Uru Complete Chronicles Fly Mode

Okay, so I was looking Myst Uru pictures on Google, and saw that it was possible to get into the big volcano in New Mexico. Plus a bunch of other places that I had never been. Well, I started looking and discovered that it was due to a developer tool called Flymode!

Now with the demise of Uru Live (which I never got to experience), I found that this tool is pretty rare out there and most websites have been taking them down. However, I found that someone on the UruObsession website found it and posted it on SendSpace. The flymode tool can be found here, thanks to highwaykind.

Here is their post that was included with the link:

After a disastrous attempt to install the POTS add on I bought when it came out ( I have my box, not the CD -> no key to activate the thing, no option to GET the key since I "live outside some area where, legal stuff"), I bought Complete Chronicles on Ebay (for 10 bucks), which arrived today.
And I'm very happy to report I'm FLYING!!!

Since it's so hard to find the patch online (probably too old?), here's a link of all the patches I found.

for CC I used the 1.3 one

Unzip, copy exe to game folder. backup python.pak, run patch.exe.

In game: hit ESC to enable fly mode. Space for up/down, ESC again to "drop" (exit flymode).

Enjoy!

Standard disclaimer; use at own risk, ONLY use OFFLINE (if URU comes back as MORE ) :)

I have yet to test it...and I just made the huge mistake of uninstalling Uru from my machine, but I WAS running a bit low on diskspace. Maybe another day.

Back from MS and other news about new website

Okay, so we're back from Mississippi (actually almost a month now). We got back on August 7, and I haven't gotten back to this thing until now. It was REALLY FUN!!

On another note, I've started two websites. Google Webmaster Tools says that linking between sites increases publicity and ranking, so here we go: http://ppsstudios.brinkster.net and http://www33.websamba.com/ppsstudios/. Brinkster will be the main one for now, although I just discovered that they're sticking invisible ad tags on the bottom of all my pages, so I can't use sitemap and things like that. Oh well. Anyway, the most in-depth thing on there is probably going to be the Elephant Joke Fan Club. Only members can see the real pages, and it isn't too in-depth yet. The idea is that if you like elephant jokes in the right way, we'll consider letting you in, but if you just plain don't get them at all (they don't make sense), you can't belong. Whatever.

Up2Date

Heading down to Mississippi in a day (actually, more like 18 hours) to visit friends. Everyone thinks we're crazy, going at a time like this, when it's all hot and stuff, but we felt we needed to get it in before school started. Actually, it's so close to that deadline that they were planning to start school right in the middle of our trip, before we had planned it of course. Well, they've probably rethought, so we'll have a great time seeing them anyway.

On another note, ever heard of Pivot Stickfigure Animator? Me neither, until last week when I saw a couple Youtube videos showing stickmen running around. Apparently, it's a program entirely dedicated to animating stick-men!! Pretty neat-o. I sure like it. It's a bit tough to get good at though. I've gotten a couple decent videos out of it, as they show silouettes of the previous frame. Anyway, here's the link: http://www.geocities.com/peter_bone_uk/pivot.html. Personally, I'd go for the 1.3 Beta version, as samples you find on the web are not always compatible with the regular one. However, the beta has a stupid warning every time you open the program which is a text file warning you of how this program might not work because it's a beta. Well, I think that right there is a beta bug that can use some fixing. Put a "Don't show this again" checkbox or something.

Connected cont.

So deviantArt pasties aren't customized to your specific channel so it has been removed

Connected

How freaking connected can you be in the web? I've got a Google account with a ton of subscriptions there, and a DeviantArt account (which I haven't touched in a year, but am now). So I just uploaded a ton of my difference backgrounds. I'll add the "pastie" at the bottom of this window. Basically like the youtube video carousel.

How connected can you be? How many subscriptions...how many things to say? Who knows? ACK!!

Photoshop Flaming Text

This tutorial, by far, takes the cake as the best tutorial I've seen yet showing how to setting something on fire. The two techniques I've seen in the past are:

1. Difference Clouds Coloring with erasure and coloring


2. Smudging a blurred layer of the text and coloring three times

But this tutorial is different in that they use actual flame brushes to make it look so realistic, you would almost think...

The Far Side

Yesterday, I found this awesome Far Side comic. It's based after the Lone Ranger (of which there are a few Far Sides). At home, we're watching a bunch of the old western serials and the Lone Ranger has really been a joke.

JFrame

A JFrame is a little more than just a regular java app. You must extend and import a bunch of graphics classes included with JDK. To do this you need the following:

import java.io.*;
import java.net.*;
import java.awt.*;
import java.util.StringTokenizer;
import javax.swing.*;
import javax.swing.border.*;

public class ClassName extends JFrame {

static Container c;
static JFrame x;
static Int Config_Width;
static Int Config_Height;
static Int WindowX;
static Int WindowY;

public static void main(String[] args) throws IOException {

x = new ClassName();
x.setSize(config_width, config_height);
x.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
x.setResizable(false);
x.setAlwaysOnTop(true);
x.setVisible(true);
x.setLocation(windowX, windowY);
}
}

Here is a small list of JFrame variables and what they do:

• SetSize(config_width, config_height); - changes the size of the window
  
• setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE); - I believe this adds the close button on the upper right corner.
  
• setResizeable(true/false); - can you drag the window edges to resize it?
  
• setAlwaysOnTop(true/false); - basically a "pin window" command, making it on top of everything else, even if it is out of focus.
  
• setVisible(true/false); - is the window visible? It can exist, but it doesn't have to actually work.
  
• setLocation(windowX, windowY); - sets the initial position of the upper left-hand corner of the window with respect to the upper left-hand corner of the monitor (starting at (0,0)).
  

Programming

So I got a JFrame app the other day for a plugin on a program. I found out how to change variable values in a text file without a recompile of the java class. Here it is (I did not include the preliminary java declarations/import classes, but they must also be included as usual).

The var declare portion of app.java file

Static int varName = Integer.parseInt(readData("config.txt", "WindowWidth"));

The config.txt file

WindowWidth = 205

After compiling the java file (cmd "javac app.java"), you will be able to change the initial value of varName by changing the value of WindowWidth in the text file. It works great!!

Online picture storage

Well I've been storing a few of my online pictures in MSN Groups. But that wasn't very good. It wastes a whole group, and I don't like MSN that much. So I've moved almost all of my web pictures to PicasaWeb. Since Blogger stores all uploaded folders there anyway, I figured I might as well try to consolidate. So, in short, I've created a new album called Webdev. It will contain pixel colors (I already have black and white there) and a few other pictures even you can use for web development.

To use them is a bit confusing. You need to go to My Webdev Album and click on the picture you want to view/link to. The pixel ones are a bit small, so you will have to have good eyesight to find them.

Next, on the right side, you will see a link called "Download photo." Right-click this link and "Copy Shortcut." Go to your source code and Ctrl-V into an <img> tag. Make sure you remove the "?imgdl=1" from the end of the pasted image source code. This will make sure the image shows up on your page rather than prompting the end user to download it. Hit refresh (F5) in your web browser and my image should show up on the web page. Cool, huh?

Cool Photoshop Gradient Effect

I thought I'd show you my mods on cool gradient backgrounds in Photoshop.

The tutorial I found on the web: Photoshop Gradient Background


I have a couple things I like to do. You do not need to use just angles on a linear gradient. You can also use the diamond, radial and circular gradients.


A really cool idea is to create a gradient with a very narrow band of color on one end (White at 0, Blue at say 5, and Green the rest of the way out). This makes a circle that looks very 3D, and yet has not implemented the emboss tool.


Another one of my ideas is to create 2 completely different style layers of the same technique. Then set the top layer blending mode to difference to get double the effect. You could also use any other blending mode, such as hard mix.


Put a photo on the bottom layer, a gradient layer over that and set a blending mode on the top layer.


Here are some pictures that I created using these techniques:

My Photoshop Web Album

Note the "Sister's Creation 3." This was the type I was talking about above, where a tight gradient on the end would make a pseudo-emboss.

Also note the "Chrome Flares." This was using another technique where you create multiple lens flares on a black layer, and then chrome filter the layer. I then did an Pin Light or Hard Mix (I can't quite remember) of the gradient layer onto the Flare Layer.

Rubik2

I tried the MasterTheCube.com video tutorial on solving the Rubik's Cube. I got it almost finished and then the author made a mistake (prematurely solved it), beat himself on the head a couple times, tried it again and then gave up. Plus, he cared more about his sawed off thumb and therefore wouldn't get to the point. Also he mumbles, and I can hardly understand him.



So I broke down and tried watching Dan Brown's videos on the Rubik's cube. He seems to me to be a pretty talented orator, and so he was extremely easy to understand. I would go with his tutorial if I could choose.

Rubik

So...we bought a Rubik's Cube last month, and as soon as I got home (I don't like them that well), I mixed it up and it has now been sitting for 2 weeks without anyone touching it. I guess none of us like it. Well, just today I took the initiative to go reasearching, because to me, the thing absolutely has no logic to it. However, I've been proven wrong. I've yet to try this tutorial, but I think it'll work.

Masterthecube Youtube Channel

Dan Brown Rubik Tutorial - Enter his channel at your own risk. Even with no sound he reminds me of a slight freak.:)

IE8 Beta 1 Kills Links Toolbar on Uninstall

• Don't like IE8 yet?
  
  
• Use the link toolbar?

Well, I discovered that an uninstall of IE8 will make your Links Toolbar disappear.

The following excerpt from ComputerWorldUK give a feel for the problem source.

IE8 looks much like IE7 at first, with a few exceptions. The first is that what was formerly known as the Links toolbar has been integrated with the Favorites icons, and combined into a single toolbar called the Favorites toolbar. You can still make the toolbar disappear, though, as you could the Links toolbar, by selecting View -->Toolbars, and unchecking Favorites Bar. (Note: If you're using IE8 for Vista, you'll have to first make the Menu Bar appear by pressing the Alt button.)

With this integration of the links toolbar, an uninstall will make the toolbar disappear altogether. An unlock of the toolbar section (Right-click/Unlock Toolbars) will not show the toolbar handle (that vertical set of dots you can drag the toolbar around with) pasted to one side of the window, which is what usually happens. The toolbar is just plain gone.

The fix I found is fairly simple. On the Menu Bar, select "View/Toolbars/Links" to deselect the Links toolbar. This will officially turn it off. Now repeat the process to turn it back on. If your toolbars are not already unlocked, do so now (Right-click/unlock toolbars). You will see on one side of the window (usually the right-hand side) next to the menu bar, your long lost links toolbar.

Online storage

I am finally able to store stuff online for everyone to see. And the great thing is, it's a whole 5GB!!! But only people with Hotmail or Live accounts can administrate. Here's my embed of it:



You can disregard that readme.txt there. I might just put stuff there for ya'll to see!:)

Youtube News

Sweet!! I got a comment and some ratings on my videos. They're finally becoming public, I guess.
View them here

School

I started my spring 2008 semester today. And I'm position to tackle it.

This semester I'm taking Calculus 3, Physics 2, and Robotics. And after that I'll have just 6 or 7 hours left for my AS degree.

New Week

Povray...the coolest free 3D modeller around. I still have to learn it, but it should be pretty fun!

New Gadgets

You'll notice that I have new gadgets on the sidebar here - links and another RSS feed.