[February 9, 2023]

--Minor Site Overhaul--

Back from the dead with a brief update post! I've been playing around with the site's look, as it's been mostly the same for the last couple of years now. I've shuffled the layout of some pages a bit so that they are a bit more interesting to look at. Thrown in a couple new icons and gifs here and there, changed the site-wide font. The most noticeably different pages are the Hubworld and my About page. Nothing is 100% final, but I'm happy with it for now.

I have also completely removed the "Legacy" pages from the site. I feel like its not really that necessary to have around anymore, and it was never really that good to begin with. I'm sure it's been saved on the intenet archive, and I'm pretty sure that I have the original site downloaded somewhere. I currently still want to keep the original site's news posts on this page, but I'm not sure if I will in the future.

I do have plans to overhaul this news page as well, but who knows when I'll get to that. I want there to be a list of all articles, and have a "most recent" article be readable besides the list.

I've updated my music sub-page in the About page. I added a couple of new tracks/playlists links to the BGM section, and I have also created an entirely new section known as the "Cool MIDI Downloads" section. This new section is exactly as described: a list of download links for a bunch of cool midi files that I've found.

[June 2, 2022]

--Site Enhancements--

Another update today! I've been making various aesthetic and content organization changes to the site.

Don't why I didn't do this sooner, but I've replaced the basic text for "Conoga" and "Super Nav!" on the hubworld and Super Nav respectively with more stylized text artwork. I've changed the background on my about page to a variation of the image I call, "coolaccident".

Original render.

Modified render used for background.

I forget the exact details, but I'm pretty sure I rendered this when messing around with the code for the "Starfield Hyperdrive" screensaver. It's been sitting in my files for like, a year, so I figured I'd do something with it.

I've moved my PC setup information, as well as written some more details and additions, to a sub-page in the about section. I plan to add more sub-pages, like for music or art.

Further organization is planned for other pages. As mentioned in the previous news post, I want to add new sections to the GameChat page. For this page, I want to someday have a section for articles like this, while the main news page contains the latest article and video updates/trailers if I ever make those.

More changes will likely be coming throughout the coming weeks when I have the time.

Almost forgot! Biggest news of the day: the Navmonitor changed on its own! My script seems to work at least partially. I do still want to make more Navmonitor variations, as was mentioned in the previous post.

[April 26, 2022]

--The Robots are Taking Over!--

Here I am yet again writing another late-nite update, staying up way too late working on this site! I've been spending some time to learn some javascript basics. I understand basic code concepts, but it's odd adjusting to different syntax, especially since I'm used to BASIC.

As a result of my javascript experimentation, Brobot has gained sentience! He now says something different everytime you enter the software hub page. It's going to be fun writing possible sentences for him to say.

I expressed interest in this months ago, but I've finally gotten around to writing a script that should change the Navmonitor's appearance depending on the season. The site's going fully automated baby! From my testing it seems to work, and theoretically it should work, but I guess I won't truly find out if it works until summer arrives. Hopefully I won't have to change it by hand anymore, and that it can continue to change itself if I go awol or die or something. I have fun making the different Navmonitor variations, so I'll probably add more parameters to make it change on certain holidays or events so that I have an excuse to make more of them.

I'm getting excited by possibilities that javascript brings. Who knows what can come of this in the future.

--Future Site Changes--

I've also been making some slight changes around the site, as usual. Mostly font size and file organization. I do plan to make some moderately larger changes possibly soon.

I want to further organize the GameChat page. There should be a section for all of my normal posts about what games I'm playing, but I also want a sort of tribute or personal faves section containing posts where I gush about games that I already love to death. I might also make a section dedicated to miscellaneous items in my collection, like Atari catalogs or weird Gameboy peripherals.

I plan to further personalize, organize, and expand-ize the "About" section. I'd like to go further into music, my PC setup, and other general interests I have.

I guess that's all I have to say for now. That or only remaining brain cell has finally succumbed to sleep deprivation. Until next time!

[January 25, 2022]

--New Year and New GameChat--

Hello! Happy late new years! Hard to believe that we're already two years deep into this crazy decade. I still feel like we just entered 2020. The site has also surpassed it's one-year anniversary! Can't believe I've missed the opportunity to celebrate. Guess there's always next year. Not much has changed around here, but I have written another post in the GameChat section which I feel warrants an update here. I've gone back to the Dreamcast in this one with the first-person hack-and-slash Maken X.

Back in late November or early December I upgraded my PC and snuck it into an old IBM Aptiva case, which can be viewed on the about page. I have finally achieved peak retro PC vibes while still having an up-to-date machine.

Other than that, I accidentally left the NavMonitor outside in the cold for too long and now it's acting a bit funny. I'm sure it'll sort itself out once it starts warming up in the spring.

--Some Software News--

I don't have much to say in terms of my game or software projects. the Jackal-like game I mentioned a while back is sort of at a standstill, and I've already started bouncing back and forth between the sandbox game and another smaller project. I've got some cool vehicle controls down for the Jackal-like, but I haven't figured out the best way to use them just yet. It currently feels more like vehicular-combat game than a snappy arcade shooter like Jackal. I've also made a couple more screensavers for fun, which I'll likely include in another screensaver pack sometime down the road.

[November 5, 2021]

--What I've got to say--

I got a late-night news bulletin for ya.

Conoga Screensavers Volume 1 has been updated to v1.1 on Itch.io. It's not a huge update, but I want to document it here.

--CSV1 Update v1.1--

• I've updated the README file to more represent what Conoga is now, as the previous README was attempting to tie into the old site lore and was pretty outdated.
• The code for the "Matrix" screensavers has been cleaned up and made a bit more efficient. I've added a few more windows to float around the screen, added 20 more possible error messages, and the windows now stick with a movement direction for a longer amount of time.
• I've added a couple more vertical lines to the Sunset Grid screensaver, as well as adjusted the locations of two that were already there. It should look slightly nicer than it did before.
• No updates have been made to the Quilt and Starfield Hyperdrive screensavers.
• The source code for all screensavers is included in the package. Not sure why I didn't include the source code before? The source code (.bas files) can be read and modified in QB64. If you want to make your own custom changes, or just see how it works, it is now naked and in the open for everyone to enjoy.

--Site Updates--

I've added a public chatroom to the "Contact" section of this site. I was going to place it in the hubworld, but it was freaking out with the bannerlink and neolink ads there. I think it has something to do with iframes. God damn gremlins.

It's probably better in the Contact section anyways. The Hubworld is a bit busy.

[October 30, 2021]

--Site Updates--

Been doing some updates around the site, most notably to the software page. Figured the changes are notable enough for me to write this post.

I've made some minor changes (such as the .gif image displayed next to the "Conoga News" title you see above), and I have also written a new GameChat post since the last update. Ridge Racer Type 4 is the Ps1 game that I've been playing the most lately, so I just had to write about it.

In bigger news, I've performed a slight overhaul to the software page. Instead of just listing a very basic grid of software links on the one page, I've turned the main software page into a sort of hub, where you can select the software category you wish to explore.

This is Brobot. He's really cool. He's also got some minor mechanical issues, but it's nothing that really affects his functionality. I've put him in charge of helping people find their way in the new Software page layout.

I figured out how to make an image change when you hover over it with the mouse, and I love the way it turned out in the software hub. Expect to see this recent breakthrough make its way into other aspects of the site. I'm thinking the buttons on the SuperNav™?

--Game Development News--

I don't have too much to show about my current projects, but I want to include this infodump in the post.

The sandbox-adventure game project mentioned in the previous post is still in the works, but it's going to be a much bigger project than I anticipated and will take quite a while to develop. Quick things that I want to note about this project is that it's being developed in an engine that I've been developing in QB64 on-and-off since late 2019. It's an overhead tile-based engine with pretty basic scripting. One of the bigger mechanics that I have up and running currently is the ability to seemlessly drive different types of vehicles that are laying around a level, and have them react appropriately to the terrain they're in. I've kept a mentality since the engine's inception to keep it as open as possible. What I mean by that is that it will be fairly easy to add custom assets and levels to the game, making it very plug-and-play. I plan to launch this game with the custom tools that I used to make it.

In between now and the release of this big project, I want to release smaller projects. I'm hoping that taking occasional breaks from the big project will prevent burnout, as well as satisfy the random, unreleated creative urges I get while working on large projects such as this. These small releases will likely be things like screensavers or smaller-scale games

A smaller side-project that I have going on right now is a Jackal-inspired 2D vehicluar shooter game. I'm hoping to release a demo or prototype for this shooter before the end of the year.

Phew... I think this is my longest post on my site. You've done well to make it this far!

[September 2, 2021]

It's been a minute, lol. Exactly two months since the last update. Life's been pretty busy lately, but I can't believe that it's been two months since I've done anything to the site!

In terms of new visual changes, I've set the Nav Monitor to Autumn mode, and that's about it besides some very minor adjustments to a couple elements. I think I'm going to write some sort of code for the Nav Monitor in the future, where it'll change itself whenever we move into the next season without my help. Time to learn Javascript!

I've written a new post for the GameChat section. This time the featured game is Resident Evil: Code Veronica for the Sega Dreamcast. The new post can be viewed here.

While I'm here, I want to announce that I am working on a game project. I don't want to give too many details right now, as it's still very early in development, but I'm aiming for it to be some kind of sandbox adventure game with an emphasis on vehicles and modular computers. I'll give more details as it develops.

[July 2, 2021]

On the 29th I wrote a post on Medal of Honor: Underground for Ps1, check it out here!

I've made a somewhat-large change to the GameChat layout as well. In order to keep all the boxes the same size, I've moved information about the game, such as its platform, developer, and release date into the game's page itself. Another addition to the game pages are new navigation buttons that direct you to the previous and next GameChat posts. I have some ideas for future changes, like organizing games into genre or platform, but I probably won't do that until I have enough content there to organize.

[June 25, 2021]

I've redecorated the Nav Monitor in the Super Nav™ today! I removed some of the growths that had made themselves at home on it. To make up for this missing element, I have poured some sand onto the top of it, placed some plastic trees in the sand, and set a couple of other decorations in front of it. Feels a bit more summer-y.

I think I'm going to make this a seasonal thing, meaning I'll change the monitor's appearance depending on the season or holiday or whatever. The original look will likely return in the spring.

[June 23, 2021]

Enough changes have been made to the site that I feel a post should be made here. Most of it is minor aesthetic stuff. Changes include removing the construction gifs, editing some text, and implementing a new cursor. The new cursor is just the old windows cursor, so it's not super noticeable.

I have come in contact with an alien race with an unquenchable hunger for fighting cybercrime. These aliens have offered their services to me, which I have gladly accepted. I have advertised this for all hackers to see on the hubworld. Don't ask how I came in contact with an alien race.

I've also added this cool thing called neolink to the bottom of the hubworld, near the button collection. I think that this will be a cool way to keep visitors surfing on their internet-deepdive. I can only place so many buttons my site, whereas anyone can add their site to this one "button". Neolink is this ad-type-thing made by Googol that cycles through random neocities sites that are a part of it.

Organizing the site's assets has been one of my bigger projects lately. Not a huge visual overhaul, but a big internal one. I'm tired of opening the Neocities dashboard and having to dig through assets to find my html pages.

Another GameChat post is on its way, the game being "Medal of Honor: Underground" for PS1. Stay tuned!

[June 8, 2021]

Been doing a little experimentation here and there. More buttons, playing with backgrounds. I'm on a mission to spice up the site a bit with more vintage geocities content. I've salvaged several images now from the ruins of geocities, but I'm not quite sure where to put them yet. I'll probably never find a place for some of them on this site, but they were just too cool to pass up. It's like going thrifting, but digitally. I'll call it data thrifting.

Almost a week ago now (wow, time flies) I wrote the first post for the new "GameChat" region of the site. The post on Bubble Ghost still feels unfinished, but the main idea is there. I'm not sure how to properly wrap it up yet. I feel that GameChat is going to be a fun direction for this site to go in. It's a great place to put gaming-related content that might not fit elsewhere on the site. Some of my geocities finds will probably wind up there.

Side note: I'm not sure why the legacy page is the way it is right now. Don't know what I did to break it, but I'll figure it out at some point.

[May 29, 2021]

Didn't accompish too much today. However, I did figure out some slight adjustments to make the site somewhat viewable on mobile! Discovered a wacky little thing called "viewport" units. It's still not perfect, but at least it's no longer one-word-per-line.

[May 28, 2021]

Glued some more buttons onto the hubworld. Also, I decided to color code the pre-May-5 posts red, like I mentioned in the previous post.

In bigger news, I've begun work on a new page titled "GameChat". GameChat is going to be a blog of sorts where I'll write about a recent game that I've played. I'll describe the gameplay and give my personal thoughts on it. Screenshots may be provided as well. I don't want to call it a game review, but after typing this news post I realize that it basically is :P

[May 20, 2021]

The Legacy page is no longer a 404 wasteland. Entering this new sector of the site will present the original aesthetic of the site in the form of the original hubworld (which has been slightly altered). There you will find a link to the transmissions page, which has also been slightly altered. All news posts before May 5 are related to the original lore, but I decided to leave them here. I might color code their dates, or put them in a sub-section sometime down the road.

[May 5, 2021]

This site is going under a massive overhaul. Though the fiction was fun, I really want to make this site more personal. I feel that staying consistent with the lore has restricted my creative process in a way that I don't really like. I am going to ditch the lore, at least for now. I'll probably have a separate section for it somewhere on the site for historical purposes, but my current consensus with it is that it's going to be discontinued indefinitely.

[Mar 14, 2021]

There have been a few very minor changes to the site between now and the previous update. The music that plays automatically upon entering the transmissions page has been moved from that page to the "First Contact" transmission post. Some text in the "About" section has been revised or updated. On a more major note, a new transmission titled, "Two-Way Communication" has been added to the transmissions section. It's a brief segment from our first true back-and-forth conversation with the anomaly.

[Feb 20, 2021]

The very first transmission from the anomaly has been posted to the transmissions page. It is the first of many transmissions to come. This initial transmission was brief, so most of the post describes the nature of their first broadcast to us. The transmissions page has been updated to accomodate this new post. The page is still under development, and it is very likely that it will change.

[Feb 1, 2021]

Those who have visited the transmissions page lately (with auto-play enabled) may have noticed that music now plays upon entry. We have begun to upload audio transmissions from the anomaly to a soundcloud account. As we converse with the anomaly, our understanding of each other greatly expands. Our earliest transmissions from them were just simple phrases. However, as we gradually described to them our current point in technology, their messages gained more depth and complexity. They eventually learned how to refine their transmissions in a manner that caters to our computer systems. After simple phrases, their transmissions would evolve into longer messages, which would go on to lead into software transmissions that our computers would be able to run. In between longer messages and software transmissions, we recieved audio transmissions. They were more complex than strings of text, but not quite as intricate as computer software.

We are still working to upload everything provided to us from the anomaly onto the internet. Some transmission transcripts will be coming very soon to the transmissions page. More audio and software transmissions will come in the future.

[Jan 22, 2021]

The "About" section has been added to the website. Proceed with caution.

[Jan 19, 2021]

A recent software transmission from the anomaly has resulted in some screensavers! We have compiled the screensavers into a downloadable package, which is currently available for download on itch.io. Visit the software tab for a link to the itch.io page.

[Jan 18, 2021]

The Conoga News page has been initialized. Check back here for any new information or announcements regarding the anomaly. Transcripts of conversations with the anomaly will be posted to the "Transmissions" page. Here we might announce site updates, new transmissions, changes with the anomaly, or new software provided by the anomaly. Whatever news is deserving of a post will be posted here.