Ter13's Inner Sanctum

I've been making techno today!

Sat, 10 May 2008 22:32:14 GMT

I uploaded a youtube video with my first ever attempt at making music. It's similar to Happy Hardcore, but I'm not sure what genre it falls into.

I made it using FL Studio 8 demo, and a few instrument samples I was given by a friend online. I wrote every single note of the song by hand, and I had a LOT of fun doing it.

It's still incomplete, but, not to toot my own horn, I think it's great for my first try. And with some practice, I can make something even better! ^_^ (Work progresses on the Roguelike, fear not, my distraction is momentary!)

Lots and lots of work.

Sun, 27 Apr 2008 18:56:40 GMT

For all of you who have been paying attention to my forum activity, I've been talking a lot about roguelikes. That's because I've been working on one for a few weeks.

Truthfully, it's not quite accurate to say I've been working on it for a few weeks. I've really been working on it a few hours, but those few hours have been stretched out across a few weeks due to my schedule.

For those of you who don't know what a roguelike is, you should read about the genre. I think most BYOND users will be able to appreciate them.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roguelike

I've been playing around with a few systems, trying to adapt BYOND to a classical roguelike structure. I've got a decent command system working, but it's not fully customizable yet.

The command structure is pretty simple, binding several types of commands and input structures to function like traditional roguelikes (ADOM, Nethack, Rogue).

In these games, you have several input structures:

Directional - After invoking the command, you must press a directional key.
Locational - You must use the directional keys to select a location or a target.
List - You must select something out of a list using A-Z keys.
Stationary - The action occurs relative to/regardless of your current location.
Text - You are allowed to type a line of text. Pretty straightforward.
Confirmation - Use the Y/N keys to confirm or deny.

I have incorporated all of these already into a BYOND interface system using macros and verbs. I found the solution quite elegant and clever. Unfortunately, due to the way BYOND handles macros, my prior method for handling all of this activity did not function as I thought it should. The custom macros will be implemented when I can start working on systems of their level of priority.

For the time being, I am looking into the D&D core manuals to find system mechanics that will take this Roguelike back to the the roots of the genre, and yet advance it beyond its predecessors.

I'm using a few ideas from modern RPGs, leveled lists, prioritized randomization, and themed lists. These ideas were inspired by the elder scrolls series, and in how they doled out loot and monsters. I'm expanding these ideas past just tweaking the rewards of a static dungeon.

Another idea I've decided I'd look into, was NPC personalities. This is another idea I've seen used in Oblivion --albeit poorly. I enjoy the idea of NPCs having their own schedules, and personalities, I just thought that the Elder Scrolls' NPCs were poorly designed.

I've been speaking with a friend I work with about D&D a lot. He's a veteran player, and prides himself as a great DM. He rants and raves about generic plot devices and bland NPCs. Some of his madness has interested me greatly, the rest I pass off as simple elitism and personal preference. He and I have worked out a simple dice chart that allows us to randomize an entire world. We have also been working extensively with terrain generators to make randomized worlds as well. We still don't have an algorithm that produces a particularly interesting, or unique world, but we understand that human interaction, and personal touches make worlds interesting, and a machine can hardly hope to do that all the time.

From our talks, I have produced something of a simple world generation method. This includes lore, nations, gods, pantheons, species, everything. The algorithm runs through a series of parameters that guide the early phases of world creation.

World generation

I start by generating a static terrain with a fairly flat appearance. Then, I create fault lines that generate a jagged line tracing across a sphere. I smooth the lines, then randomize "hot points within the sphere. The "hot points" attempt to spread towards nearby fault lines every generation. If they don't approach a fault line, they bulge, creating mini-faults and pushing the static terrain above into a bubble. Some too close to the surface will break through, depending upon their composition, and certain environmental factors, they will either cave in or erupt.

Pressure and eruptions will focus on fault lines. Hot points will erupt and push near hotpoints, causing the fault lines to put pressure on each other, rising. Every cycle, we apply erosion, with convers rock into soil. The older a peak is, the more soil it will produce, and the more it will erode. Soil attempts to spread evenly down slopes, and will create smooth curves.

After a predetermined number of cycles, we then flood the planet, determining the water level. We run through one last erosion cycle, we move on to species generation.

Spcies will be determined by parameters. Either environmental factors determined by distance from equatorial lines, and by airflow/distance from water sources. We can determine what will live on the planet by the type of world (fantasy, steampunk, medieval, etc). This uses leveled lists that have another subcategory assigned, separated by climate. The world will generate predators and herbivores in certain places. Places with ample food sources will attract species that can eat that source of food, and places without will generate nothing.

The next step, after species genesis, is to move them around. Snetient species' movement is goverened by two factors, resources, and choice. On the other hand, unintelligent species are only goverened by resources. Events also have an effect on the migration of sentient species. Major events, such as war with another sentient species, etc. will also determine the population, and the dispersion of tribes.

After a number of cycles, species will have made sttlements, abandoned them, formed large tribes, and nations. These nations will have influence over places, which will create borders, and political climates.

From all of this data, we can begin mapping individual continents, regions, nations, cities, all the way down to people. It may seem like quite a lot of data, but when packed into a bytecode and saved on a hard drive, I believe it should be quite small.

The size of the data package will be considerably small when you consider even my terrain calculation would cover the elevation map of an area the size of texas using less than a kilobyte. However, the ammount of saved data increases significantly once more of the world has been fleshed out by secondary and tertiary randomization processes (we only reviewed the primary).

The secondary randomization process occurs when the player enters that region, and the tertiary process occurs when the player is informed of, or visits a small sector of that region, such as a town, or a lake.

Anyway, I'm rambling a bit, so I'll just leave it here, and put an update up in about a week.

Persistent world connections? Awwwwww yeah!

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 21:39:31 GMT

It's official, Tom and the funky bunch are adding new functionality to the world.export proc, allowing persistent world connections.

While there is currently no real "listen" socket support, it doesn't really matter, as we can soon use BYOND to make persistent communications across other servers!

Who's excited? Ter's excited!

I've been requesting this feature for almost all the seven years I've been on BYOND!

Pokemon Diamond/Pearl Friend Codes?

Mon, 24 Mar 2008 14:09:11 GMT

I'mthinking about getting a BYOND group started in D/P. Anybody else wanna get in on it? I figure I'll just Call is BYONDers or something like that.

My friend code is 1375 7120 3204. Try to catch me online.

(Don't be suprised if you never see me on, though. I live in the far east, so 15 hour time difference.)

Small rant: Narcotics vs. Alcohol

Tue, 11 Mar 2008 13:36:36 GMT

This is a purely logical argument using very unpopular, but in my experience, factual sources.

Alcohol:

Effects

decreased heart rate

loss of judgement

loss of coordination

euphoria

lethargy

confusion

heightened emotional state

nausea

"blacking out" (loss of consciousness while still physically functional)

unconsciousness

death

Longterm Effects:

Liver damage

Kidney damage

Chemical dependence

Emotional dependence

Cancer (not thoroughly explored)

Depression

Pancreatitis

Heart disease

LSD(Acid):

Effects

discomfort (unfamiliarity with commonplace things)

confusion

heightened emotional state

distorted senses (particularly time and space)

increased heartrate

muscular weakness

Serotonin shortage (often a narcotic hangover resulting in temporarily feeling depressed and/or lethargic)

Longterm Effects

Emotional dependence

Flashbacks (periods after the drug has left the user's system where the effects are emulated by the body.)

Psychosis (noted rarely and only in extreme cases)

Marijuana(Pot):

Effects:

Euphoria

Hunger

Lethargy

Anxiety (uncommon)

Altered perception

Altered judgement

Nausea (rare)

Decreased bloodflow (uncommon)

Decreased/Increased heartrate (uncommon)

Headache (rare)

Hallucination (rare and mostly having to do with auditory senses)

Confusion

Heightened/lowered emotional state (heightened is rare and attributed to underlying psychological problems)

Altered short term memory

Tremor (rare)

Longterm effects:

Emotional dependence

Serotonin shortage

Lung damage

Tooth decay

Lung cancer (as of yet not adequately researched)

Above is a list of side effects of the three drugs I am comparing here. Alcohol, LSD, and Marijuana.

Let's start with the status of legality:

Alcohol: Legal over the age of 21 in the U.S.
LSD: Illegal in the U.S.
Marijuana: Illegal (category 1!) in the U.S.

Throughout the history of humankind, we have used drugs to alter our perceptions, or to foster social activity, religious ceremony, etc. Be it recreational, religious, or military use, drugs have been used by nearly every society across Europe, North and Central America, and much of Asia.

Alcohol is without a doubt the most popular drug in the world. This is partially because of a historic precedent set by European culture, and Southeast Asian cultures, and partially because of the legal status of Alcohol in most nations.

Despite most modern nations banning narcotics such as LSD and Marijuana, usage is common throughout Europe and North America. Usage of Marijuana is less common in Asia, and LSD is only common in certain parts of Southeast Asia due to availability of the drugs, and societal views.

The Argument

LSD and Marijuana are less harmful to an individual, and to society than alcohol.

Counter-Arguments

CA: Drugs Support Terrorism

R: Marijuana and LSD are low-profit drugs. Marijuana is generally smuggled in from Central and South America, if not grown in "underground" grow-houses in the U.S. Warlords and Terrorist groups are noted more for producing high-profit drugs such as cocaine, and opiates. LSD is chemically engineered, and generally done in the country where it is going to be sold, as trafficking is an unnecessary risk. Marijuana and LSD do not commonly directly support terrorism. Individuals, not organizations are generally responsible for the production of both drugs, simply due to their nature and potential for profit.

CA: What about addiction?

R: The emotional need for alcohol is just as real as the potential for chemical dependence. On the other hand, there are no addictive properties to Marijuana or LSD. As a matter of fact, most people are repulsed by the idea of dropping acid a second time in a short span of time, due to a serotonin shortage over the next few days. However, as with anything, people can develop emotional dependence on the substance. So, it's chemically no more addictive than water.

CA: Killed brain cells?

R: Did you mean with alcohol? Marijuana dulls mental ability and memory for a few days after usage, but the effect has been tested, and not determined permanent. Alcohol on the other hand, if not used in moderation, can permanently change brain chemistry. Acid, however, has the potential to cause lasting chemical imbalance in the brain, and can even "short out" nerves and brain cells. The key with the drug is moderation, as it is with alcohol.

CA: Overdose?

*I am considering a heavy dose what a 150lb person would generally consider "a little too much".

R: With alcohol, you would have to take 6x that which would be considered a heavy dose to kill you. With Acid, this ammount is significantly higher. You would have to take 120x what you would normally consider a heavy dose. (If this were alcohol, it would be comparable to taking around 500 shots of hard liquor in a night). For Marijuana, however, the toxicity index cannot be gaged. In studies using tests on rats scaled up to human weight, it would take around 3 pounds of Marijuana to kill your average human.

It is considered to be impossible to consume a lethal dose of Marijuana, and considered exceptionally unlikely to accidentally overdose on LSD. It is extremely common, however, for a person to overdose while consuming alcohol. Only one recorded death in history exists of an LSD overdose, while there are none for Marijuana, and in the U.S. alone, death by alcohol poisoning numbers on average 1,100 people per year. (NOTE: This number is only people who actually drank themselves to death, not alcohol related accidents, and not the number of people to be admitted to hospitals with alcohol poisoning).

CA: What about psychological problems?

R: LSD has been noted to "cause" psychological problems in individuals who use it frequently. Distortion of reality, depression, insomnia, and severe psychological trauma have been suggested, but not fully researched. Some researchers hypothesize that the drug rarely causes these defects, but merely brings them out in an already unbalanced person.

Marijuana, also has been noted to cause temporary depression due to a serotonin shortage over the next few days since the last use. Chronic usage, can cause insomnia, and even lasting depression.

Alcohol has been noted to cause permanent chemical change in the body and brain, insomnia, and mood instability after long periods of chronic use.

Of the above three, Alcohol is considered to have the worst lasting psychological effects, while LSD is considered to have the strongest short term psychological effects, even though adequate research has not proven the effects to be the cause of the drug, or merely individual variables.

CA: What about DUI?

A: DUI is illegal for a reason. It's dumb. Acid is known to have effects of paralysis, marijuana slows reaction times, and lowers attention span, and alcohol is known to not only have effects of paralysis, slowed reaction times, lowered attention span, but has also been proven to make individuals much more brazen.

NONE of these drugs should EVER be used before getting behind the wheel. Period. Anyone who does is a complete idiot, and should have their license revoked.

Although, both LSD and Marijuana make you much more sedentary, so the likelihood of getting into a vehicle while on either is significantly less than that of Alcohol.

CA: Gateway drug?

A: Marijuana is not a gateway drug. Alcohol is not a gateway drug, and LSD is not a gateway drug. People make that decision for themselves. There is no chemical property in any of these drugs that addicts you to any other chemical. People who abuse the drug may build a tolerance, and as such may go chasing an easier high, but the trick in the first place is moderation. If you use moderation in the first place, and don't use the drugs often, no tolerance will build, and there is no reason to go chasing another kind of high.

The bottom line

While my opinion may be biased in one way or another, I believe my argument stands pretty well for itself, and is not only valid, but correct.

LSD, Marijuana, and Alcohol are no more harmful than each other if handled in moderation. I fail to understand why Marijuana carries an equal sentence by law as CLEARLY harmful and dangerous drugs like Heroine, but a lesser sentence than drugs like Meth, Cocaine, and other amphetamines.

Alcohol kills tens of thousands of people a year, either due to drunk driving, alcohol poisoning, freak accidents, or longterm damage. The statistics on marijuana-related deaths, and LSD-related deaths per year are simply so close to zero that they are not notable. (humorously enough, more people die due to toxicity from aspirin than from marijuana).

Of course, the numbers of marijuana-related deaths seem to vary somewhere between 0 and 150 per year (on christian focus group sites I had visited, they kept coming up with around 187 in 1999)... Either way, 187 compared to 85,000 alcohol related deaths in 1999 alone is just a drop in the bucket.

Personally, I'd like to see at the very least Marijuana decriminalized, if not legalized and mass-produced by corporations in the U.S. LSD, on the other hand, takes a very stable, or very smart person to be able to handle it. If you don't have someone looking out for you, it's a difficult experience to maintain control of, and getting the right dosage is often very difficult for the inexperienced, so I could care less if it was legalized.

Advantages:

1) Reduced law enforcement expenditure.
2) Reduced prison population for non-violent crime.
3) Regulated by the FDA --Less chance for dosage variance/strength variance.
4) Legal Narcotic alternative to more dangerous drugs like Heroine. Reduces demand for illegal narcotics, thus reduces smuggling.
5) ???
6) Profit!

How NOT to act on the forums!

Sat, 08 Mar 2008 17:00:46 GMT

We all see it, every single day. Someone posts for help making a game they want to make, but offers absolutely no help to the project. Or, someone shows off their "100% original" Naruto rip.

Why do you guys feel the urge to eviscerate him all over the forums, making douchebag remarks, and snide comments. Or, twenty-five people making the same comment on how he shouldn't do it.

Here's some points to consider:

1) It makes you look like an ass.
2) If you do it, don't post in the thread again. Don't turn it into a massive flame war.
3) Be polite about it if they genuinely didn't know.
4) The moderators have time and time again deleted posts, warned, and banned users for it. You know it's wrong.

Trust me, it doesn't make you look any cooler, and it doesn't mean you are helping the community any. it's just annoying, and dumb.

I'm legal!

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 20:08:42 GMT

To drink!

^_^ Happy St. Ter13's day everyone!

...Birthday #21 took way too long to get here.

SS13 Officially open source?

Mon, 03 Mar 2008 19:01:54 GMT

Earlier today I was contacted by Hikato, an old contact in the SS13 community. The source for SS13 was leaked by AZA.

This is good news, actually, as this has inspired us to try to convince Exadv1, who has already half-approved, and Murrawhip, who wants the community's opinion.

We are going to recreate the SS13 source to make it more moddable, and revampt SS13.net into an open-source SS13 modding community.

If you have a SS13.net user account, go to This thread and read more! Make certain the community hears your voice! VOTE!

Digi is serious business!

Mon, 03 Mar 2008 10:08:20 GMT

http://www.byond.com/members/DigitalBYOND?command=view_post &post=39879

Digitalmouse told me I could break the deadbeats' legs if they don't pay their protection... I mean rent on time. I promise.

It's back, and badder than ever!

Mon, 03 Mar 2008 05:41:26 GMT

I don't know how many of you were part of the community about four years back, when Xooxer's Chatters was being hosted 24/7, but I know at least a few of you will remember it.

For those of you who don't know, Chatters was THE place to be on BYOND, well, whenever the Athenaeum wasn't up!

I know there have been a lot of new chat programs since Chatters went down, but those of us that were there, know that none held a candle to Chatters.

The things that made Chatters great were simple things, really:

Showcode boxes

Personal mailboxes

User created/administrated channels

A gold-plated moderator team

Customizable user info pages

Trivia nights

The community

Chatters had a great following, and I'm certain will once again have the same, if not a better following this time around. The people were friendly, and always helpful if asked the right question. Generally, there were also constant shenanigans of some sort going on in the lounge, which helped to distract you from the fact that you were supposed to be finished making your current project three weeks earlier.

Chatters also had a lot of well-made features that made it a superior chatroom to nearly any other made before. Mail was a cool feature that helped avid chatters keep in touch, and also helped game-development teams continue with their current projects without having to juggle e-mail addresses.

The moderators were almost always BYOND gurus, or staff members, so one could be sure that the decisions they made were sound, and that they would not use their administrative abilities without proper justification. A rarity on BYOND. I'm sure Xooxer will continue with this tradition.

The best part about all of this, is that Xooxer has released the source code for Chatters, making all the features of this amazing chat utility available to the public.

Just for the fact that it's solid, generally bug-free, friendly, and a helpful utility, I'm giving Chatters a 10.

Welcome back to BYOND, Chatters!