Suggest a blog topic - my future plans

[mtgrares]

I'm running out of ideas to write about on my blog, so I'm asking you to suggest topics for me to write about. Obviously I try to write about both Magic and computer programming but maybe I could do some articles that deal with only Magic or programming. Tell me what you want to read about

[GandoTheBard]

Talk about what you know. Or wait until you have something that interests you to talk about. Blogging is essentially about the blogger though sometimes the blog can focus on something indirect. If magic isn't the topic du jour in your brain talk about some other interest. Who cares what anyone else thinks?

[jpb]

I want to read about how there is a new version 2 release out.

[DennisBergkamp]

I always like to read about some of the things you encounter as you're programming V2: certain decisions you made/are thinking about, some new card implementations, newly planned features, etc.
Or maybe write things on the differences between V1 and V2, which things will be improved exactly or show examples of cards that would be very difficult in V1 to implement but should be much easier in V2.

[mtgrares]

I still love Magic and computer programming but version 2 is bogging me down. Version 1 is 95% of what I wanted to accomplish. (The other 5% is a quest mode where you start with a generic deck and you win money by winning your match. And then you buy cards at the game shop.) I probably can hack on a quest mode to the current version and I would love to play it myself.

I probably made version 2 too hard for myself. I wanted to rewrite the world. So the reason that I'm not talking much about version 2 is that I'm not working on it because it isn't interesting right now.

What is interesting is this new game, Fantastic Contraption. You build a little machine that moves an object from point A to point B. The game is very simple but very fun. I would love to program my own version. I would suggest that you try it, you can play it through your browser here. I was thinking about my blog into a general videogame programming blog because I really love this Fantastic Contraption.

[meep.o.matic]

Have you thought about writing about how you started playing magic or got to program the AI? Bloggers usualy write personal stuff (no s++t XD), so why not go that way? If you already done this, I'm sorry but I didn't visit your blog to know it... XD

[GandoTheBard]

I still love Magic and computer programming but version 2 is bogging me down. Version 1 is 95% of what I wanted to accomplish. (The other 5% is a quest mode where you start with a generic deck and you win money by winning your match. And then you buy cards at the game shop.) I probably can hack on a quest mode to the current version and I would love to play it myself.

I probably made version 2 too hard for myself. I wanted to rewrite the world. So the reason that I'm not talking much about version 2 is that I'm not working on it because it isn't interesting right now.

What is interesting is this new game, Fantastic Contraption. You build a little machine that moves an object from point A to point B. The game is very simple but very fun. I would love to program my own version. I would suggest that you try it, you can play it through your browser here. I was thinking about my blog into a general videogame programming blog because I really love this Fantastic Contraption.

Nothing for nothing that is rather disingenuous. You have led us to believe you were working on it when you were giving up. That is not cool in the least. I agree that for what it IS mtgforge version 1 is relatively complete. but it has insanely glaring difficulties and the point of two was to fix those difficulties. If you needed help you should have asked for it. There are some talented if reluctant programmers that have watched this project for sometime. Some of them might have been willing to step in and show you how to manage certain techniques to make it flow better. If you have come to realize that you simply hate mtg and don't want anything to do with it anymore why not post THAT in your blog and tell us why. This 'choose a topic post' is just bs and really steams me up because I feel like you turned away from us without telling us until now. Though I am happy you finally did tell us. Now we can move on to other projects and leave you to your build a contraption game.

[Incantus]

Gando,

Not for nothing, Forge never promised anything. Maybe he got stuck recently and lost enthusiasm. First of all, his project is open source, so anyone is free to jump in and fix it/add more/whatever. Secondly, he's doing it in his free time, so obviously if other things compete for his free time then mtgforge will get less attention. Anyway, your post really steams me up, because it's people like you who always come in expecting everything.

[Incantus]

Hey Forge,

If you are interested in making a contraption type game, there are many free open source 2D physics libraries that provide the necessary joints and objects to build that type of game. You should check out Box2D or Chipmunk.

Incantus

[GandoTheBard]

Gando,

Not for nothing, Forge never promised anything. Maybe he got stuck recently and lost enthusiasm. First of all, his project is open source, so anyone is free to jump in and fix it/add more/whatever. Secondly, he's doing it in his free time, so obviously if other things compete for his free time then mtgforge will get less attention. Anyway, your post really steams me up, because it's people like you who always come in expecting everything.

If I expected anything other than some honesty I'd understand your point of view...as it stands though I only listened to what Rares was saying. Perhaps I should have taken it with more of a grain of salt...As you said perhaps he became stuck...but here YOU are, a capable programmer who has offered your time and effort to make this a better client etc...and he did not come to you for help or even tell you he was stuck...instead he pretended everything was ok. That is what steams me...not that he gave up but that he didnt tell anyone. And it is an open project only inso far as we have access to what work has been done...so far that access has been...wanting. If my post made it sound like I expected Rares to do this all by himself and right now and never mind that its hard etc...I am sorry...that wasn't the impression I was going for...But maybe we have different interpretations of the same language eh?

To be clear, I applaud what Rares has done so far...but I feel that he needs to be upfront with people in his life or he may get much worse than the silly post I made which for all of its heat was not very much on fire. I tried to convey the disappointment I have in being misled. Because that is what it is. Misleading and disappointing. However I do not think Forge quiting is a bad thing if thats what he feels like...Who knows maybe inspiration will hit him an year or two and he will suddenly "know" how to do what it is that he can't figure out now...sometimes programming is like that. To be fair I do appreciate being told finally what the deal is so that I do not continue hoping for something to come along that isn't. And also to clarify you (incantus) seem to feel that the only investment here is the programming...but that is not so...all who have been active here have something invested. My own contributions may have been meager compared to say Rob Cashwalker's but I think I have given of myself which is all anyone can expect.

Rares from now on, just tell people what you are doing...that is the point of this forum and the blogspot site.

[frwololo]

And also to clarify you (incantus) seem to feel that the only investment here is the programming...but that is not so...all who have been active here have something invested. My own contributions may have been meager compared to say Rob Cashwalker's but I think I have given of myself which is all anyone can expect.

Sorry, adding fuel to the flames...
you seem to be already aware of it, but there is NO WAY you can compare the time you spent on that project to the time Forge spent on it.
His blog contains no false promise. If you have someone to blame, you can blame yourself for incorrectly reading, because there is no promise of any kind of updates or new releases or new version on Forges' blog.

I receive my share of insults everyday for absolutely no reason on my project, and I'm guessing Incantus does too. Even if your message is not that "bad", when all you've done for 3 years is giving away all your work for free, receiving that kind of reaction is the worst feeling ever.
An example that keeps pissing me off (that was one month ago): http://wololo.net/wagic/2008/10/17/give ... omment-221

I agree with you regarding honesty and all that stuff, and I'm sure you didn't mean to seem to be "aggressive" in any way, but I think you shouldn't be so bitter about that. You should thank forge for the 3 years he's spent working on that project rather than accusing him of being dishonest for taking a break...

[GandoTheBard]

Willow: No one compared my contributions to Rares but you can not say my contribution is nothing (it is what it is)...which is the implication in Incantus's words. And no i did not misread the blog...Rares said he has been working on the Project. Turns out that wasn't the case. I am really definitely ok with that. Not ok with being told otherwise. His time...his prerogative. Having said that, I was also upset because out of the blue INSTEAD of reaching out for help he decided to announce that he was done. I get that he is tired of it...thats ok too...but why not just say so? Why lead us along the rosy path. My initial post was an accumulated reaction by the way to a sinking feeling that this was coming for a while now. Ever since Rob got the run-around on his code patches.

As for adding fuel to the "fire" I do not see a fire here. I see a discussion. I for one haven't called anyone names or otherwise spit in anyone's eye (like some illbred camel might). I can see why you and incantus are defending Rares from a percieved attack but that isn't the point of my posts. It can be hard enough to communicate one's thoughts to someone standing in the same room with you with full view of facial expressions and full auditory input as well. I can see that for some this transaction may be harder in print particular on the internet where alot of people just come to spill their tempests into teapots and stir up illemotion. If you have been on the recieving end of lots of unprovoked attacks, that is sad but it is the state of the internet as we know it. it comes with the territory but it isn't excusable. People seem to feel that the anonymity of the interet gives them free license to be mean, vindictive and spiteful. Adults know better. Not that there are any adults on the internet these days ;P

Also I know my words did come off as bitter...and truthfully that is what I was feeling: It is a bitter nut to swallow that something you believed (and really wanted to be the case) is not the case. But I try to be truthful as much as possible sometimes to my own detriment (but mostly to my benefit.) This means sometimes expressing a negative reaction to something someone has said/done. I think am doing a fair job of doing that without impugning Rares or anyone else. I think it is fair for me to admonish for what I think has been mishandled as it is fair for you to upbraid me if my tone is disrespectful and discourteous.

Something I perhaps should have reiterated first:
I think that Rares did a hellofajob on version 1 despite the numerous faults/flaws/bugs etc. This task is enormous and to do it in one's spare time must be quite a chore unless one really enjoys doing it. (Hence I am not here as a programmer talking to some spud about their flames to me. ) I believe have said this before. However it is always nice to be praised for what one has done right even as it is never fun to hear what one hasn't done right. Kudos for making the program over the course of three years! (Most of this I think I have said in emails too btw).

Anyway to top this off I left a message on the blog with the sentiment that Rares should at least attempt to reach out to the community before shutting down the project. It makes no sense to waste whatever time he did spend on version 2 with no fruit whatsoever. There are people involved here if I am not mistaken who could quite easily help guide Rares towards completing the project with code advice etc.

[Incantus]

An example that keeps pissing me off (that was one month ago): http://wololo.net/wagic/2008/10/17/give ... omment-221

Wololo, I must say I'm surprised. Everyone who's ever interacted with me about Incantus has been nothing less than supportive (but then again, i've purposedfully kept the core group small). Anyway, no need to feel pissed off about Blackthorn. <begin rant>His is the type of attitude that comes from an entitlement culture, where you expect to get everything you want when you want it. He probably still lives in his parent's basement and doesn't know a day of hard work in the real world, where that kind of attitute quickly gets you booted out on your ass. No thoughtful person who's ever contributed their own time and effort into a hobbyist project would ever carry that kind of attitude.</end rant>

Anyway, Gando, sorry I was a bit harsh - I suspect my reaction to your post was written with the same lack of pause as your post. But I do agree with wololo - to hear that kind of feedback after all the work he's done can be a demoralizing blow. I can understand the excitement of getting caught up in something as awesome as MtgForge and wanting to be part of it, and the bitterness of realizing that excitement might have been misplaced. Many times I've wanted to stop working on Incantus, only I can't because it's a stupid addiction and I still have that 5-10% of the rules to go.

[DennisBergkamp]

Aren't we getting ahead of ourselves a little bit here? I've read through this topic (very interesting read, by the way ), and I don't see any indication of Forge giving up on V2 completely.

I probably made version 2 too hard for myself. I wanted to rewrite the world. So the reason that I'm not talking much about version 2 is that I'm not working on it because it isn't interesting right now.

It just looks like he's taking a break from it, and in my opinion, he deserves one.

If he does decide to drop the whole thing, respect to him, it's HIS project and it's HIS free time he's been spending on it all of these years.
Of course, I'd be disappointed like everyone else in here, but there's just no way I could see myself feel wronged or ungrateful after all the work he's put into this project.

Just my 2 cents.

[mtgrares]

Public relations is a touchy issue, I need my own PR agent

I'll probably work on my own version of Fantastic Contraption (FC) and blog about it. I realize that some people will only want to read about Magic and that is OK. Tentatively I plan to work on FC for 6 months or so and then work again on MTG Forge version 2.

FC is a totally different project and it will be fun to do a real user interface (but the easy part is that I just get to copy someone else's interface) and I'll get to play around with some of the free physics libraries (at first I thought I might have to write my own, but I'm happy I won't have to.) FC is a great game and the project should be fairly small. I need a project that is small and hopefully fun.

I know some people will feel cheated since I’m changing projects. The truth is that I’ve written around 68,000 words on my blog about Magic and I just want to work on something else. On just a guess, I’ve probably spent 200 or so hours on MTG Forge and that total may still be low.


To frwololo,

I've had a lot of negative email and comments, but thankfully I've had some positive comments also. I would probably say 40% negative and 60% positive. I've had comments like "Where are the rest of the cards?","When will have Shards of Alara done?" or "Why is the computer so dumb?" The problem with any project, like a movie or a programming project, is that it takes weeks/months of work and only minutes to criticize.