22 July 2008

Well, I hoped I would never have to do this but here we are.

Due to other priorities at the moment I'm having to put the comic on hiatus for a while. One reason for this is that the laptop is now no longer safe to use given that the power supply has now started sparking at me as well as everything else - I don't want to be setting my house on fire... In addition the power connector has come away from the mother board again, the battery stores about 30 seconds of charge and the DVD drive won't read half the disks I put into it. I just want to thank Dell for introducing such a steaming pile of crap into the computing market just in time for mugs like me to come along and buy them.

I just haven't got the time to fix it any more. The new job and a running battle with Derby Homes regarding stuff being done to our house (involving a need to spend hours every night putting the house back together again) means that there are more important things to worry about at home than spending two or three nights of the week trying to get a comic drawn. In addition I can't release ANY money into the laptop repair fund myself any more - I just can't justify the expense, and asking you,. the loyal fans, to pay for the WHOLE repair just doesn't sit comfortably with me - it was always my plan to try and cover half the costs if the fund managed to raise the other half. With the additional failures, half the overall cost is now the same as what the whole repair would have been in the first place! Maybe one day I'll have enough to be able to splash out and buy a new one, which is about the only viable option at the moment. New motherboard + new power supply + new battery will cost about £300. £50 more and I can get a fair laptop from the shops. Again, one has to admire Dell's practices. Overcharge for parts that fail quickly. No wonder they are rolling in cash.

Anyway, the hope is that the hiatus will only be shortlived. If I can get the other matters sorted out then I might be able to devote some time to looking at the laptop problems more objectively. I'm just tired of the constant battle to get the bloody thing working long enough to get a comic drawn without overheating or losing power.

So, in short, like Simon and Tim I'm off on a holiday (from the comic, anyway). I'll be back, and the plan is to be back soon, but please be patient as I don't know how long everything will take. In the meantime I'll keep up with the forum and feel free to make any more donations you can afford. I'll update occasionally if and when I can.

Lastly, thanks to you all for over two and a half years of support for me and the comic THUS FAR!!! I WILL RETURN! It's your support and kind words that keep me going!

Laters...

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Response (24 July 2008)

Just to respond to some questions on the comments...

In order to have a computer with enough oomph to run the software required for the comic I need a 1.8G processor, 1Gb RAM, 35Gb HDD and (most importantly) a 3D accelerated graphics cardwith dedicated memory. it's that last thing that causes the problems. If it wasn't for that then a bog standard £350 laptop from PC World or something would be fine, but the 3D card ups the price a bit.

I can't use a desktop machin because the house only has enough room for one desktop - and my wife has dibs on that.

When I return I'll let you all know via the mailing list, my own forum and probably TSOALR and Oolite forums. Best thing to do if you want to be notified is to sign up to the mailing list via the comic's front page. I'll maybe use that now and again to let you know what the progress is towards coming back.

Thanks for all the support and understanding. It means a lot!

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Comments for this comic

On 22 July 2008 at 06:33:18, MGK said:
Good luck.

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On 22 July 2008 at 07:51:30, stewart said:
WE THINGKING OF YOU DAVE!!

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On 22 July 2008 at 08:45:24, Dufflious said:
Thanks for all the fish.

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On 22 July 2008 at 08:55:29, lord siwoc said:
We will be watching!

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On 22 July 2008 at 09:29:03, Tom said:
at least it lasted so far... when u get a new one, get the guy from TSOALR to say there, so we know.

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On 22 July 2008 at 10:38:07, Marn said:
Bugger. I can only mimic the sentiments shown by my friends above. Including the one about fish.

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On 22 July 2008 at 12:15:26, Jamie/Calibur said:
I think all of us can completly understand your decision Dave. I know all of us are hoping that things work out for you as best as they can as quickly as possible. :)

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On 22 July 2008 at 14:00:32, Maverick said:
Well, from what i gather about your laptop, we can all be thankful we have recieved so much from it. Hopefully everthing is fixed soon, we patiently await your return. (and yes, once again, thanks for all teh fish!)

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On 23 July 2008 at 02:23:14, Doctor_Who said:
Thanks for the comics. Sorry to hear about the laptop. I'll be waiting for your return.

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On 23 July 2008 at 15:15:46, Chris said:
Completely understandable and i hope everything gets straightened out, don't worry we will still be here when you come back. Thanks for all the fish.

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On 23 July 2008 at 15:35:21, Captain Hesperus said:
I feel your pain, Dave. I got my PC from D£ll and it is rapidly expiring as I speak.... CH

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On 23 July 2008 at 20:00:03, Dufflious said:
Dunno what you're grumbling about mine's from Dell, lasted 2 years, and counting.

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On 23 July 2008 at 21:12:06, GMS said:
Good luck and hope to see you back. On the laptop front. How much of a machine do you need? I'm sure there are those of us with old machines sitting around gathering dust that might be an easier (and less expensive) solution to the problem.

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On 24 July 2008 at 21:10:32, cdowley said:
Good luck and avoid Dell in the future Dave :) Duff: then you've got about 6-9 months before the thing falls apart...

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On 25 July 2008 at 09:03:54, Dufflious said:
Hurrah for employment! *Buys*

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On 27 July 2008 at 01:09:26, AC khs said:
"On 23 July 2008 at 20:00:03, Dufflious said: Dunno what you're grumbling about mine's from Dell, lasted 2 years, and counting." Are We Not Our Own Greatest Obstacles.

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On 09 August 2008 at 08:02:38, Shep said:
I suggest buying a laptop fr aspire. you can get an 17in duo with double your specs for about $800. I have one that has been with me through Iraq and now Afghanistian. If it can deal with that, home use should be no problem.

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On 12 August 2008 at 10:56:57, Dufflious said:
Maybe in the US, in the UK we have to put up with floods. That'll put a dampner on your day. (sorry... so sorry) Any news, Dave?

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On 12 August 2008 at 23:03:36, Maverick said:
Oh come on Duff...that was aweful! But yeh, hows the laptop front (and back and sides) looking, Dave?

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On 13 August 2008 at 09:40:24, Dave said:
No news yet, sorry. Laptop continues to fail and a resolution to the problem looks just as distant as before. There is hope though. I'm hoping that sometime soon I might be able to go from "Hiatus" status to "Updates whenever it updates" status. :-)

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On 14 August 2008 at 10:05:55, Dan said:
Awww man...I JUST found this comic and its already dead. Gay.

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On 14 August 2008 at 18:00:12, Maverick said:
That's good news Dave...well, it's better than 'Sorry my laptop has blown up'. And Dan, the comic isn't 'Dead'. It's just waiting for the writer to get a better laptop =]

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On 15 August 2008 at 02:44:43, Dan said:
Heh, sweet. It seems web comics put on Hiatus have a bad habbit of just disappearing. Id hate to see that happen here - best of luck to everyone involved.

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On 15 August 2008 at 12:09:19, Dave said:
Oh, believe me Dan, BB is NOT dead. As soon as I work out some way of sorting out this laptop situation we'll be back online. And I have a FANTASTIC idea for a return strip!!! :-) Watch this space...

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On 15 August 2008 at 20:30:05, Siwoc said:
I am always watching...........

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On 15 August 2008 at 20:50:26, Botched said:
Even if you technically considered battlebarge dead i would consider it like my favorite fantasy creature. The phoenix! Battlebarge will rise from its ashes to tell new tales of glory! Stick around and you'll see.

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On 17 August 2008 at 17:05:09, Captain Hesperus said:
One good way of keeping BB active is to contribute to the forum! It can be accessed from the top of this screen or from mine or Dave's sigs. CH

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On 17 August 2008 at 17:06:03, Captain Hesperus said:
Except I appear to have been expunged from the forum..... Dave? Help? CH

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On 18 August 2008 at 13:09:13, Dave said:
Yeah - that's the other great thing. My ISP has upgraded PHP and managed to nix the forum. I haven't had time to go and try to fix it yet, but I suspect a reinstallation of the forum software might fix it. :-(

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