BeardyHat's recent activity
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Comment on CGA-2025-11 🔴🟡🔵🟢 INSERT CARTRIDGE 🟢 PlayStation WHAT? in ~games
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Comment on November 2025 Backlog Burner: Week 1 Discussion in ~games
BeardyHat Link ParentNo worries, I'll participate. It may not be with vigor, but I'm definitely going to try and get through some of my games and I've been looking for a good excuse to go back to Racettear and to...No worries, I'll participate. It may not be with vigor, but I'm definitely going to try and get through some of my games and I've been looking for a good excuse to go back to Racettear and to finally try 428 Shibuya Scramble; this is as good as any.
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Comment on November 2025 Backlog Burner: Week 1 Discussion in ~games
BeardyHat LinkWell, I didn't realize I was participating. But that's alright, I'll bite. I went ahead and generated a Bingo Card anyway and it gives me some direction and thought on what I'll do here. Mode:...Well, I didn't realize I was participating. But that's alright, I'll bite. I went ahead and generated a Bingo Card anyway and it gives me some direction and thought on what I'll do here.
Mode: Standard Bingo! Finished 0/25 Interactive fiction Comedy Military/realistic shooter FPS Roguelike Cozy Third-person shooter ARPG Metroidvania/search action Base building Shop keeper Horror ★ Wildcard Sim racing Survival horror Arena/boomer shooter Action-adventure Management Walking simulator God game Driving/piloting City builder Exploration Real-time strategy/tactics Soulslike So my thought process is the following:
I'm going to go straight up the left column, starting from the bottom. Why? Well, because I just started Pacific Drive the other day and I started Cultic Episode Two a little earlier in the week as well. So, I'm thinking things will end-up looking like:
- Pacific Drive
- Cultic
- Recettear
- ????
- 428 Shibuya Scramble
Number 4 or "Cozy" will be a bit of a challenge for me, as I'm not really much of a Cozy game player, so I'll have to find something that works in that slot, as well as works for me. We'll see.
I don't necessarily intend to finish any of them (with the exception of Cultic), but I'll play them until I feel like I'm done with them and then move on to the next thing.
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Comment on People with a very good memory: does that make it harder to forgive? in ~talk
BeardyHat LinkJust wanted to say, I have the same "problem". I have no idea if I have ADHD, but I have an awful memory and I find it extremely difficult to hold a grudge. It's probably beneficial to my...Just wanted to say, I have the same "problem". I have no idea if I have ADHD, but I have an awful memory and I find it extremely difficult to hold a grudge.
It's probably beneficial to my relationship with my wife, because I just cannot remember any grievances.
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Comment on Project N - a fork Daggerfall Unity seeking to add all of Tamriel in to the Daggerfall engine in ~games
BeardyHat Link ParentDaggerfall was a bit of a White Whale for me after first playing the demo off the PC Gamer demo disk in 1996. I finally got around to actually playing it a couple of years ago via Daggerfall...Daggerfall was a bit of a White Whale for me after first playing the demo off the PC Gamer demo disk in 1996.
I finally got around to actually playing it a couple of years ago via Daggerfall Unity, with a bunch of mods mostly on my Steam Deck. I probably put like 25 or so hours into it but eventually fell off, though I think about going back quite a bit.
It's a fun game and it is fun to be in the world, but it's a game where you kind of have to make your own fun. Quests are generally not super interesting or involved, the world is very samey, no matter where you go, there's nothing to really see out in the world. The dungeons end up all being very similar, though they're still pretty fun to explore and this is where the real meat of the game is, dungeon crawling.
So with all that, if you're a person who can immerse yourself in a character and really role-play within the world, deciding on a character arc, you'll likely have fun with it. I am not that person and this is why in ultimately fell off the game. Daggerfall still holds a special place in my heart and I still find it charming, I still want to go back and dabble around in the world, but it's not a game that I'm going to play for hundreds of hours. And while this project seems pretty interesting, I don't have much interest in it, because again, it's largely going to be more of the same with what is already there. Daggerfall has such a huge world because it's mostly Proc Gen and all the things that come along with that.
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Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
BeardyHat Link ParentI certainly wouldn't complain about having options, especially if it's... Not good.I certainly wouldn't complain about having options, especially if it's... Not good.
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Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
BeardyHat Link ParentLol, well good to know. I read like halfway into Chapter 3 and it seemed kind of bad, but I wasn't sure if I was just missing somethingLol, well good to know. I read like halfway into Chapter 3 and it seemed kind of bad, but I wasn't sure if I was just missing something
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Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
BeardyHat Link ParentDid you suggest this to me in the past? Someone definitely did. I actually started reading the sample on Kindle after it was suggested to me and it wasn't quite hitting right, but it's been in the...Did you suggest this to me in the past? Someone definitely did.
I actually started reading the sample on Kindle after it was suggested to me and it wasn't quite hitting right, but it's been in the back of my mind since. And actually on a recent thrift store run, I found a paperback copy of it, so I picked it up in anticipation of trying it again since it's been like a year or something.
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Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
BeardyHat LinkI've really gotten into reading Star Trek novels. They're a thing I can find at a thrift store that are pretty cheap and common, because they're not some desirable thing to scalpers and resellers...I've really gotten into reading Star Trek novels. They're a thing I can find at a thrift store that are pretty cheap and common, because they're not some desirable thing to scalpers and resellers who are buying them en masse to make huge profits on.
So a few weeks ago, I found 3 out of 4 books of the Star Trek: Invasion! series, one I'd never heard of before (I'm not well versed in Star Trek novels). I originally picked-up the Next Gen (Book 2) book because that's primarily what I'm interested in and when I got it home, I realized it was part of a series, so I went back and picked up the other two books they happened to have.
I finished the first book, Star Trek - First Strike last week and then started reading The Soldiers of Fear earlier this week and so far? They're very good and quite fun. I've never really engaged with The Original Series much before, but I actually really loved First Strike and thought it was a fun read and helped me get to know TOS characters a lot more than I did prior. The series seemingly surrounds this odd race of creatures that come into our sector of space, having been driven out 5000-years ago; they ultimately decide that Starfleet and the like are the people who drove them out and decide to go to war. Of course, Kirk figures out a clever way to disable and ultimately destroy their ship; Book 2 picks-up something like 100 years after the first book with the Next Gen crew dealing with something similar.
It's full of the usual Star Trek stuff with the crew trying Diplomacy first before any action happens, but it's a fun puzzle to read through and see how the characters try to solve the crisis through non-violence. So far, I'm halfway through Book 2 and just ended-up ordering Book 3 from a charity shop on eBay, as that was the one I was missing. I'm looking forward to getting through this series and then possibly picking up one of the many other Star Trek books I've also picked-up at the thrift store, if I'm not ready for something different by that point.
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Comment on Announcing the Backlog Burner event for November 2025: Shrink your unplayed games list this coming month! in ~games
BeardyHat Link ParentPlease get to SKALD, it's fantastic and not that long.Please get to SKALD, it's fantastic and not that long.
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Comment on Travel essentials: eight items to pack for your next trip – and what to leave at home in ~travel
BeardyHat Link ParentThis 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.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
BeardyHat Link ParentLike 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.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
BeardyHat Link ParentThat'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...
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
BeardyHat Link ParentWould 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.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
BeardyHat Link ParentI 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...
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
BeardyHat Link ParentThanks, 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.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
BeardyHat LinkNo 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.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
BeardyHat Link ParentIf 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.
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Comment on Suggestions for a new Steam Deck user looking to make Desktop mode pleasant to use? in ~games
BeardyHat Link ParentBoxtron 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.
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Comment on Suggestions for a new Steam Deck user looking to make Desktop mode pleasant to use? in ~games
BeardyHat LinkAre 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
Not exactly sure how I'll be playing these games this month, but probably bouncing around different emulation options, starting with the current handheld I'm using a lot, the TrimUI Brick. For Parappa The Rapper 2, I'll need to instead use either my tablet, Steam Deck or my computer. I do have a PS2, but it's very outdated and needs a lot of hardware updates and rehacking to actually function correctly, plus I'd rather be able to play untethered from a TV.
As for these games, I really only know the original Parappa the Rapper. I had a friend at the time who had relatively recently gotten a PlayStation; I was well into PC gaming at the time and had tried to bring this friend along with me. But eventually when his PC got too old, his Dad resolved to just get him a PlayStation so he could play games rather than spend the huge amount of money to upgrade their PC.
So friend got his PlayStation and I recall going to his house and us playing Parappa the Rapper off a demo disk. He seemed to really like it, but it wasn't for me; I tried a few times, but the gameplay just never enraptured me and I went away thinking it was kind of a dumb game. As an adult now, I have gone back to explore the PlayStation library since I largely missed it (again, been a PC gamer for quite awhile), but never did go back to retry Parappa, as I've never really been a rhythm game fan.
That said, I'm interested in giving it a try and seeing if my opinion is different some 30-years later. I don't think I'll make it particularly far in either game, but I'm curious to give them a go. As for the others, well, never heard of them.