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Topics - Wedge

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Forum Games / read error: a tale of that annoying sound dialup makes (UPDATED SAT MAY 8)

« on: May 06, 2010, 04:39:46 PM »

_ _ _ ___ __ _ __| | ___ _ _ _ _ ___ _ _ | '_/ -_) _` / _` | / -_) '_| '_/ _ \ '_| |_| \___\__,_\__,_| \___|_| |_| \___/_| A TALE OF MYSTERY, INTRIGUE AND INDUSTRIAL ESPIONAGE

We find ourselves in a world that only diverged from ours in the very recent past. Many things are still the same, gravity still pulls people down. America is not ruled by Viking Warlords or Southern generals. Martian robots haven't enslaved the world. Children go to school, not fly around in space ships shooting tentacle monsters in New Tokyo. It's a very familiar world, and baring the technology industry economic crashes of 1990 and 1992, one might even say identical to ours. But that's all old history now.

So this is pretty much like every other adventure/comic thread that seem to be relatively popular around here. It works the same way as every other thread: I've got an idea of where I want the story to go. You suggest something and if it's not totally loving stupid it might make it in. Each post will include a link to a piece of computer history, typically pulled from wikipedia but not always (example at the bottom of this post). You are under no obligation to read it but you might find it interesting and you'll see a little bit of where I'm getting the inspiration from.

NEW USER ORIENTATION PROGRAM

Have a nice day.

MONDAY 10AM

You are interrupted from your hard work by a mysterious message promising great fortune and adventure.

It's only 10am and you still have a lot to do. Like file the TPS reports (after you play some more Blockland of course) and figure out who this mystery guy is. First things first, you should probably head down to IT and get the new OS upgrade to fix your blurry screen. The text should be a lot sharper.

OH GOD

OH GOD GET THAT OS UPGRADE

This post was brought to you by the Atari 1020 Color Printer. It is highly recommended you switch to page view.

Games / Super Mario Bros. Crossover

« on: April 28, 2010, 07:19:34 PM »

Basically it's just Super Mario Bros. except you can play through it with characters from other NES titles.

Character selection screen in all of it's glory.

Oh no this thread is infected with a virus that duplicates your mouse cursor!

Play it now before Nintendo files a DMCA claim and it's gone forever.

Off Topic / The iPad

« on: April 08, 2010, 05:28:34 PM »

Yes, it blends.

Off Topic / Fastest Browser Ever!

« on: March 28, 2010, 10:32:07 PM »

Pages load instantly!

Off Topic / How to force everyone to type in 10pt black verdana

« on: March 14, 2010, 08:31:11 PM »

BY POPULAR DEMAND

Tired of tiny posts? Big posts? Red posts? Blue posts? Almost invisible posts? Rainbow posts?

Here are a couple of greasemonkey scripts to make browsing the forums less of an eyesore.

Firefox:
This script takes every font size tag that is not equal to the default form font size and blanks it. It's pretty simple.
If you don't have greasemonkey already, download it here:
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/748

Now download and install the script:
http://userscripts.org/scripts/show/70849

Okay, you've got the script. But it only effects phpbb2 forums (like RTB) at the moment. We need to change the filter so that it applies to the Blockland forums.

Right click the monkey icon in the lower left hand side of your browser and click Manage User Scripts. Alternatively go to Tools>Greasemonkey>Manage User Scripts...

You should see Override phpBB Font on the left side of the screen along with any other scripts you have installed. Click on Override phpBB Font. Click on the only link under Included Pages and click Edit... Change the URL to http://forum.blockland.us/*

Great! Now the script will automatically fix any stray font sizes.

But wait, suppose you want to get rid of colors too? I think I mentioned that in the beginning of the post.

In the Script Manager click on Override phpBB Font. Click the edit button down at the button at the bottom of the screen.

Something that looks like this should appear:

Code: [Select]

// ==UserScript==

// @name           Override phpBB Font

// @namespace      *

// @include        */viewtopic.php*

// ==/UserScript==





 for (var i = 0; i < document.getElementsByTagName("span").length; i++) 

    if(document.getElementsByTagName("span")[i].style.fontSize != "") document.getElementsByTagName("span")[i].style.fontSize = "";

Change it to this and you're done:

Code: [Select]

// ==UserScript==

// @name           Override phpBB Font

// @namespace      *

// @include        */viewtopic.php*

// ==/UserScript==





 for (var i = 0; i < document.getElementsByTagName("span").length; i++) 

    if(document.getElementsByTagName("span")[i].style.fontSize != "") document.getElementsByTagName("span")[i].style.fontSize = ""; 

 for (var i = 0; i < document.getElementsByTagName("span").length; i++) 

    if(document.getElementsByTagName("span")[i].style.color != "") document.getElementsByTagName("span")[i].style.color = "";

Neither color nor strange font sizes will ever bother you again!

Google Chrome:
Download this:
http://forum.blockland.us/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=103197.0;attach=80584

To install just rename it from code.user.js.txt to code.user.js. Then drag and drop it into the google chrome window and it will automatically install.

Off Topic / Highly detailed miniature model of New York City

« on: March 04, 2010, 10:51:10 PM »

15 years and 3 tons of clay

Just kidding it's tilt-shift photography.

But take a look anyway.

Clan Discussion / Any interest in a loosely organized group of simple servers?

« on: February 23, 2010, 10:16:21 AM »

Every other server is infected with addon bloat and people never turn off addons, even the ones they're not using. I run the game with very few mods (even fewer when I'm hosting) so it's pretty inconvenient for me to play online, even with all the download options turned off.

Does anybody else out there have this problem and want to have a place to hang out other than another loading screen?

This wouldn't be a clan so much as it would be an advocacy group representing our intersts. We would be oriented towards servers with few addons, addons without downloads (events, gamemodes, players, vehicles like the gravity jeep, some particles and lights, etc), and servers running simple gamemodes.

You would not be running a clan server. It would be a regular server that meets the criteria of a lightweight server, and your server would be spotlighted in the thread, you would get a gaurenteed vote in group decisions, and we'd recommend you put the group tag in the server.

This would not bar you from hosting any server you want, we would just ask you remove the "clan tag" from the server name when not hosting a server within the scope of the group.

This group is aimed towards server operators and right now I'm polling them for interest. You are more than welcome to speak up if you're interested though, even if you do not run a server.

Mapping Help / Mapping in AutoCAD

« on: November 06, 2009, 05:48:56 PM »

Why map with AutoCAD?

Well, for one thing, what else would you use a $3000 piece of software intended for designing everything from buildings to rocket engines? It's cool, it's fun, it's easy. You could literally build 90% of the New York City and San Andreas maps in 15 minutes using only a rectangle and a couple of commands (extrude and array). Drafting tools make it easier to draw, faster and much more precise.

It is recommended that you understand how to use AutoCAD and the limitations of the bsp file format before you try this.

More on the bsp file format:
http://wiki.returntoblockland.com/index.php?title=Convex_Geometry
http://wiki.returntoblockland.com/index.php?title=DIF_Format

You will need:
- Google sketchup 6 OR Google Sketchup 7.1 free with dwg importer OR Google Sketchup Pro (student version should work, it's $50)
- AutoCAD (student version works fine. If you have a .edu email address you can get a free copy at students.autodesk.com, otherwise be prepared to shell out a few hundred dollars for a legal copy)
- Quark

Step 1: Modeling in AutoCAD

Draw some rectangles. Use the extrude command to make them 3D. It is recommended that you use the 4 viewport setup shown below.

Step 2: Import into Sketchup

Click on your model. Sketchup imports AutoCAD drawings as a single component with each 3d shape stored inside the component as it's own group. You're model is basically ready to go into Quark right now, all you need to do is use the explode command once to separate your component into individual brushes and you're done. I'm not actually sure you even need to do this.

Export it with the VMF plugin (see mapping in sketchup topic)

Step 3: Import into Quark

Load the VMF in Quark. Copy all of your brushes. Start a new Torque Map. Paste your brushes. Save it. Either texture it in Quark and export it as a dif or save it as a .map file and edit it further in Torque Constructor.

Step 4: Spawn it in Blockland

And that's it.

Having trouble finding a use for this model? Slap some window textures on it and you've got a building that would fit right on in the heart of any city. "Design" a few hundred more buildings using the array and mirror commands and you've got a whole city.

Forum Games / Blockland and RTB Wiki

« on: October 31, 2009, 08:55:53 PM »

Yes, it's back online for those of you who missed it. It's been open to the public for a couple of weeks now, although we haven't announced it.

New and improved main page...

http://wiki.returntoblockland.com/index.php?title=Main_Page
The most important features are organized into tabs now for fast access.

Fancy new article wizards...

http://wiki.returntoblockland.com/index.php?title=New_Article_Wizard
Now all you need to do to make an article is answer a few questions and type in a name.

Of course, that's basically what it was like before, but it wasn't nearly as user friendly. There is also a step by step guide for creating Event Guides. For people who are new to the article creation process, posting your own contraption guides is a great way to get into it.

Powerful templates to make writing tutorials easier than ever before...

http://wiki.returntoblockland.com/index.php?title=Funky_Jeep
That properties GUI is actually some table magic in CSS, you can turn on/off check marks, fill in light and brick names and embed it right into an article. It makes it super easy to tell people how to configure a brick. There's currently one for vehicles and one for general bricks, the sound one is going to come out pretty soon.

http://wiki.returntoblockland.com/index.php?title=1_Minute_Timer
There's also some pretty event tables. This article demonstrates multiple bricks with different events.

Interested in helping?

Wiki accounts are tied to RTB accounts. You'll need to register on the forums in order to edit the website. However, we haven't gone live yet, wiki accounts still need to be hand approved. If you've got an existing tutorial you'd like to upload and format for the wiki or if you're interested in writing some brand new ones, you'll need to apply in this thread or PM me on the RTB forums.

The reason for this is because we're in the pretty early stages of establishing the wiki. We don't quite feel that we're ready to let just everyone edit. You'll also get access to the private forums we use to organize projects.

Don't feel like registering for RTB or writing articles?

Don't worry! You don't have to be an editor to help out. Check out some of the pages and comment on them, particularly the templates and tutorials. If you see anything that can be improved, post about them in this thread!

If you've already written a tutorial, you can send the text to someone else to format and upload to the wiki.

Modification Help / Small House (Updated 11/8/09)

« on: September 26, 2009, 04:19:48 PM »

Since everyone else seems to be using this section to show off their maps, I'll do it too.

Some of you may recall me having worked on a small partially finished house before. I decided to start over. This time I'm working in google sketchup so it will be much more precise.

The goal of this project is to create a small and properly scaled house. Not a finished house though, just the frame of one. You'll be able to explore the framing of the house and take a look at how exactly we build homes in America. It won't be entirely accurate, I'll probably cheat a bit in places and I'm not going put in finishing materials (sheetrock, siding, carpet, etc), but it will be fairly close. I'll throw in sloppy blueprints that have that information on them if you're really interested.

You can race a jeep across the floors, fly under the floor, build between the rafters. It's all open, and in my opinion, a much more interesting environment then a complete building.

9/26/09 Update 1

The foundation has been poured and ready for the first floor to be framed.

Current dimensions:
32x32 foundation wall with a 16x16 L shaped cut out. The foundation wall is 12" thick and 4' tall (so the footer is just below the frost line). The foundation footer (the wide bit around the bottom of the wall) is 24 inches wide and 12 inches tall, with 6 inches projecting on each side of the foundation. A very typical foundation wall. Just pretend there's some rebar and wire mesh in there too. I'm not going to cut out a section of the wall and show the rebar, that's too much work and I don't think it would look very good. I may model some in blender after I finish the building and place a bundle of it somewhere for scale and decoration.

Mapping Help / Making maps in google Sketchup works

« on: September 25, 2009, 06:16:18 PM »

You will need:
Left4Dead Authoring Tools (I think you can get the sketchup plugin through the source SDK as well)
Hammer
Google sketchup (free version will work, you don't need pro)

Start up left4dead authoring tools. Get the plugin for sketchup from there. Draw a concave shape in sketchup. Select your entire shape, right click it, and select group. Export it through the plugin as a vmf file. Import it into quark. If you see any teal/blue brushes in the X Y or Z views delete them, they're broken brushes. This means you either didn't group it correctly in sketchup, you deleted one of the brush's faces or you left some construction lines or shapes in. They won't export correctly. Either replace them in quark or replace them in google sketchup. Copy the brushes and paste them into a new torque map. Save it and then export it.

Pictures so far (maybe they'll get people interested):

Sample map made by valve in google sketchup:
http://i35.tinypic.com/259x4t4.png

Same map loaded in quark:
http://i33.tinypic.com/156dbf6.png

Same map loaded in constructor:
http://i38.tinypic.com/hryq34.png

Same map loaded in Blockland:
http://picasaweb.google.com/email.wedge/Blockland#5385866181085495314

Off Topic / Rate my PC build

« on: September 21, 2009, 08:29:38 PM »

Off Topic / Microsoft Plus for Kids (Make Windows 95 Even More Secure and Fun for Kids!)

« on: September 12, 2009, 11:55:15 PM »

I just installed windows 7 (I got it through MSDNAA) and got a bit bored while reinstalling everything. So I decided to put the CD in just to see what it did.

Surprise, most of it still works!

There's 3 key programs here. Talk It! features a sound board where you can type things in and then microsoft sam will read (or sing) it back to you in one of 20 different voices. You can also choose between english and spanish pronunciations of letters (and yes, it can read spanish), as well as whispering, normal speech and "breathy," whatever that is.

Interestingly enough, he pronounces "soi" as soy. Actually, he pronounces quite a lot correctly, significantly better than the modern language tool. Microsoft seems to have given Sam a lobotomy somewhere between 1995 and now.

Having a robot national socialist chat "Eyen Rye-ick. Eyen Folk. Eyen Fear-her. Hi-el Riddler." never gets old. Yes, you do have to spell it that way for it to work. It does a pretty good job at spanish and english words, but not much else.

There's also Paint It! It's got rainbows and stamps and explosions and stuff. A picture would explain it better.

http://i31.tinypic.com/2v3ngol.png

Or maybe not.

Clicking on the help button brings up a lovely web page by microsoft about how winhelp32 files have not been supported by Microsoft since Windows Vista. They provide a download to read them, but the windows 7 reader won't be out for a while.

Finally there's Play It! It's basically a piano that you can play by typing on the keyboard. It records in some goofy format that only Play It! can understand but you can export it as a midi file.

Here's my rendition of greensleeves:
http://sites.google.com/site/storage54321/storage-1/greensleeves.mid?attredirects=0
(it's a bit weird because I was playing it by clicking on the keys.)

Unfortunately you can't hear the end for the cheesy scratch effects I put at the end because they don't save in the midi, just the "jbx" file.

The rest of the CD is filled with hideous themes that would probably still work even on windows 7 but the thought of replacing the aereo theme with 16-bit color animated cursors was enough to keep me from experimenting.

Also on the disk:
Internet Explorer 3
MSN - not MSN Messenger. I have uninstalled it on every version of windows I've ever used and still have no idea what it does. I always assumed it was some glorified web browser that was somehow locked into msn.com
Protect! - I have no idea what this does because I don't have the DLL to run it. My best guess is it's a web filter or a way to password protect folders and programs or something. Maybe it backs up some data onto a partition for when you have to do your monthly reinstall of the operating system.

Off Topic / Relics of Blockland's past

« on: August 30, 2009, 02:05:10 PM »

I got sufficiently bored today that I decided to go through the Internet archives and see what I could pull up from the past.

The forums from early 2005.

Send a private message to Satan! Also, if you click the drop down menu labeled ----, you'll get a current list of all the forums at the time the page was archived. Note that Badspot is a Jerk forums, the spiritual predecessor to the drama forums. It's not the direct ancestor because for quite some time there was no drama forum at all, and none of the Badspot is a Jerk threads were ever moved to drama (they were actually deleted in the forum crash).

This lovely picture graced the media section for several years.

Badspot hates you all. Every last one of you. Also, someone named Waddles owes him a couple of stab and gunshots wounds.

Did you know Rotondo made the vehicles for the old RTB? Did you know he made mods other than zombies? Did you know that the ATV, bike, etc that RTB was so well known for were actually made before RTB even came out? Now you do.

A hotel with many details! Make note of the sparkly black paint!

What happens when you zip every single mod on the forums together with no quality control? This! It's a big piece of Blockland history.

Want to try out the old game? Here it is, straight off the 2005 website.

And if you're playing the old game, you absolutely need this map, which was apparently good enough to get posted straight on the website instead of hidden away in the map forums.

Another classic map.

Some old mods. These are on the new current forums, but the threads and forum has been deleted. This section is remarkably well preserved. You can visit the first page of all the mods. You can see pages 1-2 for RTB, 1-2 and 9-10 for SBL, you can see all the pages for BLM1.6a. Go ahead and take a look around.

Some things never change.

The original funky shirt!

The avatar museum.

Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed read through some of this stuff as much as I did.

The Internet archive contains a lot of interesting stuff. Deleted topics, banned users, old avatars, dead mods. Interesting topics and others better left dead. You can browse through the whole archive here: http://web.archive.org/web/*sr_1nr_10/http://blockland.us/*
It's got over 8000 unique pages but some of them are repeats, and the blockland/forums/blockland topic urls that end in & are all broken. None the less, there's a lot of content there.

The Internet archives aren't the only place to look for Blockland history.

The "secret backup forums." It's basically where everyone who knows about them spams when the normal forums go down. Banned people also like to whine here. Quite a bit of the mod drama (when TBM was banned) was also fought out here.

There's also this list of some of the old really big/popular clans:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Blockland/Archive_1#Blockland_Clans

There's some other sites as well, but I really don't feel like posting them at the moment because I don't know them off the top of my head, and now I've found something else to do, so I'm not bored enough to go look. Maybe later.

Off Topic / The "Register this email for weird stuff" game

« on: August 17, 2009, 08:15:09 PM »

Basically, I created a random free gmail address. People seem to have a lot of fun signing up email addresses posted in drama for weird stuff, so I expect this to be somewhat popular.

At the end of the week (next Monday) I'll tell you guys how many emails I received, how much space was taken up (out of the 7gb), how much of your email went into my spam folder and other random statistics. I'll highlight some of the weirder ones as well, there will be plenty of screenshots.

If you're concerned that this is some kind of scam to get you to sign some poor person's email up for tons of random stuff, just take a look at his interests on his profile: http://www.google.com/profiles/orangecountymoppers
You're doing him a favor, really. He enjoys it.

The wackiest and silliest newsletters, spam, etc, will have a higher chance of getting spotlighted at the end of the game. There's sites out there that let you sign an email address up for 100+ newsletters at once. Simply plugging the address into them will probably not be very interesting, I'll just have my inbox filled with ikea catalogs and offers for free xboxs.

After it's all done, I'll delete the gmail account (I figure google wants their 7gb back). Maybe someone else will want it, along with all the great free newsletters they are already signed up for.

With all that said and done, here is the address. I rather like the address, I'm almost sad that I'm going to delete it.

orangecountymoppers@gmail.com