TRO 3063 is done, and almost me too!

Well after a lot more work than I ever anticipated, it appears that Steven Satak's TRO 3063 project is finally done.  Since I had devoted a LOT of time to helping that out recently, it sucked time away from me finishing up the encyclopedia here on the site, updating my blog, and working on other projects.

But, now that its done (it'll be released to the "public" Tuesday) I can move on to some other projects.

Here is what is in my queue, in order:

#1.  Strike Legion unit builder.  This is already about 30% complete.  It is a pretty simple unit designer for that series of games.  If I can stay focused, and have no more computer issues, I should be able to knock it out really quickly.

#2.  Update my Encyclopedia site.  Do things like make record sheets for warships and dropships (most everything else is already done!) and basically clean up the site and hopefully "finalize" it.  I'll do some of this concurrently with #1, depending on my "coding moods".

#3.  A system to play Federation and Empire online easier than Cyberboard.  This will be an ongoing project that I do concurrently with #2.

#4.  A new search engine site (not a replacement for google, just a different way of 'googling'), and a new file sharing site (just for your friends, not public), both purely because I see a need and really hope I could make enough from either to not have to work anymore :)

#5.  A top down real time multiplayer game using megamek unit graphics, on a REALLY REALLY big map (like a continent).  It'll be based on BT for sure (at least initially), but will probably be different enough I could sell the game independently.  

#6.  The 2 projects that made me learn to program.  #1 is a Starfleet Command sort of game, and the other a simulation of the BattleTech universe that would be kind of like playing most of the 4X games out there in reverse.  You start with a HUGE group of planets, and have to *keep* it, instead of leapfrogging through a newly discovered galaxy of planets gaining tech and new units.  Basically, you struggle to keep what you have, which is kind of original in the computer world.  I still have a couple things I need to learn for the 4X game, but I think I'll get it by the time the time comes to focus on it exclusively.

Interesting thing happened to me today.  See, we had a hailstorm here in Texas in June and I had to replace my roof.  So they came out and replaced it, and even put on new gutters.  However those gutters aren't quite level, so the rain floods my porch instead of coming out the downspouts.  Anyway, while figuring this out while it was raining I held my hand up to feel the depth of the water in the gutters, just my fingers over the edge.  Then I see a flash of lightning and the bolt of energy shoot from my fingers down to my toes.  It sucked.  I don't think the lightning hit anywhere nearby, just the electricity in the air or something went through my body.  I really had to find the issue tho, and went and got a ladder to look... but somehow, couldn't gain the courage to win a Darwin award by climbing up on it to look in my gutter to see it.  I was barefooted, surely my flip-flops would have prevented the electricity from using my body as a wire, but in hindsight it was probably pretty stupid, but the newly regained respect for electricity I now have prevents me from, well, probably going outside and sitting on my porch during the next rainstorm (which I often DID).