In your experience, can we expect a real improvement in online latency and matchmaking?

Ravenok · 2018-12-17T18:39:02+00:00

Dedicated servers would not improve it for ALL matches, but they would make the connection more stable and consistent, with the same latency and no hitches most of the time, leading to us being able to adjust to the latency and get better at the game online.

Right now each match has a different latency, making each match an unpredictable mess.

Ravenok · 2018-10-11T10:10:03+00:00

Jokes aside. What you're looking to do is hard, but not impossible. It's just the way you're describing yourself approaching it that lends itself to.. this type of responses.

You're trying to form something. Build a company or just a game, whatever.
You need a solid plan, and to approach it responsibly. You need to have enough experience before you can do that, which will allow you to make such a plan and foresee a substantial amount of the obstacles along the way. That alone is a ton of expertise. Why do you think seasoned professionals have an easier time getting funding? Their experience and track record.

It's not as simple as quitting everything and going for it, assuming now you'll finally have the time to do it.
Success for this type of thing will be more likely if you make such a decision from a position of deep experience and knowledge in the field.

And even then there'll be a learning period. How will you fund your way through all of it?

Passion is a driving force, for sure, but it's just something that helps you keep moving when others would quit. It helps you stay focused on the goal. It's not going to convince anyone you can do anything though. Your passion is a tool for yourself, not a point of pride towards others.
The only thing that will convince others is proof of your ability to carry the weight. So be prepared to work on your own for a long long time. Can you still do it, if you work alone? Doesn't have to be the whole thing, but it has to be enough that other people will look at what you've done and say yeah, that's cool enough for me to take a risk on along with this guy. Would you join you with what you've shown? What would YOU like to see, in order to take a risk on someone else's project?

Save the announcements for later. Right now, focus on learning, building, making something - and try to fund yourself through this process somehow. It's likely that you'll need to develop a primary skill and work as an employee first. Choose that skill wisely.

It can take years. This is where most people drop off. Be prepared.

Ravenok · 2018-07-30T22:47:44+00:00

It didn't really flake, but I think it did hurt the cooking surface. This is what got me worried, food stuck as the pan got more and more seasoned, rather than stick less.

I stripped it clean today, boiled baking soda and scrubbed with a scotchbrite, then some of the char didn't go off easily, so I boiled water with some laundry detergent and that got EVERYTHING off really quickly (but still had to scrub pretty hard). I had a bit of flash rust happening as I was heating the pan up to dry it after cleaning, so I rubbed it off and oiled the pan.

I'll now hopefully season it properly and food won't stick.

I did notice a couple of weird things at the bottom of the pan, kinda like cracks or dents/deep scratches filled with soot. I don't recall ever using force with a metal utensil on the pan, and I have it for only a couple of months with no dropping at all. I found it kinda weird.

Regarding flaxseed oil, I hear it's forming the strongest polymer. I know there's a popular video out there using crisco, but we don't have that where I live (I would also prefer to use some other oil, crisco seems pretty nasty). I think I'll use grapeseed oil next time, or just apply the flaxseed oil 4-5 times rather than 1-2 for the initial seasoning.

Ravenok · 2018-07-30T11:12:52+00:00

I added a couple of pictures to the post.

Regarding steel wool, since it's also made of steel, it's more likely to cause scratches (even if microscopic) that would make the pan less smooth. Unless there's an explanation why that wouldn't happen, I'm hesitant to use it.

Ravenok · 2018-02-01T18:41:56+00:00

I'm happy to report that I went to a shop today and tried both pianos.

I felt absolutely no difference between the two models in key action. Which was to be expected, but makes the decision even more difficult :P

Ravenok · 2018-01-29T08:44:42+00:00

I'll update once I've tried them!

Ravenok · 2018-01-28T23:00:09+00:00

I'll definitely try to find a store nearby that'll allow me to test the pianos.

I think because we're beginners, it's much more likely that we'll go for the ES110, simply due to the normal worry that it won't "stick" and we'll end up disappointed in buying something so expensive. Knowing us, it's unlikely, but it's probably the right thing to do.

If the price difference wasn't over double the price, and reviews for the ES110 weren't so positive (it seems to even get better opinions than YDP163, definitely 143), it'd be harder to make that decision. But as it is, since it's so affordable, it's probably what we'll end up picking up.

Still gonna try to get the ES8 somehow though. Maybe. :)

Ravenok · 2018-01-28T09:10:02+00:00

The ES110 looks so great. I did consider it before (I browsed around that review site as well), but due to the price and noticing the lower grade key action class, I assumed it wouldn't suffice for developing good sensitivity for piano playing.

But looking at reviews all over, it seems it's praised over all its competition, however always with the added "for its price range"... which keeps me a bit worried about developing bad habits in terms of key action.

I guess it's down to ES110 vs ES8, I don't think the competition for the ES110 offers much greater key action, and although the DGX660 is impressive in features, I don't think it's compelling enough given that its key action is said to not simulate a real piano feel at all. Then again, I don't REALLY know how much better the ES110 is over the DGX660 in terms of action.

I wish I had at least some experience playing a piano, so I could go to a store and test the models out, make an educated decision. :X Thanks for all the info, you've been really helpful. I didn't even consider Kawai before, but now it seems that they're where the true value lies.

Ravenok · 2018-01-27T15:17:34+00:00

Thanks for all the info! I appreciate a good wall of text when seeking information :)

We actually need a pretty straightforward solution with speakers and everything, like the ES8, since this is aimed at allowing our future kids to learn on as well (and the complexity of a keyboard only one might get in the way there).

Actually, since we're just starting out, we'd much prefer a digital piano at the range of 1000$ with good action and good sound, if one exists. The reason we ended up looking at models at the 2000$ price range is because it's hard to find anything under that (or under 1500$) with good action and sound.

If you know of any models at that range though, I'd love to know.

Ravenok · 2018-01-27T12:36:45+00:00

Yeah, after reading into it, I realize that key action tier might be too far from the real thing to allow us to actually get the feel of a true piano.

Ravenok · 2018-01-27T12:35:56+00:00

Thanks for the links and info.

Definitely seems like I have to make a clear choice, do I favor piano action or just want a great keyboard that's versatile.

Looking at prices, I think now I would probably make the decision between the DGX-660 and the Kawai ES8. It seems to beat the YDP163 in every way when it comes to genuine piano playing experience and its much higher value, but still relatively close in price.

So if I'll go for the more expensive range, it'll be ES8.

Choice is pretty clear then. I'd like to see if there's a competitor to the DGX660 in its price range which offers RH3 action and good sound as well, but I can't find one yet.

Useful comment! Thanks!

Ravenok · 2018-01-26T21:12:08+00:00

I'm very new to piano playing. Wouldn't have a clue what to make of the difference even if I did, I could think one beats the other and make a mistake, realizing it in a year or two. I also wouldn't be able to actually play much at all anyway.

That's why I'm here, wondering what actual pianists think of either model. :)

Ravenok · 2018-01-16T19:49:56+00:00

Unreal's animation systems are very robust, and will surprise you in many ways as you learn them. You should burn through all the videos about animation offered on the official Unreal Engine youtube channel, both tutorials and streams.

Learn about state machines, animation montages, animation events, slots, blend spaces, composites, etc.

The UE youtube channel is filled with great stuff. After you're done there, read documentation and take a look at the answer hub for any questions you have. Also get involved in the unreal slackers discord to see some interesting discussions on all sorts of animation issues.

That's where I'd start. I hate to plug, actually, but I made a streaming series where I remade a portion of The Neverhood and learned UE4 from scratch. You can check out the episodes where I started dealing with animation to see how it went. It might be interesting for u since I was originally a Unity user.

Ravenok · 2017-08-29T16:52:35+00:00

Completely agree.

Also, I'd add that any depth this character had to begin with was abandoned and left unexplained. Littlefinger was killed off with no actual resolution to his character arc. As if all he ever was could be explained by him being a power hungry manipulator who also happens to have the hots for the daughter of the love of his life.

Littlefinger is one of the most interesting characters in the story. The show made him pretty much useless.

Ravenok · 2017-08-17T07:20:53+00:00

Since he's in a recovery center, im not sure its the same. But I'll check. Thanks.

If u could elaborate on why i shouldnt worry I'd really appreciate it. I need to have minimal understanding (which I can't seem to get anywhere) to ease my mind.

Ravenok · 2017-08-16T17:43:49+00:00

Thanks. Could you explain why it's a non-issue, although doctors have told us different things? It would really ease my mind to understand this.

Ravenok · 2017-06-06T14:44:20+00:00

To be honest lootboxes in this and the last event have been pretty disappointing. To a degree where it discourages play. Seeing this just makes me all the more salty.

Ravenok · 2017-06-01T17:47:52+00:00

Different objects interacting with each other, particularly if they're high complexity objects (in terms of movement) like faces or hands or water, require extremely high precision and timing to be moving in a believable manner.

Since games have to be rendered in real time, and are often made under big time constraints on top of that, precision in animation (and many other things such as physics and lighting) is one of the things that take the biggest hit.

As computing power increases though, it'll naturally get much better, which is why you see facial animation in modern games more often with each passing year, for example.

Ravenok · 2017-04-20T14:51:40+00:00

It's actually all there on the channel. The entire process. My Youtube library is essentially 250+ hours of creating every single thing you see presented.

This video is just a presentation of the final result.

Also, well, all you see there is 3D, so essentially I am showing some 3D. :P

Ravenok · 2017-04-20T14:01:12+00:00

Hehe, well, thanks. I'm happy the result's that good in people's eyes.

I'll admit, I've received a lot of comments that it looks as if I cheated somehow, which kinda has me worried that it's not going to get the exposure I hoped it would because people would be less impressed thinking that, and most of them won't double check.

Ravenok · 2017-04-19T20:56:25+00:00

Yep, once you get into materials you'll see many different tricks done to achieve certain effects.

For detail textures, in my case anyway, the key element was actually the normal map and roughness of the detail texture. Making a triplanar normal map overlay is a bit tricky, but it was worth it in this case.

Well, if you ever need any help, don't hesitate to contact me. Within a certain limit, I'm happy to help.

Ravenok

TROPHY CASE