Bullmaestro's recent activity
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Comment on Stellantis to sell small Fiat Topolino electric vehicle for $13,995 in US in ~transport
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Comment on Give me your culture clash stories in ~travel
Bullmaestro LinkThe only time I really felt a culture clash when travelling abroad was when I went to Santorini four years ago. The locals seemed quite hostile and rude, which is unusual because I've always found...The only time I really felt a culture clash when travelling abroad was when I went to Santorini four years ago. The locals seemed quite hostile and rude, which is unusual because I've always found Greeks and Cypriots quite friendly.
Not the reason I wouldn't really recommend Santorini. It's very mountainous (if you have a fear of heights, you definitely won't like it), has basically zero sandy beaches, and is the kind of place where newlywed couples go for their honeymoon because nothing is more romantic than eating a meal with a twilit view of Fira or Oia. I stayed in Fira for a few days and the only place I really recommend in terms of nightlife is 2 Brothers Bar.
Only two people I really struck a conversation with on that trip was an Aussie couple who I went on a cruise across the island with.
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Comment on Give me your culture clash stories in ~travel
Bullmaestro Link ParentNever really experienced that helpfulness in London. I was once on a university field trip and trying to ask for directions to where Harrods was sixteen years ago. Everyone ignored me. In...Never really experienced that helpfulness in London. I was once on a university field trip and trying to ask for directions to where Harrods was sixteen years ago. Everyone ignored me.
In retrospect should've used Google Maps, but I didn't know exactly how the place was spelled.
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Comment on Discord bans (then unbans) around 8400 accounts because of a CSAM neural hash collision in ~tech
Bullmaestro LinkI'm a bit more concerned about people who had been wrongly false-flagged and banned by this, yet didn't have their bans automatically reversed. and how much they'd struggle to appeal this with...I'm a bit more concerned about people who had been wrongly false-flagged and banned by this, yet didn't have their bans automatically reversed. and how much they'd struggle to appeal this with Discord's customer support.
No Text To Speech did a video covering a similar topic about an image circulating around on Twitter over two years ago with a warning to users that reposting it anywhere on Discord would get your account instantly banned (no the thumbnail/placeholder in this video which is of Rybeck eating popcorn is not the image in question).
People were getting banned from Discord for sharing what looked like an innocuous image, but was actually a frame from an incredibly horrific illegal (CSAM) video which had been picked up by their automatic cryptographic hash detection system.
As NTTS showed, attempting to appeal a ban centered around this would lead to a very vague boilerplate rejection response.
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Comment on Give me your culture clash stories in ~travel
Bullmaestro (edited )Link ParentYou're right. This was meant for a thread about a Discord ban wave. I was exhausted.You're right. This was meant for a thread about a Discord ban wave. I was exhausted.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Bullmaestro LinkMelvor Idle: Reached total level 1300 and the cracks are already starting to show. I don't rate it particualrly well as an idle game because it feels like Malcs based it way too much on Old School...Melvor Idle:
Reached total level 1300 and the cracks are already starting to show. I don't rate it particualrly well as an idle game because it feels like Malcs based it way too much on Old School RuneScape and the design kinda suffers for it.
Smithing for example follows nearly the exact same lopsided melee gear progression as OSRS, with Steel requiring level 25 - 37 Smithing to craft gear that otherwise requires 5 Attack or Defence to wield. Rune gear requires 70 - 87 Smithing to craft but only 40 Attack/Defence respectively. And unlike in OSRS, you'll want to grind Smithing because you can trim armour pieces with silver and gold bars which grants additional strength bonuses, which are an incredibly big deal for damage output. This also applies to Dragon armour (which is smithable and is second-best in slot.)
Other skills are kinda badly designed. Township (basically a skill where you run your own town and have it update in hourly ticks) isn't good because it often bottlenecks you on certain resources and floods you with others (right now, my main bottleneck is stone and the main useless resource taking up my storehouse is food.) Tasks do go some way to helping you progress the skill but you only get 5 casual tasks once every 5 ticks, and they often involve grinding for a resource you're already abundant in.
Fellowship:
Booted it up again yesterday to try out their Season 3 update. The game now gives you the option to either stick to Holy Trinity (1 tank, 1 healer, 2 DPS) or Odd Comp (any combo of roles, with party buffs based on composition) in matchmaking, which isn't really advertised unless you look deep in their path notes.
This is actually a huge deal and I'm shocked that this hasn't been advertised more plainly. My core complaint about Fellowship was very long queue times and that the game seemed dead without a strong community. The ability to choose whatever role you want, pick up and play with zero-fucks-given is a big deal, whereas before DPS would have been oversubscribed and there'd be a shortage of either tanks or healers.
Yes, Odd Comp groups don't have leaderboards of their own, but that's not really a problem when Fellowship's core reliance on the Holy Trinity of MMO combat presented a major accessibility problem. If you can't even find groups, you can't play the game meaning you can't obtain gear, meaning you can't climb the ladder, meaning you cannot access tougher content.
Blizzard really need to start taking notes from Fellowship and add an odd comp system of their own along with solo queue Mythic+ to World of Warcraft. Elitism, toxicity and generally not having the patience to deal with the community's bullshit is why I haven't even touched WoW since the last TWW tier. Haven't even tried, let alone purchased Midnight and it remains the first WoW expansion I haven't even bothered with.
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Comment on Hi, how are you? Mental health support and discussion thread (July 2026) in ~health.mental
Bullmaestro Link ParentAn update to that, they've offered me the permanent role and I accepted. Feels weird going back to a place I was laid off from last year, but I've worked with that particular manager before and...An update to that, they've offered me the permanent role and I accepted. Feels weird going back to a place I was laid off from last year, but I've worked with that particular manager before and she's cool.
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Comment on Hi, how are you? Mental health support and discussion thread (July 2026) in ~health.mental
Bullmaestro LinkMix of good and bad. Work has been a rollercoaster. Dad is still being obnoxious and there's still a lot of uncertainty. Some good has happened though. I recently took part in a karaoke...Mix of good and bad.
Work has been a rollercoaster. Dad is still being obnoxious and there's still a lot of uncertainty.
Some good has happened though.
I recently took part in a karaoke competition (still ongoing) and advanced to the quarter-finals. The grand prize is £1,000 but I dont particularly care if I win or not, just doing this for fun.
Also, I've been approached about a permanent role going at the workplace where I'm contracting. So it's possible I'm gonna be back in full-time permanent employment.
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Comment on I need more hilariously awful pick up lines to make my wife roll her eyes at me in ~talk
Bullmaestro Link"Hey girl are you Irish? Cause my penis is Dublin!" (Sorry if that's a bit too crude)"Hey girl are you Irish? Cause my penis is Dublin!"
(Sorry if that's a bit too crude)
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Bullmaestro LinkI have been looking for a game that could scratch my itch for a new game like Wario Land 2 or 3, so I picked up Beard Blade on the recommendation of a Steam curator page that listed it as a...I have been looking for a game that could scratch my itch for a new game like Wario Land 2 or 3, so I picked up Beard Blade on the recommendation of a Steam curator page that listed it as a Wario-Like.
The only thing "Wario-Like" about this game is that they took the day/night cycle from Wario Land 3, saw how it majorly impacted two or three zones, and decided to pad the entire game around every stage having separate day/night versions, often with half the stage lazily cordoned off by blocks that activate/deactivate based on the time of day which utterly breaks the immersion of the game world.
Aside from the protagonist looking like a cartoon caricature of a certain disgraced YouTuber that had been accused of charity fraud (to the point where I genuinely had to look up if Jirard Khalil had any involvement in the making of this game), my biggest problem with Beard Blade is the movement.
Branson's controls are quite slippery and platforming feels imprecise. Nowhere is this more apparent than with the Beard Grapple move which you learn in the first zone. You need borderline pixel-perfect timing to even grapple a bar with your beard, and this makes sections where you need to use this move an exercise in frustration.
Quite a few collectibles are also placed in such a way that if you missed them on the first try, you'll have to outright restart the level - either because they're only reachable by jumping off a block you smashed, or because they can only be grabbed by an animal companion who doesn't respawn if you get knocked off of it.
I also picked up Star Fox and have mixed feelings towards the Lylat Wars remake. While I do appreciate the extended lore and brand-new cutscenes, everything about this version feels alien. Locking on doesn't feel right and the updated graphics really miss the mark when it comes to visual clarity. I especially cannot get over the voice they gave to ROB64 for this remake...
Maybe it's because it's been fourteen years since I played Star Fox 64 3D and have gotten really bad at video games since, but I managed to get medals in every stage in the N64 original and 3DS remaster, but the gameplay itself feels off in the remake.
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Comment on Donkey Kong 64: Recompiled announcement in ~games
Bullmaestro LinkThere's a long-standing rumour that Donkey Kong 64 was only bundled with the Expansion Pak because Rare's developers ran into a serious game-breaking bug that would crash the game if it was...There's a long-standing rumour that Donkey Kong 64 was only bundled with the Expansion Pak because Rare's developers ran into a serious game-breaking bug that would crash the game if it was running on a Nintendo 64 with the regular Jumper Pak inserted. They didn't have time to fix the bug, and so made the unprecedented choice to include a free Expansion Pak with the game.
I wonder if this decomp alongside the knowledge of an experienced ROM hacker like Kaze Emanuar can finally confirm or debunk the myth...
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Comment on Donkey Kong 64: Recompiled announcement in ~games
Bullmaestro Link ParentApparently the vine test is a very good way of testing an emulator's accuracy. Although the MiSTer FPGA core fails it, the Analogue 3D does pass. Even Nintendo's own official emulators didn't pass...Apparently the vine test is a very good way of testing an emulator's accuracy. Although the MiSTer FPGA core fails it, the Analogue 3D does pass.
Even Nintendo's own official emulators didn't pass this test... until it came out on NSO...
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Comment on US releases powerful Anthropic model Mythos to some US companies in ~tech
Bullmaestro LinkThe real question is... Does Mythos hold up to the hype or is this bullshit?The real question is... Does Mythos hold up to the hype or is this bullshit?
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Comment on Deltarune Chapter 5 is out now in ~games
Bullmaestro LinkIts a game I'll get into when the full game is out. Undertale was a very one-time experience for me.Its a game I'll get into when the full game is out.
Undertale was a very one-time experience for me.
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Comment on How important is sexual chemistry/ability/quality to you when you date/marry/whatever? in ~life
Bullmaestro Link ParentI did have a thought about getting dance lessons because I don't feel comfortable walking on to a dance floor on my own. The only times I've danced with women lately is when I've rapped Baby Got...I did have a thought about getting dance lessons because I don't feel comfortable walking on to a dance floor on my own.
The only times I've danced with women lately is when I've rapped Baby Got Back at karaoke and had women either grind on me or slap my butt. And I get a bit spooked at both because I dont particularly want distractions when I'm on the mic, especially anything that could give me wood. I dont want that halfway through a karaoke song...
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Comment on How important is sexual chemistry/ability/quality to you when you date/marry/whatever? in ~life
Bullmaestro Link ParentEverything's a skill when you think about it. I thought singing was a talent thing until I engaged with a subreddit that was very positive about encouraging people to sing and I got lessons of my...Everything's a skill when you think about it. I thought singing was a talent thing until I engaged with a subreddit that was very positive about encouraging people to sing and I got lessons of my own.
For context, I now do a lot of amateur pub karaoke. My stuff has had a mixed reception. Some consider me a legend, others think im good at very select things, many think I'm the guy who is "brave enough to sing almost anything."
And how can things like "eating out" not be learned?
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Comment on How important is sexual chemistry/ability/quality to you when you date/marry/whatever? in ~life
Bullmaestro LinkAs someone who lost their virginity over a year ago at the ripe age of 33, I don't feel qualified to answer your question. And that's because I feel like women subconsciously see me as really...As someone who lost their virginity over a year ago at the ripe age of 33, I don't feel qualified to answer your question. And that's because I feel like women subconsciously see me as really unattractive, even repulsive.
My only sexual partner was my previous ex, and both times we slept together it was a disaster. Not sure whether it was because of her weight (She was about 230 lbs and 4'8", which firmly puts her in the obese BMI category), my inexperience, masturbating too much (PIED is a thing), or possible past anxiety/trauma I have around women, but I struggled to stay erect, didn't climax, and just couldn't really get into it. But I'm grateful it was with her.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Bullmaestro LinkAlmost finished Mina the Hollower. It's a game I really wanted to like because of how thematically brilliant it is but I just have little desire to return to it. After Queensbury Crypt (1st...Almost finished Mina the Hollower. It's a game I really wanted to like because of how thematically brilliant it is but I just have little desire to return to it. After Queensbury Crypt (1st dungeon), the game goes from Soulslike to a Zelda-like. But it's when you reach the final dungeon that the game's difficulty ramps the hell up, even with capped stats and nearly all trinkets unlocked.
I also picked up Melvor Idle and all its expansions. It's an idle game based heavily on RuneScape, and to my surprise was also published by Jagex. As for what I think of it? The menus are very convoluted, some skills had to be rejigged in order to not make them completely useless. For example, Firemaking gives some global XP buffs and a very viable way to farm coal without mining, whilst Agility gives a lot of passive stat buffs depending on the obstacle course you build.
Other skills have been reworked for the worse. Prayer functions completely differently to how it does in RS. Rather than gain Prayer XP from burying bones, you instead earn Prayer Points from burials and earn XP by spending these prayer points on their respective combat buffs, but the amount of XP gained is based on damage dealt and is so minuscule that it genuinely makes Prayer more of a slog to train than it is in OSRS.
Melvor just overall feels like the most confusing idle game I've played. And I'm gonna predict it takes somewhere between Cookie Clicker and NGU Idle amounts of time to fully complete.
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Comment on Blizzard sues to take down another private World of Warcraft server, Project Ascension in ~games
Bullmaestro LinkI'm surprised at how quickly Turtle WoW caved in the face of a lawsuit. Torta/Shenna is Russian and so are a majority of the developers working under her. Last I checked, Russia doesnt really care...I'm surprised at how quickly Turtle WoW caved in the face of a lawsuit. Torta/Shenna is Russian and so are a majority of the developers working under her. Last I checked, Russia doesnt really care for US copyrights and trademarks.
This wasnt a Nostalrius situation where the French courts would've easily bent the knee, and that shows in the fact that Blizzard could never really shut down Elysium, the successor server.
Only Turtle WoW's community manager turned out to be a US citizen that could have faced serious legal trouble from Blizzard.
My guess is that Torta either thought it was better to shut down Turtle WoW and quietly rebuild another major private server behind the scenes, or they've made some kind of deal with Blizzard. Their restructuring as Moonwhisper Games kinda suggests the latter in some outlandish what-if scenario, as if they were announced as the developers of Classic+ in November, Blizzard would earn some serious brownie points.
Where does this leave Ascension? I mean unless they were stupid enough to operate within America or Western Europe, I don't think there's much Blizzard can do aside from pressure ISPs, hosting providers and payment processors to blacklist them.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Bullmaestro Link ParentThe hammer seems to be the weapon-of-choice for speedruns, and I saw a 1 hour 29 minute run take down the kraken boss at the very start of the game in mere seconds with it. It's one of those...The hammer seems to be the weapon-of-choice for speedruns, and I saw a 1 hour 29 minute run take down the kraken boss at the very start of the game in mere seconds with it.
It's one of those "unkillable" bosses that is meant to flee when you're at low health. If you do beat it, you get a really powerful trinket.
This is the EV equivalent of driving one of those Little Tikes Cozy Coupe toy cars around.
The only place where I can see this being even remotely suitable for the road is in Welsh towns, where there are 20mph speed limits in force on their residential and built-up roads. Maybe you could get away with it in other towns that have primarily 30mph limits if you buy the conversion kit...
It feels like this car only exists for people who want to smugly virtue signal to everybody that they're saving the planet, by slithering along a road at 19mph to the annoyance of every other motorist. It's otherwise a two-seater with practically nonexistent boot space and pitiful range, which doesn't even make it useful as a city car.