Writing About Writing

I like writing. I often find myself fooling around in Evernote, Dropbox Paper, or Google Docs, trying to figure out which one of these editors offers the best environment for a writer. That doesn’t make me a writer, though. But apparently, it sort of makes me feel like one day, I could be one.

When attempting to write something, I always get distracted by little details, like the font and font size. Should I use Lato 12? It’s a nice font with good readability. Perhaps Garamond? It’s way more formal and serious but the characters are a little thinner. Isn’t it the font dictionaries are written in? Is my line spacing okay? Would 1.1 be better than 1? Is my Heading 2 big enough? Oh well…

In light of those distractions… Maybe I should use a totally distraction-free environment, like a basic text editor? Sublime Text is by far my favorite text editor ever. I’m great at using it for various tasks at work, like cleaning up messy text files and formatting data. Love the Regex engine, the multi-cursor mode, etc. Why not use that instead, to simply write?

Well, raw text editors are great when you need them. I love Sublime, I use it whenever I have a chance! But it's a little bit too raw for me. I'm surprised to say that, as I work in IT. I'm not afraid of editing stuff in Notepad, or of looking at walls of code. But for some reason, Sublime (and any other text editor, really) doesn’t inspire me. It’s a tool that’s great for a lot of things, but inspiration isn’t one of them.

When I talk about inspiration, it’s the inspiration to write something compelling, that comes from your heart and your soul. (Wow, apparently we’re getting pretty deep here) Sublime inspires me to write bullet-point lists for my next meeting and quick notes that I want to keep close. But that’s it. I don’t think I’m gonna write my memoirs there.

I kind of feel the same about tools like Writer by BigHugeLabs. Great distraction-free writing platform. But too arid for my taste. It does have a typewriter sound effect, which is cool. If you’re into writing tools and platforms, and also into typewriter sound effects, check it out though, it’s a great product.

Right now, I’m feeling pretty good. I’m writing this in Google Docs, Lato 12 in pageless mode. Feels good. Okay, between paragraphs, I switch the font to EB Garamond to see what my post looks like with “the dictionary font”. I’m probably kind of OCD, here, that can’t be good. Fine, let’s switch back to Lato for now. *sigh*

As I (still) fool around instead of writing anything, I’m reminded again and again that the tools you’re using are not relevant. Same for the fonts, font sizes, page format… They all come second to your content. They’re like packaging, to a product you consume. It’s cool that your favorite Doritos come in a nice, colorful bag. But in the end, you’re going to eat the Doritos, not the bag. Eh! I’ve known that for years, yet, here I am!

So in the end, find or create your writing environment. A place where you feel confident, inspired, and motivated to write. And write!

This is getting pretty long, isn’t it? A good sign, I hope.

Until next time!

--Num7

My First Experience at Doom Mapping

Talk about starting the year strong! Mapping for a 1993 game! 

Doom is a game I've been playing on and off for almost 25 years. I used to play the shareware version on an old AMD K6-2 350 mhz as a kid. At some point, a friend gave me a copy of Doom95.exe and I got my hands on Final Doom. What an update! It was now possible to select levels without having to start a new game and resort to cheats!  Nowadays, I have all the official WADs and played them many, many times. 

Doom had something special that no other game had. It still kind of feels that way today, in 2022. Its environments and gameplay are pretty convincing, while still being abstract enough to age well. 

This blog article (part 1 of 3, actually) convinced me to give Doom mapping a try. 

You should make a Doom level, part 1: the basics

I remember reading it last year and the idea stayed with me for a while. 

Keep in mind that the last time I mapped for a game was probably in 2001 or 2002, for Starcraft: Brood War. I made 4 player F4A map I'd play on with friends over a modem connection. It was fun for a while, but according to today's standard, it was crap. 

How to Download a Whole Website from the Wayback Machine

As I was looking for ways to download an entire website snapshot from the Wayback Machine, I found this article: 

How to Download Entire Website from the Wayback Machine

If like me, you're on Windows, you're gonna have to download and install WGET in order to proceed. Here's a link to download it: 

Windows binaries of GNU Wget

It comes as an EXE file, so you're gonna have to copy it to your C:\Windows\ directory. From there, it'll be recognized as a command in CMD. You'll be able to follow the step-by-step guide above, in order to download a full site snapshot from the Wayback Machine. 

Here's a command I've used in order to download an old snapshot of my forum, dating back to 2005: 

wget --recursive --no-clobber --page-requisites --convert-links --domains web.archive.org --no-parent http://web.archive.org/web/20060404024947/http://paranormalnetwork.net

The command itself works perfectly. The result isn't always great though, as it seems most of the time, the Wayback Machine only archived the site's homepage. Therefore, most links don't lead anywhere. I guess it depends on what platform the site is built on. 

You'll obviously have more success if the site you're looking for is static. The less dynamic the site, the more likely you are to retrieve pages other than the homepage. 

Have fun!  

Eternal: Cold Hunt

Eternal Card Game just released a new set last week, Cold Hunt!!

Eternal: Cold Hunt

They also released an Expedition Vault. They basically give out 4x copies of over a hundred cards, that represent a foundation of classic cards from all the previous sets. Many of them very good. That's a HUGE starter pack for new players, it's a new thing. It makes the game the most accessible to new players it has ever been.

Eternal is one of the most free to play game right now. It's easy to earn a decent collection really fast. Last month's a guy on Reddit reached Masters in ranked mode on his 1st month, without spending a dime. Very impressive! 

On Passion Projects | So Many Things, So Little Time

Do you have a passion project?

Paranormalis is one of my passion projects. I often wish I'd spent more time on it. But what time?

I have several dream projects I'll very likely never do. I'd like to develop and release a game of my own. Compose music for something that gets recognition. Write something, a book, or an ebook. Become a streamer, have a YouTube channel, be a YouTube personality and live off of it. Get better at home improvement. Start my own business online and earn passive revenues, no more 8-to-5 jobs. Wow, that list goes on and on.

But... What am I doing? I feel I don't have any time to do anything... what am I supposed to do?

Why do I prefer to sit on my ass, instead of actively working on something? Inertia? When my workday is over and I'm done doing regular day-to-day stuff... I'm tired and it's almost time to go to bed. And I don't even have kids! What's my problem!?

The examples I gave above take so much time and commitment, I'd hardly even know where to begin if I was to tackle one of them.

I thought of starting a podcast once. At some point, I noticed how much work it would be and instantly knew I wouldn't be able to commit to it. Do 1, 2, or 3 episodes? Probably. Keep going on a regular schedule? Certainly not.

Am I the only one to feel this way? What are your passion projects, and where and how do you find time for them?

--Num7

Originally posted on Paranormalis: 

On Passion Projects | So Many Things, So Little Time | Paranormalis

Reading Books | So Many Things, So Little Time

I don't read books that often and I'm ashamed to admit it. I simply don't take the time.

When I think about it, reading a book almost sounds like a chore. Sitting there reading for hours. But... it's the same as playing a video game or watching TV, only less interactive. I've read hundreds of books in my life and I know it's a great activity. But my brain puts it in the "boring-no-time" category. I can't help it. Am I the only one?

Over the past 10 years, I read about... 2 to 4 books per year on average. That's poor. I've read a few more in 2020 than the years before, because I didn't work for a whole month due to surgery. I was able to take my time and read.

In 2019, I only read half a book actually. I spent 2 years reading the first Dune book. It was great, but it was long and I often didn't feel like reading at all. Or I'd fall asleep after reading a few pages, dropping the book on my own face if I was laying on my back. But I loved that book, like all the others. They were great... So why is it so hard to stop and read? Don't get me wrong, I freaking love sci-fi books.

Why am I seeing it as a chore? Is it because in 2021, we're used to instant entertainment, instant rewards, instant everything? And books aren't instantly rewarding! You gotta take your time reading them, they reward you at a slow but steady pace. You gotta earn it. Maybe that's the explanation. I got lazy.

I guess that's something I'm gonna have to work on! 

See ya! 

Originally posted on Paranormalis. 

Reading Books | So Many Things, So Little Time | Paranormalis

Legends of Runeterra

Just registered to get early access to the new upcoming League of Legends CCG, Legends of Runeterra. It looks pretty nice from what I can see, with its hybrid take kind of between Magic The Gathering and Hearthstone.

Riot already gave details regarding the game's economy and it's very F2P friendly. The game's most powerful card won't be your credit card! That's cool too.

They couldn't wish for better timing to announce such a game. Just look at the state of Hearthstone and Blizzard Entertainment right now, in light of the blitzchung PR disaster. What a train wreck.

Will Riot succeed where Valve failed? Will this be the Hearthstone-killer?

To be continued...

Konami Puzzle Collection

I've been having some fun recently with this little game: Konami Puzzle Collection.

It's a collection of roughly 500 sprite puzzles related to all the Konami franchises.

Check it out in the Play Store:
Konami Puzzle Collection - Play Store

Why I'm Retiring From Factorio

Factorio, what a game! Some people say it's like crack, but I've never tried crack so I can't tell. After playing less than 50 hours, I decided some time ago it was enough of that crazy addicting game.  That being said, Factorio is one of the most creative and fun games I've ever played. If you thought Minecraft was addicting, think again...

It's like a drug...

Factorio is the most addictive game I've ever played. The "One last thing..." factor is brutal here. There's always one little detail, one little thing you can optimise to make things run smoother, then another little one... Oh and that one too... Then it's 1AM and you're working tomorrow. Oops!

Factorio is the only game that has ever kept me awake at night. Not because I'd play all night long... But because I couldn't stop thinking about it. I'd literally close my eyes in bed and see conveyor belts. I'd fall asleep thinking of belts. I'd wake up thinking of belts.

Too long, never ends...

Starting a new game will require you several hours of fooling around, until you get your factory to somewhat work on its own. The early game phase is pretty long and pretty repetitive from one game to another.

Then you get builder robots. Automated defenses. Automated trains. Sleep deprivation. Depression. ...Oh wait, kinda went off track here. Pun intended.

Worse than that, even when you're done and launched the satellite, it's not over. I already hear you saying "Oh, why bother start a new game when I can optimize my current one and launch X rockets / Y minutes!". Screw that!

And don't get me started on nuclear power, I didn't even have the courage to fiddle with it!

I wish Factorio a long life, but it'll be without me.

Mobile Legends: Adventure

After playing AFK Arena for about a week, I stumbled upon Mobile Legends: Adventure and figured I'd post a short review of that game too. It's mostly the same game as AFK Arena, but way more polished. Everything is perfectly streamlined for an optimal experience. All your daily tasks are relevant and make sense, the UI is super easy to use and has you racing through all the menus you have to work with seamlessly.

I like how it's easy to manage your heroes and keep them fully upgraded and geared-up at all times. They're all easily recognizable and don't all look the same.

The battles can be accelerated quite a bit, so things go fast. At all times you're able to see which heroes do what and fix your lineup accordingly. Secret tip: It seems the battle goes even faster if you disable high-frequency mode in the options. 

The drop rates are very good. It's easy to acquire heroes, useful gear and all the different currencies found in the game. Each single battle will give you something. The grind is pretty soft, I think it's a bit more F2P-friendly than AFK Arena.

The relevant game modes are all present. The tower, the arena, the labyrinth, the time portal. It's so much fun, I wish there were even more modes. Apparently a new one is coming in an upcoming update. Let's wait and see.

All in all, I prefer MLA to AFK Arena. It feels more polished and seems to be a better, more generous and more balanced game. It's my favorite hero collector / idle game yet. Nothing feels redundant or pointless. It's fun.

Check it out for yourself:
Mobile Legends: Adventure - Google Play Store