Anyone who's followed my blog in the past, you may not expect timely updates. But I assure you, I have not abandoned this project. I'm now in a better position to create content than I could in the past so without promising when you'll see updates, I'll just start posting more screenshots. Yes this is new content, no I don't have a timeline.
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So recently, I put up a Survey on the homepage. I like to hear from you guys because it lets me know where to focus. Here's a recent comment: "You have by far the highest quality and most polished textures, but they aren't quite as accurate to the original as the other project I've seen." I find this interesting because, although I do have older textures from before I made this resolve, I do strive to have textures that are as close to the originals as possible. If you find that a texture isn't up to par, please point it out to me, because I will redo it. I keep my project files for each texture intact so I can edit or redo any file. Until then, Please enjoy these textures that I'm proud of: (Probably gonna redo that first one, it looks too good)
I was just typing a blog post when I accidentally hit the back button and lost it all. I'll be breif.
I have working code to send data over the internet, and I can configure your router automatically. I'm also working on the p2p logic, and the rest of the program is falling into place. I still have a ways to go, but I'll give you something to keep you busy while you wait. If you've been paying attention to the blog recently (the comments on the previous entry), you already know about my plans for the Texture Node Network. I'll be integrating RH into a larger project which will work for any High Res texture project (emulators, PC game projects, and so on) The Program will be named Texture Node, and the Website / Network will be known as the Texture Node Network. Here's the kicker. I'm not sure what I want to do for the logo for TNN. If you have any Ideas, please send them to me at [email protected] Oh also, you can also find this site at its new URL: http://gcn-tp.TextureNode.net I guess its about time to post a new update. For all of you waiting on your toes for this, sorry it took so long.
As I've stated before, I was having some trouble with RH, mainly, because I'm terrible with databases. Anyways, A few days ago I was contacted by a fan who is a seasoned web developer / programmer who was interested in helping out. Some time goes by, and we're pretty sure we'll get RH up and running soon. One of my pitfalls with RH was that without knowing if I would be able to do all the features I promised, I couldn't design the layout or flow of the program, because I simply didn't know how it was going to work. Now I do. Our other developer (who is only anonymous because I haven't asked him what he wishes his display name to be) and I are playing our strengths. I'm designing the flow and layout of the program, he'll be providing the server, database, and data bound linking. As it stands, I'll be working on the design for a while before he even gets to look at it, and I can't make any promises how long it will take. Unlike when I started this program with a lot of free time, I'm now working two jobs. I'm pushing RH for the longevity of this and other retexture projects. I'll be updating the Retexture Helper page as I work on the design, but don't expect any updates for a few days, I'm constantly adjusting it. The closer I get to completion, the less the overall design will change, and the more I'll post. That's what I'm up to, and expect to see updates soon. - StepDragon Its been 10 days since my last update and I don't think that's fair to our followers! I'll get some new work done and a few new screenshots up by midnight EST. Look forward to it.
... ok, maybe not midnight, but before I go to sleep tonight! - StepDragon Well, I've hit another wall with RH. Although I had found a tutorial that showed me how to do the things I needed in RH, It utilized components that I did not have. On the bright side, I understand HOW to do what I need to do much better. and I have a promising lead on how to do it. If that pans out, RH won't take long to complete.
I've changed the concept of the program a bit. It is going to comprise of either a single centralized server, or multiple (active and backup) which can be on any regular computers. Each client will be able to connect to, and browse all the files in the database by tags. Each file will have a direct link to each other file of that type (for example, each of the same file, by a different contributor.) I'm extending the development of RH not just because I'm doing things differently than I had originally thought, but also because I'm coming up with ideas to help make it more user friendly and intuitive. I'm not just designing RH for this project, but so that anyone willing to make a Dolphin HD pack will have easy to use tools at their disposal. One last note, I'm going to be going out of town for the next week or so, therefore I may not post any updates for a while. That depends on my computer access. If only I had a laptop. - StepDragon Oh boy am I happy!
I found a tutorial that wasn't complete gibberish... I now know most of the concepts I need to complete RH... I'm doing some tests and hopefully I'll get a good chunk of the theory done by the end of the day! - StepDragon We've been contacted by an individual who wants to help out with the project. Nothing definitive yet. We'll see how things pan out over the next day or so.
That's just another reminder in the back of my head on how much I need to get RH up and running. If there's anyone out there who can program and wants to help; get in touch with me. I could use the help. It doesn't matter what programming language you know, you can always make a dll that I can integrate into my program. That said, feel free to email me, or hit me up on the dashboard. - StepDragon Retexture Helper is starting to be a bit of a pain. I'm still at it though.
I'm writing RH in Visual Basic .NET. As I've described before, my goal is to create a way to syncronize data between computers automatically. This is simmilar to a RCS (Revision Control System) but completely automatic and seamless for the user. I have the interface for the program mostly set, but it will change if it needs to adapt to new features that I think of. Right now functionality is slim. I'm adapting a few things differently than they were intended. For example, I'm using a control that can detect the creation and deletion of files in a directory. I'm trying to make it so that I can detect when a file is moved from one directory to another... This usually causes a deletion in one folder and a creation in another.. the problem is detecting when both of those occurances happen at the same time, and when the coincide... I have a few theories about this, but they need tested. The main problem with my code is that I have absolutely no idea how to transfer a file over the internet. that is where my friend comes in... He tells me that there is a way for him to use a different programming language, which has easy to use commands for transferring files, and then compile it into a library that I can reference... I'm not sure how that works, but he says he can do it, so we shall see... on the downside, that means that I'm waiting on him before I can get some serious testing done in the program. Anyways, I just wanted to give you some background information on where I'm at with the program. I could also use some help with defining a local database, but that's just too much to explain in a blog post. If you know VB.NET and want to help out, hit me up in google chat. I'm always on [email protected] -StepDragon I'm gonna be truthful and say I haven't gotten much done recently. But I'm back at it and expect to see some detailed progress soon. I'm very much committed to this project, but bear with me, these things take time.
Keeping that in mind, my first priority is to get this project ready to accept more contributors. I know from working with Kage that working together gets better things done quicker. I'm still working on Retexture Helper, and I'm going to continue to focus on it. I've got a friend who should be lending me a hand soon. Now for the update. I'm going to spend the majority of this night updating the website. Although I don't have new content, I'm going to restructure a little. You'll notice by now that the Forum is gone. It was getting terribly too little traffic, and was just a waste of a page. The major change is going to be with the blog. I'm going to allow all contributors access to the blog, and no longer limit the blog to large updates or explanations. I came to this idea when I was watching the beginning of 'The Social Network' where Mark is typing short blog posts while working on his project. I like this idea and I'm going to adapt it. My first idea was to use a twitter feed, but that wouldn't allow large enough posts which would be expected at some point. Therefore I settled on repurposing this blog. The blog will now contain short snippets of my thought process or tiny updates as they happen. Each contributor can update the blog however they see fit. the blog will now have new categories: one for each contributor, so that you can read updates from each of us at once, or read it all together to get a feel for the overall progress. I know at some point that we'll make idiots of ourselves, and show our ignorances, but hey, that's life. Also tonight I'm going to post some updates on my progress on Retexture Helper. I'm stuck with a few things, and If you know how to code, PLEASE comment. I want to get it done, I don't care if I need help to do it. Updates Soon! - StepDragon |