Anbalsilfer's recent activity

  1. Comment on The Happy Hob officially put a wrap on the entire Soulsborne series yesterday, just in time for Sekiro's release in ~games

    Anbalsilfer
    Link Parent
    Here's the Twitch VOD, clocking in at 14 and a half hours. He did it all in one sitting. I think the whole thing took around 12 hours, done in following order: Bloodborne -> Darks Souls 2 -> Dark...

    Here's the Twitch VOD, clocking in at 14 and a half hours.

    He did it all in one sitting. I think the whole thing took around 12 hours, done in following order: Bloodborne -> Darks Souls 2 -> Dark Souls -> Demon's Souls -> Dark Souls 3.

    2 votes

  2. Comment on The Happy Hob officially put a wrap on the entire Soulsborne series yesterday, just in time for Sekiro's release in ~games

  4. Comment on What's a game you like that was overlooked? in ~games

  5. Comment on What is a lesser known upcoming game you're excited about? in ~games

    Anbalsilfer
    Link Parent
    The physics are semi-accurate but heavily streamlined. You certainly won't find things like real orbital mechanics with delta-V maneuvers etc. in this game. Traveling to a different planet is...

    The physics are semi-accurate but heavily streamlined. You certainly won't find things like real orbital mechanics with delta-V maneuvers etc. in this game. Traveling to a different planet is literally done more or less instantaneously through a couple of clicks. Planets do follow orbits though, and the day/night cycle is authentic.

    While the game in its entirety borrows heavily from reality and is at least semi-realistic in places, the whole game is extremely streamlined. It is the diametric opposite of KSP in that regard. This can be a good thing, even if or even especially if you also like KSP, because this game is as relaxing as KSP is challenging, so they serve as great counterweights to each other. As for comparison, I would say it's more fair to describe Astroneer as much simpler and more intuitive version of No Man's Sky than particularly akin to KSP.

    1 vote

  6. Comment on What is a lesser known upcoming game you're excited about? in ~games

    Anbalsilfer
    Link Parent
    Just a FYI: the crafting update just dropped, which is immense and adds things to do with all those new materials. The game is still not at 1.0 yet but that's another huge step in that direction.

    Just a FYI: the crafting update just dropped, which is immense and adds things to do with all those new materials. The game is still not at 1.0 yet but that's another huge step in that direction.

    2 votes

  7. Comment on What is a lesser known upcoming game you're excited about? in ~games

    Anbalsilfer
    Link Parent
    Probably wait for now, if for no other reason than that the final release is quickly approaching. The game is pretty fun and relaxing in its current state but a couple of huge updates are in the...

    Probably wait for now, if for no other reason than that the final release is quickly approaching. The game is pretty fun and relaxing in its current state but a couple of huge updates are in the pipeline before release. The last update added a bunch of new harvestable materials, for example, but the crafting recipes using those resources haven't been put in the game yet.

    5 votes

  8. Comment on What is a lesser known upcoming game you're excited about? in ~games

    Anbalsilfer
    (edited )
    Link
    Phoenix Point. Julian Gollop, the designer of the original 1993 X-Com finally returns to the tactical turn-based genre with a new interpretation that will combine the best elements from all X-Com...

    Phoenix Point. Julian Gollop, the designer of the original 1993 X-Com finally returns to the tactical turn-based genre with a new interpretation that will combine the best elements from all X-Com games released thus far, including Apocalypse and the Firaxis remakes. It has garnered a little bit of attention and publicity but nowhere near as much as it deserves.

    5 votes

  9. Comment on Flattr support in ~tildes

    Anbalsilfer
    Link Parent
    That's kind of the point of this whole discussion though: to determine whether Flattr is fundamentally a good idea which deserves to succeed and to be bigger than it is, and if so, whether Tildes'...

    That's kind of the point of this whole discussion though: to determine whether Flattr is fundamentally a good idea which deserves to succeed and to be bigger than it is, and if so, whether Tildes' early adoption of it (before Tildes itself succeeds) might provide it with positive leverage.

    2 votes

  10. Comment on Flattr support in ~tildes

    Anbalsilfer
    Link Parent
    Really can't argue with that. I suspect it's a mix of both motivations, but, yeah, you can certainly always trust any corporation to go where the money is.

    Really can't argue with that. I suspect it's a mix of both motivations, but, yeah, you can certainly always trust any corporation to go where the money is.

    1 vote

  11. Comment on Flattr support in ~tildes

    Anbalsilfer
    Link Parent
    I actually use uBlock too. But I kinda do understand AdBlock's perspective. It was obvious that they felt bad about throttling all ads for some time even before they acquired Flattr, and I do...

    I actually use uBlock too. But I kinda do understand AdBlock's perspective. It was obvious that they felt bad about throttling all ads for some time even before they acquired Flattr, and I do understand why. For better or worse, online jounalism as well as a ton of other kinds of sites, such as wikis, have become utterly dependant on digital ads for their revenue. This is a privacy nightmare, not to mention a major nuisance. But the solution to simply throttle all ads leave all those sites without the income they need to maintain their services. I actually understand why AdBlock felt a bit bad about that, and I suspect that's why they started whitelisting ads on certain sites. But that is obviously not a great solution either, which is why they then opted to acquire Flattr, which might help solve the problem by rendering digital ads unnecessary while still not financially cutting off important information sources. The wikipedia paragraph you link to seems to confirm that this is indeed what happened.

    1 vote

  12. Comment on Flattr support in ~tildes

    Anbalsilfer
    Link Parent
    Thanks for the warning, I'm sure I am. :) I am rather passionate about it. Not necessarily for Flattr itself, but I really like the idea of passively supporting sites and resources on the internet...

    Thanks for the warning, I'm sure I am. :) I am rather passionate about it. Not necessarily for Flattr itself, but I really like the idea of passively supporting sites and resources on the internet simply through the act of consuming them. Part of the reason being that I really hate online ads, and not just for the data mining concerns they create. But I also understand the need for online journalism and wiki sites to finance themselves. Initiatives like Flattr (Brave seems like another option, sounding all the more interesting for being decentralized) seem like they just might provide a solution.

    2 votes

  13. Comment on Flattr support in ~tildes

    Anbalsilfer
    Link Parent
    Agree 100%. As far as privacy issues go, however, while Flattr may raise a few concerns of its own in that area, it's worth remembering that AdBlock's core aim with their acquisition of Flattr is...

    Agree 100%.

    As far as privacy issues go, however, while Flattr may raise a few concerns of its own in that area, it's worth remembering that AdBlock's core aim with their acquisition of Flattr is for the service to render obsolete and ultimately replace something that might already be a much bigger problem from a privacy and integrity point of view: digital advertising. In that sense, going with Flattr could be a case of choosing the considerably lesser evil. But, as you said, there may be even better solutions, and which course is optimal certainly bears both thinking and talking about.

    1 vote

  14. Comment on Flattr support in ~tildes

    Anbalsilfer
    Link Parent
    For the use case you describe, Patreon certainly seems more appropriate. Flattr is more geared towards users that want to reserve a fixed amount that they are prepared to spend toward supporting...

    For the use case you describe, Patreon certainly seems more appropriate. Flattr is more geared towards users that want to reserve a fixed amount that they are prepared to spend toward supporting resources on the internet each month, and would rather let an algorithm work out the specifics of how the amount should be distributed. Flattr also has the added advantage of being extremely easy to sign up for and configure. You just sign up for the service and you're done and will begin financially supporting any and all Flattr-connected sites you visit simply by spending time on them. This eliminates the tedious overhead of having to go through a specific routine for every single site or content creator that you want to support, which in turn makes it plausible for Flattr publishers to reach much higher numbers of passive supporters.

    In the end, I see an advantage to using both. Patreon is great for supporting the content creators you are particularly passionate about supporting, and want to be certain to support with a minimum amount per month. Flattr is more geared towards conveniently tipping all those other resources you habitually make use of. It's intended to serve as an alternative means of financing to digital advertising, which is why AdBlock bought the company.

    1 vote

  15. Comment on Flattr support in ~tildes

    Anbalsilfer
    Link Parent
    Fair point. I guess I just though that, if we could identify one truly worthy contender that uses a Flattr-like paradigm, Tildes' adoption of it might help it kick off. An economic initiative like...

    Fair point. I guess I just though that, if we could identify one truly worthy contender that uses a Flattr-like paradigm, Tildes' adoption of it might help it kick off. An economic initiative like Flattr is likely to face a lot of resistance from powerful economic actors simply because it threatens the economic status quo. This is not necessarily the case for a site like Tildes, which doesn't have an economical mission statement. So an initiative like Flattr might really need the extra leverage from sponsors like Tildes to have any chance to take off. This is of course assuming Tildes itself hits the critical mass it needs to break it big. I'm optimistic on that point though. This site is really well-designed, and the atmosphere and overall quality of exchange already feel so far above and beyond what I've come to expect from Reddit.

    You're right, though. Tildes shouldn't adopt any system like Flattr until we can collectively be more or less certain that that system won't backfire, whether in terms of digital security/integrity or environmental footprint. Maybe this continued discussion will turn up a better option than either of the one's we've talked about so far.

    2 votes

  16. Comment on Flattr support in ~tildes

    Anbalsilfer
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    There is definitely a lot of data collection involved. Flattr uses a closed-source algorithm to determine how many "flattrs" should go to a given visited page or resource. Time spent is part of...

    There is definitely a lot of data collection involved. Flattr uses a closed-source algorithm to determine how many "flattrs" should go to a given visited page or resource. Time spent is part of it, but it also takes into account like how far you scroll on a given page. You can also add extra manual flattrs simply by clicking a button. It is possible to override the algorithm by manually editing the number of flattrs allocated to each page before the payment is made, but the data collection for the algorithm will obviously still be a concern. I'm not sure how much of said data remains on your client as opposed to getting sent to their servers, though.

    Correction: The algorithm may actually well be open-source, since Flattr recently open-sourced their client: https://github.com/flattr/flattr-extension

    2 votes

  17. Comment on Flattr support in ~tildes

    Anbalsilfer
    Link Parent
    Those are certainly valid concerns. It would be great if we could get their team to respond to them, or, even better, if there was an open-source alternative of similar design. Brave certainly...

    Those are certainly valid concerns. It would be great if we could get their team to respond to them, or, even better, if there was an open-source alternative of similar design. Brave certainly seems interesting, but as I said I still fear their blockchain-based approach will prove energy-prohibitive in the long run.

    1 vote

  18. Comment on Flattr support in ~tildes

    Anbalsilfer
    Link Parent
    True. The silence lately has been a bit disconcerting. Recently they kicked off a physical tour campaign, as can be read about in the later blog posts, but what has been going on since then is...

    True. The silence lately has been a bit disconcerting. Recently they kicked off a physical tour campaign, as can be read about in the later blog posts, but what has been going on since then is something of a mystery. The silence is rather deafening.

    As for mangopay, I have no idea what their stance might be. It's certainly possible that they might be pressured by some anonymous third party to drop initiatives like Flattr. There is certainly no doubt that certain actors on the market might percieve Flattr's approach as threatening.

    3 votes

  19. Comment on Underrated games showcase: Folklore (PS3, 2007) in ~games

    Anbalsilfer
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    The game will eventually require you to switch to the other character, and you will be forced to play through all the same realms as that one. The two characters have some subtle differences to...

    The game will eventually require you to switch to the other character, and you will be forced to play through all the same realms as that one. The two characters have some subtle differences to how they fight, though, and some of the enemies you encounter will be different, so while it can feel a bit repetitive, there's enough of a difference to not make it feel completely pointless. I generally recommend playing as far as you can with one character before switching to the other one, it makes the game feel a bit less repetitive since you don't have to complete each realm twice before you can move on to and discover the next one.

    While I had a manual with my copy, I used it very little. The game sort of has its manual built in, and you learn about all the mechanics either in the game's tutorial or by talking to NPCs and paying attention to what they tell you.

    Hope you stick with it. I think you will find it to be a wonderful journey.

    1 vote

  20. Comment on Flattr support in ~tildes

    Anbalsilfer
    Link Parent
    That's hard to argue with. That would certainly be the case if every upvote was weighted the same, and on second consideration it seems highly likely to lead to a rampant culture of upvote-whoring...

    That's hard to argue with. That would certainly be the case if every upvote was weighted the same, and on second consideration it seems highly likely to lead to a rampant culture of upvote-whoring (pardon the expression). That level of support might not be such a good idea after all, at least not in its currently envisioned form. :(

    3 votes