diff --git a/now.md b/now.md index 202ec77..578de9f 100644 --- a/now.md +++ b/now.md @@ -2,104 +2,102 @@ layout: corrupt_now tabtitle: Now author: Bill Niblock - pub: 2024-09-24 + pub: 2024-12-26 --- # Life In Progress, as of {{ page.pub }} -- New hardware: laptop, phone, and NAS -- **TWO** game jams! -- Finishing up Morrowind -- SEAP/Self-Employment Progress +- Started a business! +- _Morrowind_, _Deus Ex_, and Pathfinder +- Another game jam! -## New Hardware +Overall, while it has been a few months, changes seem to have slowed a bit. +Looking back on the past several months, there are significant changes, but also +fewer of them. -### Framework Laptop +## My Own Business -This new [Framework](https://frame.work) is great! I've only had it for a few -weeks, but it is wonderful. I've been slowly sync'ing and migrating workflows -from my various existing options to it. Being able to work for multiple hours -without worrying about battery life is nice. +I have officially started my own business, [Niblock Technology +Solutions](https://www.niblock.tech). I even have a few clients! Exploring this +new world has been exciting. There are a lot of new challenges, and certain a +demand of time, attention, and dedication. As someone who loves working with +others to solve problems, this seems to be a great development. I've been +enjoying looking for my own technology solutions to some of my own wants, in +addition to helping my clients solve theirs. -Previously, the Chromebook I have was my go-to remote personal macine. -Considering its age, and the inherent limitations of a Chromebook, it served me -better than I ever could have hoped. However, I knew it's time was drawing -near, and the Dell I got as part of my work severance was not going to cut it. -Considering I'm starting a business doing technology, I needed a reliable, -"all-day" machine with Linux. The ARM-based Macs are incredibly tempting, but -I am not a fan of Mac. I've been eyeing Framework for a bit now, and their -newest 13-inch model with AMD components checked enough of the boxen for me to -dive in. +I'm also beginning work on another business idea I have. The area I live in +could benefit from a game shop. I want a community space that people can come +in, play games, enjoy company, and otherwise relax. That's a significant +departure from my experience! I have some baby steps towards that business that +I think will make significant impacts on the success! -### Phone +## Gaming Updates -For a while I've been eyeing Mint Mobile. In the US, they have a plan offering -unlimited text and talk, plus 5 GB of data, for $15 per month. I generally use -less than 1 GB of streaming data, so this seemed like a clearly better option -than the $30+ I was paying for Google Fi. When I decided to switch, they had an -incredible deal offering a Google Pixel 9 plus a year's service for a great -price, so I not only switched carrier, I also snagged a new phone! I had a -Samsung S21, which was more than sufficient for my needs, so switching isn't -quite as significant as with the laptop, but it's still a nice new experience. -The OS and environment on the Pixel is much nicer than Samsung phones, so -that's quite the plus! +Recently our Pathfinder game had a fun and rewarding side-quest, for which I +made a summoner. What a powerful class! Mine is a Tengu, but from an +Egyptian-themed region, and thus more ibis inspired than crow. Summoners get an +eidolon, so naturally mine is themed after a crocodile. This side-quest had us +achieving mythic power, and so I've had an opportunity to explore not only a new +class, but a whole gamut of new powers. Very fun, very exciting! -### NAS +The character really inspired a lot of creativity. Part of this character's +mythic powers are tied to the Proteans, denizens of the maelstrom, Pathfinder's +plane of chaos. They're a really interesting bunch, seemingly conflicted in +their own right (they are of the primordial chaos, and yet adhere to a strict +hierarchy of power). In exploring the lore about them, I imagined a visual novel +of sorts, playing as my summoner acting as a scholar and historian traveling the +maelstrom, interacting with these beings. They are described as civilized enough +that I don't think it's a stretch for them to be welcoming and cordial of +guests. Could make for a fun game! -I bought a 2-bay Synology NAS from a friend a few months ago, and with the -myriad other changes, decided to set it up proper. I setup -[Navidrome](https://www.navidrome.org/) for audio, and [Jellyfin]( -https://jellyfin.org/) for video. I had previously used Navidrome, then -switched to Jellyfin for both audio and video, but with the new phone comes a -return to form. I like [Ultrasonic](https://gitlab.com/ultrasonic/ultrasonic), -and Navidrome plays nicely with it. +I properly finished up _Morrowind_. As I mentioned previously, a fantastic game. +There is so much exciting modding happening in that community that I am very +interested in diving back in soon! However, I decided to tackle another old game +I've wanted to play but never have: _Deus Ex_. I'm probably 80% through the +game, and I have been enjoying it a lot. I've bounced off playing it a number of +times, and I think a big part of that was this unnecessary expectation to play +as a silent, non-violent type. Instead, I've been loud when I want, running +around with a kick-ass nano-blade. I haven't been taking the play-through too +seriously, but I have been relatively thorough. Again: there's some compelling +mods which are already making me excited to give it another play-through, and +some game-play and story choices which I'll look forward to doing differently +next time! However, there are several games I'm looking forward to in the +interim. I've seen several streams of _Heroes of Might and Magic II_, and it +made me consider if I'd ever played through the campaigns of _Heroes of Might +and Magic III_. I know I haven't for _II_, since I've never played it! I picked +it up, and I want to give each a campaign play-through. I may do that along side +another game. _Oblivion_ is definitely calling me, and I'll probably setup a +"vanilla-plus" mod-pack for it to play through with. Despite my love of +_Oblivion_, I've never actually played through the main story, nor many of the +DLC's! -The other big additions with the NAS is more backup scripts, and also pulling -down some YouTube series I like for local copies. More details in a full post. +## Autumn LISP Game Jam -## Game Making +Capping off the year in game development is the second of the bi-annual LISP +game jams, the [Autumn LISP Game Jam +2024](https://itch.io/jam/autumn-lisp-game-jam-2024). I implemented some of the +ray-casting code I've been working on in my submission, [Escape the +Crash](https://vagabondazulien.itch.io/escape-the-crash). I had a lot of fun +learning and developing with this one. Ray-casting still fascinates me, and I +look forward to understanding it better; at least well enough to get some floors +and ceilings into the game! I also believe that I can use the ray-casting +algorithm to draw a sky-box of sorts. Essentially: note the first wall +interaction, and use that to draw the walls as per usual, but extend to ray +until a "stopping" signal, at which point draw the sky-box. I also want to +implement some sprites! I've also never played around with sounds, and I want to +explore that more in Love2D. The game was received surprisingly well, given it +was incomplete and also suffering from some performance issues. That's very +inspiring! I'm looking forward to playing with it some more. -Two game jams! One for the entire month of September, [Clone -Jam](https://itch.io/jam/clone-jam-game-a-month), and a -[Mini-Jam](https://itch.io/jam/mini-jam-167-cyber). For the Clone Jam, I was -working on building a ray-casting-based dungeon scavenger, similar to "Legend -of Grimrock", but with less combat. However, while I have made great progress -understanding how ray-casting works, and how to implement it, I won't have time -to finish such a game. That knowledge won't go to waste, though! There's a -game-jam at the end of October where I intend to make use of it. Instead, I'll -be touching-up and submitting a clone of Minesweeper I made: -[TICsweeper](https://vagabondazulien.itch.io/ticsweeper). +## Signing Off -For the Mini-Jam, I decided to make a "runner" type game: you maneuver your -sprite to collect and/or avoid certain projectiles. I also made this game in -the [TIC-80](https://tic80.com). While I didn't pull any all-nighters, focusing -on a single project for 72-hours with as little down-time as possible is still -quite exhausting! My submission was called -[RUNR](https://vagabondazulien.itch.io/runr). It ranked 48th out of 66 -submissions, which is honestly disappointing, but not enough to demotivate me -from continuing my game-making journey! +I let slip a few months of updates, which will be a focus of mine for the new +year. A monthly cadence will be nice. Though, I'm also now considering +re-adjusting my approach. This page can be a summary of a post containing the +full content (as it currently shows). I'm not holding myself to a goal, but +writing two posts a month would be a nice flow. One of them could just be this +monthly update, with a second being a game review or technology review or +something. -## Game Playing - -I finally finished my play-through of Morrowind, and one of its two expansions, -Tribunal. (Note: before "DLC", new game content for existing games was -distributed like the game itself, on a piece of data-storing media, such as a -CD. These were called "expansion packs.") I have thoroughly enjoyed my time in -The Elder Scrolls III, and I definitely understand why many claim it as their -favorite. I will talk more about my experience in a full post, just like I did -for my recent Fallout 3 replay (I mean, just like I _will_. I _WILL!_) - -## Business Time - -Alas, while game making and playing are great uses of my time, they do not get -me the resources I need to pay my bills. I continue to work on starting my own -business. I've met with two mentors, one business and one technology, to help -get me started and provide guidance. In fact, this week marks what I would -consider the proper beginning of my business. With some dedication, I'll have -more exciting news to share about this next time! - -## That's All For Now! - -I think the original intention of a "Now" page is to be less verbose, but I -find the monthly cadence of a somewhat comprehensive update to be more -appealing! Until next month! +Regardless, this marks the end of both this update, and this year! 2024 was a +doozie! Here's hoping 2025 isn't too bad...