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Comment on 3D printing - A beginner's observations and some practical applications in ~creative
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Comment on 3D printing - A beginner's observations and some practical applications in ~creative
ICN LinkGetting into 3d printing has been my hyperfixation for the last little bit, so I'll go ahead and throw in my 2 cents on getting started in case anyone is interested. I've focused on FDM printers,...Getting into 3d printing has been my hyperfixation for the last little bit, so I'll go ahead and throw in my 2 cents on getting started in case anyone is interested. I've focused on FDM printers, so most of the stuff is going to be about that. Treat everything that follows with the skepticism due an internet stranger without actual experience in the matter.
Getting Started
The biggest question to ask is what you want to 3d print. Some people really take to 3d printing, others end up letting the machine gather dust in the corner. So my recommendation would be to browse some of the 3d printing sites (such as thingiverse or printables) to get an idea of what's possible and some ideas. Then, as you go through your day, consider your environment. What would you tweak about it if you could? Are you missing a piece to some machine or doohickey? Keep a list. If you can populate it, then 3d printing might be for you.
From there, I'd model an object. For many things, you'll be able to find a file somebody else already made. My view though is that one of the biggest strengths of 3d printing is the ability to get a completely customized solution to something, but to do so you'll need to familiarize yourself with CAD software to do so. It doesn't have to be something fancy, and kludging together something from bits of other files works, just so long as it's for you or someone you know specifically.
For what software to use, check this infographic. I've heard there's also software you can use to generate 3d models from video game files if that's your thing, but I haven't looked into it.
Printer Types
There are two main types of consumer models. Most of the time, when people are talking about it on the internet, it'll be the Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) type. This is the one where plastic from a spool of filament is fed to an extruder which effectively draws your print one layer at a time. It's good for functional parts, and can get some pretty good detail going if you tune your printer. Check out the Tome of 3d Printed Horrors youtube channel to get an idea of what making miniatures in that space looks like. To get started, I'd estimate a cost of $300-500 depending on what exactly you want.
When looking at FDM printers, you'll see two main types of motion systems: coreXY and bedslingers. A bedslinger is what it sounds like; the print bed moves in the y-axis, while the print head moves in the x and z axes. CoreXY uses a fancy belt system to move the print head in the x and y axes, while generally the bed moves in the z axis. CoreXY is generally a better movement system, but I think it's rather overblown by people online. CoreXY can print faster, due to a lighter print head, does better with tall thin objects that might wobble on a bedslinger, and are generally pretty easy to enclose. However, printers are bottlenecked by the melt speed of plastic these days: stock hotends can't prep things fast enough to keep up with the speed of CoreXY, and if you upgrade the hotend you can run into cooling issues with your print. Bedslingers with input shaping (fancy firmware that compensates for the vibrations of the motors) are in the same ballpark speed-wise as CoreXY systems. Bedslingers are also simpler systems, which makes them easier to fine tune and troubleshoot if something goes wrong. Overall, I wouldn't worry about the motion system.
The other type is resin printing, using either DLP or SLA technology IIRC. These ones print by hardening liquid resin by exposure to UV light. They get exquisite detail, and are the way to go if you want to print miniatures. A major reason they're less popular though is because resin is super toxic. All the steps up until the final part involve handling toxic chemicals, and even then they're cleared to touch but not long exposure (I believe it's a bit like copper; it's fine to touch it and handle loose change, but if you wear jewelry made out of it it'll turn your fingers green). I haven't looked into this one closely, but I'd estimate a $400-$500 cost to get started (the rule of thumb is you'll spend as much on PPE as you will on the printer).
Safety Considerations
The most important thing is ventilation. Many FDM materials (the engineering ones I believe) and all resins release toxic fumes, and all FDM printing releases microplastic particulates. While the microplastics probably aren't a big deal, I'd still say best practice is to keep your printer in a well ventilated room and avoid being in that room while it's printing as best you can. You can jury rig setups with filters, fans, and a grow tent if you want to be really thorough to help deal with this.
Food Safety: Best practice is to not consider 3d prints food safe. While the material you print with might be food safe (such as PLA), there's no guarantee that the dyes and additives used to help it print better are. Further, FDM printers leave layer lines, tiny grooves between each layer that can be a hotspot for bacteria and mold, and are difficult to clean. If you do want to take a swing at it, take a look at food safe epoxies, or use printers to help create molds for ceramics and the like.
Resin printing you're going to need a respirator with filters, preferably rated for both particulates and VOCs. You'll also need safety goggles, nitrile gloves, an apron if you care about your clothes, and good ventilation is not optional. You'll want containers specifically for washing your prints in IPA, trays for works in progress, and some miscellaneous tools for moving things around, and more that I'm forgetting about I'm sure. If you do things right, there's nothing to worry about. If you're not careful, resin can cause chemical burns and worse. Do your homework.
Materials
Resins: Resins have a reputation for being brittle, but they've come pretty far. Engineering resins mixed with some flexible stuff can be pretty strong, and IIRC some resins can be preferred over FDM materials. Don't get water washable resin; it's weaker than the IPA stuff, and at the end you're left with a whole bunch of water that's too big a biohazard to dump down the drain.
FDM materials:
If printing abrasive materials (anything with a filling, like carbon-fiber PLA or glass-filled Nylon), you'll need a hardened steel nozzle. Engineering filaments generally need an enclosed printer.PLA:
The default. Easy to print with, strong enough to use around the house generally, though brittle. It doesn't do so well outside or with heat; it might melt if left in your car or in the sun on a hot day. Added materials (carbon fiber, wood, etc.) are for cosmetic purposes rather than material ones. You may sometimes see claims about biodegradability or that it can be composted but that's a scam; PLA doesn't biodegrade under normal conditions and can only be composted under industrial conditions. Or it could be, assuming that none of the dyes or additives are toxic. Seek out PLA recycling programs if you want to be environmentally sustainable.PETG:
While it doesn't have the tensile strength of PLA, PETG more than makes up for it by being considerably less brittle, and more heat and water resistant. Good for prints that need to outside or take a bit of a beating. Not quite as easy as PLA to print, but still good. There are also recycling services for this one IIRC.TPU:
A flexible material, TPU covers a wide range of stiffnesses, from something like your phone case to something like a shopping cart wheel. This one can be a bit tricky to print, since it's flexible. You'll want a direct extruder rather than a bowden one.Those three form a pretty flexible core for most of your printing needs. Engineering filaments are nice, but most people are going to be perfectly happy with just the above.
ABA/ASA:
ASA is the newer, cooler ABS that's UV resistant. An engineering filament, so an enclosure will make printing it a whole lot easier. This is a tough, durable filament, and can be vapor smoothed with acetone to smooth out layer lines in post processing. IIRC it's pretty printable.Nylon or PolyAmide(PA):
Another engineering filament. This one is difficult to print, but has some great material properties. Somewhat elastic at low thicknesses, stiffer at higher ones, low friction, and durable. Additives here, such as carbon fiber or glass, actually make it much easier to print in addition to altering material properties.PolyCarbonate, or PC
Engineering filament, similar to Nylon in that it's difficult to print but additives make it easier. IIRC it's the toughest and most durable material on here, while being completely rigid compared to nylon's slight elasticity.Bonus Round: PHA
This is one to watch in the future. PHA is a bioplastic that might be able to actually biodegrade/compost. As a 3d printing filament it's only hit the market this year. Beyond Plastic is the company that claims to be taking it furthest with their certifications, though it remains to be seen if those are genuine or typical corporate deceptive marketing. It's a tricky material to print by all accounts, though it doesn't need an enclosure (or a heated bed, for that matter).What Printer To Get
Resin People
Elegoo and Phrozen are supposed to make quality stuff. Don't get one that's bigger than you'll need, both for price reasons and because the smaller you go the higher the detail (though modern resin printers are pretty much at magnifying glass detail no matter what; their resolution is measured in micrometers). Combo wash/cure stations can be nice, but I hear you can DIY things pretty cheaply and actually get better washing results than the cheap machines.FDM People
Sovol Sv06/+: $200/$270, 220x220x250/300x300x340 mm build volume
While this one will require some tinkering (manual z-offset and lubricating some bearings out of the box notably, using a raspberry pi to install the Klipper firmware for faster printing speeds is a popular one), it's got solid bones (it's essentially a clone of the Prusa Mk3, which was the 3d printer workhorse for a good 5 years or so. It's got cheaper parts, but it's also a third the price) and is also the easiest to tinker with. If you're interested in both sides of the hobby (3d printers and 3d printing), or really need the size of the Sv06+, I'd recommend this one.Bambu Labs A1 Mini: $250 sans multicolor, $400 with, 180mm^3 build volume
Bambu Labs shook things up in the 3d printing space a year or two ago with their X1C. It was a major shift in 3d printers as a hobby (you'll spend a lot of time working on the printer itself) vs 3d printers as a tool (they mostly work out of the box and you spend your time on 3d printing rather than on the printer itself). Of all the recommendations, this one will likely be the most plug and play, though they're hardly immune to issues. Bambu Labs strikes me as a company in the consumer courting phase of enshittification; They're closed source and proprietary whereas 3d printers have before been an ecosystem with a lot of open source. There's heavy marketing, but in my experience the best quality stuff advertises off word of mouth and reputation. And all their printers really want to be constantly connected to their server; you can run things in LAN only mode, but it's a hassle. But at the moment, they make good printers at good prices. I'd choose this one if you want as hassle free an experience as possible, or if you want multicolor printing.Creality Ender-3 V3 KE: $240, 220x220x240 mm build volume
Creality has a terrible reputation as a company, with cheap parts, a reputation for people working more on the printer than printing, and customer service that'll probably laugh at you if you somehow manage to contact them. That said, this one I have heard good things about; it's just expensive enough to be made of more than duct tape and dreams. It's supposed to be pretty plug and play, and has decent specs for the price. I'd personally avoid it based on the rest of the company's reputation, but if you need size, performance, and hopefully as little tinkering as possible on a budget, do some research on this one and see what you turn up.Qidi X-Smart 3: $300, 175x180x170 mm build volume
This one is notable for coming with an enclosure, so it'll be able to print ABS/ASA, though nylon and polycarbonate will still elude it. There will be a bit of tinkering involved (manual z-offset), but it has a solid reputation. Qidi is also supposed to have decent customer service. I'd pick this one if you want ASA printing and the size works for you, or if you're jury rigging an air filtration setup (a printer that starts out enclosed makes things much easier on that front).Qidi Q1-Pro: $440 (with 30DAYSGIFT coupon at checkout), 245x245x240 mm build volume
This one is pushing the budget of a starter printer, but it comes enclosed and can print engineering or abrasive filaments right out of the box. It can actually do better with engineering filaments than some higher cost printers, since it has an actively heated chamber rather than a passive one. It's early days yet, but this one is in the running for the best bang for your buck printer on the market right now. That said, there are some IMPORTANT CAVEATS: The heater has exposed live power while on. The heater has a grating, is in a back corner of the box, and will burn you if you touch it while on, but it's still a flaw that deserves to be called out. IIRC you can print a safety cover for it if you like, but best practice for any machine is to unplug it before you go rooting around in its internals. The Q1 Pro also hasn't been out for long. Early reactions are good, but it's hard to know for sure. I'd pick this printer if you want to tango with engineering filaments.Multicolor Printing
If you're on a budget, Bambu Labs is the only game in town for multicolor printing. It's definitely cool, but it also comes with some significant downsides. The first is that you'll be spending another $150 for the system in upfront costs, or $250 if you decide to add on one later. The second is that multicolor printing is really inefficient; it's common for prints to take 2-3x as long, and to have as much wasted filament as printed product. Filament is also rather expensive in startup costs if you're looking to build a color library.
The inefficiency can be somewhat mitigated though; what makes it so wasteful is the need to purge filament with every color swap. FDM generally prints in z layers, so a cube that's one color on the top half and a different on the bottom half will only need to purge once. There's also the same amount of waste if you print one model as if you fill up the build plate with identical models.
Overall though, if you want multicolor I'd recommend getting a nice set of paints and primer, which will give you a wide range of colors at the same price point as around a couple spools of nice filament.
Accessories
Some tools and other things associated with 3d printers.
Glue Stick:
Just any regular glue stick, no need for some fancy 3d printer one. Used for bed adhesion, when prints stick either too much or too little to your build plate.A concrete paver with some foam blocks underneath:
Yes, really. This is used primarily to reduce the noise of your 3d printer, by preventing it from resonating with the table it's probably on. It can also help improve print quality, but since printers these days are pretty good at dealing with vibrations mostly just in the case of your printer being on a wobbly table.Dry box/Filament Dryer:
Unfortunately, most FDM filaments are hygroscopic, meaning they'll absorb humidity. When you're trying to melt plastic through a very narrow tube, adding water also adds issues. How annoying a problem humidity depends on the climate where you live.To deal with waterlogged filament, you dry it out. Heating it up too often isn't good for it though, so people will store them in dry boxes to limit how often it needs to be done. For drying filament, there are a few options. For specific temperatures and times, check which filament you're using. You can get a purpose built machine, but they're often cheaply made and not very good. A food dehydrator is great, and can also dehydrate food. Many air fryers have a dehydrator mode, though I'd try to check with a thermometer how steady it actually is. Ovens aren't recommended, because their temperature gauges often aren't all that accurate and they can fluctuate. For the ultra budget option, use a cardboard box with some holes poked in it on your printer's heated build plate.
For dry boxes, a ziplock bag if you're not going to be using your filament for a while works. Toss in some silica gel and vacuum seal to be extra thorough. You can print dry boxes, but you'll want a gasket (print a TPU one or use silicone from your local hardware store). You can also just buy a big sealing plastic tub and use that. Put in some silica gel in a way that you can swap it out when it gets saturated and you're good to go.
DIY Enclosure
Grow tents often work great. People sometimes use the IKEA lack table as well; you can find guides. Add a fan, some filters (Acid free activated carbon IIRC; otherwise it can hurt your printer. HEPA filter is a good call too), and one of those big flexible plastic tubes to vent outside if you really want to get cooking with responsible air quality.Calipers
Much better than a ruler for getting quick, accurate measurements. There are 3 main styles.Vernier calipers use a little slide rule or something, so you get to squint and do math to figure out measurements. Their advantages are that they're durable, passively theft proof like stick shifts are in cars (since no one knows how to use them anymore), and if you use it long enough eventually someone might take pity and get you a better set.
Dial calipers, as you might expect, use a dial reading instead to banish math to the abyss, where it belongs. Some people prefer these over digital, since there are no batteries involved, and you can see which way you're approaching a measurement from (are you over or under it?) for tolerances. But you'll still be squinting, and they have gears which are sensitive to dirt and grit.
Digital calipers are easily the most convenient. Digital display, easily switch between metric and imperial, take relative measurements by resetting the 0 point. The one flaw is dealing with batteries. Digital calipers have a dirty little secret; they don't actually turn all the way off, and the cheap ones keep guzzling power while "off", eating through batteries.
To remedy this, there are a few options. You can take the battery out when it's not in use. You can get these calipers and use this 3d print to physically disconnect the battery when not in use (any caliper with a head that looks like that should work, but that one is specifically called out as being compatible in the comments). Or you can get these, which someone measured the idle power draw on to confirm they actually go into a low power state.
Mitutoyos are the premium caliper brand, but the market is also chock full of counterfeits, I've heard their quality has started dipping in recent years, and if you don't already have a caliper you really don't need one that's half as expensive as your 3d printer.
Useful Resources
Printer Recommendations:
Another Internet Stranger
3d Printing Discord DocWikis:
Reddit General 3d Printing
Reddit Resin Printing
3d Printing Discord
3d Printer Tuning:
Text Guide
Text and Videos
Useful calibration objectPost Processing:
ASA vapor polishing
Note: Use a respirator when vapor smoothing ASA, and remember that it's going to continue smoothing for a time after you take it out of the chamber. Be careful, acetone can be dangerous.FDM Miniature Printing:
Tome of 3d Printed Horrors channel -
Comment on If you had up to US$250 to get one person into a hobby you're interested in, what would you do to get them started? in ~hobbies
ICN Link ParentI've been looking into getting a 3d printer lately, so going to give my 2 cents based on the research I've done. It really depends; do you (general you, not specific) want your hobby to be 3d...I've been looking into getting a 3d printer lately, so going to give my 2 cents based on the research I've done.
It really depends; do you (general you, not specific) want your hobby to be 3d printing, or 3d printers? Creality 3d printers have a notorious reputation for poor quality control, bad customer service, and generally requiring a fair bit of tinkering to work well. You can get a good printer out of them, but that will often be after a fair bit of work and some more money to upgrade shoddy parts.
As for used printers, there are 2 important factors to consider when getting anything second-hand: how capable are you at identifying issues, and how capable are you at fixing any that may arise? 3d printers have a fair bit of complexity to them, and this is further aggravated by the hobby as a whole being a fairly DIY space; many people modify their printers, so there's no guarantee you're dealing with stock parts rather than someone's botched mod project. You can get a good 3d printer used, but I'd consider it a gamble; if you're not okay with getting a dud, you probably shouldn't take the risk in the first place.
Tinkering with the printers can definitely be a fun hobby, but for anyone just interested in the 3d printing side of things with as little tinkering as possible I'd say the startup cost will generally be more like $300-500, depending on just how little tinkering you want to do and other parameters.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
ICN Link ParentI'm also amused by the mismatch in how Noita looks versus how demanding it can be. It runs at 60 frames; hopefully per second, but it's entirely capable of lagging out systems that run much...I'm also amused by the mismatch in how Noita looks versus how demanding it can be. It runs at 60 frames; hopefully per second, but it's entirely capable of lagging out systems that run much fancier looking games without breaking a sweat.
Oh, yeah, the coloring spells are nice. A bit of customization can go a long way.
If you return to the game and use the wiki, I'd recommend throwing on some mods. The game comes with one (alternate starting loadouts, gives you a build around a theme to shake up the beginning), I like the Better Enemies mod for more variety, then I also use Inventory Bags and Edit Wands Always for convenience; when I've got a way to get in and out of the holy mountain without collapsing it, I start using them to save me the trouble of ferrying wands back and forth. There are quite a few on the Steam Workshop, and they work on Linux.
Thanks again, and happy gaming!
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
ICN Link ParentI enjoyed the update, thank you. Meant to reply a bit sooner, but had a busy couple days there. Congratulations on winning! Turns out the noita was the bad guy all along. There are 3 other endings...I enjoyed the update, thank you. Meant to reply a bit sooner, but had a busy couple days there. Congratulations on winning! Turns out the noita was the bad guy all along. There are 3 other endings possible (though one of them I'd say is more tedious than entertaining to get), all of which are triggered by bringing the Sampo to a different location (same location for all 3 alternative endings; the ending you get depends on a different factor).
Fun fact to add on to concentrated mana, it also dissolves all kinds of metal. Ping pong path + luminous drill is a classic; the way that one works is that ping pong path adds a significant boost to the hidden lifetime modifier stat. Good eye catching those musical notes on the wall. That wand you found floating by the mine entrance is really strange; my best guess is that a chest got destroyed and the wand inside clipped up through the terrain.
Great job with the minibosses. Half the point of flexible games is creatively cheesing encounters, and tricking the mech squid into making the same mistakes you've previously made with spells is clever. Honestly, you got very lucky with Tapion Vassali; they're new, so I'd forgotten about them, but they're real mean. Small spoiler here, but otherwise you find out by just dying: They scale based on the number of innocent animals you've killed, and they reflect damage, with a minimum of 300% of damage dealt if you're seeing them (you have to kill 30 animals for them to spawn in the first place). Really dodged a bullet there fortunately.
It's possible to create so many types of wands in Noita, but sadly some tried and true styles are often better than the really fancy ones.
You were very scary that run, but I'm afraid you need to deal a million damage in one shot to get the gods to fear you.
Alchemic Precursor and Lively Concoction (Dark blue and pale green respectively) are two alchemic substances whose recipe is randomly determined each seed, each being a combination of 3 different liquids or powders. There's no way in game of determining the recipe for your seed, but it's worth keeping an eye out for them (Lively Concoction heals).
Polymorphine and its variants are the most dangerous substances in the game. There are ways to get to the point where you can swim in acid without worry, but poly will always be a threat.
The refreshing gourd and the final boss thing is an example of what I meant as secrets built on a community level. The chances of any specific player trying that are pretty low, but the chances of somebody trying it is quite high.
On the key quest, I'm afraid you were in the area of the wrong staircase. That's very understandable though, considering the "staircases" are normally invisible.
And again, congratulations on winning, and thanks for the updates; it's really been fun for me seeing someone else experience it.
Other ending location spoiler
The Mountain Altar, which floats right about the point of the mountain. There are actually quite a few things you can sacrifice on it. -
Comment on "No CGI" is really just invisible CGI in ~movies
ICN Link ParentI think part of it is like the enjoyment of a good stage magic trick; It's fun to speculate just how they managed to do something, creating an illusion of the impossible while remaining strictly...I think part of it is like the enjoyment of a good stage magic trick; It's fun to speculate just how they managed to do something, creating an illusion of the impossible while remaining strictly within the bounds of reality.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
ICN (edited )Link ParentGlad to hear you're having fun too. That second Skoude seems like some real bad luck; I think it must've been some other creature getting polymorphed into one. Looking forward to seeing if any of...Glad to hear you're having fun too. That second Skoude seems like some real bad luck; I think it must've been some other creature getting polymorphed into one. Looking forward to seeing if any of your experimentation bears fruit. I would recommend avoiding spoilers for a while even after you complete the main path. There is quite a lot to do outside of it, to the point where it's often called finishing the tutorial in the community. And good luck!
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
ICN Link ParentThat was enjoyable to read, thank you. You're right, it was fun watching you speculate as the the nature of Stevari and angry gods. Honestly, I was surprised by how well you did; IIRC it was a...That was enjoyable to read, thank you. You're right, it was fun watching you speculate as the the nature of Stevari and angry gods. Honestly, I was surprised by how well you did; IIRC it was a while before I was able to deal just retribution to Steve for all the times they took it out on me when a worm wrecked their stuff. Nice work.
There's nothing like a good digging wand. There are a few different spells that can dig through anything like plasma cutter, which is a good thing because no matter how careful I try to be, I always end up accidentally blasting myself when I use that one.
The tombstone thing in the tree is one of 3 (IIRC) structures that seem significant, but aren't, to my great annoyance when I ended up looking them up. That one is monument to the first player or streamer (I forget which) to successfully complete a certain type of challenge. It can be useful though since IIRC it's an easier way to find the Kantele room for many players. The second structure is the achievement pillars at the top of the tree, which are a monument to you; as you do various things in the game, you'll unlock more bricks in the achievement pillars. The music machine is not part of the achievement pillars. The third is a little racetrack located below the nuke room, at a place where the dense rock thins a bit in the wall if you're climbing up the pit. There's a little drone in there that you can remotely pilot around a track, but it doesn't do anything aside from that.
The mech squid boss is legitimately one of the toughest in the game, which is hilariously mean given that they're also fairly likely to be the first encountered. Even on games where I can breeze through the layers, I tend to think twice about tangling with them. I'll break their mechanics in case you'd want that and want to avoid the wiki.
Possibly the tablet foreshadows something in some other way, but it does it definitely does portend one very concrete terror that now exists in your world. Now that you've discovered the nuke spell, it's added to the pool of spells that can be found on wands. You know, those wands that enemies sometimes pick up and fire at you. Sometimes your previous successes can really come back to haunt you.
A brutally comedic death at the hands of old three eye. Once you're done with the game, or at least aren't worried about spoilers anymore, I'd recommend browsing some of the top posts of all time on the Noita reddit. The game systems sometimes come together in hilariously oblique ways to ruin a struggling Noita's day.
Thanks again, that was fun to read. It sounds like you're doing pretty well overall.
Mech squid boss details
The boss is highly resistant to many damage types, most notably explosives and projectile damage (they take .3 of the listed damage). Furthermore, they have a diminishing damage shield; when they take damage, all damage is reduced to 0 for a time thereafter. It slowly scales back to taking full damage over a period of two seconds (120 frames). The damage field modifier and the plasma series of spells ignore this. When taking damage, the boss summons a retaliatory wand strike.It fires a few different types of projectiles, IIRC in every direction with some homing and acceleration to them, making them difficult to dodge. These can polymorph, blind, nullify your spells, or teleport you. It'll also periodically summon wands that'll fire spells at you. These wands will sometimes copy your spells. Also, it'll chew through terrain to get to you if you're close enough. It's a nasty boss with a lot of things that can go wrong.
Hint towards a quest start, if wanted
You've probably noticed some hand statues in the Snowy Depths. Those warrant some investigation. -
Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
ICN Link ParentThat was fun to read, thanks for the update. Nice work shredding Steve, and finding out about the Hiisi healer trick; that one can really come in handy. My experience in the jungle matches yours,...That was fun to read, thanks for the update. Nice work shredding Steve, and finding out about the Hiisi healer trick; that one can really come in handy. My experience in the jungle matches yours, where it is noticeably easier than what came before. Hiisi Base is kind of where the rubber meets the road in the game though imo; the first couple biomes, you can muddle through with your starter wands if need be. The third is a significant step up, though it's a bit sparsely populated and with the wide open spaces you can rush for the holy mountain if need be. Hiisi Base though is cramped, full of enemies, riddled with metal, and stuffed with explosives. In comparison, the jungle is a nice quiet place to recover after the mayhem.
Then comes the Vault, and your nice tropical vacation ends. Sudden death is a quintessential Noita experience, so you can rest in peace knowing you're playing the game as intended.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
ICN Link ParentThanks, I'm looking forward to the update. I appreciate a challenge when it can hit just the right difficulty sweet spot. Noita often frustrates me in this regard, but somehow I keep coming back...Thanks, I'm looking forward to the update. I appreciate a challenge when it can hit just the right difficulty sweet spot. Noita often frustrates me in this regard, but somehow I keep coming back anyway.
The secrets and puzzles in Noita cover an interesting range. Some are built on a personal level, where it's entirely possible someone will figure it out themselves. Some are built more on a community level, where the chance of any specific player doing the right thing is low, but the chance that somebody in the community will do it is high. Then there's one that people still haven't figured out. IIRC the progress menu keeps track of how many secrets you've found.
There isn't any way to remove an always cast from a wand, but there is one modifier that would do the trick here. The Spells to Power modifier does exactly what it says; converts spells around you into more damage for a projectile. If you found that somewhere, you could use it to clean up the old instances of Circle of Stillness. There are a lot of spells and modifiers though, so it's unlikely to turn up. Still, if you end up tossing the wand, maybe leave it somewhere you'll remember in case you want to double back.
A quick note on lag, the Gold is Forever perk can potentially cause some issues in longer games where you go off the beaten path. I'd avoid it myself.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
ICN Link ParentNoita is lots of fun, in a brutally unforgiving way. I've been diving back in myself with the update. Going for as few spoilers as possible is the right move; Noita is a game that rewards...Noita is lots of fun, in a brutally unforgiving way. I've been diving back in myself with the update. Going for as few spoilers as possible is the right move; Noita is a game that rewards exploration and experimentation, unless it's one of those times it punishes you for it (the creature that has killed me the most according to the game stats is myself). I'd enjoy updates on your playthroughs, as sadly the only way to recapture that initial exploratory experience in games is vicariously.
One note, the green tablet should automatically translate if you stand next to it for a few seconds (at least they do for me in English). Also have some notes on mechanical controls that aren't made quite clear by the game (or at least for me, I didn't realize they were a thing until I read someone else pointing them out), but just in case you want to avoid even those I'll spoiler them.
Game control notes
-Kicking moves in the direction of your cursor, not just away from you.-The force of objects launched by spells (dynamite, bombs, things like that) is determined by the distance from the Noita to your cursor, i.e. the farther your cursor the farther they'll go.
-Right clicking a potion icon on your inventory bar will drink 10% of it.
-You can drink liquids/eat some things by pressing down next to them.
And one hint that makes starting out a little nicer, in case you want it. It sheds some light on one game mechanic, but I wouldn't say it spoils anything.
What could it be?
That green tablet you found is a very practical and useful item.If you have any questions, feel free to let me know; I've done quite a lot of what there is to do and can use the wiki without fear of spoilers at this point, so if you want a hint or clarification on something I can serve as a buffer.
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Comment on Scientific research suggests it might be a good idea to add python to your diet in ~food
ICN LinkThis article seems a bit disingenuous to me. Yes, pythons have a high food-to-meat-produced conversion ratio compared to other livestock animals, but isn't that because pythons eat meat rather...This article seems a bit disingenuous to me. Yes, pythons have a high food-to-meat-produced conversion ratio compared to other livestock animals, but isn't that because pythons eat meat rather than plants?
Possibly there could be a situation where pythons could effectively recycle meat waste products from other animals into more meat, but there are so many hurdles involved, in addition to health questions of whether it'd be safe for humans to eat the meat of an animal fed entirely by meat unfit for human consumption, with the moral considerations looming on top of it all.
Also, they acknowledge they didn't factor in how snake meat actually tastes, so it may all be moot. Any Tilderinos tried it?
Edit: Missed MimicSquid's comment, which covers the inefficiency inherent to feeding an animal meat to make meat.
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Comment on New moons of Uranus and Neptune announced in ~space
ICN LinkIt's incredible to me that something like this is possible. A quick bit of math and a search for the closest Uranus is to Earth suggests that finding the smaller moon is like spotting the head of...It's incredible to me that something like this is possible. A quick bit of math and a search for the closest Uranus is to Earth suggests that finding the smaller moon is like spotting the head of a pin from 325 km (or 202 miles) away. And that's the best case, while also being done on Earth, with all that pesky atmosphere making things even more difficult. It's just astounding.
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Comment on Does anyone else have posting anxiety? in ~tech
ICN Link ParentHuh, I hadn't considered them that before, but I don't see what else they could qualify as.Huh, I hadn't considered them that before, but I don't see what else they could qualify as.
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Comment on Does anyone else have posting anxiety? in ~tech
ICN Link ParenteM dash for Musings eN dash for Numbers In case that helps anyone remember the difference better This post is made without punctuation so as to avoid any appearance of biaseM dash for Musings
eN dash for Numbers
In case that helps anyone remember the difference betterThis post is made without punctuation so as to avoid any appearance of bias
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Comment on Tildes Minecraft Survival Bi-Weekly Thread in ~games
ICN Link ParentEmergency building project, we must construct a courthouse at once in light of this heinous crime.Emergency building project, we must construct a courthouse at once in light of this heinous crime.
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Comment on Bluesky Social is now open to the public in ~tech
ICN Link ParentAh, serves me right for going off vague memories instead of proper research. Thanks for the correction.Ah, serves me right for going off vague memories instead of proper research. Thanks for the correction.
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Comment on Bluesky Social is now open to the public in ~tech
ICN LinkI don't think Bluesky is really going to make it; it's in too awkward of a position. For one thing, I think we've all seen that it's quite difficult to get people to switch platforms in serious...I don't think Bluesky is really going to make it; it's in too awkward of a position. For one thing, I think we've all seen that it's quite difficult to get people to switch platforms in serious numbers. Network effects and inertia are tough challenges to overcome.
Secondly, even before Twitter was bought out, the general vibe I got from people (not having used the platform myself) was that it had gone downhill and its "villain of the day" algorithm led to a ton of exhausting outrage and toxicity. So Twitter 2, from the guy who brought you Twitter 1, is going to be a hard sell to a lot of people.
So Bluesky's pitch read, to me, as trying to get people to go through all the effort of jumping ship, for a return to when things were better but still a long ways from good. There is a small community there, and small communities can keep going for quite some time, but that's not going to look like success to big tech companies and the VC money I'm guessing is behind it.
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Comment on It took divorce to make my marriage equal – I spent twelve years fighting for an equal partnership, when what I needed was a divorce [2020] in ~life
ICN Link ParentIt's great that you and your partner do that for each other, but I think the praise is just how the issue manifests, rather than the core issue itself. The real problem is when the man feels like...It's great that you and your partner do that for each other, but I think the praise is just how the issue manifests, rather than the core issue itself. The real problem is when the man feels like they've gone above and beyond, when in reality they haven't actually made up for the imbalance that existed in the first place. Like, it's great that they emptied the dishwasher this time, but it needs to happen every time if things are actually going to change. If the man only does it when they get a lot of praise for it, or if they never learn it well enough so that the woman always has to finish up afterwards, they haven't actually taken the matter off her plate; there's still a significant amount of emotional labor that remains.
And while praise is nice, I think what most of the women who write stuff like this are looking for is balance in a relationship of equals. Getting praised for how much harder you work or how much better you are at working more often doesn't feel that good if you're supposed to be partners.
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Comment on Extreme metal guitar skills linked to intrasexual competition, but not mating success in ~science
ICN Link ParentFor anyone who enjoys this sort of thing BAHfest has some similar silly science vibes. People make an absurd hypothesis, then justify it as best they can.For anyone who enjoys this sort of thing BAHfest has some similar silly science vibes. People make an absurd hypothesis, then justify it as best they can.
I like Prusa as a company, but they're too expensive for me to recommend to beginners.
The mini is a nice printer, but had I included it on my list it would've been the most expensive one on it, factoring in shipping to the USA where I'm at, with a small build volume, no auto z offset, and no enclosure to boot.
The MK 3 is really starting to feel its age. Spec-wise, it competes against the Sovol in that list, and not always favorably; it's a lot easier to get input shaping for a significant speed boost on the Sovol.
The MK 4 is a great printer, but $500 is already a steep ask for someone getting into a hobby, especially when so many people bounce off it. Doubling it, especially when that's still not enough to get you some of the features found on cheaper printers (multi color, enclosure) is more likely to scare them away imo. I see Prusa as more of a dedicated hobbyist/business facing company rather than one for the casual consumer.