Aubreyfalconer.com - All http://aubreyfalconer.com/browse-t-authority-ppage-25 en-us ATIServer 174 0 25 <![CDATA[An argument for the existence of God, and authenticity of the Bible - Why I am a Christian]]> A concise explanation of why I believe that God exists - and further - why I believe that the Bible, collectively, is the express word of God revealed to humankind.
 
This argument is arranged into three base postulates - each building on the preceding, and complimented by a series of supporting points.
 
Please note that I do not currently have time to personally defend every single one of these points. Do your own research, the data is out there. If, upon examining the evidence, you reach a different conclusion than I have on a specific area mentioned in this argument - and you feel burdened to share this in the comments - please don't expect an exhaustive refutation from me. During the course of my life, I intend to develop this argument to a point where it will contain answers to all common refutations - but that will take some time.
 
All the best,
 
-Aubrey
 
 
 
 
 
1) The probability of the universe arriving at it's current state by natural processes is incredibly insignificant, and thus it is entirely rational to conclude that the universe had a supernatural origin:
  • Abiogenesis is woefully inadequate to explain how life could have arisen on Earth
  • Panspermia either involves the same problem of abiogenesis somewhere else in the universe, or directly invokes the supernatural
  • Evolution through natural selection suffers from an extreme dearth of transitional forms in the fossil record, and resorts to nothing more than fanciful stories when attempting to explain the incredible complexity and symbiotic relationships we find in nature.
  • If the universe has always existed, it should have experienced heat death long ago. If instead, the universe had a beginning - the supernatural is again invoked.

2) The Bible's narrations, interpreted literally, provide us with testable scientific predictions that it would have been impossible for the original authors to conceive of autonomously:
  • Geological evidence for a young earth and vast, catastrophic global flood
  • Paleontological evidence for a time in the past when the earth was radically different from what it is today - capable of supporting life forms that would be completely unviable in our modern climate
  • Biostratigraphical evidence of a geologic column produced by hydrologic sorting, ecological zonation, etc during the Noaic flood; in the form of numerous "anomalies" in the geologic column when interpreted from a uniformitarian standpoint

3) The Bible claims to be the word of God, and contains ample authentication mechanisms to verify this claim:
  • Prophecy: God exists outside of our spacetime continuum, and is perfectly aware of what the future holds for us. Because of this, the Bible includes a significant amount of prophecy - much of which has already come to pass with incredible accuracy.
    • (Isaiah 46:9-10 KJV) Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure.
    • (Deuteronomy 18:20-22 KJV) But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die. And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken? When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.
  • Coherence: the Bible is comprised of 66 books penned by 40 separate authors over thousands of years - all of which agree with each other. Though many claim that there are conflicts within the Bible, I believe that all apparent conflicts are the result of deliberate  or unintentional misunderstandings of the ideas that the Biblical text conveys.
  • Faith: As I have just demonstrated, the Bible offers a much more substantial worldview foundation than abstract faith in an unsubstantiated myth. The Bible itself claims this - clarifying that belief in the God of the Bible does not necessitate an abandonment of science and logic, or intellectual dishonesty rooted in a supposed disparity between the observable universe and that which the Bible describes.
    • (John 14:11 KJV) Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake.
    • (Romans 1:20 KJV) For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.
]]> Tue, 25 Aug 2009 17:42:37 +0000 <![CDATA[Update - Bonus: sketchy future roadmap included :)]]> Greetings everyone;
 
As has been all too apparent, I have been offline for a couple of weeks. MarsXPLR has slowed down a bit, but it's still going strong!
 
I am in the process of converting a 1945 Beck Mainliner into my future home, as well as organizing various other aspects of my life. The bus is nearing a functional state, and as soon as it's interior is complete I will be building a dream computer and then get to work on Syn3h in earnest. MarsXPLR is back online after a bit of excitement this morning, and my position on Unity 3's beta team has been an incredibly exciting opportunity to test out some of the massive rendering and networking improvements it offers that will be incorporated by Syn3h.
 
I have been having lots of fun with my new iPhone 4, and just configured an app known as PixelPipe to allow me to push photos and video captured on it directly to Picasa - Google's photo hosting service. My computer will be headed back into temporary storage after this post, but you are welcome to follow along with the construction progress via my Picasa account:
 
 
 
 
 
If you need to contact me, please use my admin@theati.net email address directly as it's much more fun replying to emails on an iPhone than logging into PlexPedia and composing a message for each reply :)
 
 
Have a wonderful Summer!
 
-Aubrey
]]> Mon, 19 Jul 2010 18:10:43 +0000 <![CDATA[Fundamentals of Flight - Exploring the elementals of aeronautics, with Aubrey Falconer]]> Note: If you are on a syndicated site, » Enjoy full formatting on AubreyFalconer.com
 
 
 
Russian Kalinin K-7 (Visualization)
 
 
Flight: A triumph of engineering which permits the traversal of our world from a whole new dimension!
 
Flight can be divided into three basic groups:
  1. Gliding, in which kinetic energy is lost as distance is traveled.
  2. Floating, in which the aeronaut is carried about by currents of air.
  3. Powered Flight - in which thrust employed for vastly greater range and maneuverability.
Though Fish, Spiders, Snakes, Ants, and a Myriad of other creatures have employed flight for countless ages - we now understand the principles involved and can make use of them, even if we still aren't anywhere near matching the effiency of nature. Many of the same forces which keep airliners aloft are directly applicable to your paper airplanes - and you can learn about them in this article.
 
 
» »
» »
 
 
Lift:
 

 
As visualized in the Venturi Meter to the right, air flowing through a pipe has to increase it's speed when passing through a constriction - and when it's speed increases, it's pressure decreases. The effect that results in the water bubble shifting to the left side of the meter (where the air pressure is lower) is known as Bernouli's Principle, and it's key to understanding how airplanes stay in the sky.
 
When air flows across a shape known as an airfoil (such as the wing of an airplane), the air on the curved top side has to travel faster than the air on the relatively flat bottom side. Thus, the higher pressure on the bottom side exerts a lifting force on the airfoil.
 
When an airfoil slices into the air at an angle instead of directly inline with it's motion, it is said to have an "Angle of Attack" (AoA). The steeper this angle is, the more air has to travel over one side of the airfoil and less over the other side, which causes more lift (and drag).
Stall
Source: Wikipedia

The greater an airfoil's AoA, the less smoothly air flows over it. When an Airfoil's AoA is too high and it's speed is too low, laminar (smooth) flow of air over the wing is replaced by turbulence and the airfoil generates lots of drag and very little lift. This condition is known as a stall, and generally results in a loss of altitude as the plane falls and gathers speed to resume flight. On certain aircraft, it can result in a complete loss of control and a catastrophic crash! Some high performance fighter jets are designed for supermaneuverability (to be controllable during stalls), which allows them to perform amazing maneuvers such as Pugachev's Cobra.
 
Drag:
 
When a plane is flying slower than the speed of sound, subsonic aerodynamics describes the two primary forces that slow it down as Form Drag and Induced Drag. Form drag is caused by turbulence as air flows over the plane, and is minimized by long, tapering trailing edges on each shape of the hull to keep air flowing smoothly along it. Wherever air encounters an angle too sharp to flow smoothly over (just as in airfoil stalls described above), excessive turbulence and drag results. The faster an object is moving, the vastly greater it's induced drag is! Objects in free fall eventually reach an equilibrium between gravity speeding them up and drag slowing them down, and this is described as their terminal velocity.
 
Induced drag is related to the redirection of airflow to generate lift - and since planes have to redirect airflow most to stay aloft at low speeds, induced drag decreases as an airplane's speed increases. An aircraft's maximum efficiency is obtained at the speed where induced and form drag are equal. When an airplane is rotated on it's yaw axis so that it points to the side of it's direction of travel, it's form drag is increased and the condition is described as a side slip. Aircraft are equipped with tail rudders to counteract this problem and aid in various maneuvers.
 

Source: Wikipedia

Stability:
 
Dihedral angle describes the upward sweep of an aircraft's wings. When the wings of an airplane form a slight "V" shape when viewed along it's length, the lower wing generates extra lift when the aircraft begins to roll and automatically stabilizes it. If your paper airplane tends to dive left or right when flying, it definitely needs more dihedral!
 
Control surfaces such as ailerons, elevators, and rudders allow an aircraft to modify the shape (and therefore performance) of it's airfoils in flight to control it's attitude. You can add control surfaces to the trailing edges of the wings on your paper airplanes to stabilize their own flight: A curve to the left or right can be cured with an upward flap on the opposite wing, and nosedives or stalls can often be corrected by adjusting the "flaps" on both wings up or down.
 
Spin Stabilization is employed from frisbees to rockets for a simple stability solution - but where rapid rotations aren't an option, Fly by Wire systems feed sensor inputs into a computer to calculate the exact control deflections necessary to keep high performance aircraft (even RC ones!) in the sky.
 
 
Paper Airplanes:
 
Bonus Questions:
  • What is a "wind tunnel", and for what are they used?
  • How can an airplane pilot recover from a stall, or a helicopter pilot land when their engine dies?
  • What does the term "terminal velocity" refer to?
  • Why do "stealth" fighter jets look so angular? (Hint: this answer has very little to do with aerodynamics)
  • Why are helicopters so much slower than airplanes? (Hint: visualize the relative airspeed of each side of the main rotor as the helicopter soars through the sky)
]]> Fri, 14 May 2010 06:06:10 +0000 <![CDATA[Mars Explorer - Immersive In-Browser 3D Exploration Simulator]]>
Notice: Mars Explorer has a new (and improved) home!
Please head on over to MarsXPLR.com for the latest and greatest Mars Exporer site.
 
This page will not be updated, and is hosted only for archival purposes

 
 
 
 
 
Play Mars Explorer
 
 Click the above button to play Mars Explorer!

If this is your first time playing, you will be stepped through the easy and free process of installing the Unity browser plugin to make Mars Explorer work.
 
Controls: 
  • Drive with your Arrow (or WASD) keys
  • Fly by holding the Space key
  • Aim by holding the Alt (or Shift for sniping) keys - use Mouse to fire
  • Lock your brakes with the Command or Shift keys (it's nice to be stabile when firing)
  • In multiplayer mode, your objective is to tag whoever is the "quarry" (they have *stars* on their name tag) - But there is lots more to do than just that! Race your friends up the path on the volcano or around the racetrack, or play "king of the hill" on the top of the mountain just across the lava flow from the volcano!

 
This game is Family Friendly. Rated by TIGRS™
Introduction
Mars Explorer is a free in-browser 3D game developed by Aubrey which supports networked multiplayer "tag" in a highly unrealistic -  but totally fun - martian environment.
 
Players can ascend massive volcanoes, race around elevated plateaus, bob through lava flows, and perform aerobatic stunts using deployable wings while playing laser tag with each other!
 
Unlike most games, Mars Explorer doesn't have a complicated set of objectives, a pointless story line, powerups to collect, timers to annoy you, monsters out to get you, a slowly dwindling "life meter", or "locked" areas that you aren't important enough to access. Mars Explorer is like renting an ultra high performance laser wielding dune buggy - with wings, and taking it for a spin - on Mars - with all your friends.
 
Aubrey isn't particularly interested in computer games, and indeed created Mars Explorer far more for the sake of learning Unity 3D (the engine powering Mars Explorer) for future projects than because of a desire to develop a game, but now that it is functional, Aubrey hopes you enjoy it.
Download
Mars Explorer is available as a downloadable OS X Dashboard Widget!
 
Want to always have Mars Explorer right at your fingertips - even when you aren't online?
 
Download the Mars Explorer Widget from Apple.com
Tips & Tricks

Want to get up to speed fast and impress your friends?
The below tips - handed down from the creator of the game just for you, will facilitate your mastery of Mars Explorer in no time!

 
Networking: 
Cruising around on mars in single player mode is fun, but networking with your friends is infinitley more so! To go Multiplayer in Mars Explorer, enter your screen name in the "Internet Multiplayer box of the Mars Explorer launch screen. If there are any active multiplayer games you can then join them by pressing the "Join Game" button next to their IP address, but if not, you can host your own game by pressing the "Start New Game" button. Your friends will be able to join your game, and you can all play laser tag with each other!
 
Flight:
Holding the space bar while your vehicle is moving will deploy your super cool energy field based wings - enabling you to soar around the martian sky (or just adjust your orientation prior to a hard landing)! Watch your airspeed, because you stall around 9 MPH. "Flapping" your wings by cycling the up and down arrow keys around once per second will slowly accelerate your vehicle, allowing you to stay aloft indefinitley.
 
Marksmanship:
Hold the Alt or Shift keys - or press the "Laser Tag" camera button - to enter laser firing mode, and hold your mouse button to fire.
Want to fire your lasers as accuratley as possible? Try braking to a stop (Hold the Command or Shift keys), or deploying your wings and crusing as smoothly as possible to steady yourself.
 
Wallriding:
Holding the space bar while accelerating on the ground gives you tremendous groundforce - which aside from helping you "stick" to the ground over heavy bumps, can also enable you to drive up steep hills with ease. Drive diagonally up the hills - adjusting your "angle of ascent" to climb as rapidly as possible without stalling, and you will soon be at the top!
 
High Speed Driving:
Want to leave people in the dust? Stick to the ground! Seriously, those on the ground can accelerate far faster than those in the skies. Want to leave others on the ground in the dust? Drive backwards. It is far harder to steer (and deploy your wings when you get in trouble) and should only be attempted by experienced MarsRacers, but driving backwards will sometimes give you that extra boost of speed needed to escape a pursuer of ascend a difficult hill. Turning as little and as smoothly as posible can also help you achieve much higher speeds.
 
Dodging:
Someone coming up on you to ram you too fast for you to escape? Try firing your sniper laser (hold shift) into the ground underneath the front of your vehicle (at the very bottom of your screen). With practice, you can time your dodges to blast yourself into the air right over a pursuer as they race underneath you!
 
"Aubrey":
If you ever see anyone playing the game with the username "Aubrey", that would be me! (Everyone else named Aubrey shows up as Aubrey 2). I don't play too often - and I generally am on a high latency satellite internet connection which makes me appear a bit bouncy - but I love to hear your feedback and suggestions. So next time you leave someone named Aubrey in the dust on the racetrack or bounce them off the volcano trail with a well placed sniper shot, you can say with confidence that you beat the creator at his own game :-)
Credits
Mars Explorer was developed by Aubrey using the amazingly excellent & highly recommended Unity Game Development Tool.
 
Tons of development suggestions and tips for the game were provided by the amazingly helpful Unity community, and the "Mars Buggy" itself is based on a vehicle originally developed by Unity grandmaster "Yoggy".
 
Many thanks are due to the early enthusiasts like Matthew A, Ellen F, Natasha H, and Forest J - who helped nail down many bugs and set the direction of the game; and to my wonderful sister Kellie who performed the music for Mars Explorer on her mountain dulcimer.
Known Bugs
  • Several areas of the map allow the player to launch into space by exploiting loopholes in the physics engine. This is so fun to do that they have been left intact :-)
  • Using your brakes in mid air can sometimes result in unrealistically low gravity landings.
  • The network testing routing can occasionally time out before determining the information of exceptionally slow internet connections.
  • The flight model gets a bit strange during inverted flight. Disabling the "slideslip" code when the vehicle is in inverted flight should solve this.
  • All the minimap vehicle indicators are the same color. Some day I will find the time to color them individually...
  • There should really be several difficulty levels of robot. I will add this some time too.



Mars Explorer Scenes
]]> Wed, 14 May 2008 20:44:33 +0000 <![CDATA[Mars Explorer 2.22 Final - The Pinnacle of Mars Explorer]]>
Greetings everyone!
 
As Syn3h draws nearer to reality, I am fine tuning the last versions of Mars Explorer.
 
2.22 includes the most rock solid networking ever (which is far from perfect due to fundamental flaws in Unity which they have now acknowledged), many bugfixes and refinements, better buggy and hovercraft handling, an installer for the native windows app, and much more.
 
If you are experiencing any issues with the browser or dashboard versions of Mars Explorer, please try downloading a native Mac or Windows app. There are some known issues with Unity's webplayer that I am working with them on at the moment.
 
My next milestone will be the release of the Whirld 3 library - which will revolutionize world design. After that, a complete rewrite of the networking system is in order - which is a project of such magnitude that I want to ensure that we have Mars Explorer finely tuned in it's corrent state before embarking on this new venture.
 
Enjoy,
 
-Aubrey
 
 
 
 
]]> Mon, 18 Jan 2010 08:27:44 +0000 <![CDATA[PlexPedia Moderation System implemented - Spammers, Lament]]> In the midst of several vastly more exciting announcements which I hope to soon unveil, I decided to take a break and add a simple moderation system to PlexPedia and enable it for the Mars Explorer group.
 
Our initial moderators are:
  • TheDude
  • Kruncher
  • MacDane
  • FlyClub
  • Picard
  • BabaG
  • GTR34
  • KillerDude
  • SebfromNZ
  • PointyBagels
  • SuperCheese
  • Spiffy
  • Olim
 
While logged into their accounts, the afore enumerated users will be able to alter the status of any post on MarsXPLR.com just as if it was their own. Whenever they exercise this authority, their action will be added to the site's "Moderation Log", which should serve to alleviate any concerns of the system being abused:
 
 
 
In the coming days, I will make an effort to publish some moderation guidelines and other useful materials. In the mean time, please just use common sense.
 
The current list of moderators is nothing more than a wholly incomplete sampling of some of the wonderful martians who have long served as upstanding, exemplary members of our community (most of the time at least :). If any of the current moderators feel that more moderators are needed, they can nominate someone by sending me an email. If you are not a moderator now but would like to become one, please discuss it with a current moderator instead of bugging me directly.
 
I have received quite a few intriguing proposals for PlexPedia moderation systems over the last couple of days, and together, they all prompted me to design this one. Many thanks for your encouragement, and I will try to get back to you all personally as soon as possible! Please be sure to comment and let me know what you think about this system.
 
 
All the best,
 
-Aubrey
 
 
P.S. I will add a feature to moderate individual comments at my next available opportunity.
]]> Sat, 13 Mar 2010 07:34:52 +0000 <![CDATA[Play! - ]]>
 
 
 
(If this is your first time playing, you will be stepped through the easy and free process of installing the Unity browser plugin to make Mars Explorer work.)
 
 
This game is Family Friendly. Rated by TIGRS™
 Mars Explorer, like a myriad of other internet enabled applications, allows you to connect with vast numbers of people from all over the world. While you are doing so, please remember to use basic internet safety rules - never share your personal information with anyone!
   

 
 
 
Introduction:
After joining (or starting) a game, you will materialize into the Martian world as a buggy. If you so desire, you may rematerialize as a hovercraft at any time by driving to the world materialization point (a tall white column where you start) and clicking the "Switch to hovercraft" button that will appear on your screen.

Game Play:
  • One player is always the "Quarry". They have *stars* on their name tag, and are pursued by everyone. Tag the quarry, and everyone will be after you!
  • Score points by laser tagging others while you are the quarry.
  • You don't have to play tag! Try racing around the "Lava Racer" track, seeing who can reach the highest speed in "Foxholes", exploring the "Freestyle" volcano, playing offroad "follow the leader", or inventing your own activity!
Driving:
  • Vehicles are controlled with the Arrow or WASD keys.
  • When a Buggy, press the Space key to deploy your wings and take to the air (you will need to be moving at a decent speed for lift)
  • The Command key locks your brakes for rapid deceleration
Marksmanship:
  • Hold the Alt key (or press 1) to switch to "point and click" laser tag mode when you desire to fire.
  • Enter sniper mode by pressing Shift. It helps to be steady when sniping - try flying or braking to a stop
Advanced:
  • Try temporarily driving using WASD while holding Alt with your left hand and aiming with your right hand. Never miss the perfect opportunity for a shot!
  • Flying upside down allows you a full range of motion for firing lasers at targets below you. There's nowhere your opponents are safe...
  • Lasers can be fired from below the lava's surface, but can't penetrate it from above. Use this to your advantage!
  • Press Tab to type messages to other players, and Enter to send them. Your hands never leave the keyboard! 
]]> Thu, 10 Jul 2008 23:07:58 +0000 <![CDATA[Aubrey's Latest Project - 1945 Bus Restoration]]> 1945 Beck Mainliner.
Air brakes, smooth running 6 cyl 500+- cu in International engine, custom RV windows, integrated radiant heating, and no interior - so I get to start from scratch. This is going to be an awesome mobile workstation :)
 
Legend has it that this bus was produced in a special group along with 19 others for high class transport of homecoming WWII soldiers.
 
 
 
 
]]> Fri, 05 Feb 2010 07:56:04 +0000 <![CDATA[1.9.4 Screenshots - Seafloors, resculpted terrain, sea monster (conceptual), and more!]]> "New and Improved" volcanoMars Buggy - and something bigger...SeafloorSeafloor]]> Sat, 14 Feb 2009 18:24:00 +0000 <![CDATA["Unofficial" Whirld 3 Preview - As promised!]]> For those of you interested in developing Mars Explorer worlds - or even your own complete Unity games - I have just finished a preview of Whirld 3 that you might want to check out:
 
 
 
 
The Whirld preview is distributed as a Unity Asset Package - which can be imported into a blank Unity project, or a project which already contains a previous version of the library (in which case each file will be updated as necessary if it has changed in the newer release).
 
 
This is NOT the official Whirld 3 release, and it is nowhere near complete. The final, official release will include much more - possibly even full integration with a Whirld bundling webservice depending on how my negotiations with Unity go. For now, worlds you create that incorporate this package will still need to be sent to me for bundling - but by following the best practices exemplified by the worlds included in this package, you can make my job much easier.
 
Here's a list of several of the features included in this package:
  • Complete physics for latest buggy and jet, and the ability to switch between them while exploring your worlds!
  • Dedicated "Controller" that provides quick access to all scenes defined in Unity's "Build Settings" window. Create your own scene, add it to the build settings, and you are ready to explore it!
  • Complete scenes included - with all source assets - for Foxholes, Levitashia, and Seb's Sky King!
  • Full source for the latest Whirld library in Mars Explorer 2.22. (No documentation yet, so it won't be too useful to anyone but perhaps Flynn :)
  • Dedicated Whirld "Resources", including the super cool new Sea object introduced in Mars Explorer 2. Check out the Foxholes world to learn how to use it in conjunction with terrain that is automatically textured with a seafloor on any submerged areas.
  • Sample world demonstrating the use of the new animation editor in Unity 2.6. Your worlds can now contain sliding doors, moving spaceships, and more!
 
Happy Coding,
 
-Aubrey
]]> Sat, 13 Feb 2010 01:33:23 +0000 <![CDATA[PlexPedia's Vision - ...And how PlexPedia can serve you]]> Are you interested in creating a blog, forum, wiki, or any of the other innumerable appellations that people use to describe web sites that facilitate information distribution?
 
PlexPedia may be just what you are looking for.
 
 
 
PlexPedia's vision is to be an organized, accessible database for all the knowledge in the universe - and to further that vision, PlexPedia allows you to create your own highly customizable, full featured versions of itself called "groups".
 
With your permission, PlexPedia automatically syndicates the information from your customized groups back to it's core interface - providing a symbiotic relationship that benefits everyone. You and your visitors get a powerful system for organizing, storing, and sharing your information; and PlexPedia's visitors benefit from the information that you share.
 
With PlexPedia, there is no distinction between the concepts of a blog, forum, or wiki: PlexPedia is each one of them - and more - at the same time. By simply adjusting the permissions of a PlexPedia group, it can perfectly serve in the roles of anything from your personal weblog - to a powerful Internet destination, with many people collaborating on a variety of topics.
 
 
 
For an example PlexPedia group to evaluate, you might want to check out the personal web site of Aubrey Falconer - PlexPedia's administrator. It's nothing fancy, but you can see how PlexPedia allows Aubrey to write articles, participate in discussions, post links to cool stuff, and share pictures - in many different PlexPedia groups, and on PlexPedia - and then have his "blog" automatically update itself with everything he is working on.
 
Another great example of what PlexPedia can do - this time powering the complete online presence of Mars Explorer, a popular computer game - showcases how PlexPedia can facilitate many people working together.  Mars Explorer's web site has hundreds of fans sharing screenshots and videos, posting bug reports, discussing new ideas, and even publishing their own stories, and PlexPedia keeps them all organized and on the same page (most of the time :).
 
 
 
PlexPedia is currently at a stage of development where it can meet many needs perfectly, but it is still a bit of a specialized tool.
 
If there is a feature that would increase PlexPedia's usefulness to you, an ambiguity somewhere in PlexPedia's interface that doesn't quite make sense to you, or if you would like to discuss potential new business strategies - or even models, please let us know! You can contact PlexPedia's administrator directly - or even better, post your thoughts to the PlexPedia development group.
 
 
 
Want your own PlexPedia group? Once you have a PlexPedia user account - all you need to do is just fill in the details, press submit, and start adding content! Plexpedia takes care of everything for you - from web hosting to software configuration. PlexPedia is a self hosted service that just works.
]]> Fri, 09 Jan 2009 19:25:51 +0000 <![CDATA[PlexPedia "X" Theme - Smooth, polished, and incorporating everyone's favorite aurora starfield!]]> Now available for selection (from the Custom skin) in the "Look and Feel" section of your PlexPedia group's control panel:
 
"X" Theme - AubreyFalconer.com
 
 
This theme is super optimized, and should load just about instantly. It also includes a bunch of cutting edge CSS3 fun - such as rounded elements and browser calculated shadows.
 
I had so much fun designing it, that I even decided to set it as the default for my home page. 
 
Enjoy!
 
-Aubrey
]]> Sun, 15 Mar 2009 00:13:50 +0000 <![CDATA[Purpose of MarsXPLR.com - Signal to Noise]]> Mars Explorer for iPhone 1.2 has been released (it's now in Apple's approval pipeline), Mars Explorer 1.9.4 is still right around the corner, and the future is looking bright!
 
Except for one small matter...
MarsXplr's forum system is currently hosting 1,176 threads - and quite a few of these aren't in the slightest bit related to Mars Explorer.
 
I personally feel that a proliferation of nonsense, lack of vision, and high noise-to-signal level ratio in the forums constitutes a threat to the productivity of anything related to Mars Explorer - and will most likely dilute the community in the long run. I am therefore broaching this subject for every one's consideration and input.
 
 
I don't have a vast amount of experience in administrating online forums, so I decided to check out how these sorts of situations are handled by those who do. During the course of my researches, I came across the forums for BZFlag - a fairly popular open source multiplayer game.
 
BZFlag has a dedicated set of moderators, a thorough and organized set of forum rules, and a focused community. I believe we could benefit from all these things.
 
 
Don't worry - I am not planning on locking down everything overnight. However, these issues really do need to be discussed and addressed before the community's exponential growth carries it beyond my ability to stay on top of.
 
I will be working on a moderator system for PlexPedia, a set of martian guidelines, and new tools to help keep everything organized.
 
 
What do you think?
Should we let non Mars Explorer content continue to clog this site, should we create a new "Mars Explorer Community" site to clog, should we send people off to some other site (facebook, perhaps?), or should I add some more functionality to PlexPedia to turn it into a facebook competitor - and then have everyone use that directly?
]]> Wed, 11 Feb 2009 02:53:06 +0000 <![CDATA[Memristors: The fourth circuit element that could revolutionize computing - Fascinating overview of a technology that can serve as ram, flash, disk, and even a processor]]> Sun, 09 May 2010 16:12:03 +0000 <![CDATA[Organizational enhancements emphasize need for introductory videos - You could be famous!]]> Greetings everyone;
 
 
In the process of organizing MarsXPLR.com - you will notice the Future and Play pages soon disappearing and the FAQ becoming much more useful, with information on mapmaking and more - an exciting idea occurred to me!
 
  • Mars Explorer used to have a "tutorial" level built into the game - but I removed it because of technical reasons, and also because it was never very elegant to begin with.
  • We currently have a bunch of boring text I wrote to provide a basic introduction to the game plastered on the "Play" page, which I doubt that new players ever read.
  • In just about every game I join these days, there is a player or two typing things into the messaging console such as "How do I fly?", "What's the point?", and "Stop NQSing, you AnNoYing n00b!!".
 
I believe that the most fun and effective countermeasure to these issues would be a video introduction to Mars Explorer created by a member of the Martian community - and that member is YOU.
 
Produce the most awesome video you can, post it to YouTube, embed it in a reply to this article, and if I like it, your video will be featured for the thousands of new players that Mars Explorer receives every month.


Here's what I am looking for:
 
  • Fun:
    After watching your video, I should be thrilled to play Mars Explorer!
    Making the video as short as possible (1 or two minutes) will really help to keep your audience focused.

  • Graphical Excellence:
    You should capture all footage on high quality worlds, with high quality rendering settings. Share Mars Explorer's delicious graphics with your audience.

  • Action:
    Epic stunts! Intense dogfights! High speed fighter jet flybys! Make Mars Explorer look as exciting as it is. You don't need to focus on the action, just show a couple cut scenes to rivet your viewer's attention.

  • Tasteful Audio:
    Stick to nice, non jarring music - and unless you are a professional radio announcer, you might want to think twice about voiceovers :)

  • Educational quality:
    You should let new players know what to expect, how to fly, who to shoot at, and any other information you believe to be pertinent. If you really want to be fancy, you could even produce a "Space Cadet" version and "Tips from the Masters" version covering skills like gyride dogfights and how to take out jets with the buggy.
 
 
There's no deadlines, and I wouldn't mind featuring quite a few different videos. I might even create a page on MarsXPLR that links to all the best submissions.
 
Have fun!
 
-Aubrey
]]> Fri, 30 Apr 2010 02:52:20 +0000 <![CDATA[Media Kit - Logos, Screenshots, and more]]> Want to share Mars Explorer with your audience? Great! Here's the resources you need:
 
 
Screenshots:
 
 
]]> Fri, 30 Apr 2010 23:02:13 +0000 <![CDATA[Kelvinator - Aubrey's Open Source Robocode Robot]]>

Kelvinator:

 

Aubrey's open source Robocode bot. If you want to have some fun and learn Java programming at the same time, download RoboCode and see if you can beat Kelvinator :-)


More About Robocode Robocode Wiki

Kelvinator 1.4: Latest and Greatest! Kelvinator 1.3
Kelvinator 1.2
 Kelvinator 1.11 Kelvinator 1.1 Kelvinator 1.0 DTOM 1.0
]]> Tue, 03 Jun 2008 19:53:02 +0000 <![CDATA[FAQ - How do I: Take a screensh]]> What's New?

Can I have a Mars Explorer logo to include in my Fan Video?

How do I:

  • Enjoy Maximum Performance?
    Mars Explorer is specially designed to run great on a variety of hardware and software configurations, but you can help it run even better!
     
    • Close other browser windows and running programs when playing - especially those that connect to the internet! 
    • Download a native version of Mars Explorer for your OS. The in-browser versions work great, but are slightly slower and less resilient against crashing.
    • Run in Fullscreen mode (tap your "zero" keyboard key) while playing in your browser! This will ensure maximum performance, and will also let you utilize all of Mars Explorer's keyboard commands without triggering shortcuts in your browser.
    • Fine tune your Quality. In the Game Settings panel while playing, Adjust the "Rendering Quality" to an optimum balance between graphical excellence and a nice, smooth number of Frames Per Second (FPS).
    • Decrease your Resolution. The less pixels Mars Explorer has to draw to your screen, the faster it will run! Try dragging your browser window smaller or clicking the << button near the top of the "Game Settings" panel to see how it affects your FPS.
    • Decrease your Visibility. On games where you don't need to see far, pulling the "Visibility" slider in the "Game Settings" panel left a bit should greatly speed up your game.
    • Hide your GUI. Click the ">>" button in the lower right of Mars Explorer to turn off all the buttons and panels that are displayed in the game. On low end systems, this may speed up your framerate quite a bit!
    • Cap your Framerate if necessary. If you experience your graphics card overheating or just need to conserve battery power, slide the "FPS Cap" slider in the "Game Settings" panel left a bit to limit your FPS and give your computer a much deserved break.
    • Verify that you have the latest graphics card drivers, a decent amount of RAM, a couple gigs of free space on your harddrive, and a functional anti-spyware system if you run Windows. If you can't play other cutting edge 3D games, there's a good chance that Mars Explorer won't work all that great on your system either...
  • Not be a noob?
    Noobs are the players you meet who are selfish, rude, inconsiderate, unskillful, seem to have no concept of spelling or grammar, and are always bored - because the pleasure they derive from annoying others never quite seems to satisfy. Does this describe you? Don't worry - there is hope!
    Please note that noobs are not all to be confused with newbies - as the latter are friendly, willing to learn, and busy developing their skills - while the former are diametrically opposite.

    • If you think that being a noob is fun, you are missing out! Wait 'till you see how much more fun is is to be a respected member of the Mars Explorer community - and the world in general!
    • Though this may seem counter intuitive, the first step towards attaining the esteemed position of non-noobishness is to work on your communication skills. Once you establish yourself in the habit of fluently articulating everything you enter into a computer, not only will everyone else respect you more - but you will also be forced to think before you speak - and best of all, you won't be automatically identified as a noob by others you come in contact with.
    • Once you are communicating with ease, the only other skill you need to master is courtesy. When you begin treating others as fellow human beings with insightful ideas, valuable time, and intrinsic worth - instead of just objects to freeload from and annoy - you will no longer be a noob.
    • Sounds easy, doesn't it? It is easy. All you need is dedication and will, and you already have both of these - Exercise them!
    • In closing, imagine what you will be able to do with all the time you are no longer investing in pointless activities! Find something productive that you enjoy, and become the best that you can at it - whether it's rocketry, knitting sweaters, playing a musical instrument, entrepreneurial endeavours, or hacking.
  • Have fun?
    Mars is a great place to disport yourself - especially when you know how to have a wonderful time!

    • Don't be a noob. As described above, it just isn't worth it! Take the time to learn how to be a better player - it will more than recompense any efforts you invest in it.
    • Find a great server to play at. Server hosts (the person that pressed "Start Game »") have absolute, dictatorial authority in their server. They absolutely need this authority to keep the peace and ensure a great game for everyone! Don't insult them, argue with them, or rejoin dozens of times after they boot you. If you don't like how they are exercising their authority, start your own server - and others who agree with your policies can join!
    • Set your physics with consideration. Just because everything moves faster, doesn't mean that players will have more fun. Setting everything at "max" may be amusing for a bit, but seriously - Fine tune your physics for the type of game you want to encourage.
  • Take a screenshot?
    • If you are on a Mac, you can save a screen shot to your desktop by pressing the "Shift, Apple, and 3" keys at the same time. You change this key combination to whatever you prefer by going to "Apple Menu > System Preferences > Keyboard and Mouse > Keyboard Shortcuts". F1 works great!
    • On Windows machines, pressing the "Print Screen" button on your keyboard should copy a screenshot to your clipboard.
    • Playing in fullscreen mode with your rendering quality set as high as possible will help take the best shots.
  • Record a movie?
    • If you are running Mac OS 10.6 or later - Open QuickTime, Select File > New Screen Recording, and you are ready to go!
    • If you are running an older version os the Mac OS, You will need to use third party software such as Jing, Copernicus, or Screenflick.
    • If you run Windows Jing or CamStudio should be just what you need


Networking:

  • What are Dedicated Servers?
    When you "Host" a game in Mars Explorer, your computer is relaying thousands of messages between the computers of everyone that you are playing with to keep the game in "sync". The faster the host's internet connection, the more effeciently these messages get relayed - and the smoother the gameplay experience is for everyone! You can test your internet connection @ PingTest.net.
    Dedicated servers are connected to fast internet connections, and host your game for you. You don't need to worry about them, If there is one available Mars Explorer will automatically find and use it when you start hosting a game.
  • What is the "Network Mode" Server Setting?
    Mars Explorer currently suffers from a debilitating bug in Unity's networking system which occasionally results in players that don't move and are labled as "Not Responding" or "No Connection" on other player's screens. Unity is working on a solution for this issue. In the mean time, the "Network Mode" setting provides a workaround.
    • UDP mode offers the fastest, smoothest gameplay - but it is also the most succeptible to non-responding players. If anyone reports a player that says "nc" on their name badge to you, you should change the networking to a different mode and have the nc player switch vehicles to apply the setting. Note that players can be perfectly visible to you as the host, but still not visible to other players.
    • RDC mode is slightly more reliable and a bit less smooth than UDP mode. It is provided mainly as a diagnostic tool.
    • RPC mode is extremely reliable and slow - it checks to make sure that each message is received correctly. It should only be used if UDP mode is failing.
    Note: Mars Explorer currently defaults to RPC mode. This will be resolved the instant that Unity's fix is available.
  • How Should I Configure My Router?
    Note: When utilizing a dedicated server (which is completely automatic), or if you have a public IP address and no firewall (you probably don't), everything should just work for you! If not, a lot of tricky stuff has to happen behind the scenes to enable you to play with others over the internet. Mars Explorer can set up much of this stuff automatically - but if you can't connect to other people's games, it probably means that you need to help it out a bit - read on.

    • First of all, gain access to your router's control panel. Search the internet for your model of router, and you should find plenty of directions for this step and specifics for the following steps.
    • Next, enable "DMZ" mode. This "demilitarizes" your router, instructing it to not block any internet traffic. Try restarting Mars Explorer, and everything should work! If you still can't connect to other's games, sorry - but it isn't a router problem, and is beyond the scope of this FAQ.
    •  Try enabling "UPNP". You don't want to leave your router in DMZ mode, because this hinders it from protecting you from harmful internet traffic. Disable DMZ mode, then check to see if UPNP mode is enabled. If it was disabled, try enabling it - then restart Mars Explorer and see if you can connect to other's games. UPNP (Universal Plug and Play) is a system that allows Mars Explorer to configure the port forwards that it needs automatically.
    • And finally, set up port forwarding. If DMZ mode worked, but UPNP didn't solve your problems - add UDP port forwards for 2500 (Game), 23456 (Master Server), 50001 (NAT Facilitator), and 10735 (Network Tester). (Port Map might work for you if you run OS X). You should now be able to join the fun!


Commonly Asked:

  • Why the name "Mars Explorer"?
    Mars Explorer has a rich heritage as a multiplayer mars exploration experience. It has now evolved beyond this - and it's successor - Syn3h, is in development. 

  • Why aren't there destructive weapons - like bombs, landmines, rockets, and flamethrowers?
    Mars Explorer isn't about destruction at all. The current lasers are not weapons ("a thing designed or used for inflicting bodily harm or physical damage") - they are simply an extension to the basic gameplay model that increases Mars Explorer's strategic value by allowing players to tag one another from a distance. Mars Explorer may receive more options for remotely tagging other players in the future, but you can rest assured that they won't involve excessive violence.

  • Why aren't there humanoid characters?
    As described in the previous post, crosshairs centered on some body's head is NOT what Mars Explorer is about. There's no way to introduce humans without them getting hit by lasers powerful enough to blast vehicles into the air or run over by tremendous tanks hurtling along at several hundred miles an hour - and therefore, the is no way that humans are going to be running around on Mars in this game. Many more vehicle types are planned though - including everything from ultra tiny scout vehicles to possibly even robots with legs.
  • I want more vehicles / worlds / etc - and I want them right now!
    Mars Explorer is developed by one person. He does it in his spare time, he does it for free, and he has lots of other projects that constantly demand his attention. Regardless of whether or not Aubrey is working on some neat new feature as you are reading this, be patient! If you are worried that the world may end if new updates aren't delivered regularly, perhaps it is yourself that you should be worried about :)
    Why not take a break - and go on a real adventure in the real world, crack some codes with Altamatic, list your stuff for sale on Safarri, write a scholarly article about something that interests you and and post it to PlexPedia, or learn something you didn't know before on WikiPedia?

 

Community Vigil:

  • Another player isn't being nice. What should I do?
    • If you are the server's host, it is your job to evict rude player's from your game. Click the "Active Players" button, then click the "Evict" or "Ban" button next to the name of the offending player.
    • If you are not the server's host - you can simply join another game, or host your own.

    If you would like to report someone who is engaged in illegal activity to the proper authorities, follow these steps:

    1. Determine the player's IP address. If you are the game's host, you can simply open the "Active Player's" window, and copy all the information out of the box directly below their name.
    2. Determine the offending player's ISP by doing a whois lookup on their IP address using a tool like the ARIN Whois Search.
    3. You can then report them to their ISP, CyberTipline, and / or your local police department.
     
]]> Wed, 15 Oct 2008 22:41:12 +0000 <![CDATA[Aspiring Developers Take Note: Unity 3D is now FREE - And positioned to become the market leader of 3D development systems]]> As many of you are aware, Mars Explorer is powered by Unity 3D.
 
Unity Technologies released Unity 2.6 today - and with it, an incredibly exciting new pricing structure for the independent dev version of their development system: Free.
 
I have petitioned for this move for some time, and nothing could have pleased me more than it's adoption.
 
You can now all join me on the path to becoming a successful 3D developer - and you don't need to invest anything but yourself. Serving in the contexts both of a serious tool and a delightful educational system, I can highly recommend Unity!
 
-Aubrey
 
 
» Unity 3D Home
 
 
P.S. Over the coming weeks, I will be fine-tuning my freely available Mars Explorer Unity package as a gift to beginning developers. I will also be providing a turn key system for converting detailed worlds designed directly inside the super powerful Unity editor into Mars Explorer compatible Whirld files. Stay tuned :)
]]> Thu, 29 Oct 2009 04:25:46 +0000 <![CDATA[Mars Explorer's Future - ...Is wrapped up in a gigantic sphere of plasma]]> Edit: To facilitate the reception of everyone's name suggestions, I have created a temporary UserVoice "Forum". If you have a great name idea, please head over to Name.uservoice.com, register an account, and type your name idea in the "My Favorite Name:" field. You can vote on other's names as well! This is just a tool to organize everyone's ideas - I am not guaranteeing that the name with the most votes will be accepted :)
 
 
Greetings all!
 
Just wanted to keep everyone up to date on some exciting new additions that are soon to materialize.
 
My current focus is the Whirld project. I am in the process of completely rewriting the Whirld system, and the new version has already surpassed my wildest expectations. Using the latest Whirld library, I can load the complete Freestyle world uncached in under 15 seconds - and cached in under a second. Some of the optimizations I am working on have also enabled me to slim the Mars Explorer web runtime down to 2 megabytes! By contrast, 1.9.8 was 13 megabytes.
 
This is going to enable gameplay more engaging, immersive, and beautiful than ever before - which brings me to the keynote of this announcement. I have been contemplating the idea for some time, and I believe that we are now approaching the perfect opportunity for it's implementation.
 
Generally speaking, I believe that we can fairly summarize the mental connotations of an average impartial test subject's reaction to a game name like "Mars Explorer" with keywords such as "space", "lack of competitive elements", "realistic and dull or unrealistic and cartoony", etc. Although I love the name, and am proud of the heritage it represents - I have to admit that it isn't particularly inspiring, and that it really doesn't bear any relation to what the game has become. I have heard players discussing things such as "we shouldn't have cities or tropical paradises - this is supposed to be Mars after all" - and potential players remarking things like "Mars Explorer? Umm - it sounds kind of lame". Perhaps the latter example was a bit of an exaggeration -  but honestly, both had a point. I have more vision for Mars Explorer than I may ever be able to realize (much of which will take it far beyond the realm of a simple "game"), and it needs a designation that will be able to grow into these additional roles with grace and style.
 
After careful deliberation, I have determined upon "Syn3h". It is catchy, ambiguous, and replete with meaning. It also lends itself to one of the coolest logos I have ever seen, let alone had the privilege of designing :)
 
My current implementation schedule is to finish the new Whirld system, complete some other fine tuning, and ship the most powerful, fun, and (hopefully) reliable Mars Explorer version ever just before Christmas (along with the great new worlds being designed by Seb, GTR, and others), and then - provided that angry mobs who just really liked the old name aren't hot on my trail - celebrate the new year with a transition to the new Syn3h identity.
 
All the best!
 
-Aubrey
 
(For those who are interested, the symbol between the 3 and the H is the Greek letter "Theta" - which is the phonetic representation of a voiceless interdental fricative)
]]> Mon, 07 Dec 2009 23:48:38 +0000 <![CDATA[Assorted Announcements - Next-Gen PlexPedia, New Moderators, etc.]]> Greetings everyone!
 
 
My efforts of late have all been concentrated on PlexPedia - I have been evaluating dozens of different web application technology stacks to determine which will have the honor of launching our favorite knowledge repository into the future.
 
So far; the lead candidate is Tipfy (which is based upon Werkzeug), running in Python on Google's App Engine! Coming from my predominantly PHP background, Python has been a breath of fresh air - leaving me extremely pleased with the elegance and power of just about every aspect of this environment. Though there's nothing to see yet, PlexiPedia.com will be the testbed for the next-gen PlexPedia. More updates will follow as development progresses...
 
Other exciting technology developments include the release of Unity 3 this summer, availability of the Unity Terrain Toolkit, and the imminent release of Apple's most wonderful / lame product ever! (But I digress...)
 
 
I have recieved several reports of poor marsxplr.com performance of late - pages not loading, etc. If this is still an issue, please let me know! I will be fine tuning ATIServer to cope with the continually ramping traffic we have been experiencing.
 
 
Please welcome our new moderators - Mr_Mars (nominated by PointyBagels), and Ambassador_Spock (who nominated himself, please don't turn this into a trend :).
 
 
Also, I am sure you will enjoy cruising about in the two wonderful new worlds I just added - KingDVO's Candy Mountain and Eric's Capture The Flag special!
 
 
All the best,
 
-Aubrey
 
 
 
]]> Fri, 02 Apr 2010 05:12:21 +0000 <![CDATA[Doug Casey on Anarchy - Best quote: "The state is not a necessary evil, but merely necessarily evil"]]> Fri, 02 Apr 2010 20:06:59 +0000 <![CDATA[State of the Empire - Browser Support, Textual Advertising, Syn3h, etc.]]> Greetings Everyone!
Here's a quick post to keep you up to date on the latest Martian tidings.

  • 64 bit Safari (OS X Snow Leopard):
    Several performance and usability issues afflict Unity's latest webplayer runtime in Apple's latest browser - and the two which are harming Mars Explorer the most are a pathetic framerate when not in fullscreen mode, and a loss of cursor locking when the game is. I reported these issues to Unity over a month ago, and they have now fixed the cursor locking issue. I will be able to include their patch in Mars Explorer as soon as they releases the next Unity engine update. Unity's Mac webplayer engineer recently informed me that the framerate issue is actually Apple's fault, and that they are waiting for Apple to update Safari to resolve it. In essence: you will soon be able to maximize Mars Explorer in Safari to enjoy the game fully, but for now I recommend that everyone download a native Mars Explorer app or use FireFox.

  • Chrome:
    Thanks to Google for releasing such an awesome browser, and The Dude for diligently requesting that I support it, I finally got around to tweaking ATIServer's authentication protocol a bit and you can now login to - and enjoy all the features of - MarsXPLR.com with Chrome! I am not sure if the Mars Explorer webplayer works correctly or not, as the current Mac Chrome release doesn't support browser plugins and the beta release has issues with the Unity plugin, but if any Windows Chrome users could reply, that would be fun to know.

  • In-Game Advertising:
    Due to Mars Explorer's phenomenal growth of late, I am facing rather large bandwidth bills...
    Since I am not ready to transition to the Syn3h identity and release a paid version of the game, and I certainly don't want to abandon it, the decision for me to spice up the lobby with some nonobtrusive textual ads was a pretty easy one.
     
    The latest 2.22 webplayer version up now includes some special new technology I wrote to connect to AdBrite's OTX network and intersperse the lobby's server list with some nice looking text ads. The most compelling aspect of the advertising system I am implementing is that it provides a very easy and effective mechanism for anyone to bid directly on ad space inside Mars Explorer through a cpm or "dedicated airtime" approach, which should be a lot of fun!
     
    I have AdBrite's system set to deliver only the "family friendliest" ads, and I can manually override any ones that I don't deem wholly appropriate. The interest and relevance of the ads should increase over time as AdBrite starts to figure out what kinds of things Martians are interested in. The server list ads will be included in the native apps in the next release of Mars Explorer, which will probably be issued when Unity releases the next bugfix of their engine.
  • Networking:
    I have resolved several issues with the dedicated server implementation, and it should now be working great! The only problem is that there are so many players out there that they rapidly overrun my server hardware when I run everyone's games through the dedicated server. If you want your games to be as smooth and reliable as possible, just enable the "Utilize Dedicated Server When Hosting Games" option in the lobby settings. As long as everyone doesn't use the option, we should be good to go for now :)
     
  • Worlds:
    Many thanks to everyone who has submitted a new custom world to me! I am sorry I am in such a backlog right now. Please don't be disappointed if it takes a couple more weeks to get your world into the game...

  • Whirld:
    The official Whirld 3 release is being delayed because I am in negotiations with Unity to allow me to set up an on-thy-fly Whirld bundling service to automatically package everyone's worlds. This is tricky, because creating the Whirld bundles requires that the build machine be equipped with a Pro Unity license. If Unity allows me to do it, everyone will be able to package their own worlds whenever they would like to! In the mean time, I plan to release an "unofficial" Whirld release within the next couple days to get everyone started preparing their worlds for Mars Explorer. I unfortunately don't have a timeline for the official release, but it will be worth the wait! On the subject of Unity world creation, here's an awesome extension to Unity's terrain system that is soon to be unveiled...

  • Syn3h:
    I am making significant progress on Mars Explorer's successor! I am essentially building upon everything I have learned from Mars Explorer, and rewriting every bit of code to take it to a whole new level of performance and reliability - and more importantly - enable many incredible new things that we could only dream of before. Here's some of the new stuff which will be technically feasible:

    • Vastly more reliable and smoother networking, powered by my own networking system running on the Lidgren library
    • Fully iPhone and iPad compatible multiplayer action
    • Less crashes, much faster performance
    • Many more players in multiplayer games
    • Infinitely scalable, distributed, player hostable dedicated servers to ensure we never run out of capacity
    • Lots of other fun ideas that I just may get a chance to add: spherical worlds, dedicated racing and CTF modes, global chat, much smarter bots that may even be able to work with you as a team, etc etc.

  • Etc:

    • Sorry if I haven't gotten back to you recently. I have quite a bit going on, including this rather exciting project to provide myself with a serviceable workstation so that I can continue to spend my time on the things I love, like Mars Explorer :)

    • Squabbling. If you are creating multiple accounts and sending mean PMs from them (Necon, as a hypothetical example), be warned: I will be temporarily banning people (week or so) who send mean PMs to other players. I am not forcing you to like other people - I am simply upholding the age old axiom that if you don't have anything nice to say, then is is best to say nothing. All that everyone needs to do is follow basic standards of civility - it's rather a pity that I even have to mention it...
 
 
In closing, the present is exciting and the future is bright!
 
 
All the Best,
 
-Aubrey
 
 
]]> Tue, 09 Feb 2010 22:43:32 +0000 <![CDATA[Fun]]> Assorted Pictures
 
Aubrey with his lovely new iBook Aubrey and siblings Aubrey and Kellie Aubrey loves trees Aubrey's development environment Aubrey brainstorming with his father
Amusements
ATI Usage
 
 
 
]]> Thu, 13 Nov 2008 06:32:48 +0000 <![CDATA[Jack London: The feathers of the Sun - A humorous tale juxtaposing fiat and specie-backed representative currencies]]> Mon, 29 Mar 2010 18:30:38 +0000