Grayscail's recent activity
-
Comment on Fintech founder charged with fraud after ‘AI’ shopping app found to be powered by humans in the Philippines in ~tech
-
Comment on Russell Brand charged with rape and sexual assault in ~movies
-
Comment on US Federal prosecutors to seek death penalty for Luigi Mangione in UnitedHealthcare CEO’s killing in ~society
Grayscail LinkIm not in favor of the death penalty, its not like its protecting the public any more than just letting him sit in prison. Just seems like indulging in peoples bloodlust. But if it turns out that...Im not in favor of the death penalty, its not like its protecting the public any more than just letting him sit in prison. Just seems like indulging in peoples bloodlust.
But if it turns out that Luigi was in fact the guy in that video who shot the CEO guy in the back, it does seem pretty cut and dry that its illegal to do that. So he probably should be found guilty. It does feel like a bad thing to do.
I would say Brian Thompson got put down in the street like a dog, but its probably not even that common to do that to a dog unless its rabid or something.
-
Comment on Introductions | March 2025 in ~talk
Grayscail Link ParentTheres a number of different proposed designs for developing fusion reactors, and every one of them is rad as hell. Theres giant magnets and lasers and lightning arcs and fireballs of plasma, its...Theres a number of different proposed designs for developing fusion reactors, and every one of them is rad as hell. Theres giant magnets and lasers and lightning arcs and fireballs of plasma, its all really cool sounding.
My favorite proposal is from a company called General Fusion. Not because it sounds like it will work, but just because its the wackiest shit Ive ever heard. Their original plan was to take a huge vat of melted lithium, then spin it around in a giant centrifuge to form a swirling vortex of molten metal, then they fire a shot of burning plasma into the eye of the storm, and then surrounding it are a hundred pneumatic pistons that hammer the whole thing from all sides to compress it all with a hypersonic shockwave, and that is supposed to create fusion conditions that will result in a net output of energy.
I cant think of another scenario where Id get to build cartoon supervillain doomsday weapons as a day job.
-
Comment on What keeps you up at night? in ~talk
Grayscail Link ParentOddly enough, this video came out just after I posted: the fear of never being enoughOddly enough, this video came out just after I posted: the fear of never being enough
-
Comment on US Department of Government Efficiency plans to rebuild Social Security administration codebase in months, risking benefits and system collapse in ~society
Grayscail LinkI saw a video once of a call where Elon was saying something about how the whole "stack" for Twitter is bad and needs a complete rewrite. Then someone asked a question of basically "what does that...I saw a video once of a call where Elon was saying something about how the whole "stack" for Twitter is bad and needs a complete rewrite.
Then someone asked a question of basically "what does that even mean?"
And he collapsed immediately. Couldn't even elaborate on what he was talking about.
This is a bad idea.
-
Comment on What keeps you up at night? in ~talk
Grayscail LinkThe idea that I'm not good enough. Personality wise, ethically, morally, politically. I feel like there is constant pressure from the rest of the world to constantly reevaluate myself and change...The idea that I'm not good enough. Personality wise, ethically, morally, politically. I feel like there is constant pressure from the rest of the world to constantly reevaluate myself and change and improve, and if Im not constantly doing that then I am personally responsible for standing by allowing or contributing to all the bad things in the world.
I end up spending every minute of every day relitigating every potentially controversial question in the back of my head so I can convince myself that I have a sufficient justification for all my choices. Just in case I find myself in a situation where some stranger decides to confront me about some issue thats important to them and demands I explain myself to them.
But theres no end to that line of thinking. I understand other peoples arguments and perspectives and I recognize that there are internally consistent logical rationales behind many opposing viewpoints. I can think of endless counterpoints to my own arguments. Theres no decisive end to the debate and theres nothing I can say to definitively get people off my back.
I should probably just stop caring about what anyone else thinks of me, but I just cant shake my insecurities of being insufficient. Its compulsive. I spend hours every day looking through forum posts about controversial topics and figuring out my defense for them even though I hate contemporary politics and it never leads to anything but me feeling frustrated and annoyed. Its frankly a terrible way to live and every day is a waking hell of my own design.
-
Comment on Introductions | March 2025 in ~talk
Grayscail Link ParentHi! Minnesota is a great state. I used to live in Florida but I couldnt stand constantly sweating everytime I went outside.Hi! Minnesota is a great state. I used to live in Florida but I couldnt stand constantly sweating everytime I went outside.
-
Comment on Things progressives get wrong in ~society
Grayscail Link ParentI havent necessarily heard the exact phrase "check your privilege" but Ive for sure heard people talk about privilege as a way of dismissing someone elses arguments. Theres at least one such...I havent necessarily heard the exact phrase "check your privilege" but Ive for sure heard people talk about privilege as a way of dismissing someone elses arguments. Theres at least one such comment I can see in this thread alone further down.
-
Comment on Introductions | March 2025 in ~talk
Grayscail LinkHow long have you been on Tildes? How did you find out about us? June 2023 apparently. I was noticing a decline in Reddit so I started looking for alternative forum sites and eventually found a...How long have you been on Tildes? How did you find out about us?
June 2023 apparently. I was noticing a decline in Reddit so I started looking for alternative forum sites and eventually found a reddit thread advertising this place.
How did you choose your username?
I like the color gray.
What are your interests?
Science and engineering, particularly topics relevant to electricity and decarbonization.
I also like music, especially instrumental or foreign language songs where I dont understand the lyrics.
And Im fairly into analyzing media narratives and coming up with my own headcanon to explain apparent plot holes.
A/S/L (age/(gender|pronouns|identifier)/location)
Low thirties, male, Minnesota(US)
What do you do? This could be in your spare time, for work, your passions.
I used to be an engineer, although I recently quit so now Im just hanging out.
Im interested in working on nuclear fusion research as a long term dream
Do you want other users to PM/DM you from this thread?
If you want
Give us a fun fact (or a link!)! If there is anything to know about tilderinos, it's that we value knowledge sharing!
In Pokemon Red and Blue, there are 4 of the 8 gym badges that affect the loyalty of outsider pokemon, namely the Cascade, Rainbow, Marsh, and Earth badges. In the anime, Ash does not legitimately earn any of these badges.
The Cascade badge he gets for battling Misty, but at a time where her older sisters are the official gym leaders instead of her.
The Rainbow badge is given to him as a reward for saving Erikas pokemon from a fire
The Marsh badge is given after a wild Haunter makes Sabrina laugh and she stops being all evil
The Earth badge is won by battling Team Rocket, not Giovanni
Because of this, and due to the fact that Charmander had an original trainer before Ash, it does make some sense mechanically as to why Charizard doesnt obey Ash even after he has collected all the badges and competed at the League championships.
-
Comment on Why is everything binary? in ~science
Grayscail (edited )LinkThings are binary because it an easier way to structure thoughts or decisions through discrete choices than spectrums. Its a complicated question to ask "what temperature should we set the...Things are binary because it an easier way to structure thoughts or decisions through discrete choices than spectrums.
Its a complicated question to ask "what temperature should we set the thermostat to", but its a simpler question to ask "Are you COLD and want the temperature to go UP, or are you HOT and want the temperature to go DOWN".
When looking at the transistor example transistors also have a linear region where they access a continuous range of voltages. You can design a circuit to calculate some mathematical function that outputs a continuous voltage range instead of logic levels. This is analog computing. The reason we dont use this as much is that if you are using continuous variables, there is going to be a little bit of imprecision in each of those voltages, and this will create uncertainty in your final result. With binary signals, even if there is noise on your voltage levels its still easy to figure out the exact precise logic level you were going for.
On a more abstract level, the reason we use "binary thinking" in human thought is that its a structured way of thinking thats easier to reconcile with other peoples thoughts. If you can boil down your thought process to a bunch of YES/NO questions, its easier to compare with others and see exactly which points you are disagreeing on. If you are just thinking things through yourself then theres no problem engaging with all the nuances and minutiae, but its harder to filter all those thoughts through the medium of speech.
Even the term "non-binary" is binary thinking. Its asking are you part of this traditional male/female dichotomy or not? Within that label, theres a huge range of ways that a non-binary person might consider their identity. But its hard to condense all that complexity into a single term for brevity, so people choose to boil it down to one single digestible question.
-
Comment on Assassins Creed Shadows and stealth in ~games
Grayscail Link ParentYeah, thats true. I really like the Thief series, but going into a level is a time commitment, and that makes it hard to revisit unless I feel like I have a lot of time on hand.Yeah, thats true. I really like the Thief series, but going into a level is a time commitment, and that makes it hard to revisit unless I feel like I have a lot of time on hand.
-
Comment on Assassins Creed Shadows and stealth in ~games
Grayscail Link ParentI know I don't have any sway over how the Assassins Creed series develops, I just think its an interesting question in terms of game design philosophy.I know I don't have any sway over how the Assassins Creed series develops, I just think its an interesting question in terms of game design philosophy.
-
Assassins Creed Shadows and stealth
So Assassins Creed Shadows released this week, and so far the discourse surrounding the game is really all over the place with lots of good and bad reviews across the spectrum. I was a big fan of...
So Assassins Creed Shadows released this week, and so far the discourse surrounding the game is really all over the place with lots of good and bad reviews across the spectrum. I was a big fan of the Assassins Creed games from 1-3, and then I skipped the PS4 console generation so I didnt play any of the more recent ones. But this new one is about ninjas, which is rad, so Ive been following news about the game.
One thing I noticed, which is the main thing I want to discuss, when seeing clips of the game online is the focus on sword combat, and more specifically open combat. I dont know if this is a thing that became more of a focus in earlier games like Valhala or if its more a response to the success of Ghost of Tsushima. Im wondering if anyone else has thoughts on how the role of combat has evolved as the series has advanced.
In my personal view, a ninja assassin game should have minimal focus on direct combat. The ideal way an assassination should go is something like this:
-
Do some early missions to gather intel or do prep work
-
Take on "the approach" to your target, which will involve a combination of parkouring over rooftops and stealth kills to remove guards. Your efforts in step 1 will make this easier or harder.
-
Get into position and wait for the right moment when the target moves into the right place
-
Spring your trap, whether that be pouncing on them with a dagger or setting off an explosive or whatever
-
Drop a smoke bomb, disappear into the shadows, maybe jump off a rooftop into a haystack for good measure
When pulled off correctly, it should be like you were never there. Aside from the dead guy. If you are getting into a direct head on confrontation as a ninja, you have fucked up at ninja. To this end, I feel that in a stealth assassination game open combat should be more of a penalty for when you screw up and get caught, not part of the core strategy.
Looking back at the early games, this concept was applied in AC1. Getting into a fight with a Templar was pretty difficult and tedious. You didnt want to get stuck doing it, and if you did it was often better to just run. The times you were forced to fight head on it felt like you were trapped in a dire situation that was not to your advantage, so it was a good way to apply pressure to the player to make a scene seem tense.
In AC2 the combat was reworked and became significantly easier. I actually really like the way it was implemented. Technically you can get away with just hammering away at most weaker enemies until you break their guard, but the combat really shines when you fight defensively. If you focus in dodging and counter-kills, big fights become a thing of beauty. Ezio dodges and weaves effortlessly through the crowd, doing a slick spin slash every so often to slice a bad guys neck. Its all very stylistic and elegant and graceful in a way that makes Ezio look like a badass but is still very evocative of the idea of a master assassin.
And then AC3 is fine, I don't have a ton to say about that one.
Returning to Shadows, when I look at clips of people playing the game there is a lot of sword combat. The combat seems to often follow a pattern where the enemy will perform a fixed attack pattern with visual indications like a colored aura around their weapon, which the player must mitigate through precision by either dodge rolls or parrys, after which there will be a pause during which the player can whack at the enemy a few times and reduce their health bar. Repeat a couple times until they are killed. I think it is specifically the hacking away at an enemy like you are taking a machete to jungle foliage that I dont like about this. Whittling away at an enemy who just tanks it and soaks up damage feels decidedly un-assassiny to me.
Now, if open combat is intended to be a big part of the game then I can see why this is the case. You cant make every enemy a long drawn out chore like AC1 because if youre going to have to do this like a hundred times that will get old fast. And you cant do glorified quick time events like AC2 because itd be too quick and a major pillar of your gameplay will feel trivial. So I can see why this newer style of combat is being used, I just don't feel its a great fit for the genre.
What are your thoughts? Are you a fan of stealth-action games? Do you enjoy dodge-roll-centric combat? How would you want to see combat handled in an assassins creed type game?
13 votes -
-
Comment on Why is it so hard engage people about indirect effects? in ~talk
Grayscail Link ParentTheres a difference in the questions of "is it ok" and "should it be considered ok", one is about doing and the other is about judging. Its always your right to feel however you feel about...Theres a difference in the questions of "is it ok" and "should it be considered ok", one is about doing and the other is about judging. Its always your right to feel however you feel about something, so if you want to judge other peoples choices thats your perrogative.
But the right to judge someone else is not the same as the right to decide for someone else. Its still unilaterally their decision what they are going to do. If you assert your right to judge someone, you do so at the expense of your ability to connect with them. When you look down on someone for their choices it creates emotional distance between the two of you.
Now, if the person in question is desperate for approval they might try to change themselves to meet your expectations, and that could lead to you being able to change their behaviors. On the other hand, they might also choose to reject your ideas out of spite if they are resentful of being judged.
As a result, if you have been consistently finding that your current approach is leading to people not even wanting to engage with you or consider your ideas, that could be a sign that being judgemental is interfering with your ability to do good things in the world. In which case you might consider it a moral imperative to set aside your judgement to maximize your chances at positively influencing people.
-
Comment on Ann Arbor's sustainable energy utility aims to build the electric power grid of the future alongside the old one in ~enviro
Grayscail LinkI think this is a cool idea, I'm interested to see how this parallel grid is intended to intermesh with the conventional grid. Building parallel systems feels like a good strategy to let people...I think this is a cool idea, I'm interested to see how this parallel grid is intended to intermesh with the conventional grid. Building parallel systems feels like a good strategy to let people try out novel ideas without needing to completely revamp existing systems or get full nationwide consensus on a new concept.
-
Ann Arbor's sustainable energy utility aims to build the electric power grid of the future alongside the old one
9 votes -
Comment on If you could go into hibernation and wake up in the future, would you? in ~talk
Grayscail Link ParentOk thats a good point, I probably would be able to survive ok if I went to the future. But I wouldnt really want to live the rest of my life as a gimmick. I think right now at this point in...Ok thats a good point, I probably would be able to survive ok if I went to the future. But I wouldnt really want to live the rest of my life as a gimmick.
I think right now at this point in history I have the capacity to make a meaningful contribution to the world, and in the distant future Id just feel like a relic.
-
Comment on If you could go into hibernation and wake up in the future, would you? in ~talk
Grayscail LinkI probably wouldnt. Think about some 16th century guy who learned a bunch of useful skills about basket weaving and candle making and stuff, and then suddenly gets transported to today. Hed have...I probably wouldnt.
Think about some 16th century guy who learned a bunch of useful skills about basket weaving and candle making and stuff, and then suddenly gets transported to today. Hed have to find a way to integrate into society and survive despite having no idea how anything works and having all his skills and knowledge be completely irrelevant.
Thatd be me in any time other than right now.
-
Comment on Why is it so hard engage people about indirect effects? in ~talk
Grayscail LinkI think broadly speaking its because most people arent interested in unsolicited opinions about how they are not doing a good enough job of things, regardless of what specifically you want them to...- Exemplary
I think broadly speaking its because most people arent interested in unsolicited opinions about how they are not doing a good enough job of things, regardless of what specifically you want them to change about it.
The notion of having a "discussion" about something typically involves a back and forth exchange of ideas to reach a common understanding. But in the case where someone feels strongly enough about their disapproval that they have chosen to try and intercede, you dont really expect that they are going to accept any answer you give them. Whatever explanation you give, whats probably going to happen is they are going to dispute some aspect of what you said and try to argue with you about it so they can convince you to change your mind. Which you might not be interested in.
So even if you do engage with them openly and honestly and explain all your reasons for why you think what you do, its not likely to end with them saying "oh ok I guess thats fair go ahead and keep doing what your doing". Even if they did, you dont really need anyones approval to make your decisions. Theres no real reward or upside to choosing to engage unless you are just naturally interested in the discussion.
Weve finally achieved Artificial Artificial General Intelligence 👍