jmpavlec's recent activity
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Comment on Planet of Lana II: Children of the Leaf | Announcement trailer in ~games
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Comment on Planet of Lana II: Children of the Leaf | Announcement trailer in ~games
jmpavlec LinkThe graphics look gorgeous. Never played the first one but it reminds me a lot of the game Inside (same makers of Limbo). Similar side scrolling puzzle mechanics and style. Will definitely check...The graphics look gorgeous. Never played the first one but it reminds me a lot of the game Inside (same makers of Limbo). Similar side scrolling puzzle mechanics and style. Will definitely check it out! Thanks for posting.
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Comment on This site is fast in ~tildes
jmpavlec Link ParentMaybe it is my location... But this site is a bit slow. Loading spinners, images drawing in over a couple seconds... I have gigabit download speeds... What am I missing?Maybe it is my location... But this site is a bit slow. Loading spinners, images drawing in over a couple seconds... I have gigabit download speeds... What am I missing?
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Comment on Gimp Tutorial for Idiot? in ~comp
jmpavlec LinkI also tried to use Gimp after using Photoshop for a while 15+ years ago. I find I enjoy https://www.photopea.com/ better. It's an online editor similar to how Photoshop is/used to be. It is free...I also tried to use Gimp after using Photoshop for a while 15+ years ago. I find I enjoy https://www.photopea.com/ better. It's an online editor similar to how Photoshop is/used to be. It is free with ad support. (Although I think you can pay to remove ads as well)
To be honest it's been 10+ years since I last tried Gimp... So maybe I should give it a try again. Either way, photopea meets 90% of my needs these days for basic photo editing with layers.
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Comment on Indecision: Get a camera despite having a phone in ~tech
jmpavlec LinkInstead of buying a new camera, I'd save the money and invest it in a new smartphone with a better camera. Have heard good things about the new iphone 17. My wife has the same phone as you (iPhone...Instead of buying a new camera, I'd save the money and invest it in a new smartphone with a better camera. Have heard good things about the new iphone 17. My wife has the same phone as you (iPhone SE 2022) and the quality is quite a bit worse than my Pixel 8. She had an iphone 11 from work before that and even those pictures were better than her current SE.
I have a DSLR myself that gets used about once a year for special evenings, even then it can be cumbersome to get out and use.
I'd get a new phone with a better camera if I were in your shoes.
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Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp
jmpavlec Link ParentThanks! That will definitely help as a reference.Thanks! That will definitely help as a reference.
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Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp
jmpavlec Link ParentGave it a go: https://imgur.com/a/KNOy9EB Seemed to work pretty well. Is there a concept of a room or something? Or is it a singleton instance? (Like anyone who goes to the site at that time joins...Gave it a go: https://imgur.com/a/KNOy9EB
Seemed to work pretty well. Is there a concept of a room or something? Or is it a singleton instance? (Like anyone who goes to the site at that time joins the same game?). Would also be fun to see the count of words the other players are getting.
I liked the post game stats and timeline of points. Well done!
A page refresh wipes out the player so I had to start again.
It plays a bit like the games I have been working on at https://gametje.com
May try to make something similar for my own website 🙂.
Thanks for sharing.
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Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp
jmpavlec Link ParentDo you have a link for the boggle game? Would love to try that out.Do you have a link for the boggle game? Would love to try that out.
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Comment on CGA-2025-10 🕹️⏰ 🗺️ 🐸 INSERT CARTRIDGE 🟢 Chrono Trigger in ~games
jmpavlec (edited )Link ParentI'm a huge fan of Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross never hooked me. I played it for ~8-10 hrs quite a few years ago and it just didn't have the same feel. Earthbound on the other hand... is one of...I'm a huge fan of Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross never hooked me. I played it for ~8-10 hrs quite a few years ago and it just didn't have the same feel.
Earthbound on the other hand... is one of my favorites. I'm a real sucker for SNES RPGs. I'd suggest that or FF VII over Chrono Cross.
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Comment on Has anyone here tried bone conduction headphones? in ~tech
jmpavlec (edited )LinkI have a pair of Shokz Open Run Pro. I'm generally quite happy with them. I use them exclusively when running to listen to music and podcasts. I find them to be loud enough (at 80-90% volume) and...I have a pair of Shokz Open Run Pro. I'm generally quite happy with them. I use them exclusively when running to listen to music and podcasts. I find them to be loud enough (at 80-90% volume) and tested them with my wife indoors and she couldn't really hear what I was listening to unless she got really close.
I mainly got them as my regular earpods always fell out when I was running and I wanted to be able to hear my surroundings. The proprietary charger is a bit annoying, but they usually charge pretty fast and last me ~5-6 10km runs before they report the battery as low. (~4.5-5.5 hrs). They'd probably last longer indoors as you wouldn't need to turn them up as much.
I'd say the only real negative for me is that I should have gotten the smaller size, the normal ones are slightly too big for me so I occasionally need to push them back.
To clarify, I definitely prefer other headphones for sound quality when sitting at a desk etc. I've only used them a few times for non-running situations. I'd say give it a shot, you can always return them?
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Show Tildes - Gametje V2
Hi All, It's been coincidentally EXACTLY 1 year since my previous post about Gametje. I've been busy creating some new games and re-designing all the main pages with the help of a UI/UX designer....
Hi All,
It's been coincidentally EXACTLY 1 year since my previous post about Gametje. I've been busy creating some new games and re-designing all the main pages with the help of a UI/UX designer. I have posted a few updates in the weeklyWhat programming/technical projects have you been working on?threads but I thought this milestone deserved its own post. I published the new site earlier this week and also migrated to a new backend server. Here's a refresher of what it is for those that may have missed my previous post a year ago. I also recently started working on it full-time last month after not really working on it much from January-June this year. You can read more in my recent blog post.What is it?
It's a set of online games that can be played in person with a central screen (like a TV) or remotely via video chat. It's also available directly in Discord as an embedded activity. It is playable in 9 languages and doesn’t require any downloads. Most games revolve around creativity in some form. None of the games require fast reflexes and can be played by just about anyone.
Where can I try it?
https://gametje.com and directly on Discord
You can use the "quick play" option to launch directly into the game as a guest.
What's different from last year?
There are 2 new games (
Sync ThinkandHide & Peek) and the main pages have been redesigned. I also implemented a game room concept which allows you to bounce between games without having to recreate it each time. I also integrated with Discord, which means you can play directly in their interface and also use Discord as an Identity Provider when logging in. The games themselves need a bit more polish (especially the two new ones) but overall they should work.What am I looking for?
I'm trying to gather some feedback about the games and the overall concept. Are the games fun? Is this something you'd try with your family? What could be improved? Is the site clear about what you can/should do? Should I add some gameplay videos to give you a quicker feel for the games?
I'm also open to game ideas, I have a few in the backlog already but need to focus more on the business side at the moment. Any advice on the games/marketing etc would be highly appreciated.
Side note: I'm probably going to rename the whole site soon since the name Gametje doesn't exactly roll off the tongue and has caused some debate with Dutch speakers. The branding for the new name isn't quite ready. I am considering calling it
GameBuffetas my avatars are all food related and its more of a "all you can play" offering for any games added to the platform.Thanks for reading.
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Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp
jmpavlec Link ParentYou could check out https://posthog.com/. They have a generous free tier and it's very simple to set up. Also offers session replays which could show you where they are focusing on your site.You could check out https://posthog.com/. They have a generous free tier and it's very simple to set up. Also offers session replays which could show you where they are focusing on your site.
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Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp
jmpavlec Link ParentYou can easily host through Cloudflare (for free) even with a domain registered elsewhere. Just need to do a bit of DNS configuration and changing nameservers. Just did it yesterday as Cloudflare...You can easily host through Cloudflare (for free) even with a domain registered elsewhere. Just need to do a bit of DNS configuration and changing nameservers. Just did it yesterday as Cloudflare doesn't support registering .eu domains. So I registered the domain with porkbun.com and then set it up at Cloudflare.
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Comment on Can AI tell if I'm writing AI slop? A machine learning journey in ~comp
jmpavlec LinkI love stuff like this, great write up. How many years of data from your blogs were you able to use? I'm curious if it could still identify writing as yours that is 10+ years old? Maybe an old...I love stuff like this, great write up.
How many years of data from your blogs were you able to use? I'm curious if it could still identify writing as yours that is 10+ years old? Maybe an old email or something. Not sure if your writing style had changed.
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Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp
jmpavlec (edited )Link ParentThanks for checking it out! I had the exact same feeling the first time I played Jackbox games and actually started on a prototype back at the end of 2017... It was playable and fun but looked...Thanks for checking it out!
I had the exact same feeling the first time I played Jackbox games and actually started on a prototype back at the end of 2017... It was playable and fun but looked terrible and would never scale. You can read a bit more about it in my devblog if you are interested. I decided to take another job at the time rather than pursuing that (wasn't the right time in my life with young kids etc).
In Jan 2023, I started part-time (12-16hrs/week) on this project. I have people playing it each week but I need to tighten up the business model. The original idea was to get it in front of as many people as possible to get feedback rather than focusing on getting paying customers. I added guest accounts so people could try it out without signing up. Now I have people playing but nobody paying :-D. To be fair, the site is still a bit rough around the edges so I wasn't expecting paying customers yet. Now that I am working on it full-time, it should hopefully improve considerably.
Tech stack is React/typescript on the frontend, java + spring boot on the backend. Using postgres db and redis for distributed cache. Currently running with the integrated websockets server with Spring but have plans to move to RabbitMQ if necessary for scaling. So far the load has been well within my small VPS's limits. I've done some performance tests and should be able to handle a decent amount without having to change the architecture too much.
I've built something similar to https://joinplayroom.com/ which didn't exist when I started the project (or I didn't find it). I think that's an avenue someone could take to build something a bit quicker than I did. It does tie you to their eco system and pricing though.
I plan to share more on my devblog, but haven't had much time (until now) to focus on writing posts. Hopefully will write one in the next week or two discussing all the Discord integration challenges.
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Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp
jmpavlec Link ParentThanks for giving it a look. I've been meaning to add more sound effects... The whole site should look/feel a bit more polished next week when I get my last 3 weeks of changes live.Thanks for giving it a look. I've been meaning to add more sound effects...
The whole site should look/feel a bit more polished next week when I get my last 3 weeks of changes live.
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Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp
jmpavlec (edited )LinkI recently quit both my paying jobs to focus on my side-project full time. It has been a while since I have posted on one of these threads as I haven't had much time to work on the project. For...I recently quit both my paying jobs to focus on my side-project full time. It has been a while since I have posted on one of these threads as I haven't had much time to work on the project. For those unaware, my side project is called gametje.com and you can try it out right now! For some additional context, you can check out my previous Tildes post which has a lot more detail. The TLDR is that it is a site with games similar to Jackbox Games. It is playable in 9 different languages without needing to install anything (no Steam or Consoles etc). The idea is create it more like a platform with new games being added on a regular basis.
I've been busy in August working on a major UI overhaul for the main pages and an integration with Discord. The UI overhaul is a result of working with a UX designer earlier this year. The new design is not yet live. The current one is functional but a bit uninspired so don't judge it too much yet :) I'll probably post again next thread when the new design is live. I've also been working on what I am calling "game sessions" which are sort of a lobby before an actual game starts. This allows players to join the session once and switch games without having to enter new game codes. This mainly came about as a result of integrating with Discord as their embedded activities are tied to an instanceId. I needed to give the hosting player the ability to switch/start games from that centralized point. It also needed to be able to figure out which game session to join when clicking the button in Discord itself. Game sessions in general is also a big win as you don't need to fiddle around giving out a new game code every time you want to change games.
I've also been working on adding Discord as an Identity Provider for logging in with OAuth. This is related to the integration but also a bit separate as you can log into the site using the OAuth flow outside of Discord's app. Needed to do a bit of refactoring around the user providers as previously I only had my own username/password provider. This should also make it much easier to add new Idps like Google etc later.
As a part of the Discord integration, I've also been tightening up the websocket code so it can properly detect when clients disconnect and remove them from the game/game session. That's been fun reading through some of that code and playing with it.
Overall, very happy with my progress the last 3 weeks.
Next up:
- Change my hosting provider (probably to Hetzner) for my backend/database.
- Finish the Android TV app to replace the Amazon Fire Store version as the store is being shut down on August 25th and the web-wrapped app it created was never the best experience.
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Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp
jmpavlec Link ParentLooks like fun but on mobile it was very confusing for me as I couldn't see there were quite a few more letters off to the right. The tutorial confused me as I was wondering where the words were...Looks like fun but on mobile it was very confusing for me as I couldn't see there were quite a few more letters off to the right. The tutorial confused me as I was wondering where the words were coming from since I couldn't see half the letters. Perhaps shrink it or recommend playing in landscape when the width is small?
The tutorial text is also off to the right and not visible in the default view.
Edit: after trying again, I was able to "zoom out" when grabbing from a specific part of the screen, maybe it's possible to set that as the default zoom for mobile? For reference, using latest Chrome and Android.
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Comment on Who’d be into a book club but for retro games? in ~games
jmpavlec LinkGreat idea! I've got a Miyoo Mini ready to go with everything up to PS1 or so. Count me in.Great idea! I've got a Miyoo Mini ready to go with everything up to PS1 or so. Count me in.
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Comment on CBS to cancel ‘Late Show With Stephen Colbert’ citing ‘financial decision’ in ~tv
jmpavlec Link ParentInteresting, I almost never watch the interviews unless it is someone I like but I always watch the monologue... I assumed that was the case for everyone (just given the views for the monologues...Interesting, I almost never watch the interviews unless it is someone I like but I always watch the monologue... I assumed that was the case for everyone (just given the views for the monologues are 5-10x the interviews)
That's quite a callback from ~1991. I'm amazed how good that game looks for Amiga/SNES era.