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Warp wrote:
Nach wrote:
Warp wrote:
So once again, exactly how would static pages be "done right"?
Probably exactly how we're already doing it.
Non logged in users and web bots are being served static content 99% of the time for the site itself.
I advise studying Wiki: CacheControl.
I don't really understand how caching makes the pages static. It makes them cached, not static.
Read!
"Entire page is cached to file"
Warp wrote:
(One could even go so far as to say that if you are requesting a .php file rather than a .html file, the page is dynamic because a PHP script will be run to give you the content, even if that content is always the same.)
I suppose that in the end it's a matter of definition, but at least to me "static page" means a hard-coded html file which is modified manually.
It's a static hard-coded HTML file served without PHP. It is modified by "users" using PHP to modify it.
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Joined: 3/9/2004
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Warp wrote:
So once again, exactly how would static pages be "done right"?
Probably exactly how we're already doing it.
Non logged in users and web bots are being served static content 99% of the time for the site itself.
I advise studying Wiki: CacheControl.
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I've already greatly optimized what we started with from Bisqwit so it runs on a much lighter setup. However, the setup still requires a good GB of RAM to run well (1.5 even better). Most VPSs with that capacity cost several dozens of dollars a month.
Despite lightening the load of many parts of the site, we're also getting heavier over time as we get more users visiting and we add on new features which require server resources. I'm looking to add on even more compelling features in the future which will increase load more.
You guys should be happy that we have a stable source of income which covers a large portion of our server fees each month. Otherwise we'd be asking for donations on a regular basis.
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Darkdata wrote:
But yes, I'm sure that <i>deceptive</i> advertising is a great way to make money.
If only...
Be happy that we're breaking even.
If we really wanted to make money, I'd have you on my operating table, cutting out one of your kidneys.
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Marcokarty wrote:
ais523 wrote:
I actually think this is a little too long. It'd have been nice to skip more levels
Have you seen the previous TAS? He beat that great TAS for more than 8 MINUTES! It's not enough for you?
No. Need to find ways to skip even more. I mean he even wasted time with still inputting stuff after those credits rolled.
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Wow what a video. Sure we all knew monkeys could fly, that's no surprise. But getting a swordfish and a monkey to coexist in a singular environment and both being able to breath? Now that's impressive! We need more videos that do stuff like that! More Poison Pond!
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Nice to see a screenshot. I used to play this game! Although the version I had only had 4 levels...
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I can think of one reason.
The engine between the NES and SNES versions is a bit different. Many glitches which were possible with the NES version are no longer possible with the SNES one.
Of course, the question is does this run take advantage of that, and if so, is it enough to warrant being its own publication?
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Ilari was kind enough to start this page: Wiki: ForumMarkup. Give it a look over and improve it if you can.
If anything is unclear, feel free to ask here.
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Warning: Opinions expressed by Nach or others in this post do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, or position of Nach himself on the matter(s) being discussed therein.
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The tracker seems to have died. Restarted it.
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dwangoAC wrote:
Nach wrote:
1) Why not just exit the game as soon as you start it and claim achieving your end goal in 2 seconds?
Because this would not achieve the stated goal of bringing the android to life. :)
Yes, but it also seems to clash with point 3 below.
dwangoAC wrote:
Nach wrote:
2) This requires TASing both the shareware and not shareware versions as it has different "credits" as you call it. Further, it means the table used is irrelevant.
To your point the shareware version contains significant differences from the registered version (including the credits) and thus I treat it as a completely different game. In fact, I intentionally chose the shareware version to avoid the difficult discussion currently going on around F-Zero regarding whether individual levels should be submitted as individual runs or if all levels (or in this case, tables) should be completed in a single run.
Does the registered version perhaps give an ending if the Android is brought to life?
As for the F-Zero argument, it's rather different than the one we have here. This is more akin to to a game with multiple episodes. TASing each of the 6 Wolfenstien episodes separately is fine. Or Goodbye Galaxy which episode 1 is Secret of the Oracle, and part 2 The Armageddon Machine, which in that case, it's two completely different executables so you can't TAS them from a single program even.
I wouldn't be worrying about one table or all tables here. In F-Zero's case, if a TAS only did Knight or only did Queen, and not all 3 we'd be fine. The problem is the run only does a single level of an episode. In Epic Pinball, no table leads directly into any other table, so it's a non issue. If this was 3D Ultra Pinball, then you'd have a point.
dwangoAC wrote:
Nach wrote:
3) This is not one of the 4 options we provide for ending a game.
The rules state that the movie should "end when the last decisive action has been delivered" and "It must be able to reach the credits or end screen without the viewer needing to do anything". This additional stipulation compels me to provide enough input to "reach the credits" - while I agree that the shareware version contains advertising at the beginning of the credits it's definitely a credit roll as the developer's names are listed sequentially.
The credits are reachable from the start though (see point 1), so I see no need to reach them here, as they're nothing special. I'd also have to double check, but couldn't that credits roll be reached within the game itself without exiting and not have the advertisements?
But more to the point, the rules there are determining what completes the game and objectives. Most games have end credits when certain objectives are met. It is clear that Epic Pinball is not like that. Therefore your "credits" for Epic Pinball would be the screen showing your score.
dwangoAC wrote:
Nach wrote:
I believe it needs to be truncated sooner.
As the person judging the submission you have the most say over this but I would still appreciate some feedback from less biased viewers than ourselves on whether or not the credits are interesting and should be retained. As noted I am OK with the submission file being truncated if that is the preference of viewers so I'm looking forward to additional feedback on this topic.
As the person judging this run, I want feedback from others too. So chime in, don't be shy!
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dwangoAC wrote:
Nach wrote:
There is a debate as to when to stop exactly which you can see on our wiki. But going out of your way to show some info on who made the game, which is mostly please buy the full game advertisements?
Because the run already contains some entertainment and speed tradeoffs in order to demonstrate glitches and other elements of gameplay it made sense to me to write the high score to disk and from there add enough input to exit the game to show the credits which bring back nostalgia for those who played shareware games of the time.
I have 3 problems with this.
1) Why not just exit the game as soon as you start it and claim achieving your end goal in 2 seconds?
2) This requires TASing both the shareware and not shareware versions as it has different "credits" as you call it. Further, it means the table used is irrelevant.
3) This is not one of the 4 options we provide for ending a game.
dwangoAC wrote:
The history of what shareware looked like in that era is as fascinating to me as the run itself but I'm probably a minority so I'd say it's definitely a topic that's up for debate.
It's a nice topic onto itself, but we "TAS" games here, not demonstrate historical software anecdotes.
dwangoAC wrote:
The current submission file could be truncated at the point the end-of-ball bonus is counted but this would not save the score to disk; this may be of no consequence but it feels incomplete to me. My preference is to leave the game exiting input in but I'd understand if it needed to be removed based on viewer feedback.
I believe it needs to be truncated sooner.
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dwangoAC wrote:
Nach wrote:
Why not end it when you complete your goals, why is the buy the full game advertisement ran?
Per the submission text: The time it takes to exit the game properly is minimal given the game length and I feel it is a much more natural way to complete the game but the run could just as easily be considered complete the frame the bonus is counted. After the advertisement the actual game credits run so it felt like the most natural thing to do after finishing the game, plus the credits music is pretty good. When I was younger I used to hex edit the credits file to say all kinds of strange things and discovered that the game crashed if the length of the text changed but I digress...
Yes, I read your submission text, I still don't see the point though. We want our movies to end when the game ends. There is a debate as to when to stop exactly which you can see on our wiki. But going out of your way to show some info on who made the game, which is mostly please buy the full game advertisements?
dwangoAC wrote:
Nach wrote:
I might also add this doesn't play the Android table but the Super Android table. The Android table is different, for example no slot on the far left.
Thanks for bringing this up - I did a little more research and determined that version 1.1 of the shareware game which can be found at http://www.classicdosgames.com/game/Epic_Pinball.html shows only the word Android on the playfield (and as you indicated does not contain the left ramp diverter or sinkhole). Versions 2.0 and 2.1 of the shareware game which both sync with this TAS say Super Android on the playfield but continue to list the game's official advertised name as Android.
If you look around the game, you'll notice it says Super Android in several locations. They just didn't change the name in all places, particularly where it wouldn't fit.
It's important to note that this is not an identical table to Android.
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Mukki wrote:
Nach wrote:
Was there more than one arcade Bionic Commando?
Because I played one years ago, and aside from the same main character, none of this game seems familiar.
I'm not aware of any other arcade games. I get most of my Bionic Commando information from here. It is a useful resource for generic BC information and history, so you might find what you are looking for there.
Thanks for the link, but they don't even have all the games in the series listed there.
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The ending of this video leaves me scratching my head.
Why not end it when you complete your goals, why is the buy the full game advertisement ran?
Edit:
I might also add this doesn't play the Android table but the Super Android table. The Android table is different, for example no slot on the far left.
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Was there more than one arcade Bionic Commando?
Because I played one years ago, and aside from the same main character, none of this game seems familiar.
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--I shall demonstrate the forum's ineptitude in reading the
--backslash as an escape character for another backslash!
local str1= "Nothing wrong here"
local str2= "But lookie here\\"
local str3= "It did not read the backslashes right!"
print("So now what am I supposed to do?")
... Man, I'm real bad at this lua stuff. I'm not even using the strings I just created!
This is a cleverly disguised bug report. See if you can find it!
Unfortunately, you're submitting the bug report to the wrong development team.
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moozooh wrote:
This… is a strange workaround. I think a more sane way to resolve the issue would be putting her into the staff usergroup and opening all features up for it.
That would be the unlazy solution.
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moozooh wrote:
And why exactly would that be needed?
Because certain features aren't enabled for users with less than 400 posts, and as a developer, she needs to be able to test these features.
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moozooh wrote:
And what was the intension?
To increase her post count.
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moozooh wrote:
Bug report: Darkpsy's profile says she has made 425 posts, while in actuality she has only made 22.
Intentional.
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Patashu wrote:
I haven't seen it fixed yet, but maybe it's a problem in chrome/not cleaning cache or something.
That is correct, your browser will be caching the old empty icon until your force it otherwise.
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Thanks Aktan. Keep up the good work.
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Thanks for the bug report, forum favicon fixed.
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