Album-a-Day

In the past less-than-twenty-four hours, we -- @chrisamaphone, @xwjl, @1x, and @dwrensha -- worked together to create an album, which we present here, to you, in all its glory.

"Terrible Ideas ... and BEYOND: A Children's Story"

by Cumbersome Four Calipers

1. Mystery Can
2. Wafflespace
3. Gravity Slide
4. Break It Down (Build It Up)
5. Reflections on How Far We've Come
6. Lambrijolieo
7. Backup Track (Dance)
8. Space Chase
9. The March of Progress
10. Death (or: Vegetables)
11. Lambrijolieo (Reprise)
12. Home Again

rktcr: Looking for a few good testers

Rktcr is a physics-based action-platformer-turned-puzzle-platformer; that is, it's an action game meant to be played thoughtfully at much slower than real-time. I'm currently in what I call the alpha stage of development.

The goal of the alpha is to shake down this basic gameplay and to find a good set of levels. Levels have some portals (entrances/exits) and some gems. Each level can be played in 16 orientations (8 gravity directions + mirroring). And it should be reasonably interesting (that is, one should be able to get between different pairs of portals, possibly collecting a gem) in at least a few of those orientations.

Here's where you come in

I'm looking for alpha testers to help (for a few hours each week):

1. Find bugs (out-of-memory, crashes, sound glitches).
2. Provide gameplay feedback. See how the controls and physics feel to you. Record your thoughts on easy and difficult elements of the game.
3. Think about new levels. Can you do something with the rktcr that isn't exploited by a level yet?
4. (Most importantly:) Make paths. Play through levels in orientations they have not yet been played, and contribute the resulting paths to a repository on github.

Knowing which paths are feasible is important for the second (and as-yet nonexistent) level of gameplay, wherein levels are assembled into worlds.

In compensation, you'll get a thanks in the game credits and a free copy of the game if it's ever finished.

Requirements/Applying

NOTE: Currently, I'm only testing on Windows and Linux, as I don't have a MacOS machine to run builds on.

If you are interested in becoming an alpha tester:

• Make a github account; you'll need this to access the paths repository.
• Make a skype account; screen sharing is useful for complaining about glitches and debugging crashes.
• Make a google account; google docs is good for writing up your feedback, and google drive is good for distributing files.
• Record your system information (cpu, graphics, os version). On windows, if you have steam: Steam > Help > System Information -- though I don't need/want/care about the "Installed Software" part of the info. On linux `uname -a`, `cat /proc/cpuinfo`, and `glxinfo`.

And, critically, have a conversation with me via e-mail, google chat, or in person about games, gameplay, what you like, and what you don't like (my contact info is on the about page). I'd like to make sure that my testers are able to think analytically about gameplay and mechanics.

TCHOW Goals #2 - What's happening?

I've been in Pittsburgh for two weeks now, and I'm getting settled in. So how am I doing in various areas of this TCHOW project?

Make Games

rktcr. I've been able to spend some good time on rktcr; enough that I'm thinking about starting to write development updates. Indeed, I'm getting to a point where the low-level gameplay is mostly finished, as is the pool of prospective levels. I'd like to send out another alpha version soon.

Two major tasks remain in rktcr: world-gen and story/cutscenes. The first is a programming task, which could prove unfeasible, requiring a fair amount of restructuring of the level2 concept of this game. The second is an art generation task, which requires me to sit down and do some serious inkscape-ing (for characters) and vim-ing (for story).

Puzzle. The potential puzzle/plot collaboration hasn't moved forward much. I'd like to work on creating some example plot, but I'm a bit worried about burning out on writing before getting to rktcr's plots. This is probably not going to be a problem, but I worry nonetheless.

Have a Social Life

This is ticking along nicely.

I've reconnected with old friends and acquaintances. (Some of which I didn't even know were still in town!) I also have friendly neighbors. I could certainly stand to do more social things, but I also don't feel isolated.

Additionally, I've been making use of OkCupid, which has resulted a couple of dates and a few interesting conversations so far. (Also, unexpectedly, a lot of good book, movie, and music recommendations.) However, it's also a fair amount of yelling into the wind.

Lose Thirty Pounds

No progress (not that I expected much). However, that's not going to prevent me from continuing rock climbing -- it's just good fun.

TCHOW Goals #1 - I'm here now

I've arrived, and my stuff should be here by the end of the day. As good a time as any to start thinking about my goals for the next 2 years (22 months, really).

Here they are, briefly:

1. Finish and release rktcr.
2. Have a social life.
3. Lose 30 pounds.

In more detail:

I'd like to finish and release more than one game, but rktcr is first up. Right now, it's at a rough alpha stage. The day-to-day is mostly final, though more content is required. The sound design is, I'd say, 30% complete. The higher level story arcs are conceptualized but not written. Layer three is conceptualized, but may or may not make it into the game.

Given that I dedicate every morning to making progress, I think that I'm going to get to a beta-able stage before January, and be able to release by March. I'm also pulling these numbers out of thin air, as I don't have my punchlist handy.

"Social Life," here means both reconnecting with old Pittsburgh acquaintances and meeting new people both for friendship and dating. This is probably important for my continued happiness and sanity. And, working alone, I will get much less automatic human contact during the day.

I've started an OkCupid account and found that there are quite a few reasonable-seeming folks on there. It seems like it's going to be useful for finding folks to socialize with; which (if any) of those social contacts become romantic remains to be seen. (Also: this is a goal I won't report on further in this venue.)

Losing 30 pounds is an unrealistic goal -- you've got to have one, right? What I'm actually interested in doing is getting out to the climbing gym at least once every two days, and improving my skills. Of course, some weight loss (or conversion of fat -> muscle, at least) would definitely help in that improvement.

The Last Suppers #9 (the end)

Well, that's it.

Last night, I had my last meal at Journeyman in quite a while. And it was very good.

I dined with six others -- folks I know from the virtual glass project. And they got it; kept things hip and interesting, provided great conversation, debated and explored the food; and wore glowsticks in their hair (I had some left over in my apartment).

We were lucky enough to be able to beta the non-alcoholic drink pairings with our meal and, well, they were interesting! Certainly added interesting compliments to each dish. I think people are going to be really into them in the future.

After dinner, the Journeyfolk gave me a notebook that they'd signed. It wasn't a tearful goodbye, but it was really close on my side. There was no reason for them to go out of their way for me, and I really appreciate it. I think I'm going to use it as a food journal in their honor.

This morning I managed to snag a loaf from iggys and a ice cream sandwich from beakers and cream before heading out. So, food-wise, pretty much a perfect exit.

Last Suppers #8 (in 3D)

(Note: this post was written on the 27th, but I'm back-dating it to the 26th because that is when the meal described herein was consumed.)

Last Saturday, I ate at Journeyman. Last Monday, I ate at Journeyman. And I have plans to eat there on Friday. So, understandably, I decided to drop in on Wednesday to keep the alternation going.

Also, I wanted to do a post with pictures of food, and since my meal on Friday is with a group, it seemed a bit awkward. This Wednesday, on the other hand, afforded me the opportunity to go all out and take pictures with my digital camera, my 3DS, and my iPhone4. So not only do you get reasonably high-res images below, you also get stereo pairs!

Anyway, this was a confusing meal, as I attempted a-la-carte ordering, and ended up truncating my salad and soup through miscommunication. Also, the amuse-bouche went by so fast that I was unable to capture it on sensor. So the composition of the meal is atypical, but those dishes that did appear were in top form.

The Food

Black Cherry & Black Pepper Soda

Unfortunately, my 2D captures didn't come out. As you can tell by the noise level on the 3DS sensor, it's a low-light environment.

This soda has a serious burn to it. Great with the cheese course, mind you.

Clams and Oysters

One of the prettiest and tastiest dishes on the menu right now.

Foie Gras Ice Cream

I really can't get enough of this. The mushroom is a wonderful complement.

Polenta

Also fantastic; nicely varied texture. No wonder it's in the Foie's slot on the vegetarian menu.

Lamb

It's lamb. It's good, but I find myself enjoying the garnish more than the meat.

Shiro Plumb Sorbet

Still a perfect bite.

Apple

There's molasses in the custard, and the sauce is mole. This pairs really well with black pepper soda.

Bits-n-Bobs

Generally presented in a pile; I like the mathematical layout!

The Last Suppers #7 (Birthday)

I cannot express in words how amazing the food at Journeyman has been lately. But that isn't going to stop me from trying. Perhaps it's just the expectation of having to see it go, perhaps it's that I've been eating on Mondays recently, perhaps I'm just easily amused.

Today, I finally convinced my colleagues to join me for dinner, so there were six of us ordering different variations on the menu. And there were five people lightly mocking one person for knowing a bit too much about the food. They're just jealous, I'm sure.

I went straight-up omnivore (with the vegetarian amuse-bouche; a sign I'm perhaps over-familiar with the menu at this point). But Tse Wei and Diana threw in three excellent surprises.

Now Actually Talking About The Food

Amuse-bouche. Carrot cheesecake with an everything bagel crumble and a crisp. Great savory flavor. (The omnivore version has salmon roe, something I'm not partial to.)

Tomato Salad. Running out of time. Tse Wei said afterward that they aren't finding tomatoes that have the flavor they want any more. And they were out of olive crumble today; for me, the olive was a crucial non-tomato element. I know I have praised this dish repeatedly, but it has finally passed its prime. Still good, but I'm glad it's leaving (and that I may get to see its successor this Friday).

Zucchini and Marjoram Soup. As king tomato retires, this smooth, full, spicy and wonderfully green soup (with its inclusions of roast corn, corn flan, blueberries, scallion(?), and pickled watermelon) is poised to take over the crown as the strong anchor of the start of the meal. This course is unashamedly delicious -- of everything that came out today, this is the only one that stopped conversation.

Cod. Milder than the last iteration, and with a bit of actual fish-y flavor (oddly enough). They have finally found the correct way to prepare the wheat it is served over -- slightly crunchy, but not combative.

Clams and Oysters. Clams, oysters, watermelon, citrus, dill -- I'm still amazed at how well this course works. This version had smaller watermelon cubes, which is actually quite nice when going for that perfect bite of a cube and a dill flower. (Clams are still great with their citrus-y flavor, oysters still great in general.)

Sweetbreads. (A surprise course!) This extra course was completely unexpected, and quite enjoyable. There is an opportunity to compare thought processes here:

Some of us: "sweetbread... that's some sort of organ meat, right?" (turns out it's the thymus) "well, let me take a bite; ooh, chewy, fatty. Nice."

Others: "Hmm, chewy, fatty. Nice." (conversation turns to what sweetbread means) "I don't think I can finish this."

Regardless, it was a delicious, slightly chewy morsel presented wonderfully inside a ring of squash, and with a great cashew-based sauce.

Foie Gras Ice Cream. (surprise presentation) with cacao, smoked salt, matsutake(?) mushroom. Wow. A further play on the rich and savory strengths of the foie gras; a clean presentation; wonderful taste. This eclipses the previous iteration (presented as part of the standard foie dish). Good enough to make me think about shoehorning yet another visit to Journeyman into my last week.

Lamb. Still very good, but I've already written about this dish at length. I will mention that the presentation is slightly improved from the photo in the previous article.

Prunes on Shiro Plum Sorbet on Hazelnut Meringue. One of my two favorite things in this meal (the F.G.I.C. being the other). So simple, but so nicely balanced. The shiro plum sorbet adds a bright note, the prunes add body and follow-through to the flavor. The meringue adds harmony and texture contrast.

Peach Dessert. I hope I've written about this before. It's still good, and it's still very pretty on the plate. I think it was plated better today than the two previous times I had it -- managing that brush stroke of sesame sauce takes a certain touch.

Post-dessert treats. An as-usual wonderful assortment of various little treats. One of the financier cakes had a (surprise) candle; which was a very nice gesture. Oh, and the caramel featured an interesting herbal flavor that I couldn't quite place (lemon-something; lemongrass?).