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Inspiration and Action

#1
The objective of this post is to show the inspiration origin, and maybe inspire some reader. That's why it's a mix of personal and broad topics.

I would like to read others stories, in a format like mine or similar. And I'm eager to read the What inspires you? answers!
You may omit the classic inspiration sources like many on my list, we all take them for granted, if you want to type less.

A bit of history:

I've recently (hours ago) come into contact with this game.
I googled it after seeing someone say "Go to play Limit Theory if you want to thrive and not be ganked" on a response of a comment of a review of Eve Online's Phoebe last update written by the gankers point of view.
It made me think about two little things. I love the vastness and depth of eve online, but we all love that aspect. The second, you don't come to have a hundredth of the fun you could, limited by the fact that if one man alone could create and manage an empire at Eve online, the game would die of imbalance in a week. So I thought, hey, if gankers mock up on carebears using that game, might be worth a look.
A SHAME ON ME for not knowing of it before. I have all the space empire related games since a Freelancer copy that fell on my hands from a newspaper Sunday extra long 8 years ago.
Man, I'd had pledged 100€ if I knew of it. Not that I am rich, but because I'd had spend my year savings on it just because YES. It's way worth the third meal of a month or two. THIS looks like the GAME! Now I'm late. I'll wait and get it on steam or whatever :( Sad panda is sad.


A bit of objective to the post:

This game is inspired by the idea of lack of limits (maybe originated on the mind of a youngling born deep enough a rich society to end up believing things like that). But hey, we all have this version of us somewhere. We've all been this version of us at some point. The depreciated grown-up children have always a place on the face of the world when it somehow requires innovation, breakthroughs, motivation, or plain and satisfying illusion on dreaming that dreams are not complete fiction.

So:
Seems like Josh always coded, dreamed and is even realizing some of his dreams. Dreams about space, games, fiction and bringing it close to reality, in the way he can.
We all would like to be as smart as he was, starting to code so early, recognizing his own strengths and intendedly obviating the weaknesses, or just plainly jumping from thinking to doing as hard as he did.
So I open up this post with the intent of placing a mirror on the screen.
(leave modesty aside, It's nice, but here we are just talking, you are not getting a job, or money or a girlfriend/boyfriend by being modest either by bragging to much around forums, so let's just debate!)
  • What nice aspects of Josh personality or actions did you see reflected on yourself, in some measure? And what aspects of his projects on yours?
  • What science-fictiony thing you dreamed you could sometime make a reality? A game? A book? Making it REAL real? (How on that last one? :D I want to join!)
  • When did you realize which of your science-fictiony daydreams you could materialize in some form? (Becasue you can. Really, not self-help bshit or anything. If you can read and write in a forum, you can transform ideas to some material form, so you can do the former)
  • What do you like, what does inspire you, and your dreams? Who's the author of it!?
  • (Insert here anything you'd like to talk about related to life in general, your dreams and aspirations, what you do like, or whatever. It's a forum, it's for talking sake.)

My grain (rock?) of sand:
  • Reflection on personality / projects?

    Well, I'm actually just a year older than him, and also an active daydreamer who thinks there might be no limits with plans so big they make me wish days had 30 hours, even mondays. He also had a clear enough vision of himself to know what does he do well and how to focus his efforts to make (or start to make) it a reality. I love space too, spaceships, the idea of large size, and the idea of things well done. I'm a good self-explorer, too, and find almost everything interesting in some degree. I also LOVE the concept of simplicity, abstraction and efficiency.
    Also, I've always dreamed on a singleplayer version of eve online + X3:Terran, with more freedom, and the ability to manage your own entire faction. Like Josh seems to do, seeing the game he's making :D.
  • What science-fictiony thing you dreamed you could sometime make a reality?

    The truth is that I'd like to bring my head's universe to some form of material form that allows for it's depth to unwrap to the interested ones.

    The only way I can come to think off are videogames. So

    A game! I'm not concerned with graphics, so 2D will be ok. I want it to have space! Ships! Planets! Colonies! Convoys! Lasers! Factories! Asteroids! Aliens! Economy! Time! Space! (Yeah, a game like an overhauled version of the space sphere from portal. Just yelling ideas that make you dream and smile!). Ill make it.

    So I decided to make three games.
    One about spaceships, where you make and are a convoy, you pew pew, it has spaceships, aliens, lazors, and you bring colonists to a safe new ground, where your punctuation is driven by the amount of them that survives the next ten years period, and what they achieve.
    Another one about stations, where you make them grow, thrive, you get to upgrade them. Envision them like if you were a station manager on eve online, but just add more elements, a contained economy in a safespot lost in a pocket of forgotten space! A spot you could make interesting by your sole presence if you manage to grow a station interesting enough for all the space-adventurers!
    And a last one about colonies. Where you prepare what you'll bring, and you have to grow from what it makes to the destination! You have to plan, to recycle, to endure, to manage and to build!
    It all sounds super exciting to me. I might die before I can manage to make any of this real. But man, pursuing dreams feels good.
    And if by any means any of you get to steal any of this idea and make a game first than me... I want to play it! Tell me! And if you are any kind of good person, at least state your inspiration if it was this post. And you would also like to add me to the team, damn, I got some ideas and I know how to C++, and also have hundreds of pages of development documentation finely crafted for those same games, so you better don't waste your time. Anyways, we all know originality does not exist, just a different mix of reality. So I won't be really mad when a game comes that looks like one of my design docs. If it's done right, well, probably I'll be thrilled by it. Like how I got a little angry on civilization After Earth announcement, for almost being identical to one of my older docs... But they did it hexagony, turned and full strategic. (There's hope for mine still! And also the game's decent enough for make up for their fault on being first ;)
  • When did you realize you could materialize inspiration in some form?

    At some point in my life, I managed to draw, to paint, to write and to code at a novice level, but pouring more than a thousand hours in each (Those things that kids have... TIME). I did the little experiment of letting others see the results and see what they think of it. Later, when I grew up (and still am), and mixing the results from the exposure and my personal preferences.
    The first I understood is that writing was the worst, but still pretty damn nice responses were gathered. So I grew to really believe that we all can do things at a level good enough for others to value the results, if you manage to merge your strong points with the given action.

    I always knew I loved space. Back when I was an early teenager, I already decided that I wanted to be a physicist, and know about the universe. Later, I saw my fault (two years ago). The universe is so complex, that the places you love, and the things you like are better observed than studied, because observing you can gather it all, and at least I, was not bright enough to study it ALL in a meaningful way. You know, when you study physics, topics narrow instead of broaden. So I switched to computer science. I decided that I'd apply my scientific and mathematical capabilities and mix them with my creative side. Algorithms have a lot of creativity tied to them, and the better your abstraction skills and your ability to re-invent a wheel, the further they can take you. That sounds like art, and it requires maths. That's like the nerd-heaven.

    So here I am. Studying computer engineering to be able to make the most of a machine, and then be able to build the best possible material version of my dream universes. Josh had the vision of starting to code at the age of 10. I am already ten years late. That made me feel like I'm REALLY late and that I'm already out of the league. But man, it gives insight at the same time. And what if I manage to make my dreams a little truer ten years later? It really is not a league. It is not a competition. Once you manage to ensure a little a steady stream of food, water and shelter, life is no longer a competition. You really make your own goal. We live in the ultimate sandbox. So what if I am late to be the new revelation? If sometime I'm able to play a thing I dreamed, that day I'll know it all makes sense. Until then, I can just try!
  • What does inspire you?

    At the topmost level:
    Tsutomu Nihei

    With his mangas:
    Noise
    Blame
    Biomega
    Abara


    Book authors:
    Ian M. Banks
    Orsonn Scott Card
    Isaac Asimov
    Kay Kenyon
    J.R.R. Tolkien

    Music:
    System of a Down, Metallica, Slipknot, DOPE, Edguy, Sum 41, the Cranberries, McFly, The Rasmus, Antonia Font, Mishima, Three Days Grace, Daft Punk, GreenDay, 30 seconds to mars, Billy Talent, Manel, Blaumut.... and on and on and on.

    Films:
    Star Wars (all of them. there's space opera on all of them)
    Matrix (the same)
    (The background of Avatar, even!)

    Anime:
    Ergo Proxy
    Ghost in the Shell
    Mushishi

    Games:
    X3 and expansions
    Eve online
    Titan Revenge and Droid Assault
    Space Engine <--- I REALLY think Josh should take a look at this 'game'. Its a beauty machine. And by extension, I think everyone should know.
    Factorio
    Sim city series
    Anno 2070
    Risk of Rain
    The binding of Isaac

    Graphic art:
    Almost all of it. Even some great semi anonymous artists you find digging trough deviantart.


PD: That's my first post in any kind of forum outside my university in more than five years... I'm not a native speaker, as your spider sense screams, and I shall give a ton of internet kudos to whoever took their time to add an English speller to the forum writer. I'm learning a little at the same time your eyes bleed a lessle. <- Take that cherry.

Edit: I forgot to add my favorite artist of all time and means: Tsutomu Nihei! Strange... sometimes we obviate what it's most important!
Last edited by Entropy on Sat Nov 15, 2014 8:04 am, edited 2 times in total.
May luck be by your side for the matters not under your responsability.
Post

Re: Inspiration and Action

#2
Welcome to Forums, hope you ha-
:silent:
You know what, I'm just going to say it.
:?:
This! Post! Is! Huge! :o

:!:
Last edited by Idunno on Fri Nov 14, 2014 10:18 am, edited 1 time in total.
Image The results of logic, of natural progression? Boring! An expected result? Dull! An obvious next step? Pfui! Where is the fun in that? A dream may soothe, but our nightmares make us run!
Post

Re: Inspiration and Action

#4
My "non native speaker spider senses" didnt tingle on that text :P

Be welcomed whose name i lost over that wall of text Entropy! :wave:

I want to make some sci-fi real by going the academic way you left: physics :mrgreen:
Either i'll do something computer/communications related (quantum computers anyone?), energy technology (i'll kick ass at ITER!! Or even something much more advanced, direct matter to energy conversion or "quantum magic" as i call it :mrgreen:)
Or something engine technology (making that reactionless thruster better that nasa tested lately or building some negative energy densities for an alcubierre drive :mrgreen:)
Dont fall over yourself for helping me, im just staring on physics ;)

But computer scientists cannot be bad! (Someone has to program those simulations i'll need :mrgreen:)
And computer scientists inspired by josh cant be bad ^^

You'll also surely enjoy the books from peter f. Hamilton.
At least they inspire me to a large degree :mrgreen:
(commonwealth/void saga in special)

Be welcomed entropy :wave:
Post

Re: Inspiration and Action

#6
Entropy wrote: A bit of history:

I've recently (hours ago) come into contact with this game.
I googled it after seeing someone say "Go to play Limit Theory if you want to thrive and not be ganked" on a response of a comment of a review of Eve Online's Phoebe last update written by the gankers point of view.
[...] So I thought, hey, if gankers mock up on carebears using that game, might be worth a look.
God bless those gankers for promoting Limit Theory so effectively! :thumbup:

Also, welcome Entropy!

...and zomg please keep posting, that was beautiful!
"omg such tech many efficiency WOW" ~ Josh Parnell
Post

Re: Inspiration and Action

#7
Baile nam Fonn wrote:
Entropy wrote: A bit of history:

I've recently (hours ago) come into contact with this game.
I googled it after seeing someone say "Go to play Limit Theory if you want to thrive and not be ganked" on a response of a comment of a review of Eve Online's Phoebe last update written by the gankers point of view.
[...] So I thought, hey, if gankers mock up on carebears using that game, might be worth a look.
God bless those gankers for promoting Limit Theory so effectively! :thumbup:
:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
Image The results of logic, of natural progression? Boring! An expected result? Dull! An obvious next step? Pfui! Where is the fun in that? A dream may soothe, but our nightmares make us run!
Post

Re: Inspiration and Action

#8
Idunno wrote:Welcome to Forums, hope you ha-
:silent:
You know what, I'm just going to say it.
:?:
This! Post! Is! Huge! :o

:!:
I was just going to tell something and then.. wall of letters. :squirrel:
Just_Ice_au wrote:
Idunno wrote:Welcome to Forums, hope you ha-
:silent:
You know what I'm just going to say it.
:?:
This! Post! Is! Huge! :o

:!:

Epic. The proper term is epic!

Welcome Entropy!

:wave:
:oops:
Cornflakes_91 wrote:My "non native speaker spider senses" didnt tingle on that text :P

Be welcomed whose name i lost over that wall of text Entropy! :wave:

I want to make some sci-fi real by going the academic way you left: physics :mrgreen:
Either i'll do something computer/communications related (quantum computers anyone?), energy technology (i'll kick ass at ITER!! Or even something much more advanced, direct matter to energy conversion or "quantum magic" as i call it :mrgreen:)
Or something engine technology (making that reactionless thruster better that nasa tested lately or building some negative energy densities for an alcubierre drive :mrgreen:)
Dont fall over yourself for helping me, im just staring on physics ;)

But computer scientists cannot be bad! (Someone has to program those simulations i'll need :mrgreen:)
And computer scientists inspired by josh cant be bad ^^

You'll also surely enjoy the books from peter f. Hamilton.
At least they inspire me to a large degree :mrgreen:
(commonwealth/void saga in special)

Be welcomed entropy :wave:
You should hear me talk :shh: . Sounds like russian + kiwi english with a spoon of "I don't know what the fuck are you saying".

Who knows? I want to make my games procedural but just on some ways... I like to put some narrative on them. Maybe some negative energy engine booster advanced variation will have the discovery origin on the description, something like Cornflake Labs Inc.? ;)

I've written down the name of the author on my pendings list. Is not a long one! Cant wait to read those two sagas. The titles already sound promising.
Scytale wrote:Suspect you'll fit right in here Entropy
I hope so! The game itself appeals to all that I praise, so I may be affine to the community that supports it? Who knows! I'd like your words to be true :ghost:
Baile nam Fonn wrote:
Entropy wrote: A bit of history:

I've recently (hours ago) come into contact with this game.
I googled it after seeing someone say "Go to play Limit Theory if you want to thrive and not be ganked" on a response of a comment of a review of Eve Online's Phoebe last update written by the gankers point of view.
[...] So I thought, hey, if gankers mock up on carebears using that game, might be worth a look.
God bless those gankers for promoting Limit Theory so effectively! :thumbup:

Also, welcome Entropy!

...and zomg please keep posting, that was beautiful!
They don't even realize that some people likes the 'build' and 'create' part of games! That's easy to make a game enjoyable by putting things to destroy in it. But the depth required to have a game that's enjoyable when you build things on it, is a whole other beast :monkey: .


I feel already home here guys/girls!

I'm very thankful of your welcoming words.


I think you got me wrong, though (except Cornflakes_91). It was not a presentation, but a demonstration of what I'd like to read! I'd like to know your stories, if any story fits even a single one of the sections, I'd like to know about it. It helps (at least to me) getting the morale up on projects when they have dull moments, reading the success or trial versions of others alike. Like reading about the Limit Theory game got mine up.. And also, who knows, maybe some bits will inspire something! Like a new kind of engine on a game, or the last drop of 'I can do it, look how others do so' to bring an idea to the real plane.

Also, even none of us is any copy, we are all the same, and what inspires one self can inspire many more!

I wanted to add a note. I'm quite against people that tries to lie to others, and feel like all the supernatural themed things are quite out of the 'serious talking' themes. And while lucid dreaming sounds quite like those things, it is not. Josh seems like do something similar while is awake, I'm only able to do it when I'm asleep, and didn't quite mastered it enough to 'ask' myself questions looking for answers, as he does. But you can train with little effort to at least be aware that you are dreaming and even remember some parts of the dreams more frequently. You have to be careful, as a little of strong will and self-awareness is required if you don't want to panic when what you live and remember is the worst nightmare, but otherwise, it brings you experiences close to being the main character of Avatar. Really, the colours, the worlds, the strange things you can do, and the alien places you can visit! The days that you are fully aware that you are dreaming, be ready to Matrix. You can do anything really anything you believe you can do. Jump above the clouds, fly, rid a mammoth, grow spikes on your skin, make love...

Saying that just because I found it curious that Josh does it. I'd came up to think I was a freak for doing it. But it has given quite a lot of solutions to me. Like how to solve certain programming problems, or the overall sense of a new theme that had been recently introduced to me, things like that. Even how to improve my skying skills (Yeah! quaite crazy :ghost: ).

See you arround :wave:
Awaiting your stories.
May luck be by your side for the matters not under your responsability.
Post

Re: Inspiration and Action

#9
Entropy wrote: Who knows? I want to make my games procedural but just on some ways... I like to put some narrative on them. Maybe some negative energy engine booster advanced variation will have the discovery origin on the description, something like Cornflake Labs Inc.? ;)
Its called "Cornflakes Space Engineering" (or CFSE :mrgreen: ) ;)
Entropy wrote: I've written down the name of the author on my pendings list. Is not a long one! Cant wait to read those two sagas. The titles already sound promising.
those 2 are the most inspiring for "wanting to make scifi a reality"
Start with commonwealth saga, because the void is set in the same universe, but 1200 years later (and has tons of references from the commonwealth) and re-uses a couple of characters, as immortality is part of your life insurance package :mrgreen:

The nights dawn saga is equally as good as commonwealth/void, but set in a different universe and not quite as inspiring (at least for me)

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