The logged in game.

I kinda discovered this neat game recently. 

I spent the better part of a couple of months checking out iPads and Android tablets. I was really wanting one. The iPad is the gold standard, but Android is much better priced. You can get a good sized one for not even half the cost of the cheapest iPad. Two things swung me to the iPad. First was the internet speed. Side by side in stores that had crappy wireless, the iPad outsped the Android by light years. Then the price drop. Still $400 plus tax (lotsa tax) is a lot to pay for what is essentially an Angry Birds machine. (By the way, I call my desktop the $1000 solitaire machine.)

I think I made the right choice. During commercial breaks I can check my email, news, Sprint Cup standings, play solitaire. THAT'S RIGHT! EMAIL!

While comparing tablets in the stores, I notice quite a few times that when I fired up the internet app, it would go to the last opened page. Which would be more often than not be Facebook, Google Account, Twitter, Yahoo, or even a realtor's spreadsheet. So I stated playing this game of simply going around to each tablet and checking to see if it was still logged into some site. Most of the time I would do whomever a favor and log them out and uncheck the “Keep me logged in” checkbox.

I do have this paranoia about logging into anything on a foreign computer. Even one as safe as an iPad. You never know who maybe looking over your shoulder or using a password sniffer app on that row of computers around the corner. I flat out refuse to sign into anything personal of mine on somebody else's machine.

In the div preceding the previous one you might have noted I said, and I quote: “Most of the time...” Well, sometimes I'm not in a good mood. I just set the tablet back down thinking that person is a total dumbass and they'll have to learn their lesson the hard way. Then once or twice, an email is sent to a lucky individual informing them that they have just been logged out.

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.