dgbaumgart
@dgbaumgart.bsky.social
artist, game designer, art director, writer, independent game developer, he/him
working in games since 2007
formerly Gaslamp Games, currently mostly Starsector
https://www.dgbaumgart.com/
https://dgbaumgart.itch.io/
working in games since 2007
formerly Gaslamp Games, currently mostly Starsector
https://www.dgbaumgart.com/
https://dgbaumgart.itch.io/
Haha, excellent!
(And, well, Gargoyle was inspired by going out drinking with some nonbinary folks. Glad the characterization landed, def. took a bit of a swing but I Had To.)
(And, well, Gargoyle was inspired by going out drinking with some nonbinary folks. Glad the characterization landed, def. took a bit of a swing but I Had To.)
November 13, 2025 at 4:25 PM
Haha, excellent!
(And, well, Gargoyle was inspired by going out drinking with some nonbinary folks. Glad the characterization landed, def. took a bit of a swing but I Had To.)
(And, well, Gargoyle was inspired by going out drinking with some nonbinary folks. Glad the characterization landed, def. took a bit of a swing but I Had To.)
See, what's funny is Daud is never described as short, he just *looks taller* in the official propaganda!
IIRC the original ideas was kinda an inverse riff on "Napoleon was short" when he was probably more or less average height.
IIRC the original ideas was kinda an inverse riff on "Napoleon was short" when he was probably more or less average height.
November 13, 2025 at 3:40 PM
See, what's funny is Daud is never described as short, he just *looks taller* in the official propaganda!
IIRC the original ideas was kinda an inverse riff on "Napoleon was short" when he was probably more or less average height.
IIRC the original ideas was kinda an inverse riff on "Napoleon was short" when he was probably more or less average height.
Hey, that's where I first learned to code! Art school, even. A mess of C and Java then really took off w/ Python + Pygame/Pyglet. (Later, Lua at Gaslamp, then C# with Unity.)
You've got lots of time to figure it all out! And FWIW I can't start a Java project from scratch, never learned that part...
You've got lots of time to figure it all out! And FWIW I can't start a Java project from scratch, never learned that part...
November 13, 2025 at 3:26 PM
Hey, that's where I first learned to code! Art school, even. A mess of C and Java then really took off w/ Python + Pygame/Pyglet. (Later, Lua at Gaslamp, then C# with Unity.)
You've got lots of time to figure it all out! And FWIW I can't start a Java project from scratch, never learned that part...
You've got lots of time to figure it all out! And FWIW I can't start a Java project from scratch, never learned that part...
It's not so bad, especially because @amosolov.bsky.social handles all of the actually complex stuff (and I have him to check my code if anything is weird!) -- it's just like a stricter and more archaic version of C#, kinda. (I mean, rather more to it than that, but this is from my perspective.)
November 13, 2025 at 3:20 PM
It's not so bad, especially because @amosolov.bsky.social handles all of the actually complex stuff (and I have him to check my code if anything is weird!) -- it's just like a stricter and more archaic version of C#, kinda. (I mean, rather more to it than that, but this is from my perspective.)
If you want to go deeper, Rules is basically an implementation of this talk: www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAbB... with, hm, Starsector-specific implementation. (note: a circa-2012 definition of "AI" there)
AI-driven Dynamic Dialog through Fuzzy Pattern Matching
YouTube video by GDC Festival of Gaming
www.youtube.com
November 13, 2025 at 3:18 PM
If you want to go deeper, Rules is basically an implementation of this talk: www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAbB... with, hm, Starsector-specific implementation. (note: a circa-2012 definition of "AI" there)
Starsector is Java via Eclipse; its dialog (and a bit more) scripting is it's own system usually called "rules.csv" which is pretty extensive and does Java calls as needed. Rules I do via Google sheets.
Otherwise C# and Godot for my own projects. (But C# is p. much Java so who's counting.)
Otherwise C# and Godot for my own projects. (But C# is p. much Java so who's counting.)
November 13, 2025 at 3:14 PM
Starsector is Java via Eclipse; its dialog (and a bit more) scripting is it's own system usually called "rules.csv" which is pretty extensive and does Java calls as needed. Rules I do via Google sheets.
Otherwise C# and Godot for my own projects. (But C# is p. much Java so who's counting.)
Otherwise C# and Godot for my own projects. (But C# is p. much Java so who's counting.)
Anyway, general thought on QA and work:
Making what are (unfortunately) classified as rote, low-level, low-respect roles more pleasant, stimulating, and efficient saves vastly more time/$ than one might expect and enables huge leaps in quality vs. improving only high-level, high-respect roles.
Making what are (unfortunately) classified as rote, low-level, low-respect roles more pleasant, stimulating, and efficient saves vastly more time/$ than one might expect and enables huge leaps in quality vs. improving only high-level, high-respect roles.
November 13, 2025 at 2:31 PM
Anyway, general thought on QA and work:
Making what are (unfortunately) classified as rote, low-level, low-respect roles more pleasant, stimulating, and efficient saves vastly more time/$ than one might expect and enables huge leaps in quality vs. improving only high-level, high-respect roles.
Making what are (unfortunately) classified as rote, low-level, low-respect roles more pleasant, stimulating, and efficient saves vastly more time/$ than one might expect and enables huge leaps in quality vs. improving only high-level, high-respect roles.
Current missions ("quests") are up to, literally, 100 times more scripting than the first ones we made eg. "Red Planet".
(It's also neat how much faster I've become- I remember how excruciating it was to set up a dialog hub during the four GA missions. Now I can do it almost by muscle memory.)
(It's also neat how much faster I've become- I remember how excruciating it was to set up a dialog hub during the four GA missions. Now I can do it almost by muscle memory.)
November 13, 2025 at 2:26 PM
Current missions ("quests") are up to, literally, 100 times more scripting than the first ones we made eg. "Red Planet".
(It's also neat how much faster I've become- I remember how excruciating it was to set up a dialog hub during the four GA missions. Now I can do it almost by muscle memory.)
(It's also neat how much faster I've become- I remember how excruciating it was to set up a dialog hub during the four GA missions. Now I can do it almost by muscle memory.)
At least he can afford new liver(s)!
November 11, 2025 at 8:21 PM
At least he can afford new liver(s)!
That was pretty easy. Some of these locations are still too close together though so I'm going to have to do a lot more nudging.
The more labourious part is now redoing interaction scripts for two sides of the bridge. (And for the future: allowing NPCs to navigate over the "blocked" connection.)
The more labourious part is now redoing interaction scripts for two sides of the bridge. (And for the future: allowing NPCs to navigate over the "blocked" connection.)
November 9, 2025 at 5:05 PM
That was pretty easy. Some of these locations are still too close together though so I'm going to have to do a lot more nudging.
The more labourious part is now redoing interaction scripts for two sides of the bridge. (And for the future: allowing NPCs to navigate over the "blocked" connection.)
The more labourious part is now redoing interaction scripts for two sides of the bridge. (And for the future: allowing NPCs to navigate over the "blocked" connection.)
Yum, nice!
(I was just searching for a cocktail to use some of the grapefruit we got today _and_ just bought a new pile of cinnamon sticks, so this was the stars aligned.)
(I was just searching for a cocktail to use some of the grapefruit we got today _and_ just bought a new pile of cinnamon sticks, so this was the stars aligned.)
November 9, 2025 at 1:00 AM
Yum, nice!
(I was just searching for a cocktail to use some of the grapefruit we got today _and_ just bought a new pile of cinnamon sticks, so this was the stars aligned.)
(I was just searching for a cocktail to use some of the grapefruit we got today _and_ just bought a new pile of cinnamon sticks, so this was the stars aligned.)
Only have a blended scotch, but I think I might just have to yolo it and make a couple of these for us _right now_.
(Good luck with renos, ugh.)
(Good luck with renos, ugh.)
November 9, 2025 at 12:40 AM
Only have a blended scotch, but I think I might just have to yolo it and make a couple of these for us _right now_.
(Good luck with renos, ugh.)
(Good luck with renos, ugh.)
Problem: I want crossing the guarded bridge to be an Interesting Problem. If its a single location I have to do a bunch of hax to track which side a character approached from to not let them traverse w/o.. yet more hax.
So I think I need to split the bridge into two locations.
Time to redraw!
So I think I need to split the bridge into two locations.
Time to redraw!
November 8, 2025 at 9:22 PM
Problem: I want crossing the guarded bridge to be an Interesting Problem. If its a single location I have to do a bunch of hax to track which side a character approached from to not let them traverse w/o.. yet more hax.
So I think I need to split the bridge into two locations.
Time to redraw!
So I think I need to split the bridge into two locations.
Time to redraw!
More waterfall! I think I'll leave it there.
November 7, 2025 at 11:51 PM
More waterfall! I think I'll leave it there.
I do have one art thing to show off: started an illustration for the waterfall location. This is a second take on the composition because the first one I did can only be described as "ultra boring".
(Can you go behind the waterfall? Probably.)
(Can you go behind the waterfall? Probably.)
November 7, 2025 at 7:07 PM
I do have one art thing to show off: started an illustration for the waterfall location. This is a second take on the composition because the first one I did can only be described as "ultra boring".
(Can you go behind the waterfall? Probably.)
(Can you go behind the waterfall? Probably.)
Next: make sure save/load works on a couple secondary features, then redo the on-map token UX.
Basically, I want to embrace the boardgame-like conceit so you pick up and plop down pieces, with hint effects to show valid moves.
(Reminds me, need to overhaul camera movement too, because it sucks!)
Basically, I want to embrace the boardgame-like conceit so you pick up and plop down pieces, with hint effects to show valid moves.
(Reminds me, need to overhaul camera movement too, because it sucks!)
November 7, 2025 at 6:43 PM
Next: make sure save/load works on a couple secondary features, then redo the on-map token UX.
Basically, I want to embrace the boardgame-like conceit so you pick up and plop down pieces, with hint effects to show valid moves.
(Reminds me, need to overhaul camera movement too, because it sucks!)
Basically, I want to embrace the boardgame-like conceit so you pick up and plop down pieces, with hint effects to show valid moves.
(Reminds me, need to overhaul camera movement too, because it sucks!)
It's funny; like I said, the Historian is *really* old - all the lines were originally hardcoded!
There are more than several similar cases of basically hardcoded dialog that ought to be redone entirely to make them more flexible & expand functionality. Lot of work for no immediate gain though!
There are more than several similar cases of basically hardcoded dialog that ought to be redone entirely to make them more flexible & expand functionality. Lot of work for no immediate gain though!
November 5, 2025 at 1:45 PM
It's funny; like I said, the Historian is *really* old - all the lines were originally hardcoded!
There are more than several similar cases of basically hardcoded dialog that ought to be redone entirely to make them more flexible & expand functionality. Lot of work for no immediate gain though!
There are more than several similar cases of basically hardcoded dialog that ought to be redone entirely to make them more flexible & expand functionality. Lot of work for no immediate gain though!
(And don't get me started on the notion of allowing the PC to ask the historian actual questions based on previous interactions with *things*! -- a ton of dialog work for a lore dump.)
Will we ever do something with it? I dunno, maybe! I've got a long, long list of things to do first though.
Will we ever do something with it? I dunno, maybe! I've got a long, long list of things to do first though.
November 5, 2025 at 1:01 AM
(And don't get me started on the notion of allowing the PC to ask the historian actual questions based on previous interactions with *things*! -- a ton of dialog work for a lore dump.)
Will we ever do something with it? I dunno, maybe! I've got a long, long list of things to do first though.
Will we ever do something with it? I dunno, maybe! I've got a long, long list of things to do first though.
Well, once you start reacting to unique ships, who else and how? And it's a *lot* of work - for how much payoff? I know we've done some of this; nonetheless, there's a *lot* of stuff the Historian might respond to. Add to that the Historian being pretty old dialog routed through some odd code...
November 5, 2025 at 12:59 AM
Well, once you start reacting to unique ships, who else and how? And it's a *lot* of work - for how much payoff? I know we've done some of this; nonetheless, there's a *lot* of stuff the Historian might respond to. Add to that the Historian being pretty old dialog routed through some odd code...
Oh, oh, the other semi-exciting thing is figuring out how to run NPC... (I'd say "ai" but man has that word been tainted by conmen) ...NPC "navigation and decision-making"?
Anyway, wrote out the specs for a system which will use flags attached to tokens to drive behaviour. Can't wait to implement!
Anyway, wrote out the specs for a system which will use flags attached to tokens to drive behaviour. Can't wait to implement!
November 2, 2025 at 2:13 PM
Oh, oh, the other semi-exciting thing is figuring out how to run NPC... (I'd say "ai" but man has that word been tainted by conmen) ...NPC "navigation and decision-making"?
Anyway, wrote out the specs for a system which will use flags attached to tokens to drive behaviour. Can't wait to implement!
Anyway, wrote out the specs for a system which will use flags attached to tokens to drive behaviour. Can't wait to implement!