Thursday, 5 March 2020

Am I An INFP? (Monday Musings 85)

The INFP Book by Catherine Chea
I became interested in the topic of Myers-Briggs (MBTI) when I was trying to figure out what techniques fit my personality the best, the past few weeks or so, to motivate myself to not procrastinate, as I noticed I was neglecting the blog. Of course, whenever you google personality types, the notorious MBTI personality inventory came up.

I was first introduced to Myers-Briggs as a senior in high school, when I was an immature teenager (18 years old) - I'm the very definition of a late bloomer - I may even still be blooming yet.

I was extremely pleased and elated that I was solidly an INFP because they were "so cool". One of the major characteristics is that "we're often misunderstood" recalling images of James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause. James Dean is a major icon of cool. Since I was nerdy and geeky, you can only imagine how happy I was.

Another major characteristic is that INFPs are "extremely creative" and best careers are in the writing and art fields. Never mind if you give me a blank piece of paper and tell me to write a story and draw, I would look back at you with the same blank expression. I'm so impressed with people who can create, and to be called creative was a huge compliment. 

I also was happy that we're supposed to be "emotional" because if anything, I'm as lethargic as my obese male cat, Fat Nyams, and often have a blank, glazed expression on my face. So it's nice that, per MBTI, I am emotional since INFPs "wear their hearts on their sleeves".

I was even more satisfied and smug because we're considered "the rarest type" (the INFJs are even rarer still) so that made me feel special - in American education, you feel the very opposite of special as you have to "fit in" with the structure and cliques.

Given my personality, I read all about INFPs and the part of having strong values rang true (of course, who doesn't have strong values), and felt that the description of INFP fit me so perfectly that it was uncanny. I was very satisfied with how I was one of the "awesome" rare fairies that are INFPs.

The MBTI came up in medical school when we all had to take personality tests as part of our "humanities" course where we learn about empathy, bedside manner and such. I came up as an INFJ and was confused, because I remembered how I was such a strong INFP back in high school, and personalities don't change. Your behaviors can change, but not your core personality.

For instance, if you're an introvert, you could never be an extrovert no matter how much effort. Eventually, forcing myself to be social exhausts me, and I have to go in hermit mode for days on end to recharge.

Being conscientious, I took the test again, and it came up as an INFJ. In medical school, we didn't have time to question and I left it at that. 

Flash forward to now, when I'm stable in my career and rather fortunate to have free time, I took the online MBTI tests (not the official). The first step was to read the description between INFP and INFJ.

I was hoping I'd be an INFJ because as a mature adult, the INFP description made me cringe.

First, they're described as being so sensitive that if someone says their hair looks like they didn't comb it, they'd ball up in a corner for days. And that INFPs have extreme meltdowns on a daily basis. I don't have those wild emotional mood swings at all. In fact, I've gotten even more placid as an adult. I just don't have the energy to get into rages.

Another extremely unflattering description is that INFPs seem like they can't get anything done and have difficulties finding a career, if they ever get a job in the first place. But I'm doing quite well in my career, and the medical and residency training was grueling and not considered "flaky".

Next, I took the online tests. I already know that I'm strongly INF,  that was never a doubt, so the question is the P vs. J. There were very conflicting results between INFP and INFJ and indeed a lot of mistypes exist between these two. There was a P vs J tester, and it would fall roughly 50/50. 

Because of this ambiguity, I did internet search and stumbled upon Casual Cognition as that was the first video that comes up when you type in INFP vs INFJ.

I didn't seem to be either INFP (Calypso, the owner) or INFJ (in this YouTube clip, though I'm more INFP-ish if I had to force myself to compare:



I was even more confused, until two pieces of the puzzle came together. The one question was "Do you consider yourself having the wisdom of a sage (INFJ), or the heart of a child (INFP)" and the answer was heart of a child, heart of a child, heart of a child.

Then Casual Cognition's section of micro-expressions clinched it - I definitely have the body and eye movements of an Ne (INFP).



Armed with this information, I read about the cognitive functions and stacking, which made it very clear that I'm an INFP. The descriptions of the personality types are of course stereotypes as there are variants (Monster Hunter World reference), but the preferences you have in the way you interact with the world remain stable.

Armed with all the above knowledge and research, I then read two books on the INFP, the first one was helpful as it was technical and described the concepts of cognitive functions and stacking.

Before reading this book, this video was difficult to understand, but then after, it made sense once you know the jargon. The part that made me chuckle is when I see Calypso with that glazed look on her face (very much me) and her partner, Alex, being so laser-focused and determined (she was very much into the discussion) that the juxtaposition was quite amusing:



The second book I read is the one I recommend if you want to know about INFPs. It was written by an INFP author herself and was so spot-on about my personality. It made me laugh at the end when she recommended that we do something that's outside of our comfort zone such as oral presentations. I ended up doing Twitch precisely for that reason, to do something new and challenging. Shortly after, she even mentioned how she joined Toastmaster's International.

Coincidentally, a month ago or so, I asked my best friend how can I improve my presentation in Twitch, and he mentioned that one of his best friends joins Toastmaster's International, and she really liked it, and that I should ask her about it and check it out.

It also made me cry near the end of the book as she wrote a letter of appreciation and affirmation to INFPs, since we're so critical of ourselves. Because our profile description makes it sound like we're pathetic and useless, INFPs tend to hate their personalities, and that's why we often mistype ourselves as other personalities. We want to be the golden retrievers, the doers, the inventors, the practical caregivers of the other personalities, but we fall in this category of being an idealist, being "true to ourselves" and "creative".

This book helped me to embrace who I am instead of trying to be someone who I'm not, and the exercises in self-compassion seem to be much smoother!

TL/DR: I admit that I'm an INFP!

The How of Happiness Review
Read More :- "Am I An INFP? (Monday Musings 85)"

Making Monsters Different - An Example Of Invisibility

Different invisibility/blinking mechanic that I've used, instead of just a modifier to hit roll

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons presents a great many monsters who can have some really cool effects, but at the end, a lot of those effects get folded into simple "reduce to-hit by x" and it's done. Players know that the creature will be harder to hit, but that's it...

What if we made took this idea of an invisible/shadowy monster that's hard to hit, but rewards players who use tactics to overcome it's special ability?

In simple, what I'm proposing is doing away with the straight -4 penalty for hitting invisible/shadowy figures. Creatures get two ACs - one when they're "invisible" and the second when their location has been pinpointed. Let's take a shadow as our example - they'll have AC2 when invisible, AC7 when PCs know where it's at.

At first, invisibility is just that, it can't be seen. In the case of the shadow, depending on light, I might rule, depending on what players are doing, that they catch glimpses of "something wrong" in the direction they're looking, if they're looking at the shadow. Or they catch glimpses of movement, but nothing is there.

So the PCs would be groping around and striking out. As the DM, I'm keeping track of where the creature is at. I will let the PCs roll to hit, but for those that aren't within melee range of the creature, they "miss" and will do so automatically, but I don't tell them any different. Just that they missed.

For PCs that are within melee range, they are rolling to hit against the harder AC, so in this case vs. AC2 for the shadow. They hit!

Now the PCs have an idea of where this thing is. As long as the PCs are within melee range of the creature, it can be pinpointed and it's AC drops down to 7. So life is good, right? Well, not necessarily.

Let's say all the PCs miss in combat - I'm going to rule that they've no longer pinpointed the creature and now its AC is back up to AC2! It's managed to avoid being hit and seen, so it has a chance to slip away again! At this point, since they've not pinpointed it, it could even flee without penalty, though the PCs could hit vs. AC2.

So why would I do this? To me, an approach like this makes fighting an invisible creature more interactive, more mysterious and potentially more exciting. Rather than a boring -4 to hit, this allows the PCs to use circling and trapping tactics. If the PCs did circle the creature while it was pinpointed, then I would not allow it to slip away. It might go back to the AC2, but it's surrounded - nowhere to run!

This also requires a bit more interactivity with the players. They can just attack the darkness, but I as DM know where this thing is. If they're within melee range, I describe an effect (shifting shadows, distortions in the light) that lefts them know they're close. Attacking blindly? Not seeing the effect.

Once they hit, then they see blood/wounds/effects which allows them and others to hit better. The creature is obviously trying to get back to being hidden! So... if everyone misses that round, they're not able to see it as well, and next round it may slip away!

These are the kinds of small things I like to add to make the game more interesting. The players don't need to know the mechanics in shifts in AC (unless they ask), but they do see the effects. I find doing things like this makes monsters... mysterious. Unpredictable.

I've also earned the players' trust that I'm fair and always give them a path to success while also giving them an obstacle to overcome. Tactics helps with this type of monster (one person hits, rest form a kill box. Now it's trapped....)

Also, I'm using Descending AC, but you can modify Ascending AC in similar fashion, going from hard to hit, to easy to hit, once the creature is pinpointed.

What do you think? Do you use certain effects and different takes on mechanics to achieve an effect that makes the monsters more interesting?
Read More :- "Making Monsters Different - An Example Of Invisibility"

Wednesday, 4 March 2020

Sheffield Wednesday Vs Man City Live Stream: How To Watch The FA Cup 5Th Round From Anywhere - Ars Technica

Read More :- "Sheffield Wednesday Vs Man City Live Stream: How To Watch The FA Cup 5Th Round From Anywhere - Ars Technica"

Hiring: 3D Art Lead



Title: 3D Art Lead
Focus: Pipeline development, 3D modeling
Type: Full-time, permanent
Last day to apply: 8th of September 2019
Location: Sweden, applicants residing in European countries welcome


A door swings open, a dim light beckons you to come step further, pick up the dusty items, give them a long look before venturing forward, the architecture leading you ever deeper. Frictional's games are filled with intrigue and emotion, the art subtly guiding  the players. To keep up the illusion of a living world, the execution has to be consistent across the board.

This is where you come in.


What will you work on?

We are looking for an experienced 3D Art Lead to join Secret Project #2. This is a senior position, meaning you will have responsibility over foundational elements of the project. You will work closely with other team leads, such as the creative lead and art lead.

Right now Secret Project #2 is in pre-production, which means that you would find yourself working on establishing pipelines and practices for a good workflow.  On the creative side you will be working within the established style of the game – creating art, researching and documenting. The 3D art you would work on include architecture and complicated props, as well as putting everything together into functional and beautiful environments..

Once the project shifts into production, your role will involve more lead work. You will find yourself communicating with other employees and outsourcers, making sure tasks get assigned and done, and giving feedback. Alongside you will still be able to participate in creating art.

As a small team, everyone in the company has a wide variety of responsibilities as well as rights, but we consider that our strength – no day in development will look the same!


What are we looking for?

You have to be a European (EU/EEA) resident to apply. We cannot consider other applicants.

The person we're looking for is creative, self-motivated, and comfortable in a lead position. We need you to fulfill the essential requirements, but are flexible with how you have acquired your experience.

We welcome applicants regardless of background, situation, sexual orientation, religion, and similar, so don't let anything like that hold you back from applying!

Here are the essential requirements:
  • Knowledge in 3D asset creation pipelines in digital games
  • Being up to date with the latest trends in 3D art tools and techniques
  • Not being afraid to give feedback to coworkers and outsourcers
  • Substance Designer skills in creating procedural textures
  • Ability to adjust artwork based on an established art style
  • Major role in at least one released title (not as a student/intern/trainee)

And here are some more technical skills:
  • Experience with face weighted normals
  • Experience with trim sheets and tiling textures
  • Experience in Medium Poly Modeling
  • Knowledge in Modo, or willingness to learn it as a main 3D modeling tool
  • Some technical art knowledge (you will not have to create anything from scratch, but you should be able to communicate your needs to the programmers, or have suggestions such as saving performance on assets)

If you want to impress us:
  • Experience with character art and/or organic art
  • Knowledge in blendshapes
  • Knowledge in motion capture
  • Experience with scripting tools in Modo
  • Experience with Marvelous Designer
  • Experience in  setting up lighting and doing basic level set dressing
  • Love for hard sci-fi
  • Penchant for bold design

What do we offer?

We at Frictional make games, because making games is what we love. But we know that's not all there is – there's also playing games, doing sports, or spending time with loved ones. We believe that a healthy balance between work and life creates positive ripples throughout, which is why we discourage crunch.

We also offer:
  • Variety in tasks
  • Opportunities to influence your workflow and workload
  • Flexible working hours
  • Participation in internal Show & Tell sessions for both projects, meaning giving feedback to and receiving feedback from all members of the projects
  • An inclusive and respectful work environment

We welcome remote applicants from European (EU/EEA, UK) countries. However, you are welcome to join us in our office in Malmö if you live in the area, or would be willing to relocate after the trial period.


Apply!

If all of the above piqued your interest, we would love to hear from you! Send us your application 8th of September 2019 the latest - but the sooner, the better! Please attach your:
  • Cover letter
  • Why should we hire YOU?
  • CV
  • Portfolio (link and/or PDF)
  • Answers to preliminary questions (see below)

Send your application to apply@frictionalgames.com!

Please note that we require all the attachments to consider you.


Preliminary questions

Please provide a document answering the following questions:
  1. When is the earliest you could start working?
  2. Tell us about the daily work you did on your last finished game project.
  3. Name two games you think have high quality 3D art. Explain why.
  4. Imagine you are in charge of the 3D art pipeline for a new sci-fi game. Name the top 3 things you think need to be included.

If you are not living in Sweden, please also answer the following:
  • Do you have the ability to invoice?
  • What kind of hardware do you have?
  • What kind of internet connection do you have?


Wonder how we hire? Read our blog on How we hire at Frictional Games.
What kind of application are we looking for? Read our blog on Writing the best application for a Frictional Games job.


Privacy Policy

By sending us your application, you give us permission to store your personal information and attachments.

We store all applications in a secure system. The applications are stored for two years, after which they are deleted. If you want your your information removed earlier, please contact us through our Contact form. Read more in our Privacy Policy.

Read More :- "Hiring: 3D Art Lead"

Tuesday, 25 February 2020

Learn more about our updated Terms of Service

Google
Updating Our Terms of Service
We're improving our Terms of Service and making them easier for you to understand. The changes will take effect on March 31, 2020, and they won't impact the way you use Google services.
For more details, we've provided a summary of the key changes and Frequently Asked Questions. At a glance, here's what this update means for you:
Improved readability: While our Terms remain a legal document, we've done our best to make them easier to understand, including by adding links to useful information and providing definitions.
Better communication: We've clearly explained when we'll make changes to our services (like adding or removing a feature) and when we'll restrict or end a user's access. And we'll do more to notify you when a change negatively impacts your experience on our services.
Adding Google Chrome, Google Chrome OS and Google Drive to the Terms: Our improved Terms now cover Google Chrome, Google Chrome OS, and Google Drive, which also have service-specific terms and policies to help you understand what's unique to those services.
No changes to our Privacy Policy: We're not making any changes to the Google Privacy Policy and we haven't made any changes to the way we treat your information. As a reminder, you can always visit your Google Account to review your privacy settings and manage how your data is used.
If you're the guardian of a child under the age required to manage their own Google Account and you use Family Link to manage their use of Google services, please take some time to discuss these changes with them.
And of course, if you don't agree to our new Terms and what we can expect from each other as you use our services, you can find more information about your options in our Frequently Asked Questions.
Thank you for using Google's services.
Your Google team
Read More :- "Learn more about our updated Terms of Service"

Monday, 24 February 2020

Recycle Reuse

Seemed a shame to clear the table after just one game.



The original game was played with Don's 30mm Spencer Smith ACW figures but my first wargame book was his Battles With Model Soldiers and the figures were Airfix ACW so........


Hobby time has been curtailed this last week and casting & converting has taken precendence.

If all goes well I'll get to play on Wednesday.

Read More :- "Recycle Reuse"

Sunday, 23 February 2020

Space Tourists


Space Park is the type of game that tends to appeal to me right away: great looking illustration and graphic design, at a low enough price point that I can afford to take a chance and buy the game on impulse. These impulse purchases can be a mixed bag, sometimes resulting in great looking games whose novelty wears off quickly (Grimslingers), or games that sounded more interesting than they actually are (Deadline), but every once in a while we end up with an entertaining game that, while simple, bears out repeated plays and earns a place in our collection.

First let's talk about the artwork. The game board is made up of a series of large tiles, each intended to look like a tourism advertisement for a location in outer space. The illustrations are gorgeous: any one of them would look great at poster size, framed on a wall somewhere. The rest of the game's printed components use snippets from these pieces of artwork along with some considered and sophisticated typography and graphic design.

Okay, so the game is pretty, but is it any fun to play? Yes it is. Space Park is an interesting marriage of familiar game mechanics with a few unusual ideas. At its core it's a resource collection game: players move around on a board made up of the aforementioned tiles, each representing a location where various different resources can be picked up, exchanged, or spent in various combinations to purchase victory points and game advantages.

What sets the game apart is the way players move around the board. Regardless of the number of players, there are three silver rocket ships, each starting at a different location. On a player's turn, they perform the action at a location where there is a ship (usually collecting a resource), then move that ship to the next empty location. This is interesting for several reasons, the most obvious being that each player doesn't have their own playing piece, they always have a choice of three pieces to move. More strategically, it means that every time a player takes their turn, they need to think about where the piece will be moving and what advantage they're giving the next player by moving it there.

It's one of those rare games with simple rules but a lot to think about that's great for when you want a lighter game with a reasonable amount of strategic depth. And it's very pretty to look at.

Rating: 4 (out of 5) Not necessarily an immersive "play all day" type game, but excellent for what it is: lightweight and fun.
Read More :- "Space Tourists"