AngryOctopus

So Oracle have finally given up on the Java Plugin competing in any way with Silverlight/Flash and made all unsigned applets blocked by default. In order to run anything on this site you will need to do the following:

• Go to the Java Control Panel (On Windows Click Start and then Configure Java)
• Click on the Security tab
• Click on the Edit Site List button
• Add: http://www.angryoctopus.co.nz

I quite like Lost Garden and was intrigued by his 2.5D modeling tool idea and finally having some free time over the holidays I decided to give it a quick go.

Click to try:

I took a few shortcuts to get something working quickly so there are a couple of changes to his basic design:

• To make the rendering and boolean type operations simple to code I made it so every X/Z slice has to be rectangular. This means there are no N/E Ramps and no rounded N/S edges.
• Rather than incorporating any rotation it seemed easier to just have the different rotations available as primitives.
• Having only six handles for re-sizing leads to the middle set being confusing as it is unclear which face they are for re-sizing. I found adding a second pair allows for all scaling operations intuitively.
• Implementing rounded edges for all the shape types was tricky and you really need to be able to selectively round different edges, instead I just added two types of fixed/rounded boxes as an example of what could be achieved with a more complete tool.

Notes:

• You can change the palette by double-clicking on a color.
• The list on shapes on the right can be re-arranged by dragging.
• Holes effect only shapes below them in the list.
• Dragging the front face moves the shape up/down and left/right.
• Dragging the top face moves the shape forward/back and left/right.
• Models are compact enough to be URL encoded, so use that for saving/sharing.
• The rendering engine needs a bit of work, better lighting/shadows and textures will make it look a lot better.
• The rendering code is pretty simple and this could easily be implemented in JavaScript/HTML

Source code now available here: lgmodeler

Once again the NAMM videos have inspired me to have a go at a web version of an analog synth. This time round it’s the awesome looking Moog Minitaur. As usual it is unlikely to sound anywhere near as good as the real thing but will give you some idea of the types of sounds it is capable of. The filter in this one sounds a bit better than my previous synths as a result of trying out some delay-less feedback techniques.

Any midi controllers in the system should be connected automatically. Click to try:

I love the new Monotrons from Korg, I was considering attempting digital versions but thought it would be much more fun to come up with my own design. I decided to go for something that would make more sense digitally and so FM seemed the logical choice. I went for buttons rather than the usual ribbon controller which would probably make a physical version too expensive but is much easier to play.

Click to give it a try:

This one is a little strange I admit. The sequencer is based on the same cellular automation as Otomata. The synth is a basic single PWM oscillator and a 12db low pass filter.
Click to give it a try:

Korg is again conspiring to use up all my free time by creating an updated version of the Monotron with a built in sequencer/drum machine. There was no way I was going to be able to resist attempting a web version of this and so here it is:

The graphics took longer than I thought so the synth is pretty un-optimised and doesn’t sound any better than my Webotron. The drums are way off and it’s probably missing a lot of functionality but there should be enough to give you an idea of what the real thing is capable of.

Update:
Thanks to Tatsuya Takahashi at KORG the following changes have been made:

– Sequencer completely re-written.
– Gate time now recorded with each step.
– In flux mode gating is still driven by the step timing.
– LFO range set to 1-5KHz for fast and 0.05-20Hz for slow/1shot.
– LFO depth increased to +/- 8octaves for both pitch and cutoff.
– Cutoff knob range altered.

I still have some changes to make for the EG/LFO reset triggering when not in flux mode that I’ll get to soon.

It’s strange how my motivation to work on a project can shift very abruptly and I have suddenly have no desire to work on something that as little as an hour ago I found fascinating. This is why I never finish anything and I really need to find a way to keep my motivation focused on a single project through to completion.

Anyway my current fascination has jumped back to RC Helicopters, ignited by the newly released Align Trex100. The heli comes with a trainer cable for plugging into a simulator so I thought I would have another go at that:

Yet another started game that will never be finished. This is my first attempt at a platformer. I wanted to do a series of single screen puzzle/platform levels unlocking further levels in a Pyramid culminating in a boss at the top but only got as far as 3 rooms.

Click the screenshot to play:

I finally got round to shelling out for a real synthesiser, after quite a bit of research I finally settled on the microKORG XL. I have had it for a month now and still play it constantly, I have actually gotten to prefer the mini keys and going back to a real piano feels like the keys are made of lead.

One thing I have found lacking is the 128 factory presets get old fairly quickly and there aren’t any good repositories on the web. In order to try to remedy this I have written a new web-application for sharing patches for hardware synthesizers. At present it only supports the XL but I’ll add others if it takes off. The great thing about Java is the midi support is pretty good so I can communicate directly with the XL from a website. This means you can search and just click on a patch and have it instantly live on your XL.

Click below to give it a try:

A while back (before his Minecraft notoriety) I was supper impressed with Markus Pearsons tiny Eye of the Beholder remake:

I thought it would make a great competition and I finally got round to organising one over at JavaGaming
After getting off to a great start things petered out somewhat and we only ended up with 5 entries but there are a few fantastic ones, you can play them all by clicking below: