So this week, it was time to start documentation and article writing for the print side of the project. Etoys Club releases have always been intended to be a 2 part component, each one complementing each other. The print component deals more with understanding the Etoys system and goes into more technical aspects of how to use it effectively. It does this by both examining the actual project files and their execution and abstracting how the system itself works. For instance, the very long, multi-part article titled Thinking About Graphics details that Etoys relies on itself for all graphics rendering and passes nothing off to a GPU. Because of this, it has advantages and disadvantages.  A disadvantage is that you can't ever hope to make Assassin's Creed 4K hyper real augmented reality version in it. Of course a part of me hopes my audience isn't interested in that anyway, I would not want people getting needless disappointed! However, the advantage of this is that you can dissect and optimize your own approach to a project and learn how to work with a system toward optimizing performance in a way that is rather easy to understand. Modern graphics systems are quite a far cry from the days of type-in program magazines. Back then a few POKES were all it takes.  Now, you practically have to be a rocket surgeon to figure out how all of these textures, bones, vertex nurbs and...well, let's just say it doesn't offer a very low point of entry.

Which is great because Etoys Club is going to hopefully be a bridge to which people can use to cross over into the crazy world of modern computer graphics. As the old saying goes, "You cannot learn to run before you learn to walk" and hopefully Etoys Club is a very enjoyable and scenic walk on the way to the races.  Or maybe you might prefer to be a sunday stroller to a marathon runner. We could use some company...

At any rate, feel free to read the unedited 'raw' articles. They will be used in the printed part and prettied up and interspersed with screenshots and diagrams and fun art to make things (hopefully) very accessible and even inviting to people who might not even want to program from this perspective.  If you have any questions or comments, leave them in the discussion area or send them privately if you feel shy. Any language welcome, though I can only natively speak english and will use google translate to communicate as best as I can. While I'm on the subject, if anyone wishes to volunteer to translate anything at all, whether officially or unofficially, let me know or simply do it without telling me. Just please wait until the articles are finished!  :)