Making a few tweaks to the code for the search in the game, so that users will be able to search even if their pockets are full, they just can't take anything.
An extra bit will be needed to click on events when they occur to interact with them, so highspeed clicking through the beach won't get you anything (currently it gives you a good chance of only missing curios).
Regarding the Smashwords tools, animation is still the most requested item. We still don't have a Flash dev onboard, so we are looking at options. The php option is not currently on the table as our server doesn't support it, but the java dev says he can create a standalone app that will generate animated gifs for users to download and save. With Java we timed it - the app takes 2 seconds, but the plugin that supports it takes 20. While this is a problem for an e-reader, for a banner generation app it might be less of one.
Tuesday 28 February 2012
Monday 27 February 2012
Hatchery and game
I'm rather happy. There was only one problem with the game over the weekend, a login issue. For an alpha that only just went into testing one bug isn't bad. And it wasn't my code! The login database, the only thing I didn't create because I have a longstanding string/array preference, had a corruption problem and went down. If you signed up for the game at the weekend and now can't get in, please drop me a note through the comments on this blog entry and I'll fix it. I won't publish your comment.
It does make me wonder though, since the only reason I was looking at moving to a database was robustness, and the database is so far the only component that has failed. The knock-on effect? I'm looking for a flatfile forum to wire in. For the moment, there's a remotely hosted Nabble forum available on the site at Beach cafe.
Mentioning forums, by the way, the forum for the hatchery has gone. Dealing with the spammers was too much of an overhead, since there were so few legitimate users, so we've taken it down to save bandwidth and storage space.
It does make me wonder though, since the only reason I was looking at moving to a database was robustness, and the database is so far the only component that has failed. The knock-on effect? I'm looking for a flatfile forum to wire in. For the moment, there's a remotely hosted Nabble forum available on the site at Beach cafe.
Mentioning forums, by the way, the forum for the hatchery has gone. Dealing with the spammers was too much of an overhead, since there were so few legitimate users, so we've taken it down to save bandwidth and storage space.
Thursday 23 February 2012
Voice control?
tESTING OUT - sorry, testing out a freeware voice control mod for web navigation. The basics are fine, but there are a few glitches. On Squidoo's control panel is actually easier to go directly to a workshop that try to negotiate through the mouseovers that make the links visible.
I'll update if I can get this working, but since hotkeys still require keyboard use and my hands are killing me after all the coding recently, I really want an alternative.
Interestingly, it's breaking on squidoo's dashboard. When I ask it to load that it keep hanging until I turn the Viavoice on and off.
So I cut out the dashboard (use the invaluable lens list off squidutils) and removed half the problems. The other set are to do with American software and a British accent...
I think I've got it - the trick seems to be to avoid the dashboard, speak very slowly, and wait until each page has loaded completely. Just because I can see it doesn't mean the voice access can find it.
I'll update if I can get this working, but since hotkeys still require keyboard use and my hands are killing me after all the coding recently, I really want an alternative.
Interestingly, it's breaking on squidoo's dashboard. When I ask it to load that it keep hanging until I turn the Viavoice on and off.
So I cut out the dashboard (use the invaluable lens list off squidutils) and removed half the problems. The other set are to do with American software and a British accent...
I think I've got it - the trick seems to be to avoid the dashboard, speak very slowly, and wait until each page has loaded completely. Just because I can see it doesn't mean the voice access can find it.
Tuesday 21 February 2012
Game into alpha
This is a spin-off of another project I was working on, which ran into a (temporary) deadend - the hoster doesn't have the right modules installed. While we wait on the ticket to get that fixed, I put this together.
http://www.sea-shore.co.uk
It's a fairly basic collection game, with a few easter eggs. Collect items on the beach, clean 'em up, don't break 'em and build your collection. You clean items by displaying them on forums etc. Get too many hits in two short a time, or two many hits altogether, and the items break. This version is backed by flat files while we get a database optimised for the beta version - since I built it as an experiment in file handling, the only thing I need to see now is how it runs with more players.
Feel free to give it a go.
The other thing you might notice is the ad at the bottom - it's not (currently) a pay ad, just me testing out a new widget for the Smashwords Tools which are now at http://www.smashingreads.com. Click through for a minisite.
http://www.sea-shore.co.uk
It's a fairly basic collection game, with a few easter eggs. Collect items on the beach, clean 'em up, don't break 'em and build your collection. You clean items by displaying them on forums etc. Get too many hits in two short a time, or two many hits altogether, and the items break. This version is backed by flat files while we get a database optimised for the beta version - since I built it as an experiment in file handling, the only thing I need to see now is how it runs with more players.
Feel free to give it a go.
The other thing you might notice is the ad at the bottom - it's not (currently) a pay ad, just me testing out a new widget for the Smashwords Tools which are now at http://www.smashingreads.com. Click through for a minisite.
Thursday 9 February 2012
Pinterest Links
Pinterest just hit the news and not in a good way.
What Affiliates and Merchants should know about Pinterest
Pinterest Modifying User Submitted Pins
Basically, Pinterest are modifying user's submitted pins to add affiliate links. Now monetising links site-wide is fine, if you tell people. Overwriting users' own affiliate links with your own on the other hand, is not. If the user doesn't want this, then they have to go into Pinterest's edit screen and change it - but users haven't been told about it, so they don't know they need to.
I have heard people take the line that if you pin your own unique content, Pinterest can't make funds off it. If you pin a review or upload it, any links will be overwritten, so you can spend time reviewing a product and now get no return for it.
"It's free" isn't a good excuse. So are the Smashwords tools, and the fact there is an embedded affiliate link to cover bandwidth is on the front page of the site!
Having had, on one of my sites, the reference link to the Wall Street Journal article I quoted replaced by a link for the Wall Street film DVD, I'm not a fan of systems like Skimlinks. To me, this would be like writing an article and then finding the links redirected to the owner's sites on the topic.
What really worries me is in the comments for the article here:
Pinterest Links.
Apparently merchants using Skimlinks lose a degree of control over where their affiliate links are placed. Publishers appear to have limited control over which products they are endorsing when Skimlinks highlights words or swaps links.
Not only does this have the copyright implications above - when the link altered is a legally required attribution link - but it means that you don't have full control over what is endorsed on your page. Unless they are offering full insurance in case of legal action over content I would be cautious.
I can put an affiliate link on Wizzley and Squidoo and have it served unaltered. I can put a link on Redgage and get paid for views. I can put a review on Dooyoo or Ciao and get bonuses for ratings. I won't be putting anything on Pinterest - they don't offer me anything.
Me? I'll stick to obvious banners with the ad network name below them so objectionable ones can be reported and removed, and endorsing (with referrals) sites I actually use.
What Affiliates and Merchants should know about Pinterest
Pinterest Modifying User Submitted Pins
Basically, Pinterest are modifying user's submitted pins to add affiliate links. Now monetising links site-wide is fine, if you tell people. Overwriting users' own affiliate links with your own on the other hand, is not. If the user doesn't want this, then they have to go into Pinterest's edit screen and change it - but users haven't been told about it, so they don't know they need to.
I have heard people take the line that if you pin your own unique content, Pinterest can't make funds off it. If you pin a review or upload it, any links will be overwritten, so you can spend time reviewing a product and now get no return for it.
"It's free" isn't a good excuse. So are the Smashwords tools, and the fact there is an embedded affiliate link to cover bandwidth is on the front page of the site!
Having had, on one of my sites, the reference link to the Wall Street Journal article I quoted replaced by a link for the Wall Street film DVD, I'm not a fan of systems like Skimlinks. To me, this would be like writing an article and then finding the links redirected to the owner's sites on the topic.
What really worries me is in the comments for the article here:
Pinterest Links.
Apparently merchants using Skimlinks lose a degree of control over where their affiliate links are placed. Publishers appear to have limited control over which products they are endorsing when Skimlinks highlights words or swaps links.
Not only does this have the copyright implications above - when the link altered is a legally required attribution link - but it means that you don't have full control over what is endorsed on your page. Unless they are offering full insurance in case of legal action over content I would be cautious.
I can put an affiliate link on Wizzley and Squidoo and have it served unaltered. I can put a link on Redgage and get paid for views. I can put a review on Dooyoo or Ciao and get bonuses for ratings. I won't be putting anything on Pinterest - they don't offer me anything.
Me? I'll stick to obvious banners with the ad network name below them so objectionable ones can be reported and removed, and endorsing (with referrals) sites I actually use.
Wednesday 8 February 2012
Zurker
Yep, I just joined zurker. It's a new social network where users are also owners.
So far it hasn't done the Facebook or Google thing of asking for too many personal details. I've left most of my profile blank - I don't discuss my hobbies or interests with people I work with face to face, so why would I want to talk to them about it online? - and it hasn't complained.
I will be curious to see how they handle single valid addresses though. If they use the US thing of one-computer-one-IP, instead of one-network-one-IP, they could be in for a shock. I signed up from a multi-user, multi-PC site with one exposed IP - a proxy. How they handle it will be interesting.
It does seem to offer circles and some basic connections. I won't be putting my IP (intellectual property) directly on there, simply because it doesn't offer me anything for it, unlike squidoo etc and I have bills to pay.
Have a look here: zurker.
If you are more sociable than me it might work for you.
So far it hasn't done the Facebook or Google thing of asking for too many personal details. I've left most of my profile blank - I don't discuss my hobbies or interests with people I work with face to face, so why would I want to talk to them about it online? - and it hasn't complained.
I will be curious to see how they handle single valid addresses though. If they use the US thing of one-computer-one-IP, instead of one-network-one-IP, they could be in for a shock. I signed up from a multi-user, multi-PC site with one exposed IP - a proxy. How they handle it will be interesting.
It does seem to offer circles and some basic connections. I won't be putting my IP (intellectual property) directly on there, simply because it doesn't offer me anything for it, unlike squidoo etc and I have bills to pay.
Have a look here: zurker.
If you are more sociable than me it might work for you.
A cynical and cheesed-off morning.
I'm facing today with a feeling of extreme cynicism.
Squidoo want me to change my lens images to 250x250 squares. I've carefully sizes the rectangles to fit in most cases. Product Images can't change size, and the chances of me getting the rights to images in that format for some of my other topics are 0. I can find a couple of lenses I don't care about and resize it, I suppose, but I'm not sure it will be worth it.
Regarding the game, the wireframe is in place and mechanics all working and backed by ASCII files. I'd actually prefer to keep the ASCII over the database - not just for flexibility, but because of arguments with the database developer, who wants to abandon the spec he was given and build something more conventional. (Yes, I know you follow this blog - now follow the spec!). This would involve changing the entire course and focus of the game, so it isn't happening. The text files are structured for a reason - the structure can be replicated in a database table...
The debate: Items v. collections. Individual items have no data or meta data linked. They only exist while they are in a collection, and are attributes of the collection. The collections have metadata and additional data. I want things keyed to collections as items are created and destroyed frequently. He wants all data keyed to the items and the collection given as an additional metadata field. Sounds great until you realise that the item method requires a join of two tables or an awful lot of duplication, which runs a lot slower, because the system calls everything by collection. A single item is never called from the database.
The hatchery update seems to be working: there are a lot fewer adults showing up on the admin screen than there were.
And finally the ongoing contact with Braun. They haven't phoned me back in the suggested 5 days, which is wonderful customer service. My current opinion of their company? Make crap product and then fail to honour guarantee.
I could keep politely chasing them, but it is a sad comment on the state of the world that politely chasing them will get me nowhere but bad-mouthing them through a Twitter account with 10,000+ followers has a better chance of getting the problem fixed and take less of my time and effort.
Squidoo want me to change my lens images to 250x250 squares. I've carefully sizes the rectangles to fit in most cases. Product Images can't change size, and the chances of me getting the rights to images in that format for some of my other topics are 0. I can find a couple of lenses I don't care about and resize it, I suppose, but I'm not sure it will be worth it.
Regarding the game, the wireframe is in place and mechanics all working and backed by ASCII files. I'd actually prefer to keep the ASCII over the database - not just for flexibility, but because of arguments with the database developer, who wants to abandon the spec he was given and build something more conventional. (Yes, I know you follow this blog - now follow the spec!). This would involve changing the entire course and focus of the game, so it isn't happening. The text files are structured for a reason - the structure can be replicated in a database table...
The debate: Items v. collections. Individual items have no data or meta data linked. They only exist while they are in a collection, and are attributes of the collection. The collections have metadata and additional data. I want things keyed to collections as items are created and destroyed frequently. He wants all data keyed to the items and the collection given as an additional metadata field. Sounds great until you realise that the item method requires a join of two tables or an awful lot of duplication, which runs a lot slower, because the system calls everything by collection. A single item is never called from the database.
The hatchery update seems to be working: there are a lot fewer adults showing up on the admin screen than there were.
And finally the ongoing contact with Braun. They haven't phoned me back in the suggested 5 days, which is wonderful customer service. My current opinion of their company? Make crap product and then fail to honour guarantee.
I could keep politely chasing them, but it is a sad comment on the state of the world that politely chasing them will get me nowhere but bad-mouthing them through a Twitter account with 10,000+ followers has a better chance of getting the problem fixed and take less of my time and effort.
Monday 6 February 2012
Websites, networks and more
A new social network, a new articles site, new this, new that and new the other.
I'm not going to be really picking up on these for a while, since today is likely to be bugfixing. This morning we fixed a small database issue with the Squidoo science pages. This afternoon I have a bug list to tackle on the Smashwords stuff and if I get some of those done I need to work on a game engine which is proving tricky (read bloody awkward).
The hatchery is doing well though, and we have no integrated the adult check into the page so it runs slightly slower, but prunes adults a lot more often so eggs get to the front faster. It's also started producing more adults and fewer dead eggs or hatchlings leaving without growing up.
And right now I have a website to build for the widgets...a coder's work never ends, at least not if they want to pay the bills!
I'm not going to be really picking up on these for a while, since today is likely to be bugfixing. This morning we fixed a small database issue with the Squidoo science pages. This afternoon I have a bug list to tackle on the Smashwords stuff and if I get some of those done I need to work on a game engine which is proving tricky (read bloody awkward).
The hatchery is doing well though, and we have no integrated the adult check into the page so it runs slightly slower, but prunes adults a lot more often so eggs get to the front faster. It's also started producing more adults and fewer dead eggs or hatchlings leaving without growing up.
And right now I have a website to build for the widgets...a coder's work never ends, at least not if they want to pay the bills!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
