Thursday, December 12, 2013

What happens after a closed beta?

I get to work on bugs, obviously! There were several issues I had to take care of. Also, I re-worked/improved the UI on several occasions (thanks to HK-47 for the new code in my message system, by the way), and have started polishing some of the stuff here and there, after getting back more suggestions from the testers. There is a big rewrite I have to do for a quest (I was hoping I wouldn't need to, but sadly it was just as bad as it looked to me when I tested it), but everything is fine, for the most part.

I also managed to delete my image archive for TOTDC (this is the second time it happens!). I recovered most of it with a program, and I got the rest through the "convert file to web format" option, since RAGS puts the pictures in a folder, if you do that. I prefere the direct recovery over getting the pictures out of the web format, because those are usually already re-scaled to reduce the size of the game, while the pictures I keep in my archive are all of the original size (in case I need to manipulate any of them, I prefere to start from a better quality picture). Anyway, nothing important was lost, so everything is fine. ^_^

I also got 2 donations this week! 20 € from A. D. and 10 € from T. K. Thanks, guys, you are amazing as always. :)

And now, for the anime intro/review combo of the week, you get a classic (because I am in a hurry, and didn't want to think to hard about it :p): Touch!

This intro is actually cooler than the one we got in Italy, but I wouldn't call it mind-blowing, either.

As I said, it's a classic, and rightfully so. If you never read/watched something from Adachi Mitsuru, I can only say: shame on you! He uses almost always the same archetypes, but he manages to keep things fresh by playing with the plot. they are usually simple, but heartwarming, and the humour is great as well. This is one of the best known, and it's a wonderful picture of japanese life. I could talk about the plot, but I actually don't feel like spoiling too much. Let's just say that on the surface is a baseball anime, but it's more a slice of life kind of deal, and I find it really entertaining. So, go watch it, NOW! XD

And this should be it for this week! Until next time.

7 comments:

  1. I didn't see any girl in yellow in that, at all. Fail.

    Also, I only managed to color in (most) of a page a dozen or so pages into Death Note and a panel somewhere in the three-fourths mark of the book. We were really busy at work and it's rather amazing I snuck in as much as that honestly.

    No one noticed yet and if my buddy has, then he hasn't said anything. After all, I didn't borrow it. Anyway, my wonderful work was colored in mostly within the lines; and the panel, which I did much later, was a vast improvement over the first set as I had more colors (I bought some colored pencils on my break) versus the few primary colored pens I had at the start of the venture. I'm rather proud of that panel actually. I weighed your recommendation, but ultimately decided not to sign--the mystery of an anonymous gift has a value all its own. =)

    Now, some time ago I uninstalled Rags (with the intention of getting it back) during a good cleanup of my HDD. Where is Rags at this stage of game? What's a good version to use nowadays (as there are several candidates)? Or rather, what version do YOU recommend for your game, boss?

    Well, that's a pretty decent-sized post so I'll save this story I have and tell you about it in a day or two. A little slice of (real) life stuff. ;) Cheers all!

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    1. I'll try to contact the producers, maybe they can edit in a girl in yellow? XD XD

      Since you didn't sign them, you are depriving them of the joy of knowing the author, you should really, REALLY let them know. :p

      I still use the 2.4.14 version (since new updates weren't being released for a long time, I decided to not buy a new license, for the time being). It isn't available on the RAGS website any longer, but the latest beta (2.4.16) should be fine (link is here on the blog , under the "useful links" widget, as usual).

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    2. Well, the stories I'll have to postpone until later (I got millions of them) since what I'm about to tell you should be halfway interesting. ;P

      Among the great many calls I received while at work today was this particular one that brought me... a certain great joy and satisfaction. The caller had ties to said manga (and will not be coming to work until next year) and was calling from, oh let's do the rough math, just over 500 km away. After a litany of profanities, the caller said "F*** you! And Merry Christmas!" and hung up. I interpreted that as him greatly enjoying my masterful art (well, as much as "art" can be when you're coloring in other people's stuff), the smooth and silky way I got the flow and the subtle differences in intensity of depth of certain colors, and how I captured the elegant lighting effects of each panel that I worked on. It's nice to be appreciated. But I just cannot figure out why he thought I was this, admittedly, wonderful artist. Perplexing, no?

      ...er... I totally forgot what other things I was going to say. Don't you hate when that happens? Oh well, it might come back to me; or, it might not. *Shrugs* 'Til later, Mdqp, and all other guests. ;D

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    3. This is becoming a short novel. Can you turn it into a spy story? I am sure that would fit the situation quite well. XD

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  2. Dear me, please use a source-code-management system to create a repo on an off-site before something important gets lost. This is too good to let something as silly as lost assets or code spoil it :D Just use Git and one of the many free sites that allow you to create repositories, or even put one on another computer or server you own.

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    1. I do have some backups, but I don't make copies all the times, it's tedious, and I am the laziest author around, so I just do it when I feel like it. XD

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    2. Haha I know the feeling, just don't let anything happen to this project. It is too good and most of all, unique :)

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