DrTacoMD's recent activity
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
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Comment on Cult of the Lamb dev says it will delete the game on January 1 in ~games
DrTacoMD Link ParentExactly. Delisted games on Xbox (and I assume PSN) are still associated with your account and can be re-downloaded whenever you'd like. For example, there are currently no core Forza Motorsport...Exactly. Delisted games on Xbox (and I assume PSN) are still associated with your account and can be re-downloaded whenever you'd like. For example, there are currently no core Forza Motorsport games available for purchase (due to timed car licenses), but I'm still able to access my copy of Forza 7 for reinstallation.
The only counter-example I can think of is P.T., but that was a pretty special case.
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Comment on Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 | Releases October 24 (PS5, Xbox Series, Switch, and PC) in ~games
DrTacoMD Link ParentI love MGS1, and I think it's a great place to start too. Just make sure you're in the headspace for a PSX game -- it's 25 years old now, so it lacks a fair bit of QoL that would be added in later...I love MGS1, and I think it's a great place to start too. Just make sure you're in the headspace for a PSX game -- it's 25 years old now, so it lacks a fair bit of QoL that would be added in later games.
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Comment on US House Speaker Pelosi arrives in Taiwan, defying Beijing in ~news
DrTacoMD Link ParentMy guess: lots of bluster, maybe some sanctions. They know that any open aggression, up to and including a full-scale invasion of the island, is their final resort if things are spiraling out of...My guess: lots of bluster, maybe some sanctions. They know that any open aggression, up to and including a full-scale invasion of the island, is their final resort if things are spiraling out of their control. A visit by the highest-ranking member of Congress, while significant, is not on the same scale as, say, full diplomatic recognition.
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Comment on Why Monero in ~finance
DrTacoMD Link ParentEven if that's true, is that a good thing? It feels like every crypto currency I've seen, but especially Altcoins, can't make up their minds if they want to be a high-risk, high-reward asset to be...Even if that's true, is that a good thing?
It feels like every crypto currency I've seen, but especially Altcoins, can't make up their minds if they want to be a high-risk, high-reward asset to be traded, or a currency. Currencies need to be stable and predictable for anyone to seriously consider adopting them.
If you give me $100 USD today, or £100 GBP, or €100 EUR, I have a pretty solid idea of what its buying power will be tomorrow, next year, and in 20 years. But a BTC? Or worse, any of these fly-by-night Altcoins? Not a clue.
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Comment on I was taught from a young age to protect my dynastic wealth in ~finance
DrTacoMD Link ParentWhile I fully agree with the facts of what you've said, I think this line of thinking is precisely what enables the ultra-wealthy to exert and abuse the power that their wealth affords them. Yes,...While I fully agree with the facts of what you've said, I think this line of thinking is precisely what enables the ultra-wealthy to exert and abuse the power that their wealth affords them.
Yes, even though that wealth is really just numbers in a computer system somewhere, as opposed to, say, hoarded grain or precious metals or what have you, the fact is that society recognizes these large numbers as being an indicator of wealth. And the mere presence of this status results in different rules being applied, due in part to its viability as collateral against real, tangible objects.
Fact is, we can plug up all the loopholes we want regarding how this wealth can be used, but new ones will form just as fast, created by the very existence of this wealth. There will always be banks willing to cater to the ultra-wealthy, with the expectation of being able to siphon off just a small amount of their perceived assets.
I'm increasingly of a similar mind to OP NaraVara: the only way to reign in the power of the ever-growing, ever-consolidating ultra-wealthy is to tax their wealth directly. Otherwise it will always be more cost-effective for them to hire, and do business with, people that will help them skirt whatever latest tax has been imposed.
We need to come to terms with the fact that trying to restrict how powerful people exert their power is a losing battle. Reduce their power by reducing their wealth. Let them stay the richest people in the world, but by fewer orders of magnitude.
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Comment on Oldest and fatherless: The terrible secret of Tom Bombadil in ~books
DrTacoMD LinkThanks for sharing! I hadn't seen this before, and I really enjoy this take on the character. I should give my old LotR books another read one of these days, and when I do I'll keep this...Thanks for sharing! I hadn't seen this before, and I really enjoy this take on the character. I should give my old LotR books another read one of these days, and when I do I'll keep this interpretation in mind.
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Comment on Apple Arcade is actually pretty awesome in ~games
DrTacoMD Link ParentSame boat here. I upgraded to a 4K TV a few months back, but I can't bring myself to replacing my Apple TV HD when the 4K is so long in the tooth, and rumors about an upgraded box keep swirling....Same boat here. I upgraded to a 4K TV a few months back, but I can't bring myself to replacing my Apple TV HD when the 4K is so long in the tooth, and rumors about an upgraded box keep swirling.
Maybe we'll finally see it drop this month with tvOS 14.5? *crosses fingers*
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Comment on Apple Arcade is actually pretty awesome in ~games
DrTacoMD Link ParentIf you're looking for a light, touch-friendly game that also supports Mac and Apple TV, check out What the Golf. It starts as a pretty straightforward putt-putt style game, but very quickly goes...If you're looking for a light, touch-friendly game that also supports Mac and Apple TV, check out What the Golf. It starts as a pretty straightforward putt-putt style game, but very quickly goes off the rails into some of the most bizarre, creative minigames I've ever seen.
Another old favorite that just got added is Threes, aka "The Game That 2048 Ripped Off". Unlike 2048, it's packed with personality, which might sound surprising from a sliding tile game, but it's absolutely worth checking out.
Oh and how can I forget Monument Valley, a wonderful perspective-shifting puzzlebox game? And PlatinumGames' new ARPG World of Demons looks pretty great, though I haven't had a chance to try it myself yet.
EDIT: Okay one more: Sayonara Wild Hearts is a trippy, beautiful rhythm game with a phenomenal original score. Play it on as big a screen as you can.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
DrTacoMD Link ParentThat's a great question, and one I hope to answer soon! I've never played a Soulsborne game before JFO, which I recently finished on Jedi Knight difficulty. I thoroughly enjoyed the...That's a great question, and one I hope to answer soon! I've never played a Soulsborne game before JFO, which I recently finished on Jedi Knight difficulty. I thoroughly enjoyed the moment-to-moment combat, including the parry system, and it's got me itching to finally dive into a proper Miyazaki entry. And I do have a copy of Sekiro sitting on my Xbox that I've never touched...
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Comment on Comfort food Nintendo YouTubers? in ~games
DrTacoMD LinkMy comfort food is definitely the Retronauts Video Works channel by Jeremy Parish. He's been doing full chronological retrospectives of several classic Nintendo consoles for years now, with...My comfort food is definitely the Retronauts Video Works channel by Jeremy Parish. He's been doing full chronological retrospectives of several classic Nintendo consoles for years now, with special focus on NES and Game Boy, though he dabbles in other retro Nintendo and non-Nintendo consoles from time to time.
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Comment on What is the difference between Linux distros? Why do you use the one you use? in ~comp
DrTacoMD Link ParentJust out of curiosity, would Microsoft's FancyZones PowerToy scratch that itch? I can't vouch for it specifically since I'm not a big window tiler myself (and I'm mostly on macOS these days...[...] but lamented that Win10 doesn't have in-built window tiling since it's so useful when you have just one screen [...]
Just out of curiosity, would Microsoft's FancyZones PowerToy scratch that itch? I can't vouch for it specifically since I'm not a big window tiler myself (and I'm mostly on macOS these days anyway) but I wanted to share just in case it helps!
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Comment on US President Joe Biden unveils $1.9 trillion economic and health-care relief package in ~finance
DrTacoMD Link ParentIf we want to be pedantic, the currently proposed stimulus comes out to be ~$4,800 per capita in 2009 dollars. Still a huge jump up from the ARRA though!If we want to be pedantic, the currently proposed stimulus comes out to be ~$4,800 per capita in 2009 dollars. Still a huge jump up from the ARRA though!
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Comment on What programming/technical projects have you been working on? in ~comp
DrTacoMD LinkAfter years of delay, I'm finally starting to play around with basic 2D game development again. My last effort was from back in 2008 (!) and was... not very good. I'm a seasoned client engineer by...After years of delay, I'm finally starting to play around with basic 2D game development again. My last effort was from back in 2008 (!) and was... not very good.
I'm a seasoned client engineer by now, so I decided to give MonoGame a shot. I know I'm leaving a lot on the table by forgoing a prebuilt game engine like Unity, but I really enjoy getting my hands dirty and owning as much of the stack as possible. Working in a managed language like C# is the compromise I'm willing to make for the sake of my sanity, and for the likelihood of ever producing anything given the limited free time I intend to contribute to the project.
So far my quick and dirty Pong clone is coming along nicely. I'll probably port over a couple of old minigames to get a feel for the framework and the tooling (I'm a macOS and iOS engineer by trade, so I'm far more comfortable in Xcode than in Visual Studio) before flexing my creative muscles and building something original.
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Comment on People expect technology to suck because it actually sucks: so much of our usage involves dealing with a constant stream of minor annoyances in ~tech
DrTacoMD Link ParentThat's been my experience as well. I'm currently working as an engineer at a large consumer tech company, and the vast majority of the bugs I fix in a given week are issues I would never run into...That's been my experience as well. I'm currently working as an engineer at a large consumer tech company, and the vast majority of the bugs I fix in a given week are issues I would never run into in my own experience. Hell, I barely even use the product I'm working on! These bugs are being fixed because my teammates and I are employed to think about these use cases, not because we're personally affected by them.
I'm a big proponent of open-source software as a specific approach for specific problems, but I know of very few easy-to-use, consumer-facing open-source technologies that don't also have a corporate partner of some sort that can fund efforts to fix issues.
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Comment on Microsoft to acquire ZeniMax Media, parent company of Bethesda, id Software, Arkane Studios, and more in ~games
DrTacoMD Link ParentJust a quick clarification, since this is all confusing as hell: Bungie no longer work on Halo. Microsoft retained the rights to the property when Bungie went independent after Halo Reach, and...Just a quick clarification, since this is all confusing as hell: Bungie no longer work on Halo. Microsoft retained the rights to the property when Bungie went independent after Halo Reach, and Bungie have been focused on Destiny ever since (which tends to align more closely with Sony, with occasional timed PlayStation-exclusive content).
The new studio that made Halo 4 and 5, and that are working on Infinite, was fully born from within Microsoft and are called 343 Industries.
But your original point definitely stands. It's extremely unlikely that we'd ever see a Halo game (or a Forza, or Gears) on a Sony console. Those are Microsoft's flagship titles and they guard them much more jealously than, say, Super Lucky's Tale.
That said, I never thought any of those series would be available via Steam, and now both Halo and Gears are, with the next Forza basically a shoo-in. I'd wager that if there were any way to get Game Pass hosted on a PlayStation console then Microsoft would seriously consider the opportunity.
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Comment on Apple plans to announce move to its own Mac chips at WWDC in ~tech
DrTacoMD Link ParentAgreed. I worked at a company with a very large, very popular Mac application suite during the PPC to Intel transition. It was absolute hell, but only because one of our legacy apps had huge...Agreed. I worked at a company with a very large, very popular Mac application suite during the PPC to Intel transition. It was absolute hell, but only because one of our legacy apps had huge swaths of its codebase in raw PPC assembly, for legacy performance reasons. Thankfully, it was all converted to portable C, which should make their job much easier this time around.
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Comment on Apple plans to announce move to its own Mac chips at WWDC in ~tech
DrTacoMD Link ParentIf Apple follows the same playbook as they did when moving from PowerPC to Intel back in 2005/2006, this won't be a limitation either. Apple shipped a machine language translation layer called...Nothing compiled to machine code.
If Apple follows the same playbook as they did when moving from PowerPC to Intel back in 2005/2006, this won't be a limitation either. Apple shipped a machine language translation layer called Rosetta that allowed the vast majority of PPC-native apps to run on Intel CPUs.
Of course, there was a small but measurable performance hit, but in many cases the Intel chips were so much faster that PPC apps still ran more smoothly on a equivalent newer machine (e.g. PowerBook -> MacBook Pro).
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Comment on <deleted topic> in ~music
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
DrTacoMD Link ParentFor anyone who has not yet started Celeste, the Switch version is currently 50% off on the eShop, which is how I finally picked it up earlier this week. It may be on sale on other storefronts as...For anyone who has not yet started Celeste, the Switch version is currently 50% off on the eShop, which is how I finally picked it up earlier this week. It may be on sale on other storefronts as well, but the game’s screen-by-screen gameplay makes it excellently suited to the kind of stop-and-go gameplay that the Switch often calls for.
Oh, and it probably goes without saying, but even though I only just finished Chapter 1, I’m completely in love with Celeste. The only thing stopping me is my own limited gaming time, and the fact that I share the Switch with my partner (who is currently obsessed with the Super Famicon version of Puyo Puyo).
Finally finished Tears of the Kingdom, and I find myself more torn about it than I expected.
I'll split my thoughts between broad gameplay/structure stuff, and then full story spoilers. So be warned if you're still working through it!
First, broad gameplay and structural thoughts:
For many people, this is a huge plus! Lots of folks thought that BotW suffered from a lack of interactive NPCs, or that its environmental interactions were too limited, so these changes are beneficial in that regard. But as much as I enjoy the new tools and characters, I do feel like something was lost. BotW, to me, is beautiful in its sparseness. The loneliness is kinda the point of the game, and the world of TotK feels less special.
As for the powers, it's just so much. Sure, it's neat to solve a shrine by combining a bunch of stuff to build a bridge or a little boat or what have you, but after the tenth shrine in a row whose solution is "glue the thing to the other thing", the formula started to wear on me. Even in the open world: I spent hours goofing around and experimenting with all the new game systems, but at the end I asked myself, "is this really what I want from a Legend of Zelda game?" I'm still not sure.
Finally, the two new areas: the Sky and the Depths. Both were a bit of a letdown to me -- I don't mind that they're both so big and empty, but I do mind how stylistically monotonous they each are. I could spend hours wandering around Hyrule because each area is so distinctive and unique, but if you dropped me at any random spot in the Depths, or on any random sky island, there's no way I could tell you where I was without a map.
And now for the story, including discussion of the ending:
I think the part that put me off the most was the Sages feeling like warmed-over versions of the Champions from BotW. Like, when TotK became its own game, they said "well we need excuses to visit the four other kingdoms, and we need individual characters from each to interact with, but the Champions are dead, sooooo..."
And the way we interact with each
ChampionSage got wildly repetitive by the end. I like them all in isolation, but the pattern of "visit kingdom, meet the Sage, do the dungeon to solve their problem, watch a cutscene of Zelda saying the exact same line to each of the previous Sages" got old for me. And we don't get any new environmental stuff out of it either: the reward for each of these is restoring the kingdom to more or less how we left it in BotW, with a few NPCs swapped around.It might feel like I'm dunking on the game, which... okay, I guess I kinda am. But it's out of love, I swear! I spent over 100 hours in this game, and didn't even finish everything! But at the end of the day, I just can't see myself wanting to replay this the way that I want to go back to BotW. Honestly, my expectations were probably too high going in -- though I also recognize that my tastes might just be a bit different, in that most (not all!) of the "improvements" that TotK made felt like downgrades to me.