with your setup, it seems like you'll end up using a lot of lists.

"A large part of 68k optimization revolves around careful use of lists. List variables are no longer random access: accessing the last element of a list is much slower than accessing the first element. For this reason, going through a list in a For loop is about the worst thing you could do."

From http://tibasicdev.wikidot.com/68k:83coders#toc4

Also I believe with its ability to draw sprites meant that many people kind of expect graphics game with those sprites command, but the problem is that the sprite command was extremely slow. Since you said you'll be using ascii characters, I guess it won't be too much of a problem, although I'm not sure how the ascii character display routine compares to ti-83+'s output( in terms of speed.

Quote from: DJ_O on May 24, 2012, 01:56:45 am

Quote from: ::CMG (UTOPIA):: on May 24, 2012, 12:39:11 am

I'm just amazed that it's the year 2012, and there is still people on this planet that do not know how to use a computer.  Sure, if you're like 65 or older, then you're excused, but anything before that there is no excuse as to why you have yet to acquire "computer usage 101" skills considering that almost EVERYTHING now-a-days involves some type of computer.  Granted my household didn't own a computer until 1996-1997 when IBM's were still popular as hell, and Windows 95 was still around until Windows 98 was the latest thing being pushed into the hi-tech world shortly after... but even still, my mom handed me a Nintendo controller when I was 2 years old... combine that with the ancient macintosh computers that required those BIG-ASS black floppy discs to run any kind of program that my elementary school had when I was in the 2nd grade, I was still SOMEWHAT familiar with technology as a whole.

True Story: From 2008-2010 I used to work for a medical billing company, which used those REALLY ancient computers that were just a black screen with orange/green text, and their printers (I kid you not) were those old noisy ones that took FOREVER to print a document and required that special paper you had to align with the printer with the little stubs to slide in the little holes on both sides of the paper.  Only the managers had windows based computers, except for one computer in the front of the office which was used mostly by me, the mailroom lady, and this one clerical chick.  Would you believe that god forbid if one of the ladies that were glued to the old black & orange/green computers had to use the new windows computer up front, I had to actually stand in back of them and direct them on where to go?  Not to mention the questions were just baffling...

Lady: CHRIS, WHATS THIS ON THE SCREEN?!?!
Me: Those are icons... you click them and they open programs
Lady: CHRIS, HOW DO I GET TO THE FOLDER THE BOSS TOLD ME TO GO TO?!?!
Me: See that folder on the desktop?  Double click that, and there ya go
Lady: CHRIS, HOW DO I LOG OFF?!?!

I'm convinced that people now-a-days have become so lazy that they could care less about learning about anything computer/technology related.  In fact, I strongly believe that that is the reason why Windows 7 was created in the first place.  After all, why do anything on YOUR computer when the computer can do it for you?  Seriously, it's bad when I have to go into command prompt, type in "net user administrator /active:yes", and then delete the default account, just so I don't have to see the computer go "YOU ARE ABOUT TO OPEN THIS PROGRAM!!  ARE YOU SURE YOU WANNA DO THIS???  WAIT, IT MIGHT NOT BE SAFE!!!  ARE YOU POSITIVE YOU WANNA DO THIS?!?!  PLEASE RE THINK THIS!!!  ARE YOU ABSOLUTELY SURE YOU WANT TO DO THIS?!?!"

Well it depends where they live, too, and other factors. For example, in my case, my parents and myself could not afford a computer until 2005 and we got our first computer as a gift in 2004. My mom started using computers regularly in late 2007. As a result, there were big chances we are not tech-savy even in this computer age. While computers are common, they're really expensive (it's hard to find any decent computer under $200 in Canada).

But yeah it's best to point new computer users in the right direction (politely) if they need really basic help, as in telling them to google or search specific stuff to find their answer and teach them how to solve issues themselves. Of course some problems might require assistance but if everyone who needed simple help asked us it would become out of control.

Personally, however, what I really can't stand is when I tell someone to click somewhere and even if I point him where to click with my finger, he still cannot see the thing I am talking about. Are they blind?

Also in some of our case, we will end up being less comfortable with new technologies in a few decades since we did not live with them. Eg I was born in the NES/SNES era, and did not always have the most recent consoles. As a result, when I switched to big 3D shooters I had a lot of troubles getting used to dual joystick controls.

It's best to not be narrow-minded, though, since everyone gotta start somewhere and we need to take in account people who never had the chance to get regular computer access in their early life. They say past 20 or so, it's considerably harder to learn new stuff and then it gets harder and harder for many people. If, for example, you were in a monoparental, poor family, are too old or if you got JustCause or SirCmpwn's parents, then it's almost guaranteed you could not have computer access more than one or two hours a week and that access was very restricted.

Note, however, that there are certain people who asks "stupid" questions who might be trolling, though. (eg the "I accidentally 95 MB of rar files. Is that bad?" type of question) They might actually be tech-savy, but will just act n00bish online for the purpose of wasting people time or making them laugh.

While I do agree with a few of your points, it's still blatantly obvious that the majority of society now-a-days needs everything to be spoon fed

It's like comparing video games to back in the 90's to video games today.  Now-a-days, almost every game has some sort of "lesson" mode or "tutorial" mode that tells the person how to play then game, when they can easily get that same information just by reading the INSTRUCTION BOOK that came with the game.  Apparently when videogames became a little more mainstream, they started treating videogamers (whether casual or hardcore) like they just had a lobotomy.  That kind of behavior and thinking is part of the reason why people are dumbfounded when it comes to most technology, because they don't have anyone to tell them "hey, these are the buttons, this is what they do".  Now when it came to back in the 90's, games like Sonic or Final Fantasy didnt have any tutorial modes or lesson modes, they just threw you right into the game, leaving you to figure out exactly what to do, who to kill, what to avoid, yadda yadda yadda.  Eventually all the skills you would acquire with those games would benefit you with other newer games that would raise the bar and up the challenge for the same players that were trained (so to speak) from whatever game they were glued to for so long. 

Which brings me back to my point... you've seen one piece of technology/computer equipment, you've seen them all.  Computers will always look like computers, and handle like computers... cell phones will always look like cell phones and handle like cell phones.  It's just with each passing year, something new is added, and if you've learned from the past on how to work something (on your own), you'll eventualy get the hang of working that other thing.  Before I got my T-Mobile Sidekick 4G, I had the T-Mobile Sidekick 3.  Obviously the 3 model is not android based, but considering that I taught myself how to operate a computer, and a cell phone, I was able to use both of those skills to eventually figure out how to work my android phone (which took like 10 minutes, not including actually getting deep down into the settings menu, which took another 10 minutes TOPS).

It all goes back to that "actually making an effort" and "people being too lazy" point I mentioned before

For me, I disagree with what you said.

The thing is, there are different kinds of people out there, and for some people, technology is easy to learn, and understand. For others tho, it might be really difficult to understand what's going on, and when they're criticized for not knowing certain things that should be 'obvious', they tend to stay away from it even more, and not try to actually learn them.

It's same thing as how some people might learn math or science really well in school, while others are better in learning language or history, or music, dance, etc. It's all based on how their brain functions.
Back in the days, technology was relatively simple. Also the video games were usually catered to the tech-savvy people, because, only tech-savvy people had the interest to buy the gaming systems. However, now that the gaming industry has moved on to the more casual groups with the smart phones and whatnot, game industry had to make sure that they cater to those casual people, and so they added in tutorials, lessons, etc. And you usually don't see the instruction manuals printed out nowadays, because there is no need for them if they're already in the program (also, programmers are not limited to memory-contraints and processor speed as much as they used to back then in 90s, so they have the leisure to put them in with the game).

If I borrow your example on T-Mobile Sidekick 4G, what happens if you never used Sidekick 3 before that? What happens, if you were using lets say an old nokia phone, and then decided to upgrade it to iphone 4? that's a huge technology gap, and for people who's not as technologically knowledgeable as others will be confused on what to do, and ask "stupid" and "obvious" questions. They just have absolutely have no clue how to operate them, and they're afraid to just try something in fear that they'll break the phone or whatnot.

My point is, back in the 90's, programs and technology were used mostly by already tech-savvy people who understood those things easily, while nowadays, those technology has become almost mandatory, so it's hard for non-tech-savvy people to catch up to the fast evolving machines and programs that are churning out currently.

Yeah I hate when they fill their base with turrets. It's annoying if I want to switch to muta to harrass a bit. As for infestors I got a bit better a while ago to use them but I'm still not very comfortable because you really have to be very careful to not lose them.

Also wasn't the archon toilet nerfed? I think the baneling toilet was, too (you could kill 255 marines with two banelings IIRC)

It was nerfed to a certain extent, but the slow units will still die very fast, such as broodlords, and battlecruisers. The units that actually benefited from that "nerf" were roaches, giving them enough time to get into position after coming out of vortex because they're fast enough

[xkcd=627]this xkcd[/xkcd]

I'm a high master zerg. and for me, currently against terran, I have a problem against their mech play, with turrets everywhere in their 3 bases to block any drop harassments/muta harassments. Their early mech 3/3 with thors/tanks/hellions are so scary
against marine tank, in current metagame zerg needs to use infestors and very little banelings, and transition fast into broodlords and infestors composition with some ultra and zerglings, and prevent terran from getting their 4th up.

Against protoss, I have no problem early on, but it's when the game gets late game and it becomes blords+infestors vs mothership+archon+ht fight, the only thing that decides who wins is if protoss clicked vortex and did archon toilet well or not. Mothership's vortex mechanics is wayyy too broken, but the problem is, protoss has no other way to win otherwise.

I've uploaded a *fixed* programs that should theoretically work with TI-Connect. At the very least it works with wabbitemu.
What I did was open up the programs on TokenIDE and compile new programs with the same source code. Hopefully there's no bugs.

marine is strong against colossus? and infestors? those 2 are not true...

oh... is it hard to make it with 6 height? Okay how about 12x12? and also forgot to mention, it would be good if the shoes came in pairs, like one facing left and one facing right I'll edit it in to the first post.

Anyways, thank you so much! They look great Kudos to you