Watched David Cronenberg’s The Brood from 1979. I wanted to like it more. Someday.

I watched The Curse of Frankenstein (1957). Interesting twist on the Frankenstein legend, but I thought this one was less focused and entertaining than the other hammer horrors I’ve seen. Still, an engaging performance from Peter Cushing.

A lot has changed in the world since I last posted.

I have been extremely lucky during this pandemic. I am still employed, I can work from home, and I have my wife to shelter with. I do not take these things for granted.

And yet.

While my work life has not changed as drastically, my personal life has. Most of the things I did outside work before the pandemic were in person. Can’t do that right now. So, it gave me some time to work on home-bound projects that I pushed back on the shelf.

To that end, I’m very excited to introduce PCG, or Point and Click Game engine, an adventure game creation utility for the open web.

I did a talk about it three years ago (ouch), so this project has certainly been a long time coming.

PCG is very much in active development, but I think I’ve made encouraging progress, which I’ll explore in detail later.

But first, what am I talking about?

What is an adventure game?

If this is old hat to you, skip ahead to the next section.

For those not familiar, a point and click adventure game is a style of narrative, story-based games where progress is made primarily through puzzle solving, rather than violence or reflexes, something I appreciate more and more as I age.

While their popularity peaked in the early 90s for mainstream gaming cultural, they have thrived in the indie space over the past decade or so.

Mechanically, many games in the genre use a system of verbs to interact with the world. You click a verb from a menu, for example “push”, and then the person or object in the game you want to apply it to, such as “crate”. Perhaps there would be a trap door below the crate, and a new area is unlocked.

Another method some games employ is to do away with the specific list of verbs, having pre-determined actions when interacting, or relying on the levers that must be switched in the right order.

Almost all have you collecting various esoteric items, having the player apply those items to people or objects in the game, or combining them with each other.

A relatively simple system, from a game mechanics perspective, but one that hides a lot of depth, story-telling potential, and that particular player satisfaction from figuring out a puzzle.

Why a web-based adventure engine?

Most innovation in the web game space is around the <canvas> element and Web Assembly, which allows developers to “start from scratch” and create entirely custom rendering divorced from any of the preconceptions of the web.

This works well for action games or games with pixel-pushing graphics. However, the goal here is always to emulate a native application, and since games written for the browser cannot by definition ever be native, the best they can be is a close approximation.

While close might be good enough, this always felt like a missed opportunity to me. We spend all these resources trying to get the web to be more like native applications, but hardly any on what new and interesting experiences we can create that are unique to the web. As Marshal McLuhan wrote, an author I’m proud to say I got a few pages into, the medium is the message.

I started thinking about what kind of games would work well inside the traditional web context - aka, HTML, CSS and JavaScript (and SVG) rendered into a DOM tree.

After some thought, I settled on point-and-click adventure games.

My reasons being:

1. They are not real-time games—Having game play that relies on any kind of precise timing are going to need a more controllable rendering model than the traditional web.
2. They rely on text/audio—Text is a first class citizen of the web, and new web audio APIs make that aspect possible.
3. They are narrative-driven—The web is a powerful method of communication, and I’m excited by new methods of leveraging that.
4. I like them :smile:—This is important, because without it I wouldn’t be able to finish a big project like this.

In short, I thought I could re-create many of the different point and click adventure paradigms on the web, while taking full advantage of the things that make the web the web.

Some of the unique things that are attractive about the web are:

1. It’s universal—Many more people have access to a web browser than those with access to a machine that can play a triple A game.
2. It’s accessible by default (with a rich API for extensions)—This enables access by those with visual, auditory, motor, or other disabilities. Accessibility is sadly an afterthought in a lot of digital design, and seems entirely absent in the gaming space. Treating accessibility as a first class citizen makes the experience better for everyone.
3. It’s sharable—An oft taken for granted killer feature of the web is URLs. The power of sharing a permanent link that will work in every browser and can be posted to any platform is one I cannot understate.

Design goals

The ultimate goal of PCG is to foster a open, welcoming, and creative community around making point and click adventure games on the web.

In game engine terms, the goal is to create a flexible, modular, and pluggable system of components that can be combined to create most if not all the point and click varieties mentioned above (and many that were not), as well as opening up the possibility for new and unique games only possible in the web format.

After a lot more thought, writing, re-writing, trial and error, and leveraging embarrassingly earned career experience, I settled on some design principles for PCG.

The thought of even having design principles was something hard earned, but one I strongly believe in: a north star for how you go about making something out of nothing.

1. Leverage core web tech (HTML/CSS/JS)—Rely on core web technologies and patterns over writing new systems. While new systems may offer benefits, building off existing ones usually means a more familiar, fast, and pleasant player experience.
2. Player experience over developer experience—While developers are important, the end result that players consume takes precedence over the experience of the developers creating the game. These first two principles are why PCG is built without a framework in vanilla HTML/CSS/JS.
3. Through documentation—A well documented system is an understood system, and an understood system is a powerful tool.
4. Newbie friendly—As the web has professionalized, many exciting capabilities have opened up. It has also raised the barrier to entry. Creating something fun and expressive that can be used at a basic level to good results, while still offering a much larger world of possibility for those interested in learning, I think strikes the right balance.
5. Open source—This is essential to creating a community, which is critical to the success of a tiny project like this. I also believe in it.

Next steps

This is a very high level introduction to the ideas surrounding the PCG project. I plan on writing posts going in-depth on each component of the system as they’re built and as updates are made. These posts will hopefully serve as a living progress report.

While I’ve spent a lot of time on PCG already, it is still in the beginning stages. It is very much a leap of faith.

I can’t predict what kind of community it will attract, if any, or what this project may or may not evolve into.

But I am excited to find out.

You can check out the Github repository or the documentation site for PCG, both very much in progress. If you have any feedback or would like to contribute, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

If you’d like to see what PCG is capable of currently (as much as I cringe to reveal the multitude of missing features) my friend made a tiny, rough demo game, and I made a little demo showcasing the text box component.

Thanks for reading all the way to the end, hope you and yours are safe and healthy, and I’ll catch you on the next adventure.

Syndicated to:

• dev.to
• Medium
• Hacker News

This is a piece I wrote for McSweeny’s that I didn’t think would get published, but wanted to go through the process regardless. As suspected, it was not published. Here it is, in all it’s rejected glory.

Cats have lived with humans for thousands of years, but their behavior can still be baffling. The best method for understanding cat personalities is the same as it is for humans: figuring out which lifeless rocks were in the sky when they were born.

Aries

Your Aries cat is energetic and headstrong, which is why he ruined your couch. Drawn to competition, he excels at interpersonal struggles, like stealing the neighbor cat’s food. He can appear selfish, but only because he has tunnel vision for his task at hand. That’s why he seems so disinterested in you when he’s staring at dust.

Tarus

Your Tarus cat is peaceful and non-combative, and other cats will beat the ever living Christ out of him. Trusty and reliable, he will always pee on the exact same spot on the carpet. Naturally seeking luxury, your cat would never make it on the street. In fact, all street Tarus cats are dead.

Gemini

Feeling a deep need to be with others, your Gemini cat will make a habit of barging in whenever you take a crap. A philosopher at heart, you will often see your cat gazing out the window, pondering life’s great questions. Questions such as, “Will I get to kill that bird?”

Cancer

Much like Vin Diesel, your Cancer cat is obsessed with family. Except only metaphorically; cats are really territorial. Have you ever seen two cats getting to know each other? It’s brutal. But somewhere in her heart, she thinks of them as family, even as she’s ripping off an ear.

Leo

The ur-cat, Leos do what cats do, but more. Lay around? Check. Eat? Check. Hunt your shins? Check and check. In addition, Leos are very courageous, and will barely run away from the vacuum.

Virgo

Don’t let the surface fool you - it may look like your Virgo cat is doing nothing, but rest assured, inside, her mind is alive with calculations and predictions. Yes, to you it looks like she has been asleep for upwards of three days, but inside, she just did your taxes. Trust me.

Libra

Your cat craves balance above all else; can’t have too much or too little, everything has to be just right. Dry or wet? Felt or feather toy? Petting or no? Whatever it is, you better get it God damn right.

Scorpio

Scorpio cats are not aggressive on their own, but are quick to violence if provoked. Like, if you look at them too long.

Sagittarius

The symbol of Sagittarius is the centaur - half human, half horse - but that’s for humans. The cat version is half cat, half shetland pony. The cat half is terrified of the pony half.

Capricorn

Driven by ambition, your Capricorn cat will stop at nothing to achieve things no cat has ever accomplished before. That’s why she keeps fighting the dog. One of these days, she’s going to win, so separating them is against the stars.

Aquarius

Generous and dedicated, Aquarius cats are the philanthropists of the feline world. This means they’ll think twice before stealing the neighbor cat’s food. They’ll still do it, but they’ll think about it first.

Pisces

The symbol of Pisces is a fish, and all Pisces cats won’t eat fish out of self respect, even though they love it. The only way to get your Pisces cat to eat fish is if she’s hungry.

Just saw The Best Years of Our Lives, which I recommend. Like many movies prior to around 1970, it features a lot of cheery, well-mannered alcoholism. You can get it public domain on archive.org.

I just saw The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie on Amazon Prime. I’d like to like it more. 🍿: https://www.chrisdeluca.me/note/1574308753/

Also posted to: https://mastodon.social/@bronzehedwick/103174031973953819

I just saw The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie on Amazon Prime. I’d like to like it more.

Saw Jojo Rabbit, and it’s fantastic. Hilarious, touching, poignant, hilarious. That’s 3 for 3 for Taika Waititi. Do yourself a favor and go see it.

🍿 I saw #DolomiteIsMyName this weekend and I really enjoyed it. Eddie Murphy is great in it, but can we all agree that Wesley Snipes is a complete assassin? Super fun performance.

🍿 I just saw Spartacus for the first time. Amazing to think that the same director is responsible for Spartacus, 2001, Dr Strangelove, Clockwork Orange, The Shining, Full Metal Jacket, and Cheaper by the Dozen 2.

Original posts:

• on Twitter
• on Mastodon

I just saw North by Northwest for the first time. We watched most of the movie two nights ago, then finished it the next day, making the ending even more abrupt. 🍿

Syndicated to:

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🍿 I saw On The Waterfront for the first time the other day. Spoiler alert: it’s good. Also, set in Hoboken! Still, I was surprised how much of the plot revolved around re-routed PATH trains.

Syndicated to:

• Twitter
• Mastodon

This is what I’ve been reading this past week.

• Admissions Scandal Shows Elite Schools’ Self-Importance - The Atlantic
  A think piece from a Yale professor refocusing on what the point of universities are, although the bit at the end about not being ashamed of admitting wealthy donors kids for their money is never going to fly.
• hooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooorse
  I’m honestly heartened when I see goofy, pointless stuff like this on the web again.
• List: Revolutionary Quotes From Centrist History - McSweeney’s Internet Tendency
  McSweeny’s swoops in once more for the win.
• List: If Conservatives Talked About Other Issues the Way They Talk About Climate Change - McSweeney’s Internet Tendency
  Nailed it.
• ‘Centurians of Rome’: How a Bank Robber Made the Most Expensive Gay Porno Flick of All Time
  Engrossing long form about a gay, Cuban-American overachiever, and one time anti-gay crusader’s life of crime.

There it is, and here we are. Go forth.

This is what I’ve been reading this past week.

• Using CSS Grid the right way | hey it’s violet
  Some good tips.
• Alyssa Rosenzweig – The Federation Fallacy
  Convincing take on the democratization of a centralized internet, versus a decentralized one.

There it is, and here we are. Go forth.

This is what I’ve been reading this past week.

• Four Temperaments and the Forms of Poetry
  A thinky, verbose literary analysis of what ingredients writers bring to their work, and how those best interact. Focused pointedly on poetry, but I think it has value for anyone working creatively with the written word.
• Jessie Frazelle’s Blog: Government. Medicine. Capitalism?
  What the software industry can learn from government and medicine, and generally good thoughts on management.
• Remembering The Grateful Dead’s ‘Wall of Sound’: An Absurd Feat of Technological Engineering
  Another story about The Dead I didn’t think I’d enjoy, but here we are.
• Write code that is easy to delete
  Great article on software design, but I think the broad principles are applicative to many creative fields, as well.

There it is, and here we are. Go forth.

These are some choice picks from what I’ve been reading for the past few weeks.

I hope to publish these link round-ups weekly, but for this first one I have a backlog of saved links, so this one has more links then will be usual.

• Ong’s Hat: The Early Internet Conspiracy Game That Got Too Real
  If you’re into reading about weirdo conspiracy theories, inter dimensional travel, and/or New Jersey, this is a must.
• Privacy vs “I have nothing to hide” - Kev Quirk
  Puts the importance of privacy in plain, effecting language.
• CERN 2019 WorldWideWeb Rebuild
  Very cool recreation of the first web browser, written for NeXT.
• Prof. Dr. Style
  A fun look at the very early web design, and how bullet-proof it is still.
• Was the Godfather of Soul murdered?
  Completely gripping, totally chilling. I was captivated.
• The Transitive Nightfall of Fatty Egg Rolls
  I’m strangely enthralled by this tale of bygone Deadhead egg rolls, from a bygone website.
• A brief history of wi-fi privacy vulnerabilities | Robert Heaton
  A fascinating look at one of the underpinnings of modern life.

There it is, and here we are. Go forth.

It’s like if Humphrey Bogart and Tina Fey had a baby.
—Stephen Spielberg

Folks, it is my distinct pleasure, honor, and plonor¹ to announce the release of The Pulp Tales of Gwendolyn Gween, P.I., a scripted serial comedy podcast I wrote and created with my partner Daniel Contreras. In fact, not only is the show released, all six episodes in this season are out right now, so you can binge the whole thing.

However convincing the above has been in getting you to blindly subscribe to something on the internet, you may still have some questions.

What Is This Crap?

Rude, but I’ll allow it.

The Pulp Tales of Gwendolyn Gween, P.I. is a scripted comedy podcast. That means it’s not people talking about their re-watch of some 90’s sitcom, or discussions about something educational. While those are all awesome shows, The Pulp Tales of Gwendolyn Gween, P.I. is carefully written, and performed by talented actors, like a TV show, but for your ears.

The show is a pastiche of film noir set in New York City, and follows a junior detective, Gwen Gween, as she cracks cases and searches for her lost parents amidst a world gone mad. If that doesn’t sound exciting, then check your adrenal glands. If that doesn’t sound funny, then just listen for a few minutes and we’ll hopefully prove your doubting ass wrong.

This is a serialized show, so you need to listen to each episode in succession to understand the plot. That may sound like a lot more work, but you already do it for every HBO show and it really just means there’s jokes that reference other jokes.

Why Should I Care?

Because if you’re reading this, chances are, this show is for you.

If you like dark stories about a dark town told with a dark sense of humor and farts, you should subscribe. If you like word play, gun play, horse play, and ass play, you should subscribe. If you like finding out about something cool before everyone else does and then being really pompous about it when all your friends start talking about it two years later, you should subscribe. If you’ve read this far in this article, come on, you should subscribe.

Where Can I Get It?

So glad you asked!

You can find The Pulp Tales of Gwendolyn Gween, P.I. on iTunes/Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or where ever you listen to podcasts, and you can find all the links and more information at our website.

Also, you can follow us on Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter, where we post a lot more pictures and videos about the show.

Finally, keep tabs on duncecap.nyc, our production company website, for more sweet stuff in the very near future.

Wrap It Up

I’m really proud of this show, and I think you’re really going to like it. If you do enjoy it, tell a friend. If you don’t, keep your yap shut.

Stay badass, and thanks!

I recently saw Titicut Follies, the 1969 documentary film about the harrowing conditions in a Massachusetts prison for the criminally insane. The movie was banned by the state of Massachusetts until … Read more

At the museum of the moving image waiting to see 2001: A Space Odyssey in 70mm!

Original post: <twitter.com/chrisjohn…>

At the museum of the moving image waiting to see 2001 in 70mm!

Original post: <twitter.com/chrisjohn…>

If anyone wants to check if they have a pee fetish, go see Dance of Reality. #movie #imagestuckinhead #somanyquestions

Original post: <twitter.com/chrisjohn…>

Just saw The Dark Crystal for the first time. It was…weird.

Original post: <twitter.com/chrisjohn…>