The Space Toast Pages 11 2009

My Latest Bad Idea

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 23:00:00 GMT

Being dumped unceremoniously here, so that I may move on to more pressing matters.

The Idea:

A 3d "Kart"-style game
That runs in a browser
Using Google's free, open source O3D plugin
Supported by ads on in-game billboards

Why a "Kart" game:

Fun
Simple to pick up and play
Relatively simple AI -- chooses between preset (invisible) rails and attacks opportunistically

Why O3D:

Allows fast, hardware-accelerated 3d in modern browsers
Free for developers and users
Non-proprietary
Reputable development team
Good feature list, growing

Problems With O3D:

Relatively low-level; no "JQuery" for common tasks
Would need to develop a toolchain from scratch to convert Animation:Master models and animations

Art Style Ideas:

Pen and watercolor look
Bright and fun
Simple lighting
Baked shadows on track
Fake shadows on karts and items
Dynamic lighting used sparingly for weapon effects
Cartoony characters

Track Ideas:

Traction issues -- ice, mud, etc.
Wind issues -- gusts, fans, etc.
Loop-de-loops -- why should Sonic have all the fun?

Kart Ideas:

Permanent, unique kart/driver combos
Vehicles affected differently by traction and wind as appears logical
Left and right "slots" on each kart

"Slots" Explained:

Items can be stored to right or left of driver
Items have different weights, sometimes other characteristics
Item weights affect handling
Heavy jewels, for instance, might be worth points at the end, but be a driving liability
Tapping trigger switches items between slots
Holding trigger uses items
Properly-timed switching of unbalanced items can assist in turns

Drivers:

Lively 3d cartoon characters
Represent very different play styles
Some better suited to some tracks than others
Unique weapons
Unique weaknesses
Unique animations

Sample Drivers:

The Marboxian:

Reuse one of my characters
Drives a hovering flying saucer
Not affected by traction
Heavily affected by wind
Unique weapon: blaster
Weakness: Phat beats from radio

A Bear:

It's a bear
Heaviest character
Not affected by wind
Low traction effect
Unique weapon: Swipes from massive paws
Weakness: Igor Stravinsky

Maxwell the Lil' Demon:

Reuse a character
Unique Weapon: Zappy Pitchfork

Tommi:

Red-headed, pigtailed little tomboy character

Raq the Raccoon

Reuse a character

A Mouse:

Reuse a Character

Sample Items:

Car radio:

Trigger scans for next station
Low grade, low quality audio
Stations come in unreliably in different parts of the track
Most of it's always country stations
Triggers musical weaknesses, distracting nearby drivers (see Marboxian, Bear)
Makes a small but satisfying hit if thrown

Cinder Block:

Affects handling, weighing down side of kart it's slotted in
Makes a satisfyingly hard hit when thrown

Jewels:

Worth points at the end, as a function of their weight

Power ups
Thrown weapons:

Targetted by steering direction
Steering into opponent increases velocity

Game Logic:

JavaScript getting fast, but still think memory is cheaper than processing in browser
Lightweight AI chooses between invisible rails stored in memory
Lightweight "Fun Physics"
Two-player head to head on same computer would be fun -- how many simultaneous key presses do modern OS's allow?
Fresh ads loaded each time a track loads
No network play, at least at launch -- cheating opens up a big can of woes

Physics Engine:

Basic 2d collision physics
Cheats for not bogging down on large pileups
Simple 3rd-axis physics -- tracks are still essentially 2d

Sending Content Down the Tubes:

Google O3D samples VERY slow to load
Use simple geometry
Instance a lot
All art assets have set URLs so browser won't re-download them if they're already in cache
Light, smart use of texture maps
Is it possible to generate procedural textures on client side in JavaScript? Gradients, simple repeats, noise, etc.
Bone-based character animation

Why It's a Bad Idea:

Could be turned out in a few months by a team of 4 or 5
I'm one person
Have studied the nuts&bolts of 3d, but getting O3D running well would likely take me months
Animation:Master toolchain, less steep, but generally likewise
Decent with JavaScript, but it would be the biggest project I'd ever programed by far
Speculated much, but never actually written a physics engine
Best at the art and animation side of things; still a lot of assets to create and perfect
Advertising would be based on impressions, as there's no clickthrough
Bandwidth costs wholly unpredictable
Covering costs, never mind profitability, wholly unpredictable
I'm good at art, but I suck at business
I need to focus on getting more work NOW
Another of my thousands of over-the-rainbow ideas

There.

New Marboxian Image

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 23:00:00 GMT

Nothing special. Just like it says on the tin:

Insurance Companies Are Not Qualified to Make Medical Diagnoses

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 23:00:00 GMT

Canada's CBC News reports on a Quebec woman with severe depression, Nathalie Blanchard, being denied sick-leave benefits after her insurer, Manulife, found pictures of her on Facebook smiling and engaging in social activities.

I've been going to Depression/Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) meetings for over a year now, in Los Angeles and Maine. (Think of a support group, then subtract the woo, jargon, god and other b.s.) I have my own experiences with depression, and I know people who've had it far worse.

According to the article, Blanchard is diagnosed with major depression. A running joke in DBSA groups is that you can tell the new people with depression from those with bipolar because they crack the most jokes. Without the high and low cycles of bipolar, one tends to grasp at any moment of levity that can be attained or generated. There's a common misconception that depression is a flat, constant low mood. This is rare. Typically one varies between extreme lows and more functional periods, with stops everywhere in between. One also gets very good at faking it for short periods of time.

Meds aren't a magic bullet either, more a set of blunt tools whose effects on any given person will be highly variable. Beginning treatment often means a period of medication roulette, where the prescriber and patient work to balance efficacy, side-effects and (in the U.S. at least) costs. In the long term, lifestyle adjustments, especially increased social involvement, are essential.

The bottom line is, if Blanchard wants to return to the working world, she's been doing exactly what she should be.

Manulife Insurance, on the other hand, took a very small risk, which makes perfect market sense. The chances of Blanchard fighting back the way she has were slim, and the financial savings for the company miniscule but real. Faced with the loss of their emergency income, many people with major depression would have retreated further into their shells. Some might have attempted suicide.

360 ° Panorama: Rockland Harbor Lighthouse

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 23:00:00 GMT

Rockland, ME.

Stitched together in Hugin from 33 camera phone pictures. Miller cylindrical projection.

Building the Shack, Part 9

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 23:00:00 GMT

Decided to sawtooth the rafters and use overlaid planks for roofing.

Recut the tops of the rafters with a jigsaw.

Put in a temporary floor to work on. Left a gap for the door frame. Had to cover the gap when the chipmunks started getting under the floor.

Tried to pound the ridge into place with a rubber mallet. Found that I'd placed one of the rafters wrong, and had to unscrew and move it. Height of the westernmost rafter about half an inch too short. Not going to worry about it.

Hard to tell from the picture, but the first snow of the season came, and I don't have the roof on. Will need to hurry it up.

Building the Shack, Part 10

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 23:00:00 GMT

Scrounged some old planks for the roof. Condition was poorer than I expected. Cut boards to size. Filled gouges, nail holes and cracks with wood filler.

Duct-taped vinyl gloves to my sleeves and painted roof planks with Coppercoat wood preservative. Smell didn't dissipate for weeks.

Hammered all but the topmost planks into place on a stepladder. Height difference of the westernmost rafter causing problems. Should be able to solve it later with trim.

Cross-braced the rafters to make sure the roof would support my weight. Strapped an extension ladder to the frame of the shack to get access to the roof -- wanted the frame to be holding my weight, not the ground at the base of the ladder.

Nailed final sections of roofing in.

Offered to haul off some aluminum rain gutters my friends had been meaning to take to the dump. Hacksawed and hammered a roof peak out of one. Pounded nail holes in the workshop. Covered nail holes on the underside with Gorilla Tape as an additional water stop. Nailed roof peak into place.

More on the Gay Marriage Ban Referendum

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 23:00:00 GMT

You go up to Appleton; you get your hair cut. You see a "No on 1" sign down on the verge. You park, you put it back up next to the "Yes on 1" sign. The grass was just mowed. You figure maybe they both got knocked over by the mower and the Yes people are just more vigilant about getting their signs back up.

You drive back to 131. You see another "No on 1" sign down at the intersection. You park, you fix it. You figure, hey, we had some rain and wind, maybe they both went down and the Yes people are just more vigilant about getting their signs back up.

You learn better as you pass the sign at the intersection of route 17, which has been spray painted. Not just marked, either: Someone had a stencil. Looks like they bugged out halfway through though; it's just a big yellow overspray mess unless you look closely.

On the common -- in your hometown -- you find a "No on 1" sign down. The stakes have been pulled out of the ground. One's been stolen. You come back with a hammer. You put the sign back up next to the "Yes on 1" sign. You'd be happy to do this for the Yes signs as well, but none of them have been vandalized.

You go down to the town office, and register to vote. This is your town too.