MY STADY

8bitpeoples is currently looking for interns!

2009-01-29T23:23:00.005-05:00

(Posted via The Tank mailing list.)

8bitpeoples, an artist collective and netlabel focusing on chipmusic and related art forms, is looking for interns to assist with day-to-day operations. 8bitpeoples releases music online, on CD, and has spearheaded chipmusic-related events in the New York City area and elsewhere, including the monthly PulseWave event series and the annual Blip Festival. Interns will get a glimpse into the operations of an unconventional and pioneering independent label, and will have an integral role in helping to shape its future.

Duties will include:

Filling orders and shipping product
Liaising with customers regarding orders
Communicating with artists
Assisting with event planning for NYC and International shows
Providing website and newsletter content updates

Past experience is encouraged, familiarity with the chipmusic scene and enthusiasm for moving it forward is a must!

Send a brief e-mail to internships {at} 8bitpeoples {dot} com explaining why you should be considered for the role, include a resume only if relevant. You need to be able to commit to 10-12 hours a week ON-SITE (midtown Manhattan), starting ASAP.

NDS Homebrew Dev Can't Leave Solitary Confinement Until Nintendo Sells Him the Nitro SDK

2008-12-30T17:00:00.004-05:00

(If you've already read about this then skip to the bottom to see how you can do more to help Bob. To the rest of you: read the whole thing.)

Problem
Robert "Bob" Pelloni has spent the past five years coding a homebrew adventure game for the Nintendo DS. He would like to sell his game but to do so he needs to purchase the Nitro SDK from Nintendo. Bob made first contact with Nintendo over a year ago about getting the SDK but so far their only response is to give him the run-around. Meanwhile, several publishers have expressed interest in bringing the game to retail. Until Bob gets the Nitro SDK he can't finish his game.

Gambit
In protest of Nintendo's non-actions Bob has barricaded himself in his office until Nintendo responds to him. To help him with his protest Bob encourages everybody to contact Nintendo about his situation. In his own words:

The door is locked and barricaded from the outside. I am sleeping behind the camera, and yes- I've got a shower. Food is delivered once a week by a friend. I have no internet access, television, or game consoles besides those I am developing on. I can receive and send email on my Android G1, so I can get Nintendo's reply and update my site with tether.

Bob's Game
What's remarkable about Bob's Game (it's not yet clear if that the actual title or a code name), is that he worked on the entire 20-hour title by himself. The ambitious one-man developer says his adventure game has over 200 completely unique characters with deep personalities that evolve. Aspects of the game will be affected by time and weather. Indeed, if Cave Story has taught us anything it's that one person can make a large-scale game.

The trailer for Bob's Game

::do more::
This story currently popular with the gaming blogs but what happens 50 or 75 days from now when it's old news? I admire Bob's determination and I don't want this to be another quickly forgotten story. Here are two ways you MUST help Bob in his protest:

Write Nintendo on a Regular Basis
Most people on the Intertwat are going to read this story once, write Nintendo once, then move on—that isn't good enough. If Nintendo really is avoiding Bob they're going to tolerate the initial wave of inquiry knowing that people will stop when this is no longer a front page story. Writing Nintendo on a regular basis sends a strong message to the contrary. I recommend writing them every three days.

Write Bob on a Regular Basis
Dude is in a room by himself for the next 100 days; he needs continued words of encouragement. This is to show Bob that you've taken his cause to heart and that you will continue to stick by him until Nintendo responds, just like he's prepared himself to do. Write to him on the same days you write to Nintendo.

DO NOT:
- start an on-line petition (this is juvenile)
- copy/paste the same message every time (spamming)
- write in an angry or threatening tone (also juvenile)

Google Calendar users can use this to remind themselves. The rest of you set your respective alarms or calendars NOW!

Vagrant Story Plug-in For PSicture

2008-07-12T13:40:00.037-04:00

(You should download PSicture if you haven't already.)

Vagrant Story Plug-in For PSicture

Another quality release by snailrush. This one is a PSicture plug-in for Vagrant Story; however, I see no harm in scanning other games with it. Whenever snailrush released a new plug-in I would always try them on Capcom fighting games. To date I don't believe anyone's figured out how Capcom stored their sprites. It's disappointing, really. Granted, the PSX ports of those games were stripped down from their arcade counterparts but that doesn't make me any less curious.

Author: snailrush | Homepage: snailrush
Platform: Windows (Alain-Christian ran it on Windows XP Pro SP2 @ 06/03/2009)
License: Free | File Size: 5.27 KB | Version: n/a | Published: 9/3/2003

Download: Vagrant Story Plug-in For PSicture

NitroTracker v0.4

2008-07-11T08:30:00.005-04:00

0xtob (or just Tob), FINALLY released version 0.4 of NitroTracker. I can honestly say the wait has been excruciating--and totally worth it! There was a time when I would check his website on a daily basis in hopes of seeing a new release, which turned out to be a total waste of time since the news was announced on his mailing list the day before the site was updated. I had totally forgotten about the mailing list. My jaw hit the keyboard when I read the subject line:

[NitroTracker] NitroTracker v0.4 is here at last!

"At last", indeed.

NitroTracker is an amazing sequence of code that grants you the privilege of making pretty sounds come out of your NDS--on purpose--whenever the mood strikes you. Tob took the, "When it's ready" approach to this release and it shows. A lot of polish and testing went into this and I find the interface a lot more intuitive this time around.

If you're new to NitroTracker you might find the interface a little overwhelming. I can assure you it's easier than it looks. I suggesting anyone that hasn't already done so to give the NitroTracker Manual a quick read. There is also an official NitroTracker Forum and an IRC chat room (#nitrotracker on Espernet) in place if you need to connect with like-minded individuals.

Of all the new features I think Multi-Sample Instruments (MSI) has the most potential for exploitation. It is a fair compromise for a lack of VST support. At the end of the day you're still working with samples but I can imagine putting together something like a really wicked drumkit by way of MSI! Honestly, VST support is the last item on my NitroTracker wish list. I would be cool to have but I don't think it's a realistic goal; I just don't know if the NDS can handle the memory requirements. Then again, wasn't the same thing said about NEO-GEO emulation on the Sega Dreamcast and Nintendo DS? Besides, if NitroTracker is missing something you need, just load the XM file into your MAC/PC tracker of choice and continue from there.

If you're still not convinced I recommend listening to some tracks composed in NitroTracker. you'll find a few tracks were included with the release for that extra inspirational push.

If you have a Nintendo DS and a flash card you have no excuse for not installing this. Even if you have no musical skill you can have fun recording samples with the NDS microphone and playing them back on the synth. Those of you with a musical background should be happy to know there is midi support. I was able to get it running on Windows XP and it's also been tested to work on Macs.

While the topic in the official chat room might read, "NitroTracker v0.4 is out! Think it's cool? Just wait for 0.5..." I feel there's enough to keep us busy in v0.4 until that becomes a reality.

download: NitroTracker v0.4
web: NitroTracker

PSicture 1.02

2008-07-03T01:00:00.014-04:00

"I made it because other 'similar' applications are a bit crappy (only a bit :D ), to say what I truly think."
- snailrush

His site is dead. He left the scene about two-three years ago. It's a shame because the guy made some really good tools in his day. PSicture is one of the many graphics rippers released for the PlayStation. PSicture is the best PlayStation graphics ripper you'll ever find. That's saying a lot seeing as how this program was released back in 2003. PSicture allows you to save a list file once you've finished scanning for data. Back when faster optical drives were more expensive this was a welcome feature. And it still is, why run the same scan the every time?

PSicture also has a plug-in architecture. Included in the zip file are plug-ins for four different image formats. snailrush released more plug-ins separately and I'll be sharing them soon. Unfortunately, I don't believe he ever released a guide on how to make these plug-ins. Then again, he might have, my memory is vague on this.

One should note that unlike a lot of other scene releases this tool is very well documented. snailrush clearly put a lot of thought into what he did. Neither the documentation nor the program look hastily put together. And that's not a crack at other scene releases, I'm just saying the hard work isn't go unnoticed.

PSicture is truly is a gift to the PlayStation dev scene.

download: PSicture 1.02