Updating The Backgrounds

So, today, I felt like doing something about how this blog previously looked like; a tileable forest-green background image, with all these nice partially transparent gadgets. It just looked silly.

I really love partially transparent backgrounds and outlines for gadgets and different parts! It gives a smooth and easy-on-the-eye feeling for the looker. Still, I felt the background was overwhelming. So, I went at it! :-D

I decided to create a nifty fade-in effect, using a regular fixed (does not scroll) sky background, and putting a landscape photo at the bottom. Scroll down! See how they merge! I used a PNG image for the bottom, and to reduce loading times, I also used TinyPNG on it.

Thanks for good work and free service.

While going through the CSS edits, I decided to change some opacity values and colors. For example, I made it so the Header has a darkened background. Also, I gave those floating (backgroundless) texts a "text-shadow" CSS effect for an outline. There are a few more fixes implemented, and generally, I am very satisfied! Visual design is exciting!~

Comment, and tell me how you feel about the new-ish design!

Why I Have Never Chosen To Become Politically Active

There is no person out there, who is completely satisfied, with how others live their lives. I am sorry, if this sounds a bit confusing. Let me rephrase...

While, all people have many things in common; eating, drinking and the sort included, no person ever lives exactly like another person does. Never the less, we all share the private task of self care, and sometimes, we even help each other with that. It is a simple trade, in which one person helps another, so that they could fairly ask the same treatment, in the future.

Our tools of the trade, in a manner of speech, are sympathy & empathy. If I have suffered or enjoyed the same thing another person is going through, then I can empathize with them. Likewise, if I can relate, in my mind and imagination, to the suffering or joy another person is experiencing, then I am able to sympathize with them.

When a group of people, even an entire nation, stand behind a representative, they are collectively sympathizing. They are generalizing their views of wrong and right, suffering and joy, in order to turn their ideas and emotions into actions and reality. That is to say, that they are enforcing their own opinions on others.

Whoa, now! What did I just say? That they are "enforcing their own opinions on others," is it? Yes. You heard me right. They are not "collaborating, in order to help others and/or themselves." Neither are they "joining forces in order to achieve a task that cannot be achieved by the small and few."

The first scenario, of collaboration, demands that they are all actively involved. The second, of managing a greater task, demands that the task at hand can only be achieved by grouping. Neither of these represents politics.

In politics, a person gives up their own choice of action, so that another person can act on their behalf. Also, most tasks are those that the person does not wish to get involved with, not because of its' dimensions, but rather, because of its' nature. Not every person feels comfortable being a judge or lawyer, for example.

 

So, why have I never chosen to become politically active?

If I were to join politics, I would, in both principle and action, be asking people (see, "strangers") to either grant me my wishes - if they supposedly match their own - or, to make others stop from denying me my wishes - again, if it matches their own wishes.

In other words, I would be asking the masses to support the enforcement of my own personal wishes, over those of others. Sadly, that will never match into how I view things. I am not proud enough to insist that I am on the right, more so than another person, in general; nor am I righteous enough to lower another person, simply because they make different mistakes than I do.

While, I may choose otherwise in the future, I am not able to do so, until I find justification that stands under my personal judgement. Naturally, this article does not answer the "How do I...?" part of getting my own wishes to come true; but, at the very least, it does clarify my moral grounds. Without those, I may be powerful and almighty, but I would never be able to look myself in the eye again.

This article has been influenced by debates between different philosophies, including the recently enthusiastic Libertarian political movement.

NodeJS, WebSocket & Elves Versus Trolls (Demo 0.2)

Oh, fantasy worlds. How amusing you are.

Finally, I have finished my 0.2 Demo of Elves Versus Trolls!~ (Link)

When I was trying to make the crappy Demo 0.1 (Link), I did not even imagine that a couple of weeks later, I would be running my own working server and simple demo game client. I must have spent pretty much every waking minute of these previous two weeks, just to get this up and live. :-D

So, what is this about? This new and exciting demo (Link) is the fruit of my previous work and vision. Those pretty flowcharts and Wiki, yes. I am actually making a game, or demo, of these wonderful ideas. While my 0.1 demo was intended as a test, just to see if C2 could deliver what I wanted, this 0.2 demo is completely different! It is far from being a real game with actual content; but, using random free sprites (and bit of music, too) to represent how the game would work, I aimed to have this demo show, generally, how I imagined this game to be. This means, very simple interface, with some basic multiplayer options, and a little bit of fun virtual world to roam.

Construct 2 by Scirra

How am I making it? I am using Construct 2 for the game itself, and NodeJS with WebSocket for a simple server, that integrates well. I wish I could buy C2 :S What a wonderful tool it is. Making cute complex games without almost any coding!

Check it out and tell me what you think! About its' potential, of course, and not about its' current incomplete state! Doh! ;-) Later on, I will start preparations for Demo 0.3, in which I am planning to set up the game World (rivers, lakes, mountains, etcetera..) and work seriously on the User Interface - all those nifty buttons and texts.

Until next time, or if I finally do the Elves article followup from last time's Troll article. Cheers.

Don't Hate The Troll, Hate The Trolling

"They see me trollin'
   They hatin'
   Patrollin' they trying to catch me writing dirty...
   Trying to catch me writin' dirty...
   Trying to catch me writin' dirty...
      Trying to catch me writin' dirty..."

So, I shall ask again, why have such annoying and rude people as Trolls in a virtual world?

The simple version of the answer is that Trolls are people, too, and whether anyone likes it or not, they compose of a big part of our online population. I will expand about Elves later on, but for now I would like to outline Trolls.

Love boxxy!

You got your annoying and uneducated junior Trolls. All those kiddos out there that do not know better, and intuitively feel that some things virtual are just not as real as reality. They are the most annoying, but least interesting kind of Trolls.

Then, there are the YA Trolls. While having more language abilities and sophistication over the juniors, they are still a menace to most people online. They put the Likes for Troll content and live the Troll way of life without shame. They are the young recruits in the holy war of Internet trolling.

And finally, we have the adult Trolls. Those with language mastery, philosophic education, and even capabilities in the different arts (images, videos.) These are the creators of Troll culture and the engine that holds the flag and then rotates it too fast for anyone to not feel sick about it. Adult Trolls are the actual community. Those who realize the power of collaboration. They are well feared and hated by the haters.

Represent! Trolls.

It is exactly this depth, organization and the hate people hold toward Trolls, that makes it sensible to have a virtual world in which Trolls are the enemy. It is to the benefit of everyone. Why have an NPC with a lack of AI as your enemy, when you could join your allies against the true virtual enemy? Right?