LoamImprovement

@LoamImprovement@beehaw.org

Oh god, please don’t make me talk about myself.

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LoamImprovement ,

And they're probably carving themselves a nice bonus out of the tax write-off for the studio closure.

LoamImprovement ,

I mean, let's not forget that the early consoles had their own pitfalls, a period of gaming that spawned tropes like 'Nintendo Hard' and 'Guide Dang It' in order to, among other things, pad out the length of what we would consider an otherwise barebones game, and to sell time on their hints and tips hotline. I do feel like there was less bullshit in the past, but it definitely still existed.

LoamImprovement ,

I mean, there's a number of reasons that might be the case, not the least of which being it's a group activity, which is really beneficial for social creatures like humans.

LoamImprovement ,

I mean, let's not pretend Ford was paying his employees well and setting workweek standards because it was the right thing to do either - he did it because he wanted to retain productive employees and also to make them customers, and that it happened to actually be beneficial for them and the working world at large is a byproduct. Not often mentioned with that $5 workday is the fact that he would send agents to employees' homes to ensure they were being kept clean and that the employees themselves weren't drinking.

LoamImprovement ,

I preferred the switch lite with a protective case that gave the grips a little more body, made it way more comfortable to hold. At least until I picked up a Steam Deck, which ended up being pretty much everything I wanted out of portable gaming, and waaaay easier to emulate on.

Has ethernet become illegitimate? A librarian flipped out after spotting me using ethernet

I plugged into ethernet (as wifi w/captive portal does not work for me). I think clearnet worked but I have no interest in that. Egress Tor traffic was blocked and so was VPN. I’m not interested in editing all my scripts and configs to use clearnet, so the library’s internet is useless to me (unless I bother to try a tor...

LoamImprovement ,

I mean, I asked at a library if I could plug into the Ethernet because my laptop had an RJ45 port and I needed to download something sizable for work and the WiFi was dropping it. They let me hook up on one of the library computer ports and I left it the way I found it.

LoamImprovement ,

No discredit to R.E.M. but my world's been ending for over a decade and I feel like dogshit constantly. Nobody told me the apocalypse would be heralded by the dumbest fucking cryptobros and AI prompters the world's ever seen.

LoamImprovement ,

Meta acquiring Oculus

As someone with industry experience working with VR, I can tell you it's a mixed bag. I think there's certainly no way Oculus (and consumer VR in general) takes off the way it did without Facebook's dollars behind it, and it's certainly paved the way to the outstanding quality of standalone HMDs that are on offer today. However, it killed the initiative for PCVR hardware with the non-consolation that Meta, Pico, and HTC offer "Link mode" on all their headsets and it's iffy on good days, which makes B2B PCVR very difficult to facilitate without some serious legwork on lowering latency over the air connections. Would that we could revive the Rift S, that headset was perfect for our needs.

LoamImprovement ,

I'm not concerned with the people who keep their blinds closed. I'm concerned with the people who want to peek in windows.

You are going to be trapped in a room for 12 hours with a mid 2000s office desktop with no internet connection and an external hard drive; what are you putting on the hard drive?

I've got some DOOM WADs I have been meaning to play so I would probably grab Trench Foot, Total Chaos, and the sequel to Ashes 2063, Ashes: Afterglow with a portable install of GZDoom to play them....

LoamImprovement ,

Dark Disciples 1 and 2, including the temple of eternity module.

https://www.myabandonware.com/game/dark-disciples-43a

https://www.myabandonware.com/game/dark-disciples-2-43b

LoamImprovement ,

Redfall also flopped last year

Feels like an understatement - this was the game that killed Arkane, because a majority of the team decided they'd rather fuck off than work on whale chasing live-service nonsense. And like, good on them, but it means no more Dishonored, no sequels to Prey, no chance of Arx Fatalis II, and it fucking sucks to see enshittification strangling good talent. I hope they'll find success outside of MS' looming shadow.

I lowkey hope these stories are fake or it's all the same guy ( ttrpg.network )

I noticed increased frequency of posts in places like r/rpghorrorstories, that describe a situation where the player brings a tiny veiled or just a shameless copy of a popular fictional character - Sokka, Scanlan, John Snow, Walter White - except "more based" or "less of a cuck". What follows is a story of the player doing some...

LoamImprovement ,

A group of friends uses "based and budfilled" mostly sarcastically.

LoamImprovement ,

I don't know if I could call it good, exactly, but one unique concept that I haven't really seen captured anywhere else was the Dungeon Maker series on PSP, that allowed you to build dungeons that you would then explore/fight/loot, to give yourself funds to build out further/deeper, ad infinitum. It was clunky, controlled pretty stiffly and basic as ARPGs go, and after a certain point you kind of went on autopilot, but there's a certain je ne sais quoi to it that I really quite enjoyed, especially if you planned out your builds. I think a similar title was released on the DS but it was turn-based and not particularly well-executed.

LoamImprovement ,

Seconding the Dark Clouds, god I wish that series had continued.

LoamImprovement ,

Volatile

Read: We don't want to put the time and resources into making quality games when we can prey on whales in shitty Skinner box mobile apps.

LoamImprovement ,

I got a Serta Lautner executive chair as a gift, normally runs about $300 off sale. It has adjustable air-bladder lumbar support and is so soft I've taken naps in it.

I recently accidentally sheared a bolt holding one of the arms on because I failed to check it every 6 months, I called the support group and the lady on the other end was kind enough to waive the cost of the replacement kit and shipping. Cannot recommend enough.

LoamImprovement ,

Buddy, they won't even let me fuck the lizard.

LoamImprovement ,

Måth Röck = ∞

Truer words have never been spoken.

LoamImprovement ,

It can be good for certain builds, but in practice 2-3 of those +1s end up being meaningless for most characters, and with the Tasha's changes, every character can freely distribute +1/1/1 or +2/1, making it a wash in almost every case, including on Vumans who can pick up an additional +1 from the feat. Between that and only getting one floating skill proficiency when most heritages get a fixed or small list skill proficiency in addition to one or more standout features, base human is by far the weakest choice.

I think giving a feat, a skill and an expertise would be a good way to set them apart a little bit from the other heritages.

LoamImprovement ,

Nothing of value was lost. Any content worth having couldn't have existed without Kurvitz' writing.

LoamImprovement ,

I don't think they would want to deal with this shit again, and I wouldn't blame them. I'm just going to be content with the fact we got one good game.

LoamImprovement ,

Yeah, like the proficiency represents training and study, but an Int (religion) check usually involves knowledge of deities, mythology or symbology. That said, you might rule that a practical application of that knowledge, such as how to perform ceremonial rites, might constitute a Wisdom or Charisma check instead.

LoamImprovement ,

Do not be afraid to kill your PCs. Not egregiously, via Rocks Fall Everyone Dies, but the world acts and reacts. If your PCs are trigger-happy murderhoboes, they might find themselves on wanted posters with a significant bounty. Theirs is ostensibly not the only adventuring group, and nobler heroes might take it upon themselves to prepare accordingly to deal with the threat to peaceful communities the party represents.

LoamImprovement ,

I'm glad someone else said it.

LoamImprovement ,

I know they make a joke about Tom in office space being the one who brings the specs from the customers to the engineers - as much as it looks like he's dead weight, there really is a skill in being able to explore the customer's needs (and frequently manage their expectations of what the proposed software should be and do) and parse them into something more technical for the engineers, because you might not know how to program, but you've got a good idea of what the capabilities are because you communicate with the engineering team on a daily basis.

Steam Next Fest February 2024 is live ( store.steampowered.com )

Steam Next Fest is a week-long celebration featuring hundreds of FREE playable demos as well as developer livestreams and chats. Players try out upcoming games on Steam pre-release, developers gather feedback and build an audience ahead of their Steam launch, everyone wins!

LoamImprovement ,

Crow Country looks and feels really good. It's by the same folks that did a whole bunch of flash games back in the day, notably Detective Grimoire, which is getting iterations today.

The Cult of AI: How one writer's trip to an annual tech conference left him with a sinking feeling about the future ( www.rollingstone.com )

From the (middle of the) story: The reason CES was so packed with random “AI”-branded products was that sticking those two letters to a new company is seen as something of a talisman, a ritual to bring back the (VC) rainy season.

LoamImprovement ,

Worth noting this is all a byproduct of capitalism as it exists today. Not nearly enough competition or regulation means every major change these days is really just "How can we put more ads in people's devices? How can we instill FOMO? How can we charge more money for less service?"

Look at how bad mainstream UX/UI has become, even on the biggest platforms with the most industry experience. Windows 11 is a fucking joke and everyone is certain the next one will be worse. We know Microsoft can design a good UI, but they choose not to because they don't care about the consumer except as it pertains to getting clicks and ad revenue. They shove Edge back in your taskbar after every update, they make finding your own shit on your computer impossible so you'll use Cortana. Who asked for icons to be centered by default? Who asked for them to fuck around with the start menu for at least the fifth time in two decades? Nobody. But everything they do is for the benefit of the shareholders.

The Witness Appreciation Post

I got the urge to play the witness for the 3rd (or maybe even 4th) time again after being slightly disappointed by the Talos Principle 2, and man I cannot express enough how much I enjoy this game. It just satisfies something deep inside me every time I play it. And I know a LOT of people (probably some here) strongly dislike...

LoamImprovement ,

The Looker

🤔

LoamImprovement ,

Oh I know, I've played it, I like it, but I'm a chronic shitpost enjoyer. I suppose you can't beat the price, but I think I'd hesitate to call it a puzzle game, exactly?

LoamImprovement ,

"Now what?"

https://youtu.be/2q35PgSXhKg?si=y50akSSlbmjnSrmG

LoamImprovement ,

Admittedly, I'm guilty of buying EA because there have been dry periods in the GameDev pipeline and I was desperate for something new, but I'm okay with it for smaller devs that don't have the budget for the kind of QA that bigger devs do. That said, the fact that some of these games have been in EA for over a decade (putting aside whether or not they're effectively a functional product at this point) is a pretty egregious abuse of the community goodwill, and bigger developers shouldn't be using it at all because it's encouraging the trend of pushing out buggy messes with 60GB day-1 patches that still don't make a game playable.

LoamImprovement ,

Yeah, rogue with a reflavored gladiator background that your GM allows the swap on instrument proficiency for whips makes a shockingly good Indiana Jones type character.

LoamImprovement ,

There's also the AA scene to consider. Nacon did a fantastic job with the RoboCop game - it doesn't break any new ground, but it's a simple, solid game that captures the tone of the RoboCop franchise well.

LoamImprovement ,

Hell no, I have a little more respect for my time than that.

LoamImprovement ,

Doesn't it literally use stolen pokemon assets?

LoamImprovement ,

There are artists who disagree. They're saying the proportions are identical to models used in Pokemon Violet/Scarlet.

https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/palworld-pokemon-plagiarism-accusations-pile-up-as-ceo-responds/

LoamImprovement ,

I mean, the problematic part here is that they take the model in the first place, or at least that all signs point to that being the case. Sure, you can coldsteel the hell out of an existing character, but if you're using an asset you didn't develop and didn't license to make a product that you then sell for money, no matter how different the end result looks from the original, that is absolutely infringement. It's infringement that might have gone unnoticed had the models been more sufficiently edited, but at the end of the day it's the theft of someone else's labor.

I don't know if that's what happened here, but when the industry professionals say it's hard to get model proportions that close even moving the same asset into a different engine, and the whole roster is uncannily similar? If it looks like a duck...

LoamImprovement ,

Honestly just because of the shit Wizards has put in their books, making it AL Legal (Looking at you, Silvery Barbs) I am way more inclined to allow homebrew at my table as long as it's not as egregiously overpowered as their own shit. KibblesTasty, Laserllama, and Valda's all tend to get a pass from me.

LoamImprovement ,

"They do it for free!"

Not anymore, fucko. Have fun selling your ungovernable site.

LoamImprovement ,

Imagine a company telling you that you should get used to not owning the things you buy when arguably the most popular game in their most popular franchise is about being a literal fucking pirate.

LoamImprovement ,

The link's broken for me but I assume it's the RE8 Dimitrescu flyswatter thing?

LoamImprovement ,

I just want to return to a time before the technocracy, and the metricization of everything, before we started caring about clicks and views and the algorithm, for the sake of squeezing every last bit of monetization and efficiency out of everything and everyone.

LoamImprovement ,

I dunno, but they better watch out if they don’t want Seegson eating their lunch.

LoamImprovement ,

We attempted to use the Reverb G2 for a training sim but their equivalent of ASW wasn’t up to snuff. Lots of jumping around between frames. Shame, because the display was really sharp, a good answer to the short-lived Rift S.

LoamImprovement ,

It’s true.

Source: I’m the uncle who works for him.

LoamImprovement ,

I take my Deck with me when I travel. The case is a little on the larger side, but it fits in a backpack under a plane seat. I do tend to have the opposite problem with the switch though, my hands cramp up because the joycon grips are so small. Battery life is an issue though, I can get maybe 3 hours out of it if the plane doesn’t have an outlet.

It is a little hard to call the Deck a platform on its own because the library is all borrowed from an existing client and Valve doesn’t really make games anymore, but for people who have a PC library or are looking to start one and don’t necessarily have the money to throw at a whole gaming PC, the Deck is a solid choice for something portable-yet-powerful - it’s good enough to run Elden Ring pretty stable. It’s also really good for gen 6 and older emulation, both because the hardware is capable and because Valve doesn’t give a fuck what you do with it.

Starfield design lead says players are "disconnected" from how games are actually made: "Don't fool yourself into thinking you know why it is the way it is" ( www.gamesradar.com )

apparently this is in response to a few threads on Reddit flaming Starfield—in general, it’s been rather interesting to see Bethesda take what i can only describe as a “try to debate Starfield to popularity” approach with the game’s skeptics in the past month or two. not entirely sure it’s a winning strategy,...

LoamImprovement ,

Well I don’t know how to make a game, but I do know how to write interesting characters and stories, and Emil clearly doesn’t, so something something glass houses, Bethesda.

LoamImprovement ,

Sponsored by Monster Energy and Ride with Norman Reedus?

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