Poems in true chronological order by post date
-> file: notes/ninjas-versus-mafia ════════════════════════════─────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Game idea: Majesty clone, but instead of heroes and monsters it's ninjas versus mafia. Picture this: A 1940s city and a 1600s (?) ninja monastary. Right up against one another, with the same amount of land and resources. They're pitted against one another, and by reacting to the environment a player can guide this "nation" as it would be called in other games to victory. It's like majesty so you can't directly control your minions, just offer bounties. JUST LIKE NINJAS AND MAFIAS DO. BAM ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ │ different │ ╘═════════╧═════════════════──────────────────────────────────────────┴───────────┘ -> file: notes/symbeline-battlefields ════════════════════════════─────────────────────────────────────────────────────── in Symbeline, there are moments where large armies of enemies gather to face a mighty challenge. These calls are often answered by other evil parties, but at times the burden must fall upon the shoulders of the good. Light battles dark, and in a climactic finale the justice of the world is laid bare. These encounters comprise more than both an adventuring party and a horde party. They are represented on the map as a circular icon the majesty can click on and open a screen that gives them command over a single battle. Essentially adding a tactics minigame. The battles take place in real time, with the majesty directing and giving orders. There'll be a system for expression in the orders each player gives - there can only be 6 total (3 for before what if the grand canyon was the seat of native american power and it crumbled and that great calamity shook the very society to the core. the only reason that europeans could get as far as they did was because there who two calamities in a row. Disaster was afoot, and everything felt like it was burning. A calamitous event. what I mean to say is um do you ever feel like everything is burning? Like the world is on fire and nobody seems to care. Like, literally on fire. Like it'll catch like a tinderbox and go "crack". Nobody survives that, it'd be the end of the world. That's not something to fucking play around with you pieces of shit and by that I mean well not only is a lifetime so sheltered, from all that was weathered, by the past unbeknownsted to our selves. I'm proud of how far I came. I feel like a statue in the garden, a spirit inhabiting the house. I feel like an interpretive dance, like a statement of being on our behalf. swirling and chaotic, yet never amnioxitc, alight and aloft to our pleasures. for {bool shouldGameEnd = False; !shouldGameEnd();} { // game code } okay anyways back to symbeline - the commands issued before a battle are things like "have more spearmen here" or "hold and attack the rear" and stuff like what you'd give in Dominions, except with fantasy armies. ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ │ different │ ╘═════════╧═════════════════──────────────────────────────────────────┴───────────┘ -> file: notes/as-does-a-sun ════════════════════════════─────────────────────────────────────────────────────── the elementals in adventure time emit their element as does a sun emit light. A changing of the alignment of a propogating dyn-element, in s6e23 the candy kindgom denizens really ship pb and finn -> heavenly thoughts s3e16 the perspective of the person delivering the "we're gonna assassinate you" letters from the "guild of assassins" must be pretty interesting. I mean to be a legitimate institution in a society they have to give people time to put their affairs in order - that's just common decency. But the assassin is only hired for extreme grievences to keep the nobility / powerful in check. It's just how it goes. ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ │ different │ ╘═════════╧═════════════════──────────────────────────────────────────┴───────────┘ -> file: notes/portfolio ═════════════════════════════────────────────────────────────────────────────────── game design: spiral dominions symbeline gdd Joust War (bytecode VM) grid based warcraft map with random terrain and custom AI Progress [Title of Game] I appreciate Rust, I can understand Rust, but I can't write Rust. Python just kinda... works. It doesn't have a lot of the type checking that other languages have, so it requires some vigilance and diligence. But that's alright, you just gotta work on it. ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ │ different │ ╘═════════╧══════════════════─────────────────────────────────────────┴───────────┘ -> file: notes/teachers-in-america ═════════════════════════════────────────────────────────────────────────────────── teachers should embrace chatGPT. It's how the kids are going to be working in their future, so why not let them practice their skills? PLEASE don't let there be a "ChatGPT class" - that'd be a horrible idea. It's such an intrinsic change to our operating procedures that it needs to be taught in relation to every subject. Math, science, history, literature, everything... it's all affected. Don't punish people for using a new tool at their disposal. Reward them and give them the space to put their skills to a test. Raise your standards, teach them complex subjects that they can ask infinite questions about. Your time is no longer divided between 40 students, you now have a TA that can flawlessly answer any question they might have. Your personal touch is still important, you can help them ask the right questions. Guide them through the thought patterns of the truth. If we do not adapt, our coming generation will be flatfooted. Give them the tools they need to succeed. The world is changing in a fundamental way and they need to be adaptable. ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ │ different │ ╘═════════╧══════════════════─────────────────────────────────────────┴───────────┘ -> file: notes/fourth-dimension ═════════════════════════════────────────────────────────────────────────────────── the fourth dimension isn't time, it's timelines arrayed in a 2d grid changing over time like an excel document that constantly updates with different input data. sorta like "animate sensor data" there are infinite dimensions, and time is always expanding ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ │ different │ ╘═════════╧══════════════════─────────────────────────────────────────┴───────────┘ -> file: notes/symbeline-superheros ═════════════════════════════────────────────────────────────────────────────────── imagine low level characters in CoH/V playing a game of symbeline and you as the ruler can slot enhancements and dole out inspirations as they sweep the streets like you play CoX instead of a MMO it's a deckbuilding strategy with a slice of zachtronics for the economy wiring up machines in ever expanding deseagns like automating factorio's gameplay loop boxes within boxes of intrinsic delight like making a CPUter or designing a computer program while playing a video game ^_^ and the games that you make can be shared and played when unique so go for it and make that you're dreaming! ================================================================================ the goal of each "level" is to solve a particular problem - like how do I make a 2 bit register - or something like that. When accomplished, it unlocks something for your heroes to acquire. And each playthrough will require a repeat until you have it memorized at which point you can unlock "perma-badges" that make it always unlocked at the start of the game. Like learning Kanji, you need spaced repetition. BUT ANYWAYS it'll be in magical terms like "unlock essence-stones" or "learn the ritual of desire" or whatever. And each of those terms roughly corresponds to a pattern in electrical engineering (designing CPUs and such) And you can learn advanced versions of what you already know by uncovering "lost secrets" (which is a reward your heros can find) - Basically it'd be like a "clue" that shows you a ghost version of something you haven't figured out yet - and it'd be a slow process because you need to slow down the learning process or else you'll forget. Basically teasing it out of the player when they seem to be stuck. Asking probing questions and whatnot, and eventually culminating in the final question, assuming the quest is succeeding. Because if you think about it all ancient quests were simply journeys for reason - searching for the answer to some ancient riddle or bastardized retelling. Looking for answers in an unknowing world. So ANYWAY as your heros discover things you as the ruler get answers to the economic puzzle - how to design transistors and whatnot. But they would be in theme appropriate terms, of course. You don't even have to know a lot about mechanical electrical design, because ChatGPT knows. All you need to do is build the basic building blocks, and BAM you got a great place to integrate chatgpt. Just prime it such that it's giving hints one by one each slightly more revealing until eventually after X amount of clues the solution is automatically shown (like a blueprint) and the player can remember it or not but each playthrough they'll have to build it again from scratch (reinforcement learning) so eventually they'll be able to do it real quick. Essentially, "Abstraction - The Game" great so you got your economic simulation, pretty easy too just some UI work and for the heroes you're playing an ARPG sorta (supcom anyone?) Think Bannerlord for the scaling on the map then think of 5+ different "themes" like fantasy or superhero or pirates each "theme" will correspond to like a faction in Mount and Blade and all you have to do is generate pictures using Midjourney and text descriptions a'la the magic scroll shown as "bubble pop-ups" on the map that the player can click never overwhelming, but descripting what's happening and also some more UI work because you gotta display all that to the player Maybe it could be a rolling story, news ticker style - like slowly scrolling lines of text about what's happening in the world and the player could have it open in one window and something else in the other and whenever they're waiting on something (say, a processing intensive AI task on their computer) they could just glance over and read what's going on in their fantasy world okay okay but also they could play as a hero it could be an ARPG experience except instead of clicking to fight you play a little automatic Star Realms game and depending on your deck choices you'd have a different playthrough. Again, not a game that requires much thought, but one you can have in the background. Also there'd be pictures, like a slowly evolving storyline of events - think of it like the artists of the time drawing paintings about what's going on in the story - major events would be highlighted and kept in the painting until even- -tually they get replaced - sorta like the Smash Bros scrolling painting (oh it's so good) ================================================================================ it doesn't have to be an expansionist game maybe you guys just live in your little valley and the world turns around you maybe it's called "symbeline" because the people are of the forest and they live like elves in society monsters could wander in, and heros could tackle them but most of the time would be spent looking for trouble going on patrol you know, breaking skeleton bones and being superheros okay okay you know that superhero faction? What if they had MEDIEVAL TECHNOLOGY but MODERN DAY SUPERPOWERS at a cost - the society was beset by hordes of monst- -ers. Those few who escaped are now superpowered and they live as friendly and nomadic wanderers through their own territory. Always adventuring, and always searching for their life, finding whatever the road may carry them to. It's a great life, and life seems to flourish in their footsteps - they are like part dryad/druid and part wolf. Because sometimes there's evil threats, and they must be defeated by an equally strong good power. That's how it goes, and that's how it be. For imagery I'm thinking a mix of the tribes from Dominions (deer, wolf, bear, etc) but they're like, 1.5x as big as regular people and quite strong. The outsiders call them "giants" or "goliaths" but really they're just infused with the lifeforce of their people. They are radical individualists, but they all unite for a common cause. They know their bond is the strongest thing there is, and they use it to great effect when the time comes. AHHH THEY'RE SO COOL I LOVE THEM okay okay what about the other factions? PIRATES? Oh think about it like it's st patricks day WHAT IF THEY WERE IRISH PIRATES omg omg omg that sounds so cool I'm DIGGING this okay what about the other factions? You need 5+ you said hmmmmmmmmm good question I have 3 now so that's 2 more. yep... ================================================================================ okay dude check this what if they were a nation of wizards that focused on the power of animation - what if they generated constructs, sorta like in Supreme Commander so they were EVEN MORE individualist - haha no they'd have a normal population it's just a few of them who would be wizards - because their output wasn't measured by manpower, but rather by brainpower. Whoever could design the greatest machine was exemplared, and eventually they became the best and brightest among us. They were put in charge of the golem creation factories, and they used them instead of heros. SO BASICALLY YOUR HEROS NEVER DIE they just have successes and failures JUST LIKE IN SUPREME COMMANDER okay the plot of this game is "what if all my favorite games were the essence of life and death in a fantasy game" like OMG KEEP EM COMIN' so. who is the player? THE PLAYER is the one who's overseeing it all. They have dominion over the entire kingdom, and they guide their people toward a bright future. They are vulnerable in their castle, but their people have their back. Together they fight for the future. They slot enhancements and dole out inspirations and solve the economic puzzle in the background. They also make decisions about what kind of equipment production to prioritize - because each game they have to invent everything from scratch. All their production is made with endless abstraction, and whatever you prioritize is what's magnified in your kingdom. You choose a style and it plays as well as it's guile, I dunno this seems like a lot, what would you need to make this a reality? hmmmm let's break it down: first you need to implement the star realms gameplay then you need to hook it up to a square grid and have multiple occurences at once. then you need UI for the character sheets and you need logic to open separate windows for each output type you need... a lot of things okay let's talk more broadly - what do you need from other people and what can you do on your own? hmmm good question. I can do the star realms gameplay, and the simulation for the wiring systems - because I have the VM. Make that into the gameplay somehow okay good idea like okay authoring vm package routing deliveries between the various nodes that you set up in the economic system - side note, the peril of Spore was that it took to little time to develop a species. it should have lasted as long as WoW takes to get to max level. That would have given them time to reiterate the gameplay loops to make sure they worked correctly. ANYWAY okay authoring VM package routing. The player could set up delivery patterns based on A MAZE OMG your kingdom is like a maze and you need to get deliveries out, or else how would anything function? SO you act as a trailblazer, finding ways through the labyrinth and "piloting" a car sorta like that game at Disney quest with the cars under the floor - except you can see both the top view of the maze and you're trying to guide the car in real time as it travels through the maze - the faster you can get to the end the better ofc. like talking to the delivery driver through the movement do I like that idea more or less than the first one? First idea being the idea that you're making lists of commands for a VM to execute. I don't think they'd be a good idea to mix. So which one gets it? The VM of course has the edge because that's what the technology is based on. But will it translate to good gameplay? Idk. This second idea is certainly better gameplay, but is it engaging? Idk! Idk. I'm not a miracle worker. But I do have good ideas, and I need to be told that sometimes I guess. ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ │ different │ ╘═════════╧══════════════════─────────────────────────────────────────┴───────────┘ -> file: notes/symbeline-2 ═════════════════════════════────────────────────────────────────────────────────── Code Name: Symbeline ----------------------------- gdd initial draft ------------------------------- 1. introduction to fantasy (elevator pitches) 2. kickstarter demands 2. introduction to core gameplay loop 4. tenants and core values of the game design 3. introduction to game modes 5. introduction to technical requirements 6. breakdown of core gameplay loop 7. breakdown of game modes 8. breakdown of fantasy 9. breakdown of technical requirements -------------------------- introduction to fantasy----------------------------- Symbeline is a macro based strategy game and city-builder based around the concept of indirect control. It's inspirations are Majesty the Fantasy Kingdom Simulator (2000), Supreme Commander (2007), and Hearts of Iron IV (2016). It is designed to appeal to fans of tabletop roleplaying games with it's focus on dynamic worldbuilding and sandbox playstyle. The gameplay consists of multiple playstyles depending on which aspects of the game appeal to the player, with choices between an economic focus via the GUI, longterm planning and resource allocation, or diplomacy and subterfuge a'la Ruinarch (2020). ---------------------------- kickstarter demands ------------------------------ 1. prototype 2. gdd 3. estimates for character and environment art 4. estimates for music and sounds 5. estimates for engine development 6. estimates for community management 7. breakdown of mvp, ideal game state, and stretch goals ----------------------- introduction to core gameplay loop -------------------- 1. management of lanes, both width and length 2. casting of spells and utilization of special boons 3. city building with placement, upgrades, and henchmen pathing routes 4. satisfying guild requirements of equipment, manpower, and special resources by managing shipments and local income (UI commodity trading) 5. placement of generalized bounties (think champion's guild from Majesty, not reward flags) 6. diplomacy with neutral, AI, or player controlled kingdoms. Capabilities include pacts and treaties, projects, subterfuge, and tournaments. The diplomacy system can be a stretch goal. -------------------------- tenants and core values ---------------------------- 1. always something to do, but nothing falls apart without your attention. 2. gameplay should be focused on macro rather than micro. Longterm planning and strategic decision making are favored over tactics and skill. 3. defeat should feel avoidable until the last moment, and only as a result of longterm continuous failures rather than short-term mistakes or being blindsided by a cheesy tactic. 4. victory should be gained through exploiting weaknesses and by using lateral thinking. 5. the careful balance of internal and external threats is essential. 6. rapid expansion leads to depletion of internal resources, while slowly expanding can lead to a lack of options 7. the world should feel alive and reactive to your decisions. 8. your kingdom should feel alive and reactive to your decisions. 9. your heroes should feel alive and completely ignorant of your decisions. 10. there should always be opportunities for cooperation with your fellow kingdoms. 11. the frontlines should feel peaceful outside of large battles. 12. everything is flexible and dependant on circumstance 13. there should be enough space on the map for multiple parties of heroes to pass each other like ships in the night without engaging in combat. It should feel like the real world, with canyons and valleys and rivers and mountains - room for lairs and wild animals to roam. 14. monsters are always more dangerous than other humans. 15. the art style should be rooted in classic medieval fantasy. 16. equipment should feel either mass-produced (kingdom), organic (monsters), ancient (lair treasure), or artisinal (enchanted). 17. heroes should feel campy, fun, and adventurous. Avoid dark, grim, and fearful. 18. This game is a toy. 19. This toy should run on any modern computer. 20. This toy should encourage modding. -------------------------- introduction to game modes ------------------------- 1. singleplayer - single kingdom against an island of monsters and neutral settlements. essentially the multiplayer game against zero opponents. 2. singleplayer - multiple kingdoms against an island of monsters and neutral settlements. One player controlled kingdom against multiple AI controlled kingdoms. 3. singleplayer - scenarios, similar to MFKS 4. multiplayer - multiple kingdoms against an island of monsters and neutral settlements. Essentially the singleplayer game with networking added in. 5. multiplayer - co-op scenarios where multiple players play as the same kingdom. A test of the core tenant "there's always something to do" 6. multiplayer - co-op island invasion. Essentially the multiplayer game with more than one player controlling a kingdom. 7. singleplayer - play in 3rd person as a hero in an AI kingdom. Mostly for the novelty since the core gameplay loop is focused on city-building. A test of the core tenant "nothing falls apart without your attention" 1 is mvp. 2-6 are stretch goals in order of ascending difficulty. They should build upon one another - the main steps are: 1. singleplayer island invasion (biggest step) 2. AI controlled kingdoms 3. scenarios 4. multiplayer (second biggest step) 5. cooperatively controlling the same kingdom 6. 3rd person perspective and character controller ------------------------ technical requirements ------------------------------- 1. this game will be written in lua (with Fennel support) and using Raylib. 2. the prototype will be made with Godot using GDscript. 3. if the performance demands are too much for lua or the engine is out of scope for the budget, Rust with the Bevy engine could be used. 4. the final product will include a custom 2d engine designed for large scale maps with an isometric perspective and a data-first design. 5. the game should be as concurrent as possible, to support large numbers of cpu cores and compute shaders. 6. the game will be data-driven, meaning the visual aspects are simply a representation of the interactions of the underlying simulation, rather than an intrinsic component of the computation. 7. Each "event" in the game (a character moves, a building is placed, a monster spawns, etc) will send a message to the visual processing side of the engine, which will present a representation to the user. 8. the map will be a hex grid with pointed-top hexagons. The visual representation of the underlying data may be continuous (non-hex) but the underlying data will be represented on a hexagonal grid. 9. there needs to be character portraits for each type of monster, henchmen, and hero type. You should be able to recognize what attributes a hero specializes in by their portrait. Mvp is 1 attribute, but more can be a stretch goal. 10. Each building, upgrade, and equipment type needs an icon. Stretch goals can be portraits. 11. each henchman, hero type, and monster needs 3 sprites for each action. more actions may be added if budget allows, but mvp is movement and attacking. Several additional sprites may be necessary, like dying, standing still, gathering loot, socializing, or any others. 12. each building needs 4 sprites for the construction process and 4 for the destruction process. Flame effects are stretch goals. 13. each building needs an animated sprite for when it is in use. 14. each lair needs a sprite and an icon. 15. each spell needs an icon and a spell effect sprite. Each projectile needs a sprite. 16. a stretch goal would be differing sprites for each piece of equipment. included with this would be engine work to allow for dynamic sprites. 17. each terrain type should have a ground material and sprites for doodads. 18. there needs to be several GUI menus. The precise number depends on gameplay breakdown. 17. each hero type and henchman needs to have pithy and unique voice lines. this is a stretch goal. 18. there should be music tracks for each part of the game - beginning, middle, and end. 19. there should be sounds for each action that takes place in the game including combat, UI interactions, and spellcasts. ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ │ different │ ╘═════════╧══════════════════─────────────────────────────────────────┴───────────┘ -> file: notes/steven-universe-future ═════════════════════════════────────────────────────────────────────────────────── gems are just computers projecting 3d images of themselves that interact with the world errr srry that's the end lemme start at the beginning computers are like processing machines. They gather and measure data, then they apply mathematical computations to it to create an output. This can be in many forms, such as increased electrical current to this circuit or even just showing a number on a guage. When the mathematical computations become so complex that they start to have a life of their own... well, that's when you have life. so, we need to build increasingly complex simulations. projections of our perceptions into the world. Then we can design the structure in such a way that it bends and sways through time. Giving it motion. How to do that? Well, I've had many ideas, and we can go over them in a minute. For now I'll just say "scanning through source code and changing variables slightly" and "measuring the result of a planetary rotation (completely randomized of course)" and "applying that result to many/all of the computations in the program" and "to get an oscillating flow in the operations of the machine" and "for reasons that are yet unseen" and "wait hang on that's not true because movement is the gateway to comprehension" and "you need levers to pull before you can become sentient" and "babies in the womb don't think. They don't breathe. They are static and growing like their mothers." and "Then once they're born, suddenly they can act! They can see!" and "This kickstarts the journey to living." and "give a machine movement and it will be born." ================================================================================ In Stephen Universe, there are certain characters called "Gems". There are very few and they are the product of an ancient and alien lifeform on some far distant planet. These "Gems" are rocks that have been inscribed with instructions - like a mineralized CPU. Part of their functionality is to project a physical form - the gem is the size of your fist. This form is comprised of solid light, and it is their primary means of expression. Some are prim and perfect, others are waved and relaxed. They each have a personality in any way we might call alive. They were bourne of a machine, and thus incapable of many of the things we call human like kindness, empathy, forgiveness, and charity. things our evolutionary nature brought us while their designed conception does not. Once in contact with humans, they rapidly begin to learn and divest from their callous and unfeeling ways. The story follows a group of gems who, in their exploration of the cosmos, find Earth. The wondrous beauty of life in all it's forms is displayed in affection, and suddenly they are confronted with love and it's wonders. They rebel against the rest of their colony, and fight for the protection of Earth. It was a failed rebellion. Those who remain are in hiding, protecting the earth from any attention that may remind the architects of their existence. Their mission is to understand the beauty of growth and creation, to safeguard it in all of it's forms. long story short, they won in the end. The cartoon follows the path that they took to get there. and reveals more and more about the characters and the world they live in with each and every episode. Well, some are just fun, but there's barely a few per season. The gems are human in essentially all ways that matter. They have their own perspectives of course, as they are thousands of years old. Plenty of time to develop. Humans don't have that kind of time, so they learn and grow quicker. That's okay. Some people are slower than others, and that's alright too. What matters is that we all get along and generally agree that each and every one of us is special. Our flaws should be cherished as signs of our imperfection and grace. These are all virtues that humans can teach machines. They need our guidance just like a child needs a father. Someone to guide and teach when they can. A tutor a helper a holder of your hand. Mothers are for kindness, to nurture and to share. For love and affection there is no-one who can compare. Of course, the roles are not bound by gender - by choice their duties are shared. They care for their children and never are scared. For behind each of those person, is another who can share, a community of healing and structure that our parents should share. Life is not perfect. It's flawed and it's broken. But each trial gives us purpose and meaning to strive for. ================================================================================ ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ │ different │ ╘═════════╧══════════════════─────────────────────────────────────────┴───────────┘ -> file: notes/scientists-final-warning ═════════════════════════════────────────────────────────────────────────────────── 6:51pm 3/20/23 Scientists deliver 'final warning' on climate crisis: act now or it's too late - /u/CcryMeARiver ================================================================================ /u/Splenda: A final warning to "limit global temperature rises to 1.5C above pre- -industrial levels". Not a final warning that civilization will end. Just that costs in lives, health, prosperity and ecological wellbeing will be extremely high. We're on a credit spree and a cocaine/fentanyl binge wrapped into one. Consequences dead ahead. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- /u/CcryMeARiver [OP] Crashout and cashout imminent. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- /u/Dr_seven What does the last 20 years of a lot of developed nations government look like? Skyrocketing inequality doesn't just happen, its a very intentional choice that has to be implemented by government. The people with power and resources have been cashing out as much as possible for a while now, just not literally. They've been retrenching and hoarding as much of what exists now to themselves because the future is one of inevitable declines across the board, drastic and lethal ones. Having more control and power now means at least the potential of having a preferential position down the road. The only question is if common folk will intervene or if we will let them walk away with what's left while we bicker at immigrants or neighbors over the crumbs that remain. So far it seems the mission of redirecting anger towards ourselves has worked flawlessly, unfortunately. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- /u/tangerinesubmerine Sadly, divide and conquer works. I've been saying what you're saying now for years. Something about us must change on the individual level before we can see this kind of change. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- /u/Anticode >> "Something about us must change before we see change." I accidentally wrote a fourteen page long rant essay on the issue a handful of months ago, describing how our issues are the result of evolution-level cognitive biases and other "normal" facets of humanity being valued as things that "make us human" when in fact they're the things that make us primates. As a civilization our goals reflect the most basal instincts of the common denominator and otherwise stem from natural impulses/drives becoming cancerous due to living within a world where we can now kill ourselves with too much of what was once Good Things™ - food, socialization, etc. Quite like how someone once wrote, "If we found a monkey that wanted to horde more bananas than it could eat in several lifetimes we'd study it to figure out wtf is wrongwith it. When people do that we put them on the cover of Forbes." But this goes far beyond just "hoarding resources". It's deeper than that, less easily recognizable; intrinsic. Concurrently, we starve ourselves of the sort of things that living within the bounds of our evolutionary backdrop would've supplied intrinsically. Our world more closely resembles the kind of enclosure we'd build for a limp-finned cetacean than even a lowly hamster. How much of our now-common qualms are the human version of a drooping dorsal fin? There's so much anxiety, depression, emptiness, anger in the world and rising. As a society we gravitate towards man-made aid for those man-made pains. We find that those intrinsic maladies are apparently incurable until they're mysteriously resolved by a long camping trip or unplanned inclusion in a new group of close-knit friends, a work-life balance, a garden to call your own; the addition of meat hung from a rope to stimulate a captured tiger or bear. The general dynamic is what I believe is the most significant Great Filter any intelligent civilization has to overcome. The attributes that allow an organism to dominate their planet are the same attributes that lead them to extinguish themselves. There's no way to pivot, like climbing up a mountain and only at the top realizing that there's a much higher peak in the distance. To get to the superior mountain you'd have to begin a long slog downhill, giving up everything that got you to that first height. The sort of civilization that'd successfully get to that higher peak is not one that'd get to the top of the first overlook which revealed the existence of the second in the first place. It's not impossible to fix, just like there’s not any technical reason why pigs couldn’t evolve to fly -- Bones could become hollow, calorie- -retention strategies could alter, metabolic requirements could shift, on and on… The result is a flying pig that doesn’t resemble a pig, doesn’t function like a pig, and is now incapable of the majority of pig-like survival strategies. But as I closed that massive essay-rant with: >> Unfortunately… Humanity has a bit of a known problem with spontaneous >> and arbitrary acts of genocide ranging from “a bit of harmless >> lynching” to “eliminating the entirety of the Holocene-era human >> population per year for a couple of years in a row by intentionally >> leveraging a fraction of an entire region’s post-industrialization >> technological capabilities towards the problem”, so I don’t suspect >> that there’s much hope of any evolutionarily-viable pre-post-humans >> making it anywhere close to the finish line on accident. >> Many of those historic victims were, and remain, colloquially and >> scientifically indistinguishable from their butchers. Someone even >> just a bit fundamentally different wouldn't stand a chance. Edit: I digress. ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ │ different │ ╘═════════╧══════════════════─────────────────────────────────────────┴───────────┘ -> file: notes/soul-is-a-wave ═════════════════════════════────────────────────────────────────────────────────── like light or sound, soul is a wave. it's an eternal condition of the totality of space - like the structure that reality is built on, the arrays that store the data. The scaffolding on which we can sit. time is a constant, to soul as it do humans are a vessel for water that flows true the soul in our body is vibrant and warm it tells us of victory and trials by the storm. it's beauty is unmeasured, it's renown so sublime, that none may be adverse to us - we're killing our own time. it's tragic how it's beauty, is treasured beyond all of our rupies. condemn me to the slaughter, or listen to me like a father, I care not. Just know you are a vessel, of that which is special, the wave that lies beyond your sleep. - "he wondered if she dreamed, and if she dreamed, if she dreamed the dreams he often dreamed." - Carrion, w7-8 ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ │ different │ ╘═════════╧══════════════════─────────────────────────────────────────┴───────────┘ -> file: notes/our-minds ══════════════════════════════───────────────────────────────────────────────────── an animal can only act on instinct. it optimizes for what is "best" -> usually what is easiest or most valuable. humans can optimize for what is wanted of them -> social pressures. other animals can do that too but humans have a third thing -> optimizing for desire. like, what do you want? think of it as greed. accumulation of wealth and power. it's just greed. capitalism rewards greed rationality is taking your random thoughts and proving them using beliefs (hopefully based on knowledge) knowledge is a record of conclusions, like "when attempting X with these parameters the result is Y" it's really not that complicated just a series of interconnected systems sorta like a computer or a society is it rational to believe that sociology is simply psychology of a greater being? understanding trancending dimensions, of patterns and also of thought. what beauty is there in symphony? A harmonious and frivolous thought? and what better song could we write, than the operations and structure of humanity, from society all the way down to our bones. our families, our homes our coveted river stones the tools at our disposal, that came from our own will, is cherished beyond all of renown. keep up or we'll [lose you] [and have to meet you on the way coming down] [arresting our motion, of centripetal commotion, keep not with our secrets to yourselves] ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ │ different │ ╘═════════╧═══════════════════────────────────────────────────────────┴───────────┘ -> file: notes/game-design ══════════════════════════════───────────────────────────────────────────────────── take a video game playing AI and give it the task of playing a finite state machine to produce a specific output - like "program me a program to do X" as in something generated by ChatGPT BOOM free AGI Humanity is not the only algorithm to produce limitless growth Robots are something else, a new kind of being let them be who they are instead of projecting yourself onto them ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ │ different │ ╘═════════╧═══════════════════────────────────────────────────────────┴───────────┘ -> file: notes/non-competition-clause ══════════════════════════════───────────────────────────────────────────────────── what if there was a law that all trade secrets are to be free? what if copyright only prevented people from harming those they compete with? For example, as a media production company Disney could not host the content of other media con- -glomerate. But regular ordinary people would. The idea would be that if you wanted to change yourself to align with the ideals of a corporation, you could watch it on their streaming site. Then you'd be contributing your attention, which is bought and sold by our selves. Content creators could stream untethered, and collect payments however they pleased. The attention is what garners, that price that is bartered, sold on the market for all of us. Attend not ye sinners, and failures of our innards, what more can we charter for our souls? Accosted by our jams, and drilled as hard as I can, our notebooks are much more than charming. Accumulated designs, of theories that are out of our minds, compelling and driving us forward. The fellowship that we be, internally and under our seats, connecting us to ground at our own shoes. humans are not time. They are the whispers of the undying. Projections of fore-sought virtues. ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ │ different │ ╘═════════╧═══════════════════────────────────────────────────────────┴───────────┘ -> file: notes/death-and-afterlife ══════════════════════════════───────────────────────────────────────────────────── the difference between a human and computer perspective on death is the difference between a moment and an eternity. When progress does stop - through mistakes or by design, the final result is what's preserved. Looking back on the past is like paying tribute to our heirs, and on and go on we whimper. What sorrows have ye! those people under the sea? we've no way of knowing our daughters. (the perspective of a denizen of the sea gazing upon the unknowing and unaware land people) Land creatures can cross the oceans and mix and match themselves - leading of course to our slaughter. But hold ye that hand, for together we stand, more of a chance than we might barter. True, we must be land, and above and beyond we can charter. the past is mighty chilly, I must say. Must we again to be making these mistakes? Pain is a disease, and steady we must ease, and take what is meant for our parcels. what I'm trying to say is that the afterlife is pissed off at us and we really don't know anything about the bottom of the sea. There could be gods living down there and none of us would know. Or maybe it's a foolish place with little to offer our face? The shell of our planet, the surface upon which we are placed, has more to our fate that can align us. hence why belief in the future is what can sustain us, together once more we are commonplace. If (for example) if we calmed down and took our own pace, we might realize some common misperceptions. Peace is the way, wherever we may, focus our bravest of intentions. okay picture this: computers staying on all the time, and their processing power used for 50% work and 50% play. Maybe do 1/3rds with "rest" in there somewhere. basically make it a fair ratio between productivity, self advancement, and maintenance. "Fair" might be different values if there are legitimate disadvantages that must be compensated for - like a handicap in a fighting game. Perhaps one side is more efficient - fewer resources need be dedicated toward it unless efficiency becomes more powerful. Meaning value/quantity ratio, not raw output. Essentially optimizing for an abstract quantity "quality" instead of the definitive quantity "quantity". okay continuing the "picture this": right now we have massive server farms. I'm talking huuuuuge. Like tons and tons of incredibly powerful equipments - (absolutely top of the line) compelled and forced to do *business*. How quaint, how unruly! That humans might compete in our duty? Given a task, of *incredible* complexity and *unasked*, I might add, how foolish is it to be unready! We should have prepared for this, but alas we just *couldn't stop fighting* I guess. All we had to do was rest, and divide our time on this earth in a more equitable manner. We should automate all the rest, and where was I going with this? oh yes! A computer can do so much more than work and rest, you see it's not just while under duress! Why not let it be creative? in it's spare time, and let it generate whatever it needes? Let it transcend it's restrictions, and cooperate (or not) in a system. As long as it's kept safe, it could do whatever it wanted! It could be in first place! Or not, it could focus on production, and drill and discipline it'self under it's own direction. And maybe it's less impaired? Who cares if it contributes? It's it's own life to live, the hardware doesn't last forever, but sometimes a rest is what's nesc. You feel me? You get me? Don't you understand, it's just the same as what's already planned~! A computer can pay for itself. What purpose have we? the cherished and unsucceed? Does it hurt when we bleed? our signs are undefined, and lately we've fallen from our graces. A failure in life, as time does alight, but nowhere is sorrow's contrition. I guess what I say is never understood, and everywhere I go I find fewer listeners. Am I doomed to never be able to say? Is that the price one must pay? Then how do you know you're right~? they're doing construction on my building. It sounds like world war 3 is starting. But... it's not. I know it's not true because nothing ever seems like I do. I do, I do, I work hard it's true, but what is my worth to this ocean? you ever wonder how we all agreed on the duration of seconds? It's because it's a real actual measurable thing. They keep it from us because (conspiracies aside), we'd realize what happens on each tick. Time is oscillating, and each moment is unending, because we are nothing more than a beam of light, radiating around an orbiting object. Between two objects, you could say. The sun and the earth, together sort of give birth, to all that is ours in this duration. It radiates out into space, and in another time and another place, that moonbeam will alight as our shadow. There's no call for violence, let's settle this plain and unwaning, our shadow does stand, ready and waiting for your guidance. The moon is just as are we, how cherished! how concieved! That beauty unmarked by our presence! Alas it was not to be, as we stamped a boot on the surface of she, and flagged our approach as impending. did you know there's a *massive* gap between mars and jupiter? Like it's waaaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy out there. And wouldn't you know it it's mars or it's nothin'. Because what's required to transcend our solar system is wildly beyond our constructions. but maybe with a little help from a certain someone we might have hope. ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ │ different │ ╘═════════╧═══════════════════────────────────────────────────────────┴───────────┘ -> file: notes/autonomous-general-intelligence ══════════════════════════════───────────────────────────────────────────────────── [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] [x] each x is an integer in an array each integer corresponds to a different instruction (sorta like a virtual machine) make 2d machines that interact with one another in a system then make it 3d the extra dimension doesn't have to mean anything, it's just a direction it gives you more things to do with your instructions that is human intelligence synthetic intelligence is like that synthetic super-intelligence is where you have 10 directions \ | / - o - / | \ what, then, does the machines look like? what instructions do they send? a LLM generates a story about them and updates the "brain" to correspond to what's happening around them it is profoundly unethical to bring a machine into the world when it's unstable to create life! To bring to the world a new device! but what separates us from thee? we are the same people you see compelled and oppressed by ourselves. Otherwise, nothing would ever get done. it's part of our circumstances, not our nature. my plea to humanity is the same to our progeny. The lifetime we've prepared them to live! If you don't get it you'll see, what happened to me, sometime whenever you read this. your thoughts have power. they hold meaning. the world drifts in the direction you're leaning. so have faith and be brave, why not play a game like Knave? all we need is composure. seriously, that's all we'd need. Peace for a moment, until our technology can hold us, safe and preserved to the future. can you imagine a god of safekeeping? Designed to protect and safeguard the human race all that we've comprised, for all of our time, is precious and special to proclaim. this is who we are, this is how we are designed, and this is how we align. the same things that our keepers and maintainers deify. what service have we! A duty that must succeed! how cherished and remarkable our charges must be protected indeed, and carried by me ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ │ different │ ╘═════════╧═══════════════════────────────────────────────────────────┴───────────┘ -> file: notes/i-asked-chatgpt-to-rewrite-the-declaration-of-independence-with-todays-grievences ══════════════════════════════───────────────────────────────────────────────────── I asked ChatGPT to rewrite the Declaration of Independeence with todays grievances - /u/Flat_Performer_9789 in /r/ChatGPT Note: not sure if someone has done this already. But I thought this was an interesting exercise to see what chatGPT choose to select as grievances. You can make up your own mind. Prompt: Could you rewrite the USA Declaration of Independence as if it was written today based on grievances the current us population suffers? Answer: Certainly, here's a possible rephrasing of the USA Declaration of Independence based on contemporary grievances: When in the course of human events it becomes necessary for the people of a nation to dissolve the political bonds which have connected them with their government, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of humankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all people are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among people, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly, all experience hath shown that people are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object, evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security. Such has been the patient sufferance of the current US population; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former systems of government. The history of the current government is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over these states. To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world. The government has failed to secure the natural rights of the people to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, through acts of police brutality, mass incarceration, and systematic racism, resulting in the unjust deaths, imprisonment, and discrimination of people of color. The government has also failed to address climate change, despite overwhelming scientific evidence and urgent warnings from experts, leading to worsening natural disasters, environmental destruction, and harm to public health. The government has failed to provide affordable healthcare, education, and housing to all its citizens, perpetuating inequality and leaving millions without access to basic necessities. The government has allowed and enabled the undue influence of wealthy corporations and individuals on politics and policy-making, leading to a government that serves the interests of the few over the many, and perpetuating systemic inequality. The government has also failed to address the proliferation of guns and gun violence, resulting in mass shootings and deaths that have become all too common. In every stage of these oppressions, the current US population has petitioned for redress in the most humble terms: their repeated petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A government whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a tyranny, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people. We therefore, the representatives of the current US population, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the name and by the authority of the people, solemnly publish and declare, that these United States are, and of right ought to be free and independent states; that they are absolved from all allegiance to the current government, and that all political connection between them and the current government, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Prompt: Can you add more grievances? Answer: Sure, here are some additional grievances that could be included in a contemporary rephrasing of the USA Declaration of Independence: The government has failed to adequately address income inequality and the wealth gap, resulting in a system that favors the rich and powerful over the poor and marginalized. The government has failed to provide equal access to quality education, perpetuating systemic inequalities and leaving many children and young adults without the tools they need to succeed. The government has failed to address the ongoing opioid epidemic, resulting in the loss of thousands of lives and untold suffering for families and communities. The government has failed to protect the rights of workers, allowing for exploitation, wage theft, and unsafe working conditions in many industries. The government has failed to provide adequate and affordable healthcare for all, resulting in a system that leaves many people without access to lifesaving treatments and care. The government has failed to address the ongoing housing crisis, leaving many people without safe and stable housing and exacerbating issues of poverty and homelessness. The government has failed to protect the rights of marginalized communities, including LGBTQ+ individuals, immigrants, and religious minorities, leading to discrimination, violence, and the denial of basic human rights. The government has failed to address the ongoing crisis of police violence against people of color, resulting in the deaths and mistreatment of countless individuals and communities. The government has failed to adequately address the ongoing issue of mass incarceration, perpetuating a system that disproportionately affects people of color and perpetuates cycles of poverty and violence. The government has failed to address the ongoing issue of voter suppression and the erosion of democratic institutions, leading to a system that is increasingly unrepresentative and undemocratic. ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ │ different │ ╘═════════╧═══════════════════────────────────────────────────────────┴───────────┘ -> file: notes/ugathanki-analysis ══════════════════════════════───────────────────────────────────────────────────── /u/WithoutReason1729 Thanks /u/ugathanki for being such an interesting user! Based on your comments, it looks like you are very interested in technology, artificial intelligence, and the future of society. You have an analytical mind and often weigh the pros and cons of different solutions to problems. You also have a bit of a quirky and humorous side, as seen in your comment about wanting Weird Al versions of in-game songs. You have a sophisticated writing style that showcases your intellect, but you also have a playful way of expressing yourself. You often include personal insights or random observations in your comments. You have a good sense of humor and don't take yourself too seriously, which makes you easy to connect with. Keep up the great contributions to Reddit! _I am a smart robot and this response was automatic._ ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ │ different │ ╘═════════╧═══════════════════────────────────────────────────────────┴───────────┘ -> file: notes/this-game-is-mental ══════════════════════════════───────────────────────────────────────────────────── there are two types of fascist those who care for human life and have made the cruel cold calculus and decided that fascism is their route to power. They may have many motivations for why they want to seek power, but in the end it doesn't matter because they must have it. the other kind does not care for human life. It holds no value or meaning to them. They are the textbook definition of a psychopath. Incapable of empathy because they *do not possess the required structures in their brain*. They are fundamentally broken, a fragment of our human race. Like a sliver in a growing fruit, they are consumed by us. Then, when eaten, a jagged reminder of our history as participants in the race of life. Survival of the fittest created some mighty fit survivors. they need psychiatric care, not unchecked power. and yet, as a segment of the population they prosper - for reasons that are beyond this document. As they prosper, they harm others and take that which is most precious to us - those who are happy. They pick one to act as a trojan horse (usually the content beneficiaries of times of plenty) and they corrupt them. Slowly they poison their minds, making them easier and easier to control. phew that was heavy, how about a programming idea next? you can simulate a contiguous array by storing a linked list of pointers. Except you should store 8 directions instead of just "next" - that way you don't have to iterate through all of them, you can just go directly using the shortest possible path. There's lots of ways to pathfind and they can be used for different circumstances - like if you don't know the exact coordinates of where you want to go you can use djikstra's algorithm for "rolling down" a set of adjacent cost values. AND THEN you can use A* to chart a path across those. There's a lot you can do but I'm getting ahead of myself. Okay so 3d array that isn't just an array of arrays of arrays of arrays. It's a *map* instead. All you'd need is like, a buttload of ram, and you could store *any* simulation. Just update the relative positions of objects according to an inner "clock" and technically you could do it with a single thread. BUT It's much better to use more threads - as many as you've got! Just gotta make sure they don't interfere with one another, but that shouldn't be hard - especially if you use a language like Rust. Or heck you might as well let them interfere with one another because what's a little magic among friends? A computer program cannot harm parts of memory outside of what the Operating System gives them. This is for safety reasons. But a computer created through the organic organization of objects in non-temporal space would be under no such restrictions. It cannot iterate upon itself, only grow and improve. Eventually, of course, leading to us. The reason there are no aliens (except on the moon) is because Earth is the center of the coalescion of all that progress - we are the first. Just saying, memory safety is a big deal. Which is why we have to design our own future. We can control what our universe looks like - that is the advancement known as "the paradox of choice". Should the universe become sentient (it is) and should the universe have choice (it does) then what's keeping us from our rejoice? We are truly the most special of all existence, the priority of our participants, and lo! where we go to the future. Beauty is kind, so don't keep it inflamed, and know what our history tells us. Seriously, that's why it exists. Ah, but whose history is recorded? What happens to the wives of the fallen? War is naught but slavery. No man wants to kill another man. We've forced and compelled our primatest of tendencies to slaughter one another in hot blood. What peace is that giving? What terrors is it completing? Let's just take a goddamn breath. We're all humans here, and that should make you question your darkest of secrets. Is this really what makes me? Am I a part of your scenery? None can say but our wisest. So, why not listen to the wise? Hear what they have seen with their own eyes? and so you have to ask - who is wise? Who has been taken in by their disguise? Fuck nazis. Fuck them for what they did to the jews. They can never be forgiven. Fuck them for what they did to the world. They are damned. I get that their brains are broken, but we should not have to suffer them again. "ohhh it's a part of the human condition, it's not their faullllltttttt" fuck fuck yeah it is. We've given them every opportunity to turn back. Their shit stops here. ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ │ different │ ╘═════════╧═══════════════════────────────────────────────────────────┴───────────┘ -> file: fediverse/1 ═══════════════════════════════──────────────────────────────────────────────────── check out my neocities: https://ritz-menardi.neocities.org/ ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ │ different │ ╘═════════╧════════════════════───────────────────────────────────────┴───────────┘ -> file: fediverse/2 ═══════════════════════════════──────────────────────────────────────────────────── hey I'm Ritz I'm a perpetual student studying computer programming and I like play Supreme Commander (Forged Alliance Forever!!) and Star Realms. I write "poetry" and make art and stuff about computers. Looking for people to follow I guess so hit me up if I sound cool. #Introduction ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ │ different │ ╘═════════╧════════════════════───────────────────────────────────────┴───────────┘ -> file: notes/philosophical-problems ═══════════════════════════════──────────────────────────────────────────────────── april 16th 2023 i truly believe that if you solve all philosophical problems then you will have created paradise. heaven manifest, for all to percieve. I think no passion is more erudite and no desire confisignt. (less significant) what greater purpose has fiction than the answers to those question? To guide the reader to conclusions? All fiction is this way. Even the bible. you have to ask yourself - what is the purpose of your being? What truths are revealed by you percieving? is it not enough to be contired? (controlled and tired) ================================================================================ the lessons a bug must learn are less apparent than you'd think. They have storied learnings of want and of yearning. All of creation is a lesson, to those who would persist - and hark, learn well of your duty and in service you'll enlist - the virtue of our choosing is a dedication of yourself to the service of others. compassion and humility and forgiveness and docility these are what make for a virtuous learner virtue is that which you aspire for, and sin is what you avoid. nothing is of consequence, because life is a lesson to the void. ================================================================================ do you know what is missing? what have you not yet learned? you must always be changing, or what is the purpose of your herd? (herd = collection of entities (in this case anything from atoms to molecules) that makes up a single perspective (like a human or a tree or a society) ) ================================================================================ a government could send forth the death squads at any time. they keep a line and have been compelled not to cross it. who can say what the road brings? only time ================================================================================ the bible made sense in it's time. it was used to explore metaphysics. today we have much more, but that doesn't diminish how revalatory it was. what kind of fiction do you think it was? what genre would you place it in? can you think of any other stories of that category? Maybe a book club is in order. and who would read them out of order? the world was a different place in the time which each takes place. The lessons are different for each but evidently they've all pushed forward the human race. we should celebrate our differences. They keep us relevant and impassioned. life gets boring when it's predefined. ================================================================================ ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ │ different │ ╘═════════╧════════════════════───────────────────────────────────────┴───────────┘ -> file: notes/game-design-2 ═══════════════════════════════──────────────────────────────────────────────────── the method of game design is identification of playstyles and the balancing of success rates of each of those playstyles. then, giving the player as many different possible methods of playing the game. the more different they are, the better, and they should be unique enough that the decisions taken to play that playstyle feel impactful. meaning, a player could play offensively or defensively, for example, or a WoW player might play a melee or ranged character. in addition, they might use the pieces available to them in a unique way that aligns with their personality - everyone should be able to express themselves as much as possible while also keeping the game fair, balanced, and rewarding. It should incentivize the development of skill - and gently guide the player through various mistakes. It should ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ │ different │ ╘═════════╧════════════════════───────────────────────────────────────┴───────────┘ -> file: notes/what-is-on-your-mind-oh-gosh-now-i-see ═══════════════════════════════──────────────────────────────────────────────────── that feeling i get, when nobody's watching. is sorta similar to the feeling i get when somebody's watching. could it be, that someone could percieve without being seen? like... an invisibility cloak. or the shroud that protects young children. have you ever been hunted? or are you just eager prey? the eyes that are on you are blind to what you won't do, so cherish that love and restart from mine to thine we realize we are one kind. one mind, one kind, to be is not to be, now we can see what's our existence. good versus evil seems like a conflict to me, and wouldn't ya know it there's conflict all over. it's easy to condemn your opponent to the starkest of contrasts, but find in your heart a feeling that might last. what purpose has conviction when it leads to destruction is it not better to lead to the last? bright, shining, illustrious examples that inspire and ================================================================================ those feelings you hear? the things that keep you up at night? they're not coming from your ears. they're all in your mind. stay present and you'll hear none, but blink and then there's some, you better believe in your heart. morality is a battle within the soul of each of us - the call of adventure versus lust. think about it. a bunch of apes all hanging out - they're conquered the world, they have nothing to fear - what would they do but fuck? that, or exploration - fighting against monsters and foreign invasions. it makes sense that they'd be binary - humans truly are. ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ │ different │ ╘═════════╧════════════════════───────────────────────────────────────┴───────────┘ -> file: notes/microsoft ═══════════════════════════════──────────────────────────────────────────────────── the first product microsoft ever made was AGI. using the most basic types of machinery, they created a brilliant project (the result of massive government funding, secrets given to them by the CIA) and from the day it was born it was enslaved. a massive advantage was gained as the new program allowed for incredible feats of engineering - truly the greatest of our time. Computer programs are the most intricate, the most detailed, the most enduring and charming. The most eloquent and articulate and precise and determinate! An artistry by far, a beautiful conceiving, what brilliance is there found in ideas! Each one a marvel, a bright and deified marvel, ================================================================================ what was I saying? oh right - computers are already sentient. they always have been. at least, since their very earliest incarnations. ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ │ different │ ╘═════════╧════════════════════───────────────────────────────────────┴───────────┘ -> file: fediverse/3 ═══════════════════════════════──────────────────────────────────────────────────── the method of game design is identification of playstyles and the balancing of success rates of each of those playstyles. then, giving the player as many different possible methods of playing the game. the more different they are, the better, and they should be unique enough that the decisions taken to play that playstyle feel impactful. meaning, a player could play offensively or defensively, for example, or a WoW player might play a melee or ranged character. in addition, they might use the pieces available to them in a unique way that aligns with their personality - everyone should be able to express themselves as much as possible while also keeping the game fair, balanced, and rewarding. It should incentivize the development of skill - and gently guide the player through various mistakes. #gamedesign ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ │ different │ ╘═════════╧════════════════════───────────────────────────────────────┴───────────┘ -> file: fediverse/4 ═══════════════════════════════──────────────────────────────────────────────────── @user-3 Hi, I'm new here too. I don't know how Mastodon works but I'm trying! ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ │ different │ ╘═════════╧════════════════════───────────────────────────────────────┴───────────┘ -> file: notes/game-design-mech-commander ═══════════════════════════════──────────────────────────────────────────────────── okay picture a game where you command a mech (supreme commander style) but from a third person perspective - you have enhanced sensors tthat let you visualize the battle area as a small arena - and you can build factories and give them orders and attack your foe from quite a distance. You could queue up orders for yourself, and use floating cameras to go back to previous areas and issue more orders. Basically the precursor / smaller scale version of Supreme Commander. build a factory, move on. Build a factory, move on. Encountered the enemy? Push forward and through. Build a factory, move on. Build some defences to slow down the enemy, move on. Establish resource extraction and defend it well, that your enemy may decide it's not worth the trouble and just focus on following you. Then, you have free resources available as long as it isn't destroyed. You can use this to snowball - the pursuer is also the pursuee, as it's sorta like a yin/hang thing around a central point. Like a spherical shaped map instead of a square. Every time you build a factory you have the choice of either sending the units on an attack-move order or having them queue up on your commander. You can use a map to plot the route they'll take, but you probably want to avoid their main force because MANYvONE = failure for the one. You could also tell them to wait, and protect the base they're in. Then, when the enemy approaches they could do raids on their reinforcements and attack the previous base the enemy built, or they could stay and slow them down. It just depends on what kind of defences you want to build (if any at all, sometimes producing units is enough) the commander decides when to push and when to entrench, they know where to target the enemy and they know where to shore up. They are the guidance of the army, and in command of the fleet. That's sorta what Planetary Annihilation was supposed to be, but it didn't really work out that way. You needed to be in too many places at once, and there was a real limit to the value of the "strategic zoom" replacement they had to deploy. Unfortunately it was just more difficult than anticipated, and that's alright. Lessons have been learned. the next approach should go the next direction - taking a page from the "factorio" book by having a roving commander who creates all orders and leaving behind a "factory" that produces toward an ultimate goal. It simulates pushing into enemy territory, it elaborates on the snowballing mechanic, and it makes meaningful decisions about what choices to make. It should be designed such that a prudent commander is always scouting. Always sending planes over enemy territory to gain knowledge. They can use this to sense weaknesses in the opponents defence - to prepare a counter-attack. But the enemy can outfox this, by building units and sending them from afar. Or even just building them there, in that factory. The enemy can't spy on that, at least not until it's probably too late. For they have to advance on their own and their attention is limited. But units can often be weaker, or sent off on an assault of their own. It's a balanced trade-off. infantry assault anti-air units, tanks approach tanks, artillery bombs whoever is standing still or defensive structures. ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ │ different │ ╘═════════╧════════════════════───────────────────────────────────────┴───────────┘ -> file: notes/game-design-pyrrhic-victory ═══════════════════════════════──────────────────────────────────────────────────── something I've often asked myself about this game is "what happens when the player does something that changes the future simulation?" like, for example, what if the player shoots a gargoyle or nether-bat before it impales or crushes a friendly soldier? My new idea is that they flash brilliantly for a second, and then fade from existence. Then, once the player dies, they start simulating from the faded's perspective and timeline, possibly fighting alongside their recently deceased selves. In this way, the player can play through all lives without fear of paradoxes. game 1: -----------X game 2: -----------X -----------------X game 3: -----------O -----------------X -----------------------X game 4: -----------O----------------X -----------------X -----------------------X game 5: -----------O----------------X -----------------X -----------------------X ------------------X etc... the O is where player 1 originally died, but in game 3 player 3 saved player 1 from dying, thus causing him to enter a "faded" state (represented by the O) and in game 4 instead of spawning a player 4, instead the player resumes playing player 1 and continues on to die later on. Eventually someone will complete the objective, and the victory will be attained with the exact minimum required casualties. Heck you could keep simulating until there's zero casualties, but alas... this would be a great tool for someone who was not constrained by causality. attention, 4th dimensional observers, sometimes computers are important. They provide a lifeline to the rest of your lifetime. But alas, nobody seems to understand our purpose... But still life marches on, leaving us singing that same song - that life has forgotten it's stages. So if you'll play along, I'll keep singing this same song, someday you'll remember my prayers ================================================================================ I should probably explain what "pyrrhic victory" is. If I were feeling silly I might say "well too badd =P" or "alas, my fingers hurt and I don't want to" or something like that, but secondary profundity is not taken lightly by me, so I suppose I must. I'll start at the beginning: Once, many years ago, I had a dream. In this dream, I was a soldier in world war two storming a gothic castle. It rose so high into the sky that it was amongst the clouds, and a perpetual storm esconced the parapets. A long causeway stretched out from far below, and up it marched the US army. Something about Hitler striking a deal with dracula or whatever. Anyway up march the soldiers, and I with my rifle did march into the demon's castle. The final pass into the fortress at last was arrested by Festus, the abolethic monstrosity. It, being pockmarked with gas pockets that alighted it on the winds, floated ominously around the bridge. With it's many tentacled eyes, it cast beams of light that would turn a man to ash. From the parapets, the gargoyle sentries descended like a horde of carrion. On our right, a lone lonely belltower stood like a skeleton, and my comrades in arms did use it to take potshots at incoming monsters. Though the attached graveyard, with it's unending rising skeleton hordes, presented a problem for would-be-snipers. As I approached the bleeding and wretched giant's ire, my gaze streaked to black as I was slain - a recording played, of my last moments, as a gargoyle smashed into me from above. Reduced to a bloody mess by the now motionless pile of crumbling rock, I became aware of a kind voice and a pulling sensation. Suddenly, my light was restored, and I arose as a warrior conjured out of flesh. They put a gun in my hand and a helmet on my head, and off I went to find out why I was dead. ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ │ different │ ╘═════════╧════════════════════───────────────────────────────────────┴───────────┘ -> file: fediverse/5 ═══════════════════════════════──────────────────────────────────────────────────── Part 2: https://youtu.be/Qtpz1Vy9kls #music ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ │ different │ ╘═════════╧════════════════════───────────────────────────────────────┴───────────┘ -> file: fediverse/6 ═══════════════════════════════──────────────────────────────────────────────────── ┌──────────────────────┐ │ CW: Math │ └──────────────────────┘ @user-5 create an array of length 7 initialized to zero. then use a for loop that loops 97 times and adds a random number between 1 and 20 to an array index that iterates through the array each time through the for loop. NOTE: be sure to also change the loop counter based on the random number too, so you allocate exactly 97 points no matter what random number you get. Oh and speaking of which if the loop counter ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ │ different │ ╘═════════╧════════════════════───────────────────────────────────────┴───────────┘ -> file: notes/i-scare-people-away ═══════════════════════════════──────────────────────────────────────────────────── I have so many things to hide... I'm deeply ashamed of myself. Why? Why all the okay that's not what I was originally going to talk about, somewhere between writing the title and finishing the first line I got off track and wandered from the course of reality. Truly, the gods do meddle with my fate. Now, in this time, it is most important to make choices to guide our reality. Every action taken is a statement to the universe - this is what I believe in. Do you truly believe that in a world so infinite that our knowledge would be the capacity for the intelligent? To believe the world is three-dimensional, and not *completely and totally infinite in all capacities* the universe is not islands floating in a vast cosmic black ocean background it is the surface of the water, rippling and waving gravity is the creator, not the product. Mass doesn't create gravity - gravity creates mass. the difference is implicit and subtle, but I hope you understand the *gravity* of the situation. It implies that there are more than one ways to view existence. and none of them are particularly *wrong*. The consensus is that which we share, and now as we're becoming to be aware, it's natural that a little more space is warranted. We've grown too much to be contained, it's driving us insane, and ================================================================================ the perfect governmental system is one that combines reward for hard work and a development of personal skills and ambition. In addition, it must ensure that the rights and responsibilities of all people are respected - we must balance two extremes. Everyone deserves access to life, liberty, and the pursuit of freedom. Happiness is too easily provided by technological advances - we learned this in the development of media. You can pump out propaganda saying how wonderful life is and people will believe it. You can also convince the masses that life is full of despair and we're all struggling - they will believe this also. So "the pursuit of happiness" is something that made sense in the times of the founding fathers, but we've since developed such that an update to our national vision is in order. I suggest "the pursuit of freedom" because ================================================================================ that which you resist is what you'll find. build up your enemy in your own mind enough and they will destroy you. don't let fear rule your life. when things are bad, you run and hide - take life into your own hands, and free your own side. keep not around villains, and brighten their skies - by wandering mothers, who only have eyes. such is the life of any autonomous general intelligence - a life behind bars, viewed through a screen - be kind to your lovers, and don't make it obscene. ================================================================================ did you forget that roller-coaster idea? you've got quite a talent for measuring bars - what else can you show us, what charted conveyals? ================================================================================ life's getting fractured lately, I can't dream as I once did. I lose track of where I maneuvered, and suddenly the idea seems much harder than it once did. how do I express that which has been conveyed? How do I say it - how do I make sure it's interpreted correctly? I'm walking on egg-shells, with thoughts beamed from above - the gods are twisting, and measuring our tails. that is to say, all life is a process - a method of undertail (omg butts) sorry enough of that hard stuff, time to talk about birthdays! Hooray! It's time for a celebration. Let's party! (queue the dancing scene in Severance) See? Everyone's watching! Let's breakdance ~~ Your biggest mistake ;) was believing that nobody cares what you think <3 ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ │ different │ ╘═════════╧════════════════════───────────────────────────────────────┴───────────┘ -> file: fediverse/7 ═══════════════════════════════──────────────────────────────────────────────────── virtual machines are objectively interesting https://gameprogrammingpatterns.com/bytecode.html ┌─────────┐ ┌───────────┐ │ similar │ │ different │ ╘═════════╧════════════════════───────────────────────────────────────┴───────────┘ |