Happy New Year 2022!

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szemi
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Happy New Year 2022!

Post by szemi »

Salute everyone! In my country it's already 2022, so thus I wanna wish everyone HAPPY NEW YEAR! :christmas

As a present, I tell you that i'm working on a Keen 6 mod/levelpack thing along with Keen 3 Gold that I mentioned.
Yeah, piece of cake!
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Re: Happy New Year 2022!

Post by Soul Monster »

HAPPY NEW YEAR PCKF!!

I know this was not an easy year, and sometimes it feels like things will never get better, but they will, "all we need is just a little patience." ;)

I'll admit that I've had my fair share of misfortune this year. A lot of my friends turned against each other, a lot of my grand plans were crushed, some of which will never be possible now, and another year went by without being able to see them, or meet the people I've dreamt of meeting for some time. In a lot of ways, this pandemic has strengthened a lot of my friendships, while also destroying others. Fortunately, we are all able to stay in touch through phone calls and skype, in which we'll talk for 5-6 hours on end about movies, shows, games, music etc. and just find things to laugh at, which is the best thing we can do right now. It's also been a great way to blow off some steam through our snarky, sarcastic and uncaring comments. Also, as I mentioned in another thread, I got something this year from someone whose work I am a great fan of, and is one of my heroes, that means a lot to me, and in these times, it has brought me a lot of joy and hope when I need it. Whenever I'm feeling down, it always makes me smile.

Not only that, but after years of lurking around this forum, I finally joined. I know I'm the new guy, I don't know people on here like the rest of you, but I'm glad to have joined this community. I didn't realize sites like this still existed, and never in my life have I ever had such in-depth conversations about Commander Keen with anyone as I have on here. I've only been on for about 6 months now, and I can't believe I've said as much as I have. Thank you all for your amazing work, and for being such an awesome group to chat with!

Also, since it looks like I'm stuck inside for the winter in the middle of the arctic hellscape we call the midwest, I plan to start reading up on modding, and I've even got a few ideas for mods, so if things work out, maybe, and this is just a maybe, you might just see a release from me next year.

Anyway, HAPPY NEW YEAR!! Here's to a better 2022!

I leave you now with my favorite version of Auld Lang Syne: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPnhaGWBnys
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Re: Happy New Year 2022!

Post by Benvolio »

Happy New Year to one and all!

Beautiful Auld Lang Syne. Scotland really has earned its association with New Years Day. Personally my ancestry has a significant Scottish and Ulster-Scottish component which certainly doesn't manifest itself as having any living close relatives there but nevertheless we - particularly my Dad feel a great connection with the place. So much so that my Dad in fairly recent years established a tradition of preparing a Hogmanay feast of bacon and lentil soup, Beef and Wine "Hogmanay Pie" with neeps and tatties, and the most excellent dessert of raspberry cranachan. He's not big into scotch but a little drop goes in the Cranachan. Truly beautiful food, affirming my belief in Northern European food aa being among the great cuisines of the world (see also my GODRP mod).

Ireland, for our part, have done less to enrich this time of year but no January should commence without U2's New Years Day, with its snowy video (https://youtu.be/jeYCyCaK_5k) evoking Soul Monster's snowy landscape. Edit: the film "The Dead" is also worth watching in early January.

I would look forward to seeing your modding contributions Soul Monster, as clearly you are very into Keen and this community which is a wonderful thing!
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Re: Happy New Year 2022!

Post by Nisaba »

thanks for sharing your stories, guys. Your words really touched me. And the songs you've shared just put me into that melancholic mood...
I can't really explain why but I somehow like to share this song with you. This tune captures quite good the mood you've put me in, I guess.

Space Oddity by Choir, Choir, Choir (a tribute to the great David Bowie):
https://youtu.be/cKg1_fKO1sY?t=73 (starts at minute 01:13)
out now (link) : Image
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Re: Happy New Year 2022!

Post by proYorp »

My God, this last year was intense. I think I've faced every single one of my own personal demons and some I didn't even know I had. But I think I'm winning. I think I'm finally winning.
...and now that i say that i hope i dont instantly get smacked into february wheeee


Soul Monster wrote: Sat Jan 01, 2022 4:11 I got something this year from someone whose work I am a great fan of, and is one of my heroes, that means a lot to me, and in these times, it has brought me a lot of joy and hope when I need it. Whenever I'm feeling down, it always makes me smile.
I think I know exactly how you feel. I recently discovered something that has resonated with me more than I can describe and it has been an enormous encouragement. I really have to call it a miracle due to the extremely up-to-chance and unpredictable manner in which I found it, and the timing of when it showed up, when I really needed that encouragement....


Soul Monster wrote: Not only that, but after years of lurking around this forum, I finally joined. I know I'm the new guy, I don't know people on here like the rest of you, but I'm glad to have joined this community.
This is a very interesting social dynamic to think about, unique to forums and online interaction. I joined after reading a lot of threads, so I already had a pretty good sense of who was who, and yet I myself was totally unknown to anyone on here. Because these conversations are public, and anyone in the world can view them at any time, and actively be an invisible member of the community. Right at this very moment there are likely one or more people reading this conversation that have never posted and we will have no idea they even exist, unless they join and tell us. (Yeah that's right, I know you're out there. :p Join us. You know you want to.)

Soul Monster wrote: I didn't realize sites like this still existed, and never in my life have I ever had such in-depth conversations about Commander Keen with anyone as I have on here.
I'm a bit confused, what do you mean when you say you didn't know sites like this existed, but you've been lurking for years?


Benvolio wrote: Sat Jan 01, 2022 23:06 Personally my ancestry has a significant Scottish and Ulster-Scottish component which certainly doesn't manifest itself as having any living close relatives there but nevertheless we - particularly my Dad feel a great connection with the place. So much so that my Dad in fairly recent years established a tradition of preparing a Hogmanay feast of bacon and lentil soup, Beef and Wine "Hogmanay Pie" with neeps and tatties, and the most excellent dessert of raspberry cranachan. He's not big into scotch but a little drop goes in the Cranachan. Truly beautiful food, affirming my belief in Northern European food aa being among the great cuisines of the world (see also my GODRP mod).
It's always interesting reading about cultural cuisine and traditions. I've never heard of some of those things, and that's one of my favorite aspects of PCKF and its inclusion of people from around the globe. It's like reading about a fantasy world, except even better because it's real!



Anyway, I wish everyone all the best for this new year. I am tentatively optimistic for the upcoming months (at the very least it seems unlikely that things will be so insane for another year in a row...).

I don't like to forget about things as the song suggests, but I always hope to move forward.
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Re: Happy New Year 2022!

Post by Soul Monster »

Arnkatla wrote: Tue Jan 04, 2022 14:01 Sorry for the troubles.Hope 2022 will be awesome and nice to you.
Thanks Arnkatla. Even if things have been rough lately, I have hopes that things will be different this year. Also, welcome to the forums!
Benvolio wrote: Sat Jan 01, 2022 23:06 Happy New Year to one and all!

Beautiful Auld Lang Syne. Scotland really has earned its association with New Years Day. Personally my ancestry has a significant Scottish and Ulster-Scottish component which certainly doesn't manifest itself as having any living close relatives there but nevertheless we - particularly my Dad feel a great connection with the place. So much so that my Dad in fairly recent years established a tradition of preparing a Hogmanay feast of bacon and lentil soup, Beef and Wine "Hogmanay Pie" with neeps and tatties, and the most excellent dessert of raspberry cranachan. He's not big into scotch but a little drop goes in the Cranachan. Truly beautiful food, affirming my belief in Northern European food aa being among the great cuisines of the world (see also my GODRP mod).

Ireland, for our part, have done less to enrich this time of year but no January should commence without U2's New Years Day, with its snowy video (https://youtu.be/jeYCyCaK_5k) evoking Soul Monster's snowy landscape. Edit: the film "The Dead" is also worth watching in early January.

I would look forward to seeing your modding contributions Soul Monster, as clearly you are very into Keen and this community which is a wonderful thing!
Glad you liked the Auld Lang Syne I shared! This is like the 4th year in a row I've gone back to it. Like Proyorp said, it's also fun to hear about what other people in the world do for New Years. I also haven't heard of many of these dishes, so I had to look a lot of them up (as well as the ones used in the mod you mentioned) and they sound pretty good. I've also seen some of the foods people mentioned in other threads from way back when, and I could see myself making some of them just to see how they are. I didn't realize that there were so many members on here from all around the world, and that Keen had such a fanbase on a worldwide level.

I also listened to the U2 song you shared, and yeah, New Years Day it just snowed all day and that's pretty much how it looked.

I'm glad I've got people interested in my potential modding contributions, and that I am able to be a part of this awesome community!
Nisaba wrote: Tue Jan 04, 2022 22:14 thanks for sharing your stories, guys. Your words really touched me. And the songs you've shared just put me into that melancholic mood...
I can't really explain why but I somehow like to share this song with you. This tune captures quite good the mood you've put me in, I guess.

Space Oddity by Choir, Choir, Choir (a tribute to the great David Bowie):
https://youtu.be/cKg1_fKO1sY?t=73 (starts at minute 01:13)
That means a lot, Nisaba. It's great that we are able to touch so many others through our stories, and that song you uploaded...what a beautiful tribute!
proYorp wrote: Sat Jan 08, 2022 5:07 My God, this last year was intense. I think I've faced every single one of my own personal demons and some I didn't even know I had. But I think I'm winning. I think I'm finally winning.
...and now that i say that i hope i dont instantly get smacked into february wheeee
I know just how you feel. I too had to confront all of my personal demons and fears, and am doing what I can to overcome them, but I don't know if I'm winning right now. At least you seem to have the upper hand on yours now.
I think I know exactly how you feel. I recently discovered something that has resonated with me more than I can describe and it has been an enormous encouragement. I really have to call it a miracle due to the extremely up-to-chance and unpredictable manner in which I found it, and the timing of when it showed up, when I really needed that encouragement....
You've got me curious as to what it is. It's nice to know that we both got something to keep us encouraged and optimistic when we needed it.
I'm a bit confused, what do you mean when you say you didn't know sites like this existed, but you've been lurking for years?
Yeah, I can see how that part may have confused some people, but to clarify, what I meant was that for years I had been lurking solely for mod updates and downloads, as well as to read what people had to say about them. Coming off another forum that no longer exists, where activity was practically round-the-clock, I wasn't used to people posting at a slower pace, or having the slow periods this site sometimes has, so for a while I thought the site was dying because it seemed like so many were leaving, but since then I've seen that I was wrong. Also, I wasn't paying attention to the general chat, where it seems like people were engaging in some interesting conversations and antics at times, and on the previous forum I was on, that's where I spent most of my time. I feel like I'm rambling here, but I guess what I'm trying to say is that I didn't realize people still engaged in conversations like this online anymore without a bunch of drama, elitism and obnoxious photos. This place feels like an oasis of the internet that hasn't been touched in all these years.
I don't like to forget about things as the song suggests, but I always hope to move forward.
I'm the same way. I'm a firm believer that in order to move forward you have to remember the past. New Years is a time where I do just that. It's a time when I reflect on the year's events, remember some of the good memories I have, and contemplate where I want to go in the future, and what I hope to achieve.
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Re: Happy New Year 2022!

Post by Pandakeen »

Say, when is the Keen Awards 2021 nominations going to start? The last one started before the year even ended.
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Re: Happy New Year 2022!

Post by proYorp »

Pandakeen wrote: Sun Jan 23, 2022 10:16 Say, when is the Keen Awards 2021 nominations going to start?
I'm also eager for this. :)


Soul Monster wrote: Sun Jan 23, 2022 3:05Yeah, I can see how that part may have confused some people, but to clarify, what I meant was that for years I had been lurking solely for mod updates and downloads, as well as to read what people had to say about them. [...] I wasn't paying attention to the general chat, where it seems like people were engaging in some interesting conversations and antics at times [...] I feel like I'm rambling here, but I guess what I'm trying to say is that I didn't realize people still engaged in conversations like this online anymore without a bunch of drama, elitism and obnoxious photos. This place feels like an oasis of the internet that hasn't been touched in all these years.
Ah. Thanks for explaining. I stayed out of the Miscellaneous subforum for awhile too. I think on first glance it just looked like boring stuff like politics and drama so I went "nah" and didn't bother with it until eventually I found it had some interesting topics (and apparently still some Keen-related stuff hiding in there, despite the impression I got from the forum banner that this is the non-Keen-related section).

I've seen a few scuffles on here (I guess that's bound to happen anywhere that there are humans...) but fortunately drama is pretty rare. I'd say that's a benefit of having a smaller community where people are more likely to become familiar with each other and actually build rapport. I know most people on here by (screen)name, but with something like YouTube comments you're unlikely to even see the same user twice and honestly I've mostly stopped even reading the names because there's just too many and it just becomes unrelated noise. And you've probably seen the toxicity that dwells in most larger comment sections.... :sick

I wasn't used to people posting at a slower pace, or having the slow periods this site sometimes has, so for a while I thought the site was dying because it seemed like so many were leaving, but since then I've seen that I was wrong.
This last year has been the most active I think I've seen PCKF. That reminds me, I was at some point going to try to construct a chart of the amount of posts made per each year since this site was started. I have the data (well, the database is two years old now...) but I just haven't turned it all into graphs yet. Peak post numbers were around 2010-2011 (likely due to the hype around the release of the eternally anticipated "Keen 9"). My main hold-up is that I was going to try to use this project as something to try to motivate myself to learn to do simple coding (to convert the data to images) but it ended up just becoming a reason to procrastinate on both things. :helmet

I think I've got you beat on rambling. :p


Soul Monster wrote:
Soul Monster wrote: I got something this year from someone whose work I am a great fan of, and is one of my heroes, that means a lot to me, and in these times, it has brought me a lot of joy and hope when I need it. Whenever I'm feeling down, it always makes me smile.
I think I know exactly how you feel. I recently discovered something that has resonated with me more than I can describe and it has been an enormous encouragement. I really have to call it a miracle due to the extremely up-to-chance and unpredictable manner in which I found it, and the timing of when it showed up, when I really needed that encouragement....
You've got me curious as to what it is.
Oh. Uh, well, I can't actually get into specifics. :foot It's very personal. I guess my enthusiasm sort of spilled over since you were already being rather vague about your thing. :dopekeen I will simply say that art can be a very powerful thing... found a work that perfectly captures every emotion connected to an entire aspect of my own life. It's a wild coincidence.


Soul Monster wrote:I'm a firm believer that in order to move forward you have to remember the past.
That's a good way to put it. Reminds me of another saying, that you can't know where you're going if you don't know where you came from.



I suddenly remembered what may be my favorite version of Auld Lang Syne. :lol Since everyone's posted links to song covers, here's this. :p
https://youtu.be/7wEMnVpvEKE
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Re: Happy New Year 2022!

Post by Quillax »

Happy new year, everybody! I hope you all saved some whiskey for our favorite commander; he might need it to disable Mortimer's latest weapon of destruction, if you know what I mean. :p

I agree with proYorp and Soul Monster about how this place is like an oasis. I've seen other forums where drama and obnoxious .GIF's are pretty common, so I'm glad that PCKF in contrast is well-grounded and mature. I actually remember a few fights during my time here, but they were usually pretty brief. It seemed like there was some pretty bad drama in the early 2010s, particularly from a few certain members. I'm glad we don't seem to get those sort of fights anymore.

Last year I also discovered some excellent works, like Tex Avery's hilarious MGM cartoons, UPA's cartoons, and some of Richard Williams' animations beyond Roger Rabbit. I recommended watching the latter's work in particular if you really love watching excellent animation and artwork, especially The Thief and the Cobbler. As an artist and aspiring animator, I find Williams' stuff to be pretty satisfying and uplifting!

Soul Monster, I eagerly anticipate what Keen mods you'll come up with! :)

To close this post off, how about some tequila? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDWmM0_CWMI
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Re: Happy New Year 2022!

Post by Soul Monster »

Quillax wrote: Tue Feb 08, 2022 8:36 Last year I also discovered some excellent works, like Tex Avery's hilarious MGM cartoons, UPA's cartoons, and some of Richard Williams' animations beyond Roger Rabbit. I recommended watching the latter's work in particular if you really love watching excellent animation and artwork, especially The Thief and the Cobbler. As an artist and aspiring animator, I find Williams' stuff to be pretty satisfying and uplifting!

Soul Monster, I eagerly anticipate what Keen mods you'll come up with! :)
I meant to reply to this sooner, but oh well.

Yeah, I know what you mean about all those classic cartoons. A lot of Tex Avery's cartoons were a huge part of my childhood. I've always loved physical comedy, and he was a master at it. One of these days I'll have to go back and revisit his work again. I'll also have to check out The Thief and the Cobbler. From what I've seen it looks good, even if I see a lot of people say it's meh.

Glad to hear I have people interested in what I come up with. I've got a couple ideas for mods already...
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Re: Happy New Year 2022!

Post by Quillax »

Hey, better late than never, right? :)

Yeah, classic cartoons are awesome! Tom Hall sure had an excellent inspiration!(Did you know that he's a big fan of Chuck Jones' cartoons, like Duck Dodgers of the 24th-and-a-Half Century?) About The Thief and the Cobbler, I should point out there are at least four versions (available to the public) with varying degrees of quality: the workprint, The Princess and the Cobbler, Arabian Knights, and the Recobbled Cut. The movie has quite a long history, but I'll try to explain it as straightforward as possible:

Richard Williams worked on the movie for over 20 years (thanks to independent funding, for one), and then late in the 80s after the success of Roger Rabbit (Williams worked on that movie as the animation director), Warner Bros. agreed to fund and distribute the film. In the early 90s, however, the film was taking longer than expected and went over-budget. Williams submitted a workprint to Warner Bros. (as they asked for one), to show the current state of the film at the time. Eventually, Williams was kicked out and Warner Bros. went to "finish" the film with producer Fred Calvert. They produced two versions of the film, The Princess and the Cobbler, and then Arabian Knights (these were later called just The Thief and the Cobbler to "avoid confusion"). Both versions, compared to the workprint, were heavily cut down and re-edited. Many years later, a fan made his own cut of the movie, called the Recobbled Cut. Basically, the Recobbled Cut took the workprint and made it more complete (but not 100% complete), using animation from the studio-produced versions and other rare sources, while keeping as close to William's original vision as much as possible.

I've never seen The Princess and the Cobbler nor Arabian Knights, but from what I know, they're generally considered to be like mediocre Disney ripoffs at best. (Arabian Knights even has some Aladdin-like jokes.) The workprint and Recobbled Cut, on the other hand, are met with a generally positive reception (though, they do have their detractors). I'll say that The Thief and the Cobbler is a rather unconventional animated film, even to this day, so it's not really something that would appeal to everyone. I see it as one of those kind of films where you're supposed to pay more attention to the art rather than the story; I've seen some people compare it to Fantasia and The Yellow Submarine if that gives you an idea of what to expect.

I personally recommended watching the workprint or/and Recobbled Cut. Those are about as close as you can get to the real deal.
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