DarthYoshiBoy's recent activity

  1. Comment on Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake video game review in ~games

    DarthYoshiBoy
    Link Parent
    I'm not OP, but I come from a similar place regarding this remake. The ability to recruit a party of adventurers of your choice, grow those characters in their classes, and eventually re-class...

    Any parts of the game in particular that stand out fondly in your memory?

    I'm not OP, but I come from a similar place regarding this remake.

    The ability to recruit a party of adventurers of your choice, grow those characters in their classes, and eventually re-class them later and create some truly wild builds is the thing that keeps me returning to DQ3 all these years later.

    I played it originally on the NES and I've replayed it every time it's gotten a port to a new system. I generally return to the Fan Translation of the SNES port every other year or so just because I love the story, the art, the mechanics, and just about everything they're putting down there. The party creation options and the job system are really what makes it a joy to play over and over again. Many games have done jobs, DQ3 set the mold and it's rarely been matched since.

    2 votes

  2. Comment on Severance | Season 2 official teaser in ~tv

    DarthYoshiBoy
    Link Parent
    Thank you kind stranger, that's the single piece of information I wanted and here it is without spoilers or addendums.

    Thank you kind stranger, that's the single piece of information I wanted and here it is without spoilers or addendums.

    1 vote

  3. Comment on It is time to do away with the empty recurring weekly threads in ~tildes

    DarthYoshiBoy
    Link
    The one recurring thread that I think needs to be done away with is the Game Deals thread. Deals are often valid for less than a week, and as Wario64 continues to show (At least I assume, I have...

    The one recurring thread that I think needs to be done away with is the Game Deals thread. Deals are often valid for less than a week, and as Wario64 continues to show (At least I assume, I have given up the dead bird site,) they happen at all times of the day every day of the week. Forcing deals to a single thread defeats the point of even having deal posts since there's little to no visibility here when a new deal drops and for the best deals you're often going to miss out if you're not there in the first brief moments of a deal being live. Which all in turn means that the motivation for people to try and share deals here where they'll be buried in a week old thread that may disappear tomorrow is basically zero.

    I rarely see any of those threads with more than a comment or two outside of Steam Sale weeks, and those are typically just people talking about what they like in the sale that everyone and their dog already knows is happening, which I guess is fair enough since it's nice to hear what people are enjoying out there, but it's basically useless as a means of finding good deals. Hell, the whole ethos of this site where in-depth content is supposed to be king basically makes deal posts as they're intended to function a non-starter here because they're shallow AF and only intended to share one piece of timely information and maybe possibly follow that up with an indication when the deal has ended. There's nothing discussion-wise happening in 90% of posts to deals forums, that's not the point. Either allow individual deal posts with appropriate labels, or do away with the mega threads, the middle ground we're in now is basically worse than worthless because it's clutter that reminds me of better times with sites I've since given up that take deals seriously.

    4 votes

  4. Comment on Concord is estimated to have sold only 25,000 units. Here’s why analysts think it’s failing. in ~games

    DarthYoshiBoy
    Link
    I wonder if they dumped their whole marketing budget into trying to pull a Massive Attack with a "sly declaration of new classic status slipped into a list of old safe ones" by getting Secret...

    I wonder if they dumped their whole marketing budget into trying to pull a Massive Attack with a "sly declaration of new classic status slipped into a list of old safe ones" by getting Secret Level to do an episode dedicated to their new IP to top off the cluster fuck outlined in this article.

    7 votes

  5. Comment on Viral hot sauce challenges have fueled a $100 million chile pepper arms race in ~food

    DarthYoshiBoy
    Link Parent
    I'd largely agree, but ghost peppers actually have an amazing flavor that I love and I recommend anyone who enjoys heat and pepper flavor should not sleep on ghost peppers.

    once you get pass the habanero level, the peppers don't taste very good.

    I'd largely agree, but ghost peppers actually have an amazing flavor that I love and I recommend anyone who enjoys heat and pepper flavor should not sleep on ghost peppers.

    6 votes

  6. Comment on Apple’s requirements (subscription model only) to hit creators and fans on Patreon in ~tech

    DarthYoshiBoy
    Link Parent
    Valve allows devs to cut their own keys for their software that the dev can sell outside of Steam at a 0% cost to the dev (Well, 0% Valve incurred costs, there are likely costs for doing your own...

    Valve allows devs to cut their own keys for their software that the dev can sell outside of Steam at a 0% cost to the dev (Well, 0% Valve incurred costs, there are likely costs for doing your own independent sales, but they're likely less than 30% all told.) The devs still get to use Steam's infrastructure for automatic patching, promotion, bandwidth, forums, user content, and everything else that comes with Steam and the only tradeoff is that they pay 30% for the purchases that happen within Steam. Hell, they allow you to sell your game directly without any Steam integration at all and still use Steam backend services (matchmaking and such) if you like so long as your game is also offered for sale on Steam. Granted that process isn't just plug and play, it takes a lot of heavy lifting on your end as a dev to integrate everything, but you can do it if you choose, it's at the very least allowed.

    It's not even remotely the same as Apple's situation. Apple doesn't allow apps outside of their walled garden and they very much don't allow you to make money on your app without them getting a cut. They won't allow you to use your own services when an Apple version exists, they won't allow you to do your own payments, they won't suffer you even suggesting that there's an alternative out there, let alone encourage someone to leverage one.

    I honestly don't think anyone can look at the competition in Steam's space and claim that what they're doing is easy. If that were the case, we'd have anything other than EGS, the UPlay store, Origin EA Desktop, or any of the other alternatives that offer far lesser experiences. Given that Steam is willing to allow devs to sell their game outside of Steam, taking a 0% cut of that sale, while still availing all the advantages of the Steam platform speaks to me that Valve are earning their 30% when they make a sale inside of their store. Given that they're subsidizing all the off-store Humble/Fanatical/GMG/IndieGala key sales that probably make the devs a decent chunk of change where Valve doesn't see a dime, the 30% in their store seems valid IMO. Apple is not providing anything near Steam value for the same 30%.

    8 votes

  7. Comment on Apple’s requirements (subscription model only) to hit creators and fans on Patreon in ~tech

    DarthYoshiBoy
    Link Parent
    Touché I guess it's just beyond the depths I previously imagined, but I suppose you don't become a trillion dollar company by allowing opportunities for greed and depravity to swing by unexploited.

    Touché

    I guess it's just beyond the depths I previously imagined, but I suppose you don't become a trillion dollar company by allowing opportunities for greed and depravity to swing by unexploited.

    2 votes

  8. Comment on Apple’s requirements (subscription model only) to hit creators and fans on Patreon in ~tech

    DarthYoshiBoy
    Link
    Make no mistake, a bunch of small creators are going to take a substantial hit here and it's just awful that Apple is choosing to steal money from their pockets so that they can get 30% of a $2-5...

    Make no mistake, a bunch of small creators are going to take a substantial hit here and it's just awful that Apple is choosing to steal money from their pockets so that they can get 30% of a $2-5 monthly sub.

    Several of my Patreons are struggling to make it as is, this may well put them out of the business of creating art they love and as a dude who generally hates apps I just don't understand why Apple thinks they need to do this. It's just fucking greed for greed's sake when there's a website right there doing the same thing for no cost beyond the cost of running that site itself.

    12 votes

  9. Comment on ‘We’re living in a nightmare:’ Inside the health crisis of a Texas bitcoin town in ~tech

    DarthYoshiBoy
    Link Parent
    I call this the Kite Theory of politics. We (any democracy really) are a kite. To keep aloft we need a string holding us down. Cut the string or use a string that isn't strong enough (as...

    This is why I fully believe a balance between red and blue is necessary.

    I call this the Kite Theory of politics.

    We (any democracy really) are a kite. To keep aloft we need a string holding us down. Cut the string or use a string that isn't strong enough (as Republicans are wont to do) and the kite crashes to the ground eventually. Add too many or too heavy strings (as the right claims Democrats are wont to do, though I suspect our string is maybe not quite strong enough and may snap soon so I think Democrats are more right than wrong at the moment) and the kite is pulled down by the onerous weight of the strings.

    The real discussion in politics should be around "What is the appropriate amount and strength of string to keep us flying" (maybe occasionally discussing whether a kite from 1788 with some small modifications still has a place in the modern world, but I digress) however, the discussion as of late seems to be that Republicans are insisting (absent all scientific support) that we're a jet plane and we'll be okay without any strings, while the Democrats aren't willing to point out how absurd this notion of kite flight without an engine or strings is.

    23 votes

  10. Comment on Read the US Supreme Court’s ruling on immunity in ~society

    DarthYoshiBoy
    Link Parent
    Exactly this.

    Exactly this.

    "Let not any one pacify his conscience by the delusion that he can do no harm if he takes no part, and forms no opinion. Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing."

    7 votes

  11. Comment on Thirty years later, FreeDOS is still keeping the dream of the command prompt alive in ~tech

  12. Comment on Read the US Supreme Court’s ruling on immunity in ~society

    DarthYoshiBoy
    Link Parent
    Which I completely believe is a likely outcome, but it's exactly why people like you and I don't get to shrink back. It falls to us to make certain that those fence sitters see the importance of...

    My fear is that on the fence or indifferent voters choose to just stay home, thinking that it's not going to matter.

    Which I completely believe is a likely outcome, but it's exactly why people like you and I don't get to shrink back. It falls to us to make certain that those fence sitters see the importance of getting out there, no matter what, to vote against Trump. Nothing else matters if a narcissist like that can get the office of president and has only to designate that the repulsive things he will do are "official acts" to get them outside of scrutiny. We have to help the fence sitters see the incredible danger that poses to our democracy and motivate them to support court reform in line equal to the court's complacence in supporting this absurd notion that presidents are kings in an "official act" capacity.

    It's not a great first step we have in front of us, but it's the only step forward now that doesn't cut us down entirely. Sadly my mother and brother-in-law are both in the "Well, I'll find another way because I can't support either" camp and I honestly believe it's only because they hate politics and aren't paying attention enough to see what is unfolding right now. We've got to figure out how to reach those people or we do stand a very real chance of handing our government over to a autocratic dynasty of Trump family rule which will only serve sycophantic republican enablers and the Trump family ...and honestly only the former for as long as the latter suffers them.

    14 votes

  13. Comment on Read the US Supreme Court’s ruling on immunity in ~society

    DarthYoshiBoy
    Link Parent
    Just to reframe this for anyone who is feeling similarly, we're not yet defeated. The options before us are not the same. The fix for this isn't to give up and let Trump have the Whitehouse in...

    Just to reframe this for anyone who is feeling similarly, we're not yet defeated. The options before us are not the same. The fix for this isn't to give up and let Trump have the Whitehouse in 2025, it's to keep him out so that the legal matters can sort out and see his ass in jail.

    Hopefully we can see some Supreme Court reform along the way that makes it possible to have this terrible ruling nullified or neutered, but it's a hope we can only entertain if we can make that first step which is only this: DON'T ALLOW TRUMP TO REGAIN OFFICE.

    I don't love Biden going for a second term, it stinks, but it's what we've got and that means I'll hold my nose and pull the lever while I encourage anyone else who still has enough of a mind left to do likewise, to do likewise. They're both old and beyond their prime, but at least Biden isn't trying to destroy everything about our system and way of life and sadly that's the best we can expect at this point, there isn't some magical third way. We need to choose the option that allows for improvement in the future, not the option that destroys the future. Don't let perfect be the enemy of good.

    41 votes

  14. Comment on Steam users have spent $19 billion on games they’ve never played in ~games

    DarthYoshiBoy
    Link Parent
    WHAT?!?!? WHY DID NOBODY EVER TELL ME THIS? /s Seriously though. I'm planning on it. The Steam backlist isn't as bad as it seems since some of those unplayed Steam games are actually already...

    WHAT?!?!? WHY DID NOBODY EVER TELL ME THIS? /s

    Seriously though. I'm planning on it. The Steam backlist isn't as bad as it seems since some of those unplayed Steam games are actually already played Switch/PS5 games that I just wanted to be able to send more money towards games I loved. I manage to get through a decent amount of games already raising 3 kids and holding down a full time job, so I expect that when/if those start to slow down, the games will dry up pretty quick if there aren't new ones going into the stack.

    4 votes

  15. Comment on Steam users have spent $19 billion on games they’ve never played in ~games

    DarthYoshiBoy
    Link
    Those games are my retirement. As in, when/if I retire, I'll finally have time to dive into the backlog. That said, SteamDB says I've played 23% of my ~1750 games and hours played vs money spent...

    Those games are my retirement.

    As in, when/if I retire, I'll finally have time to dive into the backlog.

    That said, SteamDB says I've played 23% of my ~1750 games and hours played vs money spent says I've already gotten $1.34 per hour out of my purchases, so I think I'm doing alright.

    22 votes

  16. Comment on Militarized Cybertruck cop cars are coming in ~transport

    DarthYoshiBoy
    Link Parent
    Doh! I obviously should have assumed as much if I wasn't going to click through. Egg on my face.

    Doh!

    I obviously should have assumed as much if I wasn't going to click through. Egg on my face.

    1 vote

  17. Comment on Militarized Cybertruck cop cars are coming in ~transport

  18. Comment on Electric cars are suddenly becoming affordable in ~transport

    DarthYoshiBoy
    Link Parent
    I bought a 2016 Nissan Leaf last year. I now use it for pretty much all my driving (excepting some occasional towing for which I have an old beater ICE), it's saved me tons of money. I pretty much...

    At least once a year I do a 1,200 mile trip. It’s a good trek, 18 hours without complications. But unfortunately I still need a vehicle that can do that with just a few 10 minute stops.

    I bought a 2016 Nissan Leaf last year. I now use it for pretty much all my driving (excepting some occasional towing for which I have an old beater ICE), it's saved me tons of money. I pretty much never buy gas anymore as the 80 miles of range that a Leaf from 2016 has, covers all my day to day driving.

    I'll be going on vacation soon and the amount of money I've saved on not buying gas made it pretty easy to just rent an ICE vehicle for the trip so I can go my planned 1400 miles without issue and without extended stops. It's running me about $30 a day to rent a small SUV with roughly 500 miles of range per tank and it'll be a much nicer car than I'd normally consider.

    I'll never buy an ICE again. Electric is too nice for oodles of day to day driving reasons and for the few outings where a non-electric might be useful, ICE rentals exist in spades at prices cheap enough that I'd only need a few weeks of non-petrol driving to make back the cost.

    I thought much as your post before I realized that rentals are so much more palatable when you're paying ~$2.50 per 80 miles of range year round for your daily driver (and less than that when the charging happens via installed solar panels.) It's cut what it cost for me to get my family around to a quarter or less of what an ICE ran me. Anything less than ~$3000 worth of car rentals and the gas I put into them each year is just pure profit; while I get to 'day to day' a car that is vastly more fun to drive around town and has been vastly less worry or maintenance compared to any ICE I've ever owned. I think that anyone who has the ability to charge at home, who isn't doing more than 100 miles daily, should really not even think twice about getting an EV and leaving the occasional places where an ICE excels to occasional car rentals.

    10 votes

  19. Comment on After two years, and two prior failed attempts, I finally finished reading The Wheel of Time! It's been so long since I chose a book that I don't even know what to read next. in ~books

    DarthYoshiBoy
    Link
    If the final message (as you stated it in your spoiler) from WoT resonated for you, you should definitely check out The Stormlight Archive. I personally think that Oathbringer is tear inducingly...

    If the final message (as you stated it in your spoiler) from WoT resonated for you, you should definitely check out The Stormlight Archive. I personally think that Oathbringer is tear inducingly beautiful with a similar message and the other books in that series are similarly beautiful.

    2 votes

  20. Comment on Former US President Donald Trump has been found guilty of thirty-four counts of falsifying business records to influence the outcome of the 2016 election in ~news

    DarthYoshiBoy
    Link Parent
    -People whose breath smells suspiciously of "the mushroom character from Mario Kart"

    ...but but but but but... How many other people have broken the law by lying and have never been prosecuted? If the law isn't being applied clearly and consistently in 100% of cases where it's applicable, then this clearly is just a witch hunt and he never would have been prosecuted if the state AG didn't hate him.

    -People whose breath smells suspiciously of "the mushroom character from Mario Kart"