tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71159783527558083112024-03-12T16:33:38.330-07:00Steal This IPHello and welcome to Steal This Intellectual Property. This blog is meant to showcase our IP and promote certain projects we are trying to undertake.<br>
Expect this blog to have stupid ideas, silly ideas, and usable ideas.Drakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00447580084104857548noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7115978352755808311.post-56128377421049436032009-09-13T12:07:00.000-07:002009-09-13T12:44:26.446-07:00Zombie Games - Meet the Humans.Hi, welcome to another installment of "Someone Should Make This Zombie MMO."<br /><br />In this installment we're focusing on what the human side should be like. Humans are comprised of NPCs, both cookie cutter and the more fleshed out variety. NPCs should perform world functions that are ignored in other MMOs, and also provide things for the players to do. This doesn't mean they are static, sitting around waiting for the player. The NPC humans of all varieties should be dynamic entities, moving through the world and influencing it.<br /><a name='more'></a><br />At this point I've <a href="http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?4gnqmjzmmdh">mindmapped </a>out three cookie cutter 'roles' that I think are important. These roles fill world functions that would be obvious in.. the real world, but game developers usually just cop out and do something fast and simple. So, here we go.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Corpse Collector. </span><br /><br />In the post -zombie apocalypse world I imagine in heavily populated areas there would be something of a corpse problem. Now, I know they're reanimating and moving around, but what about when you shoot one? It just drops there on the spot and becomes a festering nuisance. Most likely you don't want to take the time to drag it somewhere and dispose of it properly, or even bury it on the spot, if that's even possible. Nor do you want to spend extra time when more could be approaching. No, you want to continue on your merry way and do whatever it was you were doing in this dangerous part of town.<br /><br />In come the corpse collectors. How they pulled this terrible duty you'll never know, but they're here to try and beautify the city by disposing of all the rotting carcasses. So they either walk over in a group, or come in a dump truck, it could be both even depending on what part of town, and collect it. They deliver it to a mass grave, or a cremation facility, then move on and collect more. If threatened they will fight back until all the zombies threatening them are dead, or they themselves are dead.<br /><br />These guys are dressed in heavy fire resistant clothing to withstand the heat of the job, and hopefully protect them from any biters. Grimy from their work, covered in black soot or mud depending on where they are dragging the bodies. These guys look formidable, and shouldn't be messed with unless you're packing a massive horde.<br /><br />Maybe you can pitch in with them for a while and earn some of their clothing. Or, collect corpses and turn them in for money. Or as a zombie you can turn them and add them to your flock, they lift corpses all day, they can't be that weak.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Medics</span><br /><br />Pretty self explanatory. Dressed however they feel these guys apply bandages to keep you limping through the world. Some hang out in field hospitals and heal heavy wounds. Some can be hired and do field medic work. Some might even be willing to show you how to do it. Either way, these guys keep the world stitched together.<br /><br />Medics hanging out in hospitals or on the street will tend to human NPCs that seek out their services. Expect to see corpse collectors dragging in injured comrades to leave them in a hospital bed. Or sick kids with parents. Or that annoying guy with a cough. Etc, etc, ampersand.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Suppliers</span><br /><br />Guys hang out in their shops whenever they feel like it. If they have a brisk enough trade they might have regular hours in which they are collecting things from people and handing them out. Otherwise, they have to go salvage for themselves. Expect to see them running around in 'safer' zones of outside the SafeZone where everyone congregates. Hell, they may even ask you to find things for them.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">"Quest Givers"<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span></span>This can be anyone really. They hand out quests, like quest givers would. The quests all build on each other, and you gain reputation, or trust, whatever, as you do it.<br />You start out slow. "Find a can of beans for my daughter."<br />And work your way up. "Can you bring this can of beans to my daughter."<span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span>And up. "Can you take my daughter to this can of beans"<br />Until you get to something like "My daughter was out looking for a can of beans and got trapped in a building that is surrounded by zombies, can you please rescue her?"<br /><br />If questing is your sort of thing. They would end up giving out items you could salvage anyways, but the risk/reward/long term benefits might balance in favor of doing them.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Being a Human.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span></span></span></span>I'm not gonna lie<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span></span>. </span></span>It should be really hard. When you die, you're dead. You lose all progress. You're not coming back. Good thing is, all the stuff you had and made is still out there, so you can "steal" it on a new character, but even then it won't be that easy. I can think of a few ways this could be cool, but then, your original is dead. When you die, you come back as a zombie. Those were covered before.<br /><br />Perspective should be first person, or third person whatever, but killing zombies is skill based, not dice rolling. You have to be able to aim a gun or a bat to kill them. Or make them explode, whatever. Sure you can gain 'skills' to do things, but really it should be more like fallout, you can do it, but you might not be good at it, and then die because you messed something up.<br /><br />Benefits to being human.<br /><br />You're a human.<br />It's hard.<br />Bragging rights.<br />Leader Boards. - Longest alive, longest outside safe area, best house, most zombies killed, etc etc<br />Real sense of surviving.<br />Badass world to explore.<br />You can build.<br /><br />Add some more in comments, that's all for today. Next time, more zombie stuff. Some environment and land control talk. Maybe I'll make it to the mechanics bubble.Drakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00447580084104857548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7115978352755808311.post-22661031461591506192009-09-11T18:41:00.000-07:002009-09-11T19:03:30.507-07:00Kickstarter - Space Now *update*Hi all,<br />Uploaded the video to <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbY2qWuHGfU">youtube</a>, let me know what you think. On track to launch the project on October 2nd for a Dec 31 end date.<br />That's all for now.Drakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00447580084104857548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7115978352755808311.post-27049448724523877582009-09-10T12:45:00.000-07:002009-09-12T00:16:58.303-07:00Industrial Strength EntropyI've been wanting to start a company that results in the commodification of entropy. High quality entropy is somewhat rare. Who wouldn't want a whole bunch of it?<br /><a name='more'></a><br />Writing some game software that relies on chance?<br />Gotcha covered.<br />Transporting sensitive data?<br />Gotcha covered.<br />Want to hide your music collection in noise?<br />We got that.<br />Want to make some math art?<br />Yup.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">There is a device that creates high quality entropy in amounts that are significant for an endeavor of this magnitude. The <a href="http://www.entropykey.co.uk/">Simtec Electronics Entropy Key</a> creates high quality entropy at a rate of roughly 3.66 kilobytes per second.<br /><br />What keeps the Entropy Key going at this blistering speed? Quantum Tunneling. The creators were some clever guys.<br /><blockquote><span>The Entropy Key uses P-N semiconductor junctions reverse biassed with a high enough voltage to bring them near to, but not beyond, breakdown in order to generate noise. In other words, it has a pair of devices that are wired up in such a way that as a high potential is applied across them, where electrons do not normally flow in this direction and would be blocked, the high voltage compresses the semiconduction gap sufficiently that the occasional stray electron will quantum tunnel through the P-N junction. (This is sometimes referred to as avalanche noise.) When this happens is unpredictable, and this is what the Entropy Key measures. <blockquote></blockquote></span></blockquote>So, there you have it. Entropy generated with a genuinely quantum method, and no one even said quantum computer.<br /><br />At a rate of 3.66KB a second, you need roughly 7 hours to generate a gig of entropy. Since the daemon included is thoughtfully written so you can chain as many together as you like, we hope to get at least five, and maybe as many as 20. That would cut it down to about 2 weeks per terabyte, which is acceptable, at least until the business expands.<br /><br />Check back for kickstarter information!<br /><br /></div>Drakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00447580084104857548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7115978352755808311.post-25869924208895081712009-09-09T15:16:00.000-07:002009-09-10T14:48:06.660-07:00Launching Project Oct. 2nd<p>Launching this project October 2nd for a Dec31st end date. Posting for great justice, and inviting people to proofread. Let me know in comments or in whatever medium we discussed it.<br /></p><p>Thanks, Drake<br /></p><p><a name='more'></a><br /></p><p></p><blockquote><p>Space Now.</p><p>Have you ever looked into the sky and said "I want to make my mark on that vast celestial sphere"? Well, Here is your chance. Starting in the fourth quarter of 2010 <a href="http://interorbital.com/">Interorbital Systems</a> will begin launching their new line of TubeSat satellites. </p> <p>The TubeSats are launched into a polar orbit. This means it circles the globe in a longitudinal fashion, while the earth spins on below it. So the orbit takes it over a large portion of the globe, unlike traditional satellites that orbit in a latitudinal manner, which can leave portions of the globe permanently out of their reach. </p> <p>So, in polar orbit the satellite will cover a vast amount of the earth's surface. This means you will be able to broadcast your message to a geographically relevant region of the planet. With the power of mathematics, we can determine where the satellite will be at a given time. Think of the possibilities!</p> <p>Say hello to your friend in Sweden! <br />Play 80s speed metal for people in Australia! <br />Send your PGP key to Spies in China! <br />I'm sure there is hundreds of things you can do with this. I can't wait to see.</p> <p>There is, however, a downside. These satellites are being launched into a really low earth orbit. These things are grazing the atmosphere with every orbit, not to mention solar wind pushing it back at the earth every time it goes across the dayside. What does this mean to us? The TubeSat is only guaranteed three weeks in orbit, but could last up to three months. Then in one final act it burns up in a glorious fireball, burning up and seeding the upper atmosphere with the ash from our satellite. </p> <p>What can you do with this "microsat"?</p> <p>These TubeSats can mass up to 750 grams. What we're doing is pulling the guts out and modifying it with a Shortwave transmitter capable of being heard on a hand held receiver. Then we add some scheduling software and run what you want! </p> <p>We're reserving at least 5 grams for the DNA program, but that could be increased if everything else fits. Plus, at least 100 grams for the "Do what you want" pledge bracket.</p> <p>A quick run down of the pledge brackets, skipping the one dollar.</p> <p>Ten dollars buys you 5 minutes. This is the smallest time bracket. Any one the larger ones can be broken into 5 minute brackets with no additional pledge. The ten dollar bracket has the lowest priority for time slots, but you get to choose in the order you signed up. </p> <p>We'll be using a public G-Mail calendar for a public record of times, but when its your turn to choose you get a copy of the official time chart. You can change your time slot at any point after you've already chosen.</p> <p>Fifty dollars gets you an hour. You can break it down into any collection of 5 minute chunks you like. Subject to the same rules as the ten dollar pledge, except you're bumped up a priority level. </p> <p>Alternate fifty dollar pledge. Send your DNA into space. When you select this, send your name and address. We'll send you a collection cylinder. Put some skin cells, some hair, whatever, in it, and we'll shoot it into space. Nothing gross please.</p> <p>One Hundred Dollars, Your DNA in SPACE, plus an hour broadcast time. Priority over everyone, you choose in the order you signed up, break it up as you please</p> <p>Two Hundred Dollars. Your DNA in SPACE, plus four hours broadcast time. Priority over everyone, you choose in the order you signed up, break up the time as you please.</p> <p>Starting at 250, the Do what you want plan. Subject to approval, do what you want. Send a picture of yourself into space. A stuffed animal. Your baby teeth. A lock of your girlfriends hair? I don't know, that's a little creepy, but its up to you. Certain weight restrictions may apply, but I'm sure we can work something out.</p> <p>With all these you can send in whatever amount you like and pick and choose among them to make the perfect package for you.</p> <p>Everything is limited by the time in orbit, the weight restrictions, well and that's about it. So, get your donation in early to get the time or item you really want.... IN SPACE!</p><blockquote></blockquote><p></p><p><br /></p><blockquote></blockquote><p></p><p><br /></p></blockquote><p></p>Drakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00447580084104857548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7115978352755808311.post-27620371688178319752009-09-09T00:01:00.000-07:002009-09-10T14:44:00.579-07:00Zombie GamesI've always been a fan of zombie media. Games, movies, comics, books, I've consumed something zombie related in all these forms. Zombie movies commonly evoke a feeling on anxiety in the watcher, often showing a desolated world with a few survivors just trying to survive. Zombie books show people surviving, some rebuilding and defeating. Games always have the user survive a particularly grueling campaign, and that is it. Games so far have been the most disappointing appendage of the zombie franchise.<br /><a name='more'></a><br />That doesn't mean I don't like zombie games. I like what they accomplish in their short campaigns. Survival horror, action horror, whatever, you just kill a lot of zombies and its over. No persistence, no long lasting threats, no real reward. What I would love to see is a zombie <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">mmorpg</span> with a persistent world.<br /><br /><div>Think... Well, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Diablo</span> 2 Hardcore Mode meets Sims meets a vanilla gritty FPS.<br /><br />I want the survivors to be so into surviving they cry when they die. Leader boards that show survival times outside of the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">safezones</span>. Mansions barricaded so thoroughly that when I lead a horde of 500 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">shamblers</span> to the door they fall apart before the mansion does.<br /><br />Lets expand on that shall we. Feel free to download this <a href="http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?4gnqmjzmmdh"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">mindmap</span></a>. You can view it with <a href="http://freemind.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/Main_Page"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Freemind</span></a>. You don't REALLY need it, but it helps.<br /><br />Lets start with some zombie information. Personally I don't like these fast zombies you see everywhere. I like the traditional shambling zombie, the kind that forms large groups that move inexorably forward to devour you.<br /><br />But who wants to play that character? You want to be a loser zombie, just part of the crowd, all you can do is slowly walk towards the humans? No. That's stupid. That's boring. Who'd waste their time. So these zombies are mobs. Environment.<br /><br />I called them <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">zimboes</span> in my mind map. Common names are zed's, commons, walkers, whatever. They are everywhere. If they see you, smell you, hear you, they will swarm you. They will moan as loud as they can, attracting their brethren. As long as you are along, they will keep coming. Each sense will have a different detection threshold, and there are things you can do to counter.<br /><br />These guys are also the classic "pet" for our pet class zombies. Maybe humans can train them too. Its not like this is a concrete coded up game yet. The swarming mechanism is the most important thing to keep in mind with these guys.<br /><br />So those are the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">NPC</span> zombies. A player can never be a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">zimbo</span>. I haven't thought of a mechanism for turning players into classed zombies, but the classes are pretty straight forward.<br />Also, your original player model is carried over to your zombie personality. You just start to deteriorate, getting grosser looking as your playtime increases. Convenient and intuitive way to gauge a character's age. You know that guy with no skin left on his frame is old. Probably smelly too.<br /><br />First we have the Howler. These guys are loud. The sound attracts <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">zimboes</span> to his location. From there he can keep howling, leading the swarm around. Since there is really no direct damage in this approach you get a powerful melee attack as well.<br /><br />Second we have the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Mezzer</span>. The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">mezzer</span> freezes human players, like a basilisk. The more people in the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">mezzer's</span> line of sight, the more who get stunned. Pretty simple crowd control class.<br /><br />Third we have an unnamed ranged character, he spits or something.<br />The brute is a big dude who bashes on people.<br /><br />The last is also unnamed, but my favorite. She excretes pheromones that contain instructions to the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">zimboes</span>, kind of programming their minds. With her scent packets she leads <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">zimboes</span> in range around in a very controlled fashion. Maybe some kind of "defense spray" that forces the zombies to target certain humans until they bathe.<br /><br />All zombies come with Autonomic Reflexes, when you get close enough to a human they go for the bite. Prevents people from hanging out with their dead friends, and prevents the easy capture of zombie players. This is important later on.<br /><br />Last point, Zombies are fragile. You have to use tactics to get the kill. That or massive amounts of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">zimboes</span>.<br /><br />That's it for now. Next post we discuss Humans.<br /></div>Drakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00447580084104857548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7115978352755808311.post-37630758117545910622009-09-08T19:33:00.000-07:002009-09-10T14:43:44.542-07:00Re-re-re-re-re Post. Fixed a fiction piece of mine.First hour.<br /><br />"Watch out for the train"<br /><br />BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP<br /><br />"Whats that sound?"<br /><br />BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP<br /><br />"Oh thats th---"<br /><br />BEEP BEEP BEEP Bthrp.<br /><br />I reach over and click the slide indicator to off.<br /><br />"Ugghh"<br /><a name='more'></a><br /><br />The clock radio read 6:15, and the bus arrives at 6:25, it had been sounding for the last 30 minutes, my dream almost seamlessly integrating the incessant buzzing into it's reality. My bones ached from staying up till 2:30. Again. Well, that's too bad, just going to have to sleep through a few classes, that's never hurt me before.<br /><br />I slowly rose out of bed, my sore joints protesting the whole way and quickly walk outside, circling the house to the front door, and enter.<br /><br />"You're going to miss the bus," my father says.<br /><br />"No I'm not."<br /><br />"Your alarms been going off for the last half hour, you woke ME up."<br /><br />"Why didn't you stomp on the floor or something?"<br /><br />"I figured you were up."<br /><br />I go into the bathroom and strip for a quick shower, thinking "Yeah, that figures, uh huh, really, asshole". The shower leaves me feeling dirty still. All three minute showers do. There has to be a better way. Oh yeah, I could go to bed on time, but whats the fun in that? I could get a job, buy a car, pay insurance, but whats the fun in that? No, I'd really rather live with things left unresolved until the last minute everyday, that is fun, last minute decisions and solutions to all my problems.<br /><br />Anyways, I terminate that line of thought as I realize that the bus should be coming around now. I run to the end of my road to see it drive past. Shit. Oh good, it's stopping, someone must have noticed me running, well I am kind of hard not to notice.<br /><br />Settling into a seat in the front for the forty minute bus ride, the quiet hum and bumping of the bus lulls me into an uneasy sleep, waking every time the bus slows or stops. Every minute counts. Damn it, I forgot breakfast again. No money for lunch. Going hungry today, oh well, eating at home is more fun anyways. Glancing out the window I realize that we're less then a minute from the school. Good, no more sleep.<br /><br />Being at the front of the bus has it's benefits. You don't have to deal with all the loud obnoxious people at the back, AND you're first off. Benefits all around. Glancing at the clock it reads seven. Hmm, the bus is early today. What is there to do for the 25 minutes before class? Oh god, there are the people I hang out with... they're looking at me... *panic*<br /><br />I smile. I walk over, I say my hellos, and get into an animated conversation with a friend, starting of course with quotes.<br /><br />"Women have a perfect right to play a part in our movement, Reg.", says I.<br /><br />"Why are you always on about women, Stan?", he replies.<br /><br />"I want to be one."<br /><br />"What?"<br /><br />"I want to be a woman. From now on, I want you all to call me 'Loretta'."<br /><br />"What?!"<br /><br />"It's my right as a man."<br /><br />"Well, why do you want to be Loretta, Stan?"<br /><br />"I want to have babies."<br /><br />"You want to have babies?!"<br /><br />"It's every man's right to have babies if he wants them."<br /><br />"But... you can't have babies."<br /><br />"You know, they have a point," our friend julie cuts in, "Why can't he have babies?"<br /><br />"Well, it isn't possible, he has no womb" my friend says.<br /><br />"Yes, but why can't he have them legally? Is it his right to have babies?"<br /><br />"Well, I suppose it is his right, but why have the right to have a baby?"<br /><br />"Wait wait wait... there could be a legal side to this, unapproved, unnecessary medical experimentation is illegal, and thats what it would take for him to have a baby"<br /><br />"They could get FDA approval... or go to Brazil"<br /><br />"But then it's running from the law... not a right, he wants to have the right to bear a child"<br /><br />"EVERYONE GET TO CLASS"<br /><br />We disperse to our separate rooms.<br /><br />Entering O`Connors room, a new assignment covers the board.<br /><br />"Imagine that you're the ruler of a small island, and you need to make a government fair to all, but still remain a ruler. How would you do it? You have 20 minutes, then we're forming groups"<br /><br />Damn English teacher, what does that have to do with English? Oh kay, whatever, I can do this. Shit, it's been 5 minutes. Better get started :<br /><br />"To allow all peoples under my rule, apparent, or hidden, preferably hidden, for the rule does not need to be actually equal, if I allow people to perceive that they are all equal, then I will have an interchangeable populace. All people have equal skill, equal participation. But wires can be hidden and pulled. Perception. Perception is the key to humans, everything on some level is perception. It all boils down to my perception of events, how I interpret things, isn't it the same for you? If you perceive you are in control of a situation, wouldn't you hold that belief for as long as possible? Puppet governments. Look at the Philippines, we held control there for almost a entury, a puppet government pretending to run things, the populace pretending it was in control of itself. It took a world war to free them, yet we still control most of their economy. Okay, so I set up a democratic polling system, all controlled by computers, and let the people vote on all issues, yet in the background I just change how the polls come out, make them look close, or landslide, to let the people who voted think that the rest of the populace is against them, thereby crushing their spirits and making them that much easier to control in the long run. Oh yes, yes, I love this plan"<br /><br />Reading this aloud gets me concerned looks from my classmates<br /><br />"That is some.. interesting work, Charlie," The group leader looks around quickly, "Katie, what did you write?"<br /><br />Wow, some boring work "I would let them represent themselves in a government situation and be president", exactly what everyone else said. They're all so special, awww cuties! The next 50 minutes were a blur (85 minute class), mostly due to my lack of complete consciousness.<br /><br />"The definition of tone is... A small city in panama"<br /><br />Groggily raising my hand, "I don't think that's the definition of tone.."<br /><br />"Charlie, we were talking about tone 10 minutes ago"<br /><br />I feel my face warm, and smile sheepishly "Oh", and fall back asleep.<br /><br />Waking to the sound of a room of people moving is like a shot of adrenaline. You're instantly awake, on your feet, and moving towards the door. Outside, the fresh air hits your face, and the soft, cool mist helps bring you to complete awareness.<br /><br />This is a problem for me. It means that in the 5 minutes between classes, I have to find something to do. Friends again, but this time, Star Wars.<br /><br />I walk up to hear, "So, is Luke going to hell or not?"<br /><br />"Why would he go to hell?"<br /><br />"Well, he killed millions of people when the death star blew up, lusted after his sister, and 'touched' her in a manner which could be seen as sexual"<br /><br />"Does he believe in God? Does God, and heaven even exist in the star wars universe?"<br /><br />"Well, it exists in ours, why not theirs?"<br /><br />"True, but your an atheist dude, you say so all the time"<br /><br />"Well, this is a hypothetical situation, so I can say that they both exist for the purpose of this conversation"<br /><br />"EVERYONE GET TO CLASS"Drakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00447580084104857548noreply@blogger.com0