Tech Application from BlendyCat

Member Name BlendyCat

Additional In Game Names: NostalgicPhoenix, Player3343

How old are you? 15

Location: San Diego, California

Do you have Teamspeak? Yes

How many hours per day do you spend on Meepcraft? (average) 1-2

Have you ever been a Tech on a different server? Yes, multiple

References: Please give IGN's TechnoTyson, NinjaRoxy, Lordusan

Introduction: Hello, my full name is Evan M. Merz but you may know me as BlendyCat. If I had to tell you one hobby that best describes me I'd probably say something along the lines of "building" or "making." And that's for a good reason. I absolutely love making stuff.
Ever since I was a child, I have been fascinated with how things work. I was curious how watches work. I was curious how houses were constructed. I was curious how movie popcorn was made (yes, movie popcorn!). Every time I took something apart, I learned something new (although I could never manage to get them back together successfully) and, every time I learned the composition of an object, I felt a sense of achievement. I wouldn't really say I was a mischevious child. Anytime I took something apart, I made sure to ask for permission.
Now, things began to get more real when I got into computers. I'd like to say that the second I got on a computer, I became a child prodigy at programming. But, it went a little something like this.
....
The Microsoft logging on tune sounds as Evan logs onto the computer. "Ok, I have 30 minutes to work with," he mumbles under hist breath, "better do something useful with my time." He opens up a text editor program. "Alright, I bet making a quiz program isn't that complicated." Evan types into the file:
'Question1: What is 10x5?
Answer1: 50
Question2: What is 12+13?
Answer2: 25
...'
"Ok, that looks good so far. Let's see if this will run!" He right clicks the file. A dialog pops up with some options, "Open, Open with, Edit, Delete..., where's the 'run' button?"
....
Of course, you have to give me credit, as I was only 11 years old at the time. I wish I had realized that I could learn simple programming just by using the resources at my fingertips. All I can say is my mind was in the right place, but I just wasn't ready for programming.
Skip ahead a year, and I've already become absolutely obsessed with this game "Minecraft" as it suddenly begins to gain popularity. At church one day, a kid named Hudson told me about how he built a Minecraft server with his dad. He wrote down the IP address for the server on the back of a church handout. The second I got home, I log into Minecraft, go to the servers tab, then type in the IP. I hit enter.
Skip ahead three seconds, I'm in this underground bunker with stone slab walls and rules written on signs attached the wall. I climb out of the bunker and look around the world. The world was worn out, however, it was a fantasy world to me. Towers built from the ground up, massive and made of dirt.
Now, you may be wondering but, no this is not my first time playing Minecraft even though I make it out to be this glorious, heaven-like place. However, instead of telling you how I felt, I'm letting you feel how I felt. Although this may seem insignificant to you, this is what set my engine ablaze.
Skip ahead a month, and I've already learned how to make a server. I cannot describe with words how high my expectations for the server were and it was only a vanilla server. But wait, no one has joined my server yet except me. I get the home phone and dial my best friend Lance,
"Me: Hey Lance! I got the server running!
Lance: Dude, it's like 6:00 in the morning.
Me: let's get you connected to the server.
Lance: Ok...
Me: Try 192.168.1.1
Lance: Uh... Nope!
Me: Try it again.
Lance: No...
Me: Try (IP not shown)
Lance: I'm in.
'Historyguy449 joined the game!'
Me: Awesome! I'm gonna call it the "Redstone Server!"
Lance: Cool, you got a website?
Me: I'll make one. [See links below for link to this old website]
Success! I had made my own Minecraft server! However, that was never enough. I always saw how bigger servers always had 'modifications' that made the server more fun and interactive. It was not until a while later that I learned about CraftBukkit from my FLL Robotics Team Coach. I could now add what they were calling 'plugins' to my Minecraft server. I finally felt like a successful person.
Skip to 2013, I joined Meepcraft as evanmerz909. All I remember is being warned about using caps when advertising myself selling cookies on Vshop (if I'm remembering correctly). When I finally saved up 300k to buy a town I was proud of myself. I lost that very town precisely two days later when I failed to transfer enough money to the town bank.

Please describe your experience as a developer. Now, my experience as a developer didn't begin until late 2012/early 2013 when I began to try to teach myself code. Now, I obviously didn't instruct myself, I learned Java from YouTube tutorials. Those tutorials proved themselves to be helpful in the sense of getting a simple command line programs to run and maybe count to ten or use a Scanner object to pick up user input. Nothing seemed very useful. It was discouraging knowing I had so much to learn before any of this could actually be used.
Skip to late 2013, I finally found a use for my Java skillset: Minecraft Mods. I cannot emphasize how excited I was to learn how to edit Minecraft. I decompiled the MCP (Minecraft Coder Pack) and jumped ahead and observed the Minecraft Code (How I learned random aspects of Java). As I began to adapt to my new environment, I learned how to mimic files that already existed and create things of my own. Later, I created a mod for my close friend Alex. I called it the Bamboo Sandwich mod. I added him as a human entity that wanders the map (very glitchy and took me forever to get working), I made wolves target chickens instead of sheep (as chickens were evil), I added bamboo, bamboo sandwiches (crafted with two bread and a bamboo log). That was an immersive learning experience for me and I would recommend it to those who know a bit more code than I did at the time. Later that year, I watched a TheNewBoston tutorial. Later, I learned how to use Forge Mod Loader to make more dynamic mods.
In 2016, I started my own server. I can't really say this was a mistake because had I not done that I would not be here. At times I wish I had stayed as a moderator on Meepcraft. On my server, I learned CraftBukkit plugin development. This was empowering for me, a developer, I could make plugins that control a players name color in the TAB player list. I worked on a plugin that played music and controlled a theme park's ride mechanics. I worked on a plugin that would allow players to rent a shop and sell items. I made a plugin that showed player events to an external JFrame GUI console using ObjectOutputStreams and ObjectInputStreams and sockets and connections. I even made a plugin that displayed a screen with moving blocks that bounced off the corners of the virtual screen. I have to thank my great pal Lordusan for pointing me to the right spot to get started in Bukkit Plugin Development.
During the summer of '16, my dad insisted that I get a job at a crating company so I did (Tri-City Crating and Packing Inc. if you were curious). I helped around the shop. Therefore, development was slowed down. However, I learned HTML, Javascript, and CSS. I made a decent amount of money by making a skyblock server a homepage (They deleted it because my design was too square although I clearly explained it was designed to fit the Minecraft 'blocky' feel). At the end of the summer, I quit Minecraft and my server as well (not my dream of being a developer).
At the beginning of school, I enrolled in the AP Comp Sci class in which we learn Java in. I'm the best in the class so far and all the other students come to me with questions on how to fix their code. I don't really enjoy the class because I wanted to take it to learn something but everything that has been taught (from the book that we read for homework because the teacher doesn't actually teach) is something I've already known for a while. Bummer. At least I'll be receiving that AP credit to make up for the lack of knowledge I'll be gaining from this dull class (no pun intended, hehe).
About two weeks ago, I learned the basics of the Python programming language in about two or three days (I completely sped through the tutorials). It all stuck in my brain because lots of programming languages have many similarities, not in style but as in there are while loops, for loops, methods, and classes. What I'm trying to say is once you learn one language, it becomes much easier to learn others.
Now, I've been making python programming tutorials for my Youtube channel. Although I'm making Python tutorials, I have not moved past Java. In fact, I'm making a tutorial series on Bukkit Plugin Development next.

What programming languages are you familiar with? Java, Python, and Javascript

What are you most proud of as your work as a developer? Honestly, I can't really decide what plugin/project I'm the proudest of. It seems like as I go it keeps getting better. But if I had to choose one thing it would probably be my BlendyItems plugin. Although it is not my best plugin, it is the one I've worked on the most and is one of my earlier plugins which makes it even better. I'll be posting the source code for that to my GitHub account. It is somewhat old so my technique at approaching a Java project is much more efficient and fancy now. This plugin allows users to use commands such as /rename, /lore (both allowed & as a color code), /fix, and /iron which converted 64 cobblestone into three iron ingots. It also renamed sheep to "[Player]'s Sheep"

How do you plan to enrich the experience of MeepCraft with your development contributions? I've noticed that many suggestions are left with a denial comment along the lines of "that would be impossible". When I've done that exact thing before. I plan to make the 'impossible' a reality. Many developers make everything from what they know. I base my development off of what I already know plus plenty of research and experimentation on different ways to write a piece of code. What I'm saying is, give me any concept and a deadline (usually about 1-2 days if it's easy or a week if it's difficult). I am a very dedicated developer and as a dev I intend to create new content for Meepcraft that will attract new players and even think of new solutions to old problems.

Do you have a GitHub account or personal website? If so, please provide the link(s) here. My Personal Site: BlendyCat - Homepage (Designed from scratch by me | I post source code from my videos here)

GitHub: BlendyCat · GitHub (I forget to commit frequently and I don't post many of my projects there but I will soon)

Site from Introduction (for the history of BlendyCat): The Redstone Server (It's not advertising another server I swear because that server is dead)

Youtube Channel: youtube.com/c/blendycat (I make Python, and Java soon, programming tutorials)

 

If you don't make your own atrocious version of Meepcraft and take plugins I see no problems, I believe you can be an asset to the team.

 

+1 sends cute snapchats

but really this kid is a sweetheart trust him

 

+1
If meepcraft needs one thing right now it's a bigger tech team.

 

Hi there,

I see that you are dedicated and experienced with your development skills. I would like to see a bigger tech team as well to fix all of the current eggplants and whatnot. I also see your devotion to minecraft and that is a good thing.

I do not know what happened in the past, and I'm worried that you haven't regained your trust yet. Also, you say you can accomplish the "impossible", but what makes you different from other techs?

I felt like you had too much side information and not the information we are truly interested on. How can we trust you and what makes you different from others? (I am not saying that your application was bad)

I need more information, but -1 for now.

 

-1 because of same reasons

 

What I believe is that I have more dedication/free time than many other techs. What I'm trying to say is what has been made out to be 'impossible' in suggestions is often times something that I already know or something that just takes a bit of trial and error. Some things just take a positive attitude.

--- Double Post Merged, Nov 28, 2016, Original Post Date: Nov 28, 2016 ---

That means a lot, thanks!

 

This is quite cocky. I know nothing about code, so I can't judge whether you're qualified in that department, but I do not think we want someone with this mindset representing the team.
-1.

 

yeah no -1

 

I was inactive when this fiasco happened, but unless they were very very closely linked I don't think that one person should be judged based upon another's actions.

I don't know you very well personally, but Meep could use a couple techs right now and you seem like you know what you're doing.

 

Blendy.

Hi blendy! I am very happy you made an application for tech, however I do agree with @Courtneyyy

For 1. I think you at least need to be semi active on the server to do any good as a tech, from what I've seen and when I've been online you aren't that active. Sure tech is based on code and not helping, but as a staff member to be fully concerned with the server I really think you should play. And 2. You literally made basically a 2nd meep, and this server should be its own thing. You're a smart kid man, you can code very well for someone your age, I just think that you need to be in the community. Be creative, be active. That's what this server needs. Also did blendycraft die? because you cant be staff if its still alive

 

Yep, I mentioned it in the "Experience as Dev" section of the application.

 

I see it now! thank you

 

What I'm trying to say is I think with a bit more effort, things could get done on Meepcraft. Also, you took that snippet of me saying that out of context. I'm saying that when I want to get something done, I get it done quickly and effectively. Kinda hard to say that without sounding cocky. I am very self-motivated when it comes to coding and I believe I can get stuff done. That is the mindset you need to get stuff done. It's a positive attitude and I believe that is what Meepcraft deserves. Sorry if I came off a bit cocky, I just don't see stuff getting done very quickly as jobs have been down for quite a while now. I intend to change that.

 

.. who are you

-1

 

After the other server incident and drama, as well as your attitude, I don't personally feel that I could trust you with what is said in the staff chats and/or with the plugins you'll have access to.
-1.

 

Don't really understand why you would ever trust someone again like this, especially in the role he would assume if he was accepted.

Leave him as an outside source. He can develop things independently and submit them to an admin. He doesn't need to see any other work that's being done, nor any completed projects.

However, someone corrupt previously will always be corrupt. -1, don't bring in someone you can't trust.

 

LOL
you edited your post to make n00b look like the bad guy
Nice try.
Own up your own words bro. You can say what you were trying to say without being cocky very easily.

 

People who voted hillary clinton.

Anyway... (yes mods, I do have a real post here)
If there is even a sliver of doubt about wether or not you can be trusted you can't get tech. -1