Flashfall's recent activity

  1. Comment on The Oatmeal: A cartoonist's review of AI art in ~comics

    Flashfall
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    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....

    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.

    1 vote

  2. Comment on The Oatmeal: A cartoonist's review of AI art in ~comics

    Flashfall
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    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...

    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.

    1 vote

  3. Comment on The Oatmeal: A cartoonist's review of AI art in ~comics

    Flashfall
    Link Parent
    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...

    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.

    1 vote

  4. Comment on The Oatmeal: A cartoonist's review of AI art in ~comics

    Flashfall
    Link Parent
    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...

    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.

    2 votes

  5. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    Flashfall
    Link Parent
    On the one hand, you have a point that a lot of people are missing out on some great music and art because the game can be too difficult for them. Just hearing the music in Cogwork Core for the...

    it feels like a misstep not to just throw in some sliders and let everyone enjoy it at whatever difficulty they like.

    On the one hand, you have a point that a lot of people are missing out on some great music and art because the game can be too difficult for them. Just hearing the music in Cogwork Core for the first time put a huge smile on my face. On the other hand though, we wouldn't get the collective catharsis and memes from r/fucksavagebeastfly, which would be a real shame to not have now that I know it exists.

    2 votes

  6. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    Flashfall
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    Still working my way through Hollow Knight: Silksong at my own pace and trying to explore as much as possible and do all the side quests I can before progressing further. The fact that I'm 40...

    Still working my way through Hollow Knight: Silksong at my own pace and trying to explore as much as possible and do all the side quests I can before progressing further. The fact that I'm 40 hours in at the end of Act 2 and I've only recently discovered several new areas is both exciting and frightening. Also, call me basic, but I think I've developed a crippling addiction to Wanderer's Crest. Is it the least creative way to play the game? Yes, probably. Will that stop me from hacking everything to shreds as quickly as the game will let me? No, quick slash and vertical pogo is life.

    9 votes

  7. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    Flashfall
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    I finished everything in the original Hollow Knight except for the Godmaster content, so I figured that was a good point as any to finally start Silksong and I'm really glad I beat Hollow Knight...

    I finished everything in the original Hollow Knight except for the Godmaster content, so I figured that was a good point as any to finally start Silksong and I'm really glad I beat Hollow Knight first because the sequel comes right out of the gates swinging. Traversing the map is more demanding on platforming skills, regular enemies have more health and varied speed/attacks, and even early game boss attacks do 2 masks of damage. It is without a doubt harder than the first game, which is great for HK/metroidvania veterans that want a challenge to keep them engaged, but very rough on relative newcomers to the genre. The game can afford to tell a more clear story and plot this time around since Hornet can actually talk, so there's a good amount of dialogue with NPCs so far. I haven't reached the Citadel yet but I've been having a pretty good time, definitely struggled with a few bosses already but I'm still missing large parts of my arsenal so I figure fights will get more interesting once I discover more of those.

    8 votes

  8. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    Flashfall
    Link Parent
    Oh yeah I love how over the top the narrator in the opening cinematic is, especially considering how ridiculous some of the things he says are, and just how damn hard he sells Gideon's title....

    Oh yeah I love how over the top the narrator in the opening cinematic is, especially considering how ridiculous some of the things he says are, and just how damn hard he sells Gideon's title. FromSoft dialogue can have some truly peak moments.

    3 votes

  9. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    Flashfall
    Link Parent
    Oh yeah in-game shops, there's no microtransactions here. You can get credits as one of the reward currencies but there's no way to spend them right now until those shops are implemented.

    Oh yeah in-game shops, there's no microtransactions here. You can get credits as one of the reward currencies but there's no way to spend them right now until those shops are implemented.

    1 vote

  10. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    Flashfall
    Link Parent
    Please don't tell me you mercy-killed Igon when you first saw him. I considered doing that myself the first time I did, and I'm really glad I didn't. The fight with Bayle just isn't the same...

    Being that this was a blind playthrough of the DLC, I of course messed up a quest line.

    Please don't tell me you mercy-killed Igon when you first saw him. I considered doing that myself the first time I did, and I'm really glad I didn't. The fight with Bayle just isn't the same without him hyping you up.

    1 vote

  11. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    Flashfall
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    I finally got Hollow Knight to be properly prepared for Silksong, and I understand why people were so hyped for Silksong now. This is a really, really good metroidvania. Controls and movement are...

    I finally got Hollow Knight to be properly prepared for Silksong, and I understand why people were so hyped for Silksong now. This is a really, really good metroidvania. Controls and movement are tight and responsive, combat and enemy design/variety is great, not too complex but still very rewarding of mastery. The art design for the different areas is great, as well as the usually subtle but impactful OST, which I will now use as bgm for work. Exploration and discovery of secrets and new paths is very rewarding and usually not a slog (backtracking to the nearest stag station can be dull sometimes). Characters are surprisingly expressive despite not having vocal dialogue past their unique sound effects. Difficulty wise it's pretty fair, though you can make things notably easier by collecting upgrades to health/soul and certain charm combos. Note that this is from the perspective of someone that's done all the bosses except the pantheon, knight/radiance, and nk grimm, so I'm sure I'll struggle more with those. Going for 100% completion right now, not including doing the Path of Pain because it's entirely optional and jump quests have been inflicting pain on me since I started playing Maplestory in 2005 so I'd rather not.

    Also got Jump Space, which released on Friday in Early Access, to play co-op with my brother. This is a FPS that also has space ship combat, with procedurally generated series of missions to complete. Overall the gameplay's pretty simple and there's various features like the item shops that are still in development, but there are a couple things that have impressed me so far.

    The biggest of these would be the seamlessness of on-foot to ship mobility and combat. This isn't some awkward clunky business where you have to fully land or stop to exit your ship or completely annihilate your performance like in Star Citizen, the ship can be going at full speed and you can just launch yourself out of it with a launch tube or just walk out the airlocks too. There's walkways on the outside of the ship where you can be walking around on it, and even on the sides or under it, and you'll be travelling with the ship. At any point, you can also just jump and jetpack off it, then just use your absurdly long grappling hook to latch back onto a grapple point on the walkway and re-magnetize onto it. The jetpacks themselves also move absurdly fast so it's not like you're just left drifting in the void if you do detach from the ship, so that really gives players a ton of freedom of mobility. Ground combat itself is very straightforward, you have gun, there are enemy robots, you shoot them, you try not to get shot too much. The grappling hook and jetpack (which can't be used in indoor environments) give you some more verticality options there.

    The ship combat has more going for it, with the pilot having frontal ship cannons, and the gunner having potentially multiple different turret weapons. Ships have shields (that don't regenerate) and health, both of which can be restored by crafting shield/ship repair kits and then manually bringing them over to corresponding installation points. Your ship can also catch fire both inside and outside (not sure how that happens in the vacuum of space), but fortunately there's a couple extinguishers placed around the ship. Ammo is also not unlimited and additional ammo bins have to be found/crafted then loaded. You can tell this game was definitely made with co-op in mind, since they expect somebody to go around effectively doing logistics in the middle of a fight if things get messy. Ships are also customizable, with different options for the engine, aux generators, thrusters, and weapons. Unlocking more of these ship components is one of the main draws for the missions currently, as well as unlocking different ships altogether.

    Overall, it shows a lot of promise. Only played a few hours so far but I've liked what I've seen, looking forward to seeing this game grow in features and content.

    7 votes

  12. Comment on What's your go-to hot sauce? in ~food

    Flashfall
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    It's not a vinegar-forward sauce, but Los Calientes Verde strikes the right balance for me of just a little spicy while being also bright and a bit tangy. It's just really tasty even by itself,...

    It's not a vinegar-forward sauce, but Los Calientes Verde strikes the right balance for me of just a little spicy while being also bright and a bit tangy. It's just really tasty even by itself, and it'll compliment most proteins well.

    You mentioned that Tabasco is kind of mid and I'd agree with you for the original flavor, but the chipotle-sauce can add a nice touch of smokiness to things. Still watery though.

    4 votes

  13. Comment on What's an RPG? (video game) in ~games

    Flashfall
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    When it comes to video game RPGs, aside from what everyone has already said about it being very much a "you know it when you see it" kind of thing, there are a general few guidelines that a video...

    When it comes to video game RPGs, aside from what everyone has already said about it being very much a "you know it when you see it" kind of thing, there are a general few guidelines that a video game RPG adheres to:

    • A notable emphasis on the narrative/story and how your character influences/is influenced by the events that unfold. Your character/party should be having a real impact on what's happening story-wise, and should also be going through emotional or growth arcs throughout. Even in games where you can create your own character, they should still feel like they have a real place and emotional stake in the setting.

    • A leveling system with skill choices that allow you some freedom in how you want your character(s) to engage in combat and/or non-combat skill checks, such as dialogue or bypassing obstacles that require a specific skillset. Many other game genres have co-opted skill trees from RPGs but usually purely for combat and not for interaction with the world at large.

    • Story-gated progression that limits you from skipping important events or going straight to areas you're not meant to be in yet that are likely beyond you or your party's current level. This ensures that you actually experience the full story, or at least enough of it for it to make sense. Open world RPGs like the Bethesda Fallouts and the Switch Legend of Zelda games do ignore this to a degree and sometimes reward players that are up to the challenge, but more often than not you're blocked off and bypassing these gates through not intended means like glitching out of bounds doesn't count.

    Or if we're going by a real simple vibes explanation of it, everybody plays generally the same story, maybe with a couple different branching points and endings, but they get to customize their character(s) on how they get through said story.

    1 vote

  14. Comment on Helldivers 2 – Into the Unjust | Launch trailer in ~games

    Flashfall
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    Just a heads up for any prospective or returning helldivers, the game is very buggy right now, and I don't mean just the Terminids. Big new update means big new errors, so if you can't wait to...

    Just a heads up for any prospective or returning helldivers, the game is very buggy right now, and I don't mean just the Terminids. Big new update means big new errors, so if you can't wait to jump in then expect some crashes, performance issues, and even more in-game physics wackiness than usual. Otherwise, I'll see you in the caves to kill some bugs! Rock and Sto - I mean, for Super Earth!

    12 votes

  15. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    Flashfall
    Link Parent
    Regular warbonds are 1000 super credits, or 10 USD. This one is the first legendary warbond though, so it's 1500 super credits. There's nothing particularly unique in the ODST warbond weapons-wise...

    Regular warbonds are 1000 super credits, or 10 USD. This one is the first legendary warbond though, so it's 1500 super credits. There's nothing particularly unique in the ODST warbond weapons-wise though the weapons are pretty solid, so most of the value is definitely more on the nostalgia and fashion side. That said, the drip is immaculate.

    Honestly though, I would wait a little bit before buying the game if that's your intention. It's quite unstable after this latest major update and you'll likely have a much better experience once they push out some hotfixes for the most egregious issues, especially the crashing.

    1 vote

  16. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    Flashfall
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    Helldivers 2 released for Xbox last week along with the ODST crossover warbond, and we have finally ended the console wars. Very wholesome vibes all around with PC and PS5 veterans welcoming the...

    Helldivers 2 released for Xbox last week along with the ODST crossover warbond, and we have finally ended the console wars. Very wholesome vibes all around with PC and PS5 veterans welcoming the new divers with open arms, and it's great to see them discover things for the first time. They've also reinvigorated the community, just in time for the next major update happening tomorrow, Into the Unjust, where there will definitely be way too much "Rock and Stone" being spammed in game chat as we take the fight against the Terminid menace underground. For Super Earth!

    7 votes

  17. Comment on What's your current PC wallpaper? in ~tech

    Flashfall
    Link Parent
    Complete shot in the dark, but is it the Talos Principle?

    Complete shot in the dark, but is it the Talos Principle?

    2 votes

  18. Comment on What's your current PC wallpaper? in ~tech

    Flashfall
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    I've been listening to Touhou Project music on Youtube for well over a decade and when I see a picture in a video that I particularly like, I find it online and use it as my wallpaper until I find...

    I've been listening to Touhou Project music on Youtube for well over a decade and when I see a picture in a video that I particularly like, I find it online and use it as my wallpaper until I find another that I like enough to replace it with. I'm running dual monitors so I use one picture for each. These are my previous and current wallpapers, I used the last one for a couple years and only recently switched to the new ones a few months ago.

    1 vote

  19. Comment on What's your current PC wallpaper? in ~tech

    Flashfall
    Link Parent
    The rare Land of the Lustrous mention that only appears once every 10,000 years

    The rare Land of the Lustrous mention that only appears once every 10,000 years

    2 votes

  20. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    Flashfall
    Link Parent
    It's definitely really solid as an FPS but personally I was a bit disappointed they didn't show off a map in the beta that really gave that sense of awe from the scale or destruction. BF3's beta...

    It's definitely really solid as an FPS but personally I was a bit disappointed they didn't show off a map in the beta that really gave that sense of awe from the scale or destruction. BF3's beta had Caspian Border and collapsing the radio tower; BF4's beta had Siege of Shanghai and leveling the skyscraper (though that did make the map worse for the rest of the game from the reduced framerate, haha); BFV beta didn't have a huge map with a massive destructible feature but it did have the V1/JB2 rockets and watching those things land never got old. Fun, really well made pvp shooter, yes, but not exactly what I wanted from a Battlefield game. I'm going to see how launch plays out and wait for a sale.

    3 votes