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+--- Thread: My redstone future (/thread-13025.html)
My redstone future - jxu - 08-26-2017
Note: this is in Build Discussion but it's about me more than anything about build.
Some of you may know me as an old ORE and RDF member that used to build, chat, and afk frequently about 3-5 years ago. I spent at least a few hours on the server every day. Recently I've been inspired by an unusual source, pannenkoek2012 (of sm64 parallel universe meme fame), to revive my old hobby of messing with redstone. His dedication to a niche but passionate video game-centered community reminded me a small part of what I used to do: build designs and upload videos of them. However, a lot has changed in redstone tech and by 2015 I was already behind the times. I was late to learn CLE and I missed the boat completely on hex logic (with work done by Aft, my good friend I've gradually stopped talking with) and comparator stuff like CCA (pioneered by MagicalGent, who's my friend if he still remembers who I am).
None of this is really a problem since I can always relearn tech if I feel the need to. However I have a bad feeling that I'll be active for maybe a week or a month and then lose interest again. I used to be motivated to build and refine redstone builds, even if none of them were notable or particularly well made (I still hold my maze generator as the best build I've ever done, but it's still nothing complex). This is evidenced by my channel, which has loads of unremarkable little devices from when I was active I thought were worth uploading. Note that I use channel activity as a proxy for server activity in this post. I don't know if that motivation is still there. I think I like the idea of being active in redstone more than actual redstone building. What more can I really do? Tons of people have made CPUs and computers, and intOREnet has been revived more times than it really should have. I feel the need to do something special. I made an idea post some months ago but even those don't motivate me. How can I motivate myself? Maybe what I actually want is fame, but that sounds bad in my mind. But that at least would give me some reason to build, and bring some community interaction.
When I login to the server, I'm always reminded of previous people I knew who have moved on. Even people like guy and newo, who put tremendous effort into his channel, haven't uploaded in 3 years. Prop had something really special but he stopped in what I view as his prime. Iceglade, who hit fame with his GPU, hasn't uploaded in 2 years, not to mention even more ancient channels, like Berick Cook's and HansLemurson. Benny is the only redstone channel I know that recently came back, or is active at all. Of my ORE friends, I still talk to snug on a daily basis, but he's moved on to N64 speedrunning and coding. And as many people on ORE know, coding is a big draw, freeing from the limitations of redstone. Somehow I can't accept that my redstone days are in the past. But I have to ask: what is left to do in redstone? What motivates someone to continue building?
Edit: I think a big driver of people is doing things because they can. This is why people will spend weeks figuring out how to manipulate subway systems into giving them free rides (obviously not about the money at that point) or months writing demos pushing the graphics limits for ancient systems like the C64. Would that be the main motivator of what goes on in ORE?
RE: My redstone future - Nickster258 - 08-26-2017
I haven't been motivated to build either. I haven't had a serious redstone project in maybe 3-4 years. I have said "I should make a new CPU" and "Really should revisit this project" multiple times, but things never get started nor finished.
Nonetheless, my advice to get back into anything: ask yourself questions you want to know the answer to. With redstone, it can be "Can this component be made faster? How?" or "Can I prove a theory right by implementing it in Redstone?" Curiosity in a subject tends to draw oneself deeper into it. I mean, that is how clickbait articles are popular.
RE: My redstone future - jxu - 08-26-2017
Are you still around for the community then? Or obligation?
I really like the idea of curiosity being the driving force. But I can't say I've ever been really curious about redstone. Most of the time it's "let's see if I can make a decently fast and compact 3 wide diagonal dual-read RAM" or "I wanna try my hand at that". Not really pushing the limits of redstone anywhere.
RE: My redstone future - Koyarno - 08-26-2017
I've kept going just because i feel the cpu's that are already made aren't really that good at pointers, IO based interrupts, branching, address space, speed; anything that just needs to be there if you want to implement a simple file system/OS. A main goal of mine to let others code on my cpu from a keyboard & screen. Something that hasn't yet been done.
- I try to implement units that make sense on a modern cpu; caching, btb's, experimenting on out of order execution, routers. Even if i dont have a use for them right now.
- I mostly keep several side projects so i don't bore myself to death or get stuck for a while.
- I do not want to waste time on compacting/speeding up components beyond a certain point. There are too many ALU's and too little complete systems.
- rework IS -> rework layout -> rework IS -> rework layout. I don't start building if its too complex and full of uncertanties. No point starting a huge project and seeing it go to waste.
RE: My redstone future - Iceglade - 09-02-2017
Here's my like 0.25 cents. I think I just accepted/came to the realization that redstone itself just doesn't really motivate me as much as it used to. It's nothing to do with "nothing being left to make", at least not for me, but I just put so many hours into redstone that I just burned out on it, and I haven't really gotten the excitement back yet. Even the last few months of when I uploaded videos and stuff was mostly because I was dealing with huge self-esteem issues, and I liked the validation. I try to get back into redstone (for the redstone) every few months though, and I hope someday it will be awesome to me again and I can actually be active again
