Flag Day 2012

That whole two pixel thing, again.

Now I've calmed down since the last time I tried to talk about this. However there is one more thing, but that will keep by me for the time being. You see I'm trying to get video of it happening. Weirdly enough it never seems to occur when my camera is out.

Okay, so what's the big deal over this two pixel thing? It's the way I do the speech boxes in my comics. I just simply use the shape tool to draw a box around the text. I did try doing it the way everybody else does, but that was too much work and in some text heavy comics it would become confusing as to who is saying what. So I decided to pick a color that is either dominant or very obscure to the character speaking. Then I would draw a two pixel wide box around the text and when I highlighted it all and placed it onto the comic there would be a single pixel white line around that as well.

I came up with the two pixel measurement because I could see it. That's how I base everything, can I even see it at normal magnification? I found that one pixel was too small and three was too fat. Two turned out to be just right.

With Windows 7, thing got screwed up. 98, XP, and Vista version of MS Paint were okay, but in 7 Microsoft added in a bunch of stuff we didn't need and took out things we did. Like the option of drawing lines two pixels wide. I had to keep using XP Paint because of this. Then I found out I could resize the shapes after I drew them in 7 Paint on the fly. Previously I had to draw the box and then highlight sides of it to bring back towards the text to tidy it up. Now I could draw the box, and size drag the sides to where I wanted them. I could finally retire XP Paint.

Frustration still set in because I had to draw two of theses things. Meaning something that originally took 5 steps now took 10. Where as if I only still had that two pixel option. Now comes a brain fart.

There are three basic steps I use in making my comics: backgrounds, characters, text, and miscellaneous. When working on the character step, I hit “Ctrl +” to double the size them. A very important thing to note because it makes it them easier to see.

Now mind you, not every comic I do I find interesting. Sometimes they bore me to tears. Then my mind starts to wander around. Of course I forget what step I'm on. One day I was working a comic that really made me wanting to instead go watch some TV. I was on the text phase and drawing the box shape around it the text when I brain farted and thought I was on the character step and I hit “Ctrl +.” That doubled the size of the box. I froze. Took a closer look. Yes the lines were two pixels wide. I could also grab the highlight box and resize the whole thing to were I needed it. On top of that, the next time I drew a box it was two pixels as well.

Now that's fixed. How about fixing those random transparencies and disappearing rotations?

Memorial Day 2012

How to use Rosenkreuzstilette patches.

PATCHES! We don't need no stinking PATCHES!

Yes we do. The game was originally made back in 2007. In the days of Vista. We have come along way since then, so must the game. Erka:es has endeavored to fix bugs and make sure it runs on modern systems.

Why am I discussing this? Isn't there plenty of other sites that go through this? Well, people are asking how to, and they are clicking on my sites, but not finding the answer. So here I go.

(By the way: I am using a version of Rosenkreuzstilette I bought off DLsite many years ago. I really don't want to spend any more money just to see if the version there has ever been updated.)

Before you start: Make a copy and only screw with that copy. Always save an original.

When you click on the 106b patch you will see this:

I'm somewhat sure that this is asking do you really really (say it like the Miz now:) REALLY want to do this? Click yes.

 

Click the two question marks at the side of the white box and that while open up a drill down menu where you have to find the game.

Next click okay.

Finally click "???(C)" and you can play your upgraded version of Rosenkreuzstilette.

Remember what I said about making a copy? Make another copy of the original 105c and apply the English patch. (I'm not going to show that because it's exactly the same process.) Now copy the "scenario.dat" file from English 105c and paste it into Japanese 106b. Now you have a somewhat fully enjoyable version of Rosenkreuzstilette.

Most Obnoxious Aspect of Karaoke.

It's not the fact that it is mispronounced. I originally heard it as kerry-o-key. Then I started watching Japanese Anime, subtitled. I would listened to the original Japanese voice actors and became quite fascinated at how much the American writers would deviate from the pronunciation of names. That I still find pretty distracting, but hearing ka-ra-o-keh doesn't. Hey, why bother, not going to change anybody's mind.

People “singing” karaoke doesn't bother me. It's usually easy to avoid. That is until Bob and Tom play clips from American Idol worshipers. Since I listen to their podcast, I can fast forward through that. I wish they would play these clips during the last couple of minutes of the hour instead of the middle of the show so I can just hit the next button.

I did get roped into visiting a karaoke club once in my life, once. On my second vacation to Korea, I met up with a Katusa friend of mine from the previous vacation and he dragged me along to sing karaoke with him and some friends. T.M. Revolution they weren't.

So what is it about karaoke the gets my teeth a grinding? Makes my blood boil? Want to eat ball bearings and crap barbed-wire?

Backing vocals.

Yes.

Backing vocals.

One of my great passions in life is music. I admit I couldn't carry a tune even if it had handles, but I do know what I like hear. Looking at my music collection you will find Slim Shady, Chisa Yokoyama, Phil Collins, Foster the People, Taco, Jay and The Americans, Bon Jovi, Cold Play, Cheap Trick, Owl City, U2, Garth Brooks, Masami Okui, and on, and on. I like individual songs, I couldn't even begin to tell you why this is. A song strikes my fancy and it must go in my collection.

Sometimes I like a song so much, I must have as many different versions as possible. Original, official remix, cover, remix cover, techno, dance, and karaoke. Or more precisely, the instrumental version. I would like to give the band a listen. I want to appreciate the guitars,drums, saxes, and cow bells. What frustrates me is that I can't find the original. I have to go to karaoke CDs. These are often cover versions, and that is a total crap shot as to how good it is. Also It is often not labeled as to if backing vocals are used.

Backing vocals in the original version with the singer do not bother me, it's when the backing vocals  is talking over that great drum solo in a song that I thought was supposed to be an instrumental. That is what makes me feel that I just wasted ten bucks. I know why this is: there's no demand for pure instrumentals of popular music. I'm one of a only a few, and more likely the only one, that wants these. I am probably the one guy that bought the single CD of "I Love You Always For Ever" that had about five or six different versions of the song on it. It did have an instrumental of the Sylk 130 version, but no instrumental of the regular album version.

However I have found some solace. There is a type of music that about 50% of the time will provide me with my desired instrumentals: anime sound tracks.

Anybody got a problem with show tunes?

I thought not.

Even then the hurdles are high. Almost impossible to find the original albums. I want to support the artists, but what am I to do when iTunes, Amazon, or even CD Japan don't have it? Then on top of that the words “instrumental,” “karaoke,” and “off vocal” are used interchangeably. So you may wind up with somebody yammering over the guitar riffs in Forever We Can Make it, but finding Yellow Vacation makes it worth my wild.