FAQ – Feel free to ask, but look here first.
This is a general FAQ. For individual FAQs, for now see the readme files.
Q: Why is this site broken in (browser)?
A: Your browser doesn't support semantic HTML. I decided in the name of accessibility that I'd take the plunge.
Ideally, I'd like my games to be playable by anyone, so making my site usable by anyone is a good first step.
I've also made other improvements, including linking directly to the equivalent mobile pages,
switching out some GIF files for smaller PNGs, and
putting up my first APNG, which for my game art is way smaller than an animated GIF and like ⅔
the size of a WEBP without compression, and only marginally larger than a WEBP at 85% quality. Plus it
loads faster.
At any rate, the mobile site will forego animations (for now, at least) to save everyone on data.
Q: Is there an ETA on any of these?
A: No. All of these are free-time projects that lose out on time because of full-time work. They'll
be done when they're done.
Q: How do you keep so many irons in the fire?
A: It helps that many of them, especially the various items under the Ruby umbrella, are cross-functional.
Jerako as a whole is a single world, so things in many of the games influence each other, like where things are
in the world, and chronological details. That and a lot of shared assets between them. Working on any part of Ruby
is probably going to benefit all of it somehow. Otherwise, the truth of the matter is attention gets focused somewhere
and the rest gets some amount of drip-feed of ideas over time.
Q: Is there a main project you work on?
A: In a word, no. I've tried to keep a main project and a current obsession, but for the most part, I keep a current obsession.
There are other projects that have significant work from that, but not enough visually to put here. Ultimately, math and writing doesn't make for a good mock-up.
I usually bounce between a few select projects that may or may not be on this site.
Q: Does that mean all the others have stalled?
A: Oh, heck no! I'm still writing down ideas for them all and doing bits and pieces. Just not giving them
all dedicated time like I used to when I had more to dedicate. Everything you see here is getting at least a little attention unless
otherwise stated.
Q: Help! One of the projects isn't listed anymore!
A: That project probably wasn't getting enough attention for me to justify keeping it here. It's likely not dead, just sleeping.
Q: Could you use a bit of help with these to make them go faster?
A: I tried that with The Power of Commands. It didn't go well. What started as a group project with people I knew
from my main online home at the time ended with me scrapping nearly all of the resources and doing
it myself. Basically, I learned that if you want a team, you need to have good lines of
communication and a shared, or at least very clear, vision. So, in a word, no.
Q: What will these cost?
A: A fair, but as-of-yet undertermined price. I'm not going to gouge you.
Q: Will there be demos?
A: Yes. On top of that, some of these will also have premium versions with extra features for those
who want to pay a little bit extra. Give a little, get a little.
Q: Can you help me with my game?
A: No. My advice is to run while you still can or else start commissioning work and/or forming a team. Games take dedication and
LOTS of time. I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I started.
Q: Can you crank out a tool for me?
A: If you think it's useful enough for others, you can contact me at
joseph[period]bauer["a" swirl]programmer[full stop]net and we might be able to work something out.
Q: Who does your graphics?
A: Me, barring one exception in The Power of Commands which is about all I salvaged from contributors. I also do all my own
writing, music (minus a bit from my brother), and programming. I'm largely a one-man band. That said, I have gotten more open to asking for (paid) help.
It's been quite a long road to that. Swallow your pride early, folks; it doesn't get any easier with time.
Q: You could use A.I. for that.
A: I could sooner ask A.I. to BREATHE for me. Provided I do ever pay someone for their assistance, it's because I'm going to also learn from it. This is a no-slop shop. Completely devoid of generative A.I. at any point in the process. 100% human-made. If I were to pay someone and then learn they turned around and just prompted something, I would hit them with a chargeback and never do business with them again! That and it can't be copyrighted, or patented. Sorry to those who'd like any of it to be free or open-source, but I'd like to keep a bit of a monopoly on my decades of effort. No. No slop, for any reason, ever. Hard no.
Q: What software do you use?
A: Paint.NET for graphics, Anvil Studio for MIDI music, and PxTone for WAV music. For programming, I use Visual
Studio, Java Eclipse, and Notepad++ for my web development stuff.
I hope to delve into Godot, because if there's one thing I've learned, it's that rolling your own engine is just not worth it.
Q: What language do you write in most?
A: That's a tricky question. I favor C#, but it's not always the best choice for what I want to do.
Java is also up there and I do a lot of HTML and CSS, but obviously not for game programming.
Pick whatever engine is going to get you the results you want and learn it, including the language.
You can always learn more later.
If you have any other questions, feel free to ask me at
joseph[full stop]bauer[swirly "a"]programmer[point]net.