Poop, poop and more POOP

For the past week, I have been hard at work building a full-featured Minecraft server, featuring the Hey0 Admin as well Google Maps-enabled web access to the server map through the c10t mapping client on an Ubuntu 10.10 virtual server in Virtualbox. Now I realize it was all pointless.

I guess I could host this sucker through our residential Comcast connection, but then I would have to buy a server, right? My desktop isn't terrible by any means -- I'm not entirely in denial if I claim that my Q6600/9800GTX+ is still in the high end of medium-range computers for a little while longer. However, running a Minecraft server over a wireless connection is not happening. Understatement, I know.

I figure in the short run, paying for a year's worth of a decent low-cost VPS is still going to be cheaper than building a brand new computer, and the Internet connection is going to be a whole helluva-lot better. So expect to see more about a semi-public SMP server coming this week.

I recently resubbed to Fallen Earth, but I am having a really hard time getting into the game. It is unfortunate, but I don't think I will be going past this month. I think my time with MMORPGs is almost officially over. Logging into WoW makes me want to vomit. I can't bring myself to log into DDO for whatever reason, and I feel to LOTRO as I do to watching paint dry. That's sad, because I really want to like them, I just lack the ability at this juncture.

Work on WOTAN has slowed to an almost standstill. I think it is just that time of year, though. That and virtually all of my time is accounted for, and what time I have had I have been doing silly things like setting up Minecraft Java/LAMP servers for fun and education. I refuse to call it quits, though. In all honesty, I am strongly considering changing the title to "Wotan Forever."

The main problem I am having right now with WOTAN, is rather bad, as it is not a technical or engineering problem. Rather, I am having a conceptual problem in trying to come up with different ways to present the game that will both set it apart from other online "story world" games and appeal to a wider audience. All of the ideas I have seem to indicate I should just set up a MUD server, but that is not what I want to do, either.

WAAAAA! It is hurting my brain. I would say I should drink more, but I have already developed a half-bottle-of-port-a-night habit. I like port wine the best, because it was the wine Saint James Episcopal served at communion when I was a child. Blood of Christ, baby - that's the real deal.

Regardless, work on WOTAN continues, but slowly, sloggily and lugubriously, in malasiatic fashion which, if you know me, will be entirely true to form. Boy, writing those shell scripts for CRON jobs to maintain a Minecraft server nobody visits sure is fascinating stuff, though!

I should probably just log into DDO.