energy.
Now, however, I am back to my normal mood. :/
A Good Week
I want to commemorate the week of May 3rd 2009. Wednesday night, I was getting into bed, and I thought, "what a good day I had." Now, I am depressive, so this NEVER happens. It was a really unique experience for me.
That day, I had a class to teach in the afternoon, So I was careful not to type too much during the day. (I have a typing injury - hence the handwriting software.) So I worked on scripting first thing in the morning, and then took a break by working on an animation for 2 hours. Took a long break at lunch, to read a book and pedal my excerciser. Had a great class, a relaxing dinner, and then gave a quick mini-class at the Art Door. It was all very productive,and all went well.
The whole week went like that. I was working on the IBEX project, which is an ambitious scripting project - the most complex set of scripts Ive worked on since making mini-games in NWN. I had no idea how to do it, but I've been working on it Steadily, piece by piece, and each piece keeps working out. I also enforced an early bed-time, and I have been MUCH less tired lately.
It was entirely weird. I wasnt manic, which I do sometimes when creativity strikes me. I was just mildly happy. I guess I felt the way normal people feel. It was SO bizarre.
There was a mild(?) drawback... I think I also started to be as intelligent as a normal person. THAT was truly scary. I mean... It wasnt real bad, but I did have a whole lotta "DUH" moments that week.
Anyway, for posterity: taking breaks, and taking days off, and going to bed early really did improve my productivity and increase my energy.
Now, however, I am back to my normal mood. :/
May 2, 2009
The Gospel According to Bloodsong: No Mod Items & CopyBot
Now I support your right to make your creations any perms you want. There are plenty of reasons to have no-mod items. Good reasons, like... resizing it will break the animations. Or change the physical weight of a vehicle and mess it up. Or turn your lovely work of art into a low-prim piece of trash. Or you want to sell fifty recolours of one build, rather than letting the buyer colour it however they want. Or changing the size will make the animations not fit it. Whatever!
I happen to like things that are mod. Cuz... I mod them! I like to make boots fit my tiny ferret, or my 7' tall termagant. I like to make stuff lower-prim-count. I like to customize things and not have the stuff I wear look exactly like everybody else's.
So this kick about making things no-mod drives me nuts. Even if you include scripts to resize things that are no-mod. *Especially* if you include scripts to mod things cuz you're making them no-mod, cuz you don't want people to copy your stuff! More scripts, more script lag, just what we DON'T need!
By the way, making your stuff no-mod does NOT prevent it from being copied. Oh, sure, it prevents the prim measurements and path cuts and twist information from being displayed when you edit/look at the object. Let me tell you something... by the time somebody goes in and looks at ALL the parameters for ALL the prims that make up one object, writes them down, and plugs them into prims they made themselves... you coulda made five other builds by then! That's nuts! Nobody wastes their time doing that.
To be honest? Certain professional builders can just look at your object and throw together a copy by just eyeballing it, and forget the fiddly little numbers. So, really... making it no-mod isn't saving you a darned thing.
What you really want to watch out for is CopyBot (and its ilk). If you think making your stuff no-mod is gonna hide the prim parameters from CopyBot, I got news for you! CopyBot is a client, not a human. It doesn't need the little numbers in the edit palette. It gets all the prim parameters directly from the information streaming into your client to draw those prims on your screen. There is NO WAY to hide your prim information from a bot.
Okay, so if you want to make no-mod items, then make them for all the right reasons. Don't make your customer base suffer with unneccessary scripts or things they can't customize or re-fit because you are paranoid about people copying all your little prim numbers.
Oh, as for people copying your sculpt maps by screen-capturing the sculpt map preview -- yeah, that was hella dumb on Linden Lab's part. Just put an alpha channel in it, so it is invisible, or that only parts that spell out your copyright notice are visible.
I happen to like things that are mod. Cuz... I mod them! I like to make boots fit my tiny ferret, or my 7' tall termagant. I like to make stuff lower-prim-count. I like to customize things and not have the stuff I wear look exactly like everybody else's.
So this kick about making things no-mod drives me nuts. Even if you include scripts to resize things that are no-mod. *Especially* if you include scripts to mod things cuz you're making them no-mod, cuz you don't want people to copy your stuff! More scripts, more script lag, just what we DON'T need!
By the way, making your stuff no-mod does NOT prevent it from being copied. Oh, sure, it prevents the prim measurements and path cuts and twist information from being displayed when you edit/look at the object. Let me tell you something... by the time somebody goes in and looks at ALL the parameters for ALL the prims that make up one object, writes them down, and plugs them into prims they made themselves... you coulda made five other builds by then! That's nuts! Nobody wastes their time doing that.
To be honest? Certain professional builders can just look at your object and throw together a copy by just eyeballing it, and forget the fiddly little numbers. So, really... making it no-mod isn't saving you a darned thing.
What you really want to watch out for is CopyBot (and its ilk). If you think making your stuff no-mod is gonna hide the prim parameters from CopyBot, I got news for you! CopyBot is a client, not a human. It doesn't need the little numbers in the edit palette. It gets all the prim parameters directly from the information streaming into your client to draw those prims on your screen. There is NO WAY to hide your prim information from a bot.
Okay, so if you want to make no-mod items, then make them for all the right reasons. Don't make your customer base suffer with unneccessary scripts or things they can't customize or re-fit because you are paranoid about people copying all your little prim numbers.
Oh, as for people copying your sculpt maps by screen-capturing the sculpt map preview -- yeah, that was hella dumb on Linden Lab's part. Just put an alpha channel in it, so it is invisible, or that only parts that spell out your copyright notice are visible.
September 30, 2008
How the Garden Dress Came to Be
for posterity, and those who are really curious... or anybody interested into peeking into the working methods of a manic artist.... i present this little creation story.
it was february or march of 2008. someone on the raglan tiny group gave a shout out looking to buy some coveralls for some garden work. "ooh," thought venal entrepreneur me, "i should make some of those!"
what does this have to do with garden dresses? not a whole lot, yet. keep reading.
so i pulled out my cowboy jeans i had made back in the fall. added a bib piece, and some shoulder straps (by the way, they cross in the back, and that was really HARD to do!), and voila: overalls. the start of them, anyway. it needed some garden boots, so i pulled out the beekeeper outfit i had made for awen, which had legs and boots ripped from my snowsuits... and changed the brown workboots to those garish green and yellow garden boots that i have seen a million times, but can't seem to find images of any more.
then i wasn't happy with the denim texture and the cheap prim pockets. so i went to cg textures (http://www.cgtextures.com/), grabbed a couple denim, seam, and pocket images, worked them up in photoshop in light, medium, and dark variants.... checked them all out on the beta grid and kept one set that tinted well. (the light or medium, i forget which.)
i ripped the cowboy shirts for plaid farmer shirts, and the basic gardener outfit was set.
it was during this month that my partner awenbunny, who usually does the ladies' lines, was off on vacation. so it slowly sank in that i would have to make the dresses myself!
looking at the overalls, i figured the dresses ought to have some matching features. like: those shoulder straps that cross in the back (did i mention how hard those were to make?), plaid designs, and a bib and pocket on the front. i pulled out the cowboy skirts awen had made, because those had little bib-like things on the front. (now, if there's anybody's work i ripped off, it's awen's! but then, i had her permission.)
the more i kept looking at the his and her garden outfits, the more i kept thinking of those kitschy american garden decorations of the farmer pair. they are just flat wood cutouts painted with a guy in coveralls and straw hat from the back, and the missus from the back, bending over in the garden with her huge goofy bloomers showing as her dress lifts up. so i decided it would be a riot to make huge goofy bloomers with little pink hearts and frilly edges under the dress. oh, and to top it all off, to have the clunky green garden boots on as well!
then i went nuts with details. teeny tiny clothing tags, ribbons and bows, bib pocket appliques, willow creek logos on the buttons and tiny copper clasps with those 3-curve hook things on the shoulder straps. hey, the shoulder straps crossing in the back, too! the kitschy farmer guy garden stand-up usually had a red hanky in his pocket, so i put that in. and seed packets; i located a few old time seed packet and almanac images with expired copyright dates, plus i photoshopped a seed catalogue image to make a new one. and the tools, and the garden gloves, and the flower pots. oh, and the watering can that waters when you click it!
now, i have been accused (albeit indirectly) of copying or stealing someone's idea for this garden dress. to be honest, i had no idea this someone had a garden dress, nor did i see it or a picture of it until after this dust-up over it. and to make it perfectly clear:
1: this someone does not OWN the idea of a garden dress. any more than i 'own' the idea of snowmobiles.
2: i got the idea for a garden dress the same place this someone did -- out in the wide world, where garden dresses have existed for... i don't know, as long as there have been gardens and dresses?
if i 'stole' it from anyone, i've listed them in this article:
1: the person who asked for coveralls
2: awenbunny lisle
3: american kitsch
and there you have it!
it was february or march of 2008. someone on the raglan tiny group gave a shout out looking to buy some coveralls for some garden work. "ooh," thought venal entrepreneur me, "i should make some of those!"
what does this have to do with garden dresses? not a whole lot, yet. keep reading.
so i pulled out my cowboy jeans i had made back in the fall. added a bib piece, and some shoulder straps (by the way, they cross in the back, and that was really HARD to do!), and voila: overalls. the start of them, anyway. it needed some garden boots, so i pulled out the beekeeper outfit i had made for awen, which had legs and boots ripped from my snowsuits... and changed the brown workboots to those garish green and yellow garden boots that i have seen a million times, but can't seem to find images of any more.
then i wasn't happy with the denim texture and the cheap prim pockets. so i went to cg textures (http://www.cgtextures.com/), grabbed a couple denim, seam, and pocket images, worked them up in photoshop in light, medium, and dark variants.... checked them all out on the beta grid and kept one set that tinted well. (the light or medium, i forget which.)
i ripped the cowboy shirts for plaid farmer shirts, and the basic gardener outfit was set.
it was during this month that my partner awenbunny, who usually does the ladies' lines, was off on vacation. so it slowly sank in that i would have to make the dresses myself!
looking at the overalls, i figured the dresses ought to have some matching features. like: those shoulder straps that cross in the back (did i mention how hard those were to make?), plaid designs, and a bib and pocket on the front. i pulled out the cowboy skirts awen had made, because those had little bib-like things on the front. (now, if there's anybody's work i ripped off, it's awen's! but then, i had her permission.)
the more i kept looking at the his and her garden outfits, the more i kept thinking of those kitschy american garden decorations of the farmer pair. they are just flat wood cutouts painted with a guy in coveralls and straw hat from the back, and the missus from the back, bending over in the garden with her huge goofy bloomers showing as her dress lifts up. so i decided it would be a riot to make huge goofy bloomers with little pink hearts and frilly edges under the dress. oh, and to top it all off, to have the clunky green garden boots on as well!
then i went nuts with details. teeny tiny clothing tags, ribbons and bows, bib pocket appliques, willow creek logos on the buttons and tiny copper clasps with those 3-curve hook things on the shoulder straps. hey, the shoulder straps crossing in the back, too! the kitschy farmer guy garden stand-up usually had a red hanky in his pocket, so i put that in. and seed packets; i located a few old time seed packet and almanac images with expired copyright dates, plus i photoshopped a seed catalogue image to make a new one. and the tools, and the garden gloves, and the flower pots. oh, and the watering can that waters when you click it!
now, i have been accused (albeit indirectly) of copying or stealing someone's idea for this garden dress. to be honest, i had no idea this someone had a garden dress, nor did i see it or a picture of it until after this dust-up over it. and to make it perfectly clear:
1: this someone does not OWN the idea of a garden dress. any more than i 'own' the idea of snowmobiles.
2: i got the idea for a garden dress the same place this someone did -- out in the wide world, where garden dresses have existed for... i don't know, as long as there have been gardens and dresses?
if i 'stole' it from anyone, i've listed them in this article:
1: the person who asked for coveralls
2: awenbunny lisle
3: american kitsch
and there you have it!
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