Archive for the ‘Froznovia’ Category

Cell Block D-5

I know, it’s the last day of September. I’m still trying to fix the Cell Block D-5 cuffs, and potentially break everything in the process.

I’ve done a complete rewrite of the cuffs that should, ideally, fix some of the lost updates on busy instances. There is a good chance that I’ve royally messed up, but only time will tell.

I also added a new prisoner sheet to the relevant paperwork pad.

Froznovia

I have been building. A lot.

I think the sawmill at the end of the main artery is exactly the type of sight line I’d like: big imposing building that swallow the end of the road.

I finally have a template done for the A blocks. It is pretty basic and my ceiling heights/floor heights are all wrong, but it is a start. I’ve put perforated plates on the north face because that’s the one that faces the Protektor barracks, and they would have complained about the stares. All the windows still need frames, windowsill, glass, and bars of course.

I also need a few variants and to revise the interior layout, especially for the laundry building.

The tractor garage is still sitting there, unfinished 🙁

I was supposed to post much earlier, but I kept trying to do it while I was too tired to do so.

I’ve pushed a bunch of small map updates for the Cell Block D-5. It led to bugs, which led to more updates… I’m sorry about all of that.

• Fixed audio muffling and handcuff serialization glitches.
• Added card reader contacts to the Protektor console and fixed lighting issues on the paper bins.
• Small security hot-fix to help long-running instances.
• Mirror doesn’t show the HUD anymore and renders a little less, for better performances.
• Fixed the handcuff snap-back bug.
• Fixed the screen blocker getting stuck (it will hold this time, I swear!).

I’ve also done work on a new version of the prisoner’s uniform that is more directly Froznovia-themed. I’ll take some non-Blender pictures once I sort the dynamic numbering issue… which might require its own mesh, I’m not sure

A few things I’ve added & changed:

• The shift change takeover window is now for VR users only, sorry.
• HUD “Protektor on duty” indicator for Protektor status (localized).
• FZ-12 prisoner case blank document added to the blank form pad.
• Security card animation when locking/unlocking the Protektor console.
• Lowered the default media player volume.
• Added a blinking LED animation during shift change to make it more visible.
• Added a boot screen to the Protektor console.
• Unused handcuffs return to their dock when unused and on shift change.

I think I am going to keep polishing this until October 1st (maybe the elevator?) and then it will be time to start the yearly Halloween special project!

Thank you everyone for being so patient.

Froznovia time

The map now features a rack-mounted WURMTEK-branded dot-matrix clock panel. It uses the new time system established in the world of Froznovia after “The Incident”:

Without getting into the nitty-gritty, after “The Incident” the world was forced to adapt to a new reality, and that’s when the new time system was adopted:

• The Incident marks Year 0.
• Years and months do exist, but it is common to count days since The Incident.
• 10 cycles (Zyklus) per day.
• 100 “minutes” per cycle, each with 100 seconds.

Protektor console

The “Warden” role is now officially the “Protektor.” The console features green phosphor CRT and Fraktur rendering—a fitting touch for WURMTEK.

The console now handles shift changes every cycle. It releases the Protektor shift card for 100 seconds, allowing anyone to take over. If no one takes it, the current Protektor is allowed to remain on duty for the new shift.

Which means:

• AFK Protektors can be replaced by an active player during and after shift change.
• The role cannot be hoarded indefinitely anymore.
• Private role-play groups can ignore this system.
• Busy instances won’t get stuck with an AFK or bad Protektor.
• Shift change is synchronized across all live instances of the map.

Overall improvements

• Fixed incorrect shaders on most map labels.
• Added clean stenciled labels to the cell doors and the elevator.
• Added two paper pads with Froznovia-themed forms (purely for world building and RP hooks).

Map Versions: 12/12 vs 30/30

There are now a 30/30 and a 12/12 version of the map. They are completely identical, save for the max player count.

12 is better semi-public RP instances, and easier on your PC. Use it, or don’t if you prefer hosting crowd baths. Your call.

I’ve updated the Patreon-only release of the Froznovia paperwork batch. There were a handful of fixes that I had to apply. I also resolved some consistency issues, cleaned up the source files & made them available.

I’ve also added the prisoner case file cover sheet template. And I’m finishing up an update on the case files available in the Prison Cell Block D-5. It’s boring stuff, I just made the photos muddier, and I’m trying to make everyone’s fingerprints unique and to shift everything around just slightly.

There! More documents, mugshots this time! I’ve been practicing filling these out and giving them a little bit of character. Two based on avatars, and two that are Froznovia OCs.
Not entirely satisfied with those, I’m waiting for some artworks to make them a little more unique looking.

I have, so far, resisted using the triple mugshot format. But that’s only because it doesn’t fit.

Yes. Alina was always based on Ariane Yeong.

I’m also adding this new template to the Patreon rewards.

These are also in the prisoner file pad in Prison Cell Block D-5 in VRChat.

Well yes! I’ve been playing Signalis again, how can you tell?

So this is yet another idea for horrific, dystopian, prisoner living conditions. If you pack these tightly enough I believe you could have 6 in 9 square meter? Crazy, I know.

The thing that has been eating most of my time is building these official forms that are designed to match the Froznovia aesthetic and linguistic madness.

• F-29 is a procurement form.
• F-83 is a prisoner transfer form.
• FZ-17 is a Froznovia-specific report for prisoner punishment. I’m still working on it…

These are VERY fun to make and have been put together in LibreOffice Draw. Probably not the best tool for producing prints, but it is simple enough and does all the things I wanted.

Very fun, but also very slow. Getting the right terms in multiple languages and keeping layouts consistent takes more time than I’d like. What am I going to do with these? I don’t know… they make nice props in SL and VR, and I could release printable files if people want to use them for IRL role-play.

The low-poly for the warden’s hat is nearly finished. I checked the polygon count and got kind of upset. It had a handful of triangles above my existing model, though it was more optimized and more detailed. And so, I took a hacksaw to it and trimmed all the excess fat. I’m going to give it a test ride, just to see if I like it.

On the gun side of things, I’ve finished (overly)detailing the grip plates and compacted all the UVs into their final form, added a textured section and more markings, with the addition of the Froznovia procurement mark, I wonder if I should update some of the other products in this line to reflect the updated “identity” of it.

I also don’t think I ever uploaded a good picture of the back strap so here is one.

The hat is nearly finished for the warden outfit, and I will likely release it separately at this rate. I began unwrapping the hat before I realized the chinstrap/rope part wasn’t finished. I’m probably going to make the symbols on it removable, and/or maybe not include them. I’m not sure how I feel about people walking around with my facility identifiers.

And then there is the sprawling Froznovia mess. It initially started as a simple map to help me locate places in relation to each-others, but it kinda turned into this.

It is far too big for a Second Life region (300+ meters wide) and probably too big to optimize anyway. The more I look at it, the more the C-1/C-2 temporary blocks are bothering me. Especially now that I’ve placed a construction site for the future block B-6. Maybe there should only be a singular C block? And what if, instead of standing on its own, it was sandwiched between two B blocks?

Decisions, decisions…

Also yes, it is now official and canon, Cell block D-5 is right here, under the school/administration building.

Don’t ask about D-2 and D-1.