thinking

greetings again

2009-12-03T16:29:00.003Z

Well it's been a lifetime... but this blog still remains one of my most looked at things.
I thought it was looking pretty sad with its last update like 3 years ago... so here's one for the hell of it.

If you're interested in UnrealArt this blog was used during the development of the project. Since the last post on here its been shown in many an exhibition and is still being talked about. Which is pretty awesome :)

I've been busying myself with one thing or another since the MA, I taught for a while, I was an artist for a while, I was a programmer for a while, now I err... well. Well, I suppose I am trying to make games for a living while reading lots of comics (think more of comics like 'Blankets' less of ones like 'X-Men').

2006-07-11T08:32:00.000Z

Okay, there are 4 pieces of Unreal script required to make everything work...
I want to:-

1. monitor which keys are pressed in unreal
2. make an object move based on the keypress
3. constantly be sending the positions of the players out via udp

okay, lets start with send the positions of the players out via udp.
a class is needed Ive called it "udptest".

---------------------------------------

class udptest extends UdpLink;

event prebeginplay()
{
local UdpLink.ipaddr dest;

Log("ullo charlie");
BindPort(9001, true);
StringToIpAddr("192.168.2.8", dest);
dest.port = 9000;

SendText(dest , "imtext"); //this is the first message to be sent via UDP
}

defaultproperties {}

---------------------------------------

Then we need a mutator to actually do stuff... its called "watcher"

---------------------------------------

class Watcher extends mutator;

var() int counter;
var UdpLink myudp;

event PreBeginPlay()
{
SetTimer(1.0,true);
myudp=Spawn(class'udptest'); //ensure the class we just made runs
}

function Timer()
{

local UdpLink.ipaddr dest;
local Controller C;

myudp.StringtoIpAddr("192.168.2.8",dest);
dest.port=9000;

for (C = Level.ControllerList; C != None; C = C.NextController)
{
if(C.Pawn != None) {
myudp.SendText(dest , "nextthree");
myudp.SendText(dest , C.Pawn.Location.X);
myudp.SendText(dest , C.Pawn.Location.Y);
myudp.SendText(dest , C.Pawn.Location.Z);
}
}
}

DefaultProperties
{
FriendlyName="Watcher"
Description="I log the positions of the players every second and send this informaton to ip:192.168.2.8 , port:9000"
}

---------------------------------------

Now then, monitoring keypresses... a mutator which starts an interaction, the mutator is called "keyinteract_mut"
note: I dont understand most of this code, I pretty much copied it off the wiki other than the bit that refrences keyinteract_inter, which is my final class

---------------------------------------

class keyinteract_mut extends Mutator;

var bool bAffectSpectators; // If this is set to true, an interaction will be created for spectators
var bool bAffectPlayers; // If this is set to true, an interaction will be created for players
var bool bHasInteraction;

function PreBeginPlay()
{
Log("key interact Mutator Started");
}

simulated function Tick(float DeltaTime)
{
local PlayerController PC;

// If the player has an interaction already, exit function.
if (bHasInteraction)
Return;
PC = Level.GetLocalPlayerController();

// Run a check to see whether this mutator should create an interaction for the player
if ( PC != None && ((PC.PlayerReplicationInfo.bIsSpectator && bAffectSpectators) || (bAffectPlayers && !PC.PlayerReplicationInfo.bIsSpectator)) )
{
PC.Player.InteractionMaster.AddInteraction("keyinteract_inter.keyinteract_inter", PC.Player); // Create the interaction/ run my class
bHasInteraction = True; // Set the variable so this lot isn't called again
}
}

DefaultProperties
{
FriendlyName="interaction creator"
Description="I do something that starts let interactions happen, apparently im needed if you want triggers to go off with key presses"
bAffectSpectators=false
bAffectPlayers=true
RemoteRole=ROLE_SimulatedProxy
bAlwaysRelevant=true
}

---------------------------------------

and finally what to do with keypresses, a class called "keyinteract_inter"
note: for this I have a series of movers in my map waiting to certain triggers eg.
a mover with the tag "move1" will activate (accordin to the code) when Numpad0 is pressed.

---------------------------------------

Class keyinteract_inter extends Interaction;

Function Initialize()
{
Log("Interaction Initialized");

}

function bool KeyEvent(EInputKey Key, EInputAction Action, FLOAT Delta )
{

if ((Action == IST_Press) && (Key == IK_NumPad0))
{
ViewportOwner.Actor.TriggerEvent('move1',ViewportOwner.Actor,None);
}

if ((Action == IST_Press) && (Key == IK_NumPad1))
{
ViewportOwner.Actor.TriggerEvent('move2',ViewportOwner.Actor,None);
}

if ((Action == IST_Press) && (Key == IK_NumPad2))
{
ViewportOwner.Actor.TriggerEvent('move3',ViewportOwner.Actor,None);
}
if ((Action == IST_Press) && (Key == IK_Y))
{
ViewportOwner.Actor.TriggerEvent('move35',ViewportOwner.Actor,None);
}

if ((Action == IST_Press) && (Key == IK_Z))
{
ViewportOwner.Actor.TriggerEvent('move36',ViewportOwner.Actor,None);
}

return false;
}

DefaultProperties
{
bActive=True
}

---------------------------------------

2006-06-15T10:15:00.000Z

just to prove this UDP thing works...
One computer playing UT is sending info to my computer. (this processing script is printing everything the computer is recieving)

The thing is this all wont work on one computer... if I run unreal and processing on the same computer it dosnt work?
I think it has something to do with UDP and having to travel over a network, and not working locally...

p.s. It look like Im going to be doing a workshop in Manchester for the Futuresonic festival. The workshop is about game modding (and in theory will be using this whole UDP thing). Handily I wont be doing it alone, it will be a joint thing with Tom Betts.
Out of interest it will be a 3 day thing,
1st day - UnrealEditor, and creating your own maps
2nd day - Getting game data out of Unreal and to PD (maby processing too)
3rd day - Making something with it (something noisy)

2006-05-30T11:29:00.000Z

Well, Im getting there now.

UT2004 sends x, y's and z's to another computer via UDP on port 9000.
Processing recieves the packet communication and converts them into lovely useful floats, whilst ignoring any packets that arent relevant (there are quite a few!).

Heres the processing code that accepts communication and converts to floats.
I used the Carnivore library in the end.

// Uses Carnivore
// Note: requires Carnivore Library for Processing v1.3 (http://rhizome.org/carnivore) (needs winpcap)

import rsg.carnivore.*;
int count3 = 0;
float tempx;
float tempy;
float tempz;
String packettext;
String look = "nextthree";

void setup(){
size(625, 625);
background(255);
Carnivore c = new Carnivore(this);
}

void draw(){

}

void packetEvent(CarniPacket packet){ // Called each time a new packet arrives

packettext = packet.ascii;
int stringlength = packettext.length();

if (stringlength < 19){

String list[] = split(packettext);
//println(list[0]);

if(list[0].equals(look) == true) { //wait for the first signal...
println("here");
count3 = 1;
}else{
if (count3 == 1){
tempx = float(list[0]);
count3 = 2;
println("x = " + tempx);
}else{
if (count3 == 2){
tempy = float(list[0]);
count3 = 3;
println("y = " + tempy);
}else{
if (count3 == 3){
tempz = float(list[0]);
count3 = 0;
println("z = " + tempz);
}
}
}
} //end if else madness

}//end if string length

}//end packetevent

2006-05-22T13:08:00.000Z

much has happened since my last posts.

Firstly I have fully decided on what Im going to do for FACT.
UT will be played by the bots as usual, their positions will be logged and sent to a "dance floor" a real life one. 6 by 6 (cuz I cant afford more).

This is the processing pic of essentially the top down view of the dancefloor.

So yeah, people will be able to walk over the floor and where they walk the bots beneath them will die.
Its kinda like a really advanced version of whack attack (or similar games)

To make the cull in Unreal I had to write a new mutator that would accept 36 different (6 by 6) keypresses and drop a kill volume on top of anyones head in the correct vacinity.

okay, so I know I havent explained this well. But it will all make sense soon...

Here is a link to the processing code (its overly complex at the mo because Im going to need to do some madness to it a little later on... the live reading of the game)

Here is a link to me asking for help on the Unreal script forums... (Ill include the actual finished mutator and stuff in good time)

2006-05-16T20:53:00.000Z

A few things I have learnt today about Unreals AI and bots.

They sound obvious but are very important to me:
"In general, a bot will choose the shortest route to his destination, except for sometimes choosing to go through an alternate path in CTF, or avoiding paths were many bots have died."

It was as I suspected. However what if the bot has no destination, will it then choose the shortest path to nowhere?

I did a quick experiment today and discovered 2 important things. Heres a little pic of the map my poor guinea pig ran through. (there was no escaping death... at the end of each path it would die and respawn again in the middle)

With no obvious destination the bot will choose a random direction to run in regardless of path length.

After roughly 65 deaths the bot "wises up" and "hesitates" about which way to go, it will wait where it spawned for a time then it will fall into a repeating pattern, according to the last 3 deaths that occured before the wait.
r=right
l=left
u=up

eg. u,u,l,r,u,r,r,u,r,l,Wait,u,r,l,Wait,u,r,l,Wait,u,r,l,Wait ... etc.

So, why do I care? I dont know yet, but I have a feeling this is going to be important.

2006-05-16T17:37:00.000Z

Im going to have to write all this down or I will forget all of it.

I was working today on a way for UT to accept input from processing.
I completely failed when I was thinking about it like that, but obviously the keyboard will send information to whoevers listening (both processing and unreal).

So what I had to do was to make UT understand that a certain key had been pressed and do something about it.
This was difficult, I found numerous things online to help, me but it took forever for me to get it all together.

So for the benefit of anyone whos interested.
Here is a link to the files, drop them in your UT2004 system folder and you will be able to access the mutator from within the game its called "interaction creator"

When the mutator is running it will tell you via the text chat area which key youve just pressed and released.

It was made by following these very clever (but hard to follow for a beginner) semi-tutorial thingys.
So thank you someone called Will for helping me inadvertantly.

I am now working on making UT act upon certain key presses and make things move.

2006-05-15T10:01:00.000Z

A pleasent wee bit o code. To change the grid size easily.

int gridsize=15; ///////////////////change this number to change the grid size

float stage= 625.0;
float gridadd=stage/gridsize;
float currenty = 0.0;
float currentx =0.0;

size(int(stage),int(stage));
background(255);
stroke(0);

for(int i=0;i<=gridsize;i++){
currentx=currentx+gridadd;
line(0,currentx,stage,currentx);
}

for(int i=0;i<=gridsize;i++){
currenty=currenty+gridadd;
line(currenty,0,currenty,stage);
}

flickr pic has a pic of how the grid was used... its going to make a physical thing move... arduino is now ordered

2006-05-03T09:17:00.000Z

scuse the absence Ive been busy.

Im currently writing a paper for the people at Ylem.
About my project (but secretly about "art games" and what I think about the whole thing).
Im also working on some physical computing stuff with processing (for those crazy FACT people)... which should be on here at some point.

I also have to properly think about this whole mphil/phd thing... as in Im doing one and I need supervisors.
so if any of you happen to be in the field of AI, games, art, or copyright law then feel free to contact me and be my supervisor (or even just advisor!). There might be a free trip to Huddersfield in it for you.

What else am I up to... thats about it. oh yeah, got to go to the tip and finally be rid of my old desk.

2006-04-02T08:54:00.000Z

The end has come... pictures of my bit of the show are here. At some point Iman will put up pictures of all the other parts of the exhibition.

2006-03-20T10:18:00.000Z

well, Saturday (Sat 1st April) is the start of a mini exhibition of mine and a few other peoples.

The show is in the Victoria Baths in Manchester (which is a fabulous place, that should be visited before its restoration anyway!).

Its on Saturday 5-8pm
Sunday 12-4pm
Then Mon-Thur 5-8pm

To be honest I dont know all that much about the other artists work, but this website ( Interval )should be updated soon with more info.

What of mine is going to be there? Well, what I reckon will be the final incantation of unrealArt, which I have decided to call "A little Unreal".
Its the same idea as the original UnrealArt except the installation will not show Unreal Tournament (the game) being played, you'll simply hear it (quietly). The main focus will be the slow but steady portraits draw from the gameplay.

As I dont intend to continue on with the UnrealArt project after this, Im thinking of making all my UnrealArt prints available to buy online, just for a print onto semi-gloss paper, as lots of people seem to want a copy. So hopefully that system will be up and running after the show.

p.s. this last picture is to remind you that the pictures dont come out ready made... the very slowly reveal themselves.

2006-03-07T13:07:00.000Z

dreamlines

I sure most people have seen this already being that its quite popular, but I thought Id put it here for my own reference.

I like it... its creates quite beautiful images based on whatever you want.

I enjoy work like this because it raises questions about art/computers/generation/interaction and the like. Even more so than my work it makes people say things like - "its nice... its not art though is it."
Who knows, Im certainly not into labeling anything, according to the text its a "generative drawing machine" so lets leave it at that.

I could probably (and so could everyone else) talk about what I would class as art untill the cows come home. But im not going to.
I like this work very much, and thats the end of it.

2006-02-23T23:13:00.000Z

nicer... less painterly.
A few people and myself felt that there needed to be obvious computer involvement, the other piccy looked way too human-made.

2006-02-22T14:14:00.000Z

got a "show" coming up and wanted to create a new look... something more painterly... less computery.

I reckon this is about as far away from Unreal as you can get (not that i hate unreal or anything, i love it!)

this is pretty much just the same old code, with some 3D'y drawing stuff... simple (a little too simple), but effective none the less!

2006-02-17T12:04:00.000Z

Wargames (The legend that is)

............................

LOGON: Help Games

'GAMES' REFERS TO MODELS, SIMULATIONS AND GAMES
WHICH HAVE TACTICAL AND STRATEGIC APPLICATIONS.

List Games

FALKEN'S MAZE
BLACK JACK
GIN RUMMY
HEARTS
BRIDGE
CHECKERS
CHESS
POKER
FIGHTER COMBAT
GUERRILLA ENGAGEMENT
DESERT WARFARE
AIR-TO-GROUND ACTIONS
THEATREWIDE TACTICAL WARFARE
THEATREWIDE BIOTOXIC AND CHEMICAL WARFARE

GLOBAL THERMONUCLEAR WAR

2006-02-05T12:51:00.000Z

In a sick sick way I love fixing little code problems...
today for example I needed to search through a text file and find this line...

"Log: Browse: DM-jake2?BonusVehicles=false?Game=XGame.xDeathMatch?
Mutator=XGame.MutQuadJump,UnrealGame.MutBerserk,Watcher.Watcher?
bAutoNumBots=False?NumBots=15?SpectatorOnly=1?Name=Player?Class=Engine.Pawn?
Character=Jakob?team=255"

this line changes after every match of UT but the beginning part (and the basic structure) of the line always remains the same

"Log: Browse: DM-" (always starts like this)

So heres the problem... youve got lots of other array elements some of which also start
"Log: Browse:"

I want to find this particular line, and get only one piece of information out of it, the number of bots playing, in this case
"NumBots=15"

how to do it...
well, I dont know the proper way, but this is how I did it :)

for(int i=0; i < file.length; i++){ //i cant include the "is less than" symbol *fixed now*

String temp = file[i]; //copys this particular line of the text file into a temporary string
int templength = temp.length(); //finds out the length of this string (because if its under 13 we will have problems later as I attempt to access the 13th char)

if (templength>13){
char temp1 = file[i].charAt(0); // L (Log:)
char temp2 = file[i].charAt(5); // B (Browse:)
char temp3 = file[i].charAt(13); // D (DM-) //have we got letters in the right place?

if ((temp1 == 'L') && (temp2 == 'B') && (temp3 == 'D')){ //do these letters match, is this our line?
String cutline[] = split(file[i], '?'); //cut the line into seperate array elements using the ?'s as cut markers
println (cutline[5]); //using this method numbots is always element 5
}
}
}

p.s. Ive just made the number of bots a usable number. It may seem simple but it took me a while to see the simplness...
String justbotnumber[]= split(cutline[5], '='); //split string into 2 at the equals
int botnumber = int(justbotnumber[1]); //int that string!
println(botnumber);

2006-02-05T01:26:00.000Z

saveStrings ("E:/games/UT 2004/System/UT2004.log", file);

now I know the above line of code dosnt work in processing... but I so far havent found anything that lets me save a text file anywhere but the sketch folder.

Im trying to set up my code so that I can keep clearing a text file that loads from here :-

file = loadStrings ("E:/games/UT2004/System/UT2004.log");

and this file has to be in this folder as UT2004 is generating it constantly!

dag nab it.

////////////////////////////////////////////
update...

I have found a simple way around said problem, but have been told that what Ive discoverd is a bit of a security issue and so I wont say how I fixed it...

just know I did ;)
and it was pants... just a simple logic problem

2006-01-31T19:51:00.000Z

well, looks like UnrealArt (or possibly something else of mine) is going to be in an exhibition in Manchester... in Victoria Baths. heres the floor plan of the turkish bath area my space is the 2 rooms to the right...

2 whole rooms all to my self... warm up the printers! Alisons going canvas crazy, mwahahaha

you can see pictures of the space here -

piccie

2006-01-22T00:28:00.000Z

Well, I got the FACT thing!

Im now officially an "artist".

Which means from now on Ill be busying myself full-time with the ways of the game... and how to use games as tools. (which is handy as thats what my last project was about, mwa ha ha ha)

my proposal was called
"Interactive Sculpture, exploring the territory between live information visualisation, feedback and non persistent participation within a exhibition space and game environment."

long title huh...

I got a new del.icio.us account which will hopefully accumulate lots of links related to my research.

Oh yeah I also might be doing an Mphil in Huddersfield uni, which'll be nice. Oh and Ive also got a few exhibitions up my sleeves. I'll obviously post something about them if and when they happen.

well thats all for now.

2006-01-02T13:36:00.000Z

float num = 2/10;
println (num);

why the hell does that not work out to 0.2 in processing? (it tells me the answer is 0.0)

now try the same with...

float num = 2.0/10;
println (num);

and the damn thing works, 0.2! things like this are really annoying!

2005-12-16T12:38:00.000Z

the bat is done, now for the ball...

2005-12-16T12:06:00.000Z

I was going to make a pong game... but decided the necessary second player would make it too difficult so instead Im going to attempt to make something like arkanoid!

so...

we need a bat, that listens to insructions, lets make it move with mouse control not keys! (I have been having crap results with key movement)

we need a ball, that hits the bat the walls and the blocks, where it hits the bat should inform the direction and speed that it travels... and obviously if it dosnt hit the bat you die.

for now lets just concentrate on that, a good slick bat hitting a ball around a room!

the bat class will draw the bat (obviously) but its also going to draw two mini-bats either end of the main bat that are the same colour as the background so that there is no need for a "screen refresh" after every move...

I can see the ball being the tricky part Im no very good at maths and making the ball bounce back at angles will be... painfull

2005-12-03T23:38:00.000Z

I did it, heres the processing postscript code classed up.
Classes are getting easier, or perhaps Im getting sloppier. Whatever my code is now slightly more understandable!

This is the static version, not the live one.

zip

2005-11-30T15:25:00.000Z

Squares of doong

thats amazing randy!

well, its alright. even if the white box is a little gay.

If you want to restart it refresh it! (oh and the placing of the new boxes isnt exactly random... im going to have to figure that one out)

2005-11-28T14:58:00.000Z

Well, ive been attempting to learn myself code in a proper way... using classes and things.

So I am continuing on with processing and learning C++ on the side.

Here is one of my first classes experiments... yes I know its pathetic, and youd think Id already know how to do this stuff, but I dont.
move the little box with your cursor keys...

link

2005-11-22T14:02:00.000Z

www.alisonmealey.com

I applied for an ITEM research project recently...

Also Im going to put in a proposal for a Leeds based outdoor installation thing...
"secrets and lights".

Hopefully, should one of these things happen this place will get lively again.

2005-09-22T12:43:00.000Z

Been spending my time recently doing this.

A guide/tutorial thingy... its nearly finished, sort of.
Lets just say its eternally developing...

2005-08-25T02:18:00.000Z

yay, they liked my special little page! processing.org

2005-08-20T21:41:00.000Z

made a special little page (possibly for the processing site!) that shows the live one "working" (other than the fact its using a static log file) please give it a min to load. source codes there and so's a more concise explination of what Ive done.

Im busy wirting my essays now, when I finish I might put the links on here, provided they're not too crap. (the essays not the links)

2005-08-13T21:24:00.000Z

Well the exhibition happened. heres a few pics

just beginning...

oooo.... both together

my trusty laptop was a trooper.

piccys on wall

I was surprised at how many people came!

I was surprised how many people couldnt see the faces in the pictures! Its lucky I left my mini laptop screen in view cuz everyone seemed to see the face when I pointed in its general direction...

I thought they were pretty obvious

though maby thats because Ive been staring at them for weeks!

and finally a funny picture of general amazement or most probably (and more likely) confusion (I dont think Id fully explained it to them when the picture was taken)

heres a link to Imans flickr thingy with more pictures of the show (lots of other peoples work on there, definately worth a look)

so yeah thats it Im knackered... and weve got to take everything down on Monday, ah well.

2005-08-11T22:07:00.000Z

okay one more linky post before the exhibition...

Power up
generatorx
information aesthetics
future feeder

so many things so suddenly... its quite scary really!

anyhoo, must get back to the levels, Im making them look suitable for show... you know add a load of fog so you cant see the boxes edges ;) (dont think Im joking!)

2005-08-10T16:41:00.000Z

okay i got two new ones.... one from kotaku.

and one from joystiq, you might want to read the comments on that one.

All I can say is, "Candy doesn't have to have a point, that's why it's candy".

2005-08-09T18:41:00.000Z

Wow, so many good things have happened today, Pixelsumo got in touch and posted an entry on his blog about my work (here is the direct link to the post).

Soon after that he emailed asking if I read Edge atall... and OMG what did I find! (direct link here)

Its all so fabulous.

Right well, Id better get that damn code working hadnt I!
(just incase somebody else I dont know stumbled here here is a link to our MA show this Saturday and here is a link to my unrealart website)

2005-08-09T14:22:00.000Z

A piccy of the real life framed canvas version of one of the pics. (frame made by yours truely... without one of those 45 degree angle cutting tool thingys)

scuse the birghtness from the flash...

2005-08-05T09:05:00.000Z

code for today. (or where Im up to with the code)

2005-08-02T21:20:00.000Z

The four pictures are selected... mwa ha ha ha... 4 maps, 4 pictures,
mwa ha ha ha haaaaa!

I still dont have a live one working...

mwa ha ha ha haaaaa!

2005-08-02T21:17:00.000Z

2005-08-02T20:20:00.000Z

change of plan 2 bluebies, 2 brownies

2005-08-02T19:01:00.000Z

A collection of bluebies shall be the final product... (bluebie number 2).

2005-08-02T16:39:00.000Z

2005-08-02T15:33:00.000Z

this is it this is how its gotta be... making this happen live is going to be tricky, but I'll do it dag nab it.

p.s. Im sick to death of this kelly pic!

2005-08-01T22:10:00.000Z

www.unrealart.co.uk

it works kinda... will be updated as I go along

2005-08-01T00:01:00.000Z

better

2005-07-31T23:30:00.000Z

with death

2005-07-31T13:16:00.000Z

hmmm...

2005-07-30T15:05:00.000Z

I knew this would happen... Ive been putting off using the get pixel of the original file for this very reason!

first of all get pixel then using that colour in postscript sucks! I cant even be bothered explaining how long it took to make the damn thing work. and the issues I faced with it, just know im using the old processing not the new one... and that reference dosnt exist anymore... (archive.org, is always my friend), and that at one point I was creating my own conversion function from a packed colour value to hex to rgb all by myself... it really sucked. (I was also trying to split a 32bit int into bytes so that I could seperate the rgb values), In the end I found the correct way of doing it.

how am I supposed to know what little inbuilt functions are called! red (c); $%#*^$%#&£%^("$#354^$&!!!!

and also why the hell does it unpack the colour thing into floats!!!! theyre whole numbers! (yes,yes, im sure theres a very good reason, well guess what Im a beginner and I like things to make sense.)

anyhoo, for Tom and Andy here it is, the get pixel picture... and it sucks.

my whole project sucks.
screw the colour.

2005-07-26T17:41:00.000Z

well I created a terrained level (with the terrain based on the image f the face) to see if It would make things more interesting... I think it ended up confusing things. The image is lost.

Afterall I think part of this whole thing is about removing the 3Dness from something that relys heavily on it. also the whole mapping (making a map from real life (or not) terrain)is a 2D thing. I prefer it how it was

2005-07-26T12:01:00.000Z

Im going to try a making a terrained level today... one that roughly follows the contours of a face to see how that alters the final drawing...

heres some straight lined piccys from this morning. (20 min game, "inhuman bots")
I think I like the whole "less is more" picture (one post on) these are nice... I dont know, still thinking.

2005-07-26T00:26:00.000Z

proof! if proof were needed that the damn log file does not read in orderly fashion but takes from whatever bot it chooses.

I went to the trouble of writing rediculous amounts of extra code so that
1. Processing would know how many bots were playing
2. it would create seperate arrays for the positions of those bots (assuming of course that the log file would stick to an order)

so in this case every 20th position would be the same bot, yeah right. If this picture represents the same bot then im a legoman.
bear in mind here that from one point to another represents 1 second!

I knew it was random but I dont know... I thought something great would happen, the picture looks kinda nice but... I dont see no face in there.

besides the picture below looks better and more interesting, the straight lines make it more non-computery... if you get me.

2005-07-25T20:06:00.000Z

messing about

I'll curve these lines if it kills me! I have a plan to create 1 curved line piccy every second (so like if theres 20 bots therll be 1 20 point curve for that second etc etc.)

2005-07-23T10:48:00.000Z

Spoke to Andy yesterday. Was good. He noticed my cheating with the pictures, in that I'd had to shop them to refine the colours. I fully intend for my little code to be able to colour them accuratley by itself but here and now I needed a quick fix for printing.

So yeah my live working code is developing and after talking with Andy he agreed with my idea of disguising the level (making it look more like a propergame of Unreal) so as to increase peoples surprise that the bots are drawing faces. (he also reminded me of something Id forgotton to do, so for future setting up AI spots for bots to act a certain way would be interesting).

He liked my analogy of the bots being my little apprentices (like ages ago when artists would have aprentices who would pretty much paint the whole thing under the supervision of the master who would then sign it and get the credit).

He also like the finding faces in odd places thing (like seeing jesus in a tortilla) which is called pareidolia!

He also gave good advice about the essays which Im going to follow in time for my Derek meeting and liked the idea of me creating a sort of "how to" UT book with important program quirks and how to's (not tutorials!).

2005-07-13T08:31:00.000Z

Okay so I had a bigger statement, like of a few paragraphs, but it was just too long and after reading it a few times I thought the first paragraph was good enough (and general enough) to be my proper paragraph to accompany my piccy. its pretty short but here it is.

Edited... (cuz I forget my url)
-----

My work involves the game Unreal Tournament which is a "first person shooter" computer game and I am using it and the information it generates as an artistic tool, creating from it architecture, sculpture and most recently drawings.

Alison Mealey
www.unrealart.co.uk
alison.organised.info
-----

2005-07-12T18:40:00.000Z

Unreal + processing + Photoshop + A1 + rasterising post script + messing = hours;

actualsize-

2005-07-11T22:51:00.000Z

For those interested here is the log file that Unreal with my mutator running generates. (this is a game of 1 min)

And here is the final postscript processing code.
.

2005-07-11T20:56:00.000Z

Im an idiot! Or at the very least I can be thick.

The bots work as I suspected... randomly. Muggins here got all excited when they looked like they were wierd. but there not.

In my defence I didnt get any warnings or errors when building the maps so how was I to know!

If you place a lava volume even slightly on top of a path node then the bot wont run in that direction... I mean their not thick are they why on earth would they happily run towards death (even if they cant see its there).

Im not sure if its because the lava volume is shouting to them "Im gonna kill you", or if its bacause the path node cant shout through the lava volume to tell them its their.

Either way my previous experiments turned up false results, the reason 3 directions were working was bacause in only 3 directions were the pathnodes free from blockages.
Heres what you coulda won...

anyhoo seems pretty random to me, I can make it un-random though by assigning paths different levels of importance, perhaps an important thing to do when attempting to create an illustration.

2005-07-08T22:08:00.000Z

okay this is messed up... take away their favorite paths of before and they just run in the middle? This cant be right...

2005-07-08T12:36:00.000Z

well, interesting discoveries today.

Firstly I thought the bots would have quite a bit of random behaviour built-in. Apparently theyre not as random as I thought.

Secondly I believed that different bots would act differently, perhaps one would have a tendancy to always go left... etc.
Aparently not.

Finally I thought that if the player start pointed in a certain direction then the bots would tend to go that way, over other ways.

I created a map which would give the bots choises of which way to go. These pictures were drawn by the bots each bot played for 10 min by themselves.

riker-

hyena-

dominator-

all of them overlayed onto the map and path options. The red dot indicates the direction the player start was pointing-

So what does this mean? right now I have no idea.
they prefer making left turns?
when theres no-one to kill they doont go backwards or right?

oh by the way incase your wondering at the end of the paths I placed a lava volume so that they would die and spaw again in the middle.

One theory I had was that they move towards action, so when they can see themselves floating into the air after death (right after they re-spawn) they run towards it thinking theres people to kill in that direction.

Though that still dosnt really explain why they all went the same direction initially.

2005-07-07T20:31:00.000Z

I swear Im seeing things now but this had no bot paths I just wanted a picture of them doing what they usually do, and yet theres a face there... Im sure of it (perhaps they learnt to draw by themselves while I was away)

2005-07-05T20:12:00.000Z

jebus?

2005-07-04T23:23:00.000Z

ps.setcolours(prettygreycolourf);
ps.drawbigcircles(here,there,everywhere);
ps.fillthelandwithcircles

lovely jubbly

2005-07-02T11:42:00.000Z

for those interested. and to save you heartache.

The processing libraries things (like saving postscript or an illustrator file, (thanks to rob for showing me that) ) simply dont work in the new version of processing! (the ones at the bottom, and yes I have just noticed that it says they dont work but why on earth would I read that big bold text line)

Luckily I have the old one and have now got my little files saving away, Im pretty sure you can still download the old version of the website... but maby not. just for the record the libraries work in processing 68 and 69 apparently.

2005-07-01T12:01:00.000Z


//loop aint working having difficulties with stops!

void setup() {
size (625,625); //was 625 by 625
background(252,255,255);
//stroke(0,0,0);
noStroke();
}


/////////////////////////////////////////////////
//global variables


int stopme = 0;
int count2 = 0;
int starthere = 0;
int endhere = 0;
int dont = 6;
int dont2 = 5;
int i = 0;
String intarr [];
String[] matchstart = { "ScriptLog: START MATCH","Log: appRequestExit(0)", "=" , "ScriptLog:"}; //when to start reading and when to stop
int counter = 0;
int arrlen =0;
int arrnum = 0;
String format;
float thelist[];

///////////////////////////////////////////////
//loop


void draw() {


if(dont2==5) { // read the text file know where it ends
intarr = loadStrings("C:/UT2004/System/UT2004.log"); //will read from correct place
dont2=dont2+1; //dont read the file again till you told!
endhere = intarr.length-1;
// need to minus 1 or errors will abound cuz of writing
starthere = starthere +180;

if (starthere >= endhere){
noLoop();
}

starthere = starthere-180;
}


//////////////////////////////////////////////
//find the relevant lines of the text file (want to speed this process up with a while other wise its stuck in the slow draw loop!)

while(dont == 6) {

if(intarr[i].equals(matchstart[0]) == true) { //check for when to begin
println("we hit start match at");
println(i);
starthere = i+1; //this is where the first x value is situated
println(intarr[starthere]);
i=i+1;
dont=dont+1;
} else {
i=i+1;
} //end start check

/*if(intarr[i].equals(matchstart[1]) == true) { //check for when to stop
println("we hit the end of the match at");
println(i);
endhere = i-1; //this is where the final z value is situated
println (intarr[endhere]);

}*/

}//endwhile

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////


if (dont ==7){

counter = starthere;
arrlen = endhere-starthere;
println("the end of the match this time is");
println (endhere);

String justnumstrings [] = new String[arrlen];
//println(justnumstrings.length);


dont=dont+1;
stopme = justnumstrings.length /3;
stopme = (stopme - 50); //divisible by 3
stopme = stopme *3;
//println(stopme); //stop me without big black circle!!!// needs to be divisible by 3


while (counter < endhere){ // start while
String temp [] = split(intarr[counter]);
//println (temp[2]);
if ((temp[0].equals(matchstart[3]) == true) && (temp[2].equals(matchstart[2]) == true)) { //stops log: warning: and error: pissing up the script
justnumstrings[arrnum] = temp[3];
arrnum = arrnum+1;
counter= counter+1;
} else {//could use this to read the whole thing... screw the end of the file
counter= counter+1;
}

} // end while

String format = join(justnumstrings, " ");
thelist = float (split(format));



//println(stopme);
}

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
//in big draw loop

float temp1 = thelist[count2];
float temp2 = thelist[count2+1];
float temp3 = thelist[count2+2];

temp1 = temp1+10000;
temp2 = temp2+10000;
temp3 = temp3+10000;
temp1 = temp1/32;
temp2 = temp2/32;
temp3 = temp3/32;
temp3=temp3-1;

//println (temp3);
int wihi = int(temp3); //width height

//println(wihi);
//point (temp1, temp2);
fill (0,70); //fill(gray, alpha)
ellipse(temp1, temp2, wihi, wihi);// (x,y,width,height)

if (count2 >= stopme){
//noLoop();
starthere = endhere;

intarr = loadStrings("C:/UT2004/System/UT2004.log"); //will read from correct place
endhere = intarr.length-1;

starthere = starthere +180;

if (starthere >= endhere){
noLoop();
println ("we are not looping");
}
starthere = starthere-180;

count2= 0;
dont = 7;
arrnum = 0;
counter =0;
println("match should start again at");
println (starthere);

//} else {
//noLoop();
//println("endof");
//save("diagonal.tif"); (save a piccy)
//}

}
//println (count2);
count2 = count2+3;

//delay(1000); //if delay is needed
}

2005-06-27T07:44:00.000Z

processing code dump for today (I just cant be bothered bringing in my laptop). this code kinda works, and kinda dosnt. the aim is to constantly read the text file while it being created and update the processing thingy while Unreal is being played.


void setup() { 
size (880,625); //was 625 by 625
background(252,255,255);
stroke(0,0,0);
} 


/////////////////////////////////////////////////
//global variables

int count2 = 0;
int starthere = 0;
int endhere = 0;
int dont = 5;
int i = 0;
String intarr [];
String[] matchstart = { "ScriptLog: START MATCH","Log: appRequestExit(0)" }; //when to start reading and when to stop
int counter = 0;
int arrlen =0;
int fixarraygay =0;
int arrnum = 0;
String format;
float thelist[];

///////////////////////////////////////////////
//loop


void draw() { 


if(dont<=5) { // read the text file know where it ends
intarr = loadStrings("C:/UT2004/System/UT2004.log"); //will read from correct place
dont=dont+1; //dont read the file again till you told!
}


//////////////////////////////////////////////
//find the relevant lines of the text file (want to speed this process up with a while other wise its stuck in the slow draw loop!)

while(dont == 6) { 

if(intarr[i].equals(matchstart[0]) == true) { //check for when to begin
println("we hit start match at"); 
println(i); 
starthere = i+1; //this is where the first x value is situated
println(intarr[starthere]);
i=i+1; 
} else { 
i=i+1; 
} //end start check

if(intarr[i].equals(matchstart[1]) == true) { //check for when to stop
println("we hit the end of the match at"); 
println(i); 
endhere = i-1; //this is where the final z value is situated
println (intarr[endhere]);

counter = starthere;
arrlen = endhere-starthere;
fixarraygay = arrlen-1;
dont=dont+1;
}
}//endwhile

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////


if (dont ==7){

String justnumstrings [] = new String[arrlen];
println(justnumstrings.length);

while (counter < endhere){
String temp [] = split(intarr[counter]);

justnumstrings[arrnum] = temp[3];

arrnum = arrnum+1;
counter= counter+1;
}

String format = join(justnumstrings, " ");
thelist = float (split(format));

fixarraygay= fixarraygay-9;
dont=dont+1;
}

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////


float temp1 = thelist[count2];
float temp2 = thelist[count2+1];
float temp3 = thelist[count2+2];

temp1 = temp1+10000;
temp2 = temp2+10000;
temp3 = temp3+10000;
temp1 = temp1/32;
temp2 = temp2/32;
temp3 = temp3/32;

point (temp1, temp2);

if (count2 >= fixarraygay){
noLoop();
println("endof");
}

count2 = count2+3;

}

2005-06-24T18:26:00.000Z

What can I say spent a while thinking about bot pathing, the bots creating environments (sans people) artificial intelligences creating there own environment from their movements.

But then I got carried over the past week or so, away with bot pathing and how different settings of bot (thick or clever) or different mutators can create a different pattern of movement...
then Bot pathing I discovered is quite like drawing with vectors....

then I did a series of experiments using my old watcher mutator and the processing code I made earlier. (and obviously a pretty nifty map I made with bot paths everyfingwhere)

This picture was created with the "super arena" and "super beserk" mod running, and using "masterful" bots.

This picture was created using "masterful" bots.

This picture was created using "novice" bots.

This picture was created using "godlike" bots.

I modified the levels bot paths here as I thought important features were being missed out, the bots are "godlike".

Im sure you seen the pettern emerging here but just incase overlay all the piccys over each other and what dy get?

and I couldnt resist a slight adjustment based on the illustration that inspired the bots paths.

2005-06-24T10:54:00.000Z

Just incase your not too clear how bot pathing works... you give them a rough estimate of what is a "good way" to utilise the level (usually paths will lead to guns and ammo etc), then you let them play, obviously they have minds of their own and make descisions on where to walk based on things like who shooting them at the time, they do however remember the paths are there and try to follow them roughly.

You might have noticed that the "godlike" bots felt freer to deviate from the paths than the novice bots... which I think is really interesting and something that wouldnt have been discovered had they not been leaving breadcrumbs as they walk.

My bot pathing pic

meant to say that each of the games that created the images above were played by bots only, I spectated... each match was 30 mins long (initially there were only 15 players, in the end I think there were 25)

bot pathing... hmmm interesting, ideas forming, come my pretties come.

2005-06-16T20:26:00.000Z

Its always the same... no posts for ages then 5 turn up all at once. I made this a while ago, and Im sure its important to my project I just dont know how yet.

When you treat a CD badly sometimes It'll get to the point where its wont install anymore. This happened with my copy of Mafia, but I wouldnt take no for an answer and used a vicious method of forcing it to install whatever it could, allowing files to be there that were corrupted or simply empty.

Well god knows how, but the game believed it had installed itself properly... it however forget one important bundle, the textures and I love it for it, especially as I have all the save games and can play all the movies like this.

Enjoy, my god its beautiful. (and I'm not talking about the preloader)

Thinking a pleasentville type unreal game... cept textures rather than colours (where the abscence of textures will be the goal)

2005-06-16T16:25:00.000Z

one player moves at the bottom and the geometry falls into place, one player moves around ontop and the world falls away.

2005-06-16T14:58:00.000Z

triggers that will "construct" geometry where you have just walked.

2005-06-15T19:54:00.000Z

Freedom from pixel art! I can now concentrate on Unreal fully...

An interesting "experiment" (what happens when you forget to build paths before you test the map in the game) I have a proper full size version of this that runs for about 5 min without looping, its quite disturbing really.

2005-05-26T08:18:00.000Z

I'm so crap at writing. heres my proposal...

My previous two projects have both involved Unreal Tournament and Unreal Editor.

My first project was concerned with the editor itself how it functions as a tool, and how that can be exploited. Levels created in UnrealEd hide an architecture that cannot be seen until what was empty space was made solid. My second project related to revealing hidden forms from the levels, this time from players movements within the game.

For both projects I wanted to bring these hidden forms/architectures/sculptures into life, to be able to touch them. Hence my experiments into rapid prototyping and using helium balloons as a representation of 3D positional data.

I want to keep exploring and experimenting with all the previously mentioned themes.

I'm interested in the process of deconstructing then constructing, of using GPS type data as a marker for destruction or creation. I feel there is a lot more to do in this area.
I'm interested in using Unreal and UrealEd to create sculptural tools. This might be a little beyond me, but I can certainly do something with it.
I'm interested in removing goals from the levels of the game, of re-creating the levels in a new way to create a different kind of game space.
I'm interested in bringing the forms created into life in various ways. Note to self... need to buy some land.

I'm just generally interested in Unreal Editor and Unreal Tournament, in games and game-play. Creating a game that can function as a tool (or at least isn't really a game).

2005-05-17T17:32:00.000Z

okay... sorry to disappoint but there will be no balloons in the studio tomorrow.
well, maby one... but certainly not many its too much hassle and too crowded in there. So instead I took my balloons outside, and had a fun balloon day.

twas fun (if a little windy!)

quite an improvement that last one...

2005-05-16T22:52:00.000Z

okay... what have I been doing?

well, since hearing oodles of information of Derek I have been secretly planning my assault on the final project. and unfortunately right when I want to be doing uni work, (starting my next project while figuring out what to say about my last one)I get lumbered creating a menu for "Battle Royale".

damn phone game

2005-05-03T22:24:00.000Z

the online presentation version of my sketchbook type thingy.

http://alison.organised.info/unreal/

2005-05-02T21:46:00.000Z

the posters. so happy we have an extra day for the hand-in! just got back from my cousins wedding (was yesterday). they had it in a castle which was nice, and they gave us exorbident amounts of food which was even nicer.

anyhoo 1 more day yay! I can make the visual sketch book side of things nicer.

2005-04-27T21:54:00.000Z

3D model - printed
balloons - bought
string - bought
helium - on its way
posters - printed

report - being written
presentation slides - lets skip that one
what im going to say -lets skip that one too
sketchbook ready for hand-in - ermmm...

door - locked
gas - off
computer - hot
weapon - ready
red bull - finished

Alison - edgy

2005-04-26T11:51:00.000Z

well, the 3D print isnt ready... apparently they ran out of 3D printy material... and the helium shop in town hires helium not sells it.

not doing very well am I.

Im going to have to buy helium off the internet and hope it arrives by like Friday... and hope the 3D printy people get there arses in gear... mines next apparently. (though I now believe nothing they say) I was originally going to be ready last Tuesday.

grrrr

2005-04-25T22:56:00.000Z

my google map

it dosnt quite work properly in that when you press + it minus's and when you press - it plus's.

But what the hell Im knackered and cant be arsed fixing it...
I was going to fake it to look just like google too, but I'll do that tomorrow.

2005-04-21T09:55:00.000Z

Had a fabulous talk with Tom today.
Lots of good ideas came up he showed me this...

breed

which is of course beautiful... hopefully my 3D model will look just like this! Its printing as we speak (well maby not right now) I'm picking it up tomorrow though!

Anyway, that wasnt the fabulous idea, we were talking about how I wanted to map these points on the earth (or at least visualising them in real space) and I was saying how I could only see doing it in a "2D" way (so ignoring the z data) because building something was just impossible with my megre budget (I had imagined a sort of childs playground with the wooden stumps that you can jump across), however Tom had the fabulous (and cheaper, therefore doable) idea of helium balloons!

I can create these points relatively easily using balloons.

You would endup interacting with these navagation point balloons very differently to how the points were created, to interact in the same way you would have to walk over the balloons (if you get me... Im so excited!).

2005-04-19T19:34:00.000Z

how to destroy the earth I remember looking at this towards the beginning of this project and being really interested by it, but not knowing how it fit into my plan. so I forgot about it, untill now.

I have pretty much desroyed the "world"/terra firma in unreal. by making track markings of where the players had been.

so by trying to preserve something, and keep a track of somehthing, you actually end up destroying the original something (or at least drastically altering it). See weed-killer plane idea below.

alot of "earth art/environmental art" is often seen as an environmental disaster. though it isnt necessarily, (please read christo and jeanne-claude's common errors interesting that they say there art is to be viewed from the ground not the sky)

interesant, non?

2005-04-17T16:09:00.000Z

I have been generally thinking about "Earth art" recently. Art that can be viewed from above the earth. I started looking at Tom Van Sant and Pierre Comte (thanks to Iman and his endless library of books for that). But moved to may others Christo Vladimiroff Javacheff being my fave (though Comte's work is more relevant to me)

I think its relevant to what Im doing. and its perhaps their art contains that extra thing that I felt was lacking in GPS art, physically affecting the thing that your mapping/tracking. Jen Southern drew a plane in the air using a GPS device, what if that was done over a huge field with a bucket of weed killer dripping from the plane? ignoring the fact that you kill lots of stuff and be dangerous, It would be a record of your prescence and the places you went and it would be there for everyone to see.

Though generally people cant see large images on the ground, they can only be viewed in God mode. Hej Gud! (Lisa Jevbratt)

When I was little me and my cousins went into next doors garden, the house was being sold and no one lived there. The grass was waist high (to 7 year olds) and we decided to create a crop circle. It was so much fun to make and thinking of people being able to see it from there upstairs windows and thinking aliens had landed pleased us.

(our was just like this... 5 billions times smaller... and only 1 circle)

(What if with Christians Nolds GPS walk thing you could take a few cans of spray paint with you and monitor your red to green stress levels whiole you walked, you could spray massive red x's on the ground.)

Anyway, to the point god mode, seen from an impossible perspective (unless you happen to have a satellite or be in unreal editing a stupid map). Doing to the earth what has been done to unreal?

man-made "earth art" I came across. I could spend all day on google maps, just looking at stuff.

2005-04-17T01:22:00.000Z

I cant handle damn pixel art. I hate it.

Everything is way too small and hurts my eyes, and its never about printing, I like printing stuff!
stupid mobile phones not having big screens.

Anyway I gave that a rest today and did some project work, which was good and fun to think about, I started making a real life model!

Then it got difficult to deal with lots of semi-wet pva glue, so I gave it a rest for the evening and did an illustration to clear my brain.

brain purge complete.

p.s. this was done quickly so pardon stray vectors

2005-04-13T12:22:00.000Z

speaking to Jodie yesterday and remembered this

The one I saw like this was on the floor and called Disco Floor_Bootleg:16 by Angela Bulloch. (I version is pretty much the same in looks and I think is called z-point pixel cubes).

Good for jodie with the light, good for me with the blocks.

However just for jodie "The British Artist Angela Bulloch creates a modular light mixing system that allows 1.6 million colours to be mixed from fluorescent tubes of red, green and blue."

2005-04-12T00:39:00.000Z

okay... big blog shift happening (though the blog itself isnt moving, just all the images).

So if you happen upon here and theres no pics showing... or indeed anything showing. you can assume I've failed and chuckle quietly to yourself at my expense.

2005-04-09T20:28:00.000Z

mwahahaha ha

the blocks have done it! (well a few of them anyway)

the blocks' power focuses upon unworthy geometry

2005-04-09T11:51:00.000Z

one more time I dare you, just give me a reason...

2005-04-09T01:02:00.000Z

arrr me hearties... arrr

2005-04-06T12:14:00.000Z

arrr me hearties... arrr

2005-04-03T10:55:00.000Z

okay making my life easier is always a good thing.

I cant be arsed changing the original mutator code to output maxscript, and I also cant be arsed making processing do something it really hates and Im not even going to talk about getting max/msp to do this so open Word!

yes Word has saved the day with nifty find and replace code.

find this -
ScriptLog: movingxloc =

replace with this -
)^l(^lb = box()^lb.height = 100^lb.width = 100^lb.length = 100^lb.pos.x =

woohoo maxscript heaven!

(
b = box()
b.height = 100
b.width = 100
b.length = 100
b.pos.x = 11424.00
b.pos.y = -3776.00
b.pos.z = -484.00
)

and then to run...

interesting but not quite... ive gone back to my original idea by the way of recreating the level. because i liked it even if no-body else did, and Im genuinely interested in seeing what happens.

2005-03-18T21:11:00.000Z

signing an important contract on Monday...

I can see a major problem heading my way in the coming months... I have already thrown myself into the design aspects of the games and I've only just started. Finding space for Masters work too is going to be a challenge.

I have a feeling I'm soon going to need to proiritise one over the other...

Or organise my time to the second.

this is going to be tricky.

2005-03-16T17:08:00.000Z

OMG!

the best thing ever happened today!
I have a job!

no thats not it... I have had jobs before.

I have a job designing all the visuals to go in a proper (for sale) game?

Yep thatll be the one!
woooohoooooo!!!!

I think Ive found my purpose in life. right Im off to play mame and get inspiration (it a mobile phone game) and yeah thats it.
wooohoooo!

2005-03-10T23:00:00.000Z

Sooo busy this week.

The biomapping thingy was great. I refer you to here and here, as its pointless me repeating what happened when its already been said so eloquently by others.

We've been doing this innovation thing lots this week, Im totally innovated out. But its all going alright I think.

I think I need a nice big drink.

2005-03-09T01:40:00.000Z

Lots of interesting, fabulous things happened today. But all that will have to wait till tomorrow, till then here are a few pics from the other week...
Enjoy (just click on Justins head to get them)

2005-03-07T04:27:00.000Z

I had no clue what I was going to do with my day today... and then I went and did this. Its now 5 in the morning and I'm going to bed.

2005-03-03T19:09:00.000Z

Ignore the following 3 entries. I liked the rfid thing this evening, because you didnt have to realte it to rfid and in a way it was talking about positional data.
Lots of lovely things to think about now. I'm going to spend tomorrow figuring out exactly what I'm trying to achieve with this project.

but for now...

Im going to relax and be glad that Im in a nice warm house instead of outside in the freezing coldness.

2005-03-03T13:12:00.000Z

okay just talked to tom betts.
this is getting heavey, I dont think Ive ever failed to think of an idea before or to see a progressable area of a project.
But everything I think of just dosnt grip me.

No-one seems to understand that this project is really tight, and not at all open. Its so specific its making my head bleed.

Tom gave me some really interesting ideas, but unfortunately many of them I had thought of myself. I'm getting to the stage now where I just cant think of anything else and none of it for some reason seems to me to be worthwhile. Its all either been done before or is (what Im seein as pointless).

What is the point of taking one kind of data and representing it in another form?
unless I can get past this question Im not going to be able to progress. If its just a technology project about shifting data from one thing to another then that I can do. In fact... maby I should go ahead and do that.

Ignore the point and conceptual side and just shift stuff about to see what happens. You know what... that sounds like a plan, and it would certainly fix my headache over the whys.

excellent. I feel better already, right lets go shift some stuff about, perhaps I could take my points image and make it officially 2d (saving the image out of processing) maby I could then open it in max (msp) and like do something else with it... eventually then making it 3D again.

okay so that sounded sarcastic but it genuinely wasnt supposed to be, if this project is about taking data and turning it into something else (without a real point), then thats what I shall do!

great back to the tom betts talk, I can now see the light. shifting data about, is the point. he had some ideas for me that im going to think about... but I rekon ive just thought of a few things now too.

woohoo! america fuck yeah

2005-03-03T11:38:00.000Z

it always interesting to fall through the world and see whats on the other side.
(alice in wonderland) but then if these god modes are all the time the game would be boring... as a game but not as an experience, experiencing something very different in something very familiar. It would have to be familiar though.

2005-03-03T11:19:00.000Z

a thinking post... feel free to diregard.

okay I've been looking at what to do with statistics, and other (what can be considered) statistical based artworks. But alot of what I'm seeing is kinda boring, whats the point of simply visualising statistics? you have graphs for that.

I've also been looking alot at other peoples (statistical based) mods. But again its always something without any point like... you get fatter if your doing better, you get bigger tires if your doing better, you get more adrenaline the more you kill... etc. etc.

balls go up in relation to stock.

always if your doing better stuff gets better or bigger for you... if your doing badly stuff get smaller. (like visualisations of wealth of countries)

I had this idea about buildings and if physical space could be affected by sucess. like if your in a building with lots of offices, perhaps the most productive person could have a bigger office...

its all about positive feedback... unreal tournament will output your statistics to a sort of global league table. its always about being the best in games like this. (you actually start to feel angry and annoyed if you keep dying). even in rpg like galaxies you get punished if you die... whats the point

whys death and doing badly such a big deal, why get punished for being a poor player, theyre the people who need the most help... your always considered weak if you have to play on an easy level.

not that I want to do a project about this or anything, just thinking about it.

any way yes back to the point. galaxies.
forces real life world statistics on a game... reliance on your trade to earn money, reliance on others to provide you with the things you need, reliance on charity if you have nothing...

Ive been trying to think of how game statistics can be used to effect rl in a big way (the same way that physics has become such a core to 3D games, surely gravity things hitting each other and interacting the same way as in rl dosnt have to be applied to games when they have no real physical reason to be bound by it.) very basic early games (Im thinking early games, perhaps a few mame ones) were much more abstract.

I bought Iman a copy of painkiller yesterday and when he was playing it he went into somesort of god type special move and eveything went crazy on the screen he could move anywhere, colours went crazy, he could walk through people. another game that has a similar crayness is eternal darkness, when you become insane you get some non-imitating world typr stuff going on.

anyway this is all bollocks. thinking about stuff. this post is way too long.

2005-03-01T11:17:00.000Z

The hiding room

Best
Website
Ever

2005-02-28T21:08:00.000Z

This is probably a game of about 15 min which will probably playback in about 5. Its an assault thats why why a goal is completed theres a sudden shift in the spawn points of the players.

I cant say how long its taken to actually script this bitch. yeah, the code looks simple now but getting it to work in a loop was a pain in the arse.

2005-02-24T01:47:00.000Z

Okay so this dosnt have anything to do with my project but Im all excited to do some 3D thats going to be used by a company.

Looks like those animation tutorials are paying off already...

(The car is jacked up by the bag)

I hate the way models look great in grey!It makes picking other textures and colours hideous.