You have a degree in microcomputer programming? what was the last project you worked on? You also said you had vast experience in gaming but it turned out to be Atari. Slapping a bunch of titles and words onto your LinkedIn page doesn't make you credible, you need work to make you credible.
Yes, I do have a degree in computer programming and networking. What was the last project I worked on? Hmmmm, I won't discuss the classified projects. However, vast experience were with multiple computer platforms. Simply put, I've by the time I had even begun taking Microcomputer Programming & Networking at the community college, I had already worked on done software development (including programming) for more the Apple II series including the IIgs, the TI-99/4A, the Amiga line of computers, Atari 8-bit, Commodore 8 bit line of computers from Vic-20 to Commodore 128D, applications and games for CP/M based computers, MS-DOS, Windows 3.0/3.1/3.11, OS/2 Warp, Linux, Windows 95/98 and XP and other computers. Projects varied in size and scale of work.
The last Commodore 64 project I worked on although not as the programmer but doing the pixel graphics was for a small game (mostly comical in nature) was almost 10 years ago. On PC, I've done a undisclosed number of apps, extensions, and games in Java programming language, AmigaAnywhere 1.5 SDK and in C/C++ with AmigaAnywhere2 SDK and some other SDKs and game engines. Currently, a software project I am working on is a video game using Unity 5 SDK game engine. That is as much as I am discussing of the project on this forum as I am going to focus its project information on appropriate channels. It has nothing to do with buildings aside from whatever is implemented in a video game's 3d 'virtual world'.
The whole point of rebranding yourself by changing your screen name is that people won't know that you are the same person once you have rebranded... You haven't changed... :)
Dec 10, 15 4:41 pm ·
·
Actually, it's the screen name I used a long time ago on the forum. If I want to do what you are suggesting, I would be better of creating a different account altogether. Think about it. I know enough how the forum software works.
hey rick, why don't you change your name to Baron Munchausen? it describes you perfectly.
hey i used an apple IIe when i was in elementary school. i'm really impressed that you design software for 32 year old computers.
i'm working on creating a combustion engine that i'm going to attach to a horse cart. it's going to move people quickly and more cleanly than a horse and buggy would. watch for it, it's going to totally change the landscape of America.
no balkins, you're so full of bullshit i'm choking on it from here. if you were even 1/2 as accomplished as you say you are you'd be buying your parents a new house and living on the top floor of one of Portland's many many skyscrapers (as I recall your description of portland). you'd be Time Magazine person of the year. you'd be teaching, lecturing, consulting, have all your student loans paid back, be creating jobs for people.
but no, you're some jerk-off nobody with no experience, a fake bullshit education, no life, no money, and nothing else, living in your parents basement watching porno on their wifi, eating taco bell (if you get your allowance from your parents for that week), and basically being a venereal disease on this forum.
but in the end all of this just feeds your ego. which is why it's frustrating to even bother replying.
Dec 10, 15 5:13 pm ·
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no_form,
Why don't you say that to me in person you chickenshit coward.
In the past year or so you've had to revise all your bios everywhere, bit by bit, as successive deceptions have been noticed and noted on this and other forums: like that you were never an architecture student, never graduated from university of Oregon, were using the AIA logo inappropriately, were using a plagiarized philosophy on your website, were claiming professional experience dating back to age 5, and so on. Do you really want to continue that trend? Why not make a fresh start, by cleaning up your trail of vast exaggerations and outright lies? Start over with only the unembelished truth. It may be a sparse resume at first but it will get you a lot more respect as a professional than what you can get now.
You are a definition of plagiarism. Frankly, I have been programming software and computers all the way back then. You aren't going to find the programs on the internet.
You don't believe that I would be able to write a computer program back then and sell them? Use a publisher and collect royalties. Let's not forget the bulletin board systems and mail order distribution. That came about at a point in time.
I was an independent software developer/programmer.
Frankly put, sir, professional experience doesn't start at age 18. It starts when you engage in the profession. You don't have to be 18 years old and older to be a software developer/programmer.
If you don't believe I can put together a game for the Commodore 64, I'll put together a game for the Commodore 64 just to prove the point. Even after having not programmed a video game for the Commodore 64 in substantially over a decade. The last commercial game I wrote for the Commodore 64, Bill Clinton was president... if I recall he was mid-way in his 2nd term.
no_form,
Lets meet in person somewhere in Astoria? Astoria is bigger than one single house don't you know? That's right...... You're a chickenshit coward. CHICKEN SHIT CHICKEN SHIT.... You're a just a wussy puss.
I'm not going to waste any more energy on a wussy puss chicken shit such as yourself.
Balkins, you can't even leave your parent's basement. Why don't you leave Astoria? Maybe you'll find a job along the way and forget about how strangers on the internet took the piss out of you everyday.
I love this logic. I was drawing up floor plans of my dream houses when I was 10, so I guess I can walk into any job interview and claim that I have 30 years experience.
Sorry to burst your bubble but it appears Wildstar is a fraud. This is no surprise to many in comp.sys.cbm who've been around for a year or two.
Ruud Baltissen wrote on comp.sys.cbm today:
> Oh, BTW, Rick Balkins is unknown to Tulip. "Wildstar" did ring a bell > indeed but I'll save you the comment.
As most of us in the newsgroups know, Wildstar's real name is Rick Balkins. So, it appears that Tulip doesn't know who he is.
...
They don't always recognize my real name but "Wildstar" which indeed do recognize or is capable of remember more easily. Ok - to be honest not every jack and joe in Tulip knows be because I don't communicate to the secretaries, box boys, janitors and all such. I communicate with specific people. Who I directly communicate with.
...
Yeah...OK "Wildstar", whatever you say.
Your 57 posts a day on comp.sys.cbm, the CommodoreOne forum on Yahoo and Lemon's forums are a little excessive, which is why they recognize Wildstar. You really need to get a job or something.
...
@Wildstar.. Just have to know. Where do you find the time for all this posting? It must be a 24hr around the clock job.. are there 2 of you?
...
"Rick, shut the f**k up if you don't know the details."
"Everyone else on the list, you might be better off filtering this guy."
"Rick, I have warned you before not to do this kind of postings again. You are spreading false information, which harms the reputation of the project."
--------
There seems to be quite a bit more in the same vein. Seems Commodore Balkins has had the same problem for at least a decade, and it isn't getting any better.
I do not want to be mean because I think you have a real problem. I am ,however, going to simply flag everything you post from now on without comment and hope that you seek help.
It isn't even just the 57 posts per day on this forum. If you google his name plus any date you can find him on a bunch of other forums, with 57 posts per day on each. On the IT-related forums they also say "show us your work" and on those he says he's too busy with his building design business!
I feel sorry for him. The longer he avoids seeking mental health help the worse his life is going to get.
Someone was explaining how he will most likely end up living in a half way house with food stamps and welfare after his parents die and he loses their house from not being able to pay the taxes on it.
Not to mention if he defaults on his loans how hard it will be for him to build up any savings or even get a car loan. The government and banks will levy his pay checks. It's just going to get so so much worse for him. He's really just preparing himself for a miserable future.
Really it's just so sad that someone could be so stubborn and not see reality for what it is. If he is a bot or some NSA/CIA troll that's cool. At least he's doing government work.
Dec 10, 15 11:03 pm ·
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Miles,
Ruud failed to know that I was talking to Harro Tillema.
Since you are picking and choosing from forums without entire thread context.
I won't be discussing the drama of that project that was in a quote selection you made which reputation of it was more his own fault than me. The person you quoted from was quoting another another person who ultimately made a false claim that I used a word that never was not used in my own response and only use of the word was a quote by the person that was complaining. Unknown to him, I talked to the person working on the actual FPGA cores at the time. The project founder who started the project. The SuperVIC and MonsterSID still had issues to be worked out. The only plurality that I used was the word 'our expectation' and that is that of the customer base who is paying to buy the product when it was completed which more or less took so long to be completed that it flopped. The expectation for SuperVIC and MonsterSID is exactly what is reasonably expected.... the specification that was presented and represented. It wasn't there yet at that time.
He lost customers because the project instead of progressing to make the project it was billed for and then featuristas with the idea of making it a reconfigurable computer (ok, it was technically that from day one but its when the project goals all over the place) and then years of dismal communication, constant cycles of 'fixes' and so on and so on. In pursuit of a perfect C64 core and other FPGA cores of other computer platforms, and eventually the project began turning from a Commodore project to what would perceptively be a CPC project.... before long, people just got tired. Even though over time, through even a second generation of this project called TurboChameleon cartridge, they had made a decent but still not perfect core but by then, the project creator has made (although less perfect) a single-chip Commodore computer that had over 250,000 units sold or somewhere on those orders at a sales price of <$30. With a product at $20-40, it had more of the proposed advanced graphics that were exciting... it wasn't a perfect C64 clone in terms of cycle by cycle compatibility and so forth. While, you pay about 10x as much for the TurboChameleon. FPGA vs ASIC. Low volume vs. high volume. The reputation damage had to do more with people getting tired waiting when they wanted something that would be using as a hardware replacement of using their original Commodore as the original hardware being 25 to 30+ years old. Therefore, they wanted something new to run their Commodore programs that was a hardware clone. Ultimately, a lot of the Commodore community said.... f--- it.... lets just use a regular PC with an emulator.
If you want to know some facts, the source of some of the quotes that you quoted is no saint, either.
His over perfectionist and penchant for featuritas and all that.... he would be fired by Jack Tramiel A) Jack Tramiel stayed at Commodore and B) Commodore was still around - if he was working at Commodore to produce a new Commodore 64 based computer on FPGA/ASIC solution or an FPGA/ASIC solution of Amiga graphic chips, he would have been fired for taking too long trying to perfect it and all that. It would have killed projects because product launching is in part time critical. Jack would have cancelled that project, fired and replace staff if needed.
The project took too long and his customer base loss interest. Plain and simple.
You can't sit on it for more than a couple years or so and people tend to walk after that. Some less. Some a little more but if a project takes more than 3 years to make, people will interest tends to wane to the point that they move on and walk away. It becomes passe and they look to something else.
As a matter of fact, none of them gave up on the project because of me. Despite logic, the debacle on the forums had kept them around longer than it would have been otherwise because a forum with months of no comments is boring as hell and people would give up. It is more entertaining and necessary to keep people if you are proactive. People get tired of nothing and they give up on the projects and forget about the project. What does that mean with projects.... it means that they flop or die because of lack of interest.
I've even talked to a number of those who left the project or read their posts and they say what they mean.
Anyway, I'm already working on a video game idea for the C64.... starring a rancorous New York Architect name Niles O'Jaffe .
More to the game story is being developed but the rancorous New York Architect name Niles O'Jaffe would be sort of the 'hero' player character.
( Links to numerous Commodore user's groups & clubs that many are still active )
This is just for some starters. There are people still making demos, various content and occassionally games for C64/128 and other Commodore 8-bit computers as well as hardware devices.
If people don't care about the C64, would there be any of this across the world?
Many people wrongly assume that an architect will always be more expensive by default. While less costly projects are likely to be better suited to a building designer, prices and pricing structures can vary quite a bit, and highly sought-after building designers are likely to charge appropriately for their services.
Dec 11, 15 3:35 am ·
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archiwutm8,
Considering the Commodore 64 was the best sold computer in the world in the 1980s and still of any single (desktop) computer model had more units sold than any other (desktop) computer model ever by any other company.
The Commodore 64 is not that much of a drop in the bucket. With well over 20 Million Commodore 64 computers and a user base of the C64 during the course of 1982-1992 timeframe, there were over 4 MILLION Commodore 64 users. Possibly over 5 Million.
Today, those numbers are hard to calculate given that there are emulators and how many people have Commodore 64 emulators is not calculated and the numbers of people who still uses or plays Commodore 64 games can be more than there are Commodore 64 computers ever made with all the Windows compatibles, MacOS, and Linux computers as well as handheld numbers. With that, the effective user base is larger than those with the real C64 hardware.
Think about that for a moment.
It is a niche market, though. I wouldn't depend entirely on that market. That Multiplayer Online Game isn't for Commodore 64. It is for Windows PC and then some other platforms after that.
To make a livable income, I just need to sell 2500 to 3000 copies a year world-wide at $20 each. Electronic delivery model and my cost per copy is very small. There are various sources for revenues during development and post development depending on the project. As an indie developer, that isn't too bad. That's livable. If the sales crest 5000 copies at a higher price like $40 and you can do the math and that's fairly decent for an individual and even if I paid 1/4 of it to some other people for their time. I would still have a livable income even after taxes taken out for the larger sum.
Predicting sales are moot anyway. You take a modest approach and figure for a modest income level. You can do all the statistical market analysis but after that, it's just a gamble. The beautiful thing about software is there isn't material costs and labor cost of any employees or external parties brought on to the development team. The more you do yourself, the less you pay out to others because as a sole-proprietorship, you aren't paid a wage or salary. You draw from the revenue. Therefore, my greatest cost regarding myself is cost of living expense and so forth.
Conceivably, 75% of my student loan (if not all) amount can be paid off in 1-2 years of income at the $50,000 a year level.
"To make a livable income, I just need to sell 2500 to 3000 copies a year world-wide at $20 each"
You've said the same thing in every debate we've had on this forum, its always "I just need to", you keep coming up with numbers that only you seem to know and these business ideas just keep coming....I really want to see something YOU'VE done, I don't care if its "building design" or "programming" or even better "game development" show me a product. You do that and I will provide photos, screenshots and a name explaining how I've worked with UAV's, surveying, I have info on 6000 architects/construction firms/engineering firms, worked with the biggest software developer for architecture software and worked with VR/AR technology.
Hey guys, if you want Balkins to go away...just ignore him.
Im just surprised that keep can still keep the amount of lies he tells straight. If only he could use that energy somewhere else.
Dec 11, 15 5:14 am ·
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archiwutm8,
As for my building design projects with individual clients, I don't put online.
As for software development:
For PC projects that I have worked on commercially. They are currently in locked storage.
Most of my C64 stuff are on 5.25" floppy disks. They never got put on the web. However, there is one C64 game project currently on CSDb. It wasn't commercial level as it was a quick causal project that I did with a few fellow colleagues and I did a little graphics for it. Remember, the C64 graphics are limited compared to PCs so it won't compare.
Most of my projects on other platforms are in locked storage which I am not going to go there and dig through them and go through a bunch of work to present screenshots for. Some projects that I worked on as consultant or otherwise are under NDA. That is as far as it goes discussing those projects.
As for new work on any platform, you just have to wait with the rest of the world.
Regarding your role at a software company, a lot of people in a lot of capacities can be working at a software company. In 3d games, I can see architects doing 3d modeling of buildings in a game. Sure. Just like you would be doing in a movie.
As for UAV use... in the UK? Who cares. In the US, it is a legal matter that FAA is a specter on the matter. We discussed that. If I wanted to do it, I probably could but I rather wait before using them for COMMERCIAL application.
As for Soluis Group... okay but they don't produce video games. They may partake in developing 3d graphics for video game companies if those companies want their services. You mentioned working for the biggest software developer for architecture software? Autodesk is the largest the last I checked. I'm sure in a company of its size, people there are doing stuff with Oculus Rift and so forth.
This doesn't say anything about what your actual function and roles and actual tasks they had you do. A common rule of corporate human resource management is that each person has a narrow set of tasks and duties to perform and perform all day long. The larger a corporation is, the less that have you do everything in terms of diversity of roles and functions. It's called division of labor delegation. The more people, the more you can divide the tasks and roles.
My project for castAR will have screenshots or other content made available as time progresses. However, I am not releasing those yet.
I keep my older software work offline for a reason. Has that not occurred to you?
Some of them the agreement for distribution was licensed off with exclusive world wide license to distribute was given to a business that is defunct since the agreements were made.
Rick you seem to have gotten on this whole software diversion by choosing to interpret my advice as a challenge to prove you can write a Commodore game. I didn't challenge you to prove you can write a game - I didn't say or ask anything whatsoever on that topic.
I challenged you to scrub all of your bios and resumes of vast exaggerations and lies. One of the most glaring examples that has made you the laughing stock of multiple forums is that list your date of birth as 6-12-1981, but claim to have been running a software company since 1986 - when you were 4 and 5 years old. I was challenging you to remove that and all similar examples, so that you can start to regain a little credibility.
I was challenging you to grow up and accept that you'll gain people's respect by being honest about your experience and skills - even though they're sparser than you'd like. Instead of taking that to heart you're flailing around desperately trying to defend your outrageous boasts. Nobody cares if you can write games. You need to get past your childhood. Most of us were little entrepreneurs, most of us scored college-level on our 5th grade standardized reading comprehension tests, most of us have built decks. But most of us also recognize all of those things as inappropriate resume material for a 34 year old "professional". Think about how many potential clients, collaborators, opportunities you're scaring away with your lies and exaggerations. You wrote that part of your problem in bringing in enough business to survive is that you're "not the most charismatic person" - so accept others' help on how to better present yourself.
Honestly Rick, It is probably time to start fresh. I should concentrate on either a degree or your business, whatever that is. You should seriously consider legally changing your name and staying off of these types of forums. You are only doing yourself more damage with every new forum and 50 posts per day. This is all easy to search for. Stop trying to give out such lengthy advice and keep it simple and straight forward. Stop exaggerating and/or lying. And look for some counseling to help you with adjusting and interacting with people. Some introspective would help a lot. Are lots of different people on various different forums saying the same exact thing to you? I bet they do. Once you change your name LEGALLY, stop using it as your forum name.
To me the issue isn't whether you did or didn't have a software business at age 5 or 6. Maybe you did. Maybe you can even prove it. The issue is that that will strike 99.99% of people as implausible, so if they see it while looking for someone with your expertise (whether in game design or building design or whatever) they'll scoff in disbelief and just move on to consider somebody else, without you even knowing they were considering you for a moment. You're not going to get the opportunity to defend yourself, explain yourself, or write 5000 words trying to deflect the question. You just get that one first impression, with your website or resume or any of those profiles you've posted on business sites, and if they're filled with seeming implausibilities you won't get any other chances, you'll just lose that potential client. It doesn't even matter if it's a true statement or a lie - either way it's terrible marketing.
rick b - since you still continue to think you have something to offer this forum, let's hear any original thought about a building. let's start with OMA's educatorium, it's been around for some time now and should be easy to research. give us a critique that isn't about how rem koolhaas is just an elite academic who underpays his employees or any of that drivel. give us a critique of the building. you're a building designer and a member of the forum. offer up some of your professional insight that is based upon your decades of study and experience.
No_form don't hold your breath. He'll say he's too busy with professional commitments to comment. At best he'll give you a collage of other critics' pasted together thoughts, mixed with some intro-to-architecture staples, all run through a thesaurus app to try to disguise the plagiarism. That's why so many of his sentences start with "considering" but don't end with a consequent thought.
^ if not that, then he'll just claim that Rem and OMA aren't relevant to his business in Clatsop County. Afterall, it wasn't a historic renovation project ... or a deck ... or an addition.
Valid attempt though, no_form. The educatorium is an excellent building to study. I did some academic work researching it and writing about it. I don't think it is online. It's a shame because then I would be able to recognize some of the copy paste as my own that Balkins would post if he did take you up on your challenge.
The progressive deterioration of this guy's mind is alarming. You can't even discuss concepts of mental illness and treatment because of social taboos, so I don't know the answer. Some people can actually be cured, most can function at 95 percent with continuing mild drugs and therapy. He is just enough "sane" to escape involuntary commitment, but that is only for now.
My theory is it's been evident since childhood but his parents were/are in denial. It's probably why they pulled him out of school to homeschool him - teachers or school admin probably tried to tell them he could benefit from some intervention and they didn't want to hear it.
There's also that incident in college where he got flagged as a threat and sent to some admin, but gave her the poor-misunderstood-special-me story. Cumulatively it's worrying - especially given the threats to forum members, gun threads, etc.
Laws across USA
archiwutm8,
You have a degree in microcomputer programming? what was the last project you worked on? You also said you had vast experience in gaming but it turned out to be Atari. Slapping a bunch of titles and words onto your LinkedIn page doesn't make you credible, you need work to make you credible.
Yes, I do have a degree in computer programming and networking. What was the last project I worked on? Hmmmm, I won't discuss the classified projects. However, vast experience were with multiple computer platforms. Simply put, I've by the time I had even begun taking Microcomputer Programming & Networking at the community college, I had already worked on done software development (including programming) for more the Apple II series including the IIgs, the TI-99/4A, the Amiga line of computers, Atari 8-bit, Commodore 8 bit line of computers from Vic-20 to Commodore 128D, applications and games for CP/M based computers, MS-DOS, Windows 3.0/3.1/3.11, OS/2 Warp, Linux, Windows 95/98 and XP and other computers. Projects varied in size and scale of work.
The last Commodore 64 project I worked on although not as the programmer but doing the pixel graphics was for a small game (mostly comical in nature) was almost 10 years ago. On PC, I've done a undisclosed number of apps, extensions, and games in Java programming language, AmigaAnywhere 1.5 SDK and in C/C++ with AmigaAnywhere2 SDK and some other SDKs and game engines. Currently, a software project I am working on is a video game using Unity 5 SDK game engine. That is as much as I am discussing of the project on this forum as I am going to focus its project information on appropriate channels. It has nothing to do with buildings aside from whatever is implemented in a video game's 3d 'virtual world'.
Richard-
The whole point of rebranding yourself by changing your screen name is that people won't know that you are the same person once you have rebranded... You haven't changed... :)
Actually, it's the screen name I used a long time ago on the forum. If I want to do what you are suggesting, I would be better of creating a different account altogether. Think about it. I know enough how the forum software works.
hey rick, why don't you change your name to Baron Munchausen? it describes you perfectly.
hey i used an apple IIe when i was in elementary school. i'm really impressed that you design software for 32 year old computers.
i'm working on creating a combustion engine that i'm going to attach to a horse cart. it's going to move people quickly and more cleanly than a horse and buggy would. watch for it, it's going to totally change the landscape of America.
no balkins, you're so full of bullshit i'm choking on it from here. if you were even 1/2 as accomplished as you say you are you'd be buying your parents a new house and living on the top floor of one of Portland's many many skyscrapers (as I recall your description of portland). you'd be Time Magazine person of the year. you'd be teaching, lecturing, consulting, have all your student loans paid back, be creating jobs for people.
but no, you're some jerk-off nobody with no experience, a fake bullshit education, no life, no money, and nothing else, living in your parents basement watching porno on their wifi, eating taco bell (if you get your allowance from your parents for that week), and basically being a venereal disease on this forum.
but in the end all of this just feeds your ego. which is why it's frustrating to even bother replying.
no_form,
Why don't you say that to me in person you chickenshit coward.
In the past year or so you've had to revise all your bios everywhere, bit by bit, as successive deceptions have been noticed and noted on this and other forums: like that you were never an architecture student, never graduated from university of Oregon, were using the AIA logo inappropriately, were using a plagiarized philosophy on your website, were claiming professional experience dating back to age 5, and so on. Do you really want to continue that trend? Why not make a fresh start, by cleaning up your trail of vast exaggerations and outright lies? Start over with only the unembelished truth. It may be a sparse resume at first but it will get you a lot more respect as a professional than what you can get now.
no_form, don't be dissin' Munchausen now.
His exploits were far closer to reality than any of Baron Balkin's, Esq.
you're right miles. munchausen was bad ass. he actually had the balls to leave his parent's house.
munchausen got younger with every antic, unlike our subject
Another wonderful day at Balkinect.com
Bloopox,
You are a definition of plagiarism. Frankly, I have been programming software and computers all the way back then. You aren't going to find the programs on the internet.
You don't believe that I would be able to write a computer program back then and sell them? Use a publisher and collect royalties. Let's not forget the bulletin board systems and mail order distribution. That came about at a point in time.
I was an independent software developer/programmer.
Frankly put, sir, professional experience doesn't start at age 18. It starts when you engage in the profession. You don't have to be 18 years old and older to be a software developer/programmer.
If you don't believe I can put together a game for the Commodore 64, I'll put together a game for the Commodore 64 just to prove the point. Even after having not programmed a video game for the Commodore 64 in substantially over a decade. The last commercial game I wrote for the Commodore 64, Bill Clinton was president... if I recall he was mid-way in his 2nd term.
no_form,
Lets meet in person somewhere in Astoria? Astoria is bigger than one single house don't you know? That's right...... You're a chickenshit coward. CHICKEN SHIT CHICKEN SHIT.... You're a just a wussy puss.
I'm not going to waste any more energy on a wussy puss chicken shit such as yourself.
I'm not going to waste any more energy on a wussy puss chicken shit such as yourself.
Yes you are.
tduds,
Anyway, enough said to people who are just here to be jackasses.
Bloopox, I'll craft together that little Commodore 64 game. You'll need a C64 emulator to play it if you don't have a Commodore 64.
It will take more than a few days so let that be part of the sabbatical.
Do building designs have to be approved by an architect any place in the USA for any scales of buildings(skyscraper, house, ect.)?
we're still discussing this question, right? if not, it's time to take your chatter to a bar/dark alley near you.
I love this logic. I was drawing up floor plans of my dream houses when I was 10, so I guess I can walk into any job interview and claim that I have 30 years experience.
Chain from a Commodore forum from 2004:
Sorry to burst your bubble but it appears Wildstar is a fraud. This is no surprise to many in comp.sys.cbm who've been around for a year or two.
Ruud Baltissen wrote on comp.sys.cbm today:
> Oh, BTW, Rick Balkins is unknown to Tulip. "Wildstar" did ring a bell
> indeed but I'll save you the comment.
As most of us in the newsgroups know, Wildstar's real name is Rick Balkins. So, it appears that Tulip doesn't know who he is.
...
They don't always recognize my real name but "Wildstar" which indeed do recognize or is capable of remember more easily. Ok - to be honest not every jack and joe in Tulip knows be because I don't communicate to the secretaries, box boys, janitors and all such. I communicate with specific people. Who I directly communicate with.
...
Yeah...OK "Wildstar", whatever you say.
Your 57 posts a day on comp.sys.cbm, the CommodoreOne forum on Yahoo and Lemon's forums are a little excessive, which is why they recognize Wildstar. You really need to get a job or something.
...
@Wildstar.. Just have to know. Where do you find the time for all this posting? It must be a 24hr around the clock job.. are there 2 of you?
...
"Rick, shut the f**k up if you don't know the details."
"Everyone else on the list, you might be better off filtering this guy."
"Rick, I have warned you before not to do this kind of postings again. You are spreading false information, which harms the reputation of the project."
--------
There seems to be quite a bit more in the same vein. Seems Commodore Balkins has had the same problem for at least a decade, and it isn't getting any better.
Richard,
I do not want to be mean because I think you have a real problem. I am ,however, going to simply flag everything you post from now on without comment and hope that you seek help.
It isn't even just the 57 posts per day on this forum. If you google his name plus any date you can find him on a bunch of other forums, with 57 posts per day on each. On the IT-related forums they also say "show us your work" and on those he says he's too busy with his building design business!
Someone was explaining how he will most likely end up living in a half way house with food stamps and welfare after his parents die and he loses their house from not being able to pay the taxes on it.
Not to mention if he defaults on his loans how hard it will be for him to build up any savings or even get a car loan. The government and banks will levy his pay checks. It's just going to get so so much worse for him. He's really just preparing himself for a miserable future.
Really it's just so sad that someone could be so stubborn and not see reality for what it is. If he is a bot or some NSA/CIA troll that's cool. At least he's doing government work.
Miles,
Ruud failed to know that I was talking to Harro Tillema.
Since you are picking and choosing from forums without entire thread context.
I won't be discussing the drama of that project that was in a quote selection you made which reputation of it was more his own fault than me. The person you quoted from was quoting another another person who ultimately made a false claim that I used a word that never was not used in my own response and only use of the word was a quote by the person that was complaining. Unknown to him, I talked to the person working on the actual FPGA cores at the time. The project founder who started the project. The SuperVIC and MonsterSID still had issues to be worked out. The only plurality that I used was the word 'our expectation' and that is that of the customer base who is paying to buy the product when it was completed which more or less took so long to be completed that it flopped. The expectation for SuperVIC and MonsterSID is exactly what is reasonably expected.... the specification that was presented and represented. It wasn't there yet at that time.
He lost customers because the project instead of progressing to make the project it was billed for and then featuristas with the idea of making it a reconfigurable computer (ok, it was technically that from day one but its when the project goals all over the place) and then years of dismal communication, constant cycles of 'fixes' and so on and so on. In pursuit of a perfect C64 core and other FPGA cores of other computer platforms, and eventually the project began turning from a Commodore project to what would perceptively be a CPC project.... before long, people just got tired. Even though over time, through even a second generation of this project called TurboChameleon cartridge, they had made a decent but still not perfect core but by then, the project creator has made (although less perfect) a single-chip Commodore computer that had over 250,000 units sold or somewhere on those orders at a sales price of <$30. With a product at $20-40, it had more of the proposed advanced graphics that were exciting... it wasn't a perfect C64 clone in terms of cycle by cycle compatibility and so forth. While, you pay about 10x as much for the TurboChameleon. FPGA vs ASIC. Low volume vs. high volume. The reputation damage had to do more with people getting tired waiting when they wanted something that would be using as a hardware replacement of using their original Commodore as the original hardware being 25 to 30+ years old. Therefore, they wanted something new to run their Commodore programs that was a hardware clone. Ultimately, a lot of the Commodore community said.... f--- it.... lets just use a regular PC with an emulator.
If you want to know some facts, the source of some of the quotes that you quoted is no saint, either.
His over perfectionist and penchant for featuritas and all that.... he would be fired by Jack Tramiel A) Jack Tramiel stayed at Commodore and B) Commodore was still around - if he was working at Commodore to produce a new Commodore 64 based computer on FPGA/ASIC solution or an FPGA/ASIC solution of Amiga graphic chips, he would have been fired for taking too long trying to perfect it and all that. It would have killed projects because product launching is in part time critical. Jack would have cancelled that project, fired and replace staff if needed.
The project took too long and his customer base loss interest. Plain and simple.
You can't sit on it for more than a couple years or so and people tend to walk after that. Some less. Some a little more but if a project takes more than 3 years to make, people will interest tends to wane to the point that they move on and walk away. It becomes passe and they look to something else.
As a matter of fact, none of them gave up on the project because of me. Despite logic, the debacle on the forums had kept them around longer than it would have been otherwise because a forum with months of no comments is boring as hell and people would give up. It is more entertaining and necessary to keep people if you are proactive. People get tired of nothing and they give up on the projects and forget about the project. What does that mean with projects.... it means that they flop or die because of lack of interest.
I've even talked to a number of those who left the project or read their posts and they say what they mean.
Anyway, I'm already working on a video game idea for the C64.... starring a rancorous New York Architect name Niles O'Jaffe .
More to the game story is being developed but the rancorous New York Architect name Niles O'Jaffe would be sort of the 'hero' player character.
#stonecoldrickbalkinsrolled
#betterthanatelanovella
People still care about commodore 64?....damn. it's like people who still care about FormZ, no one gives a shit about c64 Richard.
LOL!
Back to Game Design Documentation.... ah the fun of writing a GDD for not only an Multiplayer Online Game but also this Commodore 64 game.
archiwutm8,
There are quite a few people who would disagree with you.
Who? Grandpa?
http://www.lemon64.com
http://csdb.dk/
http://www.dickestel.com/fcug.htm
http://www.tpug.ca/links/
( Links to numerous Commodore user's groups & clubs that many are still active )
This is just for some starters. There are people still making demos, various content and occassionally games for C64/128 and other Commodore 8-bit computers as well as hardware devices.
If people don't care about the C64, would there be any of this across the world?
but general consensus? Its a drop in the ocean. When you said you developed games I was expecting something more...substantial.
Many people wrongly assume that an architect will always be more expensive by default. While less costly projects are likely to be better suited to a building designer, prices and pricing structures can vary quite a bit, and highly sought-after building designers are likely to charge appropriately for their services.
archiwutm8,
Considering the Commodore 64 was the best sold computer in the world in the 1980s and still of any single (desktop) computer model had more units sold than any other (desktop) computer model ever by any other company.
The Commodore 64 is not that much of a drop in the bucket. With well over 20 Million Commodore 64 computers and a user base of the C64 during the course of 1982-1992 timeframe, there were over 4 MILLION Commodore 64 users. Possibly over 5 Million.
Today, those numbers are hard to calculate given that there are emulators and how many people have Commodore 64 emulators is not calculated and the numbers of people who still uses or plays Commodore 64 games can be more than there are Commodore 64 computers ever made with all the Windows compatibles, MacOS, and Linux computers as well as handheld numbers. With that, the effective user base is larger than those with the real C64 hardware.
Think about that for a moment.
It is a niche market, though. I wouldn't depend entirely on that market. That Multiplayer Online Game isn't for Commodore 64. It is for Windows PC and then some other platforms after that.
To make a livable income, I just need to sell 2500 to 3000 copies a year world-wide at $20 each. Electronic delivery model and my cost per copy is very small. There are various sources for revenues during development and post development depending on the project. As an indie developer, that isn't too bad. That's livable. If the sales crest 5000 copies at a higher price like $40 and you can do the math and that's fairly decent for an individual and even if I paid 1/4 of it to some other people for their time. I would still have a livable income even after taxes taken out for the larger sum.
Predicting sales are moot anyway. You take a modest approach and figure for a modest income level. You can do all the statistical market analysis but after that, it's just a gamble. The beautiful thing about software is there isn't material costs and labor cost of any employees or external parties brought on to the development team. The more you do yourself, the less you pay out to others because as a sole-proprietorship, you aren't paid a wage or salary. You draw from the revenue. Therefore, my greatest cost regarding myself is cost of living expense and so forth.
Conceivably, 75% of my student loan (if not all) amount can be paid off in 1-2 years of income at the $50,000 a year level.
This depends on the revenue.
Thanks Laura.
"To make a livable income, I just need to sell 2500 to 3000 copies a year world-wide at $20 each"
You've said the same thing in every debate we've had on this forum, its always "I just need to", you keep coming up with numbers that only you seem to know and these business ideas just keep coming....I really want to see something YOU'VE done, I don't care if its "building design" or "programming" or even better "game development" show me a product. You do that and I will provide photos, screenshots and a name explaining how I've worked with UAV's, surveying, I have info on 6000 architects/construction firms/engineering firms, worked with the biggest software developer for architecture software and worked with VR/AR technology.
Im just surprised that keep can still keep the amount of lies he tells straight. If only he could use that energy somewhere else.
archiwutm8,
As for my building design projects with individual clients, I don't put online.
As for software development:
For PC projects that I have worked on commercially. They are currently in locked storage.
Most of my C64 stuff are on 5.25" floppy disks. They never got put on the web. However, there is one C64 game project currently on CSDb. It wasn't commercial level as it was a quick causal project that I did with a few fellow colleagues and I did a little graphics for it. Remember, the C64 graphics are limited compared to PCs so it won't compare.
Most of my projects on other platforms are in locked storage which I am not going to go there and dig through them and go through a bunch of work to present screenshots for. Some projects that I worked on as consultant or otherwise are under NDA. That is as far as it goes discussing those projects.
As for new work on any platform, you just have to wait with the rest of the world.
Regarding your role at a software company, a lot of people in a lot of capacities can be working at a software company. In 3d games, I can see architects doing 3d modeling of buildings in a game. Sure. Just like you would be doing in a movie.
As for UAV use... in the UK? Who cares. In the US, it is a legal matter that FAA is a specter on the matter. We discussed that. If I wanted to do it, I probably could but I rather wait before using them for COMMERCIAL application.
As for Soluis Group... okay but they don't produce video games. They may partake in developing 3d graphics for video game companies if those companies want their services. You mentioned working for the biggest software developer for architecture software? Autodesk is the largest the last I checked. I'm sure in a company of its size, people there are doing stuff with Oculus Rift and so forth.
This doesn't say anything about what your actual function and roles and actual tasks they had you do. A common rule of corporate human resource management is that each person has a narrow set of tasks and duties to perform and perform all day long. The larger a corporation is, the less that have you do everything in terms of diversity of roles and functions. It's called division of labor delegation. The more people, the more you can divide the tasks and roles.
My project for castAR will have screenshots or other content made available as time progresses. However, I am not releasing those yet.
Lol....this guy...you asked for proof for what I do in all other threads now that I'm willing to prove what I do you back off.
Richard get a life and stop spending all your time on forums giving out false advice and information.
You want a proof of a video game that I done work on.
http://csdb.dk/release/?id=19291
I keep my older software work offline for a reason. Has that not occurred to you?
Some of them the agreement for distribution was licensed off with exclusive world wide license to distribute was given to a business that is defunct since the agreements were made.
Rick you seem to have gotten on this whole software diversion by choosing to interpret my advice as a challenge to prove you can write a Commodore game. I didn't challenge you to prove you can write a game - I didn't say or ask anything whatsoever on that topic.
I challenged you to scrub all of your bios and resumes of vast exaggerations and lies.
One of the most glaring examples that has made you the laughing stock of multiple forums is that list your date of birth as 6-12-1981, but claim to have been running a software company since 1986 - when you were 4 and 5 years old. I was challenging you to remove that and all similar examples, so that you can start to regain a little credibility.
I was challenging you to grow up and accept that you'll gain people's respect by being honest about your experience and skills - even though they're sparser than you'd like. Instead of taking that to heart you're flailing around desperately trying to defend your outrageous boasts. Nobody cares if you can write games. You need to get past your childhood. Most of us were little entrepreneurs, most of us scored college-level on our 5th grade standardized reading comprehension tests, most of us have built decks. But most of us also recognize all of those things as inappropriate resume material for a 34 year old "professional". Think about how many potential clients, collaborators, opportunities you're scaring away with your lies and exaggerations. You wrote that part of your problem in bringing in enough business to survive is that you're "not the most charismatic person" - so accept others' help on how to better present yourself.
Live a little and do something Richard, travel, make sexy time and do stuff.
Honestly Rick, It is probably time to start fresh. I should concentrate on either a degree or your business, whatever that is. You should seriously consider legally changing your name and staying off of these types of forums. You are only doing yourself more damage with every new forum and 50 posts per day. This is all easy to search for. Stop trying to give out such lengthy advice and keep it simple and straight forward. Stop exaggerating and/or lying. And look for some counseling to help you with adjusting and interacting with people. Some introspective would help a lot. Are lots of different people on various different forums saying the same exact thing to you? I bet they do. Once you change your name LEGALLY, stop using it as your forum name.
Good luck
To me the issue isn't whether you did or didn't have a software business at age 5 or 6. Maybe you did. Maybe you can even prove it. The issue is that that will strike 99.99% of people as implausible, so if they see it while looking for someone with your expertise (whether in game design or building design or whatever) they'll scoff in disbelief and just move on to consider somebody else, without you even knowing they were considering you for a moment. You're not going to get the opportunity to defend yourself, explain yourself, or write 5000 words trying to deflect the question. You just get that one first impression, with your website or resume or any of those profiles you've posted on business sites, and if they're filled with seeming implausibilities you won't get any other chances, you'll just lose that potential client. It doesn't even matter if it's a true statement or a lie - either way it's terrible marketing.
rick b - since you still continue to think you have something to offer this forum, let's hear any original thought about a building. let's start with OMA's educatorium, it's been around for some time now and should be easy to research. give us a critique that isn't about how rem koolhaas is just an elite academic who underpays his employees or any of that drivel. give us a critique of the building. you're a building designer and a member of the forum. offer up some of your professional insight that is based upon your decades of study and experience.
Do you even CAD brah?
No_form don't hold your breath. He'll say he's too busy with professional commitments to comment. At best he'll give you a collage of other critics' pasted together thoughts, mixed with some intro-to-architecture staples, all run through a thesaurus app to try to disguise the plagiarism. That's why so many of his sentences start with "considering" but don't end with a consequent thought.
^ if not that, then he'll just claim that Rem and OMA aren't relevant to his business in Clatsop County. Afterall, it wasn't a historic renovation project ... or a deck ... or an addition.
Valid attempt though, no_form. The educatorium is an excellent building to study. I did some academic work researching it and writing about it. I don't think it is online. It's a shame because then I would be able to recognize some of the copy paste as my own that Balkins would post if he did take you up on your challenge.
The progressive deterioration of this guy's mind is alarming. You can't even discuss concepts of mental illness and treatment because of social taboos, so I don't know the answer. Some people can actually be cured, most can function at 95 percent with continuing mild drugs and therapy. He is just enough "sane" to escape involuntary commitment, but that is only for now.
My theory is it's been evident since childhood but his parents were/are in denial. It's probably why they pulled him out of school to homeschool him - teachers or school admin probably tried to tell them he could benefit from some intervention and they didn't want to hear it.
There's also that incident in college where he got flagged as a threat and sent to some admin, but gave her the poor-misunderstood-special-me story. Cumulatively it's worrying - especially given the threats to forum members, gun threads, etc.
we're getting cricket chirping now that balkins can't copy paste from a pdf or a government website.
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