OBLIC'S PROFILE

Oblic
Once a member of RMN, always a member of RMN!
1937
*peeks in* Wow, this place has grown!

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Steam RPGMaker Scene

Hey All!

It's been a while since I've been active on here (a full time job, wife, house, and baby can be a bit distracting...), but I try to stop by a few times a year. I always get this weird sense of nostalgia mixed with a tinge of anxiety when I come by. I spent a lot of time here during one of the most stressful times in my life, so it was a comfort to have this place, and it tends to bring back the bad memories of those times (things are fine now, so no worries!). But the nostalgia bit always gets me. I remember all of the great (and some not-so-great) games that I have played that have made their way into this community. I remember thinking how lucky I was to be alive during a time that these games were all FREE and provided a wonderful distraction from life. I sometimes wonder if the nostalgia is blinding me to some of the errors and shortcomings these games had, or if they would still hold up to my standards. The point is, it floors me at what passes for PAID content these days.

I picked on Steam here because it is one of the biggest and most well-known gaming distribution services out there. That, and it's the one I am most familiar with (I have an EMBARRASSINGLY large game library...). Recently, I have been trying to put a tiny dent in the games I own, and since I don't have a lot of time to sink into a massive epic that might take hundreds of hours to finish, I have been sifting through some of the smaller RPGs. I would estimate that a good 10%-20% of my library is made up of these games (I have a bad habit of buying large bundles of cheap games), so there is a pretty wide selection. As I have been going through them and "completing" them to the best of my ability with my time available, I have been noticing something...

Most of these games, although fairly inexpensive, couldn't hold a candle to some of the gems made here! I won't really pick on anyone (good or bad) since this is mostly my opinion. But it pains me to see so many games being paid for that were clearly stamped out in a few weeks with minimal effort, while there is a treasure trove of games here. I totally understand why people do this; it's an easy money grab, and the risk is relatively low. The issue for me in a lot of ways is that it dilutes the pool of games out there, especially made with the RM engines. It gives great games that have that "RPGMaker" tag a bad name and reputation.

The big question that I would like to float out there is why this disparity between paid content and free content exists? Yes, I know that there are good paid games and bad free games. But I really feel like there is an imbalance between the two. To be more clear, I feel like a higher percentage of free games are better than the paid ones. I feel like part of it is the quick cash grab, but I would like to hear from some of the developers and creators out there.

Just needed to vent...

Howdy RMN! It's been many months since I had time to venture to this wonderful corner of the internet. I really miss coming here and interacting with all of the other members and looking through all the new activity (right now I have over 1500 new notices! Doubt I'll go through them all...). I have so many things that I want to finish for people that I promised many, many months (if not years) ago, but for right now, I just needed to come to a safe place to let off some steam...

I have read some studies in the past that state that checking social media websites on a regular basis can cause you to become irritated, angry, depressed, etc. I RARELY check my Facebook account, mostly because I'd rather talk to people in a more private and personal setting. But, I just went through a couple of recent posts, and clicked on a few names... and then a few more. Long story short, after about a half an hour of clicking and reading, I wanted to dunk my head in a bucket of ice water. All it made me realize is how little I have done with my life in the past few years. I see all of these old friends from high school and undergrad doing all these really interesting things in interesting places, and I'm still stuck in grad school, jerking around trying to finish my MASTERS! I've been here for almost 4 years... most people getting their PhD. are done before that amount of time. I WILL be done by May, but it still took me YEARS longer than it should have.

Old friends and school aside, I happened to come across some of my old ex's... oh, how joyous that always is. I feel odd complaining about old romantic interests, but it really did get to me. Maybe it brought back older, happier memories, of times where I had something to look forward to on a bad day. Maybe I'm jealous that their lives are going much more smoothly than mine. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad they're happy; I just wish I could be smiling like them.

I feel so petty. I hate feeling so crappy when I compare myself to other people, because I know I don't have it that bad. I know it's all relative, but someone is always there to remind you that "there are people starving around the world that would take your problems in a heart beat." I'm aware of that fact. It doesn't change the way I feel though. All it really does is make me feel worse.

Another weird thing is, like I said earlier, I am very close to being finished with my masters, and I can't wait to get the hell out of here and move on with my life... but at the same time, I am terrified. I have no idea where I'll be in the next couple months. I don't even know if I'll have a job when I finish. I guess this is what it's like to "grow up"? Christ... that sounds so sad coming from someone that is 26.

Anyway, sorry to rant about a bunch of garbage and bumming anyone out that reads this. I feel slightly better, so I guess something good came out of it... Hope everyone out there is having a better time than me! Be back in another month or so to touch base!

That one thing....

As I approach the end of my days in school, I keep thinking about what life will be like when I am not on a super tight budget. I spend hours daydreaming about things I will be able to do and/or buy once I have a much more significant influx of cash. I quickly realized, I dream rather small... most of the things I want are damn near basic amenities to most people already: a dishwasher, more room to fit all my crap, a decent gaming computer, a bed frame. It was an odd revelation knowing that I can pretty much get most of the stuff I want within the first few months of having a real job.

I started thinking more about it, trying to figure out what else I would want with greater means, and only a few more things popped into my head, most of which weren't any more lavish than any of the things I already listed (expensive trips and cruises and such). I was kind of disappointed with my lack of imagination on the subject. So now I have been trying to think of the apex of what I would do with greater means. In other words, what would be the top item on my bucket list? The one thing that if I could do it (or have it), I could say without a doubt or regret that I would die a happen man. So far, I have not yet come up with anything...

So I ask you, the wonderful members of RMN: What would that one thing be?

Any poker "addicts" out there?

In all the years I have been coming here, I never thought to talk about my other hobby/addiction/second job: poker. Just curious if there are others out there that really enjoy the game and what type they play. I have heard of a TON of different ways to play, but I am always interested in learning new ways to play.

Also, I am curious to hear about strategies that people may have employed in the past that worked. Right now, I am trying to build a roll so I can comfortably play at higher stakes (I can only play live since I'm in the US, but it's better than nothing).

Just thought I'd throw it out there. Good stories are always good to read, too (first straight/royal flush, bad beats, crazy bluffs, etc.). Looking forward to hearing from all the grinders and rounders out there!

VX Ace Sale on STEAM

I wasn't sure where to put this, and I don't know if someone already said something about it, but... VX ACE IS 66% OFF (only $24) ON STEAM FOR THE NEXT 2 DAYS!!! I know a lot of people may already have it, but if you don't, this is a pretty good deal!

Favorite super power

I would bet a ton of money (if I had any) that a topic similar to, if not exactly, like this already exists, but I couldn't find anything within the past few pages.

This is a discussion I have had man times with my friends, and there is always some sort of disagreement. I don't really understand from where the disagreement comes, since we're talking about something completely fantastical, but when guys talk, a lot of the conversations boil down to a simple pissing contest. Anyway, the question I'm curious about is...

If you could have any super power (predefined or completely imagined), what would it be and why?

I usually like to make the stipulation that you can't use it for personal gain (more or less can't use it to steal stuff), but that may stifle some of the "why" responses. Plus, what's the point of having a super power if you can't get at least SOMETHING out of it? Also, I have come up with 3 that I can't really fully decide upon, so you don't really have to limit yourself to the "favorite".

First, I would love be able to become invisible at will. There is so much you could do with this! You would easily become the best thief in the world, even if you have considerably less talent than someone that can't make themselves invisible. You could also (jokingly, but not really!) go into the girls locker-room anytime you wanted! The only downside that I can think of is that you may get cocky and forget that you still give off heat, making you vulnerable to infra-red sensors.

Second, I wouldn't mind having Wolverine's super fast regenerative abilities. You could go into the gym with a big bottle of protein pills and lift endlessly and completely freak out those around you as you get ridiculously huge in a matter of minutes! That, and take a bullet to the face and live to tell about it while still having a face. The two biggest downsides are outliving everyone you know and being hunted to be subject to experiments.

Finally (and probably my favorite), would be to have the ability to fly. I have always enjoyed the feeling of flying/falling. The weird thing is, I have a mild fear of heights. I think being able to control the fall would nullify that fear, knowing that there really is no danger of getting hurt in the fall. I also couldn't think f any downside other than the scientific experiment thing again.

Sorry if mine were overly boring or predictable, but that's what I've got. Looking forward to seeing what you guys come up with!

Music loop help

I was recently shown this interesting little tool on the interwebs that will take any piece of music, analyze it, and find the best logical loop point. It works pretty well with normal songs (with lyrics and whatnot) so I figure it could be pretty helpful with looping chiptunes or other midi file stuff.

Link: Infinite Jukebox

P.S. It's a bit finicky about the browser you use. I think it is most compatible with Chrome and Safari.

Beautiful things

I know that everything I have posted on the forums so far has been controversial, but I'd like to get away from that.

I have thinking a lot lately about some philosophical stuff and have been examining things in my life very closely, trying to understand how I got to where I am. One of the basic things I realized was simply that we get to where we are through experiences (obvious, right?). Yet, for the most part, the little things don't cause great change or alter the course too greatly. So then I started looking more closely at the bigger experiences, the ones that DO alter the "course" or "path" we were on before we had that experience. I narrowed it down to two categories: terrible things and beautiful things.

Being a pessimist, I looked at the terrible things first, trying to figure out how these things affect us, and more specifically myself. I came to the conclusion that, for the most part, terrible things don't really change the course so much as they make us avoidant of certain situations. Yes, they can make you do something you normally wouldn't otherwise, but I am more interested in actual decision making to DO something.

I then realized that the good or beautiful things are really what change us and open doors to new things. Seeing the sunrise, a rainbow, or a butterfly; holding a newborn; something along those lines. I think these are truly the things that make us into who we are.

TLDR

What is the most beautiful thing that you experienced that truly changed who you are or how your life has turned out, and how/why did it change you?

The gay marriage debate...

Okay, I know every time I come here to talk about something, someone is inevitably going to get upset in one way or another. But I guess that's what happens when you talk about philosophical or moral issues, especially those that are prominent today.

Anyway, the biggest reason I'm bringing this hear is to vent and try to get a better understanding of why people feel the way they do. I got in a pretty heated argument with a friend that didn't exactly end well, but the disagreement was on one of the finer points of the issue, not the issue itself.

First of all, I think gay marriage should not be a political issue. What I mean by saying that is, I think any two people should be allowed to get the benefits of being married and live with one another, and the people in Washington (I'm from the U.S.) shouldn't have ANY say on the issue. I don't even understand how it became an issue. I feel like the first time it ever came up, the conversation SHOULD have gone like this:

Senator A: "Hey, man, these two dudes/chicks wanna get hitched. That's never happened before. Whatta we do?"

Senator B: "Shit, I can't believe we didn't think about this... Oh, well! Fuck it, let 'em do whatever!"

...end of discussion.

Sad to say, that's not how it happened. So now, we have assloads of pointless debates about why two people that love each other enough to completely commit to one another to the extent of "til death do us part" can't be together. It makes my head hurt to see it. Let me be perfectly clear about one thing: I AM NOT GAY. But, what business is it of mine what two gay people do? Personally, I think that if you want to marry a goat (and I'm not saying they are equivalent situations), all the power to you.

Now, on to my argument, and a path (hopefully) to my enlightenment. Recently, California (not sure if this is anywhere else) let people get "civil unions", which, to the best of my knowledge, gave gay couples all the benefits and rights as straight couples. But, the gay rights movement got upset and fought this decision, saying it was "separate but equal". The California Supreme court ruled in favor of the gay rights people saying it was unconstitutional. But now, as far as I can tell, they are back at square one: no gay marriage.

Now, my question is, why wouldn't they agree to the same benefits under a different name? I can't truly understand, mostly because I am as bland of a cracker as anyone can be; it is pretty difficult to insult me for... well, anything really. I get the fact that some people may treat them like "second class marriages", but most of those people are religious (no offense to anyone reading this) nutjobs, so why give a damn what they think in the first place? In essence, the gay rights movement is fighting a battle with RELIGION, not with government. Again, I hate to bring this up here, but just by calling it marriage, you are pissing on their shoes. That, from what I can tell, is really what annoys the majority of them.

In short, why not take the benefits, live together, and be happy? The true essence of being married isn't (or at least shouldn't) be in the name, but in the commitment and love you have for one another. Who cares what it's labeled, as long as you know that you love each other?

One last time, I want to make it very clear that I support gay marriage 100%, but if you are given the same benefits just under a different name, why not take it and run? Also, if I am wrong (at least in terms of the facts), please let me know. I would rather be wrong and admit it and adjust my way of thinking than feel right and be ignorant to the truth.

Bugged out cancel key...

I'm sure there is a thread about this somewhere on here, but I couldn't find it. I have had this problem for quite some time, but have found a really crappy work around, namely restarting my computer, which has allowed me to ignore it this long.

The issue: every so often while playing an RM game (it's happened in 2k3, XP, and think VX games as well) the cancel key (no matter where it is mapped) will stop working. The only way to get it to work is to put the game in windowed mode, press the cancel key, click off screen, and then click back on screen. This allows it to work ONCE. A more long term fix is to restart my computer, but it inevitably happens again after a random amount of time.

I know other people have had this issue (thanks to Google), but I haven't seen anyone resolve it. I feel like we have a much greater pool to draw from here, so I thought I'd ask.

Thanks in advance!
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