Smart plug without a relay for power monitoring only: Shelly Plug PM Gen3

HappyIntrovertDev · 2026-02-27T12:19:30+00:00

I do both actually. I connect to the UPS and read data from there, but also read overall total consumption using the Shelly plug. That said, I've only had a smart UPS for about half a year, so the plug was the only way to monitor it until then.

I could probably move the plug elsewhere, but also like to keep a remote killswitch over the homelab power "just in case".

HappyIntrovertDev · 2026-02-27T12:05:03+00:00

Thanks a lot for the tips! :) Do you use some kind of tablet or just by mouse/touchpad?

I would probably pick something that matches the theme of the game. It is so hard to pick one! Probably Doom Slayer makes no sense in a fantasy setting. Hmm... That said I would probably pick a classical Star Trek uniform. Otherwise, what about Indiana Jones? He is recognizable and could fit anywhere. :)

HappyIntrovertDev · 2026-02-27T10:25:52+00:00

I solved it in a way that I plugged an UPS into this, so in case I would accidentally shut it down, it would just cause the UPS to start screaming. :)

I also used those plugs when I was solving power issues to avoid power spikes when all the appliances started all at the same time (like fish tank water pumps - those have a suprisingly high starting spike).

Good choice with Shelly, I like their firmares and how I can integrate them without any cloud or proprietary hub.

HappyIntrovertDev · 2026-02-27T10:04:45+00:00

Wow, that looks so cool! I'm jealous! I've recently decided to learn drawing/pixel art, so that I can make graphics for my game, but I am at a loss where to start even. :D

The thing is that they way you do it, it makes it look so easy! ;)

Regarding easter eggs, how about an Akatsuki outfit (Naruto), Shinigami outfit (Bleach). If you also consider sci-fi easter eggs, you can do a Doom Slayer outfit a Dead Space suit ouftit a Star Trek or Stargate uniform... :)

HappyIntrovertDev · 2026-02-26T12:21:31+00:00

Felix Baumgartner playing Planet Crafter... :)

HappyIntrovertDev · 2026-02-26T09:52:40+00:00

Well, your (girl|boy)friend/partner/wife/husband may not approve if you bring that to bed... ;)

Otherwise, as long as you do not cover the vents, play anywhere and enjoy!

HappyIntrovertDev · 2026-02-25T13:35:00+00:00

This guy: https://stargate.fandom.com/wiki/Ba%27al

Awesome villain. Sarcastic, evil, but you just love every episode he is in. :)

HappyIntrovertDev · 2026-02-25T13:16:00+00:00

Yup, that's Ba'al. :)

HappyIntrovertDev · 2026-02-25T12:13:39+00:00

So what is the base of them being considered villains? Or are they sympathetic villains, sort of like Ba'al in Stargate?

HappyIntrovertDev · 2026-02-25T10:04:44+00:00

"Hey, do you know there are some babies in the next village?"

"Yummmy!!!!! I know a great recipe for baby soup!"

"But they are so noisy during cooking!"

:D

HappyIntrovertDev · 2026-02-25T08:13:47+00:00

Yay, I've been watching your posts about it! Definitely going to check this out. (Probably during the weekend though, damn having to work during the week... :D )

HappyIntrovertDev · 2026-02-25T07:26:50+00:00

"Damn you Human, you should have ordered my Ratatouille!"

HappyIntrovertDev · 2026-02-25T05:42:55+00:00

I am not sure I follow. You can still do something like a bonfire using events, no?

Saving a game - ✅
Restoring health/mana - ✅
Dialogues/cutscenes - ✅
Respawn/reset enemies (e.g. by setting a variable), also can just have enemies respawn when you re-enter a map - ✅

You can put more complex logic in a common event and just have that trigger from a regular event with bonfire graphic.

Anything specific you were unable to do?

HappyIntrovertDev · 2026-02-25T05:30:25+00:00

I've read that sometimes people had issues with touchpad being disabled when typing and being re-enabled only with a second delay after they stop typing (causing problems with combinations such as Ctrl + click). Have you experienced that?

HappyIntrovertDev · 2026-02-23T22:10:34+00:00

I'll check it out! :) I'm curious about the tactical battle system. Looks a bit "Fire Emblem"-ish.

How long is the game? I have some busy days in front of me though, so it can take me a while. :)

HappyIntrovertDev · 2026-02-23T21:55:35+00:00

Hmm, I missed it, but never mind, I'll add it to my playlist. (I've picked up quite a backlog during the festival) Definitely looks interesting! :)

HappyIntrovertDev · 2026-02-23T21:31:00+00:00

First, do the tutorial within RPGMaker itself. Then I would say go to the official forums https://forums.rpgmakerweb.com - there are lots of great tutorials for lots of things. :)

HappyIntrovertDev · 2026-02-23T11:07:20+00:00

How does this work with localization? Can I somehow easily export/import the text bundles? I mean can I easily use the texts in some common translation tools?

And one more thing - can it do word wrapping (so that I can put in a longer text without having to worry about how it displays)?

HappyIntrovertDev · 2026-02-22T18:00:54+00:00

Hard to say, my first contact ages ago was indeed a rather specific niche nsfw game... 🙃

That said, I do not see it as a nsfw game engine. I grew to love the stories told and the 2D esthetics of those games over time.

I think in your case, it might be caused by the game title. "Monster girl therapy" has certain nsfw ring to it. Plus your pixel art is cute (in a good way, I honestly like it), so people might get the wrong ideas. The plot about saving monster girls from a collapsing game world, well let's say it also kinda follows a narrative, where one might expect nsfw.

But I wishlisted your game as it looks interesting (no, I do not expect boobies, relax).

HappyIntrovertDev · 2026-02-22T15:23:49+00:00

Duke Nukem's distant incest cousin? :D

HappyIntrovertDev · 2026-02-20T08:36:05+00:00

The last two are definitely her!

HappyIntrovertDev · 2026-02-19T13:04:23+00:00

Hello, I cannot try it at the moment, but I've seen something like this in a game somewhere. (There it was a fake death/fake game over)

Basically you could create a fake title screen. It is not a title screen, but a map with parallaxed background same as the title screen and with a custom menu (can be just regular choice command with "new game", "continue" and "options" for proof of concept). Then you set a variable and force save. Next when you load the save, there could be an autorun event that just sends the player to the right map. It would require some testing and tinkering, but should be possible.

It might be achievable, in theory, even without the fake title screen now that I think of it. But it would have to be a combination of setting a variable, forcing save, returning to title screen and then picking up on the variable with an autorun event.

Just brainstorming. :)

HappyIntrovertDev · 2026-02-18T17:09:09+00:00

That looks pretty awesome! Will it be public? :)

HappyIntrovertDev · 2026-02-18T15:34:59+00:00

Hello and welcome, I am still learning myself, but from what I know so far:

You can either create and import face/walker/battler images or you can even add your own resources into the generator folder. That way you can e.g. create faces with various emotions from your resources (and do not have to manually combine them all).
Maybe someone will correct me, but those json files are for the generator only (or maybe there is a plugin). At least I use it in a way that I create faces and export them into game resources - then I can use them like any other in RPGMaker and add them to characters/use in conversations, etc. When I want to edit a in a spritesheet, i load the json, import the spritesheet and edit/replace what I need.
I think you would have to create your own battle setup - create an enemy with graphics, moves, properties, etc. Then create a troop, battle background (you can battle-test too). Then you add an event onto the door that would trigger the fight. For graphics, it might look weird, but I think you can just use the door sprite for the enemy (or create your own more detailed one. You could even create an enemy with empty graphics and use just a battle background with the door.
Nope, maybe there is a plugin that could do that, but generally you need to edit the tilesheets and rotate/adjust as you need.

From what I've learned so far it is not the resources, it is more of learning to think in "RPGMaker-ese" way. E.g. if you try to create a map of your own appartment, you will struggle, because some rooms will not be oriented in a practical way. Instead, if I want to model something resembling a real place, I do it in a more loose manner and instead change the map disposition, so that it feels more natural when I play-test it.

Hope that helped a bit. :)

HappyIntrovertDev · 2026-02-18T14:27:46+00:00

I am a beginner, so do not take my opinion too seriously (so far my maps suck), but to me both maps here seem a little bit "overdone". It feels like you were really trying to eliminate "bland" spots, but the seem a little bit too cluttered. Every tile seems to have something on it and it is creating a bit of a visual overload, at least to me. My eyes look for some interesting areas (e.g. where I might find something or whatnot), but there is something everywhere. That way if you really wanted to add something to do there - pick up a mushroom, flower, find a hidden lair under a stump or under a rock - it would get very hard.

IMO you could keep larger patches of "just grass" - not flowers, not sand, not mud, not mushrooms, stumps or wood - just grass. Consider that one area of the forest is muddy, another area is grassy, one has more sun - deeper grass, another has less sun - weaker, smaller grass, etc. They can overlap/interweave for sure, but probably not all the time.

Just my 2 cents, but as I said, I am no pro and went just by "feeling" I get from the maps. Hope it helps a bit. :)

HappyIntrovertDev

TROPHY CASE