XaploreBlogs
Guides, tips and notes from the studio.
How to get better at our games, the basics behind them, and how we make things. RSS feed
Latest guides
WARN Notices Explained: Who Must File, the 60-Day Rule, and How to Read One
What a WARN notice is: the federal 60-day rule, the 100-employee and 50-worker thresholds, state laws like Cal-WARN and New York's 90 days, and how to read one.
Visa Bulletin Explained: Final Action Dates vs Dates for Filing
How to read the monthly Visa Bulletin: priority date, Final Action Dates vs Dates for Filing, what C and U mean, China and India columns, and retrogression.
USCIS Receipt Number Explained: Prefixes and Processing Times
What the 3 letters in a USCIS receipt number mean (IOE, EAC, WAC, LIN, SRC, MSC, NBC, YSC), what case statuses mean, and how to read official processing times.
Sponsoring Parents for a Green Card: I-130, NVC, I-864 Steps
How a US citizen sponsors parents (IR-5) or a spouse and children for a green card: I-130, NVC fees and DS-260, the Guangzhou interview, I-485, and 2026 I-864 income rules.
Passport Photo Requirements: US Passport, China Visa and DS-160
US passport, DS-160 visa, China visa and Chinese passport photo specs side by side: size, head height, background, glasses, and why photos get rejected.
PPO vs HDHP + HSA: How to Choose a Health Plan at Open Enrollment
Choose between PPO, HMO/EPO and HDHP + HSA by total yearly cost: premiums, out-of-pocket max, employer HSA money, 2026/2027 HSA and FSA limits, and visa holder rules.
Behind the scenes
Making an AI Short Drama Solo, Part 6: Claude Code as My Production Assistant
How I run a one-person AI drama series with Claude Code as producer: a team of specialist subagents, rules written from every mistake, and the parts that still need a human.
Making an AI Short Drama Solo, Part 5: Editing, Quality Checks and Publishing
How a solo AI drama episode gets cut, checked and shipped: J and L cuts, subtitles and sound, layered quality checks, covers, publishing and reading the numbers.
Making an AI Short Drama Solo, Part 4: Keeping Characters Consistent, from 2D Stills to 3D Widescreen
How I keep AI characters looking the same in every shot: fixed character looks, empty sets, composited first frames, audio-driven video, and a first-frame gate.