BeardyHat's recent activity

  1. Comment on Announcing the Backlog Burner event for November 2025: Shrink your unplayed games list this coming month! in ~games

    BeardyHat
    Link Parent
    Please get to SKALD, it's fantastic and not that long.

    Please get to SKALD, it's fantastic and not that long.

  2. Comment on Travel essentials: eight items to pack for your next trip – and what to leave at home in ~travel

    BeardyHat
    Link Parent
    This thread is old, but I love my old ass Kindle. I was like you many years ago, thinking I couldn't justify an eReader, but then I bought a used Kindle for $40 on eBay. It has a backlight so I...

    This thread is old, but I love my old ass Kindle. I was like you many years ago, thinking I couldn't justify an eReader, but then I bought a used Kindle for $40 on eBay. It has a backlight so I can read in bed easily (no clumsy book lights) and it's so compact I can slide it in my back pocket and take it everywhere with me.

    I have bought a lot of books off Amazon, have had nothing removed from my account, but I understand your concern. That said, I have had zero issue side loading pirated books as needed, but beyond that, I haven't actually bought a book or pirated one since discovering Libby earlier this year.

    After discovering Libby, I actually haven't stopped reading. I always have something on my wait list coming up and even if I don't, my library has tons of ebooks available that I can find something.

    Since buying an eReader, I've gone from maybe reading a book or so a year to reading around a dozen. So far I'm on my 11th book this year and though it's a physical book I got from the thrift store, having the Kindle with Libby has built the habit of reading for me, so the format matters less overall.

    1 vote

  3. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    BeardyHat
    Link Parent
    Like I said, I think I'm being unnecessarily harsh because I spent money on it that I probably shouldn't have when I knew better that it wasn't my type of game. Personally, I dislike sandbox games...

    Like I said, I think I'm being unnecessarily harsh because I spent money on it that I probably shouldn't have when I knew better that it wasn't my type of game.

    Personally, I dislike sandbox games anyway. I'm bad at "making my own fun", so this game was just never going to connect with me. That said, I'll probably show it to my kids at some point and I bet they'll be pretty excited about it.

    2 votes

  4. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    BeardyHat
    Link Parent
    That's exactly it.. The last of that style of games I really liked was Valheim, because that felt appreciably different from standard tree punching. Well, and Abiotic Factor, but again both feel...

    That's exactly it.. The last of that style of games I really liked was Valheim, because that felt appreciably different from standard tree punching. Well, and Abiotic Factor, but again both feel quite different.

    There's also the fact that in those games, items and things you're doing are physically in the world, which makes it feel more alive. If I need a Stapler in Abiotic, I think, "where would I logically find a stapler?" and then I go and find an office or cubicles.

    NMS is pretty much the opposite of that. It all feels arbitrary. Again, wish I would have kept that mentality that you have currently. I'm chock it up to having a few drinks and then thinking it was a good idea, since I was looking for something new to play. Though I should have just looked to my enormous library, because I have so much I have never touched...

    2 votes

  5. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    BeardyHat
    Link Parent
    Would definitely been nice to see a fixed up sequel, not built in Unity so that it actually ran ok. But I agree. I first encountered Battletech when I got MechWarrior 2 with my 3DFX Voodoo card...

    Would definitely been nice to see a fixed up sequel, not built in Unity so that it actually ran ok.

    But I agree. I first encountered Battletech when I got MechWarrior 2 with my 3DFX Voodoo card back in like 95 or 96. Had no idea what it was until much later and I've tried to get into MW5 and the new Clans and never really felt compelled to play either of them. Although I did like MWO quite a lot when it first came out, but I just don't play multiplayer games anymore.

  6. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    BeardyHat
    Link Parent
    I may try again at some point, perhaps in creative mode or something. I have absolutely zero motivation to build a base or anything and would rather just explore. I just need to work up the...

    I may try again at some point, perhaps in creative mode or something. I have absolutely zero motivation to build a base or anything and would rather just explore. I just need to work up the gumption to actually try again...

  7. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    BeardyHat
    Link Parent
    Thanks, I'll have to investigate these fixes, especially on Deck. It's actually not too awful on my laptop and the load times are acceptable because I have it installed on an NVMe. It's actually...

    Thanks, I'll have to investigate these fixes, especially on Deck. It's actually not too awful on my laptop and the load times are acceptable because I have it installed on an NVMe. It's actually worse on my desktop because I mistakenly installed it on my HDD and I'm too lazy to move it and fix the mods if they break.

    It's really a blast. I also played a good amount of it when it first came out, having played through and completed the campaign. The mods just add so much, from new equipment types to tanks and battle armor, even VTOLs. It all makes the game even slower, not performance wise, but like getting new Mechs and building your company up. I still to be currently stuck with two 55-ton Mechs and a smattering of heavier light Mechs because contracts I'm capable of are usually mostly lights. The last one I did, trying to step up, I was facing as last 6 60-tonners and several lights.

    I don't mind though, it's a slow burn and I'm getting there. It's just making me all the more excited to start a campaign for tabletop.

    1 vote

  8. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    BeardyHat
    Link
    No Man's Sky for about 91 minutes. I saw the trailer for the new stuff in it and got kind of excited, forgetting that over the prior 9 years (has it been that long?) I haven't bothered to buy the...

    No Man's Sky for about 91 minutes. I saw the trailer for the new stuff in it and got kind of excited, forgetting that over the prior 9 years (has it been that long?) I haven't bothered to buy the game because it looks completely uninteresting to me. Largely navigating samey planets and an awful UI that is basically just moving icons around and clicking on things. Sorry to those who like this game, but I do not understand the appeal and I'm a little disappointed in myself that I forgot that this is what the game was, having blown $20 I won't get back.

    I'm being unnecessarily harsh. I know people like the game and Hello Games certainly seems like a stand-up company, fixing this game and adding to it for basically nothing over the past 9 years. I'm just disappointed in myself because I've known for those 9 years I wouldn't like it and yet I went ahead and blew my money anyway. It's no NMS or Hello Game's fault and they don't deserve the salt.

    So what I've actually been playing is loads of Hairbrained Schemes Battletech with the BTA mod to add tons of new mechs, more variability in play and all kinds of stuff. This game is slow, janky and takes forever to load and it's even worse with mods, but I absolutely love it. I've been on something of a tabletop Battletech kick lately since I bought a new 3d printer, printing and painting tons of terrain for my games, but I've been unable to actually play it just due to the business of life. I hope that'll change soon. But in the meantime, I've been absolutely hooked on HBS Battletech, adding to my already 230ish hours I had previously. I do wish it ran better on my Steam Deck, as I'm getting in the low-teens during urban battles, but this game runs pretty bad on every computer I own, so I guess that's not surprising. At any rate, it hasn't stopped me from being absolutely hooked on it and playing multiple battles each day over the weekend, even though they tend to take between 30-45 minutes and with mods, I can't save.

    12 votes

  9. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    BeardyHat
    Link Parent
    If your 3DS is hacked, I recommend checking into the DQ8 Orchestrated and Restoration mod. It restores the orchestral tracks, as well as some cut content that was in the PS2 version. Also can...

    If your 3DS is hacked, I recommend checking into the DQ8 Orchestrated and Restoration mod. It restores the orchestral tracks, as well as some cut content that was in the PS2 version.

    Also can vouch for the fan translation of DQ5. Didn't end up playing it much, but it was pretty good.

    I really want to try the DQ 3 HD, but I never did finish DQ3 on GBC after starting it last year. Think I had a majority of the orbs or whatever I needed to collect and then kind of fell off; for some reason I tend to fall off DQ games shortly after I get the ship. Probably because I never really know where to go.

  10. Comment on Suggestions for a new Steam Deck user looking to make Desktop mode pleasant to use? in ~games

    BeardyHat
    Link Parent
    Boxtron looks pretty neat! Would take a lot of the hassle out of configuring my DOS games. I don't see any particular mention of Shaders, but it looks like I could probably still edit the config...

    Boxtron looks pretty neat! Would take a lot of the hassle out of configuring my DOS games. I don't see any particular mention of Shaders, but it looks like I could probably still edit the config file to implement them on whatever game.

    Neat, thanks.

    2 votes

  11. Comment on Suggestions for a new Steam Deck user looking to make Desktop mode pleasant to use? in ~games

    BeardyHat
    Link
    Are you looking to basically add stuff to the Steam view in Big Picture Mode so you can easily jump into things? Your best bet is Heroic Games Launcher, you can download whatever GoG/Epic games...

    Are you looking to basically add stuff to the Steam view in Big Picture Mode so you can easily jump into things?

    Your best bet is Heroic Games Launcher, you can download whatever GoG/Epic games you like* and then add them to Steam as a "Non-Steam Games" entry, then they're easy to access in Big Picture.

    You can do similar with EmuDeck. With that you have the choice to either add Emulation Station as a launcher or the games on a game by game basis to "Non-Steam Games." Personally, I hate the Emulation Station launcher, so I prefer to add them directly to my Non-Steam library.

    • I recommend any DOS games be downloaded directly from GOGs website and configured manually through DOSBOX-Staging which you'll download from the Discover store. That way you're not going through multiple emulation layers (that is, emulating a Windows DOSBOX through Proton) and you get access to stuff like Shaders, which are super cool

    Otherwise, I go into desktop mode semi-regularly to move non-cloud accessible saves through my file server and back. Sometimes I connect everything up to my dock and monitor with my Trackpoint Keyboard II and do some more "serious" stuff in Desktop mode, such as configuring said DOS games.

    Other sidenote would be, I recommend going into your Steam controller profile once you're in desktop mode and configuring whatever buttons as "Shift" and "Control", that way you have easy access to common keyboard shortcuts when you're doing a mass or multiple file copy.

    Edit: Here's a post I made awhile ago about configuring DOS games

    8 votes

  12. Comment on What's your favorite hobby? in ~hobbies

    BeardyHat
    Link
    Depends on the day. But I really enjoy painting and playing miniature wargames. I've painted hundreds of models at this point and probably played a couple hundred hours worth of games. But I also...

    Depends on the day.

    But I really enjoy painting and playing miniature wargames. I've painted hundreds of models at this point and probably played a couple hundred hours worth of games.

    But I also really enjoy fixing things. From cars to electronics, I like taking things apart, understanding how they work and then repairing them.

  13. Comment on What's your favorite hobby? in ~hobbies

    BeardyHat
    Link Parent
    My wife was several years into Capoeira when we first met. She continued for a few more years, but ultimately decided the juice wasn't worth the squeeze as far as further advancement and got kind...

    My wife was several years into Capoeira when we first met. She continued for a few more years, but ultimately decided the juice wasn't worth the squeeze as far as further advancement and got kind of burned out on the "in group" mentality of it.

    1 vote

  14. Comment on CGA-2025-10 🕹ī¸â° đŸ—ēī¸ 🐸 REMOVE CARTRIDGE ⏏ī¸ Chrono Trigger in ~games

    BeardyHat
    Link Parent
    I honestly don't use it a ton, but I love the look of it. So much so that I'm obsessed with CRT shaders on emulation that look just like the shittiest TVs in remember from my childhood.

    I honestly don't use it a ton, but I love the look of it. So much so that I'm obsessed with CRT shaders on emulation that look just like the shittiest TVs in remember from my childhood.

    3 votes

  15. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    BeardyHat
    Link
    I was looking for something appropriate to the season, so I decided to start playing Costume Quest on my Steam Deck. I've owned this game for probably over 10-years now and continually started it...

    I was looking for something appropriate to the season, so I decided to start playing Costume Quest on my Steam Deck. I've owned this game for probably over 10-years now and continually started it around this time and never made it past the first area before dropping it. But something about playing it on the Deck is just the right fit, I have no idea why I never tried before.

    Anyway, I don't have any new thoughts on this old game, other than the fact that it feels absolutely great to play around this time of year and its Halloween vibes are off the charts. The combat is so-so, but goes by quick enough that it's not too bad--though I do wish you could skip some of the cutscenes in it--and you're basically doing the same thing in each area, a concession of being an early, cheap indie game, but the vibes are good and seeing what each new costume does is pretty cool. I'm hoping to finish this one this time and then maybe I'll move on to Costume Quest 2 in the future...

    2 votes

  16. Comment on CGA-2025-10 🕹ī¸â° đŸ—ēī¸ 🐸 REMOVE CARTRIDGE ⏏ī¸ Chrono Trigger in ~games

    BeardyHat
    Link Parent
    This makes me feel better about falling off at 10-hours. I really enjoyed that early game and then after about 6-7-hours I started feeling pretty bored overall..

    The only criticism I have for this game is that the first few hours are absolutely sublime a

    This makes me feel better about falling off at 10-hours. I really enjoyed that early game and then after about 6-7-hours I started feeling pretty bored overall..

    5 votes

  17. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    BeardyHat
    Link Parent
    I think that's a pretty fair critique. You really have no agency over the story. I guess I just enjoyed it because I'm in strong agreement with what it has to say.

    I think that's a pretty fair critique. You really have no agency over the story. I guess I just enjoyed it because I'm in strong agreement with what it has to say.

  18. Comment on CGA-2025-10 🕹ī¸â° đŸ—ēī¸ 🐸 REMOVE CARTRIDGE ⏏ī¸ Chrono Trigger in ~games

    BeardyHat
    Link Parent
    I'd be curious to see how you feel about it. Honestly every time I've been in you position and finished the game, I ended-up absolutely hating the game by the end (FF6 for example). If I stop now,...

    I'd be curious to see how you feel about it. Honestly every time I've been in you position and finished the game, I ended-up absolutely hating the game by the end (FF6 for example).

    If I stop now, I think I'll be able to remember Chrono Trigger as a game I enjoyed, but ultimately wasn't able to finish because it didn't hold my interest all the way through. Not to discourage you!

    3 votes

  19. Comment on CGA-2025-10 🕹ī¸â° đŸ—ēī¸ 🐸 REMOVE CARTRIDGE ⏏ī¸ Chrono Trigger in ~games

    BeardyHat
    Link Parent
    I only got it it about 5 years ago! My Mom has had it since the early 2000's and finally decided to get rid of it and since I was just beginning to get into retro gaming, I figured I'd take it!

    I only got it it about 5 years ago! My Mom has had it since the early 2000's and finally decided to get rid of it and since I was just beginning to get into retro gaming, I figured I'd take it!

    2 votes

  20. Comment on CGA-2025-10 🕹ī¸â° đŸ—ēī¸ 🐸 REMOVE CARTRIDGE ⏏ī¸ Chrono Trigger in ~games

    BeardyHat
    Link Parent
    Ahh alright. Well we'll see if I get there!

    Ahh alright. Well we'll see if I get there!

    2 votes