New GF FlowField configs

[Rovastar]

I have 5 more configs for you please PM if you want to see them.



(edit: up to nine now)

[Rovastar]

Due to being slack in responding to PM's I have uplaoded all or at least most of what I have done in the past couple of months to my website.


FOr the flowfields there are 63 of them !
http://www.milkdrop.co.uk/gforce/flowfields.zip

For the colormaps that I have done only 3:
http://www.milkdrop.co.uk/gforce/colormaps.zip

Enjoy

[Toby]

Thank you, Mr. Rovastar, Sir !!!

I can't believe that no one else has already taken the time to do so.

I think I have already cut & pasted most of them from previous submissions, but I downloaded the zip files just to make sure I have everything. You have really done some good work on all of the ones I have checked out.

Take care.

[Rovastar]

Yeah most of them have been posted previously there are about 20 or so that I didn't.

Probably easier for people to just download the zip rather than go through the cut and paste routine.

[f00fighter]

This is a great idea! I'd love to see regular updates/releases of new flowfields, colormaps, etc on a regular basis (instead of waiting for a new version of G-Force to get new effects).

Thanks!

[Toby]

Hey f00fighter,
Just keep checking the Forum every once in a while, Mr. Rovastar, Sir posts regularly, and a few other people post occasionally, for which we less talented people should all be thankful.
Take care.

[Rovastar]

YEah from tiem to time I post them here when I make stuff. CUrrently not a s long configs as it confuses people when copying then to tehre machien.

Hopefully one day we will have a subforum here for configs and have attachements to the posts with them all in.

I'll post some more soon. Next stop my first try at waveforms.

[f00fighter]

Hey Rovastar, how many of these new configs made it into G-Force 2.7.1?? Should I still download the zip files posted on your site, or did Andy incorporate them into this new release???

[andy55]

Hey Rovastar, how many of these new configs made it into G-Force 2.7.1?? Should I still download the zip files posted on your site, or did Andy incorporate them into this new release???

Rovastar has made some really incredible configs as well as many other individuals--and we're all grateful for their hard work.

When looking at submissions to see which ones should go into the G-Force main dist, I look for the highest levels of originality and visual appeal. As you can see in G-Force 2.7.1, there's a number of Rovastar's flowfields in it. The ones that aren't in there, however, doesn't necessarily that they're not good--it only means they're not the absolute, "holy-cow", best of the best. In fact, only a small percent of submissions ever make it to the main G-Force dist.

In general, a lot of submissions I get are great, but if they too closely resemble something that's already been done, I don't include them. Others are good, but can be too "high-energy" such that adding a lot of them would turn G-Force into an overly "busy" experience that would detract from the G-Force experience. And some--only a few--are too bad-ass and sophisticated such that G-Force slows down to an unacceptable level if they're used. When the new engine arrives, we'll see those ones in the GF main dist asap (Roger Bigod gets the award for this!). We'll see the new engine before too long.

Where do the submissions that don't get put in th GF main dist go? Very shortly we'll be posting a G-Force "extras" archive that will contain all the configs not put in the main dist (which amounts to hundreds over the years).

So, in closing, once that archive is posted, you can be pretty much guaranteed that your submissions will appear in one of those two places (assuming your submissions aren't ripoffs or have bad content, etc).

Hope it helps,
Andy

[f00fighter]

Wow Andy, that's awesome! The idea of an all-inclusive "extras" archive is a great idea for those of us that wanna try new configs, yet don't have the time, patience, know-how or creativity to make our own.

I appreciate your work on G-Force...it has become such a part of my daily "computing" and music listening experience and helps me through the day while toiling away as yet another corporate office drone!

I love watching G-Force and getting surprised...just when I thought I had seen it all, some combination of configs comes along every day, shocking me with a new visual masterpiece that goes so well with the music that helps get me through each and every day.

I can't even begin to express my appreciation for all you (and the faithful contributors to G-Force) do to make this app the best it can be!!

[andy55]

Wow Andy, that's awesome! The idea of an all-inclusive "extras" archive is a great idea for those of us that wanna try new configs, yet don't have the time, patience, know-how or creativity to make our own.

I appreciate your work on G-Force...it has become such a part of my daily "computing" and music listening experience and helps me through the day while toiling away as yet another corporate office drone!

I love watching G-Force and getting surprised...just when I thought I had seen it all, some combination of configs comes along every day, shocking me with a new visual masterpiece that goes so well with the music that helps get me through each and every day.

I can't even begin to express my appreciation for all you (and the faithful contributors to G-Force) do to make this app the best it can be!!

Thanks for all the kind words. G-Force 2.7.1 really is a great release that has a lot of stuff (finally) tweaked just right.

I do want to remind you (and everyone) that although a lot of the configs that will show up in the extras archive are good (from authors such as rovastar, roger b, Ted, and many more) some of the configs are depreciated (from an earlier non-compatible versions of G-Force) and will have to be modified to work with G-Force 2.7.x. Perhaps one of you will get ambitious and will pour in the time to make them all compatible and give them back to me to share with everyone.

I've personally put a lot of time into massaging every config that comes with G-Force (in addition to the configs I've made myself). Every config that's currently in the GF dist typically is the result of anywhere from a ten to sixty minutes of my time tweaking and massaging it so that it looks the best it can be (ie, the most optimized and responsive given all the genres of music and G-Force config combinations that are possible).

Just wanted to fill ya in...

Andy

[JayPro]

Personally, I've been waiting for something like this for *ages* and I never doubted that making an Extras archive with as many effects as you've (Andy) suggested would be top priority.

Apropos of modifying/tweaking/massaging ( ) things, I thought all effects were backward-compatible?? I have config files that have remained virtually unchanged since pre-v2 days and they all work just fine. Are you referring to stuff contributed by those with perhaps not as much programming/math/sonic-to-visual extrapolation expertise as others? Or is it just a simple matter of making sure that henceforth every effect file must read 270 on the Vers statement?

It leads me to believe, BTW (and this isn't a personal knock), that the code as a whole isn't really that intuitive for math-dummies like, say, me. I have taken a good look into how C++ factors into the language and I can now see that aspect; but as long as there're people like me who *just cannot fully grasp some of the concepts on the other side of the coin*, I risk wasting my least breath pleading ignorance.

I've given much though to making a config-programming for MathDummies page on my site; but alas, I fear that such cannot be done without inevitably broaching that subject I've dreaded since I was twelve. Nevertheless, one must keep hoping/thinking/planning.

I go too far afield, though; and I beg pardon for having belabored things I might've said in other posts. I drool with anticipation for this upcoming archive. Maybe I'll come across a few surprises (i.e. I know had this before and I had a feeling I lost it; but here it is once again)???

All Agog;

JwP

EDIT: As per usual, I'd be happy to assist, particularly in making as much of the Archive contents as final release-worthy as possible. I have a whole assortment of CD's at my disposal and a *lotta* time on my hands.

[Rovastar]

I would encourage all to download the pack about 20 of the 60+ are included with GF 2.71 atm. And tbh some of my favourites/best are not in the mix there (i really like the fractal ones like fractal dreaming, chaos timelord, etc and they are not included)

But I too an confused about what changes are made by you Andy and presume that they are for people with less experience in making stuff and tbh don't like my stuff changed unless it becomes a whole new config. I see each config as a creation in it's own right.

[JayPro]

I think what Andy's attempting to propose is that in this Extras Archive, there'll be stuff put into it that has been *untouched* by Andy. Basically, as I understand it, its as if he's telling us, "Here's a whole mammoth load of configs for ya. You want 'em, here hey are. I'm giving you an opportunity as well, however, to look at them and see for yourselves how they fit the G-Force vision."

But see, this is where I think things can--if we don't step back a bit and see the bigger picture--start getting a bit hairy and avail themselves of unfortunate misunderstandings among us. I would imagine that Andy wants a particular vision/experience for G-Force. Mine might differ somewhat. Rovastar's might in a completely radical way; and so on and on and on. Just for argument's sake.

I'd like to think that instead of seeing this as a quiet way for "artistic jealousy" to introduce itself to the board, we can use this to appreciate each other's contributions and, better yet, show the whole bloody world what we can do with unity of purpose . Isn't this what this whole venture is all about?! I honestly can't think that Andy would want to foist his vision upon any one of us.

Simply put: apropos of this archive, see for yourselves and *you* be the judge; and let others be happy with their understanding of the G-Force experience. But at the same time, let's keep the big view on the map.

BTW, I think I have an answer to a question I posed in my previous post. To make a lot of these archived configs work for the current version would necessitate, for the most part, assigning Meta values. It's the Vers tag that assures backward-compatibility in every version, past, present and future. IOW, a config file with a Vers of 100 should work in GF 2.x. Every one that I have does for me.

[andy55]

But I too an confused about what changes are made by you Andy and presume that they are for people with less experience in making stuff and tbh don't like my stuff changed unless it becomes a whole new config. I see each config as a creation in it's own right.

As I said, the changes are typically very very minor, such as optimizations (that have no visual impact) and responsiveness adjustments (so that as many genres of music possible look good). Hence, FlowFields and ColorMaps are typically only edited for performance/optimization. It'd be silly to throw away a config that just needs some tweaks on the basis that editing it is off limits.

It's important to remember that without this discretionary QA process, G-Force would just be a mess of color and lines. Consider a short story compilation. If *every* submission was put into the print--and in its unedited form--the compilation would become a gigantic tome that few would be interested in reading from cover to cover. Any writer will tell you the toughest thing to do is cut their own copy, but writers and editors will both tell you that publishing is rarely successful without an involved editor.

Or, consider deleted scenes from a film. The scenes technically "add" to the film, but at the highest level their addition takes away from the film.

Please offer some faith in my vision and keep in mind that one person's tastes aren't always universally tasteful.