EricBall
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Blog Comments posted by EricBall
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Hi Darrell,
Maybe, but the input is from an attachment (with a kvp extension) which is marked as application/octet-stream. I haven't tried to access and decode the raw SMTP, but I that should keep it as a binary file from iOS to my Download directory. The actual contents are utf8 text, and I've successfully passed Chinese, Hebrew and Arabic characters and even emoji. It's just the EOL which is being changed. Not a big deal, just annoying.
<Edit>
Just downloaded and checked the file on my work laptop (Windows) and it's only LF. So it's either MacOS or the String from file initializer (bets on the latter).
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I've loaded the alpha code on my boss's and two coworker's phones, in addition to my son's and wife's iPods. Everyone is very impressed. (Although I think with the idea that I've created an actual iOS game rather than being impressed with the game itself.)
The transition to Swift 2.3 was relatively painless (although I still don't know how to create a Swift 2.3 project in XCode 8 - but if I need to I can create one in XCode 7). Renaming the project from the development name to the actual name was less than painless (the XCode "rename" only does one step of many), but I found a step-by-step YouTube video. Hooray for the Internet.
My current challenge is putting together the screen which will list all of the levels you have created. While XCode & UIKit have the basic framework (UITableView) - there's a lot of "write from scratch" instead of "tweak to suit". I've also had to write a bunch of sqlite interface code to handle the actual data. While there are some free toolkits out there, I wasn't able to get the nicest one to install correctly. I'm also leery of making my code dependent on someone else's (other than Apple's - which I can't avoid). And even the sqlite code isn't that bad with some help from a StackExchange post.
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I think the answer to both questions will be yes (for some measures). The real comparison between the Switch and the Lynx will be which will have more titles and which will have the longer battery life. I suspect the Switch will win the battery life comparison only because of the difference in battery technologies. The number of titles is more iffy. Not including downloads, the Wii U has only 122 retail games (as of Oct 23, 2016 as per Wikipedia), one less than the Lynx.
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I have to say my personal interest in getting a new dedicated game system is very low. I simply have so many gaming options:
- various Android / iOS devices
- 27" iMac (including Steam)
- PS3 (resume my Skyrim addiction)
- Minecraft (either on the iMac or the PS3)
- 3DS & DS w/ flash cart
- WiiU
- GameCube
- N64 (assuming I can fix / find a working one)
- older retro console options via emulation
There's just simply so much low cost / no cost entertainment options that I can't justify spending the $$. Even buying a new game for the WiiU is pretty low on the list.
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Drat, drat, drat. I remembered (and verified) in order to submit to the App Store, the app must be programmed with Swift 2.3 or 3. So I guess I'll need to figure out how to get everything upgraded without breaking it too much.
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Hoo-Rah!
A very logical solution to the problem. Now I just need to find 14 hours to watch it.
Would there be any value in an audio-only version? Then I could listen to it during my daily commute. (Did that for the LotR commentary tracks.)
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I managed to get this working (I think). I started to look at some sample code for dynamically sized cells, but ran into more knowledge issues. (Although the code did have some interesting constructs.) But then I found some sample code which used constraints inside the cell and I had a light bulb moment. If I included layout constraints between the cell and the imageview inside the cell, then the imageview would be automatically resized when I resized the cell. Bingo!
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While going with Swift 2.3 was okay for my existing projects, I couldn't easily create a new Swift 2.3 project.
Fortunately, you can download old versions of XCode and rename them as part of the install. So now I can go keep developing using Swift 2.2 for iOS 9 without issues.
It also appears the big downloads last month was XCode updating itself on my macBook and iMac.
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Ah, as per "Rebecca Heineman on 3DO DOOM", s/he got the Jag port source from iD (along with the DOS source) and used it because it had already been stripped down to fit in the Jag's 1MB of RAM - making the port easier. That makes more sense. The reuse isn't due to the code but the assets.
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A most entertaining podcast (along with the related Wolf3d podcast). I like how you go beyond a simple review of the game and delve into the development history and relationships & comparisons with other ports. (It was also interesting to learn how many console ports were actually ports of previous console ports. I wouldn't have thought there was enough similarity between the various consoles to make that strategy better than going back to the original source.)
Personally I only played DOOM (and Wolf3d) on the PC, although I had (at least for DOOM) a Gravis Ultrasound for superior music and sound effects. (IMHO the main failing of the GUS was it didn't provide a hardware compatible Sound Blaster DAC port when so many games were using it.) DOOM was my last FPS until GoldenEye 64 as my PC couldn't keep up and I got off the upgrade treadmill.
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hell yeah DVD is still popular
1. both players and content are much cheaper than Blu-Ray (even without considering DVD-R copies)
2. laptops & portable players typically handle DVDs
3. people and libraries (and adult video stores) have lots of DVDs, there's also a big used market
4. while there is a quality difference, unlike the VHS to DVD transition it isn't enough to make you want to upgrade
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Unlike many other smartphones (like my HTC-601) iPhones don't receive FM radio (https://9to5mac.com/2015/04/20/fm-radio-iphone/) - so that's not a big problem for Apple. And while it's a nice feature, it's not a must-have for most people. OTOH, the bluetooth speaker I just bought has an FM tuner and it uses the USB cable for the antenna. So maybe if Apple really wanted to they could use the lightning cable as an FM antenna.
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Although cellphones are common, even ubiquitous, "everyone" does not have a cellphone. Cellphones can also be damaged, lost, stolen, or be out of range. Heck, some people don't even have a home phone.
Unfortunately, due to cellphones, the usage of public telephones has dropped far below the point where they are profitable. So instead those without need to find other ways when they need to make a call.
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I think you overestimate what a five-year-old is capable of creating. My fifteen-year-old has difficulty with programming anything although I've been trying to teach him for years.
I have to admit, not doing something you don't enjoy and don't need to do is often the sensible plan.
Perhaps taking a break is what you need. Maybe you'll find a different creative passion to fill your time with. Or maybe that desire to create homebrew games will hit you with enough force to push you through the challenges.
If that does happen, one recommendation I have is to focus on one programming language / console - preferably the one which you have found "easiest" to develop for.
My programming knowledge went through several phases. I started with Applesoft BASIC and from there different dialects of BASIC on different computers. I later learned Borland Turbo Pascal - similar to BASIC but with structure instead of GOTO/GOSUB. C came next, although I wouldn't really understand C until after I learned assembly.
After a brief attempt to learn 6502, I discovered the power of assembly with the 6809 (TRS-80 Color Computer). Then I went back to the 6502 but was stymied by the lack of 16 bit index registers. 8086 was next with the rise of PCs. I only got back to the 6502 with the 2600.
Now I'm trying to learn Swift & IOS programming. It's slow going and frustrating 'cause I have an idea in my head for a game but I don't have anywhere near enough knowledge to start actually creating it.
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Cost aside, wonder how well it would work if they could divvy the output amongst multiple lasers.
How much time, money & effort are you willing to spend? The first step would be to somehow divide up the display into vector sequences. Both the Vectrex and Atari games after Asteroids (Deluxe) use analog vector generators. So each vector sequence would start with a "return to center" which could be used as a starting point. (The vector sequence is then drawn as a series of slope + speed over time at intensity or off.) The vector sequence would need to be slowed down for the laser projector, tweaked to account for momentum and the output buffered.
Then you'd need a bunch of laser projectors. You'd want to make them as physically small as possible so they can be placed close together rather than trying to create some kind of "multi angle beam combiner". As long as the distance between the outputs is small relative to the final display the parallax shouldn't be too noticeable.
However, to make any significant difference you'd need a lot of laser projectors (tens at least). And hopefully each vector sequence could be drawn quickly enough to match the game's internal refresh rate.
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It looks like they have a lot of flicker, so aren't simply driving the laser with the raw vector outputs.
Yep http://web.archive.org/web/20040401223651/http://games.lasers.org/pressrelease.shtml
Because of the fundamental differences between a cathode-ray tube’s high-speed drive yokes (which trace the electron beam across the phosphors of the monitor) and relatively low-speed mechanical laser scanners (used to move two small, millimeter-sized mirrors which deflect the laser beam’s direction), the native CRT signals generated by traditional game hardware are completely unusable for laser projection.
Part of the fundamental problem of game display in laser is simply inherent in the speed at which the vectors are output by the game. An electron beam, having no real mass, can sweep at (comparatively) an almost ‘infinite’ speed, whereas mechanical scanners need to deal with the physical aspects of mass, inertia, and acceleration. These three factors greatly limit the speed and accuracy at which the mirror can move. Where a vector monitor can handle simply the first and last points on a straight line, a mechanical scanner needs a trail of points along the straight line in order to faithfully and accurately reproduce that line. Where a vector monitor can change direction instantaneously (again, because the electron beam has no real mass to speak of) a mechanical scanner must brake, stop, and take off into a new direction to reproduce the angle-change correctly. These are only a few of the conversions and optimizations performed in real-time by LaserMAME™, all of which are necessary for successful image conversion.
Not to dismiss what they did - the display looks good. But the galvos are definitely the limiting factor.
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I just borrowed Tomorrowland from the local library. IMHO Ben Affleck's Paycheck does a much better job with the whole "future paradox" idea. I do agree with you that the primary trio of characters were adequate, but not really sympathetic.
My biggest issue was with the EET dimension-hopping transport. I could believe in Plus Ultra and even that PU could create Tomorrowland. But an electrically powered rocket hidden under the Eiffel tower (which is really a gantry in disguise) goes way beyond my ability to suspend belief.
There also was a lot of casual vaporizations for a Disney movie.
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A rack mountable 2600 shouldn't be that bad. The hardest thing would be rewiring the cartridge slot and switches so they are in line with the joystick connectors.
Or were you thinking something more radical?
Of course, you could always make a rack mounted RPi and play everything via emulation.
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I've had the worst luck getting an N64 working with my collection. I've bought a couple off eBay and none of them reliably and consistently play. Sometimes I'll get lucky and the game will start, but most of the time I just get a black screen.
Next time I'm going to buy it via Kijiji so I'm buying from someone more local. However, I've got lots of options for playing games, so it's just not a priority.
I also need to get a controller extension cable so I can sit farther back from the TV.
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One note - a maxlen LFSR will have one "dead" value (typically 0, but might be another value) where the output value is the same as the input value. It's therefore a good idea to either initialize the LFSR with a good seed or detect the "dead" value and handle it.
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Yep, need to digitize those tapes before everyone forgets how to handle analog!
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Personally, I think the movie could have done with a few less characters on the battlefield. Neither Spidey nor Ant Man had enough character development to be part of the battle. Even Wanda & Clint didn't really have the emotional weight of the others. This movie was really about Tony's guilt and Steve's convictions.
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I use my home theater amplifier / receiver as an HDMI switcher. When "off" it just switches the inputs (audio to TV), when "on" it plays the audio through the speakers. Occasionally when switching inputs it glitches and the screen is just digital static, but powering the TV off & on fixes the issue.
I realized the other day I'd need to upgrade the receiver to handle 4K HDMI. Another reason not to upgrade.
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Don't just toss them into the garbage - check with your local municipality for how you should dispose of them.
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iOS programming - a non-programming roadblock
in EricBall's Tech Projects
A blog by EricBall in General
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I had a flash of insight last night and realized what I used for a password. So now I should be able to sign up as a full fledged Apple Developer.