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Why is UAC so retarded?
I've encountered it on two different OS, and both times, it's screwed me over much more than it was designed to protect me.
On Vista, I had a series of files lock me out, completely crippling my computer until I figured out how to claim the files.
On Windows 8.1, I found out that it hid copies of my game, making my updates not take. I would play the game fine on my end, but when I copied it, I had an old version. Why? Well, here's the weird part. It technically can run files like rpgmaker just fine, but because the files are :gasp: offline and not apps, it fails the save. Can it save? Yes, of course! But it's configured to fail, to store it as virutal files. I kid you not. I had to fake group policies (seriously, not having group policies means if something goes wrong with your computer, it's crippled), and edit UAC's "virtualization" (it puts a copy in AppData/VirtualStore without your knowledge or permission) method, so it would stop saving. Then it still tried to do that. After roughly four hours of basically pulling my hair out, I finally found a site where they said you need to rightclick Properties (having UAC shut completely down), goto security, advanced, change the owner, and give that owner full permission. It worked (so far, anyway). Seriously, I can think up a better UAC.
Supposedly, the Windows makers listened to people when they built windows 7 and 8. Yea right. Here's what I'd say if they listened to me.
1. Group policies for all versions. No excuses. In all likelihood, your computer will wind up getting glitchy or hacked at some point. Most of these registry fixes require that, or you pay the repairman to give you a new OS.
2. Virtualization is for apps. Apps don't have any real need for you to update them, and it can do that at the App Store, keeping things secure yet up to date. Offline or downloaded things, should be earmarked as such, and not copied into some weird place (btw, I tried to copy it back, and it corrupted my map. If I hadn't had a backup, I would have lost all work)
3. UAC should have one purpose, not to save stuff that "fails" elsewhere, but to ask if you want to change the computer. As such, it would be great if it didn't totally break all processes (example, you're downloading a file and you open something, on XP both processes run at once. Here, the screen greys out for "security" rather than using that time to scan the file and the downloaded file could potentially stall)
4. UAC should be able to successfully identify when someone adds are changes something, that is not you. If you open something yourself, versus a self-extracting file (which btw, should be the first thing it checks for). That said, it should also scan for trojans. I see alot of nuisance, but I could probably still screw up and get something nasty on the Windows 8.1 if someone hated me or I went to a sketchy site.
5. UAC should mark an item (prescanned as safe, unsafe, unknown with color coding). It should also tell you what changes it's making. You sometimes get a file where you think it has one file, and it's a simply install, but it winds up changing your registry.
Another thing, get rid of stupid processes like Superfetch. It memory leaked and fried my last computer.
On Vista, I had a series of files lock me out, completely crippling my computer until I figured out how to claim the files.
On Windows 8.1, I found out that it hid copies of my game, making my updates not take. I would play the game fine on my end, but when I copied it, I had an old version. Why? Well, here's the weird part. It technically can run files like rpgmaker just fine, but because the files are :gasp: offline and not apps, it fails the save. Can it save? Yes, of course! But it's configured to fail, to store it as virutal files. I kid you not. I had to fake group policies (seriously, not having group policies means if something goes wrong with your computer, it's crippled), and edit UAC's "virtualization" (it puts a copy in AppData/VirtualStore without your knowledge or permission) method, so it would stop saving. Then it still tried to do that. After roughly four hours of basically pulling my hair out, I finally found a site where they said you need to rightclick Properties (having UAC shut completely down), goto security, advanced, change the owner, and give that owner full permission. It worked (so far, anyway). Seriously, I can think up a better UAC.
Supposedly, the Windows makers listened to people when they built windows 7 and 8. Yea right. Here's what I'd say if they listened to me.
1. Group policies for all versions. No excuses. In all likelihood, your computer will wind up getting glitchy or hacked at some point. Most of these registry fixes require that, or you pay the repairman to give you a new OS.
2. Virtualization is for apps. Apps don't have any real need for you to update them, and it can do that at the App Store, keeping things secure yet up to date. Offline or downloaded things, should be earmarked as such, and not copied into some weird place (btw, I tried to copy it back, and it corrupted my map. If I hadn't had a backup, I would have lost all work)
3. UAC should have one purpose, not to save stuff that "fails" elsewhere, but to ask if you want to change the computer. As such, it would be great if it didn't totally break all processes (example, you're downloading a file and you open something, on XP both processes run at once. Here, the screen greys out for "security" rather than using that time to scan the file and the downloaded file could potentially stall)
4. UAC should be able to successfully identify when someone adds are changes something, that is not you. If you open something yourself, versus a self-extracting file (which btw, should be the first thing it checks for). That said, it should also scan for trojans. I see alot of nuisance, but I could probably still screw up and get something nasty on the Windows 8.1 if someone hated me or I went to a sketchy site.
5. UAC should mark an item (prescanned as safe, unsafe, unknown with color coding). It should also tell you what changes it's making. You sometimes get a file where you think it has one file, and it's a simply install, but it winds up changing your registry.
Another thing, get rid of stupid processes like Superfetch. It memory leaked and fried my last computer.
[RM2K3] Weird Glitch: Two Games
See the Download Now thread.
Okay, when I load the game from Program Files (x86) or whatever, and just click on the RTP, I get this:
When I copy it to my flash drive, or anywhere else, or run it from rpgmaker, I get this:
The first copy of the game has recent code, four chapters and pretty much is done. The second copy, stumbles on the title code (what Yellow Magic mentioned). I would move the whole damn thing to a new computer, as I think it's some sort of User permissions backup glitch. But well, if I can't copy it, I'm pretty well screwed.
Look I'll prove it. On the left is a a character being named, on the right is no such code even present in the intro scene (In the new code, it's before the character speaks).
I'm gonna ask you guys to do something weird. Download the game, and tell me the date of the RTP file, what shows up when you try to play, and whether you get the old or new title screen. I'd also ask for advice, if I knew anyone who ever had this problem.
Seriously, someone help...
I want the newer version, but the old one is still a part of it.
Okay, when I load the game from Program Files (x86) or whatever, and just click on the RTP, I get this:
When I copy it to my flash drive, or anywhere else, or run it from rpgmaker, I get this:
The first copy of the game has recent code, four chapters and pretty much is done. The second copy, stumbles on the title code (what Yellow Magic mentioned). I would move the whole damn thing to a new computer, as I think it's some sort of User permissions backup glitch. But well, if I can't copy it, I'm pretty well screwed.
Look I'll prove it. On the left is a a character being named, on the right is no such code even present in the intro scene (In the new code, it's before the character speaks).
I'm gonna ask you guys to do something weird. Download the game, and tell me the date of the RTP file, what shows up when you try to play, and whether you get the old or new title screen. I'd also ask for advice, if I knew anyone who ever had this problem.
Seriously, someone help...
I want the newer version, but the old one is still a part of it.
Download Now
I noticed the Download Now doesn't seem to be the latest download. In fact, it seems to be at least four downloads back. I tried Oracle of Tao and Tales, and both seemed to be very old downloads.
How can I fix this?
How can I fix this?
Fun vs. Satisfaction
I was playing Bravely Default today, and this hit me. For those who don't know, Bravely Default has one of the weirdest endgames of any RPG. You have a job given by a (SPOILERS!)
I'm not bracketing out these spoilers (but I am because hey! thanks for ruining the game for me dude. >:/ ), because unfortunately, the issue deals directly with plot.
The long ending involves waiting until about 5 times of this, before the game ends on it's own, having a super-big final boss, and a satisfying ending. Or you can simply smash the crystal, and fight the fairy.
Now, the question is, is it better to wait until the end, or just do what you want? Which feels more like a full experience? As in, making games with short-term and long-term choices.
Is it good to introduce "now or later" issues? What do you think. And what are people likely to choose? The true ending or the quick ending?
(I'm doing both, if I can, because on the one hand, I got perverse pleasure in defying the villain when they were "this close" to reaching their goal. It's sorta a hero behaving like a villain moment. But I also want to feel like I accomplished something)
And yea, I apologize for the awkward way I'm phrasing this. It's hard to explain, much less figure out how to implement a game that forces you to make choices between short/long term benefit.
It's like... there was some movie called Five Year Engagement where this guy did a donut experiment. They could have 2 donuts later (one of which was fresh baked), or 1 donut now (the other which was stale). That sorta thing. How would you implement this in a game, or would you even try to do so?
(spoiler: evil) fairy to awaken some crystals by praying (rapid press X), but each time you finish the job, the world resets, and the fairy makes you do it again (major spoiler: these are parallel worlds, she's trying to summon her evil overlord).
I'm not bracketing out these spoilers (but I am because hey! thanks for ruining the game for me dude. >:/ ), because unfortunately, the issue deals directly with plot.
The long ending involves waiting until about 5 times of this, before the game ends on it's own, having a super-big final boss, and a satisfying ending. Or you can simply smash the crystal, and fight the fairy.
Now, the question is, is it better to wait until the end, or just do what you want? Which feels more like a full experience? As in, making games with short-term and long-term choices.
Is it good to introduce "now or later" issues? What do you think. And what are people likely to choose? The true ending or the quick ending?
(I'm doing both, if I can, because on the one hand, I got perverse pleasure in defying the villain when they were "this close" to reaching their goal. It's sorta a hero behaving like a villain moment. But I also want to feel like I accomplished something)
And yea, I apologize for the awkward way I'm phrasing this. It's hard to explain, much less figure out how to implement a game that forces you to make choices between short/long term benefit.
It's like... there was some movie called Five Year Engagement where this guy did a donut experiment. They could have 2 donuts later (one of which was fresh baked), or 1 donut now (the other which was stale). That sorta thing. How would you implement this in a game, or would you even try to do so?
[RM2K3] Plugin: If Monster Present is...
Basically, I want to have a comment
@ifmonsterpresent 8, switch
and
@setmonsterpresent variable
In the former one, the comment is active if the number of monsters present is equal to the number in question (ideally you'd have a less and greater comment too so you could make a range.
In the latter one, it sets the current monsters present to a variable.
Can someone help with this? I'd make it myself if (1) I could get my hands on CodeBlocks, and (2) I knew what to use to do this. There's obviously something to this in the monster preconditions, but I don't know what to use. Or is this currently possible with the present DynRpg?
@ifmonsterpresent 8, switch
and
@setmonsterpresent variable
In the former one, the comment is active if the number of monsters present is equal to the number in question (ideally you'd have a less and greater comment too so you could make a range.
In the latter one, it sets the current monsters present to a variable.
Can someone help with this? I'd make it myself if (1) I could get my hands on CodeBlocks, and (2) I knew what to use to do this. There's obviously something to this in the monster preconditions, but I don't know what to use. Or is this currently possible with the present DynRpg?
[Poll] Alternate Gameplay
Do we have more games like With His Father's Sword and Maranda? Also, what's the general opinion of stuff like that? Do people generally enjoy games with no gameplay? And is there a way to tweak gameplay so it's more like a movie?
In general, my experience with RPGs is that grind is not only annoying, but generally in terms of the storyline, it reads like a commercial. The author is trying to convey how peaceful the game world is, for instance, and you have battles. Or the nature of these battles is such that it doesn't really mesh well with the plotline (the exception I've found is Final Fantasy X, where the puzzle battles fit nicely with the sense of fatalism). On the other hand, if you have no battles, challenge must be introduced some other way.
You could also go visual novel approach, where movement is limited, but choice selections aren't. Or you could have a puzzle game. What amount of user control is so much that they lose sight of the point the game is trying to express? And is your vision more important than character freedom?
Also, what is the longest you think people could stand a game with no gameplay, if it was set up like a movie?
In general, my experience with RPGs is that grind is not only annoying, but generally in terms of the storyline, it reads like a commercial. The author is trying to convey how peaceful the game world is, for instance, and you have battles. Or the nature of these battles is such that it doesn't really mesh well with the plotline (the exception I've found is Final Fantasy X, where the puzzle battles fit nicely with the sense of fatalism). On the other hand, if you have no battles, challenge must be introduced some other way.
You could also go visual novel approach, where movement is limited, but choice selections aren't. Or you could have a puzzle game. What amount of user control is so much that they lose sight of the point the game is trying to express? And is your vision more important than character freedom?
Also, what is the longest you think people could stand a game with no gameplay, if it was set up like a movie?
[RM2K3] [DYNRPG] Advanced File Management
So, two issues really. I have updated my computer to Windows 8.1 and as a result, copy-pasting the old CodeBlocks didn't seem to work. I need a sort of "all-on-one-page" instruction on how to set up CodeBlocks again so I can build plugins again.
Second, on making KazString, I discovered in addition to the DynRpg code (which I mainly only understand how to work with switches, variables, and the whole onComment part), plugins can also run using conventional C++ code, leading me to figure out how to make a ton of temporary variables outside the traditional ones including a sort of int matrix, and using fstream creation.
http://www.cplusplus.com/doc/tutorial/files/
So, basically, the latter is what I'm interested in. I made something similar to this the last time around, but what I actually want to do is expand on this. For instance, making a "treasure chest" event that does the following:
1. Creates a named file using comments (basically the way I have it set up, it only saves to one file, "dynstore.txt". I want it be able to do @create_file "filename1" and have it make a .txt file by that name)
2. Append information to the file (currently I overwrite stuff), making a new line each time.
3. Is there a way to search for a string within a file? As in, I want the plugin to search for a string with Chest2 (inputted when Chest2 was open), and turns a switch called ChestOpened ON (because it is in a separate file, this is reusable, you just turn ChestOpened OFF after the event)
(Something like this: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/12463750/c-searching-text-file-for-a-particular-string-and-returning-the-line-number-wh)
Second, on making KazString, I discovered in addition to the DynRpg code (which I mainly only understand how to work with switches, variables, and the whole onComment part), plugins can also run using conventional C++ code, leading me to figure out how to make a ton of temporary variables outside the traditional ones including a sort of int matrix, and using fstream creation.
http://www.cplusplus.com/doc/tutorial/files/
So, basically, the latter is what I'm interested in. I made something similar to this the last time around, but what I actually want to do is expand on this. For instance, making a "treasure chest" event that does the following:
1. Creates a named file using comments (basically the way I have it set up, it only saves to one file, "dynstore.txt". I want it be able to do @create_file "filename1" and have it make a .txt file by that name)
2. Append information to the file (currently I overwrite stuff), making a new line each time.
3. Is there a way to search for a string within a file? As in, I want the plugin to search for a string with Chest2 (inputted when Chest2 was open), and turns a switch called ChestOpened ON (because it is in a separate file, this is reusable, you just turn ChestOpened OFF after the event)
(Something like this: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/12463750/c-searching-text-file-for-a-particular-string-and-returning-the-line-number-wh)
[RMVX ACE] [RMVX] [RMXP] [RM2K3] [RM2K] The "Review My Game" Thread
So, yea, I've had alot of games that have been trashed by reviews (basically the first game was New Earth which got told it should go back to hell where it came from or something, and the second was Oracle of Tao which got maybe two stars when I wanted three).
But, from my line of thinking, having a game that doesn't get found when people search based on stars (if it's a game that deserves 5 stars, but nobody has bothered to review it, it could conceivably fall into obscurity).
So I made this thread. No, I don't want any more of my games reviewed (also, my newest game is only 2 of 4 completed). I was thinking this would be a good place to put links to games people want reviewed since there are like 10 pages of one-off "can someone review my game?" I'm not sure the forum needs a new thread every time people have a game that's feeling unloved.
But, from my line of thinking, having a game that doesn't get found when people search based on stars (if it's a game that deserves 5 stars, but nobody has bothered to review it, it could conceivably fall into obscurity).
So I made this thread. No, I don't want any more of my games reviewed (also, my newest game is only 2 of 4 completed). I was thinking this would be a good place to put links to games people want reviewed since there are like 10 pages of one-off "can someone review my game?" I'm not sure the forum needs a new thread every time people have a game that's feeling unloved.
Group Games: How To Make It Work?
So, I'm reading Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking. And they talk about how the big team project approach usually creates sucky results, while working alone tends to create more creative stuff (I can attest to that, some of the games here are weird). They mention that the top programmers in a contest didn't necessarily have more training, more money, or anything like that. They had more quiet time without interruptions (for instance, motion alarm malfunctioning or answering machine beeping), whereas the bottom were pestered by people constantly.
They also went into the history of brainstorming, and how it was an effort to mine ideas in groups, without criticism. But it didn't really work. You had three categories: loafers, people who like to hear themselves speak, and people who were afraid to be told their ideas are stupid. They then did a brain study, and found something creepy, that the larger the group the more individuals basically tried to match the group mentality for fear of being outcasted. Also, people who like to hear themselves speak were generally not the brightest but just the best presenters.
Only, if I led a group game, I don't want a professional cookie cutter game. I want the game to finish, obviously so it has to be united, but only loosely. I want everyone to step up, and find their role in the group, not look to the leader. (This is also the annoyance I had with Walmart, it seemed like alot of the employees were like "not my job" and so I'd get all the nuisance customers, because I tried to be proactive. This was even my supervisors as I was a lowly sales associate so if something needed doing, you'd have to do it yourself or ask help from random people) I've seen a few project games, so I guess there is some method of having it work, where people have different schedules, etc. So, how do we make a setting where group work is done but remaining the sense of autonomy that this book describes?
They also went into the history of brainstorming, and how it was an effort to mine ideas in groups, without criticism. But it didn't really work. You had three categories: loafers, people who like to hear themselves speak, and people who were afraid to be told their ideas are stupid. They then did a brain study, and found something creepy, that the larger the group the more individuals basically tried to match the group mentality for fear of being outcasted. Also, people who like to hear themselves speak were generally not the brightest but just the best presenters.
Only, if I led a group game, I don't want a professional cookie cutter game. I want the game to finish, obviously so it has to be united, but only loosely. I want everyone to step up, and find their role in the group, not look to the leader. (This is also the annoyance I had with Walmart, it seemed like alot of the employees were like "not my job" and so I'd get all the nuisance customers, because I tried to be proactive. This was even my supervisors as I was a lowly sales associate so if something needed doing, you'd have to do it yourself or ask help from random people) I've seen a few project games, so I guess there is some method of having it work, where people have different schedules, etc. So, how do we make a setting where group work is done but remaining the sense of autonomy that this book describes?
[RM2K3] Lag on Win 8.1
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