BeardyHat's recent activity
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Comment on Save Point: A game deal roundup for the week of June 2 in ~games
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
BeardyHat Link ParentIt looks pretty neat and I'm curious to try it out when it drops in price. I started Wizardry 8 several months ago and played about 11-hours, getting to the tree city before moving on to something...It looks pretty neat and I'm curious to try it out when it drops in price. I started Wizardry 8 several months ago and played about 11-hours, getting to the tree city before moving on to something else, but I would like to go back to it. Weirdly, Wizardry 8 gave me Everquest vibes; strange to say for a single player, party RPG.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
BeardyHat Link ParentI'm also glad to see someone else playing this stuff; this thread was making me feel a little lonely. I have continued with Abiotic Factor, a driving force being getting that bench upgrade to grab...I'm also glad to see someone else playing this stuff; this thread was making me feel a little lonely.
I have continued with Abiotic Factor, a driving force being getting that bench upgrade to grab stuff out of my storage. I started hunting the Exor's a few days ago just to get their hearts and finally built the upgrade the other night and it's been so much better; it enabled me to just start building random stuff and getting more ideas, so I was finally able to build some guns (Scrap guns), which will be hugely helpful. I was getting pretty tired of Exor's taking a dozen shots from my crossbow to down and the soldiers being basically unkillable since I broke the 9mm pistol I found. Building those guns has allowed me to expand out further and I've gotten quite deep in the manufacturing sector now and working on building the Hacking Device level 2.
The Half-Life theming is absolutely what appealed to me in the first place, so I'm happy to continue, but I'm hoping theirs more offices or more interesting stuff after Manufacturing, which I'm finding a little boring in comparison to the Office Sector.
Skald has been my chill game in the evenings, when I'm done exploring the Abiotic. I also like the trees, as I've picked-up another person who's the same class I am, but I've been able to specialize them as a buffer/healer, whereas my guy is more of a tank/melee type. It does make me think about going back and trying some older RPG's, which I have experimented with relatively recently, but I'm not sure if I can go without all the QoL features and modern design you mention. I haven't yet tried headphones, but damn if the music in Skald isn't banging and I keep finding the tunes on my lips (especially the battle tune), so I'm thinking about picking up the soundtrack.
My only complaint about Skald is that the WASD controls are kind of imprecise. I've found myself enjoying it primarily on my Steam Deck and using the joystick as WASD, but I keep accidentally doing things I don't intend to do (especially in combat) and so I'm going to try and use the mouse controls a little bit more (actually, come to think of it, maybe I should try the D-Pad instead?). And actually, my other complaint (unless you've found a solution?) is lack of fullscreen without the CRT filter. The CRT filter looks fantastic on my Deck and uses up the entire screen, but on my laptop, the CRT filter is just too blurry and ends-up hurting my eyes as I tried to read the text.
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Comment on Retailers hate that you buy big things on your laptop in ~finance
BeardyHat LinkI'd be curious to how many of us in this thread are over 25. As I understand it, most younger people will use their phones for everything and won't even have a computer at all, which is entirely...I'd be curious to how many of us in this thread are over 25.
As I understand it, most younger people will use their phones for everything and won't even have a computer at all, which is entirely alien to me. I bought a lighter laptop that was pretty much a lateral upgrade from my old machine, just so I could take it more places with me, like a security blanket. Even if I'm pretty sure I'm not going to use it at all, I'll still bring it (such as I did on a recent international trip, where I only used my phone).
So the question is: will this style of thought die out? Do we think younger people will make the move towards a proper computer as they age or will using a full blown computer of any sort become an "old person" thing?
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Comment on The food that makes you gay in ~lgbt
BeardyHat LinkIn my experience, as a straight man, it's actually Beer that gives men breasts. I'm sure I have other hang ups I'm not accounting for, but being worried that eating certain styles of food makes...Ryan says he’s also heard since he was a vegetarian in the ’90s, stuff like “tofu was going to give you breasts” on sensationalist daytime talk shows. This is the third category of food that makes you gay: Food that might actually queer your body.
In my experience, as a straight man, it's actually Beer that gives men breasts.
I'm sure I have other hang ups I'm not accounting for, but being worried that eating certain styles of food makes you gay or changes your body (other than making you fat) sounds exhausting and quite frankly, I'd rather quit living life than give up Pho and Ramen.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
BeardyHat LinkWas playing Abiotic Factor quite a bit but after about 10 hours, I'm gradually losing interest. I do intend to play some more, but I get fatigued every time I think about going back to my safe...Was playing Abiotic Factor quite a bit but after about 10 hours, I'm gradually losing interest. I do intend to play some more, but I get fatigued every time I think about going back to my safe area, digging through and organizing boxes and having to craft stuff. The crafting in this game is relatively painless overall, but I've always found crafting in games to be incredibly boring and while AF is somewhat different and I'm enjoying the exploration a lot, I'm not sure if that'll hold my interest in the long term.
Friday night I picked up Skald: Against the Black Priory and I am absolutely loving it. Played it late into the night Friday and then a majority of my flight on Saturday, which is unusual for me, because I rarely actually game on Planes. The entirely of the Ultima series passed me by back in the day, with a little dabbling in Ultima 7 a few years ago, but you really don't need to have any familiarity or nostalgia for it to enjoy Skald.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
BeardyHat Link ParentI gotta get on this one. I setup GameCube emulation on a couple of my devices and this was the first game I got running and wanted to play, but I just haven't gotten around to it yet. I played...I gotta get on this one. I setup GameCube emulation on a couple of my devices and this was the first game I got running and wanted to play, but I just haven't gotten around to it yet. I played Paper Mario on Wii and quite liked it, a little bit of Sticker Star on 3DS, which was ok, but I've heard TYD is the best of the series.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
BeardyHat Link ParentI bought a, seemingly, generic Radeon 5500 XT from eBay, I ended-up making the seller and offer and they accepted. It's not working any miracles, but it has dramatically expanded what I can play...I bought a, seemingly, generic Radeon 5500 XT from eBay, I ended-up making the seller and offer and they accepted.
It's not working any miracles, but it has dramatically expanded what I can play with my Thinkpad X1 Nano, which has integrated Iris XE 96 graphics. For example, I like to play Call to Arms: Gates of Hell - Ostfront and it took me from 900p, lowest settings 15-20FPS to 60FPS, medium settings at my native resolution (2160x1350). I've been playing Abiotic Factor at an almost rock solid 30FPS at my native res, medium settings and getting a pretty decent 45ishFPS in RDR2 at Low/Medium, native resolution. Cyberpunk is ok, but it actually runs better on my Steam Deck, so I uninstalled it from my laptop.
It's not going to replace my desktop anytime soon, but I rarely game on my desktop because I hate being tied to a desk in my office, so it gives me some options as far as what I want to play and how I want to play it.
As for cons, I think the only one is really that it makes your laptop a little more unwieldy is all. The box is about the size of a mini PC an it's currently sitting on the bedside table next to me while I type this with my computer in my lap. It'll actually charge my computer while also using the eGPU, so there aren't really any extra cables or anything.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
BeardyHat Link ParentI need to jump back in to RDR2. Think I've played about 13 hours or so and I was liking it, but just haven't been up for more story yet; the last time I played, I just rode the train around its...I need to jump back in to RDR2. Think I've played about 13 hours or so and I was liking it, but just haven't been up for more story yet; the last time I played, I just rode the train around its loop, because I was curious where it went.
Decent is awesome and easily one of my favorite games, I own it on GoG, but never got around to playing it proper; had the demo off, I think my first PC Gamer demo disk and played the hell out of it.
The PicoGUS and Raspberry Pi sound super interesting. I've been wanting a retro computer for a couple of years now, just to mess around and play some old stuff, but I haven't really been able to justify the cost and the space. I have messed around a good amount with PCEm, but I had no idea that anyone was doing stuff with the Pi, this is absolutely something I need to investigate; I am going to VCF Southwest in a couple of weeks and was thinking about seeing if I could pick up a retro laptop there, but this may put an end to that thought.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
BeardyHat Link ParentHappy to hear you're still enjoying it! Really a great game and a great series.Happy to hear you're still enjoying it! Really a great game and a great series.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
BeardyHat Link ParentAre you me? I've had the exact same experiences with Roguelikes and feel bad because I have a friend who really loves them, but I just can't penetrate them. Jupiter Hell is something completely...Are you me?
I've had the exact same experiences with Roguelikes and feel bad because I have a friend who really loves them, but I just can't penetrate them. Jupiter Hell is something completely different for me as well. Though this may just be because Doom was very much a formative game for me.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
BeardyHat LinkHaven't had a lot of time recently, but I'm hoping this week will be good for me. I recently purchased a cheap eGPU for my laptop, which has been a absolutely awesome. It's not amazing by any...Haven't had a lot of time recently, but I'm hoping this week will be good for me. I recently purchased a cheap eGPU for my laptop, which has been a absolutely awesome. It's not amazing by any means, but going from integrated graphics to a proper GPU has opened up a ton of options for gaming on my laptop (I do also own a Steam Deck and a mid-range Desktop, but I barely use that.)
Been trying to get into Abiotic Factor a sort of Half-Life survival game if you were a scientist or Barney at Black Mesa at the time of the Resonance Cascade. It's pretty cool, wandering around this scientific facility and trying to collect random stuff to keep yourself alive. So far, I've been mostly eating snacks from vending machines and drinking out of the sink; but I did just recently get a small garden build and planted some seeds. I'm not sure if it'll work without natural sun, so we'll see.
It's a nice new spin on the genre, as I'm pretty bored of Treepunchers recently, though I was never huge on them before, but I did like Valheim.
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Comment on 3D printing - A beginner's observations and some practical applications in ~creative
BeardyHat LinkBoy, I feel inadequate; everyone is using their printers for useful stuff while I use mine primarily to print miniatures for tabletop wargames. My friend gave me his old Anycubic Photon S which...Boy, I feel inadequate; everyone is using their printers for useful stuff while I use mine primarily to print miniatures for tabletop wargames.
My friend gave me his old Anycubic Photon S which has been pretty great. Also just recently gave me an FDM printer, don't recall the brand or model, but I need to spend some time cleaning it up and replacing some parts on it before I get it up and running. Haven't even bothered looking at it yet, but once I get it going, I'll use that to print terrain for miniature Wargames.
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Comment on If you had US$50K and had to purchase a classic car, sports car, and daily driver for your budget dream garage, what vehicles would you pick? in ~transport
BeardyHat LinkDaily: 2010s Honda Odyssey, because I both love and need a minivan. Only caveat is that I know very little about them, so I'm assuming the middle seats either fold down or are easily removable. If...Daily: 2010s Honda Odyssey, because I both love and need a minivan. Only caveat is that I know very little about them, so I'm assuming the middle seats either fold down or are easily removable. If not, change this to a Dodge Grand Caravan $10k
Sports: I'm going to stretch the definition here and say "sports" also includes Wheeling/Off-roading: Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon $20k. Compared to a 4Runner they're dirt cheap, same goes for parts. Plus two solid axles, lockers, disconnecting sway bar, even bone stock this is going to do everything I want to do when I hit the trails.
Classic: 1995 Ford Taurus SHO $15k
I struggled with this one, but decided to ultimately fall back on an old favorite. I owned one when I was a kid, but it had a janky engine swap and a bit of body damage and I didn't have the money to really fix it up and get it right, so I sold it after a short period of ownership. Do I regret it? Not really, but I certainly wouldn't mind having one again, especially a prime example and they're not too expensive.Total: $45000
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Comment on Will Microsoft want to introduce a subscription fee to their Windows OS in the future? in ~tech
BeardyHat Link ParentOr if you want your middle click to function similar to how it does in Windows. Or if you want actually good drivers that work and are functional. I like Linux, but it's still pretty half baked as...Or if you want your middle click to function similar to how it does in Windows. Or if you want actually good drivers that work and are functional.
I like Linux, but it's still pretty half baked as far as usability goes. Whenever I use Linux, I find myself spending far more time configuring it and fucking with it than I do actually using my computer for what I want it for.
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Comment on California solar installs down for 2024, but battery installs up in ~enviro
BeardyHat Link ParentYour guess is as good as mine, really. The only thing we did was not respond to the constant door to door salesmen. We looked up reviews, found a local company and went with them. We still get...Your guess is as good as mine, really. The only thing we did was not respond to the constant door to door salesmen.
We looked up reviews, found a local company and went with them.
We still get cagey door to door sales too. You can usually identify them right away, so I ask them, "Are you selling Solar?" they usually say no and start talking around it until I interrupt them and tell them I already have it, then they stop and go, "oh", then usually leave. It's annoying.
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Comment on California solar installs down for 2024, but battery installs up in ~enviro
BeardyHat Link ParentAh ok, I see. Yeah, there's no reason an installer shouldn't account for all of that. As mentioned, they estimated our usage based on what I have (half a dozen computers running at any given time)...Ah ok, I see.
Yeah, there's no reason an installer shouldn't account for all of that. As mentioned, they estimated our usage based on what I have (half a dozen computers running at any given time) and then gave us some overhead.
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Comment on California solar installs down for 2024, but battery installs up in ~enviro
BeardyHat Link ParentDoes the average temp have anything to do with function? As far as I'm aware, it shouldn't. We certainly see plenty of 90*+ days and several 100*+ days during our summers here and we haven't had...Does the average temp have anything to do with function? As far as I'm aware, it shouldn't. We certainly see plenty of 90*+ days and several 100*+ days during our summers here and we haven't had any problems with our panels.
As far as getting one, the solar companies will figure out what you need and then give you a bit of headroom over that number.
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Comment on California solar installs down for 2024, but battery installs up in ~enviro
BeardyHat Link ParentGenerally, yes. February and March of this year I did end-up buying electricity, as my panels did get covered up pretty frequently by snow for several days at a time and we were running space...Generally, yes. February and March of this year I did end-up buying electricity, as my panels did get covered up pretty frequently by snow for several days at a time and we were running space heaters (aside from our normal furnace) in two of our rooms (my kids and my wife and mine) because they're poorly insulated.
Average temps for May so far are 52*F
February 33*F
March 33*F
It's a pretty dry state, so the snow melts quickly and we don't always have a ton of cloud cover, so the solar works pretty well a majority of the time. Even in the heat of August when we're running our AC much of the time, we're generating a ton of power that we're "selling" back to the energy company.
Of course, aside from the gas we still have to pay fees and stuff on the electricity, all kinds of "service charges" and the like, though they're only $10 or so a month.
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Comment on California solar installs down for 2024, but battery installs up in ~enviro
BeardyHat Link ParentI had solar installed around late 2022 and I very much like having it, even if it's not much of a bill swap and probably costs me some in the long run. The next thing I absolutely want is a...I had solar installed around late 2022 and I very much like having it, even if it's not much of a bill swap and probably costs me some in the long run.
The next thing I absolutely want is a battery. I'd love to feel like I'm creating and storing all my own energy, because there's definitely occasions where I've needed to purchase energy back from the power company due to snow on my panels and whatnot.
Being able to feel like I'm a little more energy independent would give me peace of mind.
Thanks for the heads up! Been wanting to try this forever as XCOM is easily my favorite Firaxis series, but I just don't care about Superheroes, so this one has been a tough sell even on sale.