The word for the 13th day of July is Flicker

-=-=-



I've tried my best to keep up with the July Days thing, but yesterday didn't quite hit the mark.
I started off well enough, coding a few days in advance, and then I started making the NeonPlat game and it ended up taking a couple of days more than I'd have liked.
Since then I've been doing things pretty much in realtime, and by yesterday I was completely fried.
Coding something every day is NOT a good idea. I've learned that lesson repeatedly during the many Advents that I've tackled, and quite why I thought I'd manage to keep up a month in the middle of the year, when it's lovely and sunny outside, and there's so many other things going on around the house....
Wasn't a good plan, really was it?!

I sat on the couch with the laptop, wondering about today's word.. Flicker.
I didn't want to code anything that would flicker "too" much, because then it might cause migraines or epileptic issues, so instead, I thought about flickering little subtle things.
... And then I fell asleep on the couch and woke up 2 hours later.

Oops!

This is as far as I got

// Flicker
// by Jayenkai
// Created 2024/7/12

Symbol 0,"1__440_0,4.0_0,440044004.00440.44004.00440!440.440@440.440!44004.00440.44004.00440.44004.00440.44004.00440!440.440@440.440!44004.00440.44004.004400440_0,4.0_0,44";
Symbol 1,"1__440_0,4.0_0,440044004.00440!44004.00440.440.440@440.440!44004.00440044004.00440!44004.00440.44004.00440!440.440@440.440/44004.00440.44004.00440440_0,4.0_0,44";
Symbol 2,"1__440_0,4.0_0,440044004.00440.44004.00440?440.440_440.440!44004.00440,44004.00440!44004.00440,44004.00440!440.440@440.440!44004.00440.44004.00440_0?4400440_0,44";
Symbol 3,"1__440_0,4.0_0,440044004.00440044004.00440@440.440/440.440/44004.00440?44004.00440.44004.00440,44004.00440!440.440@440.440!44004.00440?44004.004400440_0,4,0_0,44";


Dim Spike(20,10)

Graphics 512,512,1

px=180
pspd=2

rad=200
sr=60
st=0
GameSpeed=1

glitch=0

Repeat
CLS;ResetDraw;AA False

if Rnd(0,50)<5 then rad=Rnd(198,202);glitch=Rand(0,3)

SetThick 2
for q=0 to 360
	dist=rad
	d=WhichWayDoIGo(q,px)
	
	if Abs(d)<6 then f=(6-Abs(d))*2;dist=dist+Rand(0-f,f)
	
	Line 256+Sin(q)*dist,256-Cos(q)*dist,256+Sin(q+1)*dist,256-Cos(q+1)*dist
next


if GamePad(ButtonLeft)>0.5 or GamePad(ButtonUp)>0.5 then px=Wrap(px-pspd,0,360)
if GamePad(ButtonRight)>0.5 or GamePad(ButtonDown)>0.5 then px=Wrap(px+pspd,0,360)

sr=sr-(Rnd(0.4,0.6)*GameSpeed)
e=Rand(0,3)
if sr<0
	st=(st+1)%20
	Spike(st,0)=1
	r=px+Rnd(-40,40)
	if e==0 then r=Rnd(360)
	if e==1
		r=px+Rnd(70,90)
		if Rnd(0,10)<5 then r=px-Rnd(70,90)
	endif
	Spike(st,1)=0
	Spike(st,2)=r
	
	sr=60
endif

for m=0 to 19
	if Spike(m,0)>0
		Spike(m,1)=Spike(m,1)+delta+GameSpeed
		if Spike(m,1)>200 then Spike(m,0)=0;GameSpeed=GameSpeed+0.1
		DrawImg 256+Sin(Spike(m,2))*Spike(m,1),256-Cos(Spike(m,2))*Spike(m,1),Glitch
	endif
next

if GameSpeed>6 then GameSpeed=6

Flip
Forever

So, this is all the flicker you're going to get, I'm afraid.
Today I'll see if I can make a few little mini toys again, for the next few days, instead of trying to make entire bloomin' games, which really wasn't the plan for this whole endeavour.

In the meantime, then...

Meanwhile...

Earlier this month I made the Day Seven - Echo toy.
It's a fun little keyboard that ended up being more playable than I originally expected it to be, especially when played on an iPad.
I can actually perform the AGameAWeek jingle on it, with chords!! Amazing!

I handed the thing over to Mum and she also liked prodding little notes on it, and seemed to really enjoy doing so.
Between the two of us, it became obvious that we needed a piano in the house..
Mum to occasionally have a little plinky-play, and me to actually finally bother to learn how to play properly.
...
Good grief, a full size synthesizer/keyboard is EXPENSIVE!!!

And I don't want a great big bloomin' thing taking up tons of space in the bungalow, especially if, ultimately, it goes unused.
There's not really enough space to put it in a permanent setup.

Though I do occasionally have a short play with my KORG MicroAir-24 key keyboard, it's not really great for trying to learn to do chorded things. You can't very easily fit both hands on it, and play a lovely melody.
What if I buy a bigger MicroAir?
The 49 key model was only (!!Only?!) £114 and I know that I can hook that up via Bluetooth Midi to all the iOS devices in the house, as well as the Mac.

Anything else seemed to skyrocket into the +£350 mark, and even then I wouldn't be 100% sure that it'd connect to iOS devices.

So that's what I bought.
A "KORG MicroKey2-49 Air".
It sits neatly in the corner of the dining room, and can be easily pulled out onto the dining table, where you can tinkle at the old ivories as you please. You still have to faff about connecting it to each device each time, so there's still a level of "annoying bluetooth" in the way, but it's passable, and has allowed both me and mum to try our hands at actual learning!



Above.. Mum trying to play along with one of those Mixed-Reality piano tutorial things on the Quest.
I wouldn't recommend those. They don't work as well as I imagined they would!!

Instead then, I've been trawling the YouTube's for all manner of tutorials, and have been trying out various methods for getting my fingers to do what they oughta do, in order to output a melody.
It's VERY hard.
Even at full touch-typing pelt, a typer's fingers will only be tapping a single key at a time. Retraining my fingers to do chords and simultaneous notes has been the main reason I've never truly managed this, before.

But I'm trying.

If you'd like to monitor my progress, I've started a YouTube Playlist.
It's currently just screen grabs of the KORG Module app on iOS, but I'll try to jazz it up as I get better.
.. Assuming I get better!!

A.I. Corner

: Download | Suno Link

Alternative version
: Download | Suno Link

Sung by Suno


"Cartoon @Derek is completely fried" by ArtFlow.ai

> Reveal 🔎