BeardyHat's recent activity

  1. Comment on What's something you've moved on from? in ~talk

    BeardyHat
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    Many things in this thread that remind me of stuff in my life: Weed is a big one for me. I didn't really get into it until probably my mid-20's and then smoked heavily until about 34. It was a...

    Many things in this thread that remind me of stuff in my life:

    1. Weed is a big one for me. I didn't really get into it until probably my mid-20's and then smoked heavily until about 34. It was a concerted effort to actually quit, but now that I've been sober from it for about 8 years, I couldn't care less about it.

    2. As @EsteeBestee says, Tabletop RPGs. I played them a lot in my early 20's to my early 30's and I still have an active group, but I don't care about going and playing, really. I go to hang out with people and get myself out of the house, but I could not care less if we played the game or not and in fact, would probably prefer if we didn't, because it would mean less "Homework" for me.

    3. A few friendships. I was very close with an older friend in my 20's, he being in his 40s. After I changed relationships and he had his own mental break, as well as had a spouse that commited a major crime, we sort-of lost touch. Each of us kind of tried to reconnect, but never really did and since then I think both of us have moved on.

    4. Warhammer. Weird time to get into it, but I started getting heavily invested in it around mid-2020. A few years later, I went to several tournaments and have 4 different armies for it, two of which are fully painted. But I've lost interest in the game and painting so much. I ended-up finding other games that are more fun to me, as well as have a significantly lower model count, which means less painting and more playing.

    5. Similarly, painting miniatures in general. At this point in the 6ish years I've been at it, I've painted hundreds of minitures and I still am painting some for my favorite game, but I'm kind of over it. I still enjoy going to tournaments for this other game, but outside of having one coming up (every six months), I have pretty much zero motivation to paint. Something I once did for pleasure, I'd mostly rather not do at this time and when this tournament coming up in February is done, I'll probably put down my paint brush until the next one.

    6. Modding Gameboy's. Around 2018 or 2019, I got really in to buying Gameboys, fixing them up and modifying them. It was fun to learn the basic soldering skills to do that, as well as repair old systems and then sell them on. But it really only lasted a year or two before I got pretty bored with it as a whole and stopped. I still have several of them in my drawers that have been fixed or are ready to be modded, but they just sit there gathering dust. I ought to sell them, but I feel not quite ready to do that yet, if that makes sense.

    13 votes

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

    BeardyHat
    Link Parent
    Ah yeah, it definitely becomes tough when there's no one to play with! BT really started to take off here in the last year or so, pretty much right after 10th Ed 40k launched. That said, I'm in a...

    Ah yeah, it definitely becomes tough when there's no one to play with! BT really started to take off here in the last year or so, pretty much right after 10th Ed 40k launched.

    That said, I'm in a very lucky position to have friends nearby that play pretty much everything, so it's usually not difficult to get a game of whatever.

    Have you looked at Warcry? I know it's a little out of date, but the list building aspect really scratched that itch for me as far as that aspect of the game goes. Though admittedly, I've only ever played one game of it.

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

    BeardyHat
    Link Parent
    You should checkout Battletech. It's significantly cheaper and generally less sweaty than Kill Team and scratches the Skirmish itch quite nicely.

    You should checkout Battletech. It's significantly cheaper and generally less sweaty than Kill Team and scratches the Skirmish itch quite nicely.

  4. Comment on As Hitman 3 turns five years old, we surely have enough hindsight to declare it – this is one of the greatest of all time, right? in ~games

    BeardyHat
    Link Parent
    This is awesome, thanks. Been playing the Hitman games since the very first one way back whenever. My tastes have changed a bit in the intervining years, so I haven't taken to WoA like I'd hoped,...

    This is awesome, thanks.

    Been playing the Hitman games since the very first one way back whenever. My tastes have changed a bit in the intervining years, so I haven't taken to WoA like I'd hoped, but a component of that has definitely been the always online stuff with it. Yo be able to rid myself of it is a godsend.

    4 votes

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

    BeardyHat
    Link Parent
    This is sort of funny, actually. I have a Surface Go, which won't run Civ 5 or 6 and recently had a Surface Pro 7 i5 that barely played it due to overheating..I just sold the Pro 7 this week with...

    This is sort of funny, actually.

    I have a Surface Go, which won't run Civ 5 or 6 and recently had a Surface Pro 7 i5 that barely played it due to overheating..I just sold the Pro 7 this week with the intent to buy a Pro 7+ i7 with a fan so I could better play Civ 6 on it with touch, because I'm so generally dissatisfied with the Android version of the game.

    I don't find the text bad at all on Deck. Everything is definitely smaller, which takes some adjustment after playing on my 16" laptop screen, but after a few minutes it feels natural. I don't find the text too small or unreadable and am not feeling like I'm generally struggling to read anything on it. Take that for what you will, but I'm not young with sharp eyes either. I'd prefer to play it on something bigger (hence the Surface), but it definitely doesn't bother me in the slightest to play on Deck.

    1 vote

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

    BeardyHat
    Link Parent
    Montezuma is definitely in there. I've only played about 50 or so hours of Civ 6, so I'm not super familiar with everything yet, but the few times I've encoutered him, I've never actually had an...

    Montezuma is definitely in there.

    I've only played about 50 or so hours of Civ 6, so I'm not super familiar with everything yet, but the few times I've encoutered him, I've never actually had an issue.

    But now in my current game, I've also discovered the Maori and they don't seem to like me much either, not sure why. They were friendly with Mabauche, so maybe that has something to do with it, but they just settled on my continent and so I denounced them, which didn't make them happy.

    But yeah, I'm just happy to play! I actually wish the version on Android was a little better, because I hate the fact that it's super low res and the lowest graphics options; would much rather play on my tablet, but I've been using my Steam Deck instead because it's more comfortable than my laptop, yet I can have the graphical options cranked-up.

    1 vote

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

    BeardyHat
    Link Parent
    I somehow completely missed that I could go back to previous chapters to refigure things out. Definitely gives me some motivation to give it another go.

    I somehow completely missed that I could go back to previous chapters to refigure things out. Definitely gives me some motivation to give it another go.

    1 vote

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

    BeardyHat
    Link Parent
    That's good to know, I somehow missed that. Thanks.

    That's good to know, I somehow missed that. Thanks.

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

    BeardyHat
    Link Parent
    This is definitely one I need to go back to, but I'm slow in solving the puzzles and playing. My biggest issue was that it's not friendly to my lack of memory, often requiring me to remember who...

    This is definitely one I need to go back to, but I'm slow in solving the puzzles and playing. My biggest issue was that it's not friendly to my lack of memory, often requiring me to remember who people were and what they were doing, so I can deduce who and what is going on in the next scene.

    Really do want to get back to it, just wish my memory wasn't so terrible so it was easier for me to play.

    1 vote

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

    BeardyHat
    Link Parent
    So I'm going to start this off by saying, I think we're in different camps when it comes to playing WoW. I'm a player who absolutely loves the leveling experience. I'm constantly starting new...

    So I'm going to start this off by saying, I think we're in different camps when it comes to playing WoW. I'm a player who absolutely loves the leveling experience. I'm constantly starting new characters and repeating the same old content again and again. Been doing it for 22 years now since I played in one of the later WoW Betas in like 2003-2004. I did do some raiding in TBC as a Shaman, but hated the idea of being beholden to my guild at a certain time and not being able to play how I wanted to play, so I stopped after a month or so.

    I'll get to the point: Why not play on a private server? I used to treat WoW a bit like a job, even if I wasn't raiding. Logging on everyday to play for hours. These days yeah, I've got a lot going on (to keep it short) and so I really only want to play every now and then. I go through periods with some friends where we'll play for a couple of weeks and then we'll all fall off and not play for several months or maybe even I'll dip in here and there just for fun. Private servers really suit this quite well, since you don't feel like your wasting your money or your time on a subscription you aren't using. Not to mention, if you just want to raid, there's tons of servers that have 4x-10x exp and you'll shoot through levels and many even will just offer high level characters so you can jump right in to that experience.

    Tangentially, it's also better than giving more money to scumbag Blizzard.

    2 votes

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

    BeardyHat
    Link Parent
    I've still got my troops massed in that city I took, just waiting for an excuse to use them. I tend not to be very warlike, but I'm happy to engage if someone else provokes... I'm Dido and the...

    I've still got my troops massed in that city I took, just waiting for an excuse to use them. I tend not to be very warlike, but I'm happy to engage if someone else provokes...

    I'm Dido and the enemy was Mabuche? Not exactly sure how to spell it. I'm still pretty novice when it comes to Civ, so I don't expect to win this game (just like my last one as Nubia), but I have fun anyway and enjoy the little interactions and stories that come out of it.

    1 vote

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

    BeardyHat
    Link
    I had been playing Adventurey/Explory games, but I've been feeling quite mentally overwhelmed recently with how things in life are going and I've pretty much only been playing Civ 6 in the past...

    I had been playing Adventurey/Explory games, but I've been feeling quite mentally overwhelmed recently with how things in life are going and I've pretty much only been playing Civ 6 in the past week or so. I appreciate that it's a game I can just jump into and depending on how much time I have, I can take a lot of turns or a couple and then call it a day. Then, when I come back I find it easy to pick up where I left off from without having to think, "Where was I? What was I doing? What's the story? Who's that dude?" It's been a perfect game for where I'm at mentally.

    One recent anecdote from yesterday was that I got surprise attacked by my Northern neighbor while my army was in the South fighting off Barbarians so I could continue to expand. This caught me off guard and the enemy immediately started moving towards my Capital. Luckily I was Suzereine of the nearby City-State which had a pretty enormous military. I had enough money to Levy them and suddenly had half a dozen Warriors and two Archers, which I moved to defend my Capital with. I managed to beat back the invaders and proceeded to their nearest city, ultimately crushing the defenders and taking the city for myself.

    Finally the enemy capitulated (they may have tried to buy Peace earlier with token offerings, but I'm nothing if not vindictive) and offered to let me keep the City, as well as pay me off. I still have plenty of grievances since they attacked me first and I'm off scott free with another city, so I'm pretty excited about that.

    3 votes

  13. Comment on Renfrew Christie dies at 76; sabotaged racist regime’s nuclear program (gifted link) in ~society

    BeardyHat
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    I've never heard of this person before, but damn, what a fucking hero. I wish I had the kind of grit and selflessness it takes to put oneself in such a position, but I am a coward.

    I've never heard of this person before, but damn, what a fucking hero. I wish I had the kind of grit and selflessness it takes to put oneself in such a position, but I am a coward.

    9 votes

  14. Comment on How have you changed in the last year? What are your goals for this year? in ~life

    BeardyHat
    Link Parent
    Congratulations! Kids will absolutely change your life and your perspective (but not immediately). Something I also like to say to soon to be parents: It is 100% ok if you don't love them or feel...

    Congratulations!

    Kids will absolutely change your life and your perspective (but not immediately).

    Something I also like to say to soon to be parents: It is 100% ok if you don't love them or feel any different at first, that is absolutely normal. It took both myself and my wife months to love our kids respectively. You're not broken or weird or whatever; you've gone through a major life change and now you have a sack of potatoes that eats, poops and cries that you have to carry everywhere with you.

    Also, struggling with breastfeeding is very normal.

    Anyway, I hope for an easy pregnancy and an uneventful birth for you!

    9 votes

  15. Comment on How have you changed in the last year? What are your goals for this year? in ~life

    BeardyHat
    Link Parent
    I hope so. I have a strong fear of change, so it's pretty scary to be looking for work again after so long, not to mention during these times of massive layoffs. I'm just hoping I can find...

    I hope so. I have a strong fear of change, so it's pretty scary to be looking for work again after so long, not to mention during these times of massive layoffs. I'm just hoping I can find something that's rewarding, but also fairly flexible, because I'd like to still be around for my family as much as possible.

    I've been working on a 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.2l V8 since 2017. I pulled the engine out December 2019 and took it to my buddy's house who had all the rebuild tools and knowledge to help me, so things got delayed sometime in early 2020, who can say why...

    Anyway, I finally finished the engine and dropped it back in in May 2025, reassembled the intake and installed it in September, now need to finish getting the front of the engine together, wiring harness back in and get the transmission, transfer case and driveshafts back in and it'll be ready to go.

    3 votes

  16. Comment on How have you changed in the last year? What are your goals for this year? in ~life

    BeardyHat
    Link
    Having been a stay at home Dad for going on eight years now, I've suddenly found myself with a lack of responsibilities with my youngest having started school full time in the Fall. Suddenly, a...

    • Having been a stay at home Dad for going on eight years now, I've suddenly found myself with a lack of responsibilities with my youngest having started school full time in the Fall. Suddenly, a lot of the stuff I was doing to take care of the kids has kind of fallen off and I've refocused a lot on myself, which I don't necessarily think has been a great thing. I'm still doing stuff like cleaning the kitchen, cooking, grocery shopping, laundry, etc, but I've been delving deeper into my own hobbies and doing what often feels to me like fucking around. At this point, I'm kind of lackdasically looking to pick my career back-up, but I'm not sure what that looks like so I've been moving slow. I'm hoping to have a resume out this week.

    • My anxiety is back under control and I'm back on medication. Over the past two years or so, I hadn't realized that my anxiety had crept back in and I wasn't addressing it. It came to a head in October 2025 and I realized I was being controlled by it and needed to get back on medication. Not really something I wanted to do, but I feel a little more like myself again. I still don't think I'm in a great place mentally and I think part of that is my floundering with what I'm doing right now and trying to figure out my life again in the last 4-5 months.

    My goals for 2026 are simply to get back into my career and earn some decent money. It doesn't have to be a lot, because my wife can easily cover most our bills, but I'd like to go back to doing what I was before I quit working in 2018. I'm not sure if that's possible or not.

    I would also like to finish off my long term car project. It's very much near completion, but I haven't had the motivation to go outside in my garage and do it, especially given the colder months, but I would like to have to finished by summer. I imagine I probably only have another 20-30 hours worth of work to go on it.

    5 votes

  17. Comment on Good News Everyone! - the coping with everything edition in ~talk

    BeardyHat
    Link Parent
    Thanks for this, I'm going to check it out. I do feel like Home kind of did everything and everything else has just kind of iterated on that and never been as interesting; I've definitely checked...

    Thanks for this, I'm going to check it out. I do feel like Home kind of did everything and everything else has just kind of iterated on that and never been as interesting; I've definitely checked out lots of stuff since then, but kind of rapidly grew board of the genre as a whole, since it felt like nothing was really happening.

    3 votes

  18. Comment on Pluribus full season discussion in ~tv

    BeardyHat
    Link Parent
    My wife was also frustrated with the ending; I'm not totally clear on her reasoning, other than she felt like Carol trying to be happy was bad and she doesn't like Menousos, because she doesn't...

    My wife was also frustrated with the ending; I'm not totally clear on her reasoning, other than she felt like Carol trying to be happy was bad and she doesn't like Menousos, because she doesn't feel like he's being totally reasonable, especially when trying to get around the darion gap. She insists he could have taken a boat from the eastern side of the continent.

    Anyway, I disagree with her. I think Carol trying to be happy for a bit towards the end of the season is her trying to come to terms with Helen's death and moving towards that kind of false acceptance in the stages of grief, can't recall what it's termed at this point. But not only coming to grips with Helen's death, but also the fact that this is how the world is now and it necessarily need to be a bad thing, that she can still enjoy herself and try to form a (false) relationship with a supposed individual. Only to suddenly to have that ripped away from her when she realizes she's not as safe as she originally thought she might be.

    As far as Menousos goes, he seems like a bit of an obnoxious dummy to me, but also yeah, I know people be like that. The insistence on going it alone to what is certain death is a little silly. Though also after they rescued him, why didn't they just fly him immediately to New Mexico? I suppose maybe he needed medical treatment immediately, but they could have likely setup a hospital plane to manage that while they fly him there.

    At any rate, I enjoyed it. I love a good slow burn and I'm enjoying the pace.

    3 votes

  19. Comment on Hooters | Bankrupt in ~food

    BeardyHat
    Link Parent
    I had a pretty similar life experience. The first and only time I was in a Hooters, I was maybe 12 or 13, so like 1996ish. I felt super uncomfortable about it and the food was terrible to boot....

    I had a pretty similar life experience. The first and only time I was in a Hooters, I was maybe 12 or 13, so like 1996ish. I felt super uncomfortable about it and the food was terrible to boot.

    Between both, the food being awful is what I remember the most. I had Chicken Wings and they were just...I dunno, they did not taste good at all. Hooters to me always seemed like low brow crap and I'm a fan of low brow, but it just... It was always a no thanks from me.

    9 votes

  20. Comment on What’s a point that you think many people missed? in ~talk