Coming Soon

[FloatingFatMan]

So, you're going to use an entire game engine, just for a simple race timer?

My god, your "bot" is gonna be sooooo fat.

[benkenobi]

(No, I did not write that evil, evil thing.  Credit Les Peters, apparently the Mephistoperles of perl).

HA! -- I bet Larry has him beat at obfuscation contests.

[Arcana]

My god, your "bot" is gonna be sooooo fat.

Jealous?

[FloatingFatMan]

Jealous?

Not really! My bot is humongous! :p

[Codewalker]

My bot is a Haskell program than generates Modula-3 code, which is JIT compiled by a Lisp program and executed on a Z-80 emulator, which is implemented as a redstone machine in Minecraft.

[MWRuger]

You know, I literally handed you a solution that works, and the first thing you did was to counter-propose an idea that requires modifying the client code, point out problems with the suggestion that don't exist, and then made a statement about blender that's irrelevant to Paragon Chat.  Then decide the problem is too complicated to solve directly.  I handed you a solution that works.

You are your own worst enemy.  The reason why I'm so confident the approach I gave you will work is because its a trivial modification of how generalized boundary collision detection works in practically every three dimensional computer game ever written ever that contains continuous motion.  You compute the path the object will take based on its velocity or motion vector within the interval, and determine if that vector intersects with a boundary surface.  If it does, you hit it and you normally calculate the intersection and stop the object there.  Its something I learned in the 1980s, and the technique shows up again and again in gaming, simulation, and basic computer graphics.

It might actually be faster to write it, than convince you that it works.  I would rather you write it, because it sounds like something you're interested in.  But if you keep overthinking the problem, you will never get beyond listing all the ways it won't work.  Eventually, someone else will do it, and leave you in a position only to comment on how your solution would have been so much better.  Which literally no one will care about. 

Codewalker could have PMed me about this great idea to use XMPP to connect game clients, and we could have discussed all the ways that wouldn't have worked for years.  It still doesn't execute powers.  It still can't execute mission content.  It can't emulate NPC AI.  Its not as fast as the game was.  Its a good thing Codewalker ran out of F-s to give about any of that, isn't it?

Write the software.  After you see it run, or not run as the case may be, then improve it.  Don't fall into the trap of constantly cheating yourself out of the experience you need to ever get remotely good at this.  You do not miracle yourself into being good at this by thinking about it abstractly.  First you get good at it, then you start thinking about it abstractly.  After actually making things work first.

Write the software.  Or don't.  I sent a canoe, I sent a boat, and finally I sent a helicopter.  You decide.


Note to mods: If I type "Codewalker doesn't give a $-t" the forum pancakes that.  If I say "Codewalker ran out of f---s to give" it apparently passes that through.  Is that because "$-t" is abused more, or because the forum software literally knows Codewalker ran out of F-s back in 2013?

This is very similar to what I tell writers who ask how to "get into" writing.

If you want to be a writers, then write. If you don't write then you are not a writer. There is NO substitute for experience. You may suck balls for a while, but eventually you will get better.

Same for coders.

If you want to be a programmer, you need to code. You may not do it very well at start, or maybe at all, but if you keep working at it, then eventually you will get better.

[FloatingFatMan]

If you want to be a programmer, you need to code. You may not do it very well at start, or maybe at all, but if you keep working at it, then eventually you will get better.

Well, you won't if you don't read the docs!

[Ankhammon]

And it helps to read others code. Gives great ideas sometimes.

[Arcana]

My bot is a Haskell program than generates Modula-3 code, which is JIT compiled by a Lisp program and executed on a Z-80 emulator, which is implemented as a redstone machine in Minecraft.

Well then I might as well just implement Minecraft in Forth, and then I can just run your bot.

[FloatingFatMan]

Well then I might as well just implement Minecraft in Forth, and then I can just run your bot.

Right that does it, I'mma boot up an old CPM machine and write a bot in dBase 2!!

[Arcana]

Right that does it, I'mma boot up an old CPM machine and write a bot in dBase 2!!

Don't be ridiculous, you can't write a bot in dBase 2.  Lemme dig up my eight inch disks with Clipper on it.

[FloatingFatMan]

Don't be ridiculous, you can't write a bot in dBase 2.  Lemme dig up my eight inch disks with Clipper on it.

Ooh, now that brings back memories... First professional project I did way back in 1987, runner registration database for the Hastings Half Marathon, done in dBase III+ and Clipper!

[Arcana]

I can make the blender program(s) in an afternoon

Took me ninety minutes just to type in the sample SleepXMPP programs and figure out how they work by tinkering with them.

especially seeing as we know gate locations from paragon wiki (and if not, We have Icon, thankyou codewalker!). then.. I will.. have to use java to make a few loops of what-dos, it would be handy to know the official messages the CoX client needs to start the race and spawn a timer window, same for gate collision and same for the finish line and results window. I will store things in that format for easy reading.

Before trying to figure out how to send your own raw messages to CoH clients, perhaps we should start just a tiny bit easier.  How about if the bot just yells out the race instructions in zone chat.  How about that? 

Three... two... one... goooooooo!.  And they're off.  TheInedibleBulk hops out to an early lead, followed eight inches behind by someone stuck in the whirlwind animation, look at those feet shuffle.  PrincessSparkles is in third, followed closely by the rest of her costume.  Oooh, and __***Wolver1ne***___ appears to have lagged out.  Its hard to tell at this blistering pace.  We'll be back at the top of the hour to pick up the action in turn one.

[Arcana]

If I've learned anything from reading the old COH forums and the forums here... 9.9 times out of 10, Arcana is right. Arguing with Arcana is an exercise in futility and asking to shine a spotlight on your own ignorance. What's that old saying...? Oh yea... "Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt."

There's nothing wrong with speaking, and certainly nothing wrong with arguing with me.  People do it all the time.  The one thing you can't do, is put on airs.  Its not that I'm particularly good at spotting it, lots of people are.  But where some will ignore it and others will berate it, I will tend to dissect it into little pieces and put it on display in labelled jars.

If you want to argue with me because you think I'm wrong, and you want the truth to come out in public discussion, have at it.  Win or lose, you'll get what you want.  If you want to debate me because you want people to see your mad debate skills in action, or you think random words will stick to my posts and sound more logical, I'm afraid I'm less cooperative in those circumstances.  I'm gracious in victory and gracious in defeat but I hate intellectual dishonesty and enjoy setting it on fire.

Not precisely relevant, but I'm reminded of one of my favorite movie dialog scenes, and I never run out of excuses to reference it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PkOc-B64dY

[Ohioknight]

Don't be ridiculous, you can't write a bot in dBase 2.  Lemme dig up my eight inch disks with Clipper on it.

COBOL

[The Fifth Horseman]

And it helps to read others code. Gives great ideas sometimes.

Or, more often, examples of how not to do things.

He forgot KISS.

Also, this is a perfect demonstration of why he's a dreamer.  Even when given the solution, he chucks it out and comes up with yet another fancy way of doing something that isn't going to work.

I actually... kind of recognize the pattern.
He's trying so hard to find a clever solution, that he starts mistaking the solution for the goal. That he also often tries to combine it with the most recent tool or technology that caught his eye only adds to the confusion.

[Kyriani]

There's nothing wrong with speaking, and certainly nothing wrong with arguing with me.  People do it all the time.  The one thing you can't do, is put on airs.  Its not that I'm particularly good at spotting it, lots of people are.  But where some will ignore it and others will berate it, I will tend to dissect it into little pieces and put it on display in labelled jars.

If you want to argue with me because you think I'm wrong, and you want the truth to come out in public discussion, have at it.  Win or lose, you'll get what you want.  If you want to debate me because you want people to see your mad debate skills in action, or you think random words will stick to my posts and sound more logical, I'm afraid I'm less cooperative in those circumstances.  I'm gracious in victory and gracious in defeat but I hate intellectual dishonesty and enjoy setting it on fire.

Not precisely relevant, but I'm reminded of one of my favorite movie dialog scenes, and I never run out of excuses to reference it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PkOc-B64dY

he he I've read too many of your posts over the years to believe its ever a good idea to argue with you. You've proven your intelligence (and patience... my goodness how patient you've been with people over the years). Sure its not "wrong" to argue with you... but the chances any argument made against you would be shot down in such detail as to embarrass the person arguing are so high its just not worth it in my book lol. The only value I've seen from anyone arguing with you is how you use your posts to educate with your arguments. I have never seen you reply to a dissenting post without thoroughly explaining your position and why the dissenters argument is flawed. Reading your posts has not only been a pleasure over the years but also enlightening on varied numerous topics.

[Arcana]

COBOL

I see your COBOL and raise you RPG-II.

[Vee]

This is very similar to what I tell writers who ask how to "get into" writing.

If you want to be a writers, then write. If you don't write then you are not a writer. There is NO substitute for experience. You may suck balls for a while, but eventually you will get better.

I keep trying this but no matter how many reams of sparkly vampire stories I write my light bondage stories just never seem to have that zip I'm looking for.

[Ankhammon]

Or, more often, examples of how not to do things.I actually... kind of recognize the pattern.

True enough.