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Post by Rodak on Jul 18, 2010 13:43:57 GMT -5
I'd love to see this project get re-started now that I am alive again, and actually bought a max drive (my old one is long gone - no idea what happened to it!). Maybe even start a new one if the old file is gone, but I never even saw the old file - so ... yeah. Any interest?
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Post by Rodak on Jul 11, 2010 15:28:55 GMT -5
Thanks, Drew.
I remember you having a different user name last I saw you - if you didn't have that google thingy under your avatar I may not have figured out who you were!
Did you ever finish Spiderman? That is you, and what you were doing when last we spoke, right?
I'm making progress on DeBuggering Videogamedrome, but it's not as fast work as I want. Some things I just cant find in all those scripts to fix...
Eh. It'll come back to me.
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Post by Rodak on Jul 1, 2010 7:30:10 GMT -5
Great to see you back! It's been too long. I'm really looking forward to seeing what new material comes out of your creative genius, Rodak! We've certainly had a lack of that for a long while. -the smurf I've been away from RPGM2 for too long to try something new just yet! I'll be De-Buggering Videogamedrome (found half of my old memory cards, and one had a demo of it on there (but it was worked on before I "retired" for a while and now plays quite buggy) (even a few cut scenes are broken!). So far I fixed most of the problems, but this stuff is not coming back to me as fast as I'd hoped it would... A few rewards are appearing too soon as well - that is actually giving me the most trouble because I have to track down a ton of scripts and read them all to figure out what happened. Still, it will be out-dated when I finally finish it (The main Boss is George W. Bush, and before reaching him you have to fight Don Rumsfeld, Condoleeza Rice, and Big Cheney!). {EDIT - Awwww... Cheney's first name is censored?? I wanna do the Censored Word Bypass Trick, because it's not being used in a profane way, but that does not seem like a good thing to do so soon after returning after a years long absence } Plus, you have to fight Joe Lieberman in the halls of Congress. Not to mention the CNN Building with Lou Dobbs, Christian Amanpour, and Larry King as enemies. Turns out I have a VFX Version of The Starship BoobyPrize in there too... Must have been meant for something, but I have no idea what!! Hopefully some partial scripts exist for it, or else I'll have to design something for it to do from scratch (and my mini game skills are way out of practice!). But I have a long weekend to play with it, so we'll see if "I Still Got It" or if I really am finally just too old for this stuff.
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Post by Rodak on Jun 29, 2010 11:46:52 GMT -5
I know most of the long-time members (Nash, Doyle, Jugem, Ves, TFR, Rodak) haven't been on in years, but Doan, Dungeon Warden, and myself still posted fairly frequently not too long ago. BOO! I just found my way back to game making after a long series of horrible things kept getting me too overwhelmed to try. I'd been thinking about getting back into this when Valkysas sent me an email just asking how I was. Well, I wound up over at the Pavilion, logged in, and remembered how much fun The Clean Underwear Quest was - saw my old VFX Editor Guide site was still active, and wanted to play some more! Good thing too - the link to here in the VFX Editor Guide still worked, so I logged in, and here I am. Can't find my Max Drive disc, or any of my old memory cards yet - but I got a refurbished PS2 for $40 and a new-ish Memory Card... So we'll see what comes of it. Nice to see I was remembered! Thanks, Smurf. I look forward to renewing old acquaintances and seeing what new folks have manifested over the years. It's nice to see my old sub-forum is still there as well. Hope I have stuffs for it soon...
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Post by Rodak on Sept 2, 2005 16:51:28 GMT -5
OK, I found my old notes and my memory is actually none too shabby for an old fart.
Most of what I did not post was just historical, but cool, stuff... like:
The best definition of Alchemy I could find: "The art of liberating parts of the cosmos from temporal existence to achieve perfection, which for metals was Gold and for Man, immortality, longevity, and finally redemption. Material perfection was sought through the action of a preparation (example: Philosophers Stone for metals or Elixir of Life for humans).
There was also some material on Paracelsus, the Great Alchemist/Physician who is often credited with founding modern medicine. The bones of Paracelsus settled a centuries old argument. Paracelsus was an hermaphrodite. Something vaguely hinted at in his writings as being part of the ultimate perfection of the human form.
If you want a bunch of historical notes tracing alchemy from 2nd century China and the Good Old Taoist Monks to Hellenistic Egypt and Nestorian Christians in the 5th and 6th centuries through 10th century Indian Vedics to the Arab world in the 12th century and beyond, let me know. Those bits are fun, but useless for a game design.
This post was mostly just to throw the definition at you in case you liked it for something.
Good luck finishing off your game.
Peace.
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Post by Rodak on Aug 10, 2005 16:24:58 GMT -5
OK, I guess I just never thought of this for my own alchemists because I would never have thought to use them in a modern setting.
A good use for silver would be related to it's extensive use in photographic chemistry. Maybe a silver mirror that can take pictures (for evidence of something in a side quest?) or perhaps you could use it to image enemies in battle and see their stats. A real magic photograph!
It always bugged me that I couldn't think of a decent thing for alchemists to do with silver, and now it is resolved!
Peace.
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Post by Rodak on Aug 10, 2005 9:28:48 GMT -5
Since you asked (sort of) (and elsewhere) (but I didn't want to double post or edit in something this verbose)...
Here are some of the ideas I've been saving for an Alchemist Class if I ever got around to creating a serious game. It looks like everything I have planned for RPGM2 is silly and I will not get to anything serious in the foreseeable future, so it's all yours!
First; Historical Alchemists were not interested exclusively in transmuting lead to gold, as many would have you believe. There were three main areas of Alchemical Research. First and foremost was the whole lead - gold thing, but they also believed in a single cure for all diseases and the ability to prolong life indefinitely.
A possible Primary Weapon could be a Lab Book from which, by combining various items, various effects could be triggered. As they progress they can get more "entries" in their books (through research?). This presents the possibility of having them lose the book and then need t try to remember "spells" without reference sources. You could then have several different results (proper, not what ya wanted but good, not what ya wanted and really horrible, not what ya wanted with no effect) (materials used up regardless).
That out of the way, some skills, abilities, and random thoughts I had in mind were:
Make Sulfur an Item: It can be used (in the presence of water) to combine with common metals such as copper, iron, or even zinc, to make Vitriol. Vitriol is corrosive and poisonous. It can fumigate areas or eat through chains and gates. Sulfur is what is commonly called Brimstone.
Gold related thoughts: A real way to detect fake gold is called "The Purple of Cassius" and is based on the fact that gold in mass is yellowish, but when finely divided can be black, ruby, or even purple. Also, a mixture of one part Nitric Acid and three parts Hydrochloric Acid will dissolve gold. This trick was used by an historical Alchemist (whose name escapes me) to bring what looked like a bowl of water before a King and then add some salt (I forget which salt, but doubt it was table salt) to precipitate the gold. He was exposed as a fraud and executed. If you want to include base metal to gold transmutation use a "Philosopher's Stone" Item, as that was the historical name for the theoretical substance that would change lead to gold. Maybe limit it to a "weight for weight" change and consume the stone in the process, or else Alchemists would be too rich! One thought, based on your other classes, would be transmuting ammunition. Bullets are often lead. This could let you use ammunition to money and, possibly more importantly, money to ammunition! It would be cool if that fact were not stated overtly anywhere and players had to figure out that they could do this.
Not much for Silver; Just that silver chloride is transparent (use table salt to make silver invisible) and the trivial fact that silver iodide is used to seed clouds and make it rain.
Finally I was going to have an ability called Allotrope in which you could change the arrangement of atoms in bits of stuff. *Sidetrack* An allotrope is A structurally differentiated form of an element that exhibits allotropy. Don't ya love scientific explanations. Allotropy is dictionary defined as The existence, especially in the solid state, of two or more crystalline or molecular structural forms of an element, but it is wrong. I'll prove it in the next paragraph. */Sidetrack*
Examples of ways to use this ability:
Carbon: 3 major allotropes exist; Amorphous (Coal), Graphite (pencils), and Diamond (Rich Folks). The ways to exploit easy conversion between these forms of the same element are limitless.
Iron: Magnetic or not.
And, just to show that Dictionary, Oxygen: Ozone is an allotrope of Oxygen and is quite poisonous.
That's all that comes to mind quickly.
If I find my notes I'll post anything I left out of the list.
Meanwhile, if you're ever in Philadelphia, stop by The Chemical Heritage Foundation building and check out their collection of ancient paintings of Alchemists at work! Tell them that crazy hippie who stops in, reads journals, looks at paintings, and leaves, sent ya!
Peace. <><><> EDIT: <><><>
I forgot to mention that the common name for the Nitric/Hydrochloric Acid mixture that dissolves gold is "Aqua Regia"... a nice RPG sounding name!
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Post by Rodak on Aug 26, 2006 15:24:36 GMT -5
Just saw it for the first time!
Can't wait for a demo!
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Post by Rodak on Sept 8, 2006 4:12:34 GMT -5
Why worry about "what the story needs" or how it compares to "real" games.
Just have fun with it.
Like Bigfoot said, HippyHunt 2 had a lot of design problems, but IT WAS FUN!
If you can make the story fun and have enough storytelling, then gameplay can suck and the battle system can be unbalanced.
Especially on a first effort.
I am going to disagree with Doan here...
Finish it if you can.
People like Doan, Myself, Dungeon Warden, The Final Rune, even Vespuleth and More have all got decent talent with the system, but have NEVER FINISHED A GAME!!
That is telling.
I say if you can stick it through and finish that you will be better off.
I now am working 2 jobs and have so little time for gaming that I wish I put out a crappy game long ago, rather than restart!
Just to have something to show for my efforts.
Demos just are not the same!
My coupla sense worth!
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Post by Rodak on Mar 28, 2006 18:00:22 GMT -5
And I was being intentionally vague so you could get creative! A bad combination...
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Post by Rodak on Mar 28, 2006 16:59:23 GMT -5
Ya know... Rodak's name in Japanese is Goa. I wonder if they are related?
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Post by Rodak on Mar 28, 2006 2:59:13 GMT -5
Hey!
I read that before it turned black on Black!
I just never got around to posting what I post whenever asked this question:
Make me a cow.
Or a Fish.
Or a Cow that smells like Fish.
Or a Fish that smells like Cheese...
Pretty much anything silly will do if you do not want animal characters. A raving lunatic... The Village Idiot... A Mad Scientist... whatever.
And, like Doan, I think my user name (Rodak) is fine.
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Post by Rodak on Apr 4, 2006 4:16:13 GMT -5
Yup, VFX creations can be used anywhere in the game!
I look forward to some new designs. The elements given can be a challenge to use for this purpose.
Good Luck with it.
Peace.
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Post by Rodak on Feb 16, 2006 16:59:31 GMT -5
This is a question for the ACBS folks out there.
I somehow got through life without ever playing one of these games (not even any of the Zelda games) and sucked horribly when I tried to play some of the ACBS stuff from the people here.
As one who can't even get button combos right (I like to blame dyslexia... but I might just suck) I'd have to say make it easier for the player to at least implement an attack.
I could never even get that right.
My vote would then be for Distance attacks.
Maybe make ranged magic and the need to touch if you like weapons.
I have no idea how you are doing this, but that is my Buck 'O Five worth.
Peace.
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Post by Rodak on Jun 9, 2006 4:33:08 GMT -5
Doan got right!
I have been so distracted with getting a friend's website secured that I have not touched RPGM2 in Months!
I finally got that figured out, so I'll start being more active again once I implement the new plan!
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Post by Rodak on Nov 24, 2005 4:33:09 GMT -5
by reordering the quote, i came to: the lament of the living are the songs of the dead (given the commutive property, i think this is fair) Ummmm... No. That is not fair. It is not a proper application of The Commutative Property as used in Sentential Calculus (the "calculus" (mathematics) of sentences). Without digging out the old Logic Texts, The Commutative Property is thus (a "v" is a symbol for a disjunction (the word "or") and a "*" is the symbol for a conjunction (the word "and")): (p v q) = (q v p) or (p * q) = (q * p) Technically I should have used a three lined "Material Equivalence" sign, but tough. Anyway, that reads "The quantity "p or q" is Equivalent to The Quantity "q or p" (true for "and" as well). In your example you transpose the wrong elements to have a proper use of Logic. A correct commutation of "the lament of the living are the songs of the dead" would be "the songs of the dead are the lament of the living." What you have in your example is commonly called a "Spoonerism" and does not hold up. Consider : The Paintings of Impressionists are The Bane of Fine Artists. Does this imply that The Paintings of Fine Artists are The Bane of Impressionists? Hardly. One can be true while the other is false. A noble effort, but not logically sound. As for seeing spectra and "The other side of Eternity," surely you realize that is not possible for us mere mortals. Keep at it! Peace.
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Post by Rodak on Nov 23, 2005 4:06:10 GMT -5
You are not the conductor, but there must be one. I am curious how you justify that. The Guiliard Academy Orchestra has played without a conductor ever since the 1700's and there are many more. I like the analogy, but the assumption is flawed. A conductor (like a God) is nice and makes life easier but that is no reason to assume it must exist. the songs of the dead are the lament of the living. Well, literally speaking... hearing people's death cries can be very disturbing. I have heard people die twice and it is quite unnerving. Metaphorically speaking, we miss people when they are gone. We imagine their songs and feel depressed because they are no longer here and only some people's belief in (imaginary?) afterlives keeps them rooted. It is the lack of certainty that gives people this distress. It is mostly those who believe firmly in the existence (or lack thereof) of an afterlife (or reincarnation), or the emotionless people, who handle these things well. As for relating it to "i am but a spectre of this forgotten past?"... apart from the obvious connection of dead folks being in the past I really don't see one this time. It makes the dead person, not you, "a spectre of this forgotten past." So long as we remember the dead, they will be spectres, but of a recalled past, not a forgotten one. Peace.
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Post by Rodak on Nov 6, 2005 3:52:07 GMT -5
I enjoy such discussions and hope you did not take my thoughts as the "aggressive debate" you mention.
Pardon my lack of quotes here, I am a little pressed for time.
You raise a good defense of organized Religion. I mostly say that (about wiping it out) (I say that a lot) to get a good debate started. I actually agree that it (religion) can be used in an unperverted manner, but that due to human nature it is unlikely (hmmm... sounds like many folks' argument against Communism as described by Marx).
...............
About Truth defining and The President, I meant any President, not specifically Mr. B. although I will admit his breed of Truth scares me.
.............
And I personally feel the whole Intelligent Design thingy is going in the wrong direction.
I agree wholeheartedly and even vehemently that Intelligent Design has NO place in a science class.
But I feel equally strongly that it has EVERY place in school. Part of the problem is the way our academic system is set up. I take issue with separating the Arts and Sciences. Galileo, Newton, and all those guys never thought of themselves as Scientists. They were Natural Philosophers. Even to this day the highest Academic Degree is the PhD , which stands not for Piled High and Deep as many think, but for Philosophers' Degree. Yet, Philosophy is in the Arts department?
Intelligent Design should be taught in Mandated Comparative Religion or Philosophy courses. It does not meet the criteria for science, but it is so true that believing in the Big Bang is just as big a Leap of Faith as believing in God.
I do, however, see a difference in accepting the Big Bang as the best explanation for the observable evidence, and Believing it happened. It is still presented as a Theory. I have yet to see Creationism presented as such.
Personally, I prefer "brane" theory (a branch of String Theory) for a better alternative. That reminds me... I've got some footage of a stuffed cow in a tin foil space suit with a goldfish bowl helmet on an outer space set getting doused in silly string. I called it a research project into Silly String Theory!
I got some folks mad with this semi sarcastic, but not entirely to be dismissed theory combining creationism and evolution:
After murdering Abel, Cane hopped the Garden walls and wound up mating with apes and such. Being first generation Human he was 100% Potent and was able to produce many offspring. This would explain all those hominids from whom we find remains, yet still allow us to be created by God and descended from apes!
It would also explain things like the Platypus. That one always bugged me! (I have no problem accepting Cane as a pervert as well as a murderer)
.................
Gay marriage is no big issue to me. The way I see it, there is only a problem when such families adopt children and then divorce.
.................
And about the title question... Should I recognize the phrase as a famous quote?
I've read a good deal of classic literature, but I've slept since then!
..................
Your poem is indicative of our times. Trust me, you are not alone in your frustrations... it just seems that way because humans are not telepathic. When bad people see someone feeling down they often abuse this lack of telepathic ability to act superior to those "weak enough" to express themselves knowing that you can't read their minds and see the frightened little children they are inside (too?).
...................
Well, it's coming up on 4 AM here Deep in the Bowels of New Jersey and I gotta get moving (yes I start and end my days very early... So why am I not Healthy Wealthy and Wise?
Peace.
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Post by Rodak on Nov 5, 2005 4:20:44 GMT -5
I would clarify the first amendmant right. there is too much abuse of it by the media, and anyone who wishes to smother religion (specifically christianity). not that i would do away with it. i would make the media tell the truth (under some goodwill clause or something) Funny, I think there is too much abuse of it by people trying to promote religion (specifically christianity). I maintain that organized religion is the single most destructive force ever unleashed upon this planet. It must be abolished. Personal religion is fine, but when these groups get together it is evil incarnate. Examples abound in your History books. In fact, this is what I got from reading the Bible. I fail to see how Christ's teachings bred Christianity. He wanted to abolish churches. My favorite bit was his rant about if you want to pray and you are plowing your field, just put down your tools and pray right there, you do not need a church... God will hear you and understand. How can anyone use such thoughts to establish a church? i would make the media tell the truth (under some goodwill clause or something) Ummm... who defines The Truth? Hopefully not The President. and just flat out clarify the issue of seperation of church and state. (this wall must have doors). Yes... Locked doors. You can not legislate morality. I learned that in the fifth grade. Yet they still try... what does the title of this thread mean? what is a critical translation, and what is it trying to get across? Only you know what you were trying to get across. I thought it was just an expression of the old "always the same, but always changing" concept that applies to things like a candle flame or a running river. They are always different, always changing, yet give the illusion of consistency. Just like people. Peace.
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Post by Rodak on Oct 28, 2005 4:38:10 GMT -5
If you mean changing the way the Original was written (and thus altering History) I'd have to say I wish they'd have let Jefferson keep his clause abolishing slavery. George W (the original) vetoed that clause so he could have slaves to run his Hemp farm! It's true!! Our first President grew pot!! Yeah, he called it hemp and claimed it was for fibers for rope... but what do you think happened to all that bud like by-product?
I think you meant change it tomorrow though... so:
I'd make an amendment that requires our laws be enforced!
Before trying to change things it would be nice to know if things could work under our current system were it used as intended.
Examples: It is illegal to do business with Cuba because they are a Communist Nation. So why do we have trillion dollar debts to China, another Communist Nation.
Why not fund "No Child Left Behind?"
Why not hire the Border Patrol guards required by a law recently passed in Congress instead of only 10% of that number?
Why not prosecute the Executive Branch for failing to enforce their own laws?
Hell, Why was The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) allowed to sell me a House that is NOT legally habitable? I knew about "as is" and expected work, but things missed by hired inspectors and undisclosed by HUD (improper winterization of pipes comes to mind). I could have forgiven these things if they took responsibility, but they told me I was on my own. They said it was strictly as is. When I tried to point out the fair housing laws they invoked Sovereign Immunity (in other words, they said "4Q!").
After we get them doing what they are supposed to do we can worry about things like allowing Post-Natal Abortion for the first 18 years and doing away with the internal combustion engine.
That's enough on that point (for now).
But about The Book of Tao... which translation did you read?
I have about a dozen. Only The Peter Pauper Press translation with it's tinyness and succinct translations works for me.
Those huge books calling themselves The Book of Tao are not The Book of Tao. It is a short collection of sayings Lao Tsu was forced to write at spearpoint by the Emperor when it became known that his beloved Philosopher was leaving the palace.
Ain't history fun?
Peace.
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Post by Rodak on Jul 20, 2006 5:31:20 GMT -5
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Post by Rodak on Dec 17, 2005 15:41:03 GMT -5
Here are a few mpg files from The Solemn Truth. Ok here are a lot of mpg files from The Solemn Truth. I didn't know where to stop, so I went overboard. Must have something to do with seeing my name in the credits... Here they be: Opening Scene and First Battle: (41 MB file in 11.5 MB Compressed Folder) Sample Battle 1: (30 MB file in 8.4 MB Compressed Folder) Sample Battle 2: (41 MB file in 11.5 MB Compressed Folder) Cut Scene: (61 MB file in 16.5 MB Compressed Folder) Boss Battle (edited for time) (still huge!): (60 MB file in 16.5 MB Compressed Folder) Epilogue (Partial Custom Music Demo): (41 MB file in 11.5 MB Compressed Folder) It's a good thing I do other stuff while all this is rendering and uploading!
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Post by Rodak on May 5, 2006 16:37:38 GMT -5
I'll have the whole setup in one room for the whole weekend.
But the best time for me to work on it would be very early Sunday Morning (when I say very early I mean when I get up... around 3 AM).
So if you can have it ready anytime Saturday, that would be ideal.
I'll try to get back to it later on Sunday, but I may get distracted by real life.
Ugh.
Real Life...
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Post by Rodak on May 4, 2006 15:54:03 GMT -5
I'll have RPGM2 time this weekend!
If you can send the file I can get to it then.
I have been overwhelmingly busy lately, so it may be a couple weeks after this before I get another chance.
Fair warning! Try to get even an unfinished demo over by Saturday and I'll get to it Sunday Morning (My scheduled Playtime!) (If I do not schedule it, I don't get Playtime these days...).
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Post by Rodak on Dec 17, 2005 15:45:34 GMT -5
Since I played through your demo to make your mpg files (They're posted!! In their own thread yet... right here in the "Paladin Boards" ... Go see!), I may as well post a review here.
Very well done!
I am impressed with the ammount of custom crappe in there.
Nice Cut scenes. Good use of facial expressions and camera work.
The rooms were full enough to be interesting, but not too busy.
My only complaint is from the point of view of the guy making the promo video.
During the last fight I had a new ability I could not demo for the mpg file because of lack of "MP" (I forget what you called it). There should have been another "MP" item handy for the demo.
But that is only a complaint from a marketing point of view. The game is well balanced (something I have yet to master...).
Looking forward to more.
Peace.
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