DialecticCake's recent activity
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Comment on Are we all capable of being slaveowners or nazis? in ~humanities
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Comment on Are we all capable of being slaveowners or nazis? in ~humanities
DialecticCake Link ParentI really like your analogy. Thanks for sharing. Also -- tomorrow is my last day at the org. It's been a good 2-year run. After I take time to rest and renew, I'll play my favourite ongoing game of...I really like your analogy. Thanks for sharing.
Also -- tomorrow is my last day at the org. It's been a good 2-year run. After I take time to rest and renew, I'll play my favourite ongoing game of "What do I want to do when I grow up?" I've been looking at https://80000hours.org/start-here/ and while I'm way past their age demographic, it's been interesting to see what fields and types of jobs they've determined could have the most impact.
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Comment on Are we all capable of being slaveowners or nazis? in ~humanities
DialecticCake (edited )LinkEDIT added one sentence at the end as this was more negative than I had intended. One doesn't need to be evil to be complicit. One can care and still fail to act. It's an illusion to think we're...EDIT added one sentence at the end as this was more negative than I had intended.
One doesn't need to be evil to be complicit. One can care and still fail to act. It's an illusion to think we're better than the non-Nazis Germans when we have allowed and continue to allow all that is happening in the world.
Empathy fatigue: The world is too big, there's too much bad news. We become desensitized to it, becoming numb.
Bias: Our brains aren't meant to deal with the scope of information we receive and across time and distace. We are biased to care more about and act to help the person we can see drowning than the millions around the world we can't see dying, etc.
The feeling of powerlessness: While I'll continue to vote for non-conservative parties, doing so doesn't change much. The poor are still struggling, people continue to abuse their power, the world isn't safe for so many people, etc. For the past 2 years I've worked for a non-profit that helps communities...but trying to make my 37.5 hours a week count...doesn't seem to make a difference.
Fear / personal survival: How many people in Nazi Germany didn't speak up/take to the streets/etc out of fear for their lives?
Mental health: I'm not alone in this -- My mental health has gotten worse post-pandemic. I'm struggling to do just the basic things and failing. How the heck and I'm also going to change the world?
I think of myself as being very far left but I'm worn down. Which issue do I fight? When and for what should I take to the streets and protest? How do I do this with ADHD/Depression/Anxiety/OCD that I'm struggling to manage? We're frogs and the water is boiling but at what point do we act? What should we do? Is it too late?
One doesn't need to be evil to be complicit. One can care and still fail to act. We are all complicit in creating / maintaining the status quo of this world. Let's all work to make the world better.
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Comment on Controversial opinion: I don't like "cosmetic armor" being an option in games in ~games
DialecticCake Link ParentYeah I wasn't thinking clearly as RDR2 wasn't a good example. The only way to change gear like guns with stats is just customization but you can't make gun A look like gun B.Yeah I wasn't thinking clearly as RDR2 wasn't a good example. The only way to change gear like guns with stats is just customization but you can't make gun A look like gun B.
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Comment on Controversial opinion: I don't like "cosmetic armor" being an option in games in ~games
DialecticCake Link ParentI'm not sure if it counts as gear doesn't affect stats beyond temperature ratings, but Red Dead Redemption 2. It's fun customizing Arthur's outfits for single player (as well as my own character...I'm not sure if it counts as gear doesn't affect stats beyond temperature ratings, but Red Dead Redemption 2. It's fun customizing Arthur's outfits for single player (as well as my own character for Red Dead Online which I tend to play in a single player lobby).
EDIT to add -- I just remembered the gun customisations in RDR2 where different guns have different stats and you can pretty them up as desired (change metal type, engraving, stock, leather/cloth wrap)
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Comment on Controversial opinion: I don't like "cosmetic armor" being an option in games in ~games
DialecticCake Link ParentI struggle to understand the concern regarding what players do in single player beyond perhaps that money spent creating transmog means money not spent elsewhere. But if the companies are choosing...I struggle to understand the concern regarding what players do in single player beyond perhaps that money spent creating transmog means money not spent elsewhere. But if the companies are choosing to make transmog, then that implies the audience (demand) for it is large enough to justify that focus.
The focus on profit above all else is why I donate to patreon game devs who, while of course they want to make money, they don't have shareholders' interests in the mix.
Regarding watching a YouTube video of a player fighting a hard boss -- in my experience they will just say what works, e.g., "This boss is easiest when capping out Str and using a 2H sword instead of a 1H/Shield combo with xyz trinket for abc effect".
Regarding community -- is it not possible to find a subset of a community that doesn't include a focus on transmog?
I think I have difficulty understanding as it seems like you want have your preferences but don't want others to have theirs?
Now if you were talking non-single-player games, then I could perhaps understand a bit for example with this video: When your friend ruins the immersion (Viva La Dirt League). But I like transmog, so perhaps not.
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Comment on What is the key 'gameplay loop' in a MUD game? in ~games
DialecticCake Link ParentI'm happy to hear that. Also it's awesome of you to challenge yourself with a project like this. And just spit-balling here -- but such a project could also be converted for someone special to go...I'm happy to hear that. Also it's awesome of you to challenge yourself with a project like this.
And just spit-balling here -- but such a project could also be converted for someone special to go through. E.g. You could customize a zone of rooms and quests/mobs/triggers to share with a friend, a kid, to tell a story, or for a marriage proposal, etc. So many options for the future to have fun with it beyond the traditional mud game. :)
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Comment on What is the key 'gameplay loop' in a MUD game? in ~games
DialecticCake Link ParentAnother pain point was players had a separate account for each alt -- the dream from the staff side would have been one account with all alts and for the player to use ID to create the account. (I...Another pain point was players had a separate account for each alt -- the dream from the staff side would have been one account with all alts and for the player to use ID to create the account. (I can certainly understand the cons of this -- but from the staff side it would have made admin/investigations so much easier and people may have also been on better behaviour with their real identity tied to the account even if only staff would see that)
As a note: high-level staff had ability to see what a player was doing including whispers/tells -- with guidelines of when this was allowable which would be the most serious of concerns during an investigation.
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Comment on What is the key 'gameplay loop' in a MUD game? in ~games
DialecticCake LinkFrom being staff on a mud, one of the very limiting things was the scripting language created for the mud was very limited. E.g., no variables, no loops, etc. (But we were lucky that the mud had...From being staff on a mud, one of the very limiting things was the scripting language created for the mud was very limited. E.g., no variables, no loops, etc. (But we were lucky that the mud had that as that wasn't common functionality.) We had to get very creative to write quests/content such as having a hidden/invincible mob write notes on a piece of paper or give the mob items and then trash an item each time going through the script as a type of for loop. Or have the script act based on what combination of items the mob had.
So for me, I think having tools for staff to use to create zones/mobs, automated quests, automated environment/mob triggers, and the ability to run live quests (e.g., control mobs, buff/debuff mobs, do room echos, spawn/despawn items/rewards, teleport self/others, etc.), have different staff levels/permissions, the ability reward/punish players (like removing their ability to talk on globals) is crucial. And really there's so much more like seeing players IPs for investigating things where on the lighter end may result in a temp/perm ban or the heavier end require contacting local police.
EDIT: changed some language to avoid some potentially triggering language.
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Comment on Paradox must refocus to rebuild trust and survive, bosses say, after Life By You cancellation in ~games
DialecticCake Link ParentAh okay. I can relate in that I got excited too early about Life By You and even bought a new PC back when it was supposed to launch a year ago. The disappointment when it was cancelled was...Ah okay. I can relate in that I got excited too early about Life By You and even bought a new PC back when it was supposed to launch a year ago. The disappointment when it was cancelled was proportional to how hyped I got.
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Comment on Washington state woman calls 911 after being hounded by up to 100 raccoons in ~life.pets
DialecticCake Link ParentMy pleasure. And I completely get that they are irresistible having once pet one myself! Many years ago on a school camping trip I fed a raccoon some cookies and pet it. The science teacher in...My pleasure. And I completely get that they are irresistible having once pet one myself!
Many years ago on a school camping trip I fed a raccoon some cookies and pet it. The science teacher in particular freaked out at me for doing that and I thought he was being dramatic. It hadn't occurred to me at that young age that he had cause. As you can imagine over a decade later, the volunteer session where I learned what precautions they take with any volunteer working with raccoons was enlightening to say the least. o_O
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Comment on Paradox must refocus to rebuild trust and survive, bosses say, after Life By You cancellation in ~games
DialecticCake Link ParentWhy do you feel there's been sparse evidence Paralives will launch? They've posted enough content to show it's a real work in progress (unlike some fraudulent game devs that just spun up something...Why do you feel there's been sparse evidence Paralives will launch?
They've posted enough content to show it's a real work in progress (unlike some fraudulent game devs that just spun up something using free assets to make a trailer) and I feel the length of time spent is suitable as well. (E.g., small team and they announced about 1 year in with just one dev at the time versus billion dollar companies not announcing until 5ish years in with large teams.)
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Comment on Paradox must refocus to rebuild trust and survive, bosses say, after Life By You cancellation in ~games
DialecticCake Link ParentThe other main contrast I see is that with public companies, they want to release games ASAP to make money (E.g., EA's case with the Sims 4 releasing DLCs in a broken state with empty promises to...The other main contrast I see is that with public companies, they want to release games ASAP to make money (E.g., EA's case with the Sims 4 releasing DLCs in a broken state with empty promises to fix them*), whereas the Paralives team has been making money the whole time pre-release. For Paralives, within reason, they make more money by not releasing the game and showing us (Patreon supporters) all the improvements each week.
This is why I said I was biased as I was strongly inclined to support Paralives even before the game looked like it might make it to launch. Along with being very excited to play early access when it launches, I also hope that this game will 1. Give EA some competition, and 2. Be a model of what is possible with community funded development.
Also, I wonder if Life By You was community funded instead of being funded (and then canceled) by Paradox if it would still be an active project and be better overall with no longer a rush to launch Early Access to please Paradox' shareholders?
*Want to note that EA is finally fixing a lot of issues since they announced there is no Sims 5 being developed and they want to keep Sims 4 as their cash cow for years to come. (Yikes based on limits of the engine for Sims 4 and the shallow gameplay)
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Comment on Thoughts on the friendzone in ~life
DialecticCake Link ParentOh and it occurred to me too -- someone with a solid friend group meeting many of their needs might also make one more appealing. E.g., I think this approach would improve the person's life (and...Oh and it occurred to me too -- someone with a solid friend group meeting many of their needs might also make one more appealing. E.g., I think this approach would improve the person's life (and emotional resiliency / support network) and also their prospects by avoiding some turn offs (for some people) which might include: loneliness, desperation, someone expecting a future partner to meet all of their needs, etc.
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Comment on Thoughts on the friendzone in ~life
DialecticCake Link ParentI love this but also cringe as an introvert who doesn't have the energy for so many friends! :D This doesn't matter in my case as I already have a partner. Also, I assume people could do this on a...I love this but also cringe as an introvert who doesn't have the energy for so many friends! :D
This doesn't matter in my case as I already have a partner. Also, I assume people could do this on a much smaller scale. Just may take longer or more luck to find the right match.
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Comment on Paradox must refocus to rebuild trust and survive, bosses say, after Life By You cancellation in ~games
DialecticCake Link ParentAgreed. I am one of those disgruntled players who looks forward to Paralives' early access starting in 2025.Agreed. I am one of those disgruntled players who looks forward to Paralives' early access starting in 2025.
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Comment on Paradox must refocus to rebuild trust and survive, bosses say, after Life By You cancellation in ~games
DialecticCake Link ParentI disagree, but I am biased. As a Sims player with hundreds of dollars sunk into The Sims 4, I have been happily donating to Paralives' Patreon for a few years. I think they have potential to...I disagree, but I am biased.
As a Sims player with hundreds of dollars sunk into The Sims 4, I have been happily donating to Paralives' Patreon for a few years. I think they have potential to rival The Sims over time but more importantly, I LOVE how this is community funded and is being created with passion and so very different (and hopefully insulated) from the enshitification process that often comes with public companies placing shareholder's interests over the customers' interests and profit over the product itself.
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Comment on Washington state woman calls 911 after being hounded by up to 100 raccoons in ~life.pets
DialecticCake LinkJust want to post a warning about why Raccoons can be dangerous. E.g., at one point I received some training for a wildlife rehab centre and one of the things I recall (I ended up not volunteering...Just want to post a warning about why Raccoons can be dangerous. E.g., at one point I received some training for a wildlife rehab centre and one of the things I recall (I ended up not volunteering as I soon moved away) is that they had very strict rules for working with the raccoons. E.g., housed in a separate facility, had to wear separate clothing, separate washer/dryer, etc.
I believe it was to avoid catching this: https://www.cdc.gov/baylisascaris/about/index.html
While infections in human might be rare, they can be very serious including fatal.
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Comment on If you could send someone to any historic moment, who and when? in ~talk
DialecticCake LinkSo many ideas about getting an earlier start on technology, but I'm concerned tech isn't what we need ... I'd like someone from a future that solved societal problems stemming from...So many ideas about getting an earlier start on technology, but I'm concerned tech isn't what we need ... I'd like someone from a future that solved societal problems stemming from capitalism/greed/exploitation/etc. who not only knows of a better way, but also has the ability to teach and convince especially the 1% that xyz really is the most beneficial for everyone including them.
So maybe like Star Trek without the Prime Directive where they CAN influence us to grow and be better humans.
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Comment on How should you prepare for the end of the honeymoon phase? in ~life
DialecticCake Link ParentI'm sorry to be the cause of any fear but I'm happy to have helped. I think in my mom's case -- we never lived together with her partner and his kids, but if we had, over time it may have worked...I'm sorry to be the cause of any fear but I'm happy to have helped.
I think in my mom's case -- we never lived together with her partner and his kids, but if we had, over time it may have worked out. And family counselling could have been an option too. Along with lots of reassurance for the kids. Change after all can be difficult.
I think the main thing is to talk about it and realize it could be a tough transition (or could be smooth!).
Thanks for your comment - I agree and have volunteered for many different roles. While I may not have moved the needle on a more global sense, I know I have affected individual people's lives (and animals' lives - I used to volunteer to teach people how to train their dogs). I'm just feeling sad as my beloved job is ending tomorrow and let that impact my writing. Thanks for sharing and caring!