Guild of Writers

I agree, a redesign is needed to get out of the mess, though I am rather fond of of the pre beta design of the KI interface, and perhaps that could be a starting block or something completely different.

Grogyan wrote:… Cyan has open sourced the KI …

They have not open-sourced it at all. Chogon has posted some source code and some source max files, but until we have a license to use them (and that license meets the definition of open source), it’s not open source.

Aloys wrote:This new Ki modification debate looks like a very nice mess waiting to happen.

Agreed. I’m just going to ignore most of it. Ideas are cheap. I’ll start paying attention when these guys start delivering.

Christian Walther wrote:

Aloys wrote:This new Ki modification debate looks like a very nice mess waiting to happen.

Agreed. I’m just going to ignore most of it. Ideas are cheap. I’ll start paying attention when these guys start delivering.

That's why it seems obvious to me that the Ki, (much like some Ages projects) will only make some progress when someone with the technical skills will step up and actually produce something.
But if we wait before there is a design consensus reached on what should be done, progress will never happen... (remember the DRC liaison elections?) This process is not an organized democracy, this is an anarachy, and anarachy only leads to results when people actually *do* things rather than talk.

And even after a new version/revision of the Ki is done there is still the problem of 'approving' it for Cyan publishing. Which another whole can of worms. There are basically two possibilities here:
1) People think 'okay there something done here and although it may not be exactly what *I* wanted at least its exists and it seem to works so let's go with it.
2) People argue endlessly and we are back to square one.

Which actually means we have not only one but two sets of potential mess waiting to happen. (with the second one being a little worst).
Ah well..

Alright time for me to throw in my two sense.

Well firstly I have a thread on this going over in the MOUL forums here: http://mystonline.com/forums/viewtopic. ... sc&start=0 I'm bringing this up because alot of ideas new and old are making an appearence there many of the ideas are brilliant. whether or not they are feasable I leasve to you.

Secondly from an IC view point of view the KI is a complex piece of machinery combining D'ni prototype tech and Human tech, and on Mystlore it states that between Prototype 3 and Prototype 4 the KI got bigger. But yes the new one should contain all the fancy tech in a smaller place.

Now on the KI design, some people like the old version, some people like the new version my stance would be to combine them. Now the primary reason I would want this is because the old KI unlike the New KI is that it seems to hold up to the D'ni/Timex motto of Takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin'. the new KI looks as if it would crack open in the rough and tumble journey across Ages So I'd like to submit my view on the new KI in story form.

Prof links over the Gahrheesen where he finds a number of explores waiting in line. "Shorah all what's going here?"

"The new Ki Explorer Type are out!"

"Nice" Prof waits patiently in line.

"Here you are sir" Says random distributor 1 " The KI E type"

"Thank you" Prof takes off the old one and puts on the new one. "Hmm it's nice, it's half the size and half the weight" He looks over the front of it. It looks like the old KI durable but no displays or other useful things. "I thought this was an improvement... Wait what's this? " Pressing a button the KI flips open like a pocketwatch revealing all the fancy new updates, Imager display, and state of the art machinery inside. "Now we're talking!"

One thing the Ki definitely needs is 3D stereo compatibility. Right now the thing is a Stereoscopic 3D nightmare. Once we get a decent testing ground, I'll see if I can fix that at the least.

So this isn't much but it took me forever to do... If anyone likes it maybe we can do something with it.



Good or bad let me know what you think... Oh and I figure I don't need to tell you this but on the left it is closed and on the right it is open.

*Sigh* I don't think it's working... here is where it can be seen just in case: http://kalamitycomics.webs.com/apps/pho ... d=78296459

Please look

Jadawin12 wrote:So this isn't much but it took me forever to do... If anyone likes it maybe we can do something with it.



Good or bad let me know what you think... Oh and I figure I don't need to tell you this but on the left it is closed and on the right it is open.

*Sigh* I don't think it's working... here is where it can be seen just in case: http://kalamitycomics.webs.com/apps/pho ... d=78296459

Please look

I like the fact that it flips open, like a lid of sorts. It looks like the kind of gadget I'd want, so my hat's off to you.

From an engineering standpoint, and from an aesthetic one for that matter, I find that the underside of the KI "lid" needs to be reworked. Though the transparency of the numbers through the glass is very cool, it takes up space on the underside that could be used for some other type of information. Not sure what exactly... Aesthetically speaking, the underside of the lid is a copy of the KI's inner workings. I feel that the symbols of the book and the eye should only be seen once each at any one moment, so keeping the basic 4-pad w/ diamond in center is fine for the lid underside, but should be simplified to the point that a KI user can enjoy the structure of the KI without seeing double.

Tsahl wrote:I like the fact that it flips open, like a lid of sorts. It looks like the kind of gadget I'd want, so my hat's off to you.

Thank you whole heartedly.

Tsahl wrote:From an engineering standpoint, and from an aesthetic one for that matter, I find that the underside of the KI "lid" needs to be reworked. Though the transparency of the numbers through the glass is very cool, it takes up space on the underside that could be used for some other type of information.

Agreed, in making this I took a picture of the Old KI, the Current KI and a pic from Myst 5 and cobbled it together using of all things Microsoft paint. So much of the interior becomes redundant ( I had such a hard time with that interior at one point the top part was completely backwards hense the transparency effect resulted from my attempt to fix it). Hopefuly I can get some people interested in a remake because I have largely met the limit of my skills.

Tsahl wrote:Not sure what exactly...

Me either. But I have hear lot's of suggestions such as flashlights and a link to the Nexus.

Tsahl wrote:Aesthetically speaking, the underside of the lid is a copy of the KI's inner workings. I feel that the symbols of the book and the eye should only be seen once each at any one moment, so keeping the basic 4-pad w/ diamond in center is fine for the lid underside, but should be simplified to the point that a KI user can enjoy the structure of the KI without seeing double.

I do hope someone could help me with this but we shall see.

Jadawin12 wrote:Me either. But I have hear lot's of suggestions such as flashlights and a link to the Nexus.

Well, not just any flashlight, /the/ flashlight. Or, well, "the KI-Light" Its already kinda-sorta there. It.. just doesn't work well, and isn't controllable. and only lasts for a painfully short time, and from then on, it doesn't work. =P

On another KI-improvement note..

http://guildofartisans.org/dnistuff/ki- ... typing.avi

In this video, there's an example (yes, its from second life, but not second-life related, more general messaging functions) of a "typing animation", which I've heard some people would like. the typing animation in this case is *very* much uru related. Failing that, it'd sure be nice to have as an improved KI-is-open animation (while keeping the original for the other uses of it =P (yay, /hug! ) ).

Typing notifiers are common in general messaging software, as in, IM clients. I'd like to see it, but, of course, your mileage may vary.

But, yes, I just happened to have a nice example sitting around in SecondLife, but this is not a "SecondLife-integration/usage suggestion" it just happened to be where i could easily grab an example quickly. =P So, please, ignore the fact that it was captured in SL >.<

Also, the video may have some fun stuttering issues, etc... I have a rather painful lack of video editing software, and it was hard enough as it was to get what you see there, as it is. >.<

I thought the KI animation already showed you typing.

The KI itself is fine as is IMO, it's the UI that goes with it when it is full screen that needs to be fixed (that and the buddies lists/chat box)