Game development, technology, and Japan.
Life changing and/or security nightmare? I installed the open source project OpenClaw two days ago to learn what all the hype was about and well, I think I ve got an idea now. Depending on who you listen to, it s an amazing proof-of-concept glimpse into the future that will change your life or it s malware that s [ ]
This isn t exactly a normal blogpost (are any of them?) but KrZ wanted some pinout info so I figured I d put it here in the hopes that it will get indexed and pop up for others who need it, as unlikely a scenario that is. KrZ is a digital archeologist who plays with old devices [ ]
So Twitter killed embedded feeds last week. For many years I ve had this website and others showing recent tweets as feeds because it s easier to tweet than edit html or make blog posts and it lets people visiting my website know I m still alive. And now that s impossible?! No problem I took a few [ ]
We re now experiencing the biggest technological shift since the internet AI text and image breakthroughs are changing the way we live and work. It s weird; what should be just an Eliza-style parlor trick turned out to be incredible useful, despite the technique s penchant for hallucinating . Looking ahead: Some thoughts on what might become real [ ]
Over the last few months I created a fun little toy called Seth s AI Tools (creative name, huh?), it s an open source Unity program that has become a playground for me to test a mishmash of AI stuff. If you click the AI Paintball button inside of it, you get the thing shown in the [ ]
So you ve probably heard of OpenAI s amazing DALL·E 2 text to picture generator. (I won t shut about it!) Note: None of the pictures in this article were created with DALL·E 2 The wackiest AI generated memes aren t coming from DALL·E 2. They are mostly coming from a different (and computationally weaker) model called DALL·E mini [ ]
So this is one of those times where I made something in a few hours and want it to be indexed on the web rather than just the ethereal world of twitter so I m making this post about it in the hopes that people will find it with a very specific Google search. (probably some [ ]
This morning OpenAI has changed the rules we can share pictures with faces now! To celebrate, I figured I d have DALL·E create a real life photo of Castlevania hero, Simon Belmont. He should look something like the above picture, right? I ll just enter the name and the style of photo I want and with [ ]
Inpainting tests Inpainting is a technique where you start with a picture (in this case me) and ask the AI to replace a specific part of it. My first test was to try to add a second nose to myself, so I could smell things better. (All pictures/modifications created with OpenAI s DALL·E 2 all [ ]
The future is here I ve been interested in AI and computer generated media forever. As a kid, I created a stupidly naïve AI on my Commodore 64. I just programmed text responses to hundreds of inputs. Hello gave back Hello, how are you. . I m fine gave back, Great, me too. and so on. I proudly [ ]
Ok, this is one of those posts that are more just to document something so the next time I install VS on a computer I remember how to do this and can find the file. If you don t use Visual Studio C++ then you should run. Or, prepare to dive into the incredibly boring world [ ]
The PlayStep Mini is a tiny device that allows a parent to limit screen time from any HDMI device based on “charging up” energy using an exercise stepper. Github sources here But why tho? According to the CDC, kids aged 8 to 10 spend an average of 6 hours a day in front of screens. [ ]
Have a Looking Glass screen and want to try the above thing? Well, you can! Download for Windows (~120 MB) Github source How to set it up and play it To run this, you need: A Looking Glass holographic display device connected to a Windows computer via hdmi (designed for the Portrait, but in theory [ ]
Features: Here s an example of exporting a lot of clips at once based on finding a single word and using Resolve s scripting to automatically add the count, date, and youtube video title each clip is from. (the only work I had to do was hand nudge the clips forward and back a little so only [ ]
Imagine you HAVE to sleep on your back for some reason and possibly restrict neck movement during the night. Here are some options: Tennis balls strapped to sides Placing an iphone on chest/pocket and using an app (SomnoPose) that monitors position with the accelerometer and beeps when it detects angle changes. (it works ok but [ ]
What is a F.A.Q.? It means frequently asked questions. It’s a single webpage that I can direct people to for detailed answers to common questions. I also have one for my BBS games here which I sold to another company. I’ll update it to modify and add questions as needed. (last updated 8/17/2020) Why did [ ]
As far as I can tell, Unity doesn t offer a way to drag an object around the hierarchy in the editor (moving it to a new parent) without also modifying its local transform to keep the rotation/position in the same final worldspace/orientation as before. (The default copy/paste options have the same issue too) Sometimes you [ ]
Meet the Odyssey 2 It s an old ass game console from 1978 I recently picked up from Ebay. It even has a built in keyboard for some reason. In the first real console war it placed third out of well, three, ending up behind the Atari VCS and Intellivision despite some neat addons like a [ ]
Many moons ago I made a door game scripting engine that read ref files (short for reference, I think) to control what the users see. Later, this reference file system was used as the base for LORD 2: New World. Someone asked me today for the source and as I don t think there are any [ ]
Input lag. It s a catch-all name people use when talking about the latency that gets added in the various places between when you push a button and finally see results on your screen. Many (especially console) games these days are designed to hide it because the developers cannot predict the latency of the display device [ ]
If you ve ever wanted a list of your digitally purchased/downloaded Playstation games (I have over 500 sigh ) I wrote this chrome extension that can do it as a test for something else. It s crap because it will break if the Sony site changes at all, as well as missing games that weren t purchased digitally (disc [ ]
The problem Oppia, Oppia, Oppai! My younger kid was chanting this word over and over into his headset mic while playing Fortnite on the Switch. Why is he saying this? I tell him to flip the monitor speaker on. Some laughing dumbasses were telling him if he said the word (which means breasts in Japanese) [ ]
In a hurry? Download link for the program is here. Edit config_template.txt for directions on setup, it s kind of tricky. Only runs on Windows right now. (Github source) Why I wanted a translate anything on the screen button I m a retro gaming nut. I love consuming books, blogs, and podcasts about gaming history. The [ ]
Sure, there are ways to get exercise while gaming. Virtual reality and music games like Dance Dance Revolution come to mind. But that s all worthless when your kid just wants to play Fortnite. Behold, the PlayStep! Edit: Also check out the PlayStep Mini, a $10 version! This thing forces him to work up a sweat. [ ]
I made this little free game for the Ludumdare gamejam over the weekend. A theme is given at the start. The theme was Sacrifices must be made Play it in your browser here Unity source code download Its ludumdare entry page Want to see more LD games? Try the Ludumdare Archive youtube channel Audio credits: “Joshua [ ]
I can hear you breathing sorry kid, but you ve got to stop or leave the room is something Cosmo has heard many a time while using the computer next to me. As my long suffering family can attest, I ve had a thing with sound for a long time. It s one of the reasons I love [ ]
Originally $19.95, our old game Teenage Lawnmower (originally released in 2002) is now a free download. It requires Windows XP or newer to play. Tested fine on Windows 10. I ve released a new V1.17 final freeware release with the following changes: Tweaked the optional gamepad controls to work with the Xbox 360 pad (at TLM s [ ]
If you write a book, it lives forever. If you write an iPhone game, it exists until you stop updating it? Remember my game Blip Arcade? (that s ok, I barely do either) It s no longer purchasable because Apple removed it. The reason: We noticed that your app has not been updated in a significant amount [ ]
The evolution of how I ve described my job to non developers: 1989 I m a BBS door author 1993 I m a programmer 1997 I m a game developer 2003 I m an indie game developer 2013 I m a game designer I like game designer as it sounds more glamorous. It evokes the TV stereotype [ ]
What is it about the Atari 2600? It was the summer of 1983 at Jeff Mccall s slumber party when I saw my first game console. Crowded around the small TV we gawked at the thing an Atari VCS. The seven of us took turns. Passing the joystick around like a sacred relic we [ ]
Why would you want a quadview setup? I (badly) play PUBG with my family in a room where we can t really sit close together and this always happens: Sniper in that building. Upper left window Which building? Which window?! Look at my screen here! Turning around to crane your neck at someone else s computer will [ ]
So I broke down and got a Vive Pro despite its exorbitant price tag. Is it worth it? Well probably not, unless you ve got money to burn. I hate the idea of playing something like Skyrim VR with the old Vive when I know I could be seeing something prettier if I had better hardware. [ ]
The rumors of Funeral Quest s death have been greatly true It s been nearly five years since any would-be undertaker has graced its halls. In 2013 the old XP machine that was running the only FQ server in the world was decommissioned and that was that, a game like no other silently departed with nary [ ]
Play it in your (desktop) browser here (oops, I took the server down for now, so it will just say please wait forever and isn t playable right now!) Some background info/discussion on it here
continuing my blog about whatever random issue I last dealt with in the hopes that some poor soul with the same issue will google it one day series The problem So you made your new Unity webGL game using the LLAPI and it works fine from a http:// address. But when you try with https, [ ]
I use GameObject.Find() in Unity for things like enabling or fading in/out a menu or to grab an object reference via code to store for later. (I usually prefer doing things in code rather than drag and dropping references using the Unity Editor when I can) A problem is GameObject.Find() won t locate inactive gameobjects which causes [ ]
A true story from PUBG I think I hear footsteps outside Akiko whispered. I was confident we d be safe, at least for a while, in the mountain shack we d found. Our blessed respite from the cruel world of PUBG was about to be shattered. Stay here, I ll check it out . I opened the door and [ ]
If you ve looked at my recent Unity-related posts and downloaded the projects, you might have noticed I have .bat files like CreateAndUploadWebGLBuild.bat in there to cleanly create final versions easily. Great. But if you run this .bat file while you are working on the game with the Unity editor, you ll get this error: Aborting batchmode [ ]
So you thought my post on networking a few days ago was boring? Get ready for database fun! Normally I would just write about what worked, but in this case I d rather trek through the foggy world of missteps I went through yesterday to make the various errors searchable, maybe my confusion and pain can [ ]
Update 2/27/2020: Don t use LLAPI, Unity is going to stop working on it at the end of 2020 so you ll be screwed I guess. Luckily their replacement netcode isn t ready yet so now you don t know what to do except maybe try third party libraries or use simple TCP sockets. Thanks, Unity Seth, what the [ ]
Dink Smallwood HD 1.89 has been released to the App Store (with iOS 11 support) as well as on Google Play and Windows! Now with correct aspect ratio Vastly improved DMOD compability Re-worked engine timing, now the same on all systems Improved shadows (contributed by Dan Walma) Can now browse/install/play over 300 DMODS (add-on quests) [ ]
I ve been working on Dink HD to greatly improve it for a new release, you can help test it here! It s been open sourced (on the RTsoft subversion server) as well so feel free to contribute patches. The plan is to release it free on all platforms soon as I can, until then, it won t [ ]
I m a VR nut. I ve scribbled about my experiences with the Vive and Rift, the FOVE, and most recently the Hololens. So let s jump into the void once again because today I received a joyous surprise! (not because I got it for free, but because in my senility I d forgotten I d ordered it) About that [ ]
If you ve got a vive, check out this little experience Akiko and I put together. I guarantee you ll soil your pants or your money back! Also it s free. You can download it for your vive here. (212 MB)
The Last E8 Postmortem Last weekend was the triannual Ludumdare game jam. If you don t know what that is, it s a masochistic ritual where you voluntarily force yourself to create a new game over a weekend and publish it for all to see. Akiko pressured me into it as she wanted to Blender up some [ ]
Wasting too much time on Facebook? Being bombarded with targeted videos in your feed that turn you into a drooling fool for hours? If so: Get F.B. Purity! I ve been using this free browser plug-in for months now. I configured it so I only see real content from friends, and ignore the shares and likes. Refreshing. [ ]
At an extremely spendy price of $3,000 I picked up a HoloLens. Why so much more than a Rift or Vive? Well, the biggest difference is instead of tethering to your computer, this thing IS a computer+kinect small enough to wear. Mobile VR is trash, HoloLens is different The current mobile VR solutions (GearVR, Google Daydream, [ ]
It came! This VR headset was on kickstarter back in 2015 and has received some serious investor cash since. Sure, that s exactly how I use VR I ve been working on prototype games with the Vive (in UE4) but really wanted this primarily to play with its unique feature: real eye tracking. It has cameras that watch your [ ]
I ve played a lot of games recently but I wanted to stop and think about the shortcomings of Dead Rising 4 (single player campaign without DLC) and what might fix it. (played on Windows 10) It s way too easy I think the biggest misstep here is the difficulty level. Dead Rising 1 2 were [ ]