Shape Flow Charts will be redone.
We wont be using the Shapes with a lot of text inside in the future. So we are using shapes with text to visualize the non-linear and branching probabilities progress of the adventures. We are also using MS Word, instead of Google Docs and Libre Office (until I get Callabora and Nextcloud Container working). One of the things we discovered about Shapes and the Boxes of Text in MS word is that - Grammary, Find, and Read-aloud doesnt detect these texts! I have to cut and paste them somewhere else for proofing - By Proofing I listen to the text because of my minor vision problems (which I learned my brother also has). We will still flow chart the Adventure BUT it will be probably a page and use headings to identify the details of the scenario. More NPC Poitraits and Diagrams.
As I was reviewing the Adventures, I realized I should give some basic diagrams for those of us who work more visually. One of the projects I have with nicco is improving the workflow for the portraits since I also used to draw. I'll work with B&W sketches and when we created the workflow (using a Posing Model for perspective, "Thatpersondoesnt exist" to eliminate my bias to the type of faces I will make, and to prepare for the Modeling of Space Suits and Various Hardware we will do. Blender Posing + Portrait Drawing is ground work to make our own detailed Hardware Library.
Versioning Copies.
When I converted the files to HTML I thought I BROKE the file, it was purely a VIEW configuration and it would go back to normal. I realized I really should have. WEEK version and then I shouldnt be complacent with MS Word’s Versioning controls.
Redoing the Headings format.
MS words headings are more counter intuitive than Googles or LibreOffice. In Google these are already intuitive hotkeys ctlr+shit+ 1 to 0 can be configured. With a very simple set of 3 steps to set up the headings and hotkeys. In LO accessing hotkey customization was 4-5 steps. In MS WORD holy crap its like 5 steps AND it was hard to find the commands. Also the previews kinda sucked - unlike Google where it was easy to see the Preview MS previews had a SIZE limit and at a certain size, like 24 and up you can’t fit the text in the preview so you’d have to remember.
Also there were WEIRD formatting artifacts - instead of defaulting to DEFAULT or NORMAL MS word would have old formatting in blank spaces in the document. I think reformatting and applying headings was a big time consuming aspect in MS word - in terms of workflow optimizaiton.
Hyperlinking is such a PAIN in MS word.
Unlike my previous books written in Google Docs, hyperlinking was as simple as Ctrl+K and Google will recommend based on headings in the document, MS office was a difficult hunt and peck UNAIDED by any search. I have not experimented with Find-Replace-All Hyperlinked loaded text. When I would write in Gdocs both at Work and for games, I would hyperlink templated rules and terms (one of my lessons from WOTC D&D 3.0) so that there is a structure and consistency. It helped reinforce MY memory of the things I already said, BUT often in the books I’ve read this is a typically weak area. Often the writers suffered from misremembering things they wrote and created rules conflicts. I cant fault them, I grew up with WOTC templatized rules which changed SO MUCH of D&D - which made me chafe with OSR - Its weird when OSR also meant keeping the poor organization - templetize the rules - its going to make PROOF READING and editing SO MUCH EASIER!!! Editing Mneme Combat was So much easier because of the hyperlinking both helping me as an editor and writer.
Hyperlinking at work. I dont search my google drive (taking 2-3 steps and waiting 10+ seconds, these days, for gdrive to load), I type Ctrl+K and it will search my gdrive for relevant docs as long as I write a string of words with enough keywords and since i use 6 digit date codes can recall the date of the thing i did.
I cant wait for the ChatGPT or AI plugins which Nextcloud and Collabora will offer that will do these tedium for me. “Please link this term to its respective heading”. One of these days, probably people would have their Document and a CHAT BOT that will answer inquiries about the document. One of the PAIN points of editing with my weaknesses is my visual processing where i need the text read to me, and my cross referencing. Especially with my other books and CE. (scrounging up 600usd for setting up a GPT3.5 at home and the 20+ hours it would take to have it set up).
Main Pain Points of Editing and Proofing.
1) MS words strange behaviors - I dont know how to make it run faster. Its on a 2015 VR rated PC lent to me by my friend. I dont know how ot make it more responsive and take full use of the memory as well as monitor throttling. Hopefully a Youtuber will demo how they manage their MS word.
2) Read-aloud. Getting the system to Read alot a ton of text NOT FOUND in the document because MS word doesnt think Text in Shapes counts. so i have to take the time to cut and paste to a different document to listen to the text.
3) Headings, CrossReferencing, and Lowering the Working memory needed for the Book. With Good crossrerencing and headings, I can have a SHORT description, broken into a LONG description that has sub sections that people have the OPTION of bothering if they dont understand my explanation in any point. The key for faster comprehension is making Data comprehension follow a Minimum-Viable-Product model. As well as using examples - of course this will create a lot of DOCUMENT BLOAT, that can be rememdied by a good cross referencing system. But that doesnt exist yet - and probably AI will replace that as people will just as an AI that studied the document quesitons.
2-Parsec is just going Proofing and Editing right now. Due to be BUNDLED in Mneme WORLD GENERATOR as a free add-on. It will later be a stand-alone at around 5usd. We’ve been working on this for a while.
What Do I need to be able to RUN an adventure made by myself and Nicco where everything is fully prepped:
1) CE SRD ship combat has some serious problems - particularly the section about how movement works and how range is determined (what actions determine a range). We will create a minor rememedy for that for CE but we will also make a Mass-based and Delta-V budget based Ship Combat (Mneme’s Harder Scifi - can I call it firmed or Al’Dente Scifi 😅 (toothsome). We will include CE Ships with sufficient details.
2) Equipment - CE SRD has very little in terms of Hardware and Gear. Especially when factoring the ECONOMIC aspects of being a CE TL10/Mneme TL14 individual which has the equivalent of about 100x more income and assets. Particularly CREDITS the character earns is both a currency and redeamable for welfare - to be able to retire or do anything with Nation-State subsidized Anagathics and a amazingly high quality of life to our perspective. Sure in adventuring far from our Nation-State Credits are currency needed to pay for stuff, but when we get back home when we earned More credits for our Community they translate to a century of a more relaxed pace of work and civil participation and community building. The economic forces governing people in 2020s is very much different from those in 2520! the same way the economic incentives of someone in the 1520s is different from that of someone in 2020s.
When people want 2020 economic values and views of scarcity, they are thinking of escaped slaves with 2500 technology and no Support or community. Colonies with 2020 or1950s values used as playthings by an elite with godlike difference in power.
3) GM Tools. Particularly the flow charts and narrative structure so the GM is a better judge what Costs or setbacks is enough for excitement but not too frustrating to the players. The Management of the Scene and the ability to know what the next scene is that best builds on a previous scene, while being a sufficient change as to create uncertainty and an anticipation of what will happen next.
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