just like alt-j sang

beautiful shape

this project is basically a neat vibe and a tileset. I don't think the concept was ever much more than "fly around"

of course no prototype is complete without a day and night cycle

ahhh this is sick, I love this

I guess that's the cycle I have going on here—I find old work, it gives me new ideas, I add those ideas on the pile. Maybe they make it more interesting, or maybe it doesn't quite work out. But it's evolving over time

or I have a big brain / conspiracy board moment and do some kind of hexagonal 3D ASCII combo of the two...

then in 2023 rewrote the island generator in Unity / C#, also still on itch. Will have to compare the code at some point—again, the 2019 results seem more interesting to me oldmanofthefire.itch.io/ars-moriendi

on the technical side it's the joy of generating procedural heightmaps and islands based on elevation. The 2019 map maker was written entire in javascript, and is actually still on itch

oldmanofthefire.itch.io/ascii-island...

like a non-verbal / mystery language ASCII thing where you're not totally sure what is even happening—sounds like fun

the ASCII stuff being so evocative, like other minimalist stuff, because it provokes the imagination. Would be fun to lean into that more, make it even more mysterious

the later work isn't bad, it just feels like it lost the essential mystery I wanted by being too explicit

I was like, there must be sketches somewhere? Nope, just living my best life in blender

Anyway, I suspect you've thought about this longer and more thoroughly than I have, so like I said, will be reflecting on it. I'm sure I can learn and be challenged in good ways from it.

So much of my life right now is being a dad. And I'm going to change the world by being the best parent possible, raise two thoughtful, kind people. And as an artist I'm bringing them into that world too. "Transgression against repressive ideals" just looks pretty different in that context.

That's a compelling point, I'll be reflecting on that for a while.

I think how you are framing it is that you have a very specific set of outcomes you'd like to see result from your art making. You're on a mission.

But again, there are a lot of meaningful missions, and paths to pursue them.

I dunno, it feels like everyone is making all kinds of art all the time. Lots of stuff out there is deeply strange and transgressive, other stuff is cute and comfortable. Sometimes one person is making both. Does it need to be a monolithic thing?

the first gear rotates on its own power by script, the rest are pushed physically

right—a direct continuation of making huge gear systems out knex when I was a kid