User talk:Sailornaru


 * I am very new to this page, but also to the foundry, I have created one test mission, while it is not great, & it is severely lacking in many things (namely my map transitions could use work & more detail, & thinking on story more would help. Everyone has to start from somewhere however. I did read several guidelines & other issues, but it may take awhile to fully plant them all in my head. I am not a game designer (not really), I'm not even a story-editor,but I've always considered myself a writer of sorts.

I do have a bachelor's degree in English. Yes, this is very surprising. I often use incorrect grammar, even though I know most of the rules. I think I tend to view grammar similar to William Faulkner (not that he's my favorite author either), but still...you have to admit his writing & grammar was very awkward,but it worked for him I guess. Anyway, I try to use some of my knowledge in my stories.

I have just recently gotten back into star trek online, a year or so ago, I had a paid account for 2 months I guess, but because of the game cards not being used, and me not wanting to use a credit card (for obvious reasons) I felt a little boxed in there. My friend & I paid $100 for both our copies, so I felt I did give money to cryptic, so it's not like I didn't pay for the game once before, which is why I unlocked the constitution even though I don't prefer original trek (I value the movies), but my favorite series was Ds9 & Voyager,Next Gen, & Enterprise (well most of it, some of it didn't fit, esp. ending ep.) I am a long time fan, & most of my family is too, even my mom, yeah...pretty nerdy I guess. Most of my brother's friends like star trek, so guess I just grew up with it, but I still find it hard to watch or read about the original series,but of course I respect the beginnings.It was just before my time.

So, it's taken me a bit to figure out controls again, but I'm almost a commander in the game, I worked up quite a bit of Dilithium just so I could unlock the foundry, I have enough for 4 more slots,but I may wait to unlock them. I didn't feel like buying into the cryptic store, and I probably won't unless there is something I really need in there. I do have a prepaid thing,but I don't trust normal credit cards (would just rather skip working w/ them & getting into debt).

Anyway, I mostly signed on this site to post in forums, ask questions, & get better in the foundry. Maybe I could make some contributions,but I don't like having to play editor for other people unless they ask me too, I usually just focus on editing myself. I will offer tips & construct criticisms. Often, I'm neutral in my approach, I don't like to take aggressive stances for no reason, & even in game, you won't usually hear me talking about stupid stuff...maybe silly stuff at times,but I don't talk about sexual or racial comments, & I try not to flame. I see this quite a bit by regular users, it makes me wonder how much of the foundry content is not questionable, considering the topics people choose to explore at times in general chat.

Still, I am semi-aware that some of the people making advanced foundry stuff, hopefully has a little more tact than that, & I think subject matter would be reported if the foundry missions were too questionable. I just really like the idea of making your own stuff, normally I am not qualified to program anything,but since it's more like drag & drop, it makes it somewhat accessible to me, though I'm sure there are other tricks you can do with it. Mostly, I'm just experimenting, reading some tutorials.

The biggest problem I have using the foundry, is...undoing mistakes & not erasing my past work. I don't know if anyone else is annoyed, but the undo/redo function can only do so much. I wish there was a way to copy & paste text for one, so I don't have to retype...but this makes me think I need to save some word documents,but then that would require me to tab out of the game, which is doable but I don't like having to do that, foundry seriously needs a clipboard. I am thinking of submitting a question about undoing work, or when fixing errors, had do you keep 1/2 things which don't have errors, while replacing the stuff that does, often I have a problem with map transitions or placing items exactly where I want them (in my mission I wanted to place a tribble in the plant, but it just wasn't going to happen, so I ended up putting it beside the plant, & also I had an away team to do that,but I didn't want an away team, I needed just the single person). These are just a few of the issues. I am about to start work on my 2nd mission. I'm thinking most of it is just trial & error, maybe you have to do 5-10 before you get really good. I've played several really good & funny missions by other players. I can only hope one day, someone values the work I do, realizing I'm not even a programer or designer, I know a little code in some things, just as I know how to work with some graphic media, but in no way am I intermediate or experienced.

I'm just a person trying to expand the knowledge I have, & gain that which I don't. Well, that's a little about me & my goals towards the game anyway. I can say being a female player/reviewer in star trek is never easy. In the past, I think liking sci-fi was mostly geared for males by males. I know this has changed quite a bit since the 70's & 80's,but sometimes I think guys still assume women do not care for sci-fi much (maybe the bimbos & airheads sure, they'll always just want popularity & only care about fashion & trivial stuff). Some of us, though were influenced by the greats: Le Guin was my main female inspiration and one of the few greats, at least from the past, not too many other successful as on her scale. In college my two favorite courses were sci-fi literature & film, though they were not overly critical to me passing, though they were both needed to fill a slot. It was mostly just something I took because I wanted to know more about the sci-fi genre, & because I really got into it.

Other inspirations: Philip K. Dick was another giant for me, probably was one of my favorite male sci-fi authors, William Gibson (but I only read a few short-stories by him). I have read my share of novels,but I do prefer the shorter mediums, short-story mainly [I have a whole anthology of sci-fi stuff by various authors, great & small, there are some real gems in there). I obviously could not list them all,but those are the big ones. I'm more into soft sci-fi or anthropological rather than what's called hard science (based on some real science like Asimov, basically most male sci-fi writers from the 50's & 60's were like this). I do appreciate the real science in science fiction, & the possibilities, but I prefer to explore the psychological,sociological, & anthropological aspects of sci-fi. I have been out of school since 2008 & just focusing on family life & jobs, & things like that. I never expected to be some great giant in the writing community, though one of my main goals was to write. I never cared much for editing, though I often edit my own stuff, but I didn't like editing other people (too bossy for me),but I didn't mind reviewing something.

And, that's just the back-ground on my hobbies, likes that include sci-fi & gaming & writing. I don't like sharing too much of my personal life, except with a few friends & family. I don't mind being friendly, but I also try to guard things about my life too (I've dealt with way too many creepy internet guys, especially being a female who likes technology,writing & typing, & there's a ton of trolls out there, people who just like to ruin & stalk other people, flame or belittle others just to make their own sad lives better. I just have a low tolerance for it, though usually I'm nice to people who are at least polite, or try to do the right things, or assume good things & being more positive. I dislike how my generation & younger are becoming very negative, cynical, & tend to give up quickly (wanting to fail or setting themselves up for failure).

The important thing to do in life is foster the positive & people would be the better for it. I see so many people controlled by anger & isolation that they forget, that outside...both in their place of living or outside it & outside of cyber space, there can be adventures to be had, if people just go out & do more things, try more things, be open to experiences (as long as they are within reason & the law of course), but just interacting with people, being social, caring....apathy is the bane that shuts out light, the only cure for it, is to begin to try, to care. I know, I get on my soap box at times, but it's because I genuinely do care about others around me. I use to also care too much what people thought of me (as in negative statements). Now, if people say negatives I just ignore it & let it roll, after all anger & sadness only affects you, if you let it. You can try to correct the person,but most people don't listen, they are only looking for someone to vent or transfer their feelings to. So, care about people, but don't be so overly worried, that you let it cripple you.

Anyway, I hope this gives you a feel for what I like, what I do, & some of what I believe in. I believe in trying & working for what I want. I believe in caring,but I don't care too much what people "think" about me, only what they "do". It's tough to criticize someone for their thoughts, only what they carry through on (esp. in person) many people let online people get to them, yes...we know words can hurt, some can damage you greatly like racial slurs or people belittling your beliefs or your gender (that's never really cool), but if you let it bother you too much, it just gets in your way. You may never be able to "reform" everyone, & often people go on these crusades to change others. What people need to do is work on themselves & fixing what's wrong about them, & let others work on themselves (if they ask for help that's different though).

This actually is important to the science fiction topic. Sci-fi has mostly been used as a socially changing mechanism to help society or just individuals, based on who's reading it. We can also put our own spin on things, sometimes we see, hear what we need to from these stories & games. It may fill something that we miss or need, or maybe it's just fun or interesting.

I'll revise & write more later. There may be grammar issues, as I said, I'm not really a grammarian (yes this is a real word), however one person who wrote a negative comment to me once, used the word "invironment" & "pointfuly" misspelling in one, & pointfuly is not even a word. I think the person meant poignant, unless they didn't even know that word. I normally don't pick on spelling or grammar, yet when someone calls your mission boring, or trite, yet...you list it's your first mission, they are being harsh,but it is their right to an opinion. However, someone did tip me today,but I felt they were just being nice to me,but I do appreciate kind gestures. I don't need the dilithium that bad,because as I said, I do work for mine. I do appreciate ways I can make things better or tips from others who know how I might resolve some of the foundry issues I have. That's why I look at tutorials sometimes, it helps me in the right direction, but there is no learning without experience--as Dr. Tom might say (a show I used to watch "Being Erica" often used quotes to get over points, & even though some might label it a "chick" show, it did involve time travel & parallels, so...it was enough sci-fi to keep me interested,but in all other aspects, it was just based on the regular world. But, I'm enough of a fan, to realize not all sci-fi has to be about technology & space to be in that category. Often, Le Guin writes on dragons & other really strange things, that many people might consider more fantasy than sci-fi,but she can do a little of it all.

Oh, I am not sure if I formatted this right, that's why I turned it off for now, until I wanted to format it. And, I'm not sure if this is suppose to be my biography or an article, so if it gets misplaced please don't judge too harshly. I really do mean well, but I do some absent-minded professor stuff sometimes. Mostly, I wasn't sure how to label the category. It's not an ability article or hardly any of the others. I'm going to assume it's one at the bottle. I don't even know what a boilerplate is really (forgive my ignorance). It does seem like this space is mostly used for dev. or editors, so I'm not sure how much I can contribute right way, it may take awhile. I am a medium learner. I'm fast to pick up some things, but slow to master. I usually fall in the middle for most learning. I hope I haven't put this in the wrong place, as far as labeling. If so, I can move or remove it eventually. I like to leave something up for awhile, but I do try to follow rules when I can. I mostly just wanted to use this to ask questions & learn about foundry stuff, not so much to write articles, though clearly I could if I wanted. Unfortunately, I tend to wander & bore people, so ha-ha, not sure if I'd be useful in that sense.

--Sailornaru 08:26, 23 March 2012 (UTC)