Fledgeling Fragment Games

You may have noticed that I have talked about several different games here. I am attempting to zero in on the concepts that I am exploring; To approach Fledgeling from a variety of angles. So, quite recently, it occurred that I thought to map out these aspects, and see where each sub-game might lie in relation to the whole.

Here I have made a Venn diagram of the five major topics which interest me in game design. Continue reading →

We see a lot of depictions of starships. Star Trek, Starwars, and countless others. I’d like to teach computers to make starships, and explore the design-space. But to do that, I’d have to know what a starship was in the first place!

What is this? Is it really a starship? How can we be sure?

So I turned to Jeff Zugale, who recently published Starshipwright One: Science Fiction Spaceships, a collection of 178 of his sketches and renderings, a few of which I have included sections of here as examples, but without permission. Hopefully he doesn’t mind. In perusing the pages, several patterns jumped out at me, which I have cataloged here for your perusal. I’d like to go over the major ones, and offer my own criteria for what it seems like would identify a starship, but apparently doesn’t, as well as what it seems to me is the single defining characteristic.

Continue reading →

Over the years I’ve written quite a few python utilities. Most of them are really short, and too specific to be useful to others. Those that aren’t are so long that they don’t feel elegant enough to share.

And then, between these two extremes, are the gems that I find myself coming back to time and again. I thought I’d share these with you. Keep in mind that all of these are covered by the Paul Spooner “IP is Wicked Nonsense” license, and you are encouraged to evaluate them on their own merits as distinct from their history. If you insist that the origins of ideas are important, then go pledge your support to my efforts.

TextOddifier.py is a text manipulation script to convert letters in UTF-8 to fairly similar looking letters. It makes text that looks like this ḽӧœĸ ŀįҟԙ ҭԡ༑ṩ ѩʼnᵴťӕаԂ. You can find the source below, or through the link at the start of the description.

# Similar letter substituter
# To make text look a bit strange

from random import choice

SLD = { 'A':'ĀĂĄАѦѨӐӒӔḀẲⰡ⍲ᗗ','a':'āăąаѧѩӑӓӕḁẳ⎀',
        'B':'ВѢҌ฿ḂḄḆᙗᙫ','b':'ЉЊБЪЬъыьѣҍḃḅḇᒀᖲ',
        'C':'ĆĊČСҪℂ℃','c':'ćĉċčсҫ',
        'D':'ĎĐḊḌḎḐḒ⫐⫒ᗫᗤ','d':'ďđԀԁԂԃḓḑḏḍḋᑽᖱ',
        'E':'ĒĔĖĘĚŒЀЁЄЕѤӔӖԘ⋵⋶ᕮ','e':'ēĕėęěœеѐёѥӕӗԙ',
        'F':'ҒӺḞ℉ᖴ','f':'ſғӻẛẜẝḟ',
        'G':'ĜĞĠĢԌḠ','g':'ĝğġģḡ',
        'H':'ĤĦЊНҔҢҤӇӉԊԢԨԪ','h':'ĥħЂЋђћҕңҥӈӊԡԦԧℎℏ',
        'I':'ĨĪĬİIJІЇЮѤѨӀ','i':'ĩīĭįıijіїѩ༐༑',
        'J':'IJĴЈЉӇԈԒԔᒏ','j':'ijĵЛјӈԓԕ',
        'K':'ĶЌЖКҖҚҜҞҠӃԖԞԪ','k':'ķĸкҗқҝҟҡӄԗԟ',
        'L':'ĹĻĽĿŁḶḸḺḼᒺ','l':'ĺļľŀłӏḷḹḻḽ',
        'M':'МӍᴍḾṀṂ','m':'ӎᵚᵯmṃṁḿ',
        'N':'ŃŅŇŊЍИЙҊӢӤ','n':'ńņňʼnŋҋᵰ',
        'O':'ŌŎŐŒОЮѺӦ⥀⥁','o':'ōŏőœбоѻӧ',
        'P':'РҎԖⰒⰐᑬᑭᑮᑶᑸ','p':'рҏԗᵱⱀᖰ',
        'Q':'ҀԚⰢ','q':'ҁԛⱉᖳ',
        'R':'ŔŖŘЯԄԆԖԘ℞ᖇ','r':'ŕŗřѓг',
        'S':'ŚŜŞŠЅṦṨᔡ','s':'śŝşšѕᵴṩṧṥ',
        'T':'ŢŤŦЂЃЋГТѢѢҬԎ','t':'ţťŧҭԏ',
        'U':'ŨŪŬŮŰŲ⩂⩁⋃ᙈᙀ','u':'ũūŭůűų',
        'V':'ѴѶṼṾⰜ⩢⩣⩛⩝⍱⋁ᐻ','v':'ѵѷṿṽⱌ⩡',
        'W':'ŴѠѼѾԜ','w':'ŵѡѽѿԝ⍹',
        'X':'ЖХҖӁӜӼӾԔ','x':'жхҗӂӝӽӿԕẋ',
        'Y':'ŶŸЎУҮӮӰӲ','y':'ŷуўӯӱӳ',
        'Z':'ŹŻŽᤏᤁ','z':'źżžᙇ',
        '.':'.․⁝⁞',
        '?':'?‽⁇⁈',
        '!':'!‽⁉',
       }

def oddify(text):
    result = ""
    for i in text:
        try: result += choice(SLD[i])
        except: result += i
    return result

s = input("enter the text you want to oddify: ")
#s = "I don't even really know how this is going to work any more"

print(oddify(s))
input("Press enter when done:")

BaseConverter_py.py is a number base converter that we collaborated on to convert numbers to and from arbitrary radix. The neat thing about it is it works on floating point numbers as well as integers. The example (and test case) is 135.5 converted to base 12 is B3.6. Going the other way around, S4 in base 35 is 984 in decimal! You can find the source below, or through the link at the start of the description.

#!python
# dozinal.py

BASE = 12
PREC = 8
GLYPHS = {}
VALUES = {}

def compute_glyphs():
	global GLYPHS, VALUES
	GLYPHS = {}
	VALUES = {}

	for i in range(BASE):
		if i < 10: GLYPHS[i] = str(i)
		else: GLYPHS[i] = chr(i+55)

	for i in range(len(GLYPHS)):
		VALUES[GLYPHS[i]] = i

def rebase(num):
	if len(GLYPHS) != BASE: compute_glyphs()
	if num < 0:
		sign = '-'
		num = -num
	else: sign = ''
	whole = int(num)
	frac = num - whole

	whole_parts = []
	frac_parts = []
	prec = PREC
	while prec > 0:
		prec -= 1
		frac *= BASE

		part = int(frac)
		frac -= part
		if part == 0: break

		frac_parts.append(GLYPHS[part])

	while whole > 0:
		mod = whole % BASE
		whole = whole // BASE
		whole_parts.append(GLYPHS[mod])

	if len(whole_parts) == 0:
		whole_parts.append(GLYPHS[0])
	if len(frac_parts) == 0:
		return sign + "".join(reversed(whole_parts))

	return sign + "{}.{}".format("".join(reversed(whole_parts)),
			      "".join(frac_parts))

def debase(string):
	if len(GLYPHS) != BASE: compute_glyphs()
	if string[0] == '-':
		negative = True
		string = string[1:]
	else: negative = False
	try:
		whole_parts, frac_parts = string.split(".")
	except:
		whole_parts = string
		frac_parts = ''

	whole = 0

	for idx in range(len(whole_parts)):
		whole += VALUES[whole_parts[idx]]
		if idx < len(whole_parts) - 1:
			whole *= BASE

	frac = 0
	max_idx = len(frac_parts) - 1

	for idx in range(len(frac_parts)):
		part = frac_parts[max_idx - idx]
		frac += VALUES[part] / BASE

		if idx < max_idx:
			frac /= BASE

	result = whole + round(frac,PREC)
	if negative: return -result
	return result

TestConvert = 135.5
TestDozenal = rebase(TestConvert)
print("{} converted to base {} is".format(TestConvert,BASE), TestDozenal)
ConvertedBack = debase(TestDozenal)
print("{} in base {} is".format(TestDozenal,BASE), ConvertedBack, "in decimal")
if TestConvert == ConvertedBack: print("success!")
else: print("Something went wrong")
print("Assign BASE to set the number base,\nand PREC to set the precision.\nCall rebase() to convert,\nand debase() to convert back to decimal.")

Renamer.py Is a short program I wrote to do simple renaming operations on files. It only operates on the files in the folder, so it’s pretty easy to target. I include it here mostly as a syntax reminder. Change “rename” to “renames” to create directories (folders), which are separated by a forward slash.

# Rename files to add "_"

from os import rename, listdir
thesefiles = listdir()
target = "Prefix"
tlen = len(target)
	for f in thesefiles:
	if f[:tlen] == target:
		n = f
		n = n[:tlen] + '_' + n[tlen:]
		rename(f, n)
		print(n)

mcm_page.py is kind of an odd one. I really like the McMaster-Carr website, and enjoy browsing their catalog for inspiration. Time was when the catalog was paper that you could turn to a random page and peruse it. However, the online catalog is so efficient at delivering what you want that this becomes difficult. I’d also like to ensure that I don’t keep seeing the same page over again, at least until I’ve gone through the whole catalog. This script does all of that, opening a random page of the catalog when you start it, and allowing a save file listing all the pages you haven’t visited yet. Could be easily modified for other things… monte-carlo webcomic binges for example.

# opens a random McMaster Carr catalog page
from random import choice
import webbrowser

# 3873 fetched on 2017-09-20
# 3939 fetched on 2018-11-29, catalog 124
# 4061 fetched on 2020-11-17, catalog 126
HIGHEST_PAGE_NUMBER = 4061

try:
    f = open('mcm_page_numbers.txt','r')
    maxpgraw = f.readline()
    raw = f.readline()
    f.close()
    maxpg = int(maxpgraw)
    rem_pgs = eval(raw)
    if maxpg == HIGHEST_PAGE_NUMBER: pass
    elif maxpg > HIGHEST_PAGE_NUMBER:
        while len(rem_pgs)>0:
            if rem_pgs[-1] > HIGHEST_PAGE_NUMBER: rem_pgs.pop()
            else: break
    elif maxpg < HIGHEST_PAGE_NUMBER:
        for i in range(maxpg,HIGHEST_PAGE_NUMBER+1):
            rem_pgs.append(i)
    else: print("Something went terribly wrong")
except:
    rem_pgs = &#91;i for i in range(1,HIGHEST_PAGE_NUMBER+1)&#93;

inchoice = ""
print('{} pages left'.format(len(rem_pgs)))
print('Enter to bring up a McMaster page\n"s" to save, "sc" to save and close, "p" to print')
while len(rem_pgs) > 0:
    printflag = False
    if len(inchoice)!= 0:
        inchoice = inchoice.lower()
        initial = inchoice[0]
        if initial == 's':
            print("Saving")
            f = open('mcm_page_numbers.txt','w')
            f.write(str(HIGHEST_PAGE_NUMBER)+'\n')
            f.write(str(rem_pgs))
            f.close()
            if inchoice == 'sc': break
            else: print('{} pages left'.format(len(rem_pgs)))
            inchoice = input('Saved :')
            continue
        elif initial == 'p':
            print(rem_pgs)
            inchoice = input('Those are the currently loaded indicies :')
            continue
    idx = choice(range(len(rem_pgs)))
    chosen_page = rem_pgs.pop(idx)
    webbrowser.open('https://www.mcmaster.com/catalog/126/{}'.format(chosen_page))
    inchoice = input('Page {} queued:'.format(chosen_page))

input("There are no more pages. Press return to close.")

NatoPhoneticAlphabet.py Is a dumb little thing that converts characters into their equivalent in the NATO Phonetic Alphabet. More of a fun toy than a useful tool.

#NATO Phonetic Alphabetizer

SLD = { 'A':'Alfa',
        'B':'Bravo',
        'C':'Charlie',
        'D':'Delta',
        'E':'Echo',
        'F':'Foxtrot',
        'G':'Golf',
        'H':'Hotel',
        'I':'India',
        'J':'Juliet',
        'K':'Kilo',
        'L':'Lima',
        'M':'Mike',
        'N':'November',
        'O':'Oscar',
        'P':'Papa',
        'Q':'Quebec',
        'R':'Romeo',
        'S':'Sierra',
        'T':'Tango',
        'U':'Uniform',
        'V':'Victor',
        'W':'Whiskey',
        'X':'X-Ray',
        'Y':'Yankee',
        'Z':'Zulu',
        '9':'9er',
        '0':'Zero',
       }

def phoneticize(text):
    result = []
    for i in text.upper():
        try: result += [SLD[i]]
        except: result += [i]
    return " ".join(result)

while(True):
    s = input("enter text: ")
    #s = "I don't even really know how this is going to work any more"

    print(phoneticize(s))

I have enjoyed playing with the Fantasy Genesis book for several years now, and at one point wrote this python script to cut out all the dice rolling.

# A Fantasy Genesis Nested Lists

# The Lists:
# Anima
Anim_1_Sea_Life = ["Mollusk",
                   "Crab, Lobster",
                   "Squid, Mudskipper",
                   ["Fish: Deep sea", "Fish: Fresh water"],
                   "Jellyfish",
                   [["Whale", "Killer Whale", "Narwhale"], "Dolphin", "Walrus", "Otter"],
                   ["Shell: spiral", "Conch", "Shell: ribbed, clam"],
                   "Eel, Leech, Hagfish",
                   "Coral, Anemone",
                   "Shark, ray"]

Anim_2_Insect = ["Worm",
                 "Ant",
                 "Mosquito",
                 "Moth, Butterfly",
                 "Fly, dragonfly",
                 "Lotus, Mantis",
                 "Bee, Wasp",
                 "Caterpillar, Centipede, Milipede",
                 "Beetle, Scarab",
                 "Flea, Mite",
                 "Spider"]

Anim_3_Mammal = ["Sheep, cow",
                 "Mouse, Rabbit",
                 "Pig, Boar",
                 "Deer, Pronghorn",
                 "Ram, Bull, Buck",
                 "Elephant, Giraffe",
                 "Bat",
                 "Bear",
                 "Lupine: Wild Dog",
                 "Horse, Zeebra",
                 "Feline: Wild Cat",
                 "Primate"]

Anim_4_Reptile = ["Crocodile, Gila",
                  "Frog, Newt",
                  "Lizard, Snake",
                  "Turtle"]

Anim_5_Bird = ["Wild Fowl, Duck, Goose",
               "Farm Fowl, Rooster",
               "Seabird, Penguin, Gull",
               "City bird: Raven, Sparrow",
               "Tropical bird: Parrot, Heron",
               "Bird of Prey: Hawk, Owl",
               "Hummingbird"]

# Veggie

Vegi_1_Plant = ["Seaweed",
                "Fern",
                "Desert Cacti",
                "Thick Leaf Plant, Jade",
                "Flower: Domestic",
                "Vine",
                "Poppy",
                "Grass, Dandelion",
                "Bamboo",
                "Flower: Wild",
                "Carnivorous Plant"]

Vegi_2_Fruit_Vegi = ["Asparagus",
                     "Pinecone",
                     "Berry, Grapes",
                     "Ginger",
                     "Tree fruit (apple, orange)",
                     "Bean",
                     "Pumpkin, Gourd",
                     "Broccoli, Artichoke",
                     "Corn",
                     "Grain, Wheat",
                     "Pineapple"]

Vegi_3_Fungi = ["Moss",
                "Slime Fungi: Ooze, Jelly",
                "Lichen",
                "Mushroom"]

Vegi_4_Tree = ["Willow",
               "Birch",
               "Maple, Oak",
               "Banyan",
               "Pine",
               "Palm"]



# Elemental & Mineral

Elem_1_Fire_Electric = ["Fire, Vapor",
                        "Electric Bolt",
                        "Ember, Hot Coal",
                        "Molten Lava"]

Elem_2_Liquid = ["Icicles",
                 "Fog, Vapor",
                 "Wave",
                 "Dew Drops",
                 "Ripple",
                 "Frost, Snow",
                 "Suds, Bubbles",
                 "Tar, Gum"]

Elem_3_Earth_Metal = ["Malachite",
                      "Mountain, Cliff Face",
                      "Brick, Cobblestone",
                      "Rust, Oxide",
                      "Cracked Clay",
                      "Stalactite, Stalagmite",
                      "Glass, Crystals",
                      "Powder, Sand",
                      "Slate, Shale",
                      "Cement, Sediment",
                      "Mercury, Chrome"]

Elem_4_Astral_Atmosphere = ["Moon Cycles",
                            "Starfield",
                            "Crater, Asteroid",
                            "Solar Flare",
                            "Galaxy form",
                            "Volcano",
                            "Planets, Saturn's Rings",
                            "Cloud, Cyclone, Turbulence"]

#Technical

Tech_1_Transportation = ["Car, Truck, Bus",
                         "Aircraft",
                         "Rail, Train, Trolley",
                         "Cycle (motor or bi)",
                         "Sled, Ski",
                         "Boat, Ship",
                         "Spacecraft",
                         "Tank, Caterpillar Tread"]

Tech_2_Architecture = [["Ornament, Gargoyle", "Ornament, Pillar"],
                       "Bridge, Framework",
                       "Castle, Dome",
                       "Modern Skyscraper",
                       ["Place of Worship", "Totem", "Cathedral", "Temple"],
                       ["Doorway, Archway", "Window"],
                       "Old Village, Cottage",
                       "Tent"]

Tech_3_Tool = ["Drill",
               ["Cup", "Bowl", "Plate", "Silverware"],
               "Umbrella",
               "Bundle, Bale",
               "Hammer, Axe",
               "Brush: Hair, Tooth",
               "Razor, Knife",
               "Spigot, Faucet",
               "Rope",
               "Lock, Key",
               "Adhesive, Bandage",
               "Shovel, Pick",
               "Capsule, Tablet",
               "Nuts, Bolts",
               "Chain",
               "Thread, Stitch",
               "Shears, Scissors",
               "Pen, Paintbrush",
               "Spring, Coil",
               "Syringe",
               "Tube, Plumbing",
               "Wrench, Pliers"]

Tech_4_Machine = [["Switch", "Dial, Knob", "Button", "Lever", "Foot Pedal"],
                  ["Bulb, Lamp", "Arc lamp", "Spotlight"],
                  ["Clock, Gears", "Piston, Cylinder"],
                  ["Mechanical Saw","Laser Beam"],
                  ["Reactor Core", "Engine", "Solar Panel"],
                  "Telephone",
                  ["Microchip", "Circuit Board", "Network Room, Cables"],
                  "Dish Antenna",
                  ["Rocket", "Turbine", "Fan, Propeller"]]

#Character Elements

Emotions = ["Embarrassed",
            "Anger",
            "Timid, Bashfull",
            "Giggle, Smiling",
            "Squint, Wink",
            "Bored",
            "Stressed, Fatigued",
            "Fear",
            "Thought, Meditation",
            "Deadpan",
            "Insane, Berserker",
            "Insane, Happy",
            "Pining, Furrowed",
            "Laughing, Hysterical",
            "Attentive, Shock",
            "Stern, Grumpy",
            "Clenched Teeth",
            "Gape, Gawk",
            "Relief",
            "Sneering",
            "Paranoid, Shifty",
            "Bliss, Joy",
            "Confusion"]

Actions = ["Recoil, Akimbo",
           "Drenched, Thirst",
           "Blown by Cyclone",
           "Push, Pull",
           "Snoop, Listen",
           "Crouched for Attack",
           "Hang, Climb",
           "Recoil, Head/Torso",
           "Float, Levitate",
           "Swinging Weapon",
           "Twisting, Stretching",
           "Kicking, Punching",
           "Squeeze, Tackle",
           "Absorb, Eat",
           "Limp, Injured",
           "Curse, Swear",
           "Run, Jump",
           "Melt, Glow, Fire",
           "Stuck, Trapped",
           "Pull, Push",
           "Shoot Weapon",
           "Dying, Gaunt",
           "Fly, Swim",
           "Shed, Molting",
           "Chant, Recite",
           "Crawl, Emerge"]

# Compliations of the different Sets

Anima = [Anim_1_Sea_Life,
        Anim_2_Insect,
        Anim_3_Mammal,
        Anim_4_Reptile,
        Anim_5_Bird]

EleMineral = [Elem_1_Fire_Electric,
              Elem_2_Liquid,
              Elem_3_Earth_Metal,
              Elem_4_Astral_Atmosphere]

Veggie = [Vegi_1_Plant,
          Vegi_2_Fruit_Vegi,
          Vegi_3_Fungi,
          Vegi_4_Tree]

Techne = [Tech_1_Transportation,
          Tech_2_Architecture,
          Tech_3_Tool,
          Tech_4_Machine]

Visual_Elements = [Anima, Veggie, EleMineral, Techne]

Character_Elements = [Emotions, Actions]

All_Things = [Visual_Elements, Character_Elements]

from random import choice

def RecurseChoice(Root):
    # Randomly select from nested lists until you get to
    # a string instead of a list. Return the string.
    if isinstance(Root,str):
        return Root
    else:
        Sub_Root = choice(Root)
        return RecurseChoice(Sub_Root)

#Choose one from each category

print("Anima: ", end='')
print(RecurseChoice(Anima))
print("Veggie: ", end='')
print(RecurseChoice(Veggie))
print("EleMineral: ", end='')
print(RecurseChoice(EleMineral))
print("Techne: ", end='')
print(RecurseChoice(Techne))

print("Emotions: ", end='')
print(RecurseChoice(Emotions))
print("Actions: ", end='')
print(RecurseChoice(Actions))

# Some test stuff

# Run it a ton of times looking for an entry
# or just checking for a crash, that too.
'''
Search_target = "Narwhale"
Number_of_tries = 4000
for i in range(Number_of_tries):
    result = RecurseChoice(All_Things)
    if result == Search_target: print("Target found! Try #{}".format(i))

'''

I’ve uploaded a bunch of my python files here: http://peripheralarbor.com/Python/
They are also on GitHub: https://github.com/dudecon/python

Game pitch notes from here:

Two big questions: Is this game worth making? Can this team make it?
Common problems with a game pitch:
Problems with the arrangement:
* Asking the publisher to design the game.
* Pitching to the wrong publisher (mobile, console, pc are all different)
* IP-focused game without rights to IP.
Problems with the team:
* No team. Continue reading →

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Your mind is a complicated set of interconnected ideas, which are themselves interconnected ideas. As far as you know these ideas are insulated from “reality” and have no direct bearing on anything that “actually exists”.

Your mind gets new ideas through experiences, either internal (reflection, thinking, intuition, etc) or external (sensations, sight, smell, pain, etc). Most of the internal experiences seem to have to do with the brain somehow, and nearly all of the external ones appear to be additionally mediated by the rest of your body. Continue reading →

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If the AI is better at this game than I am, why don’t I just let the AI play on my team? Oh, right, because it’s supposed to be “fun” to do this myself. The thing is, I’d love to delegate stuff to the computer. Maybe not everything, but, well, here are some examples.

Minecraft: All about mining and crafting right? Okay, so I know the computer can do pathfinding (the mobs do it) so why can’t I just tell my character to “go home”? I know the computer can do combat too, so I should be able to tell my character to “go fight”. This is super easy stuff, why doesn’t the game help me out? The AI exists, all I want is access to it. I want my character to be at least as smart as the zombies. But no, it’s all manual. Continue reading →

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Greetings fellow people-persons!

Here is where you can start learning about what Fledgeling is, and how it has driven me partially crazy. I trust these ideas about what games (and computer games in particular) can be (and will become) shall so astound you that you will become a bit crazy as well. Don’t be afraid, “crazy” is what normal people call genius before they understand it. Of course, it’s also what you call someone who has lost touch with reality. You’ll have to judge between those yourself (you always do).

Okay, what am I talking about? I’m talking about the Metaverse, the Ultimate Game, the first Simulated Intelligence. Too abstract? Well, browse some of our articles. There are articles about games, and philosophy, and even a few about Fledgeling itself. If you don’t find what you are looking for, leave comments right here on this post. I’ll be happy to write new articles explaining things. Totally confused? Questions are good too. There’s just so much to say!

Enjoy!

Dudecon AKA Ziggy