Flashfall's recent activity
-
Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
-
Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Flashfall Link ParentI've also sunk quite a lot of time this week into Arc Raiders and I've reached a point where I'm basically comfortable playing it. I'm comfortable with going solo, actually much more so than in a...I've also sunk quite a lot of time this week into Arc Raiders and I've reached a point where I'm basically comfortable playing it. I'm comfortable with going solo, actually much more so than in a squad, which is already a huge plus for casual play and player retention in general. I could only play Hunt in short bursts since it was bloody stressful but I can just hop into Dam Battlegrounds and go for a nice stroll, kill a few drones, say hi to passing strangers and maybe get into a firefight now and then. Getting a very cheap but functional loadout is easy so I'm not constantly pressured to run free loadouts and put myself at a steep disadvantage, and it's usually no big deal if I do lose it, especially with the safe pocket. The atmosphere's also great and has only gotten even better with the introduction of the Electromagnetic Storm event, with the rain drowning out your footsteps and the very close lightning strikes keeping you on edge. Most solos are still fairly non-confrontational, if not outright friendly. Heck, I went to the launch tower in Spaceport and someone was already looting the place so I asked them if they found any cooling fans and they just gave me one for free. I'm cautiously optimistic now that when they add more very PVE-focused events, players will actually cooperate and not betray each other at the end. Though it's still important that you get shot by another raider now and then, can't have people getting TOO comfortable.
-
Comment on What makes a game, a game? in ~games
Flashfall LinkIf I were to define it as broadly as possible, a game would have to be something where the participant is aware they are participating, they have to interact with the game somehow, and their...If I were to define it as broadly as possible, a game would have to be something where the participant is aware they are participating, they have to interact with the game somehow, and their interactions have to have some kind of effect. Everything else lends more structure to the game but isn't strictly necessary.
For example, say you're taking a stroll without any particular destination. It's not actually a game until you consciously consider it to be a game and have made yourself a participant. In order to "play", you have to walk, and walking has the effect of moving your physical position. There aren't any rules other than "walk", there's no win or lose condition, you may not even be going on a stroll willingly or having fun. But, you are "playing" the game of "taking a stroll", and you're aware of what you must do to play.
Another more extreme example would be one of the victims in a SAW movie. They're not playing a game until Jigsaw tells them he wants to play a game, and even then if they choose to not consider it a game but merely a struggle to survive, then they are technically not playing a game.
Now let's consider another scenario where someone is interacting with a game but doesn't consider themself to be "playing". Say somebody is doing QA testing for a video game. They are technically "playing" the game, but if they consider that to be "working" and not "playing", are they really playing the game? If other people consider that person to be playing that game, are they playing the game anyway? Whose perspective actually matters here, the observer's, or the participant's?
-
Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Flashfall Link ParentIf it doesn't have to be multiplayer or robots, the STALKER games are some of the best when it comes to traversing and scavenging a very hostile post-apocalyptic environment that feels alive...If it doesn't have to be multiplayer or robots, the STALKER games are some of the best when it comes to traversing and scavenging a very hostile post-apocalyptic environment that feels alive rather than just reacting to you. They're not extraction shooters, just open world FPS, but the vibes of danger and uncertainty are definitely similar.
-
Comment on What are some of your favorite stews/soups? in ~food
Flashfall LinkOne of the very few things I can make without needing to look up the ingredients or recipes is New England clam chowder. It's kind of a hybrid between this recipe from allrecipes and this one from...One of the very few things I can make without needing to look up the ingredients or recipes is New England clam chowder. It's kind of a hybrid between this recipe from allrecipes and this one from NYT Cooking. I do a few substitutions, like leek instead of an onion, white pepper instead of black pepper, clam juice and chicken stock instead of water. I also add a bay leaf in during the simmering process. If I don't want to make it too thick, I skip making the roux and just pour the half and half or heavy cream straight in. The actual most important ingredient in this recipe is that red wine vinegar though, you want to add just a little. The tanginess magically cuts through all the other flavors and brightens the chowder immensely.
-
Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Flashfall LinkBeen putting a lot of time into ARC Raiders and it's immediately apparent that this is by far the most accessible proper extraction shooter currently available. Common-tier weapons are very...Been putting a lot of time into ARC Raiders and it's immediately apparent that this is by far the most accessible proper extraction shooter currently available.
- Common-tier weapons are very effective for both PVE and PVP when used correctly (and slightly upgraded).
- There's no limitation on choosing a randomized, free loadout to start a round with.
- Decent loot and resources can show up at even the edges of the map, away from the high-value hot zones.
- PVE enemies are an actual and sometimes extreme threat, which makes players overall a bit less bloodthirsty and even cooperative at times.
- TTK is high enough where there are opportunities to escape or fight back even if you're ambushed.
- The crafting system is comprehensive and lets you put a decent kit together from just common materials, and traders will offer essentials at a relatively reasonable price.
- You have a pet chicken that will bring back common materials of all kinds every time you finish a round, and it can be trained multiple times to bring back even more.
- There are no forced gear and skill resets, just an optional one that you actually have to contribute resources towards over a 60 day period, and you're granted some temporary bonuses based on how much you contributed.
- When you get downed, the PVE enemies will no longer attack you, so you have a better chance of crawling to a safe spot to be revived by a teammate or kind stranger.
- Even while you're downed, you're able to interact with the extraction panel, so you can still leave with your loot as long as you're not fully knocked out.
I do have a few gripes though:
- The skill tree only uses vague descriptions rather than specific numbers, so for now it's a matter of "vibes" and discovery. Meaning some people are discovering that some skills are practically worthless.
- Some items can be much more valuable than the game tells you since they're used for chicken or crafting bench upgrades, so if you don't look it up beforehand you can easily accidentally recycle or sell something you need.
- There is no punishment whatsoever for being toxic or engaging in lots of PVP. This isn't necessarily a bad thing but I think a lot of currently cooperative players are going to become much more trigger-happy once the honeymoon phase ends, and the game will ultimately devolve into the kill-on-sight pvp fests like in every other extraction shooter if nothing is done to even slightly discourage it at all.
It's still a pretty good time overall though, and in solo queue you can actually find a good amount of people that aren't out to shoot you in the back and take all your stuff, which is a rarity in this genre. Again though, only time will tell if it lasts.
-
Comment on What have you been watching / reading this week? (Anime/Manga) in ~anime
Flashfall LinkTook a break from gaming to clean out some of my backlog: Kaiju No. 8 Season 2 - It's good old shonen action, story isn't complex but engaging, characters aren't complex but relatable, the...Took a break from gaming to clean out some of my backlog:
-
Kaiju No. 8 Season 2 - It's good old shonen action, story isn't complex but engaging, characters aren't complex but relatable, the action's good, the tropes are all present, just an easy and enjoyable watch. Only 11 episodes and it ends on a massive cliffhanger though, so it does feel a little short.
-
My Dress-up Darling Season 2 - High school romcom but cosplay-flavored. Cute characters and a generally wholesome vibe, and thankfully none of the characters or voice acting are overdone to the point of being annoying, which happens too often in this genre. You get to learn a few things about cosplay culture in Tokyo too.
-
Lazarus - An action thriller made by none other than Shinichiro Watanabe of Cowboy Bebop fame, it's pretty solid overall. I think most people that were excited for this were expecting something on the level of Bebop but it's a completely different kind of story so comparing the two isn't fair. It tells a cohesive, linear story that's just as long as it needs to be, the action scenes are excellently choreographed (they got Chad Stahleski, the John Wick director, to direct them), the characters are all interesting enough, it's not really complex and there's not much subtlety. Probably won't be a timeless classic but it's still good.
-
Secrets of the Silent Witch - Didn't really expect much from this one but I ended up watching the whole thing because the main character is a socially awkward small animal that's animated as such and I'm a sucker for simple cute humor. It's got some Konosuba or Princess Connect vibes, that kinda thing. It's otherwise just fine, story, characters, and animation are all fine with nothing really standing out.
Also finished some rewatches:
-
Delicious in Dungeon - Man I love this show. The character building and world building is just meshed together so well, and it's always great when the main party interacts or is mentioned by another more "normal" party because it highlights just how strange the main cast really is. I really respect Studio Trigger for having maybe the best standards for working hours and quality among all the big-name animation studios and only doing one project at a time, but I neeeed another season of this.
-
Hakumei and Mikochi - This might be my favorite show to just relax to. A lot of iyashikei shows I've watched end up being a little too slow paced or quiet and I end up getting sleepy going through those, or I just drop them altogether from boredom. This one hits it just right. There's no unnecessary forced drama, just people living their lives and sometimes going on small adventures. It's fantasy, but it's not fantastical. The characters feel real and relatable, even when they're animals or bugs. There is a notable appreciation of alcohol, one character even makes their own limoncello. The soundtrack is made by Evan Call (Violet Evergarden, Frieren) and it does a perfect job of capturing the energy of the show - sometimes calm, sometimes playful, sometimes nostalgic, always very wholesome.
-
-
Comment on What have you been eating, drinking, and cooking? in ~food
Flashfall LinkI did a French night of sorts yesterday. French onion soup, coq au vin, and fondant potatoes. The soup was actually shockingly easy, and I was doing prep for the other dishes while the onions...I did a French night of sorts yesterday. French onion soup, coq au vin, and fondant potatoes. The soup was actually shockingly easy, and I was doing prep for the other dishes while the onions caramelized so it didn't feel like it took too long either. Sweet, savory, and a bit salty from the sliced bread and smoked gruyere I added on top. The coq au vin was extremely tender and the reduced wine sauce with the carrots and mushrooms was great, but the chicken itself didn't have much flavor. The fondant potatoes looked very pretty and were very tender too, but didn't absorb much of the butter and stock so they were also a bit bland. Using them to scoop up more of the coq au vin sauce helped a lot. Not sure if I made some mistakes or it's just a common theme in French cooking for the sauces to do the heavy lifting for flavor.
-
Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Flashfall Link ParentI bet 50 rosaries it was savage beastfly, wasn't it?except for one
I bet 50 rosaries it was savage beastfly, wasn't it?
-
Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Flashfall LinkI played just a few hours of the Arc Raiders Server Slam this weekend and even with all the limitations this build of the game had, I'm pretty optimistic for the full release in 10 days. The game...I played just a few hours of the Arc Raiders Server Slam this weekend and even with all the limitations this build of the game had, I'm pretty optimistic for the full release in 10 days. The game looks great and runs smoothly (on my machine at least, seems like some folks with AMD GPUs were experiencing slightly more performance issues), the sound effects are fantastic and atmospheric, the PVE robots are everything from mildly dangerous and annoying to absolutely terrifying, the third person perspective works well even in PVP and indoors, the looting and UI in general is considerably less clunky than other extraction shooters, especially Tarkov's, and while you still do lose all your loot if you're knocked out (except for what's in your safe pocket), it's quick and easy to either craft some essentials back or just grab a free loadout and immediately jump into a fresh match.
This game takes some big steps towards being the most accessible extraction shooter on the market, namely:
- No progress wipes except for an optional prestige
- A chicken at your safehouse that retrieves crafting materials over time, and can be upgraded to retrieve more
- A skill tree for meta-progression, so you don't start from zero if you get knocked out
- A free loadout option with no catch or cooldown, so you can always play with nothing to lose
- A generous crafting system that allows you to get some decent gear made just from gathering common materials in the (relatively) low-risk zones
- A skill that lets you craft some items even in the field, which can come in extremely clutch if you run out of bandages or shield rechargers
- The ability to activate the exit elevator even while you're downed and crawling around
- An abundance of loot, which makes it easier to rat for a decent profit, and gives players less incentive to kill other players on sight if they're already full up
- Genuinely threatening PVE enemies with good loot which encourage players to play smarter and stealthier, or team up
- Proximity chat and in-game emotes that can be heard nearby, in case you want to signal to other groups that you're not hostile (or shit talk them, but it is a competitive game after all so that's kind of expected)
I'm holding off on pre-ordering the game out of principle, but if I can get some friends interested I'll definitely pick it up with them. The game is definitely playable solo or queued with randoms, I was only queuing with randoms during this server slam, but it really shines when you're actually communicating, sharing loot, and working together.
Honorary mention to Egg Inc., which is a mobile idle game I've been "playing" for years, as much as you can consider mobile idle gameplay to be playing. I've been pretty comfortably at endgame for a while now but they dropped a major update a bit over a month ago that added a new game mode tailored for endgame players, and it's actually got me actively playing it again rather than just doing my idle routine. If you want a mobile idle game to play, I can recommend this one.
-
Comment on Wait... ARC Raiders might be peak in ~games
Flashfall Link ParentYeah I don't think that's your PC's problem, it's most likely server and networking issues. My PC's notably less beefy (5600X, 3070, 32 GB DDR4) and I only sometimes got an occasional short...Yeah I don't think that's your PC's problem, it's most likely server and networking issues. My PC's notably less beefy (5600X, 3070, 32 GB DDR4) and I only sometimes got an occasional short freeze, usually it ran flawlessly.
Edit: Correction, 16 GB DDR4. One of my damn RAM sticks was faulty and I sent it back for a replacement so I'm operating on just one stick for now. It actually runs pretty good, considering.
-
Comment on What have you been watching / reading this week? (Anime/Manga) in ~anime
Flashfall LinkRecently finished a full rewatch of Frieren: Beyond Journey's End with my younger sibling (it's the first watch for them) and it's just as good as the first time I saw it. Just a really beautiful...Recently finished a full rewatch of Frieren: Beyond Journey's End with my younger sibling (it's the first watch for them) and it's just as good as the first time I saw it. Just a really beautiful journey with beautifully developed characters and a beautiful soundtrack. Will most likely watch the second season with them as it releases when it comes out in January next year.
Currently in the middle of a rewatch of Delicious in Dungeon which my younger sibling also hasn't seen yet, and it's also just as fun as the first time. I can pay more attention to the little details like the food prep and the foreshadowing, and they get to enjoy seeing Marcille's reaction faces for the first time. Great animation paired with a somewhat zany premise that ends up feeling very natural, and a colorful cast of lovable characters. You'll want to have snacks on hand, watching this may make you hungry.
-
Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Flashfall Link ParentAct 3 does get kind of mean, and not necessarily in a fun way. That's all I'll say about that, but you'll see what I mean when you get there.Act 3 does get kind of mean, and not necessarily in a fun way. That's all I'll say about that, but you'll see what I mean when you get there.
-
Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Flashfall Link ParentThe map more or less fully opens up in act 2, and boy are there a lot of out of the way areas to discover and collectibles hidden in corners here and there. Difficulty wise it's pretty fair,...The map more or less fully opens up in act 2, and boy are there a lot of out of the way areas to discover and collectibles hidden in corners here and there. Difficulty wise it's pretty fair, almost easier than some bosses in act 1 even once you get the act 2 mobility skills and some great tools. Some spots I genuinely have no idea how people would discover unless they were trying to climb into every single hole and smack every wall, so there's no shame in looking something up if you do feel lost.
-
Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Flashfall Link ParentI resonate with your complaints about the story and combat. I actually went on a bit of a rant of my own about the story when I beat the game for the first time, and honestly I still feel that...I resonate with your complaints about the story and combat. I actually went on a bit of a rant of my own about the story when I beat the game for the first time, and honestly I still feel that way. Fortunately, the story's significantly more cohesive and well explained in FFVII Rebirth, which is just an improvement on all the new things introduced in Remake and much more.
The combat itself does feel rather janky on the initial playthrough but it surprisingly works really well on hard mode, which forces you to slow down and play more deliberately rather than just brute forcing your way through most encounters in normal mode. It becomes more of a puzzle of building up and holding ATB and limit breaks on your team while building stagger on your enemy while healing/buffing/debuffing, and also making sure you have the right elemental weaknesses for certain situations (hell house forces you to learn this, god I hate that boss), and then absolutely nuking the boss into oblivion when you actually do stagger them.
I thought I'd just be done with the game after I beat it once on normal difficulty but for some reason I decided to give the hard mode a go and somehow I ended up with 100% achievements and had more fun in hard mode than normal. Stick with it, it does get better somehow. Or don't and just move onto Rebirth after you beat it, because that game is just so damn good even on normal.
-
Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
Flashfall LinkLast post I make about Hollow Knight: Silksong in these threads (at least until the DLC drops), because I beat the game with 100% completion. What a trip this game was, and I have to keep the...Last post I make about Hollow Knight: Silksong in these threads (at least until the DLC drops), because I beat the game with 100% completion. What a trip this game was, and I have to keep the details scant because I would hate to spoil the events of Act 3 for anybody but man, Team Cherry really didn't hold back on their fans. I actually had a few encounters where I had to take a break out of exhaustion, but when I did come back refreshed I cleared it pretty quickly. That's a sign of good boss/encounter design right there, couldn't say the same for certain bosses in some FromSoft games (though to be fair I didn't take a break on pre-nerf Promised Consort, I just bashed my head on it for several hours straight). Still can't believe I only paid 20 dollars for that, feels like a crime.
I'm feeling a little hollow now (haha) after binging Hollow Knight for a month straight, and I'm just not all that interested in playing the latest and actually good release in the second most popular multiplayer FPS right now. Maybe I'll pick up where I left off in Kingdom Come Deliverance II, since I haven't beaten that yet nor touched the DLC content I paid for. I am looking forward to getting Arc Raiders when that releases on the 30th, and there's a server stress test for it this weekend that's open to everyone. The potential of a possibly mainstream extraction shooter is just too good to ignore, and no, Bungie's new Marathon does not count.
-
Comment on The Oatmeal: A cartoonist's review of AI art in ~comics
Flashfall Link ParentIn terms of what the line between "remix" and "original" is, it's ultimately subjective - I mean, it's art after all, everything is in the eyes (or ears, or other sensory organs) of the beholder....In terms of what the line between "remix" and "original" is, it's ultimately subjective - I mean, it's art after all, everything is in the eyes (or ears, or other sensory organs) of the beholder. And it's certainly not like humans themselves aren't guilty of creating works that are only "remixes" of existing works. I definitely couldn't tell that the graffiti in my city was done by different artists since so many of them choose to adopt a similar style.
So just as my personal take, I think the "originality" itself would be more akin to a particular style or bias that becomes synonymous with the artist. A new Taylor Swift track will very likely be just another catchy pop love song (please do not doxx me Swifties I mean no offense), but it's still distinctly a Taylor Swift track. It's hard to have that kind of attribution of bias to an LLM's output because of its flexibility in output based on whatever it was trained on. You would have to specifically prompt for it to try and generate results in a certain way and at that point it's you trying to inject the bias, not the LLM doing it inherently.
-
Comment on The Oatmeal: A cartoonist's review of AI art in ~comics
Flashfall Link ParentOversimplifying it to an extreme degree, the most core logic behind how an LLM generates output is determining and choosing what the most likely answers are, with some flex room to increase...Oversimplifying it to an extreme degree, the most core logic behind how an LLM generates output is determining and choosing what the most likely answers are, with some flex room to increase variation in output. So when you ask it to create a unique image using something else as a basis, that unique riff it adds is always going to be based on the other images it's been trained on. Perhaps it can come up with some combination of images and styles that hasn't yet been made by humans, like, I dunno, cyberpunk-gothic carebears, but the end result is just a remix of what it knows. You can ask it to create something that doesn't look like its training data, but it literally can't by design. If you've got an image-generating LLM that's trained on Dali, Picasso, Michelangelo, and Warhol, you can certainly get some very interesting and novel combinations from that, but you'll always be able to tell that it's borrowing from those without really adding any new style of its own. It's never going to make a Pollock.
-
Comment on The Oatmeal: A cartoonist's review of AI art in ~comics
Flashfall Link ParentOriginal art has more nuance and depth to it than simply coming up with a new idea or setting though. A writer could write a story following all the usual tropes of that genre, but add enough of...Original art has more nuance and depth to it than simply coming up with a new idea or setting though. A writer could write a story following all the usual tropes of that genre, but add enough of their own unique nuance, pacing, humor, worldbuilding, etc. to make it THEIR style that stands out. An artist like the Oatmeal certainly isn't original when it comes to creating crude and humorous art, but it is the way he draws his characters and lays out his panels that makes his work distinct. AI as it is cannot add this element of uniqueness to its output, it can only rehash or remix what's been provided to it, and that's fine when we just want more of what we already have but we cannot let that devalue distinct, human-made art. You say it's more of a political and economic discussion but such things are a direct reflection of cultural value; if the culture ends up valuing AI art significantly more than human-made art, then ultimately human-made art will decline.
-
Comment on The Oatmeal: A cartoonist's review of AI art in ~comics
Flashfall Link ParentEven looking at it this way, are you impressed by the LLM's ability to interpret input, or by the programmers who came up with the logic to allow it to do so? It's not like the LLM's capabilities...But you know what? There is in fact a lot of wonder to be found in generative art and artificial intelligence, if you want there to be. Its not interesting to him because he is not putting much thought into it. If you feel like being deep and philosophical about it, its incredibly interesting to think about how a generic algorithm was able to distill out the core meaning of language by just pattern recognition of the structure of sentences. Its interesting to think about how changing one word to a synonym of that same word will change how a model interprets a sentence because of millions of nuances in how it is used by ordinary people. None of that exists if you just want look at chatGPT as a black box of science and capitalism, but it could if you so choose.
Even looking at it this way, are you impressed by the LLM's ability to interpret input, or by the programmers who came up with the logic to allow it to do so? It's not like the LLM's capabilities came about pseudo-randomly as a matter of evolution over millions of years, these things were designed very intentionally and with a significant amount of effort and ingenuity by humans in a relatively short time span. We should give credit where credit is due; artists should be acknowledged for the effort and intention in their art, and LLM creators for the effort and ability to create an algorithm that can competently mimic human work. That doesn't necessarily mean AI-generated art is inherently lower-value than human-made art, and odds are the majority of people won't care as long as it's of passable quality and within their budget, but it will mean that there will be a need for an "artisanal" exclusively human-made art market, as LLMs currently can't generate novel ideas of their own and it's important that we support artists that do, lest we stagnate.
Oh yeah, the real peak "PVE" player experience is getting a solid loot run in, maybe teaming up with a few other friendlies, then surviving and escaping an ambush from other players during extract. Gives you a taste of everything the game has to offer without anyone being scummy or toxic. I remember my trio sitting on top of the Dam control tower watching 2 squads team up to extract together and fight off a leaper, so once the doors opened we just started firing off our ferros at them for shits and giggles. Didn't down any of them and they all got away safely, and we got the achievement for hitting a target from 250m away, a good time for everybody.
Embark also just dropped the trailer for the next major update which releases tomorrow, and it looks like there's going to be a community-wide event to unlock the new map, Stella Montis. Very exciting times to be a raider.