@CB: Thanks. It was relaxing, until I got to see what happened while I was away. One division was DOUBLE paid, half the items needed to be saved in the folders aren't there, the email folder nothing was moved/saved/deleted as required(still going through that as nothing was even tagged with the categories -.-)...all the relaxation of the last (almost) 2 weeks is basically gone. And I've been told that there is no way for people to be getting a raise as the CEO doesn't see the value of it...I really need to step up my job hunting game. -.-
Mike Kabala 2018-02-28T14:15:58-05:00
... doesn't see the value of keeping experienced employees around as opposed to constantly having to retrain new ones? Sounds like a great CEO. No wonder nobody did anything with the email folder while you were gone.
Well, our Canadian divisions have been losing money, and as I am technically part of the Canadian team(though 95% of my work is done in regards to our US side), there is no money to throw at us to WANT to stay(a solid 50% or more are actively searching for new jobs...pretty sure HR knows, but a lot of us are done with how they treat us...but can't leave until we have new jobs).
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2018-02-28T17:07:09-05:00
CB, Hahahaha! I didn't expect you to actually take that one and use it!
but about that... when do I get paid? ;)
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2018-02-28T17:08:59-05:00
GM, wow, that sounds absolutely horrible! Have you had any leads with jobs, or just now deciding it might be a very useful fall-back to actually prepare for?
@Zem: I've had no calls/emails regarding any of the dozens of jobs I've applied for. I haven't stopped applying either, knowing that something will come up that will actually call me for an interview.
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2018-02-28T17:57:37-05:00
Something always comes up. If only you could put the legendary amounts of s*** you've had to deal with in that job on your resume, maybe you'd be getting called more than a celebrity who accidentally tweeted out their personal phone number!
Rod "BaKhan" Mitchell 2018-03-01T09:34:20-05:00
Morning kittens!
Mike Kabala 2018-03-01T09:48:41-05:00
Perfume Lady and Slow Shopper text have been updated. These are on sheets 3 and 4 of the cards.
Is anyone else missing all the stuff at the top(like the Kickstarter logo or their profile picture where you get to choose the menu item)? I can't see anything up there, and when I hover my mouse over the top bar, it only changes to the clicky finger when over where the KS logo goes.
Rod "BaKhan" Mitchell 2018-03-01T10:22:41-05:00
@GM, nope looks good to me, well normal anyways... ;) Also, good morning sir! Hope your day goes better for you today, than yesterday!
@BaKhan: I hope so too...sadly I doubt it as I am still cleaning up other people's messes. And trying to find out where some files are that went missing while I was away(actual physical files I had printed, sorted, and filed away where they needed to be).
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2018-03-01T10:47:39-05:00
GM, you make it sound like you were that one guy on the Titanic who, just as it hit the iceberg and started going under, thought, "OH GOD! Who the heck took this file, where is it?! Dang you people, have you never heard of the Dewey-Decimal system? I'm always cleaning up after you! Don't come crawling to me if the whole ship suddenly starts to sink!"
Mike Kabala 2018-03-01T12:43:57-05:00
The GameKastr 4K image now has a picture on the card on sheet 2.
I'm moving on to the portable machine now.
Mike Kabala 2018-03-01T14:24:18-05:00
I thought the portable machine was going to be a cinch because I could reuse so many elements. I didn't figure on how long it would take to resize them and move them around though. Anyways, long story short, the portable game machine is also on page 2 of the cards now.
Mike Kabala 2018-03-01T14:41:00-05:00
I have a question about Fruitcake Shield (on page 3 of the cards). Should this be a separate card from the Fruitcake item card? I had thought that the same card could be used for both. Also, Zem talked about a Fruitcake Bomb. which would actually have the opposite effect of a Fruitcake Shield. Can it be used as either a bomb or a shield? That would certainly force us to fit a ton of text on a single card!
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2018-03-01T15:10:53-05:00
Should Fruitcake just become the new Wild Card? Can be used (one time only) as a defense, attack, or item. We could even make it a really useful limited thing, like only 1 or 2 or 1/2 the number of players.
Unless it's also on the list of items everyone needs, then it would cause problems being usable like that, but we could also, yes, make it into a consumable and a winning-condition item separately.
Mike Kabala 2018-03-01T15:18:36-05:00
Sounds confusing to me, @Zem.
@LZ, what do you think?
Mike Kabala 2018-03-01T15:19:31-05:00
Maybe we can have it as an action card and remove it as an item.
Mike Kabala 2018-03-01T15:20:28-05:00
Another thing I noticed. We have GamKastr 4K and GameKastr 4Kp, but not GamKastr 4K VR! How did we miss this?
Mike Kabala 2018-03-01T15:26:47-05:00
Of course, Fruitcake IS an item, so players should be required to go to the right shelf to get it. Maybe it should be treated as an item that people shouldn't put on their shopping list, but can still retrieve for its offensive/defensive advantages.
After all, who in their right mind (except me, of course) would actually WANT to buy a fruitcake? (I just like fruitcake. I'm weird that way.)
Rod "BaKhan" Mitchell 2018-03-01T15:52:46-05:00
@CB, 100% fruit cake should be an "optional" item. It will have a location, but won't have a demand. That way, a player can get it, but doesn't technically have to, it would only act as a bonus.
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2018-03-01T17:29:48-05:00
"bonus"
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2018-03-01T17:31:09-05:00
(I like some fruitcakes too, but the joke is too good to pass up)
Mike Kabala 2018-03-01T18:07:54-05:00
Hi kittens. My new Cricut machine arrived today. I'll be able to make little cardboard tokens for everything now.
Mike Kabala 2018-03-01T18:11:32-05:00
@Zem, I agree with you about the joke. That's what makes the Fruitcake so awesome! I'm going to leave both the item card and the action card for now (with different colored backgrounds) and shift my attention to creating the shelf tokens. Once we hammer out how the rules will work, we can decide which card the shopper gets when they pick up[ the item off the shelf.
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2018-03-02T02:56:51-05:00
I just now thought, why not shuffle the items, so that when they pick up a fruitcake, they don't know which it is?
Another option is to make it variable, so the player decides which it is. If they don't need the item for the list, it's not necessary, but if they do, they can choose whether to have it first and maybe go back for a consumable version (haha, that has a double-meaning here!), or to get the attack item first, maybe just in case, or maybe to stave off a player too close for comfort.
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2018-03-02T02:57:15-05:00
Also, that's awesome about the machine! Can't wait to hear about how they turn out!
Mike Kabala 2018-03-02T08:01:30-05:00
Morning kittens.
Mike Kabala 2018-03-02T08:12:21-05:00
Today's my last day at my current job assignment. I'll be WFH starting Monday. Usually, that means, "Working From Home," but in this case it will feel more like, "Waiting From Home."
Rod "BaKhan" Mitchell 2018-03-02T09:05:22-05:00
Morning kittens!
Rod "BaKhan" Mitchell 2018-03-02T09:05:57-05:00
@CB, hopefully something pops up for you soon! In my experience, its hard to keep a good man down! ;)
dns12999 "Dave The Quack" 2018-03-02T09:41:44-05:00
Reporting in as requested y Mike
Mike Kabala 2018-03-02T09:59:03-05:00
Hi Dave. Want to get in on the design of our new board game, Blackest Fridfay?
dns12999 "Dave The Quack" 2018-03-02T10:02:08-05:00
It seems you guys are making a game...that's awesome...if interested i will give you guys feedback.
Mike Kabala 2018-03-02T10:07:01-05:00
We could use all the help you can give us, especially if you are/know an artist. The current game assets are being shared in a private dropbox that is available by invitation only. If you'd like access, please send your email address to cheetahbutt@kittencorps.com and I'll send you an invitation.
dns12999 "Dave The Quack" 2018-03-02T10:13:41-05:00
CB ...I just shot you an email unfortunately my art skills are abysmal but I may know someone
Rod "BaKhan" Mitchell 2018-03-02T10:14:14-05:00
@DtQ, hey man! Good to see you! Hope you're doing well!
Mike Kabala 2018-03-02T10:25:03-05:00
@DtQ, I have sent you an email invitation to download from the dropbox. Welcome to the group!
dns12999 "Dave The Quack" 2018-03-02T10:31:43-05:00
Good to see you too Bakhan...all is well how are things with you?
Seems like my issue with not seeing the menus at the top is only on the work computer(and it's supposed to be way better than anything else in this office...).
dns12999 "Dave The Quack" 2018-03-02T10:47:38-05:00
I've been working on a game idea myself it is till in super early stage though you guys are further than i am
dns12999 "Dave The Quack" 2018-03-02T10:55:34-05:00
I feel like my game is missing some kind of mechanic to make it stand out. When I have things more flushed out i will probably share with you guys
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2018-03-02T11:19:08-05:00
Hey, Dave! How are ya?
dns12999 "Dave The Quack" 2018-03-02T11:29:19-05:00
Good Zem...How are things in your neck of the woods!
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2018-03-02T12:27:19-05:00
Really interesting since I got a new neck of the woods. I don't know if you knew so much, but I'm studying abroad in Berlin! If you did know, well even so, life is going pretty interesting for me.
Lord Zombitten 2018-03-02T13:22:54-05:00
I don't think the fruitcake should be a required item. It should only be used for its defensive/offensive properties.
I also like fruitcake. But, once gain, the jokes are just too good to pass up. I'm hoping to have a wound track and an attempt at lettuce field children this weekend. I can do cartoony art, as you've all seen from the two issues of Kitten Wars. I do wish someone could get ahold of DDD, though...
dns12999 "Dave The Quack" 2018-03-02T13:46:26-05:00
Zem sounds like a lot exciting...good luck with your studies.
Mike Kabala 2018-03-02T13:56:51-05:00
@LZ, we should combine the wound track with any other player stats on a player mat for each shopper. We could also include a mnemonic describing turn order.
Lord Zombitten 2018-03-02T15:00:53-05:00
That's a good point. I'll incorporate the wound track into the player mat
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2018-03-03T16:35:06-05:00
So today I hit 300 hours on record with one of my favorite games of all time, Mount & Blade: Warband, and was like, "I wish I could celebrate. It's a minor thing, but it's fun."
Well... turns out just then, I accidentally discovered that that game actually DOES have different languages, and after 4 years of having it, 300 hours of playing, I accidentally was able to play it in German!
`
Again, a fairly minor thing, but really funny to me, and now I'm justified in getting absorbed back into it and playing for hours!
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2018-03-03T21:34:18-05:00
Also found out today that Bud Spencer and Terrence Hill, one of my all-time favorite comedy duos, and some of the most famous spaghetti-western makers ever, while almost unknown in the US, are absolutely famous and well-loved in Germany! I feel at home yet again!
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2018-03-03T21:37:32-05:00
Forgot to mention My Name is Nobody, probably my all-time favorite western! It only has Terrence Hill (and Henry Fonda, whoever he is!), but is also really well known here!
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2018-03-05T08:28:50-05:00
Morning... kittens? Usually somebody has commented by now.
Rod "BaKhan" Mitchell 2018-03-05T09:03:54-05:00
Morning kittens.
Rod "BaKhan" Mitchell 2018-03-05T09:08:15-05:00
@Zem, never fear! We're always near! ;)
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2018-03-05T09:22:06-05:00
I think it's so funny now that our schedules all match. I've always been busier in mornings and am never near my computer, or at least not for hours at a time, so I'm always on later. But you guys at work or wherever are always on during midday like normal people. Well, now the times I'm on just happen to coincide with all of yours' again!
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2018-03-05T12:21:56-05:00
Evening kittens.
Mike Kabala 2018-03-05T12:37:11-05:00
Afternoon kittens.
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2018-03-05T15:50:44-05:00
'Night kittens.
Rod "BaKhan" Mitchell 2018-03-05T15:54:25-05:00
Workin on some night mews? ;)
Mike Kabala 2018-03-05T16:14:31-05:00
I've removed the Pharmacy, added a Coffee Shop, and shrunk the size of the counters for Coffee Shop and Customer Service so that they occupy only two adjacent tiles instead of four. The PDF is uploaded to the dropbox. This one is formatted for a large format printer. Once we decide on a final layout, I can chop it up into four quadrants like before if you all prefer that.
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2018-03-05T16:41:35-05:00
Nice, BaKhan!
`
But dang, the streak was broken! I was hoping that was all that would happen today!
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2018-03-05T16:44:52-05:00
The pharmacy was on the top right, right? We could have both, and in fact I'd suggest it, since about every grocery store like that I know of has a pharmacy, and the majority of them has a coffee shop.
I mean, there's still plenty of kerjiggering to be had with the layout, but my suggestion is coffee shop bottom right, left just as one enters the store, and pharmacy on top right corner of the store.
That's just how like every single store I've been to is layed out, in most of the US, probably.
Mike Kabala 2018-03-05T19:05:04-05:00
@Zem, that would work as long as the game mechanics actuallu USE the Pharmacy.
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2018-03-06T04:58:26-05:00
True, but I thought we had an item or two that would go in that area. But like the 2 or 3 shelves nearest would act as the area itself with items (though a prescription could also be an item, taking one turn to wait for at the desk, not a bad idea!).
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2018-03-06T04:59:25-05:00
It's not often that you get to legitimately have 3 punctuation marks in a row. Though in this case, the period would have worked better after "items", I just left it till last in case another sentence came directly after.
Rod "BaKhan" Mitchell 2018-03-06T09:10:08-05:00
Morning kittens.
Lord Zombitten 2018-03-06T10:05:25-05:00
Morning, all! I tried to get the player mat done, but had issues with my digital drawing pad. Corel Painter was also giving a bit of trouble, but I got that sorted.
Not for wordperfect or anything else, just their painting program that came with my Wagon Bamboo Fun
Lord Zombitten 2018-03-06T13:44:43-05:00
That should say Wacom, not wagon. Damn auto-correct!
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2018-03-06T14:01:47-05:00
I was gonna say, Wagon Bamboo Fun sounds like a program/game package from the 90s, like a sequel to Oregon Trail or The Amazon Trail. Not that Wacom Bamboo Fun doesn't.
`
Is it weird that I know The Amazon Trail? I think that was a more obscure game, just before my time, but a game I grew up on. That... actually sums up about all of the computer games we had when I was a kid except for maybe the Reader Rabbit games and Roller Coaster Tycoon!
In fact, I'd say even the original Age of Empires is a bit of a lesser-known one. The second is still really popular, even the third, but I'm rambling and should just shut up now.
Mike Kabala 2018-03-06T15:28:18-05:00
Well, I now have 72 rounded rectangular Fruitcake tokens. Way more than what is needed for a single game, but I was able to fit that many onto a single sheet of card stock and watch in amazement as my new Cricut cut them all out perfectly!
I like my new toy!
I'm going to have to take a photo and post it in the dropbox. I tried several different sized tokens before deciding on the one that looks best to me.
BTW, I know we said that we wanted our tokens to be circles to make them easier to manufacture, but I think the cutout shapes look WAY COOLER! I'm hoping that we can eventually have that as a stretch goal. I will be making some of the round tokens soon for comparison.
Mike Kabala 2018-03-06T15:49:46-05:00
I have a photo of the Fruitcake tokens in the dropbox, next to a quarter for size reference. The various sizes shown to the left are the ones I tried in order to come up with the final size I decided to use.
I also posted my original image file if anyone wants to make some. If you have a Cricut, you can import the image and use the "Print then Cut" feature. I had to resize the image so that it was 5 inches wide on my canvas. The imported size was way too large.
If you don't have a Cricut, don't go out and buy one just to make tokens. They're arranged orthogonally to make it easier to cut them out with scissors. It just takes longer, but you won't need the entire sheet any way.
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2018-03-06T16:41:05-05:00
Haha, that's awesome, CB! And for the fruitcake, I love the shape! Maybe for some special items like that, we could have them shaped to make them extra fun.
It's hard to tell for sure, but it seems to me like one of the ones directly right of the coin would be about the perfect size.
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2018-03-06T17:28:17-05:00
Haha, I just realized that even though I'm 5,000 miles away from home, I'm meeting one brother literally once every two months while I'm here, literally the beginning of every other month! He lives in Bern, so it's understandable, but that's still quite a ways away.
He came here in January with my oldest brother, he'll be here this weekend with his fiancee and a former exchange student, and I'll be going to Bern in early May for his wedding! Heck, my oldest brother will be there as well, so I'll even have seen him twice in this time!
Mike Kabala 2018-03-06T18:02:25-05:00
Boring old round tokens are now available in the dropbox. Half of them are blank because we don't have much artwork yet. These will gradually be replaced as we get more images.
I can do shaped images for the rest of them by removing the blue background and adjusting the size.
Mike Kabala 2018-03-06T18:05:14-05:00
@Zem, I agree about the size of the Fruitcake. That's why I chose that one to do a step and repeat in the png file.
Mike Kabala 2018-03-07T08:43:52-05:00
Morning kittens, where is everybody today?
Rod "BaKhan" Mitchell 2018-03-07T09:09:53-05:00
Morning kittens.
Rod "BaKhan" Mitchell 2018-03-07T09:10:50-05:00
@CB, those tokens look great! I didn't realize that you would be able to cut them to shape like that! Looks really, really good for homemade! Again, I didn't even know that was a thing! Great job!
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2018-03-07T09:39:20-05:00
CB, it's wednesday, which for me is the busiest day of the week by far. A little bit lighter this week, but still pretty occupied.
Mike Kabala 2018-03-07T11:45:20-05:00
Kitten and Cat Carrier have been added to the cards and tokens files. (... best I could do as a n on-artist attempting to draw a cat in Photoshop.) . Feel free to submit a better cartoon drawing of a kitten.
Mike Kabala 2018-03-07T11:47:57-05:00
@BK, I've been wanting a Cricut for years, but they were always too expensive and I didn't have a project idea to justify the purchase. It's a lot of fun finally getting one.
Rod "BaKhan" Mitchell 2018-03-08T09:03:49-05:00
Morning kittens.
Rod "BaKhan" Mitchell 2018-03-08T09:04:28-05:00
@CB, I didn't even know that something like that existed, so, now I want one too! ;)
Mike Kabala 2018-03-08T09:50:59-05:00
Morning kittens. I realized last night that I FORGOT to put WHISKERS on my KITTEN! :-O
I'll fix that soon.
Geist de la Muerte Gatito 2018-03-08T10:37:39-05:00
Morning kittens. Here is an update about my job situation so far:
After about a month, I landed a possible 6 month temp job. If I do well enough, they might hire me permanently. The pay kinda sucks since I now have to pay a chunk of my income to Metro to get to this job which is kinda out of the way in Maryland. Still, I'm grateful to be working again. No offense but I can't stand begging the government for help. I know that my last job paid for unemployment but you have to go through so many hoops just to claim it.
I also started up my search for a part time job. I'm definitely going to need some extra cash if I'm going to take on a lower paying assignment. I called one company that I interviewed for last month and they are sending me to a facility to meet with the supervisor. Hopefully I can convince him to hire me. The hours suck but the money would help me not only keep my head above water but get me back on schedule to pay my debts down.
This whole situation makes me hate what I do all that much more. (Didn't think that was possible) Getting laid off so suddenly put me in a state of depression so deep that I had to call the EAP line. They put me in contact with a nice gentleman who helped cheer me up as well as find resources to help bring up my skills in certain office programs that I need to succeed in my next job. He even sent me a guide to help with planning to go back to school. And he was doing this from Australia.
I start the temp job next week. Won't be able to chat during the day time as much because they warn you about using company computers for personal stuff. I'll have to use my phone to log in an chat with you kittens on my lunch break.
Mike Kabala 2018-03-08T11:18:52-05:00
@Geist, good to hear from you. I am currently searching for work also, but I am still employed and "on the bench." Thankfully, that means I am still getting paid and don't have to go through the whole unemployment process again.
Good for you for seeking assistance when you were feeling overwhelmed. I've had to do that myself at times. Life is tough. We all need to help each other.
Mike Kabala 2018-03-08T12:34:00-05:00
Hey everybody, the Kitten has whiskers now! New files have been uploaded for Cards Page 2 and Tokens. Enjoy.
Lord Zombitten 2018-03-08T15:55:58-05:00
Big sigh of relief! Partly for Geist finding some work, and partly because I finally finished another draft of the urine drug monitoring protocol, along with a urine drug collection protocol. This project is a nightmare!
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2018-03-08T17:20:28-05:00
Sorry that I also have been a bit absent, but my brother, his fiancee, a former Swiss exchange student, and his wife and baby are all in Berlin this weekend!
So I also won't really be on here too much for the next few days (not that weekends are ever super busy here), but on the plus side, I'll be getting a new phone soon, so finally I'll be able to check this kind of stuff on the go!
THAT should put an end to all of my friends justifiably making fun of my outdated phones and stuff. Though I do love the jokes about Instagram stone tablets and Snapchat carrier pigeons.
Mike Kabala 2018-03-08T21:45:22-05:00
((( Warning: the story in the following post, or posts, is quite long. I apologize in advance.)))
It used to be that electronics stores were my weakness, but recently it has been craft stores and office supply stores. Worse yet, since I am single and live alone, there’s nobody around to stop me.
My latest adventure was yesterday when I went to an office supply store looking for self-adhesive laminating film to spice up the game tokens a little bit. Of course, while I was there I had to go check out the large format printers to see if they had any that could handle papers larger than ledger size.
Well it turned out that not only did they have such a printer, which can handle paper up to 13x19 inches, but it was ON SALE at a price that I could actually afford! Needless to say, I had to have it even though I had no idea how I was going to haul such a monster upstairs to my home office.
I asked a sales associate whether they actually stocked any paper that large. She replied that they did, but only in Photo Paper. I figured why not? It would be a great way to see how well it could handle photos with its advertised “better than laser” print quality.
After I got home, the printer just sat there in its enormous box blocking a pathway in my living room for a couple of hours. I ruminated about how to haul it up the steps without killing myself. It is very heavy and was designed to be moved by two people, one holding up each end. I decided to strap it onto a hand truck that I had in the closet with some appropriately sized bungee cords.
The next hurdle was carving a pathway to the printer’s intended location on a table currently occupied by my color laser printer. After about half an hour, I had relocated enough clutter to begin rolling the cart upstairs one step at a time, resting between each one until I finally reached the upstairs landing.
It was at this point that my fears were confirmed that the passage way in the hallway leading to the office was just a little too narrow for the cart to pass through easily. A few minutes later, I had cleared a wider path and arrived at the office door.
I was on a mission now, so I relocated everything between the door and the table to another part of the room. Finally, I unplugged the laser printer and moved it out of the way. Carefully, so as not to strain my back, I was able to lift the printer onto the table.
It was getting late by then, so I picked up the laser printer which is much smaller and lighter, carried it downstairs, placed it in a corner of the living room, and plugged it in. That printer is wireless, so I didn’t have to change any of the settings to get it to work again. At this point, I called it a night and went to bed.
The next morning I plugged in the large format printer, installed the ink cartridges and paper, and set up the printer driver on my computer.
Before long I was printing huge photographs. I would have done anything to be able to make prints like these when I was in college. Back then I never dreamed that I would be making prints this good at home without first building an expensive darkroom. I checked the prices for enlargements at the photo labs, but couldn’t often justify the price.
I wouldn’t have even been looking at printers like this if not for trying to find a way to print 12x12 game boards without chopping them into smaller pieces and gluing them together.
This printer is a real enabler. I’m so inspired that I’m getting ready to charge up the battery pack of my digital SLR camera and start taking real photographs instead of settling for cell phone quality images. I haven’t been this excited about photography in quite a few years.
I can even print ledger sized pages with or without a full four-edge bleed, fold them into four-page folios, collate them and bind them into full-sized booklets (or maybe rule books for our little board game). I could have used that capability when I was publishing newsletters for the clubs I was in over the years.
Maybe I’ll find a new direction for my creativity. I know that my Print and Play games will never look the same. I could even start printing little projects and sell them on Etsy.
Micah "Zem the Mattress" Philson 2018-03-09T02:39:48-05:00
Wow, that was a good way to start off the day. You should have that published, it has about everything a good short story needs!
But that's really cool, and I can't wait to hear about what kinds of crazy stuff you find out you could do with that printer!
@CB: Thanks. It was relaxing, until I got to see what happened while I was away. One division was DOUBLE paid, half the items needed to be saved in the folders aren't there, the email folder nothing was moved/saved/deleted as required(still going through that as nothing was even tagged with the categories -.-)...all the relaxation of the last (almost) 2 weeks is basically gone. And I've been told that there is no way for people to be getting a raise as the CEO doesn't see the value of it...I really need to step up my job hunting game. -.-
... doesn't see the value of keeping experienced employees around as opposed to constantly having to retrain new ones? Sounds like a great CEO. No wonder nobody did anything with the email folder while you were gone.
Well, our Canadian divisions have been losing money, and as I am technically part of the Canadian team(though 95% of my work is done in regards to our US side), there is no money to throw at us to WANT to stay(a solid 50% or more are actively searching for new jobs...pretty sure HR knows, but a lot of us are done with how they treat us...but can't leave until we have new jobs).
CB, Hahahaha! I didn't expect you to actually take that one and use it!
but about that... when do I get paid? ;)
GM, wow, that sounds absolutely horrible! Have you had any leads with jobs, or just now deciding it might be a very useful fall-back to actually prepare for?
When do I get paid? ... Right after I do. LOL.
@Zem: I've had no calls/emails regarding any of the dozens of jobs I've applied for. I haven't stopped applying either, knowing that something will come up that will actually call me for an interview.
Something always comes up. If only you could put the legendary amounts of s*** you've had to deal with in that job on your resume, maybe you'd be getting called more than a celebrity who accidentally tweeted out their personal phone number!
Morning kittens!
Perfume Lady and Slow Shopper text have been updated. These are on sheets 3 and 4 of the cards.
Please discuss the changes here.
Morning kittens.
Is anyone else missing all the stuff at the top(like the Kickstarter logo or their profile picture where you get to choose the menu item)? I can't see anything up there, and when I hover my mouse over the top bar, it only changes to the clicky finger when over where the KS logo goes.
@GM, nope looks good to me, well normal anyways... ;) Also, good morning sir! Hope your day goes better for you today, than yesterday!
@BaKhan: I hope so too...sadly I doubt it as I am still cleaning up other people's messes. And trying to find out where some files are that went missing while I was away(actual physical files I had printed, sorted, and filed away where they needed to be).
GM, you make it sound like you were that one guy on the Titanic who, just as it hit the iceberg and started going under, thought, "OH GOD! Who the heck took this file, where is it?! Dang you people, have you never heard of the Dewey-Decimal system? I'm always cleaning up after you! Don't come crawling to me if the whole ship suddenly starts to sink!"
The GameKastr 4K image now has a picture on the card on sheet 2.
I'm moving on to the portable machine now.
I thought the portable machine was going to be a cinch because I could reuse so many elements. I didn't figure on how long it would take to resize them and move them around though. Anyways, long story short, the portable game machine is also on page 2 of the cards now.
I have a question about Fruitcake Shield (on page 3 of the cards). Should this be a separate card from the Fruitcake item card? I had thought that the same card could be used for both. Also, Zem talked about a Fruitcake Bomb. which would actually have the opposite effect of a Fruitcake Shield. Can it be used as either a bomb or a shield? That would certainly force us to fit a ton of text on a single card!
Should Fruitcake just become the new Wild Card? Can be used (one time only) as a defense, attack, or item. We could even make it a really useful limited thing, like only 1 or 2 or 1/2 the number of players.
Unless it's also on the list of items everyone needs, then it would cause problems being usable like that, but we could also, yes, make it into a consumable and a winning-condition item separately.
Sounds confusing to me, @Zem.
@LZ, what do you think?
Maybe we can have it as an action card and remove it as an item.
Another thing I noticed. We have GamKastr 4K and GameKastr 4Kp, but not GamKastr 4K VR! How did we miss this?
Of course, Fruitcake IS an item, so players should be required to go to the right shelf to get it. Maybe it should be treated as an item that people shouldn't put on their shopping list, but can still retrieve for its offensive/defensive advantages.
After all, who in their right mind (except me, of course) would actually WANT to buy a fruitcake? (I just like fruitcake. I'm weird that way.)
@CB, 100% fruit cake should be an "optional" item. It will have a location, but won't have a demand. That way, a player can get it, but doesn't technically have to, it would only act as a bonus.
"bonus"
(I like some fruitcakes too, but the joke is too good to pass up)
Hi kittens. My new Cricut machine arrived today. I'll be able to make little cardboard tokens for everything now.
@Zem, I agree with you about the joke. That's what makes the Fruitcake so awesome! I'm going to leave both the item card and the action card for now (with different colored backgrounds) and shift my attention to creating the shelf tokens. Once we hammer out how the rules will work, we can decide which card the shopper gets when they pick up[ the item off the shelf.
I just now thought, why not shuffle the items, so that when they pick up a fruitcake, they don't know which it is?
Another option is to make it variable, so the player decides which it is. If they don't need the item for the list, it's not necessary, but if they do, they can choose whether to have it first and maybe go back for a consumable version (haha, that has a double-meaning here!), or to get the attack item first, maybe just in case, or maybe to stave off a player too close for comfort.
Also, that's awesome about the machine! Can't wait to hear about how they turn out!
Morning kittens.
Today's my last day at my current job assignment. I'll be WFH starting Monday. Usually, that means, "Working From Home," but in this case it will feel more like, "Waiting From Home."
Morning kittens!
@CB, hopefully something pops up for you soon! In my experience, its hard to keep a good man down! ;)
Reporting in as requested y Mike
Hi Dave. Want to get in on the design of our new board game, Blackest Fridfay?
It seems you guys are making a game...that's awesome...if interested i will give you guys feedback.
We could use all the help you can give us, especially if you are/know an artist. The current game assets are being shared in a private dropbox that is available by invitation only. If you'd like access, please send your email address to cheetahbutt@kittencorps.com and I'll send you an invitation.
CB ...I just shot you an email unfortunately my art skills are abysmal but I may know someone
@DtQ, hey man! Good to see you! Hope you're doing well!
@DtQ, I have sent you an email invitation to download from the dropbox. Welcome to the group!
Good to see you too Bakhan...all is well how are things with you?
Morning kittens.
Seems like my issue with not seeing the menus at the top is only on the work computer(and it's supposed to be way better than anything else in this office...).
I've been working on a game idea myself it is till in super early stage though you guys are further than i am
I feel like my game is missing some kind of mechanic to make it stand out. When I have things more flushed out i will probably share with you guys
Hey, Dave! How are ya?
Good Zem...How are things in your neck of the woods!
Really interesting since I got a new neck of the woods. I don't know if you knew so much, but I'm studying abroad in Berlin! If you did know, well even so, life is going pretty interesting for me.
I don't think the fruitcake should be a required item. It should only be used for its defensive/offensive properties.
I also like fruitcake. But, once gain, the jokes are just too good to pass up. I'm hoping to have a wound track and an attempt at lettuce field children this weekend. I can do cartoony art, as you've all seen from the two issues of Kitten Wars. I do wish someone could get ahold of DDD, though...
Zem sounds like a lot exciting...good luck with your studies.
@LZ, we should combine the wound track with any other player stats on a player mat for each shopper. We could also include a mnemonic describing turn order.
That's a good point. I'll incorporate the wound track into the player mat
So today I hit 300 hours on record with one of my favorite games of all time, Mount & Blade: Warband, and was like, "I wish I could celebrate. It's a minor thing, but it's fun."
Well... turns out just then, I accidentally discovered that that game actually DOES have different languages, and after 4 years of having it, 300 hours of playing, I accidentally was able to play it in German!
`
Again, a fairly minor thing, but really funny to me, and now I'm justified in getting absorbed back into it and playing for hours!
Also found out today that Bud Spencer and Terrence Hill, one of my all-time favorite comedy duos, and some of the most famous spaghetti-western makers ever, while almost unknown in the US, are absolutely famous and well-loved in Germany! I feel at home yet again!
Forgot to mention My Name is Nobody, probably my all-time favorite western! It only has Terrence Hill (and Henry Fonda, whoever he is!), but is also really well known here!
Morning... kittens? Usually somebody has commented by now.
Morning kittens.
@Zem, never fear! We're always near! ;)
I think it's so funny now that our schedules all match. I've always been busier in mornings and am never near my computer, or at least not for hours at a time, so I'm always on later. But you guys at work or wherever are always on during midday like normal people. Well, now the times I'm on just happen to coincide with all of yours' again!
Morning kittens.
Morning kittens.
Evening kittens.
Afternoon kittens.
'Night kittens.
Workin on some night mews? ;)
I've removed the Pharmacy, added a Coffee Shop, and shrunk the size of the counters for Coffee Shop and Customer Service so that they occupy only two adjacent tiles instead of four. The PDF is uploaded to the dropbox. This one is formatted for a large format printer. Once we decide on a final layout, I can chop it up into four quadrants like before if you all prefer that.
Nice, BaKhan!
`
But dang, the streak was broken! I was hoping that was all that would happen today!
The pharmacy was on the top right, right? We could have both, and in fact I'd suggest it, since about every grocery store like that I know of has a pharmacy, and the majority of them has a coffee shop.
I mean, there's still plenty of kerjiggering to be had with the layout, but my suggestion is coffee shop bottom right, left just as one enters the store, and pharmacy on top right corner of the store.
That's just how like every single store I've been to is layed out, in most of the US, probably.
@Zem, that would work as long as the game mechanics actuallu USE the Pharmacy.
True, but I thought we had an item or two that would go in that area. But like the 2 or 3 shelves nearest would act as the area itself with items (though a prescription could also be an item, taking one turn to wait for at the desk, not a bad idea!).
It's not often that you get to legitimately have 3 punctuation marks in a row. Though in this case, the period would have worked better after "items", I just left it till last in case another sentence came directly after.
Morning kittens.
Morning, all! I tried to get the player mat done, but had issues with my digital drawing pad. Corel Painter was also giving a bit of trouble, but I got that sorted.
Morning kittens.
Good day kittens.
Wow, someone still uses Corel?
Not for wordperfect or anything else, just their painting program that came with my Wagon Bamboo Fun
That should say Wacom, not wagon. Damn auto-correct!
I was gonna say, Wagon Bamboo Fun sounds like a program/game package from the 90s, like a sequel to Oregon Trail or The Amazon Trail. Not that Wacom Bamboo Fun doesn't.
`
Is it weird that I know The Amazon Trail? I think that was a more obscure game, just before my time, but a game I grew up on. That... actually sums up about all of the computer games we had when I was a kid except for maybe the Reader Rabbit games and Roller Coaster Tycoon!
In fact, I'd say even the original Age of Empires is a bit of a lesser-known one. The second is still really popular, even the third, but I'm rambling and should just shut up now.
Well, I now have 72 rounded rectangular Fruitcake tokens. Way more than what is needed for a single game, but I was able to fit that many onto a single sheet of card stock and watch in amazement as my new Cricut cut them all out perfectly!
I like my new toy!
I'm going to have to take a photo and post it in the dropbox. I tried several different sized tokens before deciding on the one that looks best to me.
BTW, I know we said that we wanted our tokens to be circles to make them easier to manufacture, but I think the cutout shapes look WAY COOLER! I'm hoping that we can eventually have that as a stretch goal. I will be making some of the round tokens soon for comparison.
I have a photo of the Fruitcake tokens in the dropbox, next to a quarter for size reference. The various sizes shown to the left are the ones I tried in order to come up with the final size I decided to use.
I also posted my original image file if anyone wants to make some. If you have a Cricut, you can import the image and use the "Print then Cut" feature. I had to resize the image so that it was 5 inches wide on my canvas. The imported size was way too large.
If you don't have a Cricut, don't go out and buy one just to make tokens. They're arranged orthogonally to make it easier to cut them out with scissors. It just takes longer, but you won't need the entire sheet any way.
Haha, that's awesome, CB! And for the fruitcake, I love the shape! Maybe for some special items like that, we could have them shaped to make them extra fun.
It's hard to tell for sure, but it seems to me like one of the ones directly right of the coin would be about the perfect size.
Haha, I just realized that even though I'm 5,000 miles away from home, I'm meeting one brother literally once every two months while I'm here, literally the beginning of every other month! He lives in Bern, so it's understandable, but that's still quite a ways away.
He came here in January with my oldest brother, he'll be here this weekend with his fiancee and a former exchange student, and I'll be going to Bern in early May for his wedding! Heck, my oldest brother will be there as well, so I'll even have seen him twice in this time!
Boring old round tokens are now available in the dropbox. Half of them are blank because we don't have much artwork yet. These will gradually be replaced as we get more images.
I can do shaped images for the rest of them by removing the blue background and adjusting the size.
@Zem, I agree about the size of the Fruitcake. That's why I chose that one to do a step and repeat in the png file.
Morning kittens, where is everybody today?
Morning kittens.
@CB, those tokens look great! I didn't realize that you would be able to cut them to shape like that! Looks really, really good for homemade! Again, I didn't even know that was a thing! Great job!
CB, it's wednesday, which for me is the busiest day of the week by far. A little bit lighter this week, but still pretty occupied.
Kitten and Cat Carrier have been added to the cards and tokens files. (... best I could do as a n on-artist attempting to draw a cat in Photoshop.) . Feel free to submit a better cartoon drawing of a kitten.
@BK, I've been wanting a Cricut for years, but they were always too expensive and I didn't have a project idea to justify the purchase. It's a lot of fun finally getting one.
Morning kittens.
@CB, I didn't even know that something like that existed, so, now I want one too! ;)
Morning kittens. I realized last night that I FORGOT to put WHISKERS on my KITTEN! :-O
I'll fix that soon.
Morning kittens. Here is an update about my job situation so far:
After about a month, I landed a possible 6 month temp job. If I do well enough, they might hire me permanently. The pay kinda sucks since I now have to pay a chunk of my income to Metro to get to this job which is kinda out of the way in Maryland. Still, I'm grateful to be working again. No offense but I can't stand begging the government for help. I know that my last job paid for unemployment but you have to go through so many hoops just to claim it.
I also started up my search for a part time job. I'm definitely going to need some extra cash if I'm going to take on a lower paying assignment. I called one company that I interviewed for last month and they are sending me to a facility to meet with the supervisor. Hopefully I can convince him to hire me. The hours suck but the money would help me not only keep my head above water but get me back on schedule to pay my debts down.
This whole situation makes me hate what I do all that much more. (Didn't think that was possible) Getting laid off so suddenly put me in a state of depression so deep that I had to call the EAP line. They put me in contact with a nice gentleman who helped cheer me up as well as find resources to help bring up my skills in certain office programs that I need to succeed in my next job. He even sent me a guide to help with planning to go back to school. And he was doing this from Australia.
I start the temp job next week. Won't be able to chat during the day time as much because they warn you about using company computers for personal stuff. I'll have to use my phone to log in an chat with you kittens on my lunch break.
@Geist, good to hear from you. I am currently searching for work also, but I am still employed and "on the bench." Thankfully, that means I am still getting paid and don't have to go through the whole unemployment process again.
Good for you for seeking assistance when you were feeling overwhelmed. I've had to do that myself at times. Life is tough. We all need to help each other.
Hey everybody, the Kitten has whiskers now! New files have been uploaded for Cards Page 2 and Tokens. Enjoy.
Big sigh of relief! Partly for Geist finding some work, and partly because I finally finished another draft of the urine drug monitoring protocol, along with a urine drug collection protocol. This project is a nightmare!
Sorry that I also have been a bit absent, but my brother, his fiancee, a former Swiss exchange student, and his wife and baby are all in Berlin this weekend!
So I also won't really be on here too much for the next few days (not that weekends are ever super busy here), but on the plus side, I'll be getting a new phone soon, so finally I'll be able to check this kind of stuff on the go!
THAT should put an end to all of my friends justifiably making fun of my outdated phones and stuff. Though I do love the jokes about Instagram stone tablets and Snapchat carrier pigeons.
((( Warning: the story in the following post, or posts, is quite long. I apologize in advance.)))
It used to be that electronics stores were my weakness, but recently it has been craft stores and office supply stores. Worse yet, since I am single and live alone, there’s nobody around to stop me.
My latest adventure was yesterday when I went to an office supply store looking for self-adhesive laminating film to spice up the game tokens a little bit. Of course, while I was there I had to go check out the large format printers to see if they had any that could handle papers larger than ledger size.
Well it turned out that not only did they have such a printer, which can handle paper up to 13x19 inches, but it was ON SALE at a price that I could actually afford! Needless to say, I had to have it even though I had no idea how I was going to haul such a monster upstairs to my home office.
I asked a sales associate whether they actually stocked any paper that large. She replied that they did, but only in Photo Paper. I figured why not? It would be a great way to see how well it could handle photos with its advertised “better than laser” print quality.
After I got home, the printer just sat there in its enormous box blocking a pathway in my living room for a couple of hours. I ruminated about how to haul it up the steps without killing myself. It is very heavy and was designed to be moved by two people, one holding up each end. I decided to strap it onto a hand truck that I had in the closet with some appropriately sized bungee cords.
The next hurdle was carving a pathway to the printer’s intended location on a table currently occupied by my color laser printer. After about half an hour, I had relocated enough clutter to begin rolling the cart upstairs one step at a time, resting between each one until I finally reached the upstairs landing.
It was at this point that my fears were confirmed that the passage way in the hallway leading to the office was just a little too narrow for the cart to pass through easily. A few minutes later, I had cleared a wider path and arrived at the office door.
I was on a mission now, so I relocated everything between the door and the table to another part of the room. Finally, I unplugged the laser printer and moved it out of the way. Carefully, so as not to strain my back, I was able to lift the printer onto the table.
It was getting late by then, so I picked up the laser printer which is much smaller and lighter, carried it downstairs, placed it in a corner of the living room, and plugged it in. That printer is wireless, so I didn’t have to change any of the settings to get it to work again. At this point, I called it a night and went to bed.
The next morning I plugged in the large format printer, installed the ink cartridges and paper, and set up the printer driver on my computer.
Before long I was printing huge photographs. I would have done anything to be able to make prints like these when I was in college. Back then I never dreamed that I would be making prints this good at home without first building an expensive darkroom. I checked the prices for enlargements at the photo labs, but couldn’t often justify the price.
I wouldn’t have even been looking at printers like this if not for trying to find a way to print 12x12 game boards without chopping them into smaller pieces and gluing them together.
This printer is a real enabler. I’m so inspired that I’m getting ready to charge up the battery pack of my digital SLR camera and start taking real photographs instead of settling for cell phone quality images. I haven’t been this excited about photography in quite a few years.
I can even print ledger sized pages with or without a full four-edge bleed, fold them into four-page folios, collate them and bind them into full-sized booklets (or maybe rule books for our little board game). I could have used that capability when I was publishing newsletters for the clubs I was in over the years.
Maybe I’ll find a new direction for my creativity. I know that my Print and Play games will never look the same. I could even start printing little projects and sell them on Etsy.
Wow, that was a good way to start off the day. You should have that published, it has about everything a good short story needs!
But that's really cool, and I can't wait to hear about what kinds of crazy stuff you find out you could do with that printer!