martinmakesgame

The widening of the pool of drafts doesn't work because it is not fun. When you find something that works you want to use it as much as possible because as the player all I want to see is the numbers get higher and higher. This is where the fun is. Most of the additional drafts aren't fun. Some I never use. When I play I don't even care about the forces that make it harder at the start anymore because most of the gameplay comes from what cards show which is heavy random number generator. There should be a continue play button when you fail the run though just so you can keep playing and see the numbers go higher and higher.

Empathy is I feel what you feel. Compassion is I understand what you feel, how can we help? It is usually better to aim for compassion because if a person is having a crisis you don't want to go down in flames with them, compassion gives us emotional space to be helpful rather than affected by emotions that can pull us down.

Thanks for the reply. I feel very hesitant about saying anything further anyway but I will. Consciousness is an expression of love, which is another way to describe the life in us. Consciousness as love is not complex. In our life we can choose love or the ego but it is up to us. When I say life is straight forward what I mean is, it is because it is just an expression of love each day. This isn't complex, but it can be if you want it to be. I can also respect how cells, their process and function can also seem complex but again they are just doing what they do based on their type and composition. They are all working together to help us with a vehicle to move through this life. Thank you for the opportunity to clarify this for myself as well. Thanks

But what happens when you realise that your life is straight forward and simple, whereas everyone else around you is living complex or seemingly complex lives?

Use multimc.org. When the launcher changed to a microsoft app we moved to using the multimc launcher. It has far more predicatable and reliable behaviour than what microsoft is offering

perpetual refund period that covers "DRM or server obsolescence."

This seems like it would still be an issue if the company providing the game goes out of business. I've bought games from both PlayFirst and AmbrosiaSW and even after buying the games, the servers that verify registration no longer exist or work. It's disappointing that awesome and fun games aren't able to be played because they can't phone home.

Hi and thanks for the question.

I can think of several reasons why it is possible to trust software that may need to be run with full privileges.

The game is hosted on itch.io and they do have some backend checking for malware that is hosted on their website. There are many games that are released on itch.io by unknown developers.

If you download the game and look at the package contents you can see both the jars and the jre that are used to run the game. The mp3spi.jar also has the source code supplied because it is a requirement of the Lesser GLP 2.1.

Also another way to gauge trust is to look at the previous software I have made before also released on itch.io. For Peace Of Mind there is a detailed set of developer logs and the process I have used is similar for Impossible Solitaire.

I also have a YouTube account where you can see the devlogs and gameplay trailers.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCB2MvX-C5XAms8JRVmY6JCw

Thanks for the question. I hope that by looking at my previous games and devlogs that you feel able to give Impossible Solitaire a go. Thanks.

Lastly, the HN forum is of a high standard and it would be strange if projects on ShowHN were not able to be trusted.

The two fonts I've used in the game are Hezaedrus and Redkost Comic. I selected both of these because they are available under the OFL (SIL Open Font License). For parts where readability in the game are important I've used Hezaedrus because it is sans serif.

Hello Everyone,

I was playing a game of solitaire one afternoon and got very close to sorting all of the suits. When I play solitaire I think about how the game is an elaborate kind of sorting algorithm and I think about what the conditions may be that place the game into a deadlocked state.

I wanted to share my experience of playing this particular game of solitaire with others. I've included a secret in the game that represents what happened in the actual game I was playing.

I ended up laughing after realising what had happened.

I've designed Impossible Solitaire for practising a particular skill. That skill is enjoying the process rather than focusing on the end goal. I feel it's important to remember to enjoy what happens regardless of what the outcome is and I wanted to share an opportunity to practise this in the form of a game.

Thanks

I'm really surprised that out of 276 comments, only one comment mentions that this is Jeff Vogel. I have enjoyed playing Jeff's games in the past, I think his games are beautiful. He's amazing as a game maker with all of his experience.

Would you even want to tell yourself advice learned from ten years of experience?

If I learn from the past ten years and then go back and tell myself two outcomes are possible. My past self listens and changes my future self or my past self doesn't listen and then end up who I was anyway. If my future self changes then they no longer exist to tell my past self and a time paradox is set up where they can't tell my past self advice.

With all that has been gained by the present self would you really want to give that up?

If I had told myself that I can live a life free of afflictive emotions, emotions of attachment, free of ego ten years ago, I would never have learned how to do this or how it is possible.

For something that feels decent enough to share the minimum for myself is three weeks. Functional and verification testing is really important, and then deployment testing after that. These take time.

I look at the experiences of Phil Strahl and I find it really interesting to see from year to year how his experiences with Ludum Dare have changed and what he has learned. It does seem like familiarity with tools is really important.

I like his joke in his Ludum Dare 45 post mortem about how his game launches, testing over, passed.

Getting older I know that having enough sleep is really important for having a beautiful day the next day. I'm not sure how compatible getting enough sleep is with a 48 hour hard limit. Looking after physical health and mental well-being seems really important at this stage in my life. I'm glad that people can get enjoyment out of participating in Ludum Dare and I know everyone's experience will be different because everyone is different. I wish generally people felt less stressed because some of the limits we place on ourselves are optional.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUMFVcnkIM5L4V8fA24C51g

I made a fishing, farming and mining game about thoughts and feelings called Peace Of Mind.

There are characters in the game you can talk with about different ways of thinking and feeling. Ideas from Buddhism are about overcoming afflictive emotions and emotions of attachment. Stoicism is about asking is this situation up to me and if not then recognising that using emotional energy isn't helpful. Humanism teaches that we are rational, always have a choice and can choose what we think by responding rather than reacting. There is some cognitive behaviour therapy mentioned when talking about Humanism.

The game has a built in journal function to write about thoughts and feelings.

Some of the other techniques mentioned in the game are visualisation where you can picture thoughts or feelings being placed in a bubble or cloud and being carried away, or placed in a river and taken downstream. Another is visualising gigantic scissors that cut emotional cords attached to people, places and things.

I released Peace Of Mind on itch.io.

Hi Kenny,

The motivations that you've talked about, learning or money and generating users, are these the only motivations when undertaking a side project? When thinking about a side project would you think about other motivations as well?

Is there room for undertaking a side project where the aim isn't learning or money and users but instead there is a motivation to improve how the world is, making lives better for people?

If you are looking for information about current research into consciousness, there is a book, The Hidden Spring by Mark Solms.

He gave a talk organised by The Royal Institution that talked about case studies that explore where consciousness comes from.

I hope this is helpful.

https://youtu.be/CmuYrnOVmfk

... correlation between games and violence (i.e. the consensus is that no such causation relationship exists).

I feel that the connection between violence and violence in games is far more subtle than a direct connection.

Video games are not real life but the thoughts and feelings we have when we play games are real. When we experience anger, sadness or joy in a game, all of these emotions are real for us.

When we have experiences pathways are laid down in the brain through the process of myelination and these pathways get reinforced over time by having the same experiences.

When we hit, shoot or kill something in a video game and get feedback, sound, visual or music, our brain starts to become conditioned to those experiences.

Our brains are plastic and flexible in that they can learn that hitting, shooting and killing, being violent can feel "good". It is possible that this can happen even being completely unaware of it happening.

If you make games, and there is violence in your game, I would seriously take a moment and consider. Is this violence in the game really necessary? There are many other options for different types of gameplay.

The book Factfulness makes a pretty good case that people generally think the world is falling apart but that objectively the world is currently in better shape than any other period of history.

The book, Abundance: The Future is Better Than You Think by Peter Diamandis and Steven Kotler also makes the same point about how focusing on the negative can obscure the good that is happening in the world.

https://www.diamandis.com/blog/the-world-is-still-better-tha...

My phone has the bare minimum things on it I need to get by. I turn everything off I can. I've railed about location tracking because I know how it works, but damn it, I am not going to mount an all-out war against all my devices and fill my house with an armory of tech. I don't really want to live like that. I want to live like it was the 1990s, maybe, when a PC was just a thing at my desk and it didn't watch me. I guess. That's not coming back now.

This is what I'm planning to personally do. My next phone will probably be only able to make calls and send messages and if I need to use the internet then it will be from the computer. I don't want access to the internet all of the time and I feel my life will be better and filled with more life affirming activities because of it.

At home the router stays off all of the time unless I need to connect. Most of my life is offline anyway. When someone says send me an email and I say I'll write you a letter and deliver it, you'd be surprised what gets done.

I feel that choices about whether to use technology are important and I always ask myself would this improve my life, and most of the time the answer is no. I know my priorities are different to most people but I think I am okay with that. I don't feel like I am missing out on anything and actually gain time, well-being and peace of mind instead.

We work longer, not shorter. We work as a couple, not as a single breadwinner. We have less job security than ever. The combined stress of a life long quest and grind for economic relevance is the greatest source of human suffering remaining.

I feel like a part of the issue is a belief that competition is necessary for an economy to function. Some people say to themselves, "I need to work longer because I need to be competitive against other people doing the same work".

Moving from a competitive mindset to a cooperative one would help everyone. What's the point of being in competition if anybody loses? We all win when we help each other win. Why can't economics function from a starting assumption of cooperation instead of competition? How about instead people just do what they need to for its own intrinsic value instead of maximising income.

I find that there is a wealth in life that is not dependent on economics at all. Relationships with others and a relationship with myself. In my experience people are generous by nature, with their time, company and help.

Competition is completely unnecessary and is a choice that people choose to believe in. It is possible to work from a mindset of just helping others instead.

Endless Sky is truly excellent. I've been playing it for the last couple of months. It's even possible to explore the whole galaxy playing pacifist and never firing a shot. It's wonderful to be able to play a game in a completely peaceful way.

I feel this way too.

Humanity always gets better, eventually.

I feel that it is inevitable that we, us, and the state of the world will get better.

We as humans are rational and that is our power. We can choose our thoughts and our feelings. When we choose thoughts of love, compassion and altruism these lead us to actions of love, compassion and altruism.

The Dalai Lama talks about secular mind training. When metacognition and how to choose thoughts and feelings is taught in schools then there is an opportunity to move more people towards a more helpful world. More helpful for our own personal lives and also helpful to others.

Until this happens, I do what I can, which is talk with my friends and family about this. We remind each other that we always have a choice about how we can respond to anything in the external world and we do what we can.

I feel like much of the time when people think about giving a challenge a go it relates to the external world. Sport, hobbies, a software project.

For people who have financial independence, what about mastery of our internal world, our thoughts and emotions? If we can feel joy most of the time and get enjoyment from what we do, by looking after ourselves and helping others and living well, I'm not sure what else there is?

Also the world is not a zero sum game. I win when we both win. In a competitive environment it isn't necessary for someone to win and someone to lose. If someone else wins and I "lose" then I get enjoyment from the other person's win.

Do you feel jealous when you see other people getting successful

Comparison to others doesn't help how we feel. The only person we can compare ourselves to is ourself. If I ask myself, "Am I better today than yesterday?", if the answer is yes then I say great and let the thought go. If the answer is no, then I have an opportunity tomorrow to do what I can and do better.

How do we keep stories like this in the "middle" of our minds?

I hope this is helpful. A part of Stoicism can be remembering death. There is a nature walk that I often do and I see two cemeteries on my way. I'm reminded that I need to do what I can each day and take responsibility for myself. If I smile at another person and help someone, then I've done what I can and that's enough

Thanks for saying this. I feel that a lot of the time people forget about post scarcity. People can focus on the dystopia but I feel that it's important to remember there are other options. A lot of us are already living post scarcity and helping others. We are so close to limitless energy generation it is a matter of when not if it happens. Thanks

Hello Everyone. After eight months of development I have completed a game designed for practicing a calm and peaceful state of mind. It is a 2D pixel art farming, fishing and mining game but it also explores ideas about choosing to remain peaceful.

In the game it is possible to sit down with a couple of the villagers, talk with them and have cups of tea. The discussion talks about how we can choose what we think and feel but also how it is important to look after ourselves and help others. Information about Stoicism and Buddhism is presented if the player chooses these options. There are also options about how information is presented if the player believes in God or not.

There is a demo that can be played for free and it is the entire game except that it is not possible to save, load or play multiplayer.

Thank you for the opportunity to share what I have made. Thanks.

I realise everyone is probably already aware but Adrian's Digital Basement on youtube is a lot of fun to watch. I don't have access to the hardware or diagnostics that he has but I really appreciate remembering what things were like 30 years ago. Electronics is fun!

Catan is a great game! Playing with irrational players or becoming a default target isn't a problem I have though. I "win" when I help others to win. There's no point in playing to win if there's no enjoyment in it and I feel better when I help someone else. I'll try to trade resources as much as possible to give advantage to others. I want others to have fun much more than any extrinsic pleasure from winning. I now generally play this way with most of the games that I play with other people. A competitive game is more fun when tried to play cooperatively even when it isn't supposed to be played this way. Even better if you don't tell the other players.

I am currently in the process of making a game that focuses on these ideas. It's a 2D fishing, farming, mining and philosophy game. I would like to give people the opportunity to practice a calm and peaceful state of mind by knowing that as people we can choose our thoughts and how we feel. Just as people can get stronger physically with physical exercise, I believe that people can become better at responding, by choosing how they think and feel, rather than reacting to what happens. There may be no tears or laughter in the land of Vulcan but we can certainly feel more joy by choosing how we think and feel.