Save-Point - Technology Scrapyard

Me and ChatGPT - This AI is scary good!

Fri, 03 Mar 2023 22:54:21 +0000

So of course when doing my DaVinci, I have to brainstorm a bit, and well... someone told me I should just TRY to brainstorm with an OpenAI... I got logged in to ChatGPT, and well, WOW, the AI, while still a tiny bit vague, was spot on in what I was brainstorming about, and well, here's how that conversation went...

I am working on a modular sprite collection for 2d gaming. What are the best categories for items and outfits for my collection?

When creating a modular sprite collection for 2D gaming, the categories for items and outfits will depend on the type of game you are creating and the genre. However, here are some categories that could be useful:

Weapons: Swords, axes, bows, guns, magic wands, shields, etc.
Armor: Helmets, chest plates, leg armor, gloves, boots, etc.
Accessories: Hats, glasses, jewelry, backpacks, belts, etc.
Clothing: Shirts, pants, dresses, skirts, robes, etc.
Shoes: Boots, sneakers, sandals, high heels, etc.
Hair: Different hairstyles for male and female characters.
Facial features: Beards, mustaches, eyebrows, scars, freckles, etc.
Emotes: Facial expressions, gestures, and poses for characters.
Creatures: Animals, monsters, and other non-human characters.
Special effects: Particle effects, magic spells, explosions, and other special effects.
Remember to design your items and outfits to fit a consistent style, color scheme, and level of detail so that they can be easily mixed and matched in different combinations. Good luck with your project!

What would you suggest for a medieval styled range of clothes?

For a medieval styled range of clothes, here are some suggestions for items and outfits you could include:

Tunics: Long, loose-fitting shirts made of linen, wool, or cotton.
Surcoats: Sleeveless outer garments worn over tunics, often with a coat of arms or other insignia.
Doublets: Fitted jackets worn over a shirt or chemise, often made of leather or velvet.
Cloaks: Long, flowing garments made of wool or velvet, often with a hood or fur trim.
Hosen: Tight-fitting leggings worn under tunics or doublets, made of wool or silk.
Dresses: Long, flowing garments for women made of wool, silk, or linen.
Coifs: Head coverings worn by both men and women, often made of linen or silk.
Tabards: Sleeveless garments worn over armor, often with a coat of arms or other insignia.
Mantles: Cloak-like garments worn over the shoulders, often made of fur or velvet.
Boots: High, laced boots made of leather or suede, often with a pointed toe.
Remember to design your medieval styled clothes to fit the period and location you are aiming for. For example, clothing styles in medieval Europe varied widely depending on social class, region, and time period. Researching historical sources can help you create an accurate and compelling range of clothes for your game.

What would be the best way to layer those, since I'm making 2d sprites?

When layering 2D sprites for clothing, here are some tips that can help:

Plan out your layers: Before creating your sprites, plan out the different layers you will need for each outfit. Consider which pieces of clothing will be on top of or underneath other pieces, and create the sprites in the correct order.
Use transparency: Make sure to use transparency in your sprites to allow for layering. For example, you could make the sleeves of a tunic a separate sprite with a transparent background, so that they can be layered over the arms of a character sprite.
Consider depth: When layering clothing sprites, consider the depth of each layer. For example, a cloak might be layered over the shoulders of a character sprite, but underneath the hair and headwear sprites.
Keep consistent sizing: To ensure that your layers line up correctly, make sure to keep the sizing consistent between sprites. For example, if the shirt sprite is 32x32 pixels, make sure that the sleeve sprite is also 32x32 pixels.
Test different combinations: Once you have created all of the clothing sprites, test different combinations to ensure that they layer correctly and look good together.
Remember that layering 2D sprites can be time-consuming, so be prepared to spend some time creating and testing your sprites. However, the end result can be a wide variety of customizable and modular outfits for your game.

My genre will be the Middle Ages, with some fantasy elements, like elves and dwarves and goblins, orcs, hobgoblins, in addition to the humans of course. I don't want the fantasy elements to overpower the real earth ones, so there might not be as much emphasis on magic as there might be on sprite sheets that use battle tactics, like different ways weapons are used in attacks. Can you give some good costume suggestions?

For a medieval/fantasy-themed game with a focus on battle tactics, here are some costume suggestions you could consider:

Human soldiers: Chainmail or plate armor, surcoats with a coat of arms, helmets, swords, shields, and spears.
Elves: Long, flowing garments made of silk or velvet, with intricate embroidery or beadwork. Elven armor may be lighter and more flexible than human armor. Elven weapons may include bows, arrows, and daggers.
Dwarves: Heavy, durable armor made of iron or steel, often decorated with gems or ornate designs. Dwarven weapons may include axes, hammers, and crossbows.
Goblins: Ragged clothing made of scraps of leather or cloth, with armor pieces scavenged from other sources. Goblin weapons may include short swords, clubs, and slingshots.
Orcs: Armor made of leather or hide, with crude designs etched or painted onto the surface. Orcish weapons may include spears, battle axes, and scimitars.
Hobgoblins: Armor made of chainmail or leather, with more refined designs than goblins. Hobgoblin weapons may include longbows, swords, and maces.
Remember to design your costumes with the characteristics and culture of each race in mind. For example, elven clothing may be designed to reflect their connection to nature, while dwarven armor may emphasize practicality and durability. By carefully considering the appearance and characteristics of each race, you can create a rich and immersive world for your game.

Okay, I have three main types of elves in my setting. I have the high-elves, which are the noble types with the velvet and silk, silver and will probably have a elven/celtic style. The second are more forest-bound, with a bit more wild look in their eyes. They live in dales and wooded glens mostly, with a deep spiritual and philosphical connection to the land, the trees. They don't use a lot of metal in their art and utlity, instead using a lot of wood, bones from hunted animals and sometimes even harvested stones, shells, and vines from trees. They don't worry about harvesting wood or anything, like for instance the Bosmer of Elder Scrolls lore, but its very rare for them to waste anything. The third race of elves are much more feral. They live in the crags and rocks, the volcanic lands, where plants are sparse and chitin, hard boiled leather and obsidian is plentiful. They do forge, but often their metal armor pieces are more crude, as these elves value ultility more than art, and what art they use is mostly for intimidation in battle, with skull masks, spikes jutting out of chitinous armor plates and fierce warpaint.

Based on your description of the different elven races in your setting, here are some costume suggestions:

High-Elves: Long, flowing garments made of silk or velvet, with intricate embroidery or beadwork in silver or gold. Elven armor may be lighter and more flexible than human armor. High-Elven weapons may include bows, arrows, and slender swords.
Forest Elves: Clothing made of natural materials such as leaves, moss, and animal hides. The colors and designs of their clothing may be inspired by the surrounding forest. Forest Elves may wear wooden armor, such as shields made of intertwined branches or armor made of tree bark. Their weapons may include bows, arrows, and handcrafted spears.
Feral Elves: Armor made of chitin, boiled leather, and obsidian. The armor may be decorated with spikes and other intimidating designs. Feral Elves may wear masks made of skulls or other animal parts, and their warpaint may be inspired by the colors of the surrounding landscape. Their weapons may include crude, yet effective, axes and spears made of obsidian.
Remember to design your costumes with the characteristics and culture of each elven race in mind. For example, the clothing of the forest elves may be designed to blend in with their surroundings, while the armor of the feral elves may be designed to intimidate their enemies. By carefully considering the appearance and characteristics of each race, you can create a rich and immersive world for your game.

Can you give me some examples of feral elf warpaint like you described?

Sure! Here are a few examples of warpaint designs that might be used by feral elves:

Blood-red stripes: These stripes may be painted on the face or body in varying thicknesses and lengths. The red color may be derived from crushed berries or other natural sources found in the volcanic lands where the feral elves reside.
Geometric designs: Feral elves may paint complex geometric designs on their faces or bodies using black or dark grey paint. These designs may be inspired by the patterns found in the surrounding landscape or the markings on the chitin armor they wear.
Tribal patterns: Feral elves may paint tribal patterns on their faces and bodies using white or light-colored paint. These patterns may be inspired by the cultures of other creatures that live in the volcanic lands, such as lizards or snakes.
Animalistic designs: Feral elves may paint designs on their faces and bodies that resemble the markings of the animals they hunt and kill for food and resources. For example, they may paint stripes or spots like those found on big cats or wild dogs.
Remember that the warpaint designs should reflect the culture and beliefs of the feral elves. They may use warpaint to intimidate their enemies, to show allegiance to their tribe, or as a form of personal expression. By carefully considering the context in which the warpaint is used, you can create a unique and immersive world for your game.

And would you suggest warpaint and body paint for the forest elves?

Yes, warpaint and body paint can definitely be used for the forest elves as well! However, the designs and colors used by forest elves may be different from those used by feral elves.

Here are a few examples of warpaint designs that might be used by forest elves:

Leafy patterns: Forest elves may paint leafy patterns on their faces and bodies using green and brown paint. These patterns may be inspired by the leaves and branches of the trees in the forest.
Floral designs: Forest elves may paint floral designs on their faces and bodies using a variety of colors. These designs may be inspired by the flowers that bloom in the forest.
Natural patterns: Forest elves may paint patterns on their faces and bodies that mimic the patterns found in nature, such as the swirls of a snail shell or the spots on a butterfly's wings.
Animalistic designs: Like feral elves, forest elves may also paint designs on their faces and bodies that resemble the markings of animals found in the forest, such as deer or rabbits.
In addition to warpaint, forest elves may also decorate their clothing and armor with natural materials such as leaves, feathers, and animal fur. By incorporating these natural elements into their appearance, forest elves can blend in with their surroundings and become one with nature.

Can you draw me six feral elf warpaints?

Quote:((I forgot at this point that ChatGPT doesn't draw, but it makes up for it with descriptiveness.))

I'm sorry, but as an AI language model, I don't have the ability to create drawings or images. However, I can provide you with descriptions of six different feral elf warpaint designs that you could use as inspiration:

Fangs and Spikes: This warpaint design features sharp, black triangles painted around the eyes and on the forehead, resembling fangs and spikes. The paint may be applied thickly to create a raised texture that emphasizes the feral look.
Bone and Blood: This design uses a deep red paint to create a base, with white bone-like shapes painted on top. The paint may be smeared or smudged to give a rough, primal appearance.
Volcanic Ash: This warpaint design uses ash from the nearby volcanoes to create a black, smoky effect. The ash may be applied heavily around the eyes and mouth, with streaks running down the face to create a menacing look.
Chitin Armor: Inspired by the feral elves' use of chitin in their armor, this design features black and grey paint that mimics the look of chitin plates. The paint may be applied in a jagged, uneven pattern to create a rugged appearance.
Tribal Markings: This design incorporates tribal patterns and shapes, inspired by the feral elves' connection to their tribe. The paint may be applied in white or another light color, with lines and shapes painted around the eyes, forehead, and cheeks.
Claw Marks: This design features jagged, claw-like shapes painted in red or another bold color. The marks may be applied across the cheeks and forehead, giving the appearance of battle scars and emphasizing the feral nature of the elves.

Okay, let's talk about the sprite sheets. Right now I have the idea of sprite sheets that use 6 frames of animations, and render the character in each of eight compass directions, Up, Down, left and right. Isometric sprites like up-left, up-right, down-left, and down-right are also included for a total of 48 frames of animation for each action.

I will be drawing a walk, a run, and an idle, where the character stands still but his body still looks like it's moving slightly (breathing, arms not perfectly still) I may have two to three different types of walking and running and idle poses for each gender. I know I will also need about 12 different attack animations, to utilize different types of attack, whether it be with a one-handed sword, two-handed sword, dual-wielding, sword and shield, melee and magic. I also want to have one for crossbows and bows.

Other than that, animations for using items and skills in the game will be needed, as well as perhaps some supernatural poses like flying, hovering. Can you think of any other good animations I might also use as a standard?

It sounds like you have a solid foundation for your sprite sheets. In addition to the animations you've already mentioned, here are a few more that you might want to consider adding:

Jumping and Falling: These animations could be useful for platforming elements in your game.
Climbing: If your game includes any kind of climbing mechanics, you'll need animations to show your characters climbing up and down surfaces.
Swinging: If your game includes any kind of grappling or swinging mechanics, you'll need animations to show your characters swinging from ropes, vines, or other objects.
Swimming: If your game includes any kind of water-based movement or combat, you'll need animations to show your characters swimming.
Interacting with Objects: If your game includes any kind of puzzle-solving or object interaction, you'll need animations to show your characters picking up, pushing, or pulling objects.
Emotes: Emotes are animations that show your character expressing emotions or performing gestures, such as waving, dancing, or bowing. These can add personality and flair to your characters.
Damage and Death: You'll need animations to show your characters taking damage and dying. These animations can be important for communicating the stakes of combat to the player.
Spellcasting: If your game includes any kind of magic or spellcasting, you'll need animations to show your characters casting spells or using magic items.
Mounting and Dismounting: If your game includes any kind of mount or vehicle mechanics, you'll need animations to show your characters mounting and dismounting their ride.
I hope these suggestions are helpful for your sprite sheet planning!

Quote:Ain't it wonderful when you're getting schooled by AI?

Tell me about different stances and poses in regards to spellcasting.

There are a variety of stances and poses that can be used to convey the act of spellcasting. Here are a few examples:
Standing Pose: This is a basic pose where the caster stands upright with their arms extended in front of them or at their sides. This pose can be used for many different types of spells.
Hand Gestures: Some spells require specific hand gestures to cast. These can range from simple gestures like pointing a finger, to more complex ones like tracing a complex symbol in the air.
Kneeling Pose: This pose can be used for spells that require more concentration or focus. The caster kneels on one knee with their arms extended in front of them.
Levitation Pose: Some spellcasters may hover or float in the air while casting a spell. This can be achieved with a levitation pose where the caster is depicted floating in the air with their arms extended.
Incantation Pose: Some spells may require an incantation or spoken word to cast. In this pose, the caster may be depicted with their mouth open or chanting a specific phrase.
Elemental Pose: Some spells may be associated with a particular element, such as fire or ice. In these poses, the caster may be surrounded by the corresponding element or holding an object associated with that element.
Runes and Symbols: Some spells may require the use of runes or symbols to cast. These can be depicted on the ground around the caster or in the air above them.
These are just a few examples of the different stances and poses that can be used to convey spellcasting in sprite sheets. The specific poses and stances you choose will depend on the style and theme of your game, as well as the types of spells that your characters will be casting.

You have been VERY helpful so far. I'd like to pick this back up again soon.

Thank you! I'm glad to have been of help. Feel free to reach out anytime you have more questions.

FXRuby thread

Wed, 22 Dec 2021 03:23:24 +0000

Hello everybody,

I no longer have Qt so I'm messing with GUI building applications that are Ruby based. While I do have multiple (experimental prototype) projects in different toolkits (tk, Shoes, TGUI (SFML)), this thread will focus exclusively on FXRuby and whatever related problems I come across.

So right now I'm trying to create an expanded system for Animation effects (think RMVX Ace Database/Animations + some extra features).

The problem I'm having is I can't figure out how to dynamically set dimensions of various widgets such as FXImageView, FXButton, FX... whatever. For some reason, FXMainWindow responds to #width=, #height=, #resize(width, height) but none of the other classes seem to respond to these functions. I would like to micromanage the width and height of all the widgets (buttons, image view, etc) in this frame and ensure that they don't auto-morph. Matter of fact, I'd like the size of the window to not be mouse-adjustable either, I'd like it fixed. I'm understanding that this system does a lot of auto-formatting but sometimes I just want something to be exactly where I want it (x, y) at the exact size I want (width, height).

To install FXRuby do gem install fxruby. This is NOT an RPG Maker script, so Ruby is required to run it.

The const ANIMATION_PNG will have to be changed to something on your computer so we have a png graphic to work with.

Code:
#================================================================================

# * DBAnimations : Require/Include

#================================================================================

require 'fox16'

include Fox

#================================================================================

# ** DBAnimations

#================================================================================

class DBAnimations < FXMainWindow

  #------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  # * Constant Variable Declarations

  #------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  APP_PNG  = ''

  ICON_PNG = 'C:/RMXP/Kain Nobel/Graphics/Icons/zsword.png'

  ANIMATION_PNG = 'C:/RMXP/Kain Nobel/Graphics/Animations/Explosive03.png'

  #------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  # * Public Instance Variables

  #------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  attr_reader :panel1

  attr_reader :panel2

  attr_reader :panel3

  attr_reader :panel4

  attr_reader :panel5

  attr_reader :list

  attr_reader :button_prev

  attr_reader :button_next

  #------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  # * Object Initialization

  #------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  def initialize(app)

    @app_data = app

    super(app, "DB::Animations", nil, :width => 800, :height => 600)

# Set application icon

set_application_icon

# Create data

create_data

# Create general settings panel

create_panel1

# Create effects panel

create_panel2

# Create frames panel

create_panel3

# Create animation viewport

create_animation_viewport

# Create buttons panel

create_panel4

# Create frames viewport

create_frames_viewport

  end

  #------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  # * Set Application Icon

  #------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  def set_application_icon

    # ...

  end

  #------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  # * Create data

  #------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  def create_data

    @icon_png = ICON_PNG

@animation_png = ANIMATION_PNG

@intTarget = FXDataTarget.new(10)

  end

  #------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  # * Create Panel 1

  #------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  def create_panel1

    # Create panel 1

    @panel1 = FXHorizontalFrame.new(self,

  LAYOUT_SIDE_TOP|FRAME_THICK|LAYOUT_FILL_X)

# Fill in left side

    create_panel1_left

# Fill in right side

create_panel1_right

  end

  #------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  # * Create Panel 1 Left

  #------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  def create_panel1_left

    # Create group box

group = FXGroupBox.new(@panel1, "General Settings",

:opts => GROUPBOX_NORMAL|FRAME_GROOVE)

# Make "Name" label

label1 = FXLabel.new(group, 'Animation Name')

# Make "Name" text field

@write_name = FXTextField.new(group, 1, :width => 240, :padLeft => 40,

  :padRight => 40)

@write_name.text = 'Explosion 3'

# Make "Graphics" label

label2 = FXLabel.new(group, 'Graphics')

# Make "Graphics" text fields (x2)

@write_graphics1 = FXTextField.new(group, 1, :width => 240, :padLeft => 40,

  :padRight => 40)

@write_graphics2 = FXTextField.new(group, 1, :width => 240, :padLeft => 40,

  :padRight => 40)

# Make "Position" label

label3 = FXLabel.new(group, 'Position')

# Make "Position" combo box

@combo_position = FXComboBox.new(group, 1, :opts => COMBOBOX_NORMAL)

@combo_position.fillItems(['Top', 'Center', 'Bottom'])

# Make "Max Frame #" label

label4 = FXLabel.new(group, 'Max #')

# Make "Max Frame #" spinner

    @spinner = FXSpinner.new(group, 5, @intTarget, FXDataTarget::ID_VALUE,

      SPIN_CYCLIC|FRAME_SUNKEN|FRAME_THICK|LAYOUT_CENTER_Y|LAYOUT_FILL_ROW)

@spinner.range = (1..400)

  end

  #------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  # * Create Panel 1 Right

  #------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  def create_panel1_right

    # Create group box

group = FXGroupBox.new(@panel1, "Effects Timing",

:opts => GROUPBOX_NORMAL|FRAME_GROOVE|LAYOUT_FILL_X|LAYOUT_FILL_Y)

# Create table for effects data

@table = FXTable.new(group, nil,

  :opts => FRAME_GROOVE|LAYOUT_FILL_X|LAYOUT_FILL_Y)

  end

  #------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  # * Create Panel 2

  #------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  def create_panel2

    @panel2 = FXVerticalFrame.new(self,

  LAYOUT_SIDE_RIGHT|FRAME_THICK|PACK_UNIFORM_WIDTH)

@button01 = FXButton.new(@panel2, 'Change Target...', nil, nil, 0, BUTTON_NORMAL)

@button02 = FXButton.new(@panel2, 'Paste Last', nil, nil, 0, BUTTON_NORMAL)

@button03 = FXButton.new(@panel2, 'Copy Frames', nil, nil, 0, BUTTON_NORMAL)

@button04 = FXButton.new(@panel2, 'Clear Frames', nil, nil, 0, BUTTON_NORMAL)

@button05 = FXButton.new(@panel2, 'Tweening', nil, nil, 0, BUTTON_NORMAL)

@button06 = FXButton.new(@panel2, 'Cell Batch', nil, nil, 0, BUTTON_NORMAL)

@button07 = FXButton.new(@panel2, 'Entire Slide', nil, nil, 0, BUTTON_NORMAL)

@button08 = FXButton.new(@panel2, 'Play (Hit)', nil, nil, 0, BUTTON_NORMAL)

@button09 = FXButton.new(@panel2, 'Play (Miss)', nil, nil, 0, BUTTON_NORMAL)

@button10 = FXButton.new(@panel2, 'Play (Critical)', nil, nil, 0, BUTTON_NORMAL)

  end

  #------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  # * Create Panel 3

  #------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  def create_panel3

    # Create the first panel

    @panel3 = FXVerticalFrame.new(self,

      LAYOUT_SIDE_LEFT|FRAME_THICK|PACK_UNIFORM_WIDTH)#,

      #:padLeft => 40, :padRight => 40, :padTop => 20, :padBottom => 20)

# Set panel width

@panel3.width = 240 # <-- NOTE : Width doesn't change...

# Create "PREV" button

@button_prev = FXButton.new(@panel3, '-BACK-', nil, nil, 0, BUTTON_NORMAL)

# Create Frame List

composite = FXComposite.new(@panel3, FRAME_THICK)

@list = FXList.new(@panel3, nil, 0, FRAME_THICK, :width => 240, :height => 480)

# Resize list

#@list.width = 240 # <-- NOTE : Width doesn't change...

#@list.height = 480 # <-- NOTE : Width doesn't change...

@list.resize(240, 480) # <-- NOTE : Doesn't resize

# Fill list with frames

items = []

(1..10).each do |item|

  n = sprintf("%02d", item)

  items << "Frame #{n}"

end

@list.fillItems(items)

# Create "NEXT" button

@button_next = FXButton.new(@panel3, '-NEXT-', nil, nil, 0, BUTTON_NORMAL)

  end

  #------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  # * Create Panel 4

  #------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  def create_panel4

    @panel4 = FXHorizontalFrame.new(self,

  LAYOUT_SIDE_TOP|FRAME_THICK|LAYOUT_FILL_X)

  end

  #------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  # * Create Animation Viewport

  #------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  def create_animation_viewport

    # ...

  end

  #------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  # * Create Frames Viewport

  #------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  def create_frames_viewport

# Load whole animation image

image = FXPNGImage.new(app, open(@animation_png, 'rb').read, 0, 960, 192)

image.scale(image.width / 2, image.height / 2)

#image.render

# Send animation image to viewer

#@image = FXImageView.new(@panel3, image, nil, 0, 0, 0, 0, 480, 96)

@image = FXImageView.new(@panel4, image,

:opts => FRAME_THICK|LAYOUT_SIDE_BOTTOM|PACK_UNIFORM_WIDTH, :width => 480)

#@image = FXImageFrame.new(@panel3, image, :opts => FRAME_SUNKEN)#, :width => 480,

#:height => 96)

@image.height = 96

  end

  #------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  # * Create

  #------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  def create

    super

    show(PLACEMENT_SCREEN)

  end

end

#================================================================================

# ** Main Processing

#================================================================================

begin

if __FILE__ == $0

  FXApp.new do |app|

    p(app)

    DBAnimations.new(app)

    app.create

    app.run

  end

end

rescue Exception => e

  p(e.message)

  system("PAUSE")

end

Things I'm trying to figure out...

Change the X, Y, Width and Height of different widgets to desired dimensions.
Make FXMainWindow a fixed size. No full screen, no adjusting with mouse.
Set a designated application icon.
Figure out how to format the table's columns and rows for future use.

Here is an image of what the application currently looks like (WIP). The formatting isn't the greatest, I need to work out all the kinks to make it look prettier.

EDIT: I've updated the code in the post and (here) is a pastebin link if the formatting messes up. IRB still acts like a fool sometimes with error exceptions but I'll figure out a more robust solution later on.

I'm waiting for the "FXRuby : Create Lean and Mean GUIs With Ruby" book to arrive. Until then, I'm just messing with examples and trying to make what I need right away.

So what would usually be considered the "SE and Flash Timing" table, I was going to introduce all of the sprite effects that are already programmed into the Sprite classes, such as appear, vanish, blink, collapse, etc. I also want to trigger Damage Pop (Whole) and Damage Pop (Frac) via the sub-prompt to allow for fine tuned control of damage display. There is a lot more but needless to say this will replace (or extend) the default RPG Maker animation file system with something chunkier and meatier.

Problem With Ruby IRB

Sun, 19 Dec 2021 12:30:36 +0000

Good day everybody,

I've just upgraded to a new computer and am setting everything up like I used to have it.

For the life of me I cannot find the answer I'm looking for.

Ruby has been reinstalled and I forget how to handle IRB errors without the window closing in a split second. Does anybody know how to make it where the Ruby IRB window stays open until I close it? I need to see my error backtrace.

MS Releases Powershell 7

Sat, 07 Mar 2020 04:02:53 +0000

MS Releases Powershell 7

Microsoft has announced that its cross-platform automation tool and configuration framework, namely Powershell 7, has been released already.

Short Article (which is more than you'll ever need to read about it)
https://www.linuxexperten.com/news/micro...wershell-7

I guess Windows programmers might use it, but I doubt that more than a few cats would do the same on Linux based OS's. Really, we've got nice tools that work fine in our systems, start using MS s*** is not really something we should encourage. We loved our virtually virus free environments!

MS, stop messing with Linux!

Dangerous Mobile App Stores

Sat, 29 Feb 2020 10:28:56 +0000

Dangerous Mobile App Stores

Most dangerous mobile app store [is 9Game]
https://www.linuxexperten.com/news/most-...-app-store

Check out the Threat Report!
https://www.riskiq.com/research/2019-mob...pe-report/

I wonder if it's true that Apple Store doesn't let any app get uploaded there. But I gotta admit it'd be great if there were less than 100 suspicious apps there.

OneAudience and Your Personal Data

Fri, 28 Feb 2020 04:09:31 +0000

OneAudience and Your Personal Data

Well, it seems Facebook grew tired of New Jersey's OneAudience, a company that offers shopping, gaming and utility-type apps you can download from Google Play Store. Zuckerberg's company stated it collected YOUR phone data and Facebook, Google, or Twitter account data in the background and it NEVER informed you about that. Thus Facebook called OneAudience's SDK malicious software.

Twitter has denounced that company in November 2019.

Facebook sues SDK maker OneAudience
https://www.linuxexperten.com/news/faceb...neaudience

If you ever installed any of their apps, it might be a good idea to uninstall them at once.

Your Friendly Neighbor The Decrypter KrØØk

Thu, 27 Feb 2020 07:56:13 +0000

Your Friendly Neighbor The Decrypter KrØØk

Did you think my previous warnings were good enough to prevent you from getting hacked?
Did you ever believe you wouldn't unwillingly cooperate with strangers by providing them with all your precious private data?

Well, it happened that ESET researchers have uncovered a previously unknown security flaw allowing any hacker to decrypt some wireless (WiFi) network packets transmitted by vulnerable devices.

What kind of devices are we talking about here?

Err, if you got any not really top notch device that doesn't need cables to keep working but has its own battery and lets you connect to the internet, then your device might be on the list of vulnerable gadgets that might let third party listeners get all of your private data as if you were talking aloud over the phone and a neighbor wouldn't mind listening to your private conversation.

ESET Wrote:KrØØk affects devices with Wi-Fi chips by Broadcom and Cypress that haven’t yet been patched. These are the most common Wi-Fi chips used in contemporary Wi-Fi capable devices such as smartphones, tablets, laptops, and IoT gadgets.

Not only client devices but also Wi-Fi access points and routers with Broadcom chips were affected by the vulnerability, thus making many environments with unaffected or already patched client devices vulnerable anyway.

Our tests confirmed that prior to patching, some client devices by Amazon (Echo, Kindle), Apple (iPhone, iPad, MacBook), Google (Nexus), Samsung (Galaxy), Raspberry (Pi 3), Xiaomi (RedMi), as well as some access points by Asus and Huawei, were vulnerable to KrØØk. This totaled to over a billion Wi-Fi-capable devices and access points, at a conservative estimate. Further, many other vendors whose products we did not test also use the affected chipsets in their devices.

The vulnerability affects both WPA2-Personal and WPA2-Enterprise protocols, with AES-CCMP encryption.

By the way, ESET had also informed that Amazon Echo is vulnerable to KRACK (Key Reinstallation Attacks).

Their Advice: Make sure you have applied the latest available updates to your Wi-Fi-capable devices, including phones, tablets, laptops, IoT devices, and Wi-Fi access points and routers.

Kind of Short Article with PDF full of Details
https://www.welivesecurity.com/2020/02/2...i-devices/

Google Pay PayPal and Dreamer Girls... I mean Germans

Wed, 26 Feb 2020 06:42:35 +0000

Google Pay PayPal and Melana...
I mean Germans

Multiple sources sport claims and complains about PayPal accounts being abused for unauthorized payments after hackers make purchases at Target stores in New York. How do they do that since Friday 21st? Well, they gotta be exploiting a weakness found in Google Pay. Whenever any user suspects there are suspicious purchases in his or her PayPal account and checks his or her history, they find out the descriptions of such transactions says Google Pay only.

Guess who the victims are!? They're Germans of course!

Poor Melana! You should NOT use Google Pay or setup your cellphone to allow you to purchase anything online on your phone.
Beware! There are exceptions to the rule! Even you, my dear reader, could be the next victim of such reckless hackers!

PayPal accounts abused for unauthorized payments
https://www.linuxexperten.com/news/paypa...d-payments

EU Commission Recommends Signal App

Wed, 26 Feb 2020 06:31:11 +0000

EU Commission Recommends Signal App

I've found this article that tells us about how the EU commission asks its staff to start using Signal instead of WhatsApp, Telegram, (Facebook's) Messenger or iMessage. They say it portrays a high level of security for telecommunications.

Oh, it's true! It's open source as well!

The article also mentions that privacy experts consider that Signal's security is superior to other apps.

EU commission tells staff, use Signal app instead
https://www.linuxexperten.com/news/eu-co...pp-instead

I know the EU commission is just targeting its staff there but I'd love to know if any of you's prepare to drop WhatsApp and the other apps and start using Signal.

Honestly I doubt people would ever move from WhatsApp to Signal ever. People already feel comfortable with it and how many people even know about Signal anyway!?

Google Lets You Access Private WhatsApp Groups

Mon, 24 Feb 2020 21:21:00 +0000

Google Lets You Access Private WhatsApp Groups

Usually you'd expect WhatsApp groups to be accessed only if YOU ever sent somebody else an invitation to join it. Guess what? A Google search does let you find an index of such invitations.

Vice.com Wrote:Using particular Google searches, people can discover links to the chats, Wildon explained.
App reverse-engineer Jane Wong added in a tweet that Google has around 470,000 results for a simple search of "chat.whatsapp.com," part of the URL that makes up invites to WhatsApp groups.
...
After joining, Motherboard was able to see a list of all 48 participants and their phone numbers.

Short Article
https://www.linuxexperten.com/news/googl...app-groups
Lengthy Article
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/k7enq...app-groups

What does it mean? People can perform a google search and not only get unrestricted access to your whatsapp group but also check out the members' phone numbers! Good bye privacy!

WordPress Sites Are in Danger!

Wed, 19 Feb 2020 00:30:04 +0000

Hackers Exploit Vulnerability Found in 100.000 WordPress Sites

Are you some WordPress website admin or user? Then you should NOT ignore this distress signal!

An investigation discovered that around 100.000 websites are in danger!

Ars Technica Wrote:A critical flaw in ThemeGrill plugin lets attackers wipe sites clean and possibly take them over.

Short Article
https://www.linuxexperten.com/news/hacke...ress-sites
Lengthy Article
https://arstechnica.com/information-tech...ess-sites/

Don't Let Your Guard Down Guys!

VPN's Are NOT Safe from Iran's Attacks

Mon, 17 Feb 2020 17:18:19 +0000

VPN's Are NOT Safe from Iran's Attacks

Perhaps you thought your VPN was safe enough and nobody would get access to your data. You're wrong! Iran has been hitting VPN's in order to steal as much data as possible and they're not as bad as you first thought. They've become experts at hacking computers just like Russian, Chinese and North Korean are. And yes, the Iranian government is backing them.

Those hackers just need an idiot to publish the code that evidences a vulnerable function or library or port before they get time to publish a patch fixing the security issue.

There's no sign telling us that VPN servers won't be targeted by hackers anymore so be careful!

Short Article
https://www.linuxexperten.com/news/iran-...pn-servers
Lengthy Article
https://www.zdnet.com/article/iranian-ha...the-world/
Security Firm's Report
https://www.clearskysec.com/fox-kitten/

Google Chrome Now Hates Downloads

Mon, 17 Feb 2020 04:33:41 +0000

Google Chrome Now Hates Downloads

According to the article below, Google plans to block more and more downloads based on its mixed contents or its corresponding level of security risk. O_O The more you update your browser, the least you'll be able to download as usual.

Is it really necessary to get to this point, Google? O_o? Or are you just being extremely paranoid now?

Google Chrome will block insecure downloads
https://www.linuxexperten.com/news/googl...-downloads

Mobile Voting Election Apps

Sat, 15 Feb 2020 06:57:38 +0000

MIT researchers disclose vulnerabilities in Voatz mobile voting election app
Researchers say Voatz security flaws could allow someone to alter, stop, or expose how an individual user has voted.

https://www.zdnet.com/article/mit-resear...ction-app/

voatz.com Wrote:Voatz is on a mission to make voting safer and more accessible. All citizens have a right to vote regardless of their circumstance.
West Virginia first in the nation Mobile Voting

ZDNet Wrote:Academics from MIT's computer science laboratory have published a security audit today of Voatz, a mobile app used for online voting during the 2018 US midterm elections and scheduled to be used again in the upcoming 2020 presidential election.

I wonder if it was really allowed by any federal institution or if it's just a way to keep statistics for private companies like mass media. Really, who on Earth can trust an app?

Ask yourself any of all of the following questions:

Are you able to check its source code at any given time?
Does its code stay uptodate?
Do you really know who's behind its development?
Who are the company's owners and contributors?

ZDNet Wrote:"Our findings serve as a concrete illustration of the common wisdom against Internet voting, and of the importance of transparency to the legitimacy of elections," researchers added.
MIT academics urge states to continue using paper ballots rather than mobile apps that transmit votes over the internet.
They say the current paper ballot voting system is designed to be transparent, and allow citizens and political parties to observe the voting process.

Even if they tell you that people in charge of processing the ballots only need an electronic document stating the end results of any specific district as a receipt of sorts, an email, no matter how encrypted it can ever be, won't be as trustworthy as the physical documents used as ballots that actually contain hard evidence of the voters' true will and hopes.

If people have already complained about shady apps hitting the virtual shelves of Google and Apple and stealing the users' money or forcing them to get spam or viruses or to make any sort of payments against their will because of the lack of information on the app's inner workings, how the hell would you ever expect a voting system to be trustworthy?

What if some questionable character like George Soros were behind its funding?

Seriously, don't let the "there's already some mobile app to do that" trend let you think everything needs to be adapted to your cellphone's OS! What if the app is nothing but a scam? What if people start robbing phones to vote for you or prevent you from voting for your favorite candidate? Even if police is supposed to help you under such circumstances, it'd be impossible for them to handle all those reports at the same time. It might get even worse if you can even notice somebody has stolen your vote for you just "thought" you have sent it back to the electoral authorities' server. What if the internet breaks down that day? What if a foreign country attacks the network that very same day?

What's even worse, have you no recollection of the Democratic phone app that has miserably failed to properly and promptly report the results of the Iowa caucus earlier this month?

Gigabyte + Windows 7 8 & 10 Are At Risk!

Sun, 09 Feb 2020 05:48:43 +0000

Ransomware installs Gigabyte driver
to kill antivirus products

It has been reported that a ransomware gang, those that encrypt your sensitive stuff and ask you for a fee to decrypt it (if they ever do it), has found another method to vulnerate your PC if your motherboard chipset belongs to Gigabyte. Yes, it deactivates your Antivirus in no time.

https://www.zdnet.com/article/ransomware...-products/

ZDNet wrote Wrote:In a report published late last night, Sophos described this new technique as follows:

Ransomware gang gets a foothold on a victim's network.

Hackers install legitimate Gigabyte kernel driver GDRV.SYS.

Hackers exploit a vulnerability in this legitimate driver to gain kernel access.

Attackers use the kernel access to temporarily disable the Windows OS driver signature enforcement.

Hackers install a malicious kernel driver named RBNL.SYS.

Attackers use this driver to disable or stop antivirus and other security products running on an infected host.

Hackers execute the RobbinHood ransomware and encrypt the victim's files.

Per Sophos, this antivirus bypassing technique works on Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10.

Basically what it says is that they manage to connect to your home network (by hacking your WiFi or your router?) and then place a driver that impersonates the usual Gigabyte driver. Nope, it's not like they care about your security. They just know that driver so well as to send a few commands to force it to do their bidding! They deactivate Windows features and then it's free to install the real malware that might steal all of your precious moments captured with your camera or all those valuable documents and spreadsheets you had to submit by the end of the week. Antivirus get some serious sleep and after a while you'd get a request for making a payment. Usually they keep asking for more and more money for nothing in return.

ZDNet wrote Wrote:For this debacle, two parties are at fault -- first Gigabyte, and then Verisign.

Gigabyte's fault resides in its unprofessional manner in which it dealt with the vulnerability report for the affected driver. Instead of acknowledging the issue and releasing a patch, Gigabyte claimed its products were not affected.

Now you know how exactly you've ended up fearing when that massive and terrible data loss might ever happen.

ZDNet wrote Wrote:The company's downright refusal to recognize the vulnerability led the researchers who found the bug to publish public details about this bug, along with proof-of-concept code to reproduce the vulnerability. This public proof-of-concept code gave attackers a roadmap to exploiting the Gigabyte driver.

When public pressure was put on the company to fix the driver, Gigabyte instead chose to discontinue it, rather than releasing a patch.

Well, usually whenever a programmer demonstrates that some piece of code is vulnerable, the companies involved in that mess do something to remedy it... except for Gigabyte!

Of course, hackers like those living in North Korea or Iran or probably China as well are now fully aware of this epic fail and can now target as many affected Gigabyte based PC's as possible.

Verisign, a company in charge of driver security certificates, could have invalidated the driver's certificate as a way to tell Windows it's unsafe... but they just ignored the issue as well.

Keep in mind there are other variants of this kind of cyber attack that may even reboot your PC to enter safe mode and make sure you can't run any antivirus software!

What I'd usually recommend you here would be to do any of the following:

Ditch Windows altogether and keep using Linux
Install Linux in a separate harddisk or disk partition and then install any antivirus available for Linux that you can run to get rid of any malicious software found in your Windows partition(s).

The following section applies only to other variants of this cyberattack

Sadly Houston, we got a problem here. AFAIK there's no antivirus that can check if your motherboard chips got compromised. You'd need to call a technician to flash your compromised chip, hoping it won't render your motherboard useless in case the flashing fails or keeps failing. If carefully done, it should usually work... Still, I can't guarantee that will be more than enough to get rid of the menace.