From: Lucian Mogosanu Date: Sat, 21 Jun 2014 10:42:44 +0000 (+0300) Subject: posts: 023, 024 X-Git-Tag: v0.4~20 X-Git-Url: https://git.mogosanu.ro/?a=commitdiff_plain;h=f904d15ef83923ad630930d1b8e02ddf5609f507;p=thetarpit.git posts: 023, 024 --- diff --git a/images/2014/06/broken-age-01-thumb.png b/images/2014/06/broken-age-01-thumb.png new file mode 100644 index 0000000..70c2ae4 Binary files /dev/null and b/images/2014/06/broken-age-01-thumb.png differ diff --git a/images/2014/06/broken-age-01.png b/images/2014/06/broken-age-01.png new file mode 100644 index 0000000..170eea1 Binary files /dev/null and b/images/2014/06/broken-age-01.png differ diff --git a/images/2014/06/broken-age-02-thumb.png b/images/2014/06/broken-age-02-thumb.png new file mode 100644 index 0000000..29256f3 Binary files /dev/null and b/images/2014/06/broken-age-02-thumb.png differ diff --git a/images/2014/06/broken-age-02.png b/images/2014/06/broken-age-02.png new file mode 100644 index 0000000..7880187 Binary files /dev/null and b/images/2014/06/broken-age-02.png differ diff --git a/images/2014/06/broken-age-03-thumb.png b/images/2014/06/broken-age-03-thumb.png new file mode 100644 index 0000000..9df1b98 Binary files /dev/null and b/images/2014/06/broken-age-03-thumb.png differ diff --git a/images/2014/06/broken-age-03.png b/images/2014/06/broken-age-03.png new file mode 100644 index 0000000..13ad1f8 Binary files /dev/null and b/images/2014/06/broken-age-03.png differ diff --git a/posts/y00/023-maybe-i-was-wrong-about-that-commenting-thing.markdown b/posts/y00/023-maybe-i-was-wrong-about-that-commenting-thing.markdown new file mode 100644 index 0000000..ce37d4b --- /dev/null +++ b/posts/y00/023-maybe-i-was-wrong-about-that-commenting-thing.markdown @@ -0,0 +1,106 @@ +--- +postid: 023 +title: Maybe I was wrong about that commenting thing +excerpt: Re-dissecting the thorny issue of blog comments. +date: June 8, 2014 +author: Lucian Mogoșanu +tags: asphalt +--- + +Almost a year ago, back when The Tar Pit had just ceased to be a collection of +ideas on a whiteboard, I delved into [technical details][1] related to +blogging; mind you, nothing as philosophical as "why blog?"[^1], but rather a +discussion on the right tools and the right approaches for blogging. While I +never implied that the way I considered doing it was the right approach for +everyone, I was back then fairly sure that the technical tidbits behind The +Tar Pit were not only the right way, but that they were the only feasible +approach for myself. + +One specifically bothersome detail was the issue of comments: + +> On the other hand comments, I admit, are kind of a big issue. For a while, I +> looked into third party commenting systems, or writing my own, or even using +> the one from Wordpress, but I realized this would bring back the spam +> nightmares I had previously had with it. I also thought about proprietary +> alternatives such as Disqus, but Disqus is a service with terms that I don’t +> necessarily agree with. So no, I wouldn’t have them owning the comments of +> my readers. +> +> Therefore, I have given up comments altogether. Once the blog has a contact +> page, you’ll have the option of commenting on my stuff by sending me an +> e-mail or a message on whatever social network I’m on. Moreover, feel free +> to link my posts to Reddit, Facebook, Twitter and whatever social network +> you’re on, and drop me an e-mail if you feel like I should give my +> input. Other than that, I don’t really feel like turning back to comment +> moderation, I think that I should focus on writing and not much more. + +More simply put, commenting platforms, especially the proprietary +"in-the-cloud" ones, are a bitch. They either make it considerably difficult to +moderate content, due to the horrendous amount of spam (as seen in Wordpress), +or they lock your data into their services, a fact that I for one find +unacceptable, to say the least. Thus my idea involved delegating commenting to +whatever platforms lie on the Internet, closed or otherwise, given that +historically speaking, my blogs haven't received much "engagement" from their +readers anyway[^2]. + +Of course, that didn't really work. So far, exactly zero people have contacted +me on The Tar Pit's [e-mail][4], and only a few people have discussed the +blog's subjects with me on social networks and other public forums, although +others may have been discussing them among themselves, who knows. On one hand, +people prefer to do it the "convenient" way rather than the "right" way. On the +other, Facebook is one example of a [completely useless][5] publishing +platform, while Twitter's 140-character limit encourages only linking, not +discussions. I haven't really tried posting my writings on Reddit and the likes +and I'm not planning to, but feel free to do that if you think it's a good +idea. + +Now, while I'm living in my own writer's bubble, Robin Ward (also known as Evil +Trout) comes and announces that [Discourse][6] can now be embedded in static +sites. This is of course very dissimilar to the classical way of commenting: +you can view comments on the blog, but you have to actually access a forum to +post comments, implying that you also need to make a virtual identity, i.e. a +user, and become part of a community. Anonymous posting is thus turned off by +default, a fact which I don't wholeheartedly agree with[^3]. + +I've thought about this long before creating The Tar Pit, and I must admit that +it is an interesting concept. It's also one that might not work here, since +creating a community around a single blog would require that blog to be more +active (I write 0.5 to 1 post per week on average), and it would also require a +critical mass of posts and/or categories. People wouldn't gather there simply +because they're readers of The Tar Pit, but because they'd have found something +worth debating, which I am skeptical of. + +Despite my skepticism, I will confess that maybe I was wrong about that thing +about commenting. Maybe this Discourse thing is indeed the right tool to +enable commenting on arbitrary (non-Wordpress) blogs, maybe even my blog. And +even if it isn't, maybe it's worth trying to use it and failing, I'm sure the +experience itself would count. I don't agree with [Jeff Atwood][6] that "a +blog without comments is not a blog", but it is definitely *less* of a blog, +which I guess The Tar Pit is. + +I can't say I'm ready to give this a try yet, but who knows, sometime, in the +future, maybe... + +[^1]: [Steve Yegge][2] has already discussed the subject rather well, in my +opinion. + +[^2]: While I'm aware that we live in the age of "virals", "user experience", +"engagement" and other such mildly annoying buzzwords, I find this phenomenon +to be perfectly normal for my personal blog. I hardly expect that a massive +number of users read The Tar Pit, simply because I deal in more or less +esoteric subjects. Moreover, I hardly expect most of my readers to "engage" in +discussing the content, since I've given up writing stuff that will stir up +sensation. The reason is quite simple: asking for attention in a time when it +(that is, attention) is so expensive, and when attention deficit is so +widespread, is simply wrong. Either you read this or you don't. To put it in +the words of [Simon Peyton-Jones][3], I'm avoiding success at all costs. + +[^3]: It solves the spam problem by default, though. + +[1]: /posts/y00/002-technicalities.html +[2]: https://sites.google.com/site/steveyegge2/you-should-write-blogs +[3]: http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/261007/a-z_programming_languages_haskell/ +[4]: /images/email.png +[5]: http://techcrunch.com/2014/04/03/the-filtered-feed-problem/ +[6]: http://eviltrout.com/2014/01/22/embedding-discourse.html +[7]: http://blog.codinghorror.com/a-blog-without-comments-is-not-a-blog/ diff --git a/posts/y00/024-broken-age.markdown b/posts/y00/024-broken-age.markdown new file mode 100644 index 0000000..1cc4087 --- /dev/null +++ b/posts/y00/024-broken-age.markdown @@ -0,0 +1,97 @@ +--- +postid: 024 +title: Broken Age +date: June 21, 2014 +author: Lucian Mogoșanu +tags: gaming +--- + +*Meta*: While this is a post standing on its own, it also happens to be, by +some strange twist of fate, the sequel to one of my previous writings, more +specifically the one where I describe the beauty of [Grim Fandango][1]. Unlike +other posts in the [gaming][2] category, however, this one has no motto. We +will see why in the following paragraphs. + + So, once upon a time, there was this guy called Tim +Schafer. While working as a producer for LucasArts, he made some of the +greatest adventures ever created, of which I won't remind any right now, but +I'm sure you know them all, otherwise you wouldn't be reading this. Anyway, as +I was [previously hinting][1], Schafer went along with the whole +downfall-of-the-adventure-genre thing and gave birth to some really ugly +gaming experiences, of which we shall once again remind Grim Fandango. My, +those were dark times indeed. + +But here we are in our Lord's year 2014, a year of so-called "indie" games: +back two years ago, Schafer started a crowdfunding campaign that gathered well +over three million bucks and resulted in hype, heaps of hope and many promises. +That's when the idea of "Double Fine Adventure" came to be, mostly from the +name of Schafer's new studio, Double Fine Productions, or something like that. + +So Double Fine get funded beyond their wildest expectations, then they start +working on this adventure game, and well, at some point find out they're out of +the shitloads of money invested by their backers. About two years later, that +is, in our Lord's year 2014, they manage to release the first act of this game, +which they now name Broken Age. And here we are. + + +Broken Age tells the story of two people, or children, living in what appear to +be two entirely different worlds. One of them, Vella, is part of some kind of +fantasy world populated with monsters and sacrificed maidens, while the other, +Shay, is a lonely, bored kid, living on a spaceship for as long as he's known. +As an aside, the two characters (and not only them) are played by what most +people would consider to be top-notch voice actors, namely Masasa Moyo and +Elijah Wood. + +Thus, the player embarks in what appear two entirely different adventures, each +with its own story; and what boring stories the two seemed to be, and how +utterly disappointed I was at about halfway through the game -- luckily, the +game is really, really, really, really short. Remember the old LucasArts +adventures? Remember Grim Fandango? Hell, remember Day of the *fucking* +Tentacle? Well, I'll tell you, Broken Age is none of these. The humour is +bland, the scenes make no sense -- and that's okay for a comedy, except, +y'know, the humour is bland --, the characters are ephemere despite being +played by such good actors, but wait, that's not all. + + +All things considered, the game's atmosphere is not bad at all. The orchestral +soundtrack is a lovely piece of art, while on the other hand, the graphics are +great: both seem to have been conceived with much attention to detail, and this +shows, like it should in any good movie[^1]. On top of it, the game's interface +blends with the story so well: the inventory is there only when it's supposed +to be, all the important objects and characters are obvious, while the +mechanics are definitely no-nonsense, which really brings out the fun in +point-and-click. + +So you know, this really isn't such a bad game, except it's too damn short and +the story/stories are way too forgettable; with the notable exception of the +first act's ending[^2], which is a really good cliffhanger and, honestly, it's +pretty much the best thing in the whole game. Seriously, I loved it and can't +wait to see what happens next[^3]. + +I shall conclude my short post by answering to the question posed at its +beginning. So, why no motto? Unfortunately I have failed to find any memorable +quotes within the first act of Broken Age. Does this mean that it can't live +up to its predecessors? I don't know, maybe not; or maybe. Time will tell. + +[^1]: Only I've always thought that, in terms of narrative, games are much +closer to books than to movies. Maybe that's why Broken Age is so short after +all, while old LucasArts games are so long. This, however, has nothing to do +with the games' actual quality, I've played short adventure games that have +stuck with me forever. + +[^2]: At the time of writing, Broken Age has only one act released. Out of two, +I suppose. + +[^3]: I bought the "season pass" as they call it now when they sell an entire +game to you. If there's one thing that makes Broken Age less of an adventure +than the old ones, it's this whole dubious marketing tacting. Seriously, Tim, +this looks like nothing more than a cheap scam to us old farts. + +[1]: /posts/y00/01a-grim-fandango.html +[2]: /tags/gaming.html