elvaq

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Content count

    219

  • Joined

  • Last visited

Posts posted by elvaq

  1. Posted

    All of these things tried to fragment the user base of an existing platform and utterly failed to do so. Also kinda funny that my last handheld was the GBC cause I probably got burned by that and then said no to the GBA.

     

    So cheap 3ds xl it is!

  4. Posted

    I said I wasn't coming back to this thread, but I asked about pets in good faith and apologized for the obvious implications in the process of saying it. I'm not trying to catch anyone out on their beliefs here, but I am curious and figured that since the opening question of the thread had been so definitively answered in the affirmative, we could feel around a bit more. I regret it entirely now.

     

    Honestly, the issue I've always had talking with certain vegans, who are always in the infinitesimal minority as far as the entire community of vegans go, is that it's impossible to have a productive conversation about diet because theirs is wholly correct and mine just isn't, simply by virtue of eating meat. No matter how much I've thought about my food consumption, there is nothing I can say, even about my own experiences, that actually reaches them or changes their mind about the smallest thing. If I'm really lucky, I get told that I should cut that last bit of meat out of my diet, even after explaining how sick I got in Greece eating near-vegan and showing them the scars on my arms from it, because that low-level self-harm is better than eating meat. For some reason, that level of open disrespect flies in discussions about food consumption where it doesn't in discussions about racism or sexism. That's where I get off the train and just focus on cutting unethical foods out of my diet in general.

     

    Yeah I think it's worth pointing out that many vegans, myself included, kind of hate PETA. Preaching and histrionics are not very effective advocacy

  5. Posted

    I've been playing around a lot with UE4 in the last week, just trying to expand skills beyond my Unity-centric development process.

     

    It's really nice so far and I'm even getting the hang of Blueprints (WAY better than Kismet was). I'd say the most annoying thing is just the lack of documentation. There's a lot out there but half of the stuff I find is no longer relevant because of how frequently the engine updates.

     

    For the C++ folks, is your code working between major version changes? Because if written code is more future-proof than Blueprints then I might take the plunge and switch over.

  6. Posted

    No this thread is definitely as civil as I've seen these debates go, which is a good testament to the Thumbs community!

     

    But when you're asking questions like "oh but how can you have pets?" and "but your cat eats meat?" and especially "but don't plants feel pain too?"... I can't even count how many times I've heard these same questions, usually from people with shit-eating grins. Maybe I am just being defensive from those less-well-intentioned previous encounters.

     

    Yes they are framed innocently here, but I'd say the premise is still pretty wrong-headed.

    Sort of like guys on Twitter asking women to explain feminism instead of just looking things up and listening (NOT that this debate is the same as ones around racism/feminism, it can just sound like it some time)

     

    Also I think it's worth mentioning and remembering that as these dietary things are a matter of choice. The reasons for choosing them are going to be different for every single person and there's never going to be singular or easy answers

  7. Posted

    I think we might need a separate GITS thread...

     

    Count me in the camp that was turned off by the first movie, but thankfully I checked out the second, completely-unrelated movie and really enjoyed it. Then watched SAC which is now one of my favorite TV series ever. SSS is pretty good too.

     

    Arise is watchable but fairly crap overall. I think it's just time to make peace with the mythology and go rewatch SAC.

     

    Also I still haven't read the original manga. Thoughts anyone?

  9. Posted

    Hoo boy, looks like I missed a fun thread. Very exemplary of why discussing being vegan is so fraught with anxiety, boredom, and annoyance.

    I have been happy and healthy as a vegan for over three years now and literally the only downside is a) planning meals at restaurants with folks who don't know/don't get it and B) people demanding answers and moral arguments.

     

    People, you can use Google.

    You can morally interrogate yourself without bringing other people into it. In fact, that's probably a good rule for generally not acting like an asshole.

     

    If you want to have a debate, sure, but understand that the framing of this particular debate is almost always terribly broken.

     

    edit: sorry if a little strong-worded in anti-debate terms. blame it on one too many open discussions in freshman-level philosophy courses

  10. Posted

    What's the consensus on the upgrade-y bits? Besides MoHun, do you guys think there will be a lot of other NEW-sclusive titles?

     

    The last Nintendo handheld I bought was a GBC, so I'm thinking it's finally time. Just not sure if I need to spring for this new one or just take advantage of the timing and get a regular 3DS XL for cheap

  11. Posted

    this made me wish I knew how to do shader programming

     

    I am certainly no expert but it's really not that bad! Like with a lot of things, I've found that just typing along with tutorials along with occasional glancing-at-reference is a pretty good start. I'm a ways from writing my own, actually useful shaders, but I am no longer terrified by CG code.

     

    Here's the two things I've been using:

    https://cgcookie.com/unity/cgc-courses/noob-to-pro-shader-writing-for-unity-4-beginner/ (video tuts)

    http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Cg_Programming (reference)

  12. Posted

    I absolutely love Pacific Rim, because it's ridiculous and fun, but manages to do all that without being dumb or offensive in the way a lot of action movies are. 

    Yeah, I think it did a really great job at being a 'live-action cartoon.' I guess that's not a thing people expect or get very often, but it was super fun if you just recognize that and let it be big and dumb and fun.

     

    Kinda like Speed Racer actually!

  14. Posted

    They just don't fucking get it, do they?

    Or they do and they're willingly spreading misinformation. I never know whether to pity them or think they're scum.

     

    Favorite two things of the last couple days: 1) Intel is BIGOTED towards white men 2) 8chan going down for a couple hours was CONFIRMED to be a DDoS attack from Brianna Wu

     

    Circling the drain now

  17. Posted

    Had a great time at GGJ in Vancouver last year with an insane number of people at the jam (300+), looking forward to another, quieter one in Portland this year.

     

    Asshole brain won't stop thinking of new game ideas so I dunno, might try to do a prototype for a top-down Micro-Machines-looking Interstate-76-style customizable car combat game?

  19. Posted

    Hey all,

     

    I am also an occasional lurker/converser on the IRC channel and am trying to get back into the forum game! I'm a gamedev/programmer who has been learning the craft by just making stuff for a little over two years now. You can see my stuff at my website here: http://collapsingspace.com/ (though I am currently working on a total re-design to add professional things like a landing page, coming very soon!)

     

    I'm a big fan of the tone and voice of the folks on the main cast and so figured I'd probably fit in more here than with other, bigger games forums. Lookin forward to gettin to know all you fine folks in 2015!!