Three what if scenarios for storytelling, and one mix-up story
Dec 21, 2024
For this week in Interactive Storytelling, we looked at Pixar's methods of storytelling, and had to create three different "what if" scenarios. We also had to find three stories which resonated with me. Mine were: the Vagabond series by Takehiko Inoue, Godzilla Minus One, and Basquiat: A Graphic Novel by Paolo Parisi.
What if there was a civilization that lived inside of the Mariana Trench? Whales evolved from a land animal, and by going down that path, what if that led to mammals that could survive that immense pressure and potentially industrialize via utilizing the heat vents on the sea floor?
What if Miyamoto Musashi, the legendary swordsman who went undefeated in over 62 duels, lost his fateful clash with his rival Sasaki Kojiro? In this scenario, Sasaki spares his life, but how does someone who embodies the samurai spirit live with the shame of not falling in battle?
What if Godzilla chose a nation or political bloc to side with during the Cold War, instead of being the neutral chaotic being who acts on their own? How would the world react to TWO weapons that could result in the end of the world as we know it?
It's ironic really, the man once called Unrivalled Under Heaven, now on his knees at the mercy of his greatest rival and the longsword he calls 'The Clothes-Drying Pole'. The boat oar that he fashioned into a wooden sword lifelessly sits behind Sasaki Kojiro severed in two. Understanding Musashi's intent simply 'to win', and not to kill him, Sasaki brings his sword down and strikes him with the back of his sword, knocking him out. Musashi, who has been fighting, and winning, since he was 12 years old. Musashi, who single-handedly defeated the entire Yoshioka school, 60 students in total. Musashi, who defeated most every swordsman of repute in his era. That Musashi, had lost. His limp body was silently carried aboard the ferry he arrived on, transported to a small temple he was residing at, and left there to recover.
The spirits of felled enemies, whom he had formerly thought put to rest in his mind, creep back into his psyche to taunt him. 'Why didn't he come with the intent to kill his opponent?' 'Why does he have the audacity to keep living after having taken so many lives himself, for suffering the shame of being less-skilled?' 'Why does he deserve a second chance?' 'Why? Why? Why?' In the weeks following his defeat, he is approached by many would-be challengers looking to make a name for themselves. However, many aren't worth raising his sword against, and some, recognize this, stay to learn more from the enlightened swordsman. Others who insist...depart on the lightless walk. As the days, weeks, and months go by, the spirits are again quieted. The sword, he comes to realize, is not something he lives by anymore. It is a tool, and not a reason for being. He has surrendered himself to the art, of martial arts.
Despite his loss, Musashi is still sought after by lords to teach his retainers in the way of the sword. He is offered positions of being a retainer with land under him, but bafflingly, he never picks up a sword when giving sample instruction. Through gritted teeth, he is thanked and dismissed, until the requests eventually stop coming. He refuses the calls to war as well, not feeling the need to further prove himself by means of his ability to most efficiently kill. Glory, too, is a heat haze. He prefers the solitude of the forest, and breathing life into his wood carvings along with his lifelong love, Otsu. His sword is now only drawn to clean it. The rare visitors they get are, although sometimes martial artists, all people seeking counsel and not instruction. Unlike in our timeline, the methods to attaining his 'way' are not written into a series of books with explicit strategy with the backdrop of being composed in desolate and lonely caves. Instead, they are written in the form of koan, paradoxical anecdotes and riddles, so that readers can find their own way of living in a world where their worth is oft judged by their greatest deeds. They breathe life into its readers. He sees the infinite potential in himself, and in others. He doesn't regret his pursuit of becoming the best, because he has attained something greater. He has conquered himself.
Main Characters: Carmy from The Bear, Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord
World: 1814, the end of the Napoleonic Wars
Premise: Carmy is trapped in a time slip, and finds himself in Milan, Italy in the aftermath of the French occupation. There's blood in the streets, the occupying Austrians are now trying to set up a new government, and Carmy sees that the people need relief with good food. He slowly builds a name for himself with his unique (to the era) and delicious meals, and powerful people are starting to take notice. He finds himself in service as a cook to the noted French noble Talleyrand, who is also a delegate to the Congress of Vienna- a summit of European power players trying to determine the future of the continent post-Napoleon. Talleyrand is negotiating on behalf of a humbled and desperate France, and he is impressed by Carmy's cooking. He hopes to use Carmy as a symbol of prestige as well as use him for digging dirt on other countries, and gaining any edge he can to leverage in his negotiations. Carmy is someone who creatively thrives in high stress situations, and Talleyrand hopes to use his skills to shape the Congress of Vienna to his own shadowy means. Now, faced with the tenseness of cooking for heads of state and their delegates who have the power to issue another massive war, can Carmy, as clever (sometimes underhandedly) and creative as he is, help avoid a catastrophe with his cooking and find his way home? Other characters include the volatile Emperor of Russia Alexander I, the crafty Prince von Metternich, and the fiery idealist Duke of Wellington.
We draw the track as a polyline (sampled points) and orient all glyphs by rotating to the tangent (rotate(p.ang)).
// Parametric curve + tangent
x = a * sin(t), y = (b/2) * sin(2t)
function infinityPoint(tau, a, b) {
const x = a * sin(tau);
const y = (b * 0.5) * sin(2 * tau);
const dx = a * cos(tau);
const dy = b * cos(2 * tau);
const ang = atan2(dy, dx); // tangent angle
return { x, y, ang };
}
Seasons = Turtle feeding cycles
Fin Strokes = Distance Measuring
Breath = Religious Timing/Calendar
Blink = Day/Night Cycle
// Parametric curve + tangent
x = a * sin(t), y = (b/2) * sin(2t)
function infinityPoint(tau, a, b) {
const x = a * sin(tau);
const y = (b * 0.5) * sin(2 * tau);
const dx = a * cos(tau);
const dy = b * cos(2 * tau);
const ang = atan2(dy, dx); // tangent angle
return { x, y, ang };
}
Track Color Season color slowly shifts via four stops using seasonalHue() and wrap-aware lerpHue()
const seasonHue = seasonalHue(seasonCyc); // amber → green → violet → cyan
stroke(seasonHue, …); drawInfinityPolyline(...);
Track Color: Season color slowly shifts via four stops using seasonalHue() and wrap-aware lerpHue()
const seasonHue = seasonalHue(seasonCyc); // amber → green → violet → cyan
stroke(seasonHue, …); drawInfinityPolyline(...);An image of MF DOOM's iconic mask is divided into a grid of tiles. When a button is pressed, random hidden tiles are revealed, and newly revealed tiles briefly glow in response to the sound.
revealed[r][c] = true;This project sits somewhere between an instrument, a game, and a piece of interactive visual art.
It asks a simple question:
What if making music wasn’t about building something new — but revealing something that already exists?
By tying sound, touch, and imagery together, the machine transforms rhythm into progress.
Sometimes, the beat isn’t the point. Sometimes, the beat is the key.
Three what if scenarios for storytelling, and one mix-up story
Dec 21, 2024
For this week in Interactive Storytelling, we looked at Pixar's methods of storytelling, and had to create three different "what if" scenarios. We also had to find three stories which resonated with me. Mine were: the Vagabond series by Takehiko Inoue, Godzilla Minus One, and Basquiat: A Graphic Novel by Paolo Parisi.
What if there was a civilization that lived inside of the Mariana Trench? Whales evolved from a land animal, and by going down that path, what if that led to mammals that could survive that immense pressure and potentially industrialize via utilizing the heat vents on the sea floor?
What if Miyamoto Musashi, the legendary swordsman who went undefeated in over 62 duels, lost his fateful clash with his rival Sasaki Kojiro? In this scenario, Sasaki spares his life, but how does someone who embodies the samurai spirit live with the shame of not falling in battle?
What if Godzilla chose a nation or political bloc to side with during the Cold War, instead of being the neutral chaotic being who acts on their own? How would the world react to TWO weapons that could result in the end of the world as we know it?
It's ironic really, the man once called Unrivalled Under Heaven, now on his knees at the mercy of his greatest rival and the longsword he calls 'The Clothes-Drying Pole'. The boat oar that he fashioned into a wooden sword lifelessly sits behind Sasaki Kojiro severed in two. Understanding Musashi's intent simply 'to win', and not to kill him, Sasaki brings his sword down and strikes him with the back of his sword, knocking him out. Musashi, who has been fighting, and winning, since he was 12 years old. Musashi, who single-handedly defeated the entire Yoshioka school, 60 students in total. Musashi, who defeated most every swordsman of repute in his era. That Musashi, had lost. His limp body was silently carried aboard the ferry he arrived on, transported to a small temple he was residing at, and left there to recover.
The spirits of felled enemies, whom he had formerly thought put to rest in his mind, creep back into his psyche to taunt him. 'Why didn't he come with the intent to kill his opponent?' 'Why does he have the audacity to keep living after having taken so many lives himself, for suffering the shame of being less-skilled?' 'Why does he deserve a second chance?' 'Why? Why? Why?' In the weeks following his defeat, he is approached by many would-be challengers looking to make a name for themselves. However, many aren't worth raising his sword against, and some, recognize this, stay to learn more from the enlightened swordsman. Others who insist...depart on the lightless walk. As the days, weeks, and months go by, the spirits are again quieted. The sword, he comes to realize, is not something he lives by anymore. It is a tool, and not a reason for being. He has surrendered himself to the art, of martial arts.
Despite his loss, Musashi is still sought after by lords to teach his retainers in the way of the sword. He is offered positions of being a retainer with land under him, but bafflingly, he never picks up a sword when giving sample instruction. Through gritted teeth, he is thanked and dismissed, until the requests eventually stop coming. He refuses the calls to war as well, not feeling the need to further prove himself by means of his ability to most efficiently kill. Glory, too, is a heat haze. He prefers the solitude of the forest, and breathing life into his wood carvings along with his lifelong love, Otsu. His sword is now only drawn to clean it. The rare visitors they get are, although sometimes martial artists, all people seeking counsel and not instruction. Unlike in our timeline, the methods to attaining his 'way' are not written into a series of books with explicit strategy with the backdrop of being composed in desolate and lonely caves. Instead, they are written in the form of koan, paradoxical anecdotes and riddles, so that readers can find their own way of living in a world where their worth is oft judged by their greatest deeds. They breathe life into its readers. He sees the infinite potential in himself, and in others. He doesn't regret his pursuit of becoming the best, because he has attained something greater. He has conquered himself.
Main Characters: Carmy from The Bear, Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord
World: 1814, the end of the Napoleonic Wars
Premise: Carmy is trapped in a time slip, and finds himself in Milan, Italy in the aftermath of the French occupation. There's blood in the streets, the occupying Austrians are now trying to set up a new government, and Carmy sees that the people need relief with good food. He slowly builds a name for himself with his unique (to the era) and delicious meals, and powerful people are starting to take notice. He finds himself in service as a cook to the noted French noble Talleyrand, who is also a delegate to the Congress of Vienna- a summit of European power players trying to determine the future of the continent post-Napoleon. Talleyrand is negotiating on behalf of a humbled and desperate France, and he is impressed by Carmy's cooking. He hopes to use Carmy as a symbol of prestige as well as use him for digging dirt on other countries, and gaining any edge he can to leverage in his negotiations. Carmy is someone who creatively thrives in high stress situations, and Talleyrand hopes to use his skills to shape the Congress of Vienna to his own shadowy means. Now, faced with the tenseness of cooking for heads of state and their delegates who have the power to issue another massive war, can Carmy, as clever (sometimes underhandedly) and creative as he is, help avoid a catastrophe with his cooking and find his way home? Other characters include the volatile Emperor of Russia Alexander I, the crafty Prince von Metternich, and the fiery idealist Duke of Wellington.
Three what if scenarios for storytelling, and one mix-up story
Dec 21, 2024
For this week in Interactive Storytelling, we looked at Pixar's methods of storytelling, and had to create three different "what if" scenarios. We also had to find three stories which resonated with me. Mine were: the Vagabond series by Takehiko Inoue, Godzilla Minus One, and Basquiat: A Graphic Novel by Paolo Parisi.
What if there was a civilization that lived inside of the Mariana Trench? Whales evolved from a land animal, and by going down that path, what if that led to mammals that could survive that immense pressure and potentially industrialize via utilizing the heat vents on the sea floor?
What if Miyamoto Musashi, the legendary swordsman who went undefeated in over 62 duels, lost his fateful clash with his rival Sasaki Kojiro? In this scenario, Sasaki spares his life, but how does someone who embodies the samurai spirit live with the shame of not falling in battle?
What if Godzilla chose a nation or political bloc to side with during the Cold War, instead of being the neutral chaotic being who acts on their own? How would the world react to TWO weapons that could result in the end of the world as we know it?
It's ironic really, the man once called Unrivalled Under Heaven, now on his knees at the mercy of his greatest rival and the longsword he calls 'The Clothes-Drying Pole'. The boat oar that he fashioned into a wooden sword lifelessly sits behind Sasaki Kojiro severed in two. Understanding Musashi's intent simply 'to win', and not to kill him, Sasaki brings his sword down and strikes him with the back of his sword, knocking him out. Musashi, who has been fighting, and winning, since he was 12 years old. Musashi, who single-handedly defeated the entire Yoshioka school, 60 students in total. Musashi, who defeated most every swordsman of repute in his era. That Musashi, had lost. His limp body was silently carried aboard the ferry he arrived on, transported to a small temple he was residing at, and left there to recover.
The spirits of felled enemies, whom he had formerly thought put to rest in his mind, creep back into his psyche to taunt him. 'Why didn't he come with the intent to kill his opponent?' 'Why does he have the audacity to keep living after having taken so many lives himself, for suffering the shame of being less-skilled?' 'Why does he deserve a second chance?' 'Why? Why? Why?' In the weeks following his defeat, he is approached by many would-be challengers looking to make a name for themselves. However, many aren't worth raising his sword against, and some, recognize this, stay to learn more from the enlightened swordsman. Others who insist...depart on the lightless walk. As the days, weeks, and months go by, the spirits are again quieted. The sword, he comes to realize, is not something he lives by anymore. It is a tool, and not a reason for being. He has surrendered himself to the art, of martial arts.
Despite his loss, Musashi is still sought after by lords to teach his retainers in the way of the sword. He is offered positions of being a retainer with land under him, but bafflingly, he never picks up a sword when giving sample instruction. Through gritted teeth, he is thanked and dismissed, until the requests eventually stop coming. He refuses the calls to war as well, not feeling the need to further prove himself by means of his ability to most efficiently kill. Glory, too, is a heat haze. He prefers the solitude of the forest, and breathing life into his wood carvings along with his lifelong love, Otsu. His sword is now only drawn to clean it. The rare visitors they get are, although sometimes martial artists, all people seeking counsel and not instruction. Unlike in our timeline, the methods to attaining his 'way' are not written into a series of books with explicit strategy with the backdrop of being composed in desolate and lonely caves. Instead, they are written in the form of koan, paradoxical anecdotes and riddles, so that readers can find their own way of living in a world where their worth is oft judged by their greatest deeds. They breathe life into its readers. He sees the infinite potential in himself, and in others. He doesn't regret his pursuit of becoming the best, because he has attained something greater. He has conquered himself.
Main Characters: Carmy from The Bear, Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord
World: 1814, the end of the Napoleonic Wars
Premise: Carmy is trapped in a time slip, and finds himself in Milan, Italy in the aftermath of the French occupation. There's blood in the streets, the occupying Austrians are now trying to set up a new government, and Carmy sees that the people need relief with good food. He slowly builds a name for himself with his unique (to the era) and delicious meals, and powerful people are starting to take notice. He finds himself in service as a cook to the noted French noble Talleyrand, who is also a delegate to the Congress of Vienna- a summit of European power players trying to determine the future of the continent post-Napoleon. Talleyrand is negotiating on behalf of a humbled and desperate France, and he is impressed by Carmy's cooking. He hopes to use Carmy as a symbol of prestige as well as use him for digging dirt on other countries, and gaining any edge he can to leverage in his negotiations. Carmy is someone who creatively thrives in high stress situations, and Talleyrand hopes to use his skills to shape the Congress of Vienna to his own shadowy means. Now, faced with the tenseness of cooking for heads of state and their delegates who have the power to issue another massive war, can Carmy, as clever (sometimes underhandedly) and creative as he is, help avoid a catastrophe with his cooking and find his way home? Other characters include the volatile Emperor of Russia Alexander I, the crafty Prince von Metternich, and the fiery idealist Duke of Wellington.
At the heart of the system is a custom-built controller powered by an Arduino ESP32 Feather housed in a cardboard enclosure.
The interface includes:
.jpg)
On the hardware side, the ESP32 reads four buttons and a B10K slide potentiometer. Each loop, it sends their values as a single line of comma-separated data over USB serial.
#define B1 13
#define B2 12
#define B3 27
#define B4 33
#define POT_PIN 32
void loop() {
Serial.print(digitalRead(B1));
Serial.print(',');
Serial.print(digitalRead(B2));
Serial.print(',');
Serial.print(digitalRead(B3));
Serial.print(',');
Serial.print(digitalRead(B4));
Serial.print(',');
Serial.println(analogRead(POT_PIN));
}
In Processing, serial data is parsed and mapped to musical behavior. Each button triggers a drum sample, while the slider controls pitch by adjusting playback rate.
pitchRate = map(potRaw, 0, 4095, 0.5, 2.0);
pitchRate = constrain(pitchRate, 0.5, 2.0);
drums[i].rate(pitchRate);
drums[i].play();
An image of MF DOOM's iconic mask is divided into a grid of tiles. When a button is pressed, random hidden tiles are revealed, and newly revealed tiles briefly glow in response to the sound.
revealed[r][c] = true;On the hardware side, the ESP32 reads four buttons and a B10K slide potentiometer. Each loop, it sends their values as a single line of comma-separated data over USB serial.
#define B1 13
#define B2 12
#define B3 27
#define B4 33
#define POT_PIN 32
void loop() {
Serial.print(digitalRead(B1));
Serial.print(',');
Serial.print(digitalRead(B2));
Serial.print(',');
Serial.print(digitalRead(B3));
Serial.print(',');
Serial.print(digitalRead(B4));
Serial.print(',');
Serial.println(analogRead(POT_PIN));
}
This project sits somewhere between an instrument, a game, and a piece of interactive visual art.
It asks a simple question:
What if making music wasn’t about building something new — but revealing something that already exists?
By tying sound, touch, and imagery together, the machine transforms rhythm into progress.
Sometimes, the beat isn’t the point. Sometimes, the beat is the key.
Three what if scenarios for storytelling, and one mix-up story
Dec 21, 2024
For this week in Interactive Storytelling, we looked at Pixar's methods of storytelling, and had to create three different "what if" scenarios. We also had to find three stories which resonated with me. Mine were: the Vagabond series by Takehiko Inoue, Godzilla Minus One, and Basquiat: A Graphic Novel by Paolo Parisi.
What if there was a civilization that lived inside of the Mariana Trench? Whales evolved from a land animal, and by going down that path, what if that led to mammals that could survive that immense pressure and potentially industrialize via utilizing the heat vents on the sea floor?
What if Miyamoto Musashi, the legendary swordsman who went undefeated in over 62 duels, lost his fateful clash with his rival Sasaki Kojiro? In this scenario, Sasaki spares his life, but how does someone who embodies the samurai spirit live with the shame of not falling in battle?
What if Godzilla chose a nation or political bloc to side with during the Cold War, instead of being the neutral chaotic being who acts on their own? How would the world react to TWO weapons that could result in the end of the world as we know it?
It's ironic really, the man once called Unrivalled Under Heaven, now on his knees at the mercy of his greatest rival and the longsword he calls 'The Clothes-Drying Pole'. The boat oar that he fashioned into a wooden sword lifelessly sits behind Sasaki Kojiro severed in two. Understanding Musashi's intent simply 'to win', and not to kill him, Sasaki brings his sword down and strikes him with the back of his sword, knocking him out. Musashi, who has been fighting, and winning, since he was 12 years old. Musashi, who single-handedly defeated the entire Yoshioka school, 60 students in total. Musashi, who defeated most every swordsman of repute in his era. That Musashi, had lost. His limp body was silently carried aboard the ferry he arrived on, transported to a small temple he was residing at, and left there to recover.
The spirits of felled enemies, whom he had formerly thought put to rest in his mind, creep back into his psyche to taunt him. 'Why didn't he come with the intent to kill his opponent?' 'Why does he have the audacity to keep living after having taken so many lives himself, for suffering the shame of being less-skilled?' 'Why does he deserve a second chance?' 'Why? Why? Why?' In the weeks following his defeat, he is approached by many would-be challengers looking to make a name for themselves. However, many aren't worth raising his sword against, and some, recognize this, stay to learn more from the enlightened swordsman. Others who insist...depart on the lightless walk. As the days, weeks, and months go by, the spirits are again quieted. The sword, he comes to realize, is not something he lives by anymore. It is a tool, and not a reason for being. He has surrendered himself to the art, of martial arts.
Despite his loss, Musashi is still sought after by lords to teach his retainers in the way of the sword. He is offered positions of being a retainer with land under him, but bafflingly, he never picks up a sword when giving sample instruction. Through gritted teeth, he is thanked and dismissed, until the requests eventually stop coming. He refuses the calls to war as well, not feeling the need to further prove himself by means of his ability to most efficiently kill. Glory, too, is a heat haze. He prefers the solitude of the forest, and breathing life into his wood carvings along with his lifelong love, Otsu. His sword is now only drawn to clean it. The rare visitors they get are, although sometimes martial artists, all people seeking counsel and not instruction. Unlike in our timeline, the methods to attaining his 'way' are not written into a series of books with explicit strategy with the backdrop of being composed in desolate and lonely caves. Instead, they are written in the form of koan, paradoxical anecdotes and riddles, so that readers can find their own way of living in a world where their worth is oft judged by their greatest deeds. They breathe life into its readers. He sees the infinite potential in himself, and in others. He doesn't regret his pursuit of becoming the best, because he has attained something greater. He has conquered himself.
Main Characters: Carmy from The Bear, Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord
World: 1814, the end of the Napoleonic Wars
Premise: Carmy is trapped in a time slip, and finds himself in Milan, Italy in the aftermath of the French occupation. There's blood in the streets, the occupying Austrians are now trying to set up a new government, and Carmy sees that the people need relief with good food. He slowly builds a name for himself with his unique (to the era) and delicious meals, and powerful people are starting to take notice. He finds himself in service as a cook to the noted French noble Talleyrand, who is also a delegate to the Congress of Vienna- a summit of European power players trying to determine the future of the continent post-Napoleon. Talleyrand is negotiating on behalf of a humbled and desperate France, and he is impressed by Carmy's cooking. He hopes to use Carmy as a symbol of prestige as well as use him for digging dirt on other countries, and gaining any edge he can to leverage in his negotiations. Carmy is someone who creatively thrives in high stress situations, and Talleyrand hopes to use his skills to shape the Congress of Vienna to his own shadowy means. Now, faced with the tenseness of cooking for heads of state and their delegates who have the power to issue another massive war, can Carmy, as clever (sometimes underhandedly) and creative as he is, help avoid a catastrophe with his cooking and find his way home? Other characters include the volatile Emperor of Russia Alexander I, the crafty Prince von Metternich, and the fiery idealist Duke of Wellington.
Hydro – tile grids for water, target, age, barren; column arrays for velCol, noiseColForest – 2D fields for willow and aspen (0–1). Growth moves toward a cap reduced by barren; blocked under lodges; harvest() does a ring search for richest patch.DamSpans – spans are {row, cL, cR, integrity} across a gap bounded by land. Integrity decays with time and high flow; collapsed spans are removed.Colony, Beaver – array of agents; mortality filter; metrics; per-beaver FSM with vector steering.Lodge – simple sprite; count tied to populationWhy this order: environment first, then resources, then structures that shape flow, then agents reacting to the current state.
Creates subsystems and enforces the following update order (water → resources → structures → agents).
class World {
constructor(hud){
this.hud=hud;
this.hydro=new Hydro(hud);
this.forest=new Forest(hud,this.hydro);
this.dams=new DamSpans(hud,this.hydro);
this.colony=new Colony(hud,this.hydro,this.dams,this.forest);
this.lodges=[]; this.updateLodges(true);
}
update(){
this.hydro.update(); // rivers grow/branch/widen/dry
this.forest.update(this.lodges,this.hydro); // growth capped by barren
this.dams.update(this.hydro); // span decay vs flow
this.colony.update(this.dams,this.hydro); // FSM + mortality
if (this.colony.prunedThisTick){ this.updateLodges(); this.colony.prunedThisTick=false; }
this.forest.blockUnderLodges(this.lodges,this.hydro);
}
}The simulation starts with building a target river tree (trunk + noisy branches), reveals it over time (slider), then keep it alive with estuaries, widening, and right-side desiccation.
Beavers “feel” water via noiseCol[c] (stress driver).
regen(){
this.water=grid(false); this.target=grid(false); this.barren=grid(0); this.growth=0;
const trunk = walkBranch(2, rows*0.5, cols*0.85, 0, true); paintPath(trunk,5);
for (let i=0;i<10;i++){ const pC=rand(6,cols*0.7), pR=clamp(noise(i*.3)*rows,2,rows-3);
paintPath(walkBranch(pC,pR,rand(18,48), coin()?-1:+1,false),3);
}
}
update(){
// reveal target → water
this.growth=min(1,(this.growth||0)+(0.002+hud.get("riverSpeed")*0.02));
for (let c=0;c<floor(cols*this.growth);c++) for (let r=0;r<rows;r++) if (target[c][r]) water[c][r]=true;
// desiccate far right → barren land
for (let c=floor(cols*.75); c<cols; c++) if (random()<0.0008)
for (let r=0;r<rows;r++) if (water[c][r]){ water[c][r]=target[c][r]=false; barren[c][r]=min(1,barren[c][r]+.4); }
// estuaries & widening (if undammed & old)
if (++branchTimer>240){ branchTimer=0; /* spawn small branch from wet pivot; paintPath(...,2) */ }
// …age water; leak to neighbors when age>180 && !damSpans.hasDamNear(c,r,4)
recalcColumns(); // sets velCol[], noiseCol[] from wet fraction per column
}
Willows (for building dams) and Aspen (food for the beavers) grow on land toward a cap that shrinks with barren; growth is blocked under lodges and zeroed on water.The simulation starts with building a target river tree (trunk + noisy branches), reveals it over time (slider), then keep it alive with estuaries, widening, and right-side desiccation.
Resulting effects: near water → fertile patches; dry right side → patchy, low-cap growth.
regen(){
this.water=grid(false); this.target=grid(false); this.barren=grid(0); this.growth=0;
const trunk = walkBranch(2, rows*0.5, cols*0.85, 0, true); paintPath(trunk,5);
for (let i=0;i<10;i++){ const pC=rand(6,cols*0.7), pR=clamp(noise(i*.3)*rows,2,rows-3);
paintPath(walkBranch(pC,pR,rand(18,48), coin()?-1:+1,false),3);
}
}
update(){
// reveal target → water
this.growth=min(1,(this.growth||0)+(0.002+hud.get("riverSpeed")*0.02));
for (let c=0;c<floor(cols*this.growth);c++) for (let r=0;r<rows;r++) if (target[c][r]) water[c][r]=true;
// desiccate far right → barren land
for (let c=floor(cols*.75); c<cols; c++) if (random()<0.0008)
for (let r=0;r<rows;r++) if (water[c][r]){ water[c][r]=target[c][r]=false; barren[c][r]=min(1,barren[c][r]+.4); }
// estuaries & widening (if undammed & old)
if (++branchTimer>240){ branchTimer=0; /* spawn small branch from wet pivot; paintPath(...,2) */ }
// …age water; leak to neighbors when age>180 && !damSpans.hasDamNear(c,r,4)
recalcColumns(); // sets velCol[], noiseCol[] from wet fraction per column
}
Dam Spans exist only across contiguous water segments bounded by land; integrity increases with work and decays with flow.
This prevents the beavers from spam building, and makes dams visually & mechanically legible.
regen(){
this.water=grid(false); this.target=grid(false); this.barren=grid(0); this.growth=0;
const trunk = walkBranch(2, rows*0.5, cols*0.85, 0, true); paintPath(trunk,5);
for (let i=0;i<10;i++){ const pC=rand(6,cols*0.7), pR=clamp(noise(i*.3)*rows,2,rows-3);
paintPath(walkBranch(pC,pR,rand(18,48), coin()?-1:+1,false),3);
}
}
update(){
// reveal target → water
this.growth=min(1,(this.growth||0)+(0.002+hud.get("riverSpeed")*0.02));
for (let c=0;c<floor(cols*this.growth);c++) for (let r=0;r<rows;r++) if (target[c][r]) water[c][r]=true;
// desiccate far right → barren land
for (let c=floor(cols*.75); c<cols; c++) if (random()<0.0008)
for (let r=0;r<rows;r++) if (water[c][r]){ water[c][r]=target[c][r]=false; barren[c][r]=min(1,barren[c][r]+.4); }
// estuaries & widening (if undammed & old)
if (++branchTimer>240){ branchTimer=0; /* spawn small branch from wet pivot; paintPath(...,2) */ }
// …age water; leak to neighbors when age>180 && !damSpans.hasDamNear(c,r,4)
recalcColumns(); // sets velCol[], noiseCol[] from wet fraction per column
}
Beavers are need-driven agents with vector steering.
Input from the right-side menu allows the user to shape conditions.
regen(){
this.water=grid(false); this.target=grid(false); this.barren=grid(0); this.growth=0;
const trunk = walkBranch(2, rows*0.5, cols*0.85, 0, true); paintPath(trunk,5);
for (let i=0;i<10;i++){ const pC=rand(6,cols*0.7), pR=clamp(noise(i*.3)*rows,2,rows-3);
paintPath(walkBranch(pC,pR,rand(18,48), coin()?-1:+1,false),3);
}
}
update(){
// reveal target → water
this.growth=min(1,(this.growth||0)+(0.002+hud.get("riverSpeed")*0.02));
for (let c=0;c<floor(cols*this.growth);c++) for (let r=0;r<rows;r++) if (target[c][r]) water[c][r]=true;
// desiccate far right → barren land
for (let c=floor(cols*.75); c<cols; c++) if (random()<0.0008)
for (let r=0;r<rows;r++) if (water[c][r]){ water[c][r]=target[c][r]=false; barren[c][r]=min(1,barren[c][r]+.4); }
// estuaries & widening (if undammed & old)
if (++branchTimer>240){ branchTimer=0; /* spawn small branch from wet pivot; paintPath(...,2) */ }
// …age water; leak to neighbors when age>180 && !damSpans.hasDamNear(c,r,4)
recalcColumns(); // sets velCol[], noiseCol[] from wet fraction per column
}
G generate new river; SPACE pause.Hydro.target
This closes the system loop: environment drives needs; agents act; structures reshape the environment; HUD lets you adjust parameters and watch new equilibria emerge.
Three what if scenarios for storytelling, and one mix-up story
Dec 21, 2024
For this week in Interactive Storytelling, we looked at Pixar's methods of storytelling, and had to create three different "what if" scenarios. We also had to find three stories which resonated with me. Mine were: the Vagabond series by Takehiko Inoue, Godzilla Minus One, and Basquiat: A Graphic Novel by Paolo Parisi.
What if there was a civilization that lived inside of the Mariana Trench? Whales evolved from a land animal, and by going down that path, what if that led to mammals that could survive that immense pressure and potentially industrialize via utilizing the heat vents on the sea floor?
What if Miyamoto Musashi, the legendary swordsman who went undefeated in over 62 duels, lost his fateful clash with his rival Sasaki Kojiro? In this scenario, Sasaki spares his life, but how does someone who embodies the samurai spirit live with the shame of not falling in battle?
What if Godzilla chose a nation or political bloc to side with during the Cold War, instead of being the neutral chaotic being who acts on their own? How would the world react to TWO weapons that could result in the end of the world as we know it?
It's ironic really, the man once called Unrivalled Under Heaven, now on his knees at the mercy of his greatest rival and the longsword he calls 'The Clothes-Drying Pole'. The boat oar that he fashioned into a wooden sword lifelessly sits behind Sasaki Kojiro severed in two. Understanding Musashi's intent simply 'to win', and not to kill him, Sasaki brings his sword down and strikes him with the back of his sword, knocking him out. Musashi, who has been fighting, and winning, since he was 12 years old. Musashi, who single-handedly defeated the entire Yoshioka school, 60 students in total. Musashi, who defeated most every swordsman of repute in his era. That Musashi, had lost. His limp body was silently carried aboard the ferry he arrived on, transported to a small temple he was residing at, and left there to recover.
The spirits of felled enemies, whom he had formerly thought put to rest in his mind, creep back into his psyche to taunt him. 'Why didn't he come with the intent to kill his opponent?' 'Why does he have the audacity to keep living after having taken so many lives himself, for suffering the shame of being less-skilled?' 'Why does he deserve a second chance?' 'Why? Why? Why?' In the weeks following his defeat, he is approached by many would-be challengers looking to make a name for themselves. However, many aren't worth raising his sword against, and some, recognize this, stay to learn more from the enlightened swordsman. Others who insist...depart on the lightless walk. As the days, weeks, and months go by, the spirits are again quieted. The sword, he comes to realize, is not something he lives by anymore. It is a tool, and not a reason for being. He has surrendered himself to the art, of martial arts.
Despite his loss, Musashi is still sought after by lords to teach his retainers in the way of the sword. He is offered positions of being a retainer with land under him, but bafflingly, he never picks up a sword when giving sample instruction. Through gritted teeth, he is thanked and dismissed, until the requests eventually stop coming. He refuses the calls to war as well, not feeling the need to further prove himself by means of his ability to most efficiently kill. Glory, too, is a heat haze. He prefers the solitude of the forest, and breathing life into his wood carvings along with his lifelong love, Otsu. His sword is now only drawn to clean it. The rare visitors they get are, although sometimes martial artists, all people seeking counsel and not instruction. Unlike in our timeline, the methods to attaining his 'way' are not written into a series of books with explicit strategy with the backdrop of being composed in desolate and lonely caves. Instead, they are written in the form of koan, paradoxical anecdotes and riddles, so that readers can find their own way of living in a world where their worth is oft judged by their greatest deeds. They breathe life into its readers. He sees the infinite potential in himself, and in others. He doesn't regret his pursuit of becoming the best, because he has attained something greater. He has conquered himself.
Main Characters: Carmy from The Bear, Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord
World: 1814, the end of the Napoleonic Wars
Premise: Carmy is trapped in a time slip, and finds himself in Milan, Italy in the aftermath of the French occupation. There's blood in the streets, the occupying Austrians are now trying to set up a new government, and Carmy sees that the people need relief with good food. He slowly builds a name for himself with his unique (to the era) and delicious meals, and powerful people are starting to take notice. He finds himself in service as a cook to the noted French noble Talleyrand, who is also a delegate to the Congress of Vienna- a summit of European power players trying to determine the future of the continent post-Napoleon. Talleyrand is negotiating on behalf of a humbled and desperate France, and he is impressed by Carmy's cooking. He hopes to use Carmy as a symbol of prestige as well as use him for digging dirt on other countries, and gaining any edge he can to leverage in his negotiations. Carmy is someone who creatively thrives in high stress situations, and Talleyrand hopes to use his skills to shape the Congress of Vienna to his own shadowy means. Now, faced with the tenseness of cooking for heads of state and their delegates who have the power to issue another massive war, can Carmy, as clever (sometimes underhandedly) and creative as he is, help avoid a catastrophe with his cooking and find his way home? Other characters include the volatile Emperor of Russia Alexander I, the crafty Prince von Metternich, and the fiery idealist Duke of Wellington.
Hydro – tile grids for water, target, age, barren; column arrays for velCol, noiseColForest – 2D fields for willow and aspen (0–1). Growth moves toward a cap reduced by barren; blocked under lodges; harvest() does a ring search for richest patch.DamSpans – spans are {row, cL, cR, integrity} across a gap bounded by land. Integrity decays with time and high flow; collapsed spans are removed.Colony, Beaver – array of agents; mortality filter; metrics; per-beaver FSM with vector steering.Lodge – simple sprite; count tied to populationWhy this order: environment first, then resources, then structures that shape flow, then agents reacting to the current state.
Creates subsystems and enforces the following update order (water → resources → structures → agents).
class World {
constructor(hud){
this.hud=hud;
this.hydro=new Hydro(hud);
this.forest=new Forest(hud,this.hydro);
this.dams=new DamSpans(hud,this.hydro);
this.colony=new Colony(hud,this.hydro,this.dams,this.forest);
this.lodges=[]; this.updateLodges(true);
}
update(){
this.hydro.update(); // rivers grow/branch/widen/dry
this.forest.update(this.lodges,this.hydro); // growth capped by barren
this.dams.update(this.hydro); // span decay vs flow
this.colony.update(this.dams,this.hydro); // FSM + mortality
if (this.colony.prunedThisTick){ this.updateLodges(); this.colony.prunedThisTick=false; }
this.forest.blockUnderLodges(this.lodges,this.hydro);
}
}The simulation starts with building a target river tree (trunk + noisy branches), reveals it over time (slider), then keep it alive with estuaries, widening, and right-side desiccation.
Beavers “feel” water via noiseCol[c] (stress driver).
regen(){
this.water=grid(false); this.target=grid(false); this.barren=grid(0); this.growth=0;
const trunk = walkBranch(2, rows*0.5, cols*0.85, 0, true); paintPath(trunk,5);
for (let i=0;i<10;i++){ const pC=rand(6,cols*0.7), pR=clamp(noise(i*.3)*rows,2,rows-3);
paintPath(walkBranch(pC,pR,rand(18,48), coin()?-1:+1,false),3);
}
}
update(){
// reveal target → water
this.growth=min(1,(this.growth||0)+(0.002+hud.get("riverSpeed")*0.02));
for (let c=0;c<floor(cols*this.growth);c++) for (let r=0;r<rows;r++) if (target[c][r]) water[c][r]=true;
// desiccate far right → barren land
for (let c=floor(cols*.75); c<cols; c++) if (random()<0.0008)
for (let r=0;r<rows;r++) if (water[c][r]){ water[c][r]=target[c][r]=false; barren[c][r]=min(1,barren[c][r]+.4); }
// estuaries & widening (if undammed & old)
if (++branchTimer>240){ branchTimer=0; /* spawn small branch from wet pivot; paintPath(...,2) */ }
// …age water; leak to neighbors when age>180 && !damSpans.hasDamNear(c,r,4)
recalcColumns(); // sets velCol[], noiseCol[] from wet fraction per column
}
Willows (for building dams) and Aspen (food for the beavers) grow on land toward a cap that shrinks with barren; growth is blocked under lodges and zeroed on water.The simulation starts with building a target river tree (trunk + noisy branches), reveals it over time (slider), then keep it alive with estuaries, widening, and right-side desiccation.
Resulting effects: near water → fertile patches; dry right side → patchy, low-cap growth.
regen(){
this.water=grid(false); this.target=grid(false); this.barren=grid(0); this.growth=0;
const trunk = walkBranch(2, rows*0.5, cols*0.85, 0, true); paintPath(trunk,5);
for (let i=0;i<10;i++){ const pC=rand(6,cols*0.7), pR=clamp(noise(i*.3)*rows,2,rows-3);
paintPath(walkBranch(pC,pR,rand(18,48), coin()?-1:+1,false),3);
}
}
update(){
// reveal target → water
this.growth=min(1,(this.growth||0)+(0.002+hud.get("riverSpeed")*0.02));
for (let c=0;c<floor(cols*this.growth);c++) for (let r=0;r<rows;r++) if (target[c][r]) water[c][r]=true;
// desiccate far right → barren land
for (let c=floor(cols*.75); c<cols; c++) if (random()<0.0008)
for (let r=0;r<rows;r++) if (water[c][r]){ water[c][r]=target[c][r]=false; barren[c][r]=min(1,barren[c][r]+.4); }
// estuaries & widening (if undammed & old)
if (++branchTimer>240){ branchTimer=0; /* spawn small branch from wet pivot; paintPath(...,2) */ }
// …age water; leak to neighbors when age>180 && !damSpans.hasDamNear(c,r,4)
recalcColumns(); // sets velCol[], noiseCol[] from wet fraction per column
}
Dam Spans exist only across contiguous water segments bounded by land; integrity increases with work and decays with flow.
This prevents the beavers from spam building, and makes dams visually & mechanically legible.
regen(){
this.water=grid(false); this.target=grid(false); this.barren=grid(0); this.growth=0;
const trunk = walkBranch(2, rows*0.5, cols*0.85, 0, true); paintPath(trunk,5);
for (let i=0;i<10;i++){ const pC=rand(6,cols*0.7), pR=clamp(noise(i*.3)*rows,2,rows-3);
paintPath(walkBranch(pC,pR,rand(18,48), coin()?-1:+1,false),3);
}
}
update(){
// reveal target → water
this.growth=min(1,(this.growth||0)+(0.002+hud.get("riverSpeed")*0.02));
for (let c=0;c<floor(cols*this.growth);c++) for (let r=0;r<rows;r++) if (target[c][r]) water[c][r]=true;
// desiccate far right → barren land
for (let c=floor(cols*.75); c<cols; c++) if (random()<0.0008)
for (let r=0;r<rows;r++) if (water[c][r]){ water[c][r]=target[c][r]=false; barren[c][r]=min(1,barren[c][r]+.4); }
// estuaries & widening (if undammed & old)
if (++branchTimer>240){ branchTimer=0; /* spawn small branch from wet pivot; paintPath(...,2) */ }
// …age water; leak to neighbors when age>180 && !damSpans.hasDamNear(c,r,4)
recalcColumns(); // sets velCol[], noiseCol[] from wet fraction per column
}
Beavers are need-driven agents with vector steering.
Input from the right-side menu allows the user to shape conditions.
regen(){
this.water=grid(false); this.target=grid(false); this.barren=grid(0); this.growth=0;
const trunk = walkBranch(2, rows*0.5, cols*0.85, 0, true); paintPath(trunk,5);
for (let i=0;i<10;i++){ const pC=rand(6,cols*0.7), pR=clamp(noise(i*.3)*rows,2,rows-3);
paintPath(walkBranch(pC,pR,rand(18,48), coin()?-1:+1,false),3);
}
}
update(){
// reveal target → water
this.growth=min(1,(this.growth||0)+(0.002+hud.get("riverSpeed")*0.02));
for (let c=0;c<floor(cols*this.growth);c++) for (let r=0;r<rows;r++) if (target[c][r]) water[c][r]=true;
// desiccate far right → barren land
for (let c=floor(cols*.75); c<cols; c++) if (random()<0.0008)
for (let r=0;r<rows;r++) if (water[c][r]){ water[c][r]=target[c][r]=false; barren[c][r]=min(1,barren[c][r]+.4); }
// estuaries & widening (if undammed & old)
if (++branchTimer>240){ branchTimer=0; /* spawn small branch from wet pivot; paintPath(...,2) */ }
// …age water; leak to neighbors when age>180 && !damSpans.hasDamNear(c,r,4)
recalcColumns(); // sets velCol[], noiseCol[] from wet fraction per column
}
G generate new river; SPACE pause.Hydro.target
This closes the system loop: environment drives needs; agents act; structures reshape the environment; HUD lets you adjust parameters and watch new equilibria emerge.
Three what if scenarios for storytelling, and one mix-up story
Dec 21, 2024
For this week in Interactive Storytelling, we looked at Pixar's methods of storytelling, and had to create three different "what if" scenarios. We also had to find three stories which resonated with me. Mine were: the Vagabond series by Takehiko Inoue, Godzilla Minus One, and Basquiat: A Graphic Novel by Paolo Parisi.
What if there was a civilization that lived inside of the Mariana Trench? Whales evolved from a land animal, and by going down that path, what if that led to mammals that could survive that immense pressure and potentially industrialize via utilizing the heat vents on the sea floor?
What if Miyamoto Musashi, the legendary swordsman who went undefeated in over 62 duels, lost his fateful clash with his rival Sasaki Kojiro? In this scenario, Sasaki spares his life, but how does someone who embodies the samurai spirit live with the shame of not falling in battle?
What if Godzilla chose a nation or political bloc to side with during the Cold War, instead of being the neutral chaotic being who acts on their own? How would the world react to TWO weapons that could result in the end of the world as we know it?
It's ironic really, the man once called Unrivalled Under Heaven, now on his knees at the mercy of his greatest rival and the longsword he calls 'The Clothes-Drying Pole'. The boat oar that he fashioned into a wooden sword lifelessly sits behind Sasaki Kojiro severed in two. Understanding Musashi's intent simply 'to win', and not to kill him, Sasaki brings his sword down and strikes him with the back of his sword, knocking him out. Musashi, who has been fighting, and winning, since he was 12 years old. Musashi, who single-handedly defeated the entire Yoshioka school, 60 students in total. Musashi, who defeated most every swordsman of repute in his era. That Musashi, had lost. His limp body was silently carried aboard the ferry he arrived on, transported to a small temple he was residing at, and left there to recover.
The spirits of felled enemies, whom he had formerly thought put to rest in his mind, creep back into his psyche to taunt him. 'Why didn't he come with the intent to kill his opponent?' 'Why does he have the audacity to keep living after having taken so many lives himself, for suffering the shame of being less-skilled?' 'Why does he deserve a second chance?' 'Why? Why? Why?' In the weeks following his defeat, he is approached by many would-be challengers looking to make a name for themselves. However, many aren't worth raising his sword against, and some, recognize this, stay to learn more from the enlightened swordsman. Others who insist...depart on the lightless walk. As the days, weeks, and months go by, the spirits are again quieted. The sword, he comes to realize, is not something he lives by anymore. It is a tool, and not a reason for being. He has surrendered himself to the art, of martial arts.
Despite his loss, Musashi is still sought after by lords to teach his retainers in the way of the sword. He is offered positions of being a retainer with land under him, but bafflingly, he never picks up a sword when giving sample instruction. Through gritted teeth, he is thanked and dismissed, until the requests eventually stop coming. He refuses the calls to war as well, not feeling the need to further prove himself by means of his ability to most efficiently kill. Glory, too, is a heat haze. He prefers the solitude of the forest, and breathing life into his wood carvings along with his lifelong love, Otsu. His sword is now only drawn to clean it. The rare visitors they get are, although sometimes martial artists, all people seeking counsel and not instruction. Unlike in our timeline, the methods to attaining his 'way' are not written into a series of books with explicit strategy with the backdrop of being composed in desolate and lonely caves. Instead, they are written in the form of koan, paradoxical anecdotes and riddles, so that readers can find their own way of living in a world where their worth is oft judged by their greatest deeds. They breathe life into its readers. He sees the infinite potential in himself, and in others. He doesn't regret his pursuit of becoming the best, because he has attained something greater. He has conquered himself.
Main Characters: Carmy from The Bear, Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord
World: 1814, the end of the Napoleonic Wars
Premise: Carmy is trapped in a time slip, and finds himself in Milan, Italy in the aftermath of the French occupation. There's blood in the streets, the occupying Austrians are now trying to set up a new government, and Carmy sees that the people need relief with good food. He slowly builds a name for himself with his unique (to the era) and delicious meals, and powerful people are starting to take notice. He finds himself in service as a cook to the noted French noble Talleyrand, who is also a delegate to the Congress of Vienna- a summit of European power players trying to determine the future of the continent post-Napoleon. Talleyrand is negotiating on behalf of a humbled and desperate France, and he is impressed by Carmy's cooking. He hopes to use Carmy as a symbol of prestige as well as use him for digging dirt on other countries, and gaining any edge he can to leverage in his negotiations. Carmy is someone who creatively thrives in high stress situations, and Talleyrand hopes to use his skills to shape the Congress of Vienna to his own shadowy means. Now, faced with the tenseness of cooking for heads of state and their delegates who have the power to issue another massive war, can Carmy, as clever (sometimes underhandedly) and creative as he is, help avoid a catastrophe with his cooking and find his way home? Other characters include the volatile Emperor of Russia Alexander I, the crafty Prince von Metternich, and the fiery idealist Duke of Wellington.
Hydro – tile grids for water, target, age, barren; column arrays for velCol, noiseColForest – 2D fields for willow and aspen (0–1). Growth moves toward a cap reduced by barren; blocked under lodges; harvest() does a ring search for richest patch.DamSpans – spans are {row, cL, cR, integrity} across a gap bounded by land. Integrity decays with time and high flow; collapsed spans are removed.Colony, Beaver – array of agents; mortality filter; metrics; per-beaver FSM with vector steering.Lodge – simple sprite; count tied to populationWhy this order: environment first, then resources, then structures that shape flow, then agents reacting to the current state.
Creates subsystems and enforces the following update order (water → resources → structures → agents).
class World {
constructor(hud){
this.hud=hud;
this.hydro=new Hydro(hud);
this.forest=new Forest(hud,this.hydro);
this.dams=new DamSpans(hud,this.hydro);
this.colony=new Colony(hud,this.hydro,this.dams,this.forest);
this.lodges=[]; this.updateLodges(true);
}
update(){
this.hydro.update(); // rivers grow/branch/widen/dry
this.forest.update(this.lodges,this.hydro); // growth capped by barren
this.dams.update(this.hydro); // span decay vs flow
this.colony.update(this.dams,this.hydro); // FSM + mortality
if (this.colony.prunedThisTick){ this.updateLodges(); this.colony.prunedThisTick=false; }
this.forest.blockUnderLodges(this.lodges,this.hydro);
}
}The simulation starts with building a target river tree (trunk + noisy branches), reveals it over time (slider), then keep it alive with estuaries, widening, and right-side desiccation.
Beavers “feel” water via noiseCol[c] (stress driver).
regen(){
this.water=grid(false); this.target=grid(false); this.barren=grid(0); this.growth=0;
const trunk = walkBranch(2, rows*0.5, cols*0.85, 0, true); paintPath(trunk,5);
for (let i=0;i<10;i++){ const pC=rand(6,cols*0.7), pR=clamp(noise(i*.3)*rows,2,rows-3);
paintPath(walkBranch(pC,pR,rand(18,48), coin()?-1:+1,false),3);
}
}
update(){
// reveal target → water
this.growth=min(1,(this.growth||0)+(0.002+hud.get("riverSpeed")*0.02));
for (let c=0;c<floor(cols*this.growth);c++) for (let r=0;r<rows;r++) if (target[c][r]) water[c][r]=true;
// desiccate far right → barren land
for (let c=floor(cols*.75); c<cols; c++) if (random()<0.0008)
for (let r=0;r<rows;r++) if (water[c][r]){ water[c][r]=target[c][r]=false; barren[c][r]=min(1,barren[c][r]+.4); }
// estuaries & widening (if undammed & old)
if (++branchTimer>240){ branchTimer=0; /* spawn small branch from wet pivot; paintPath(...,2) */ }
// …age water; leak to neighbors when age>180 && !damSpans.hasDamNear(c,r,4)
recalcColumns(); // sets velCol[], noiseCol[] from wet fraction per column
}
Willows (for building dams) and Aspen (food for the beavers) grow on land toward a cap that shrinks with barren; growth is blocked under lodges and zeroed on water.The simulation starts with building a target river tree (trunk + noisy branches), reveals it over time (slider), then keep it alive with estuaries, widening, and right-side desiccation.
Resulting effects: near water → fertile patches; dry right side → patchy, low-cap growth.
regen(){
this.water=grid(false); this.target=grid(false); this.barren=grid(0); this.growth=0;
const trunk = walkBranch(2, rows*0.5, cols*0.85, 0, true); paintPath(trunk,5);
for (let i=0;i<10;i++){ const pC=rand(6,cols*0.7), pR=clamp(noise(i*.3)*rows,2,rows-3);
paintPath(walkBranch(pC,pR,rand(18,48), coin()?-1:+1,false),3);
}
}
update(){
// reveal target → water
this.growth=min(1,(this.growth||0)+(0.002+hud.get("riverSpeed")*0.02));
for (let c=0;c<floor(cols*this.growth);c++) for (let r=0;r<rows;r++) if (target[c][r]) water[c][r]=true;
// desiccate far right → barren land
for (let c=floor(cols*.75); c<cols; c++) if (random()<0.0008)
for (let r=0;r<rows;r++) if (water[c][r]){ water[c][r]=target[c][r]=false; barren[c][r]=min(1,barren[c][r]+.4); }
// estuaries & widening (if undammed & old)
if (++branchTimer>240){ branchTimer=0; /* spawn small branch from wet pivot; paintPath(...,2) */ }
// …age water; leak to neighbors when age>180 && !damSpans.hasDamNear(c,r,4)
recalcColumns(); // sets velCol[], noiseCol[] from wet fraction per column
}
Dam Spans exist only across contiguous water segments bounded by land; integrity increases with work and decays with flow.
This prevents the beavers from spam building, and makes dams visually & mechanically legible.
regen(){
this.water=grid(false); this.target=grid(false); this.barren=grid(0); this.growth=0;
const trunk = walkBranch(2, rows*0.5, cols*0.85, 0, true); paintPath(trunk,5);
for (let i=0;i<10;i++){ const pC=rand(6,cols*0.7), pR=clamp(noise(i*.3)*rows,2,rows-3);
paintPath(walkBranch(pC,pR,rand(18,48), coin()?-1:+1,false),3);
}
}
update(){
// reveal target → water
this.growth=min(1,(this.growth||0)+(0.002+hud.get("riverSpeed")*0.02));
for (let c=0;c<floor(cols*this.growth);c++) for (let r=0;r<rows;r++) if (target[c][r]) water[c][r]=true;
// desiccate far right → barren land
for (let c=floor(cols*.75); c<cols; c++) if (random()<0.0008)
for (let r=0;r<rows;r++) if (water[c][r]){ water[c][r]=target[c][r]=false; barren[c][r]=min(1,barren[c][r]+.4); }
// estuaries & widening (if undammed & old)
if (++branchTimer>240){ branchTimer=0; /* spawn small branch from wet pivot; paintPath(...,2) */ }
// …age water; leak to neighbors when age>180 && !damSpans.hasDamNear(c,r,4)
recalcColumns(); // sets velCol[], noiseCol[] from wet fraction per column
}
Beavers are need-driven agents with vector steering.
Input from the right-side menu allows the user to shape conditions.
regen(){
this.water=grid(false); this.target=grid(false); this.barren=grid(0); this.growth=0;
const trunk = walkBranch(2, rows*0.5, cols*0.85, 0, true); paintPath(trunk,5);
for (let i=0;i<10;i++){ const pC=rand(6,cols*0.7), pR=clamp(noise(i*.3)*rows,2,rows-3);
paintPath(walkBranch(pC,pR,rand(18,48), coin()?-1:+1,false),3);
}
}
update(){
// reveal target → water
this.growth=min(1,(this.growth||0)+(0.002+hud.get("riverSpeed")*0.02));
for (let c=0;c<floor(cols*this.growth);c++) for (let r=0;r<rows;r++) if (target[c][r]) water[c][r]=true;
// desiccate far right → barren land
for (let c=floor(cols*.75); c<cols; c++) if (random()<0.0008)
for (let r=0;r<rows;r++) if (water[c][r]){ water[c][r]=target[c][r]=false; barren[c][r]=min(1,barren[c][r]+.4); }
// estuaries & widening (if undammed & old)
if (++branchTimer>240){ branchTimer=0; /* spawn small branch from wet pivot; paintPath(...,2) */ }
// …age water; leak to neighbors when age>180 && !damSpans.hasDamNear(c,r,4)
recalcColumns(); // sets velCol[], noiseCol[] from wet fraction per column
}
G generate new river; SPACE pause.Hydro.target
This closes the system loop: environment drives needs; agents act; structures reshape the environment; HUD lets you adjust parameters and watch new equilibria emerge.
Three what if scenarios for storytelling, and one mix-up story
Dec 21, 2024
For this week in Interactive Storytelling, we looked at Pixar's methods of storytelling, and had to create three different "what if" scenarios. We also had to find three stories which resonated with me. Mine were: the Vagabond series by Takehiko Inoue, Godzilla Minus One, and Basquiat: A Graphic Novel by Paolo Parisi.
What if there was a civilization that lived inside of the Mariana Trench? Whales evolved from a land animal, and by going down that path, what if that led to mammals that could survive that immense pressure and potentially industrialize via utilizing the heat vents on the sea floor?
What if Miyamoto Musashi, the legendary swordsman who went undefeated in over 62 duels, lost his fateful clash with his rival Sasaki Kojiro? In this scenario, Sasaki spares his life, but how does someone who embodies the samurai spirit live with the shame of not falling in battle?
What if Godzilla chose a nation or political bloc to side with during the Cold War, instead of being the neutral chaotic being who acts on their own? How would the world react to TWO weapons that could result in the end of the world as we know it?
It's ironic really, the man once called Unrivalled Under Heaven, now on his knees at the mercy of his greatest rival and the longsword he calls 'The Clothes-Drying Pole'. The boat oar that he fashioned into a wooden sword lifelessly sits behind Sasaki Kojiro severed in two. Understanding Musashi's intent simply 'to win', and not to kill him, Sasaki brings his sword down and strikes him with the back of his sword, knocking him out. Musashi, who has been fighting, and winning, since he was 12 years old. Musashi, who single-handedly defeated the entire Yoshioka school, 60 students in total. Musashi, who defeated most every swordsman of repute in his era. That Musashi, had lost. His limp body was silently carried aboard the ferry he arrived on, transported to a small temple he was residing at, and left there to recover.
The spirits of felled enemies, whom he had formerly thought put to rest in his mind, creep back into his psyche to taunt him. 'Why didn't he come with the intent to kill his opponent?' 'Why does he have the audacity to keep living after having taken so many lives himself, for suffering the shame of being less-skilled?' 'Why does he deserve a second chance?' 'Why? Why? Why?' In the weeks following his defeat, he is approached by many would-be challengers looking to make a name for themselves. However, many aren't worth raising his sword against, and some, recognize this, stay to learn more from the enlightened swordsman. Others who insist...depart on the lightless walk. As the days, weeks, and months go by, the spirits are again quieted. The sword, he comes to realize, is not something he lives by anymore. It is a tool, and not a reason for being. He has surrendered himself to the art, of martial arts.
Despite his loss, Musashi is still sought after by lords to teach his retainers in the way of the sword. He is offered positions of being a retainer with land under him, but bafflingly, he never picks up a sword when giving sample instruction. Through gritted teeth, he is thanked and dismissed, until the requests eventually stop coming. He refuses the calls to war as well, not feeling the need to further prove himself by means of his ability to most efficiently kill. Glory, too, is a heat haze. He prefers the solitude of the forest, and breathing life into his wood carvings along with his lifelong love, Otsu. His sword is now only drawn to clean it. The rare visitors they get are, although sometimes martial artists, all people seeking counsel and not instruction. Unlike in our timeline, the methods to attaining his 'way' are not written into a series of books with explicit strategy with the backdrop of being composed in desolate and lonely caves. Instead, they are written in the form of koan, paradoxical anecdotes and riddles, so that readers can find their own way of living in a world where their worth is oft judged by their greatest deeds. They breathe life into its readers. He sees the infinite potential in himself, and in others. He doesn't regret his pursuit of becoming the best, because he has attained something greater. He has conquered himself.
Main Characters: Carmy from The Bear, Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord
World: 1814, the end of the Napoleonic Wars
Premise: Carmy is trapped in a time slip, and finds himself in Milan, Italy in the aftermath of the French occupation. There's blood in the streets, the occupying Austrians are now trying to set up a new government, and Carmy sees that the people need relief with good food. He slowly builds a name for himself with his unique (to the era) and delicious meals, and powerful people are starting to take notice. He finds himself in service as a cook to the noted French noble Talleyrand, who is also a delegate to the Congress of Vienna- a summit of European power players trying to determine the future of the continent post-Napoleon. Talleyrand is negotiating on behalf of a humbled and desperate France, and he is impressed by Carmy's cooking. He hopes to use Carmy as a symbol of prestige as well as use him for digging dirt on other countries, and gaining any edge he can to leverage in his negotiations. Carmy is someone who creatively thrives in high stress situations, and Talleyrand hopes to use his skills to shape the Congress of Vienna to his own shadowy means. Now, faced with the tenseness of cooking for heads of state and their delegates who have the power to issue another massive war, can Carmy, as clever (sometimes underhandedly) and creative as he is, help avoid a catastrophe with his cooking and find his way home? Other characters include the volatile Emperor of Russia Alexander I, the crafty Prince von Metternich, and the fiery idealist Duke of Wellington.
Hydro – tile grids for water, target, age, barren; column arrays for velCol, noiseColForest – 2D fields for willow and aspen (0–1). Growth moves toward a cap reduced by barren; blocked under lodges; harvest() does a ring search for richest patch.DamSpans – spans are {row, cL, cR, integrity} across a gap bounded by land. Integrity decays with time and high flow; collapsed spans are removed.Colony, Beaver – array of agents; mortality filter; metrics; per-beaver FSM with vector steering.Lodge – simple sprite; count tied to populationWhy this order: environment first, then resources, then structures that shape flow, then agents reacting to the current state.
Creates subsystems and enforces the following update order (water → resources → structures → agents).
class World {
constructor(hud){
this.hud=hud;
this.hydro=new Hydro(hud);
this.forest=new Forest(hud,this.hydro);
this.dams=new DamSpans(hud,this.hydro);
this.colony=new Colony(hud,this.hydro,this.dams,this.forest);
this.lodges=[]; this.updateLodges(true);
}
update(){
this.hydro.update(); // rivers grow/branch/widen/dry
this.forest.update(this.lodges,this.hydro); // growth capped by barren
this.dams.update(this.hydro); // span decay vs flow
this.colony.update(this.dams,this.hydro); // FSM + mortality
if (this.colony.prunedThisTick){ this.updateLodges(); this.colony.prunedThisTick=false; }
this.forest.blockUnderLodges(this.lodges,this.hydro);
}
}The simulation starts with building a target river tree (trunk + noisy branches), reveals it over time (slider), then keep it alive with estuaries, widening, and right-side desiccation.
Beavers “feel” water via noiseCol[c] (stress driver).
regen(){
this.water=grid(false); this.target=grid(false); this.barren=grid(0); this.growth=0;
const trunk = walkBranch(2, rows*0.5, cols*0.85, 0, true); paintPath(trunk,5);
for (let i=0;i<10;i++){ const pC=rand(6,cols*0.7), pR=clamp(noise(i*.3)*rows,2,rows-3);
paintPath(walkBranch(pC,pR,rand(18,48), coin()?-1:+1,false),3);
}
}
update(){
// reveal target → water
this.growth=min(1,(this.growth||0)+(0.002+hud.get("riverSpeed")*0.02));
for (let c=0;c<floor(cols*this.growth);c++) for (let r=0;r<rows;r++) if (target[c][r]) water[c][r]=true;
// desiccate far right → barren land
for (let c=floor(cols*.75); c<cols; c++) if (random()<0.0008)
for (let r=0;r<rows;r++) if (water[c][r]){ water[c][r]=target[c][r]=false; barren[c][r]=min(1,barren[c][r]+.4); }
// estuaries & widening (if undammed & old)
if (++branchTimer>240){ branchTimer=0; /* spawn small branch from wet pivot; paintPath(...,2) */ }
// …age water; leak to neighbors when age>180 && !damSpans.hasDamNear(c,r,4)
recalcColumns(); // sets velCol[], noiseCol[] from wet fraction per column
}
Willows (for building dams) and Aspen (food for the beavers) grow on land toward a cap that shrinks with barren; growth is blocked under lodges and zeroed on water.The simulation starts with building a target river tree (trunk + noisy branches), reveals it over time (slider), then keep it alive with estuaries, widening, and right-side desiccation.
Resulting effects: near water → fertile patches; dry right side → patchy, low-cap growth.
regen(){
this.water=grid(false); this.target=grid(false); this.barren=grid(0); this.growth=0;
const trunk = walkBranch(2, rows*0.5, cols*0.85, 0, true); paintPath(trunk,5);
for (let i=0;i<10;i++){ const pC=rand(6,cols*0.7), pR=clamp(noise(i*.3)*rows,2,rows-3);
paintPath(walkBranch(pC,pR,rand(18,48), coin()?-1:+1,false),3);
}
}
update(){
// reveal target → water
this.growth=min(1,(this.growth||0)+(0.002+hud.get("riverSpeed")*0.02));
for (let c=0;c<floor(cols*this.growth);c++) for (let r=0;r<rows;r++) if (target[c][r]) water[c][r]=true;
// desiccate far right → barren land
for (let c=floor(cols*.75); c<cols; c++) if (random()<0.0008)
for (let r=0;r<rows;r++) if (water[c][r]){ water[c][r]=target[c][r]=false; barren[c][r]=min(1,barren[c][r]+.4); }
// estuaries & widening (if undammed & old)
if (++branchTimer>240){ branchTimer=0; /* spawn small branch from wet pivot; paintPath(...,2) */ }
// …age water; leak to neighbors when age>180 && !damSpans.hasDamNear(c,r,4)
recalcColumns(); // sets velCol[], noiseCol[] from wet fraction per column
}
Dam Spans exist only across contiguous water segments bounded by land; integrity increases with work and decays with flow.
This prevents the beavers from spam building, and makes dams visually & mechanically legible.
regen(){
this.water=grid(false); this.target=grid(false); this.barren=grid(0); this.growth=0;
const trunk = walkBranch(2, rows*0.5, cols*0.85, 0, true); paintPath(trunk,5);
for (let i=0;i<10;i++){ const pC=rand(6,cols*0.7), pR=clamp(noise(i*.3)*rows,2,rows-3);
paintPath(walkBranch(pC,pR,rand(18,48), coin()?-1:+1,false),3);
}
}
update(){
// reveal target → water
this.growth=min(1,(this.growth||0)+(0.002+hud.get("riverSpeed")*0.02));
for (let c=0;c<floor(cols*this.growth);c++) for (let r=0;r<rows;r++) if (target[c][r]) water[c][r]=true;
// desiccate far right → barren land
for (let c=floor(cols*.75); c<cols; c++) if (random()<0.0008)
for (let r=0;r<rows;r++) if (water[c][r]){ water[c][r]=target[c][r]=false; barren[c][r]=min(1,barren[c][r]+.4); }
// estuaries & widening (if undammed & old)
if (++branchTimer>240){ branchTimer=0; /* spawn small branch from wet pivot; paintPath(...,2) */ }
// …age water; leak to neighbors when age>180 && !damSpans.hasDamNear(c,r,4)
recalcColumns(); // sets velCol[], noiseCol[] from wet fraction per column
}
Beavers are need-driven agents with vector steering.
Input from the right-side menu allows the user to shape conditions.
regen(){
this.water=grid(false); this.target=grid(false); this.barren=grid(0); this.growth=0;
const trunk = walkBranch(2, rows*0.5, cols*0.85, 0, true); paintPath(trunk,5);
for (let i=0;i<10;i++){ const pC=rand(6,cols*0.7), pR=clamp(noise(i*.3)*rows,2,rows-3);
paintPath(walkBranch(pC,pR,rand(18,48), coin()?-1:+1,false),3);
}
}
update(){
// reveal target → water
this.growth=min(1,(this.growth||0)+(0.002+hud.get("riverSpeed")*0.02));
for (let c=0;c<floor(cols*this.growth);c++) for (let r=0;r<rows;r++) if (target[c][r]) water[c][r]=true;
// desiccate far right → barren land
for (let c=floor(cols*.75); c<cols; c++) if (random()<0.0008)
for (let r=0;r<rows;r++) if (water[c][r]){ water[c][r]=target[c][r]=false; barren[c][r]=min(1,barren[c][r]+.4); }
// estuaries & widening (if undammed & old)
if (++branchTimer>240){ branchTimer=0; /* spawn small branch from wet pivot; paintPath(...,2) */ }
// …age water; leak to neighbors when age>180 && !damSpans.hasDamNear(c,r,4)
recalcColumns(); // sets velCol[], noiseCol[] from wet fraction per column
}
G generate new river; SPACE pause.Hydro.target
This closes the system loop: environment drives needs; agents act; structures reshape the environment; HUD lets you adjust parameters and watch new equilibria emerge.
Designing experiences that
touch, move, and inspire