neonrev

Phaedrus' Street Crew
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Everything posted by neonrev

  1. Project Godus: Don't believe his lies

    Was just about to post that, oddly. It's really, really brutal, and pretty disjointed in parts since they're basically just angrily arguing for most of it, but I think it explains some stuff. Opening question: RPS: Do you think that you’re a pathological liar? Sometimes John Walker being a total bastard makes for entertaining interviews.
  2. I Had a Random Thought (About Video Games)

    Speaking of games that include the word Guild, the Guild 2 - Renaissance recently had a fairly major patch eight years after release. They do have a sequel in development that I'm sure this is related to, but it's pretty awesome to see Nordic Games put out a pretty serious bugfix and mod support patch for a generally ignored game they didn't even develop. It's still clunky and pretty tough on the eyes, but it's entirely unique as a sim/strategy game. Gives me hope that the new one actually has some love behind it, and that's felt rare for me recently.
  3. Tacoma from Fullbright

    Okay, that makes sense. So I guess engineering just makes me more terrified in this case rather than less. I'm also just going to speculate: Will this game include an examination of the Tacoma (or Hilux, as it is known in some countries) as the light truck of choice of revolutionary forces around the world due to its light frame, ease of maintenance and relative efficiency? Will this game include a plot line where actions compound upon each other over and over until a resonant frequency is reached and the entire structure of society breaks down? Will this game feature a struggling mariachi musician, jealous of his brother for his classical music success? Will this game feature ghosts? I'm confident all these will be proven true.
  4. Tacoma from Fullbright

    As a side effect of not understanding engineering at all, I'm extra terrified by this. How can cement bend so much?
  5. Tacoma from Fullbright

    The only thing I can ever think about when I read Tacoma is the joke about it being the name of Yo-yo Ma's mexican sibling, and then I just feel bad about myself. Thanks for the unhappiness, Fullbright. But it does look awesome, yes.
  6. Ello.co

    I wouldn't mind a code (or two. I have a fairly common first name that seems to be unclaimed as of now, and I want's it too.) just to follow folks.
  7. Life

    I found the relevant caption! You're right though, it's pretty much insane. I'm pretty sure quantum mechanics people are just all in on some sort of gag to make the rest of us feel dumb.
  8. Life

    I'm getting unhealthily interested in that gif. What is it representing? I think it's a physics thing?
  9. Far Cry 2

    The STALKER series in general used something called A-Life to manage AI and spawning and economics and such like. It tried to model an economy by way of allowing the NPCs to trade with each other and to seek better gear. For example, you see a couple of neutral or friendly stalkers and trade a couple of badly worn AK's for some bandages, a couple grenades and some shotgun ammo. Once you've finished, if the other stalkers nearby are armed with worse weapons (I forget if they care more about the gun or it's repair state) they may trade their stuff around to get everyone better armed. As another, more noticeable example, if you're in a firefight alongside friendly stalkers, after the shooting is done they will sprint to the nearest corpse and start grabbing their stuff, seemingly preferring the better armed corpses to rob. Additionally, bandit movements are partially on patrol paths and partially defined by a desire to acquire wealth. Once they hit some loot threshold, they stop patrolling and head back to a base to sell it off. Clear Sky is certainly the most buggy and (I think) the least open of the STALKER games, but also had some of the most ambitious ideas, such as faction wars, territory control, weapon upgrades and repairs and miniquests given by random NPCs. They certainly didn't succeed at this entirely, and a lot of those systems didn't pop up again in Call of Pripyat, probably because it wasn't tenable to support all of it. I still think that the A-Life system had and has a LOT of potential for creating interesting systems in a world, and then allowing you to exist in that world, it just hasn't been expressed in a contained enough way to make it apparent. (If you're interested in playing the STALKER series but are turned off by how rough they are, try the "Stalker Complete" series or one of the numerous bug-fix only patches. Complete fixes a lot of bugs but changes the feel of the game slightly. I prefer it, but others disagree. The Bugfix only patches keep the game the same while making a lot of things function in a sane way. If you're starting completely blind I see no issue with just starting at CoP. You may miss some story, but hey, the story is barely comprehensible and terribly translated too.)
  10. "Ethics and Journalistic Integrity"

    I've been finding the last few pages more fun by imagining that this Milo fella is actually the Milo from that Peter Molyneux Kinect thing, all grown up and an asshole. An emotional AI indeed. He doesn't seem to get empathy.
  11. I Had A Random Thought...

    We had this issue with people grabbing the portable speakers out of the Doorman's podium at the theatre I worked at. After replacing them a couple times (they were just little AA powered things, wasn't a huge deal.), we painted the case bright pink and sprinkled some glitter on it. No more thefts.
  12. Feminism

    So I've been in depressingly serious meetings about paying her to speak* at an academic institution on the topic of gender relations from a humanist standpoint (these were some surreal fucking meetings, let me tell you.) and I feel well versed in her life and works to say that anymore words devoted to how she's wrong only serve to prop up the pathetic corpse of an academic career. She is the literal embodiment of anger click baiting. I feel quite strongly that members of her ridiculous band of supporters only draw strength from criticism. It fuels their "She's the lone bastion of right-thinking in feminism because everyone else disagrees with her." mentality. *We didn't. Sadly it came down to more "She requests ludicrous speaking fees." and less "She's a obvious shill." Later we got 6 actual (including 2 rather notable) scientists and their flights, cars and hotels for less than she was asking, to give you an idea.
  13. Adulthood, Age, and Modernity

    Wait, you drink scotch from a pint glass? Sweet glass though.
  14. Adulthood, Age, and Modernity

    I also bought proper drinkware today and feel pretty good about it. My beer now comes in an attractive nonic glass. Tomorrow I construct a table. Being an adult to me means mostly being boring.
  15. "Ethics and Journalistic Integrity"

    Yeah, you are specifically the person I meant. I figured that's why it was in quotes. I only read because it I only feel anger anymore and it's nice to feel at least that. I still love you. I still love everyone. I am simply drunk and should be ignored anyway.
  16. Feminism

    Ah, I am a fan of rabbinical things but sadly not actually Jewish so I guess I obviously may have missed some context. I only knew it as a thing that relates to purim, which I primarily experience by way of semi-serious drinking parties. You can get drunk whenever you wish, I currently am too drunk (unrelatedly) to really care about either mordecai or haman. We can commune through time and space. Also not going to fully engage that quoted text either, except to say that I honestly personally get where you might be coming from, and to say that you should seriously consider the posts above mine. They do a far better job of explaining stuff to you than I could, and I can say without reservations that whatever the (long term, painful, personal and intrinsic) discomfort with shedding your own (possibly lifelong) views, you will feel better after. The world makes more sense, and you have to justify less to yourself. You're not a bad person for who you are or were, so long as you're willing to change in response to outside criticism. Your environment makes your base setting, it's your job to improve that any way you can. Also merus is really smart. Just felt like saying it.
  17. "Ethics and Journalistic Integrity"

    Really, if Zoe can control the lofty heights of 4chan mods with the mere suggestion of her vagina, why do these sex-obsessed losers hate her so much? She's obviously in possession of the single most powerful female attribute since Helen's face, so why all the meanness? Why aren't they sucking up to our soon-to-be overlord of feminism and sex? Games journalism is obviously the first step towards her seducing the entire Senate and House and putting all men in bondage to women for their amusement. Why are they making themselves enemies of this supposed revolution? Do they want to be at the low end of the 'Men that Women will use for sexual gratification in the post-revolution era' chart? What is their goal, if the situation to them is so dire? Also, not directed at anyone, but I have a slight problem with even justifying any of the gamergate shit as even vaguely relating to "Ethics and Journalistic Integrity.". It really isn't. It has never been. It's always been blatant sexism and hate. Why use their language, even in a place that is mostly mocking it? Why are we deciding that the very few places that have bothered to change their ethics or disclosure policies are doing it in response to any legitimate criticism instead of in response to not losing views because the viewers are misogynists? Why even jokingly justify the complaint? They clearly have no self awareness in their rage, so why call it this? I'm just tired of giving any ground to them. I'm so fucking tired of this being a thing we're willing to earnestly engage on. They are not. We are willingly wearing ourselves down on a rock of complete and willing ignorance. We can't grind it down. We can't joke them away. I know them, I was one of them, and they simply do not care about argument or discussion, and I'm tired of treating them like earnest opponents instead of organized hecklers. That's pointlessly angsty but I'm going to leave it there because fuck it. Angst and anger are about my only emotions this month. Fuck everything. I'm at the 'will physically assault people if they express those views in person' stage of fury. I seemingly don't have whatever well of patience and calmness some people have. I'm just a pissed as fuck farm boy. There were 60 people living in the nearest town, all white-ass immigrant germans and swedes, and if I can stop being a (consciously, personal change happens slowly and intentionally, I know.) total dick to women and poc then GOD DAMMIT they will too or I will personally beat it into their pathetic fucking skulls. That's also angsty. I guess I'm past this being a debate. I'm past anything but blind rage. I can't contribute helpfully to anything like this anymore because of that fact and it only makes me all the more enraged. Does anyone know of a useful path for this? Is there a legal or rhetorical way I can metaphorically grab my club and do something useful? I have the inclination but no personal experience in anything other than 'might makes right', and I don't want to fall into that trap. (regardless how tempting it is.) In other news, I'm self-concerned and mad. More at 11.
  18. Feminism

    I personally welcome the far right taking in as many of them as they can. Super pumped every time the GOP courts radical anti-women groups. Just grabbing more rocks to put in their sinking ship. If they want to make hating women their main deal then by all mean, do so. Not like women are the backbone of the democrats. Not like alienating women more is going to somehow HURT the far-right. I'm glad to see them define themselves as the asshole party. Easier to find the assholes then. Also, use of the word megillah? Not really getting the reference. I'm still cool with getting real drunk later if that's what you're getting at.
  19. Feminism

    Christina Sommers is literally the very worst of people. She's a conservative mouthpiece that has repeatedly blamed women for their own rapes, that has ignored or shouted down any women (or whoever) who attempts to portray their experience (She's heavy on the "They just enjoy/get money from calling themselves a victim" rhetoric.), that has argues that people in Women's Studies are simply mad at the pretty girls for being more popular. She's the official 'feminist' of the MRA crowd, and her latest fan is Richard Dawkins, who considers her the 'bravest' feminist he knows. I've spent some time in the crazy atheist trenches, have met her personally, and consider her to be one of the worst and most damaging people who exist as 'academics'. She's morally and academically bankrupt, and her primary function is to call herself a feminist and parrot GOP talking points in slightly more obscured language. (I fucking HATE her, and have spent far to much time in my life listening to people use her as a legit source. Now she's edging into video games. I cannot escape her FUCKING BULLSHIT NO MATTER WHERE I GO ARRGGH.)
  20. Well, I'm guessing that's the plan for as long as there is a bunch of media attention on the deal. They've also said: Which sounds to me like "We'll keep selling the game on those platforms and develop slowly for it, but the first time we get a chance to blame dropping a 'not us' platform on the platform holder, we will." I can't imagine the Vita version, the Raspberry Pi edition, the android or the Amzon Fire edition are going to be justifiable to microsoft books-wise. I personally don't like the insane MINECRAFT ON EVERY BOX sprawl it's taken over time, so I don't mind if the Vita version gets smothered quietly in the night.
  21. Prison Architect

    Following the development and knowing Introversion makes me iffy on the word "done". This sort of game usually does better with updates after whatever release version there is, and listening to the devs talk makes it seem like they still have a whole lot of ideas they want to try out. I feel like PA is at a safe place to start playing by now. It's pretty content-complete and I've never encountered a single problem with it either. The fledgling mod scene has access to better tools and such now I believe, perhaps something from there could reskin it in a less objectionable way? I am usually playing pretend summer camp anyway.
  22. So Ouya is reportedly shopping itself around, looking for buyers. It's not terribly surprising at this point, given that it was such a flop commercially. It's both funny (The whole thing was a bad idea.) and sad to see what must be a pretty talented team looking for someone to buy/hire them wholesale, and that the console itself is about the least important part of a sale. I've just been baffled by the whole thing start to finish.
  23. That's about where I am now on the whole thing. I'm also a big minecraft fan (Off and on, this came during on of the on times), but I do feel like it's been slowing down for a while, and without mods I would have gotten bored long ago. If Microsoft acquires it and suddenly there's ~60 people working on new stuff all the time, I'd be overjoyed. I have two main fears though: The biggest is that Microsoft uses their resources to add new content, but that content is treated as DLC or suchlike. 20 new crops for $5. A whole new tier of ore/tools for $5. However big Minecraft's audience is, Microsoft are certainly getting in at the waning side of new purchases, and while purchases only can maintain the modest team and support structure, I don't know that microsoft'll be willing to just have a respected product that pays for itself, especially after dropping $2bn on it. The other is that there's not anywhere 'tone appropriate' for the vanilla game to go anymore. Much of the obvious territory is already in the domain of mods, (not that microsoft cares, but mojang seems loathe to just absorb mod concepts. Unless they are horses.) and beyond just more stuff for the base systems I don't see what they can do now. After 1.8 came out and before this news, they were considering the release of 1.9 to be "far future" and unknown. Now it seems like perhaps they'll be getting bought soon and don't want to start a whole new thing, but at the time I thought, "Huh, they've probably done what they can for this content-wise. Sad, but makes sense." I'm somewhat worried Microsoft will buy it, try to wring some money out of it, fail, and then leave it in a state of stagnation worse than before. So long as the old versions still work I'm okay with this, come whatever may. I'm just sad that this is the endgame for one of the most successful indie projects. It feels like the beginning of the sad part of the future history of minecraft book.
  24. Prison Architect

    Yeah, the tutorial sequence is pretty rough and I have no idea why they use that to sell you on the game, but the main part of the game only really includes that level of depressing if you want it. I'm far from a PA expert, but the prison can be designed in a lot more ways that the massive cell-blocks they use in their videos. I'm fond of a disconnected sort of thing, with the canteen and showers and the offices and storage in their own buildings, and the prisoners in 6-man bungalow type things. Like a summer camp prison. They make crafts (licence plates). Been a while since I've played though. I wish the game wasn't so off-putting to most people, I think it has some of the best 'base building' tools and flow I've ever seen. The planning tool is a particularly neat thing I haven't seen elsewhere. Mostly I'll put up with a lot for a decent dwarf fortress like game I can actually play.
  25. I Had A Random Thought...

    I had a random thought: Ennui-aboo. A good word for recent events. I'm feeling pretty proud. Edit: I should define that. It came from thinking about anime avatar twitter stuffs. Ennui-aboo: Someone who leverages their personal boredom and listlessness towards engaging in a poorly researched and over zealous attack on someone else in the community.